Playoffs Discussion 2023-24

[Disgruntled70sHab]

[Disgruntled70sHab]

[seventeen]

May 16, 2024 13:10:10 GMT -5 Disgruntled70sHab said:

Kudos to Marchand for actually saying what all hockey people know. The true problem is that in the NHL, the refs let (or are mandated to let go) some truly serious offenses. A Canuck gets blatantly high sticked by McDavid, no call. Blood is drawn on another occasion, but only a 2 minute minor is called. Cousins and Bennett go around trying to maim as many as they can and the refs let them go right at it.

A different scenario takes place in the NBA, where the playoffs are allowed to be more physical, but there's a limit. You do certain things and the penalty is the same as it is in the regular season. I don't know if its the owners, Bettman, or Colon Campbell, but I am convinced there is a direct message to the officiating crews to let things go, especially if comes from a Panther. There has to be some benefits to putting up with Greg Campbell as your assistant GM.

[Andrew]

Marchand strikes me as a vengeful little SOB. Squaring up at center ice won’t make things even for him. He’ll patiently wait until Bennett is in a vulnerable spot in the regular season, and do something dirty that puts Bennett on the IR.

[jkr]

Exactly what Bennett did to him & what Bennett did to Matthew Knies last year. I have little sympathy for these guys and their ilk.

[Cranky]

Before we criticize anyone else, we went to the finals with the hardest hitting, nastiest Habs team that I ever seen. Chairot and Weber crosschecked so may players and broke so many sticks, the equipment guy recommended they use a steel beam.

I have no problem with the extra level of close contact rough love that comes with the playoffs. We can criticize Bennet but I bet the outhouse if it was OUR Bennet V2, we would love it.

(Hello Little X, I'm looking straight at you!)

[Willie Dog]

I wish somebody would take kreiders head off... I hate him

[CentreHice]

Canes in control...up 3-1 in the 3rd. Freddie pretends he's on the Leafs again and leaves a puck sitting by his pad and the post. Instead of immediately dropping his mitt on it, he waits too long...and Kreider pops in his first of a natural hat-trick.

[folatre]

Seriously, Holland got extended? I thought that I heard Dreger or Friedman a couple of weeks ago talking about how John Davidson is very interested in talking to Holland about the Blue Jackets GM vacancy.

How about the Canes with an epic joke job tonight. Up 3-1 after two periods, Andersen summoned up his plentiful playoff demons and helped sink the ship. Granted, a lot of Carolina players looked like the moment got too big for them in the third period.

Dundon may need to step up pay Brind'Amour like a top coach in the league, instead of the the current dollars that would suggest he is a middling nobody, because despite being a super loyal guy the coach may get tempted by the greener pastures that are probably available to him in Toronto.

[jkr]

The Canes just collapsed in the last 10 minutes helped along by Andersen's brain cramp. Even Aho chipped in by completely missing the net in a breakaway.

I think Dundon is too stupid to own a team. He signs a dud like Kotkaniemi strictly out of spite and hamstrings his team with an overpaid 4th liner. Now he is stringing along Brind'Amour? If he hits the market teams will be lining up to talk to him. I know it won't happen but Waddell news to tell him to get lost and let the pros run the team.

[jkr]

Here is a link to the Holland extension news.

oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-ken-holland-agree-to-five-year-contract-extension

[CentreHice]

Andersen didn't have a chance on goals 3 and 4, but #2...ugh...got the ball rolling for the Rangers.

[folatre]

Thanks, man. It is just money at the end of the day (i.e. the owner can always just fire him and write a big check), but I really wonder if Holland genuinely has a plan with so many guys on long-term deals (Nugent-Hopkins, Hyman, Campbell) and so many other key guys needing massive pay increases (Draisaitl, McDavid, Bouchard). Their window to win the Cup has been open and for me the waters actually look choppier starting in 2025-26.

Now is the time. Win the Cup while the two elite monsters are playing on sweetheart deals. There are no guarantees about the future (not only with respect to cap hits but also just how one or both of the all time greats may simply be curious about a change in scenery).

[CentreHice]

Canucks get two favourable bounces in the final minute (basically OT)--off a skate...off the post....right to Miller who roofs it.

Other than Draisaitl with his 13th assist of the playoffs, the Oilers' stars came up donuts in this one.

[seventeen]

May 17, 2024 0:01:25 GMT -5 CentreHice said:

Canucks get two favourable bounces in the final minute (basically OT)--off a skate...off the post....right to Miller who roofs it.

Other than Draisaitl with his 13th assist of the playoffs, the Oilers' stars came up donuts in this one.

That bounce makes up for the innumerable times the Canucks would take a shot and it would be blocked and bounce nicely for Edmonton. Those things even out and they did indeed get the bounce on that goal. They did, however, outplay the Oilers decisively and deserved to win.

As you state, the big dogs on the Oilers didn't come through. Edmonton had the run of play in the first and didn't bury their chances. Canucks found their legs in the second and pretty well dominated after that. 17-4 shots on goal in the second for Vancouver. That period was a track meet. Great pace and hugely exciting.

Pickard played ok for a second game in a row, but how Holland has let that goalie thing linger may really bite him.

[seventeen]

May 16, 2024 21:12:16 GMT -5 jkr said:

The Canes just collapsed in the last 10 minutes helped along by Andersen's brain cramp. Even Aho chipped in by completely missing the net in a breakaway.

I think Dundon is too stupid to own a team. He signs a dud like Kotkaniemi strictly out of spite and hamstrings his team with an overpaid 4th liner. Now he is stringing along Brind'Amour? If he hits the market teams will be lining up to talk to him. I know it won't happen but Waddell news to tell him to get lost and let the pros run the team.

I don't think Dundon is stupid, jkr, but he has other faults. I read somewhere, he made his money with mortgage financing, which makes one wonder about his altruism. Also, it is more than obvious that he is cheap and you can describe that however one likes. He let Trochek walk rather than pay what VT wanted and has that ever come back to bite him. He may also be vindictive, as the KK offer sheet proves. Now they may have thought Jesperi turn into a 2C and at 4.85MM a year, that's also cheap, if he's a good 2C. It hasn't worked out. They've done ok with scouting though, so they have had replacements for the guys they let go. Not sure there's enough there, or enough quality to make up for losing guys like Pesce and Skjei, or Slavin after next season. The devil may be coming for his due. Seth Jarvis is an RFA after this season. Offer sheet anyone? Enough so that Carolina has to match and that puts more pressure on their CAP situation.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

[jkr]

It's not his fault he was picked 3rd - it was the dolts who chose him for Montreal & put all sorts of pressure on him.

Then the Canes increase expectations with the offer sheet & the big extension.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

May 17, 2024 9:12:14 GMT -5 jkr said:

It's not his fault he was picked 3rd - it was the dolts who chose him for Montreal & put all sorts of pressure on him.

Then the Canes increase expectations with the offer sheet & the big extension.

Add to the fact that the previous administration couldn't develop a prospect if their lives depended on it ... he was bitter when he left, and now he has that fat contract hanging over his head ... that goes until 2028-29 (CapFriendly) and he has until then to figure it out ...

Cheers.

[Willie Dog]

If they buy him out, He'll only be a 1/3 hit.. just over 800k for 12 years but they save 20M in real dollars

A Jesperi Kotkaniemi buyout spans 12 years, has a cost of $10,020,000 and savings of $20,040,000. Kotkaniemi is 23 years of age at the time of the buyout; therefore, the buyout ratio is 1/3. With $30,060,000 in salary remaining, the cost is $10,020,000, and the savings are $20,040,000. Buyouts span twice the length of the remaining years and because there are 6 years remaining in the contract, the buyout length is 12 years. The buyout cap hit is displayed in the Cap Hit

Maybe they buy him out next year...

[jkr]

Zacha scores his 1st ever playoff goal & I was there. Well watching on TV anyway.

(Insert sarcasm emoji here)

[folatre]

The problem is Carolina needs cap space now if they want to roll it back and keep the band together, so tossing Kotkaniemi overboard via the buyout this summer would help them give big raises to guys like Necas and Jarvis, as well as rearming the d-corps and perhaps taking a run at a goalie like Markstrom.

It is embarrassing for Dundon but hey the guy is thrifty so the relief of getting out of paying Kotkaniemi $20 million dollars will probably help alleviate the embarrassment of the fact that most signs point to him being the architect of the ill-advised offer sheet.

[jkr]

Despite having only 14 shots after 2 periods the Briinx are in a 1-1 tie.

It seems their plan is to score a couple and rely on Swayman.

If they were awarding the Conn Smythe now it would have to go to Swayman. He's holding them in games and there are no bad goals.

[jkr]

Panthers score with 90 seconds left & win 2-1.

[drkcloud]

May 17, 2024 21:01:36 GMT -5 jkr said:

Panthers score with 90 seconds left & win 2-1.

Classy Bruin fans pelted the ice with beer cans, hit Bobrovsky, coaches ducking

[jkr]

I guess Edmonton has learned nothing. Skinner is starting tonight.

[Andrew]

May 18, 2024 17:06:31 GMT -5 jkr said:

I guess Edmonton has learned nothing. Skinner is starting tonight.

At the risk of this take aging like milk I think it’s a good move to put Skinner back in. By no means is he a top starter, but he had a decent season for the Oil, and helped them turn their season around. His shaky play might have been due to fatigue after a heavy regular season workload and no nights off in the playoffs. Interested to see how he does after resting up for a couple of games.

[folatre]

Tough call, eh. I would start Skinner. However, if he flops I am not quite sure where that leaves the Oilers heading into 2024-25 because if Skinner is earning the reputation of a guy who is not a playoff performer then how does management pencil him as the guy next season in what could be the beginning of the window closing for Edmonton.

[jkr]

This goaltending carousel is the reason I am puzzled by Holland's extension. He's failed for his entire tenure to solve the goaltending mess. He stuck with Mike Smith until he was almost 40. He's saddled the team with Campbell's unmovable deal and now we have Skinner part 2.

I dont buy the fatigue factor. Swayman was playing top flight hockey for Boston right to the end of the series as was Bobrovsky who is 35. Skinner is just not good enough.

Pickard won game 4 & lost game 5 late on a very fortunate bounce. He's given them what they needed. They need a win far more then they need to boost Skinner's confidence.

[jkr]

Vancouver with only 9 shots after 2 periods & trailing 3-1.

Does it really matter who is in net when the opponent plays like that?