NHL '16/'17 Thread

[Jagger69]

The Las Vegas expansion has been in the works for many years and has been the "next" destination for an expansion franchise for many years. It may indeed increase the likelihood of expanding in Quebec City, which is good. It will be interesting to see how a hockey team does in Sin City, but it will be the only major sports franchise, and it's quite a big city. There may be tourist interest in it as well since hockey will be "foreign" to many visitors to the city. I don't have high hopes, however, that a hockey team will generate interest there. But many people felt that way about Nashville, and the fan base there grew very quickly and has not died off (even in tough years).

I'm surprised no one has posted yet about the two recent major trades and one major signing that went down. P.K. Subban to Nashville for Shea Weber (who moves to Montreal). And the seemingly quite lopsided trade of Taylor Hall from Edmonton to New Jersey for Adam Larsson. And Steven Stamkos re-signs in Tampa Bay for eight years at $8 million per season; he certainly could've gotten more money signing elsewhere (in Toronto, Buffalo, or Detroit, as were rumoured), but chose to take this deal and remain with the Lightning. What do people think about these deals?

A little bit of insight into the Hall-Larsson trade (from the Oilers perspective): the Oilers need D, and have depth in forwards, so acquiring a top-4 defenceman is a plus. Hall's departure frees up cap space, which will likely be used in part to sign Milan Lucic on Friday (when free agency opens up), and perhaps others (rumours abound about Jason Demers). Also, while the Oilers might've been able to trade Hall one-for-one (as they did with this deal) for a more accomplished NHL defenceman (such as Kevin Shattenkirk, for example), all such defencemen would likely carry with them contracts that expire in a year or two, and Larsson's doesn't expire until 2021, so we know he'll be stuck here, and let's face it, no one wants to play here these days. Larsson may have struggled early on after being drafted 4th overall by the Devils, but that's pretty typical with young defencemen in the NHL. He has developed quite nicely, and has been really good the past couple of seasons, and appears to be trending upward, and carries loads of potential. So while this may seem like a head-scratcher of a trade, I think only time will tell if Chiarelli made a good move or not.

P.S. Hall seems quite salty about it, but bottom line is that no matter how productive he was as a scoring LW with the Oilers, he did not help this team win, so I, for one, am not unhappy to see him go.

Well, it may seem like sour Houston-grapes but I don't see Las Vegas as a good choice for any major sports franchise. I also realize Q-City built this big ol' arena hoping to lure an NHL franchise back up there but I seem to recall San Antonio doing something similar a couple of decades ago when they built the Alamodome on spec that the NFL would give the city a franchise. The franchise offer never came and there that big ol' stadium just sits there empty next to I-35 most of the time.

The city that should (and still could) make a serious bid on an expansion franchise is the 4th....3rd by the year 2030 according to projections....largest city in the USA....Houston, TX. More and more transplants come to Houston every day....a large percentage from up north where they follow the NHL. We've got the facility in the Toyota Center (where the Rockets also play) but Les Alexander is the only guy who has the capability to put in a Houston bid and I just don't see that happening. In the meantime, the nearest live pro hockey of any sort for my son and me is the Texas Stars (fucking Dallas' AHL affiliate!) who play their games in a north Austin suburb called Cedar Park. It's 2 1/2 hours away. We go over once in a while just cuz we love hockey but it's a pain in the ass and we have no emotional equity in the team. Although I will always be a Blues fan and would root for them over any Houston team in a heartbeat, it would still create a lot of excitement and interest from me if we somehow could acquire a franchise.

Alas, it won't happen and I know it but it feels good to fantasize. Las Vegas??? You've got to be kidding me. Would be fitting if they end up winning a Cup before we do. :eek:

PS- We'll take Eberle for Shattenkirk straight up.

 

[Jagger69]

I really hate to see both Backes and Brouwer go but 5 years at $6 million per for a 32-year-old guy like Backes is just too long. He's a helluva presence in front of the net but he only scored 24 goals last year and I don't see those numbers climbing as he gets on in years. You fans in Boston are going to love him on your team now but when he's eating up huge cap space at age 37 you might feel differently. I love Backes so can only wish him luck but Army made the right decision to let him walk. Ditto with Troy Brouwer. He got a 4-year $18 million deal from the Flames. He was great in the playoffs for us this past season but was pretty unremarkable during the regular season by netting 18 goals....not exactly Maurice Richard (look him up, younger readers). I just don't think it makes good sense to offer 30-something players long-term contracts so I don't disagree with the decision to let them both walk. Still, we lose a lot of size and toughness up front by having them both leave. Now, it's up to the younger core of players to step forward....Tarasenko, Schwartz, Fabbri, Parayko, Edmundson, Allen....this has to be the new nucleus around which we build next year's squad. We've got some other kids in the AHL that are ready to make the jump to the big club as well. Our blueline is still one of the best in the NHL in my opinion with Pietrangelo (likely our new captain I would think), Bouwmeester, and Shattenkirk. Plus, Steen is still a veteran presence and we got Allen to sign up for another 4-years (plus we just signed Carter Hutton so there's your backup for Jake) so we'll certainly be competitive next season for sure. I just don't know that we'll have the horses to go deep into the playoffs. Let's see what Hitch can do with this group.

In the meantime, thank you David and Troy, for all your efforts to try to bring the Cup to St. Louis. We Blues fans will be eternally grateful. Best of luck to you both....

 

[feller469]

I can see why the Bruins signed Backes. They need a mucker in front of the net. He will pay dividends on the PP. He will likely be traded in a couple years to a team that needs help hitting the bottom of the cap.

 

[Jagger69]

I can see why the Bruins signed Backes. They need a mucker in front of the net. He will pay dividends on the PP. He will likely be traded in a couple years to a team that needs help hitting the bottom of the cap.

He's way more than just a mucker but I get the general reference. He's a classic power forward who creates havoc in front of the other team's cage but he is also a surprisingly good skater and has a wicked shot from the dots in. Plus, he's a quality character guy, tremendous leader, total team player. You'll love him for the next 2 or 3 years but 5 years at that money is simply too much. I don't see him having much allure as a pawn in a trade strategy for anybody after he hits 35 or so. The Bruins are on the hook for his salary and term no matter how you slice it so no way will they be able to deal him off without it hurting pretty bad (i.e paying half of his salary for another team to take him off their hands). If it were that easy, we would have made him the same offer (which, salary-wise, we did....just not for 5 years). In the meantime, I truly hope that David can lift the Cup, even if it's in a Boston uni. He's played his heart out for the Blues for 10 solid years and I know he takes it personally that we were unable to win the Cup during his tenure with the Blues. Sometimes, change can be good and in this case I hope it is for both parties.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

I really hate to see both Backes and Brouwer go but 5 years at $6 million per for a 32-year-old guy like Backes is just too long. He's a helluva presence in front of the net but he only scored 24 goals last year and I don't see those numbers climbing as he gets on in years. You fans in Boston are going to love him on your team now but when he's eating up huge cap space at age 37 you might feel differently. I love Backes so can only wish him luck but Army made the right decision to let him walk. Ditto with Troy Brouwer. He got a 4-year $18 million deal from the Flames. He was great in the playoffs for us this past season but was pretty unremarkable during the regular season by netting 18 goals....not exactly Maurice Richard (look him up, younger readers). I just don't think it makes good sense to offer 30-something players long-term contracts so I don't disagree with the decision to let them both walk. Still, we lose a lot of size and toughness up front by having them both leave. Now, it's up to the younger core of players to step forward....Tarasenko, Schwartz, Fabbri, Parayko, Edmundson, Allen....this has to be the new nucleus around which we build next year's squad. We've got some other kids in the AHL that are ready to make the jump to the big club as well. Our blueline is still one of the best in the NHL in my opinion with Pietrangelo (likely our new captain I would think), Bouwmeester, and Shattenkirk. Plus, Steen is still a veteran presence and we got Allen to sign up for another 4-years (plus we just signed Carter Hutton so there's your backup for Jake) so we'll certainly be competitive next season for sure. I just don't know that we'll have the horses to go deep into the playoffs. Let's see what Hitch can do with this group.

In the meantime, thank you David and Troy, for all your efforts to try to bring the Cup to St. Louis. We Blues fans will be eternally grateful. Best of luck to you both....

I can't believe we just got Staal for around $3.5 million for 3 years, he's a year younger than Backes and has put up way more points (albeit in 200 more games) than Backes has.


I guess Staal has been banged up...but still a deal for the Wild I think, comparable to the Backes-Boston deal.


I also like us signing back Chris Stewart. A bunch of people hating on it on the HF Wild forum, but I think it's not a bad move for a 2 year deal.

 

[Jagger69]

I also like us signing back Chris Stewart. A bunch of people hating on it on the HF Wild forum, but I think it's not a bad move for a 2 year deal.

Christ Stewart has all the talent in the world but when he elects to take a night off, he fucking disappears (which happens way too often). That's been the problem his whole career. That's why he can't stick with anyone!

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

Bruce Budreau must've seen something he liked in Stewart to have grabbed him. Only a little over a $1 mill per for 2 so even if it doesn't pan out, eh..

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

Well it's here. And after the way my Twins stunk up the show to historical lows, I couldn't be happier.

Watching NHL Network though, I see few mentions of the Wild to even make post season - I'm inclined to think that could be our truth this year...no playoffs for a change.

I'm looking forward to looking at a lot of the young talent coming around nowadays...whenever the Oilers are on I do try to watch McD...and I want to see what AM does for Toronto and also Eichel's sophomore campaign. Puck drops in minutes..

 

[rodfarva]

Well it's here. And after the way my Twins stunk up the show to historical lows, I couldn't be happier.

Watching NHL Network though, I see few mentions of the Wild to even make post season - I'm inclined to think that could be our truth this year...no playoffs for a change.

I'm looking forward to looking at a lot of the young talent coming around nowadays...whenever the Oilers are on I do try to watch McD...and I want to see what AM does for Toronto and also Eichel's sophomore campaign. Puck drops in minutes..

It's hockey season!

McDavid is indeed very exciting to watch, and the Oilers have a brand new (and absolutely awe-inspiring, btw) arena in downtown Edmonton, which, unfortunately (from a certain point of view), has reinvigorated my interest in following the team. For the past few seasons I have tried to send this idiotic organization a message by refusing to follow them so long as they continue to peddle a mediocre product (and, in large part because watching this team for the past decade has been extremely frustrating and continuously serves to hurt my feelings), but with the most exciting young player in the game (who, btw, was named captain a week or so ago, making him the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 years and 273 days) and a brand new beautiful arena, I will watch so long as they don't hurt my feelings too badly, which probably won't last long :/ And I have tickets to the Stars game on Nov. 11 (they were expensive).

Hockey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Imma send out some predictions in a few minutes.

 

[rodfarva]

The NHL season is underway!

Predictions:

Stanley Cup Finals: San Jose Sharks over Tampa Bay Lightning (Conn Smythe Trophy: Joe Thornton)

Hart Memorial Trophy: Tyler Seguin (DAL)
Vezina Trophy: Martin Jones (SJS)
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Brent Burns (SJS)
Calder Memorial Trophy: William Nylander (TOR)
Frank J. Selke Award: Ryan O'Reilly (BUF)
Jack Adams Award: Dan Bylsma (BUF)
Art Ross Trophy: Tyler Seguin (DAL)
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy: Jamie Benn (DAL)

As for my Oilers, I hate to be hopeful because they always let me down, but I think they're a significantly better team than they were last season (and for the last decade), so I can see them having a "positive" season, but they're very unlikely to make playoffs, in my opinion. I think the current line of McDavid, Eberle, and Lucic will light it up. The D is vastly improved with the additions of Adam Larsson (despite the horribly misbalanced trade that brought him here) and the very recent signing of Kris Russell; even so, the D is still our clear weakness and I can see us making a move around the trade deadline or before to acquire a D-man (the Nashville Predators look like a viable trading partner there with their need for a second-line centre, the expendability of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and their wealth of D-men).

Other interesting storylines:

If Antti Niemi (or maybe Kari Lehtonen) can be better than the terribleness they were last season then the Dallas Stars will be an extremely dangerous team this season, and I can honestly see a scenario wherein Niemi is pretty good this season, so that's a distinct possibility.

The Maple Leafs have hype, but they will be bad. Not utterly terrible, methinks, but bad... they're still too young and undeveloped for this season to be the year. But if they allow themselves the opportunity to develop their young talent the right way, then this could be a team that contends within the next five years. I don't know how much of an impact Auston Matthews will have on this team this season (remember, Stamkos had little impact his rookie season; sometimes it takes time no matter how hyped/talented the player is).

The Calgary Flames will make the playoffs (yes, it hurts me to say this); the addition of Brian Elliott will really help them out as goaltending was their one glaring weakness last season. They have a stellar D core and Johnny Gaudreau (whom they just signed to a six-year (and very affordable, btw) contract) is an absolute stud. He will need some scoring help, which they might look to acquire at some point, but with Elliott and that D core I see them making playoffs anyway.

Carey Price is a goaltending god (he will miss the season opener, but he's not expected to be out longterm), but the Canadiens are not good and they need to start thinking about rebuilding. I do not understand the P.K. for Weber trade; I know they didn't necessarily get an inferior player (although Weber is older), but P.K. is arguably the biggest personality in the sport, he was beloved in Montreal on and off the ice, and I just don't get it. Price may keep them in it all the way up to season's end, but the best they can do is squeak into the playoffs as one of the bottom seeds methinks.

Taylor Hall will light it up in New Jersey, but that shouldn't be surprising, he's been lighting it up his whole career, even though he's been on a mediocre team the whole time.

Goaltending battles! Will Matt Murray take back the #1 job from Marc-Andre Fleury when he returns to the lineup in November? And will that result in Fleury being traded elsewhere? Fleury still has it, so this will definitely be an intriguing situation to pay attention to. And will Andrei Vasilevskiy steal the starting gig from Ben Bishop? Only time will tell! Hockey!!!

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

AM with four goals through his first (ever) two periods of NHL hockey. Fucks sake. America might finally have a legitimate hockey superstar for a change.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

YES...it's a short sample size but damn, that's still...um, good?

- - - Updated - - -

It's hockey season!

McDavid is indeed very exciting to watch, and the Oilers have a brand new (and absolutely awe-inspiring, btw) arena in downtown Edmonton, which, unfortunately (from a certain point of view), has reinvigorated my interest in following the team. For the past few seasons I have tried to send this idiotic organization a message by refusing to follow them so long as they continue to peddle a mediocre product (and, in large part because watching this team for the past decade has been extremely frustrating and continuously serves to hurt my feelings), but with the most exciting young player in the game (who, btw, was named captain a week or so ago, making him the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 years and 273 days) and a brand new beautiful arena, I will watch so long as they don't hurt my feelings too badly, which probably won't last long :/ And I have tickets to the Stars game on Nov. 11 (they were expensive).

Hockey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Imma send out some predictions in a few minutes.

After today I might be watching AM as much or more than McD :drool2:

 

[rodfarva]

AM with four goals through his first (ever) two periods of NHL hockey. Fucks sake. America might finally have a legitimate hockey superstar for a change.

YES...it's a short sample size but damn, that's still...um, good?

After today I might be watching AM as much or more than McD :drool2:

Wow! Four goals in his first game! I guess I might have to eat my words when I said he might not have an impact this season (if this game is any indication). That being said, he was pretty responsible for allowing the winner that the Sens scored in OT (which he did take responsibility for).

 

[feller469]

I think Backes is going to fit right in with the Bruins.

 

[jp93]

Rooting for the Sharks this year. They need to win one eventually

 

[rodfarva]

Playoffs!!!

First of all, the Oilers are worth loving again!!! This is what we Oilers fans have been waiting for for oh so long. Watching Connor McDavid fly around the ice and absolutely terrify his opponents every second he spends on the ice is truly glorious. A 100-point season (30 goals and 70 assists) in his first full season in the league is truly impressive. He really ought to be the MVP this season, but we'll see...

That being said, and despite the obviously successful season, I still don't think the Oilers are that good and I don't see us contending for the Cup this playoffs. But we're in, and anything can happen once you're in, so we'll see... I just think that there isn't a good amount of depth and there are a lot of players who get regular ice time who I think are bums (i.e. Milan Lucic, Jordan Eberle, Benoit Pouliot, etc.). If Cam Talbot can put in a special performance, though, then maybe we can do it... just maybe. (And he was special all season, so it could happen...).

My preseason pick to win it all was the San Jose Sharks (over Tampa Bay, so I was definitely wrong about that half of the pick), and I'm going to stick with that, but in truth, I think that this was the best possible first-round matchup for us (as opposed to Anaheim/Calgary, which were the other two possibilities).

Predictions:

Chicago over Nashville (should be easy)
St. Louis over Minnesota (the Wild are struggling)
Calgary over Anaheim (the Flames are hot and I think they're actually the better team)
San Jose over Edmonton (this will probably be the best first-round series in the West)

Montreal over NY Rangers (Lundqvist has been shaky since returning from injury)
Ottawa over Boston (pretty uninspiring matchup, IMO)
Washington over Toronto (the Caps should roll over the Leafs)
Pittsburgh over Columbus (probably the best team in hockey, and John Tortorella is a moron)

Ultimately, I'm picking San Jose over Pittsburgh. Conn Smythe Trophy to Joe Thornton.

Award predictions:


Hart Memorial Trophy: Connor McDavid (EDM) It has to be McDavid. There is no case that holds up wherein someone else is more valuable to their team than McDavid is to the Oilers
Vezina Trophy: Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ) This is close with Braden Holtby, but Bobrovsky's numbers are slightly better. (Honourable mention to Cam Talbot)
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Brent Burns (SJS) Erik Karlsson is a very close second. It could go either way, but I think Burns was dominant for long enough (although he slowed down a little bit at the end of the season) to hold onto the award.
Calder Memorial Trophy: Auston Matthews (TOR) What an amazing rookie season!
Frank J. Selke Award: Patrice Bergeron (BOS) He's just special.
Jack Adams Award: Mike Babcock (TOR) Truthfully, this should probably go to Todd McClellan of the Oilers, but Babcock is still deserving and has (shockingly) never won the award before.

 

[Fapus Aurelius]

I am pulling for the Sharks to win the whole thing. Also, given the Capitols track record, are we sure they will roll over the Maple Leafs?

 

[rodfarva]

I am pulling for the Sharks to win the whole thing. Also, given the Capitols track record, are we sure they will roll over the Maple Leafs?

If their track record is any indication, then yes they absolutely will, considering that they've made it to the second round in back-to-back playoffs. I simply predicted that they would roll over the Leafs because they are a vastly superior and more experienced team. But that's only a prediction, so, no, I am not sure. However, it would be a mighty upset for the Leafs to prevail methinks. Playoffs!!!

 

[barebeaverlover]

For the first time in a few years, the Leafs had to cancel their tee times.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

Five Canadian teams in the PS. That has to be the most in recent time.


I think the Wild might get beat in the first round, albeit in 6 or 7 games. While at one point they were the elite team in the entire league, the losing streak they had towards the end of the season didn't look good.