2017 NHL Offseason Thread - Phil Kessel Signed a Baby

[synistar]

This is also a possibility! Also, this year I'm seriously thinking of traveling for a game and California is on the list!

I wouldn't mind meeting up for a game. It would take me a bit to drive across town to Anaheim but whatever. Like Downtown is about halfway for me. That's what PTO days are for.

[DFJS]

Lemme know what game your going to go to and I'll be there. And yeah I might even be crazy enough to go to a kings game in my ducks jersey.

[synistar]

Dear goodness the arena in China. https://twitter.com/lakingsinsider/s...88116949172224

[NynJa]

18 minor penalties in the Cgy vs Edm game in Edmonton alone lol. The one in Calgary has over 10 as well at least

There were a bunch in the Habs/Bruins game as well, and it wasnt chippy or anything. If the refs would enforce it through all 82 games and remain consistent, I wouldnt mind. The players will eventually figure out what they can and cant do, and go from there. But lets be honest, we both know thats bullshit, and by December the refs will start letting things go, and by April you can cross check someone in the face or slash someones finger tip off and have it called "a good strong hockey play".

[Cail]

Wsh-NYJ was a penalty fest too. A lot of that new face off penalty

[Obsidian]

Leafs-Sens had a ton of penalties but most of them were on the Leafs, and a lot of them were the new face-off rule which I still don't even really understand.

[Cail]

Roman Josi named Perds captain, Forsberg is an Alternate

[Vaspinne]

There were a bunch in the Habs/Bruins game as well, and it wasnt chippy or anything. If the refs would enforce it through all 82 games and remain consistent, I wouldnt mind. The players will eventually figure out what they can and cant do, and go from there. But lets be honest, we both know thats bullshit, and by December the refs will start letting things go, and by April you can cross check someone in the face or slash someones finger tip off and have it called "a good strong hockey play".

Pretty much. And of course playoff hockey where more or less everything is let go.

I could see the face-off penalty sticking around purely because it's more of a ref's discretion sort of call and I can easily see the refs being all for having more power like that.

[bori]

#NJDevils re Brian Boyle. From team Dr. Michael Farber: Boyle diagnosed with CML. A type of cancer of the bone marrow. Largely treatable.

[Cail]

At least to start the year, Trotz is having Oshie+Backstrom on 1 line, and Kuzy+Ovi on another

[Vaspinne]

#NJDevils re Brian Boyle. From team Dr. Michael Farber: Boyle diagnosed with CML. A type of cancer of the bone marrow. Largely treatable.

From the reports I saw it was caught really early. Hopefully he has a full and quick recovery.

At least to start the year, Trotz is having Oshie+Backstrom on 1 line, and Kuzy+Ovi on another

In semi-related news, Trotz dropped a ton of weight this off season

Spoiler: show

[NynJa]

According to TSN's "expert analysts", Connor Brown is the best fourth liner in the NHL because he scored 20 goals.

Connor Brown, assisted by Morgan Rielly and Nazem Kadri
Connor Brown, assisted by Leo Komarov
Connor Brown, assisted by Auston Matthews and Zach Hyman
Connor Brown, assisted by William Nylander and Jake Gardiner
Connor Brown, assisted by Zach Hyman and Auston Matthews
Connor Brown, assisted by Auston Matthews and Jake Gardiner
Connor Brown, assisted by Auston Matthews
Connor Brown, assisted by Zach Hyman and Auston Matthews
Connor Brown, assisted by James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak
Connor Brown, assisted by James van Riemsdyk and Jake Gardiner
Connor Brown, assisted by Tyler Bozak and Jake Gardiner
Connor Brown, assisted by Leo Komarov and William Nylander
Connor Brown, assisted by Leo Komarov and Nazem Kadri
Connor Brown, assisted by Nazem Kadri and Jake Gardiner
Connor Brown, assisted by Jake Gardiner and Matt Hunwick

None of those people assisting his goals are bottom 6 talent, 5 of those goals were assisted by a generational talent! I doubt he breaks 8 goals playing 9-10 minutes a night with Matt Martin and Dominic Moore.

Habs top 6 wingers will most likely be Pacioretty, Galchenyuk, Lehkonen, Gallagher. Which means our bottom 6 wingers will likely be Andrew Shaw (20 goal scorer), Ales Hemsky (20 goal scorer a long time ago, I think he could do atleast 15 if he stays healthy), Charles Hudon (he's posting a 0.66 P/GP through 6 NHL games, he scored 27 goals in 56 AHL games last year, he's looked poised to stick around with the NHL club), Paul Byron (just removed from a 22 goal season). Even if they want to bump Hemsky to the top line, as hes been practicing with Drouin and Pacioretty so far, that means that either Galchenyuk (2 20 goal seasons and a pro-rated 22 goal 2017 campaign), Lehkonen (18 in 73 GP in his rookie year) or Gallagher (1 20+ goal season, a pro-rated to 20+ season, and is bound to rebound after posting career lows after another hand injury last season) will be in the bottom 6 as well.

For the first time in forever, I'm not worried about the firepower my team will have. But that defense...thank god we have Price.

But TSN forgets theres a hockey club east of Ontario. I'd go so far as to say that they forget there are other hockey teams outside of Toronto.

[Obsidian]

To be fair, Connor Brown really only played on the 4th line because where else could he play? The Leafs were stacked at forward *before* we signed Marleau. He had a very underrated season because three of the other rookies on the team were Matthews, Marner and Nylander.

But yes, keep telling yourself the Habs won't have scoring trouble with no Centers and no defensemen who can carry the puck.

Also, TSN doesn't write books about the Habs because they own RDS, who does write about them.

[Wulfgang]

Roman Josi named Perds captain, Forsberg is an Alternate

Yeah baby

[NynJa]

no Centers and no defensemen who can carry the puck.

Galchenyuk was 8th in the league in P/60 before injuring his knee and getting rushed back (6-8 week injury and he was back in 5 weeks, then re-aggravated it 3 games later) when he was playing as #1C.
Also, you're acting like Drouin is some kind of slouch. I dont know how his game will translate to C, and I really do hope he succeeds, but the idiot habs management already sharpied his name in that spot the same way they did with Desharnais a couple years back. Atleast Drouin has 100x the skill Desharnais has.
Danault pole vaulted from #4W to #1C last season. He was probably a bit overmatched at #1C, as his production dipped, but he was solid defensively, and as a #2C role, I think he will excel.
Plekanec should have a rebound season. Even if he doesnt, his defensive game is still top notch, and can be used in a defensive role.

If our middle line was Drouin, Galchenyuk, Plekanec, Mitchell, you wouldnt say "we have no centers". Unfortunately, Habs mgmt is utterly convinced Galchenyuk isnt a C, which is a damn shame.


That lack of PMD comment upsets me though I mean, we have Petry, and thats it. They shipped out Beaulieu, they let Markov walk. Schlemko isnt a PMD, Alzner isnt a PMD, Streit isnt a PMD. Davidson might be able to handle PMD duties as well as Jerabek, but coming from the KHL he's a complete wildcard.

[Cail]

Caps-Habs tonight. Dunno if gamecenter lets me stream preseason or not

[Brill Weave]

I don't know what's worse. The fact that someone is claiming that Connor Brown is the best 4th liner or the fact that you spent that much time looking up the info to construct the argument to dispute it.

[NynJa]

https://www.hockey-reference.com/pla...2/scoring/2017

Or do you actually think I went through all 82 leafs games to get that information?

[vagus]

Heard on radio there is some shady shit with Joffrey Lupil. leafs have some dirt. What is the rumour leaf nation?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cail]

Alexander Steen out for the rest of the preseason.

Also, fantasy?!