So, Teams from Canada might not suck this year???

Soundwave

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Mar 1, 2007
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Oilers aren't a great team ... but McDavid is the best player in the world who is actually getting better and just barely entering his prime. That still counts for a lot, even in hockey.

Colorado wasn't exactly a great team roster wise, but MacKinnon took his game to another level and that seems to have solved a lot of their problems.

This is the same league where a freaking expansion team made the Finals in their first season. At this point nothing really shocks me.
 

Daximus

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Central is going to be bloodbath again I think. Preds and Avs both off to good starts. Jets, Hawks, Stars and Wild all pretty close. St. Louis a bit behind but I don't think anyone expects them to roll over.

For the first time in awhile I feel Calgary and Vancouver could have a shot. Arizona is still bad, LA looks to slow to keep up with todays NHL, Vegas might take a step back. Edmonton is hard to predict until we see a large enough sample of whether they can get literally any secondary scoring.

Montreal isn't playing bad out the gate but I expect it to collapse soon. Toronto probably takes the division this year.
 

Howe Elbows 9

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For the first time in awhile I feel Calgary and Vancouver could have a shot. Arizona is still bad, LA looks to slow to keep up with todays NHL, Vegas might take a step back. Edmonton is hard to predict until we see a large enough sample of whether they can get literally any secondary scoring.

I'd be surprised if Vancouver's goaltending holds up over 82 games and they make the playoffs. Otherwise I agree with your post.
 

Canada4Gold

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Dec 22, 2010
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Oh yeah? Well I bet more American teams make the playoffs this year than Canadian teams do!!! :sarcasm:
 

nturn06

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You can only go off last year to make your predictions for this year. And so far their roster has not improved, or at least marginally so i can understand where they are coming from. How do you give the benefit of the doubt to this team after such a horrible year and lack of upgrades?

And yet Montreal and Ottawa deserve praise....
 

blankall

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Jul 4, 2007
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I’m pumping the breaks on most of these teams especially Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver.

Vancouvers defence and goaltending isn’t good. And Montreal and Ottawa are going to have a real hard time scoring goals.
Vancouver is one have over five hundred due to an abysmal game by the Flames. The Flames opener was an atrocious all around effort. No one was ready to play.

That's been a huge issue with the Flames. Some games they start totally flat and did holes that too big to recover from.
 
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bobholly39

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Toronto makes the playoffs easily
I think Winnipeg struggles. They may make it still - but definitely wont dominate as much as last year
I think Edm makes it. On the back of McDavid - but they make it still
Calgary bubble team but misses
Ottawa will NOT be as bad as people expect them to be - but they still mis
Vancouver misses
Montreal will surprise and make playoffs.
 
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Flameshomer

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No agenda to **** on the Oil at all....
Good job OP.


3-2-0, back to back ot winners against cup contenders and finally at home after 17 days.

Lol such a perfect example if the false bravado! Just magnificent. Barely beating two tired teams while fully rested is not that impressive.
 

Holymakinaw

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May 22, 2007
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What a turn around a year makes - well sorry Edmonton lol...

It is pretty early on but you can certainly see a few teams from Canada are really looking good out there.

Ottawa has to be the biggest surprise, they just look so fast out there, Lajoie and Chabot look like legit top pair talents out there...Tkachuk has been as impressive as any rookie can be right now (sucks for the injury but hopefully no more than a month)...their depth guys have stepped up as Tierney and Smith have looked real good, and Stone hasn't really even started scoring yet. Plus they have some real good kids ready to come up in Wolanin, Balcers, Brown, etc.. Ottawa might be a bubble playoff team this year, very very few even dreamed that.

Vancouver has a lot going on that Ottawa does. The kids are stepping up and taking roles like Petterrsen, Horvat and Boeser. They have guys like Sutter and Ericksson playing solid hockey, and anything I have ever said negatively about Edler- I take it back, that dude is a stud!! I am not sure they have the depth to get through the grind, but they have been entertaining as well and have kids like Gaudette ready to step up too.

Montreal is a team that....I honestly can't explain. I have no idea how they are winning games with the roster they have, but the team is so quick and hustles most nights, they simply are outworking their opponents. They have some talent here as Byron and Gallagher are two very underrated players, Tatar seems to be the find of the year and Drouin finally might be figuring things out. Kotkaniemi has been real good though nothing spectacular, but overall the team just looks good out there...also Mike Reilly has been very solid on the point too..and they have that Carey Price guy too...

Calgary and Winnipeg are both teams I expected to make the playoffs and neither are letting that down though Winnipeg is taking its sweet time to really get rolling here. I expect both teams to be in the playoffs this year as they are well balanced groups.

Almost every team from Canada is playing better than last year.....and oh yeah, forgot about the Leafs....no I didn't, don't want to talk about them, this is for the other teams lol... But so far so good for ALL the teams out of Canada this year............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................sorry Edmonton


Nah.

Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver will end up at the bottom this year. Give it time.
 

Eltuna

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Nov 12, 2017
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Edmonton will be really interesting to follow this year. If McDavid can keep up what he’s doing he should be the unanimous Hart winner regardless if they make the playoffs or not, it’s not exactly a one man show but it’s close. I really like what Nurse has done this year as well he’s really coming into his own.
 

Paperbagofglory

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Nov 15, 2010
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Edmonton will be really interesting to follow this year. If McDavid can keep up what he’s doing he should be the unanimous Hart winner regardless if they make the playoffs or not, it’s not exactly a one man show but it’s close. I really like what Nurse has done this year as well he’s really coming into his own.

Mcdavid will have Nuge on his line for most of the year unlike last year when Clownshoes Todd decided not to try what every person and expert would know works. This will up Mcdavid's points by a bit. He had a slow start last year because he played with Milan Troglodyte for a quarter of the season.

He had a 108 points last year, its scary that he looks even better this year.
 

Howe Elbows 9

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Serious question - is anyone aware of a professional or near-professional team named after a player? Not a beer league team is what I mean.

Bands are often named in such a manner, but I would think Edmonton should really be called the McDavids as has been noted before.
Cleveland Browns - Jim Brown

I believe the Browns were named after coach Paul Brown (in 1946), and not Jim Brown (who they drafted in 1957).
 
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Flameshomer

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Matthews > McDavid. Team success is more important. As Babcock puts it, you need to be able to inspire and motivate those around you to play better, not just lug the team to victory.
 

MoistDadBod

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Matthews > McDavid. Team success is more important. As Babcock puts it, you need to be able to inspire and motivate those around you to play better, not just lug the team to victory.

You heard it here first. Matthews is responsible for Tavares, Marner, Rielly having career starts to the season.

Can't wait til this kid signs an offer sheet from the Yotes this summer and you have to reconcile how Islanders fans felt.
 

Kel Varnson

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Oct 31, 2017
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I expect all of Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal to regress as the season go's on. I'm also not a huge believer in Calgary but I could see them as a fringe playoff team.
By the end of the year Toronto and Winnipeg will get in to the playoffs easily and be viewed as legit contenders. Calgary might sneak in but won't go far.
I don't see any of Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa or Edmonton getting in.
 

Flameshomer

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You heard it here first. Matthews is responsible for Tavares, Marner, Rielly having career starts to the season.

Can't wait til this kid signs an offer sheet from the Yotes this summer and you have to reconcile how Islanders fans felt.

What is with the inability to read on this site lately? I am very clearly not a leafs fan, and couldn't care less where Matthews plays. So far he has had more team success over his career than Connor has, and I easily see that continuing over the life of their playing time.
 

Flameshomer

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Again not funny, and no point is made. You guys are horrible at this.

I thought it was funny.

And the point was easily made, the Oilers have looked mediocre at best to start the season, and at worst they have looked like a bottom tier AHL squad with Connor McDavid on it. Offer a rebuttal and maybe someone will take your squawking seriously
 

MoistDadBod

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So far he has had more team success over his career than Connor has, and I easily see that continuing over the life of their playing time.

While you may not be a Leafs fan your post history clearly paints you as an Oilers hater. But whatever. You're the type of person who thinks 2 consecutive first round exits constitutes a clear differential of success level.
 

Paperbagofglory

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Nov 15, 2010
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Again not funny, and no point is made. You guys are horrible at this.
I am Oilers fan, not a fanboy. They are terrible defensively and they have been lucky to not get shelled by 6 to 8 goals yet. Talbot has been amazing so far. If they don't improve that roster defensively when teams get into mid season mode, they are going to get pounded more regularly than Jenna Jameson.
 
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BAM

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Nov 21, 2016
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You heard it here first. Matthews is responsible for Tavares, Marner, Rielly having career starts to the season.

Can't wait til this kid signs an offer sheet from the Yotes this summer and you have to reconcile how Islanders fans felt.
HF logic: The poorest team in the league that continuously accepts handouts from the league and needs to acquire injured players to reach the cap floor will sign a player to the most expensive contract in history. Do people even think when they say stupid stuff like this? The yotes can't afford to sign Matthews to whatever hypothetical contract the Leafs can't match.

Btw...all this Nylander stuff is being done so that Marner and Matthews can have whatever they want. If the Leafs can't keep Nylander then it means that it's pretty much 100% that they'll have the money for both Matthews and Marner.
 

BAM

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Nov 21, 2016
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While you may not be a Leafs fan your post history clearly paints you as an Oilers hater. But whatever. You're the type of person who thinks 2 consecutive first round exits constitutes a clear differential of success level.
2 first round exits >>missing the playoffs

Since team accomplishments/failures are now on the shoulders of one individual player.
 

Frank Drebin

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Matthews > McDavid. Team success is more important. As Babcock puts it, you need to be able to inspire and motivate those around you to play better, not just lug the team to victory.
I feel dirty replying to this type of post but


Leafs were a playoff team (99 point pace) in the 20 or so games Matthews was hurt last season.
 

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