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Post by folatre on Dec 5, 2023 20:20:47 GMT -5
The battle of the Hughes boys tonight. Vancouver is a feel good story and Tocchet must be the toast of the town out on the coast.
How nervous is Tommy Fitzgerald about the Devils, with great expectations, stumbling out of the gate? Their tandem -- Vanacek and Schmid -- is crapping the bed. And their d-corps, losing Dougie Hamilton for the season, is probably going to depending on kids (Luke Hughes and Nemec) a little too much too soon. Is ownership willing to pivot away from believing big things are happening this spring or are they willing to potentially flush the season and reset with a new goalie and roster health in the summer?
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Dec 10, 2023 14:29:24 GMT -5
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Post by jkr on Dec 10, 2023 14:36:25 GMT -5
Domi has one goal & is on pace for about 40 points. On top of that , he lost the fight. How is this guy taunting anybody?
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Post by Willie Dog on Dec 10, 2023 16:24:40 GMT -5
Domi has one goal & is on pace for about 40 points. On top of that , he lost the fight. How is this guy taunting anybody? Because he has to do something... Bennett is a tough guy who can play, we could use a guy like him |
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Post by folatre on Dec 10, 2023 18:22:56 GMT -5
Domi has that outgoing personality and everything, but sometimes he can definitely come across as a total goof.
What a season Reinhart is having for the Panthers, in a contract year no less.
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Post by IamCanadiens on Dec 11, 2023 11:12:42 GMT -5
Domi has one goal & is on pace for about 40 points. On top of that , he lost the fight. How is this guy taunting anybody? Because he has to do something... Bennett is a tough guy who can play, we could use a guy like him Bennett is a skill guy who plays with heart and has some sandpaper to his game. I've never thought of him as tough. He has come a long way from that skinny kid who couldn't do a chin up to a very well rounded player. Still can't believe Calgary let him go. |
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Post by Cranky on Dec 11, 2023 12:10:29 GMT -5
I saw Bennet play against us and he made me mad because he was pushing us around. He was on the trading block and I wanted him on the Habs but what do I know.
He's a third line center but his game is more valuable then that. He's a younger mini Kadri.
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Post by Willie Dog on Dec 11, 2023 12:15:44 GMT -5
I saw Bennet play against us and he made me mad because he was pushing us around. He was on the trading block and I wanted him on the Habs but what do I know. He's a third line center but his game is more valuable then that. He's a younger mini Kadri. Bennett is taller and heavier than Kadri... he's making 4.4 and he's 27. |
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Post by Cranky on Dec 11, 2023 13:30:17 GMT -5
I saw Bennet play against us and he made me mad because he was pushing us around. He was on the trading block and I wanted him on the Habs but what do I know. He's a third line center but his game is more valuable then that. He's a younger mini Kadri. Bennett is taller and heavier than Kadri... he's making 4.4 and he's 27. When I said mini, I didn't mean small, just a bit less talented. He's getting a bit too old for us. Unfortunately we don't have someone like that in our system unless Little X develops in that direction. |
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Post by Willie Dog on Dec 11, 2023 16:42:16 GMT -5
Bennett is taller and heavier than Kadri... he's making 4.4 and he's 27. When I said mini, I didn't mean small, just a bit less talented. He's getting a bit too old for us. Unfortunately we don't have someone like that in our system unless Little X develops in that direction. If you watch hockey junkie video he was raving about Florian today |
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Post by jkr on Dec 12, 2023 7:52:27 GMT -5
As usual the league continues to get their discipline completely wrong.
Gudbranson mugs Cousins, jumps him from behind & starts pounding him. The punishment- one game.
And Perron gets 6 games for cross checking Zub in the neck. Trouba got a fine for basically the same offense.
My question is why do they call it the Department of Player Safety? They clearly don't care about protecting players.
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Post by jkr on Dec 12, 2023 19:45:45 GMT -5
Wow, the Rangers are playing with their heads up their butts. Giveaways, terrible D zone coverage and only 4 shots on goal.
4-1 leafs after 1 period.
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Post by folatre on Dec 12, 2023 19:55:55 GMT -5
This should be a game that gets the blood boiling -- Original Six, two of the top four teams in the EC. But instead it is just whatever, free-wheeling regular season hockey. And naturally this type of encounter favors the Leafs. Toronto is a regular season juggernaut in the big 4 era. Jeje, of course, the post-season prowess of this group is still to be determined.
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Post by jkr on Dec 12, 2023 22:21:20 GMT -5
I've only seen the Rangers play twice this season. Tonight & last week, I think, against Ottawa. In both games they were beaten soundly. I believe the Sens game ended 6-2.
I know they have a strong record but in my limited viewing theh have looked awful.
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Post by folatre on Dec 12, 2023 22:30:54 GMT -5
It is a weird balancing act (or one with not much balance thus far) for Chicago -- you have the league's next great superstar and yet you have surrounded him by total garbage despite having cap space and fans paying serious money to see Bedard.
The Blackhawks have like one top six forward (Bedard). Aside from him, they have a bunch of guys who are playing at least one line if not two above their pay grade/talent level.
Is management going to leave him in this desperate situation (31st in the standings) for this season? Apparently, yes. Is management dumb enough to screw over a generational talent with a slow, organic rebuild? Hmmm, to be determined.
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Post by jkr on Dec 13, 2023 7:32:26 GMT -5
I watched the draft lottery and was thinking at the time that Bedard would have been much better off had Anaheim won. They already have some young talent like Zegras, McTavish and Terry and a veteran goalie in Gibson.
Around the 2010s the Hawks were the model franchise. Now it is an example of how not to do things. There handling of the Kyle Beach incident was disgraceful. And this year they further embarrass their franchise with the Perry incident. How does Bedard feel hearing those nasty rumors about his mother? If it was me I would already be planning my exit.
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Post by jkr on Dec 13, 2023 8:30:03 GMT -5
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Post by seventeen on Dec 13, 2023 13:54:50 GMT -5
It is a weird balancing act (or one with not much balance thus far) for Chicago -- you have the league's next great superstar and yet you have surrounded him by total garbage despite having cap space and fans paying serious money to see Bedard. The Blackhawks have like one top six forward (Bedard). Aside from him, they have a bunch of guys who are playing at least one line if not two above their pay grade/talent level. Is management going to leave him in this desperate situation (31st in the standings) for this season? Apparently, yes. Is management dumb enough to screw over a generational talent with a slow, organic rebuild? Hmmm, to be determined. I don't think even Marc Bergevin can ruin Bedard. He's just too good. Last night he came in on a dman on the left wing. From the mid point of the face-off circle, he put the puck between his legs and back a bit (you know the move, then he brings his stick around him and shoots the puck. Lots of guys have done this in close. He picked the top corner far side from that spot with that move. It wasn't just the goalie not expecting it because no one was, but the oomph on that puck from that weird a position was unlike anything we've seen before. Goalies are going to have to be prepared from him as soon as he gets over the blue line. He'lll shoot from everywhere, anytime. He's gotta have Superman wrists. |
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Post by seventeen on Dec 13, 2023 14:15:05 GMT -5
Not sure what to think here. I was never convinced Berube was a good coach, but didn't think he was a bad coach either. He got lucky that one year where a mediocre goalie got hot and the team had two guys in key positions playing like elite players, Pietrangelo and O'Rielly. But he also kept them competitive when I didn't think they had that much talent. This year, there was/is the conflict between Krug and Management, the usual average goaltending (but not backed up by a lot of scoring) and some vets just aging. Thomas, Kyrou are good picks but the quantity hasn't been there. That's not unexpected when you constantly draft in the 20's. Last year might be better, but then they had 3 first round picks. Those guys aren't ready of course, so the next coach or the one after that may benefit from the Blues' poor showing last year and this year. This is yet another warning that you have to trade some aging vets a couple of years before their best before date so they have value and get picks from other teams likely to finish below you. the Calgary deal for us is a good example. Calgary may be in a rebuild as soon as this summer, and how good will they be in 2024/25? We may be making the playoffs, yet get a lottery pick as well. Gotta keep that pump primed. Mathieson is a guy who can fall into that category, especially if the youngsters mature quickly. Anderson, 2 years ago, was another excellent possibility. One last interesting point. Parayko has been a solid defensemen for the Blues since 2015/16. There was an advanced stats page on him yesterday, those kind where you want to be in the top right quadrant and not the bottom left. For the last 3 years, Parayko was trending down very steadily from the midpoint of the graph into the bottom left. He's 30 years old and seems to falling off that proverbial cliff. How much value does he have now and what have the Blues done the last 2 years which would have warranted keeping him? A GM has to make those tough decisions, sometimes unpopular. We grumpy old geezers on this board will remember Bad Company trying to trade Gallagher (pre lousy contract) at least 4 years ago because he didn't think Brendan's style would lead to long term success and he was highly valued at the time. To bad Bergie was the GM and not BC. |
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Post by jkr on Dec 13, 2023 15:51:39 GMT -5
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Post by seventeen on Dec 14, 2023 1:29:20 GMT -5
Thanks. That was one hell of a first round for the rest of the league. They avoided the nightmare vision of Boston with Barzal, Kyle Connor and Thomas Chabot in Bruins uniforms. That would have been disastrous. Instead the Bruins picked Zboril, Debrusk and Zach Senyshyn. Whew. Dodged a .50 calibre Gatling gun there.
On a different note, LA traded for PL Dubois because Gabe Villardi didn’t fit their timeline. The kings took a 2-0 lead into the second period against Winnipeg tonight and Villardi potted a goal and 3 assists to beat them singlehandedly. 🤣
I loved that trade for the Jets. Villardi had started coming into his own last year. 41 points in 63 games and 6’ 3” , 216 lbs. this year after returning from a freak preseason injury, he’s scored 7 points in 10 games, not counting tonight. He’s now at a ppg pace. Pierre- Luc? Twelve points in 26 games. As they say, sometimes the best trades are those you don’t make.
In addition, the jets got Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari.
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Post by Andrew on Dec 14, 2023 18:54:48 GMT -5
Thanks. That was one hell of a first round for the rest of the league. They avoided the nightmare vision of Boston with Barzal, Kyle Connor and Thomas Chabot in Bruins uniforms. That would have been disastrous. Instead the Bruins picked Zboril, Debrusk and Zach Senyshyn. Whew. Dodged a .50 calibre Gatling gun there. The Bruins whiffing on those three picks in 2015 balances out their good fortune in the two adjacent drafts when they picked up Pastrnak at 25 and McAvoy at 14. If they'd hit on any of those 2015 picks it's a nightmare for sure. |
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Post by Willie Dog on Dec 14, 2023 21:22:33 GMT -5
The Sens are losing again... what will it take for Staios to dump Smith?
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Post by jkr on Dec 14, 2023 21:51:54 GMT -5
Effin Columbus. They go into the 3rd with a 5-0 lead . Leafs score 2 goals in the last 90 seconds to tie it.
Jackets salvage something by winning in OT but really, what a pathetic performance.
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Post by Willie Dog on Dec 14, 2023 21:52:46 GMT -5
Effin Columbus. They go into the 3rd with a 5-0 lead . Leafs score 2 goals in the last 90 seconds to tie it. Jackets salvage something by winning in OT but really, what a pathetic performance. Samsonite had a .829 save percentage |
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Post by jkr on Dec 14, 2023 21:57:47 GMT -5
Effin Columbus. They go into the 3rd with a 5-0 lead . Leafs score 2 goals in the last 90 seconds to tie it. Jackets salvage something by winning in OT but really, what a pathetic performance. Samsonite had a .829 save percentage Ya, he's been awful this year. Buts it annoying watching the Leafs score last minute goals to salvage a loser point. Seen them do it 3 times in the last couple of weeks. If you have a 2 goal lead with less than 90 seconds to go there's no way you end up in OT. Like how much time did Columbus have to score an empty netter & put the game away? Brutal. |
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Post by seventeen on Dec 15, 2023 0:43:07 GMT -5
Watching the Canucks vs Florida game. Juulsen is playing for Vancouver on the 3rd pair and he’s as predictable as Josh Anderson. He touches the puck and you might as well hand it to the opposition. It’s worse in Juulsen’s case because his gifts are mostly in the D zone.
Canucks were eating up Florida but have taken their foot off the gas in the 3rd. They’ve been very disciplined so Panthers aren’t getting open looks.
Juulsen’s actually been ok on the pK when all you have to do is ice it.
Nucks shut out Florida 4 zip.
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Post by folatre on Dec 15, 2023 18:07:16 GMT -5
I think Staois, as interim GM, is under orders from the new owner to just ride out the season.
It is somewhat incredible, even for a coach who got hired during a rebuild, that Smith is poised to last five full seasons with no on-ice success in a results based league.
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Post by Willie Dog on Dec 15, 2023 21:11:40 GMT -5
I think Staois, as interim GM, is under orders from the new owner to just ride out the season. It is somewhat incredible, even for a coach who got hired during a rebuild, that Smith is poised to last five full seasons with no on-ice success in a results based league. It will kill me if the Hens get Celebrini |
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Post by folatre on Dec 15, 2023 22:56:07 GMT -5
Oh man, that would ****.
I do not have a crystal ball or great insights, but I would be surprised if a modest, injury ravaged Habs roster finished above the Sens. Though of course the lottery could flip positions in the standings.
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