Vegas - unbeatable?

[TychoFan]

Unbeatable? Come on, they were just about invisible in last year's playoffs.

 

[mobilus]

It's "Miracle on Ice" over 82 games plus playoffs. (Which had nothing to do with luck from Herb Brooks perspective.)

 

[fsanford]

Ok so Leicester winning the Premier league would be akin to the Hersey Bears moving up to the NHL with the same roster they have then winning the Stanley cup.

If you honestly thought at the beginning of the year that Vegas would be in the position they are now you can complain all you want. Fact is, virtually everybody saw them finishing close to dead last. On paper they're the worst team in the league. You'd be foolish to have thought anything else coming into the season.

Who couldve predicted that W. Karlsson would eclipse his career high in goals by over 30. Nearly every single player on the team is having a career year. Do the exact same expansion draft 100 times over and Vegas doesn't even sniff the playoffs in 95% of them. With the roster Vegas has they shouldn't be this good, but they are. I'd bet everything I own that Seattles first season doesnt even come close to what Vegas is doing right now.

Your original comment is does Vegas winning the cup tarnish it, maybe because no other pro sport had an expansion team win a championship its first year. It would never ever happen in the other 3, unless say an NBA team could only keep 5 guys each or something in the expansion draft.


I think Seattle will have success first year and contend for a playoff spot. Look back to the 93 expansion 2 teams came into the league, teams could keep 15 guys, 2 teams drafting, with that incredibly diluted pool before the salary cap Ducks had 33 wins that year a record for an expansion team at that time.. Within 3 Florida made to the SCF.

Vegas was very fortunate to have a proven starting goalie made available with a salary his current team could not retain. Seattle probably would need similar fortune, I believe Price has an NMC, but they probably would need something along the lines of a Quick, or Price be made available to them. Maybe Crawford from Chicago will be made available, should he recover from vertigo and play like he is capable

That said MAF was hurt a chunk of the year, so clearly a strong system was put in place as well. But for the playoff's his experience is shinning.

While no one expected them to win like they did, if you look back what happened in 93, it really is not that remarkable based on the expanded talent pool and only 1 team drafting what occurred. The pool of talent Vegas got was much better, so if Ducks could do 33 in era where teams could just pay to win and not worry about the cap, another 10-12 wins out of Vegas was not out of the question. Tack on another 5 with some puck luck and you have 100+ points.

Still had to put it all together like they did, great coaching, great plan on the kind of team they wanted.
But no reason Seattle cannot do something similar.

 

[HF007]

You also said they had zero chance of winning a single game against LA. I don't know how your confidence is still going strong.





Actually keep predicting Vegas' failures please. You might just be their lucky charm.

Lol these are the top 2 teams in the league, Vegas had a good run

 

[Mez]

You can build a team over a span of years by making nice draft picks and wise trades to win a Cup, or you can just pay $500 million.

I thought Pay2Win was only a problem in video games...

 

[HanSolo]

Lol these are the top 2 teams in the league, Vegas had a good run

Of the teams that are left Vegas was in the top 4 in league standings just behind Tampa, Winnipeg, and Nashville. Sure Vegas could lose next round but acting like they have no chance is a little silly.

 

[HF007]

Of the teams that are left Vegas was in the top 4 in league standings just behind Tampa, Winnipeg, and Nashville. Sure Vegas could lose next round but acting like they have no chance is a little silly.

I'm just being honest (future voice). They probably push game 6 at best, but yeah 0% chance they win the series, still a great season.

 

[hangman005]

I'm just being honest (future voice). They probably push game 6 at best, but yeah 0% chance they win the series, still a great season.

It all depends on what happens on the ice... I’d be pretty happy to bow out in 6... it’s been a great ride so far. But it’s not a shoe in for any team (maybe if flower gets hit by a train)

The gap between Vegas and NSH/WPG is not as large as some would like to believe. Vegas is the underdog I don’t deny that but looking at everything so far I could see Vegas both winning or losing the series but it’ll go 6 or 7.

Not hugely meaningful at all but NSH had 2 and WPG had 1 more win than Vegas over 82 games.

Vegas has had the easier road to the conference finals and that could work both for or against them.

For those saying it should be a WPG NSH conference final have to accept one of those teams still will have gotten past Vegas and it’s not a certainty.

It will be a tough series for Vegas to win... but I think the team deserves a little more credit than the 0% chance some people have given us... though that said we like defying the odds so maybe everyone even the opposing players give us 0% odds

 

[SUX2BU]

no, beatable

 

[Grimm]

Please, the whole board was making fun of McPhee / Vegas for their draft. I'm not even giving McPhee credit, this is all simply the work of a bunch of underdogs coming together to beat the odds.

See Philadelphia Eagles versus literally the greatest qb and probably coach ever.

A good coach and a motivated group can go a long way. And even if they don't win, what a run and story.

 

[CupInSIX]

So them being able to manipulate the expansion draft to acquire 2 top 15 picks doesn't show how ridiculous the process was?

What process would that be? The process of taking another team's cap burdens? That's been going on before the Knights entered the league my friend.

 

[Licentia]

I reject your jinx.

Oooh, I was right, I was right!

The Preds are done. They have been inconsistent all play-offs long. They need to win 2 games to advance. Winning 2 games against Winnipeg, requires far more consistency than they have proven themselves capable of.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

Well that's not entirely true. Neal and Perron were well established top 6 guys but the majority of people felt that them, Marchessault, Smith, and Shipachyov would be one of the weakest top 6s in the league.

In theory, those guys are probably all top-6 players, even before the season starts. But nobody thought any of those guys had elite top line talent and realistically, 3 of them, along with William Karlsson, proved that they did this season.

 

[Reddeer]

I'm confused; are you challenging the notion that I would root for VGK if NSH lost? I have zero reason to hate them; they're brand new to the league and we've played them a handful of times. I've also already expressed my neutral appreciation for their shocking progress as a team. I'd love to VGK to win if los perds are donezo; also fine with the Bolts or Caps winning it. WPG is a divisional rival, so if we lose, yes I'd rather someone else win besides the Jets.

Funny, but I'm usually just the opposite. A division mate doing well makes my team look better.

 

[illpucks]

Vegas was my pick to win the West since midseason but I think the Caps can beat them. Caps lost to the cup winning Pens two years in a row as the favorites but have learned a valuable lesson. They just need to clear game 7.

 

[Royal Thunder]

I'm just being honest (future voice). They probably push game 6 at best, but yeah 0% chance they win the series, still a great season.

Nice

 

[AveryQuietMan]

Vegas was my pick to win the West since midseason but I think the Caps can beat them. Caps lost to the cup winning Pens two years in a row as the favorites but have learned a valuable lesson. They just need to clear game 7.

back it up bro.

i want to see proof

 

[DannyGallivan]

Have you heard of a "market correction" when it comes to the stock market? I think Vegas is in store for a "performance correction" next season. Yes, they may win the Stanley Cup this year, but I look at their roster and how some players uncharacteristically sky-rocketed (Karlsson, Fleury) and I see the team coming down to earth next year. Perhaps significantly.

 

[Pookie]

Is the legacy of winning the Premier League also tarnished because Leicester City won?

LC developed and signed their own players. Supporters have been showing up and singing for 100 years through promotion and relegation.

This is comparable to Vegas how?

 

[Lshap]

Vegas is a new bacteria and the league hasn't developed antibodies for them. Once their strain of hockey is isolated, every team will be immunized with shots which, naturally, will be reflected in their Corsi.

 

[kladorf2005]

Only two more series wins away from the legacy of winning the Stanley Cup being tarnished

 

[kladorf2005]

LC developed and signed their own players. Supporters have been showing up and singing for 100 years through promotion and relegation.

This is comparable to Vegas how?

Do you expect expansion teams to find their own players off the streets? Or maybe you think the NHL should have just stuck with the O6 and never expanded?

 

[PlamsUnlimited]

Do you expect expansion teams to find their own players off the streets? Or maybe you think the NHL should have just stuck with the O6 and never expanded?

Bill Belichick does this

 

[Pookie]

Do you expect expansion teams to find their own players off the streets? Or maybe you think the NHL should have just stuck with the O6 and never expanded?

?

He created a comparison. So I highlighted the reason as to why it’s not comparable.

Developing your own team and winning it, in a league with no salary cap is much different than winning it as a direct result of having the league require other teams to make (better) players available (“Better” per Bill Daly).

I don’t expect expansion teams to find players off the streets. It would have to come through an expansion draft. Obviously.

LC’s players come through the transfer window and their Academy.

Your defensiveness is both funny and ridiculous.

 

[Kranix]

You can build a team over a span of years by making nice draft picks and wise trades to win a Cup, or you can just pay $500 million.

Or you can plod along in futility for 50 years like the Sabres. It hurts doesn't it?