2014 / 2015 Official NHL Thread
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Is the world coming to an end? I actually agree 100% with this and is exactly what I just told to Joe.T
I am just happy to see you back mon ami, that and the Canadians lost tonight
Yes, it's obviously good news for Leaf fans that the Habs lost. Had they won, they would have been 11 points ahead of the Leafs, but due to the loss they are only 9 points ahead. Both teams have played 40 games.
Unfortunately however there is some bad news for the Leafs, since Montreal lost to Tampa Bay. The great Steve Yzerman has done the expected fabulous job as GM of the Lightning, and by beating Montreal they are now 11 points ahead of Toronto. Still, there is a bright note for the Leafs in that the game didn't go into OT, so nobody got a loser point and only one of the two teams moved a further 2 points ahead of the Leafs.
I agree with you on that.
Intersting thing tonight in the canadians/Tampa game. subban from his own bench slashed at a player on the tampa bench and took a penalty that led directly to a ppg and basically changed the momentum in Tampa's favor. Another boneheaded play by a reckless player who is immature and overpaid by about 3-4 million per year at this point.
Doc could be right that pernell karl's contract will come back to haunt his team for years to come.
Intersting thing tonight in the canadians/Tampa game. subban from his own bench slashed at a player on the tampa bench and took a penalty that led directly to a ppg and basically changed the momentum in Tampa's favor. Another boneheaded play by a reckless player who is immature and overpaid by about 3-4 million per year at this point.
Doc could be right that pernell karl's contract will come back to haunt his team for years to come.
So "Carlyle and the coaching staff are getting the guys on the team to buy into what they are selling" - NOT
Ex-Maple Leafs coach rips into Kessel
This might be the reason that the Leafs play is so erratic -
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/wilson-some-of-leafs-core-group-is-uncoachable/
This might be the reason that the Leafs play is so erratic -
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/wilson-some-of-leafs-core-group-is-uncoachable/
I am just happy to see you back mon ami, that and the Canadians lost tonight
The difference being, the Habs can afford to loss one while the dysfunctional leafs can't.
It is so funny how when the leafs are doing bad you revert to the Habs and or the Red Wings.
Cheap thrills, way to go. I just love it !!
In the end, he might just stay in an ideal situation with Detroit — good pay, high talent level, low stress.
http://www.torontosun.com/2015/01/0...-at-these-guys-to-replace-coach-randy-carlyle
http://www.torontosun.com/2015/01/0...-at-these-guys-to-replace-coach-randy-carlyle
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Good pay????? That's exactly why he still hasn't signed a contract. Detroit has refused to pay him what he feels he deserves, and from what i've heard from my Detroit contacts, the situation is unlikely to change. I really doubt Babcock will accept a low-ball offer by the organization. It wouldn't be fair to him & especially his family.
As for Detroit having more talent, i also disagree. Most of Detroit's top-talent is very old & won't be around in a few years. They're also not that much better than the Leafs & only squeezed into the playoffs by a hair last season. Detroit's success all depends on whether or not Pavel Datsyuk & Henrik Zetterberg will be in the lineup. Over the past couple of seasons, these two players have not only aged, but become injury-prone, which is normal for players in their mid-30's after all.
Bank on it: MICHAEL BABCOCK WILL BE NAMED THE COACH OF THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS ONCE THIS SEASON IS OVER.
I would take that bet in a heartbeat. Babcock himself said a few weeks ago that this Red Wings team is as loaded as the '09 team that lost to the Penguins in the Finals. There's great talent, in addition to core veterans Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Kronwall and Howard. Players like Nyquist, Tatar, DeKeyser, and Abdelkader are proven impact players and they're young, most 25 or younger. There's a good mix of role players / grinders and skill players. And more prospects are in the wings - Ouellett, Pulkkinen, and Mrazek in net. They're one right-hand-shooting D-man away from being a legit Cup contender.
Where's Toronto? Just lame high draft picks, a star player with bad habits and a bare cupboard of prospects. I would even argue that the Habs are 'Canada's team'. I've been to games at both the ACC and the Bell Centre, and Montreal is a much better, more pure, more authentic experience. Anyone clinging to the myth of the Leafs' 'prestige' and 'legendary' status as a franchise has just been drinking too much Koolaid. I wouldn't put much weight on this factor.
Where's Toronto? Just lame high draft picks, a star player with bad habits and a bare cupboard of prospects. I would even argue that the Habs are 'Canada's team'. I've been to games at both the ACC and the Bell Centre, and Montreal is a much better, more pure, more authentic experience. Anyone clinging to the myth of the Leafs' 'prestige' and 'legendary' status as a franchise has just been drinking too much Koolaid. I wouldn't put much weight on this factor.
Wolfie720, I can see that I can afford to post far less frequently now that you're here and very eloquently saying all the right things. Bravo! I very much enjoyed my two month vacation and I'm now very much looking forward to a lighter workload as a MERB hockey contributor. Keep posting...PLEASE!
:thumb: Hahaha, thanks joelcairo. You've got a fellow Red Wings fan and reinforcement. For such a trusted review source for girls, Doc is shockingly suspect in his perspective of the NHL!!
Just kidding Doc! Sorta... Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this just a bit early for the Leafs to fall out of playoff standing? I'm under the impression that it usually takes them 50-55 games to utterly tank. This season they've accomplished the feat in just half the season. Given their two point lead and Florida's 3 games in hand, they're now effectively in 10th position.
This must be Phil "Coach Killer" Kessel's finest season.
This must be Phil "Coach Killer" Kessel's finest season.
BOYZ,
The poor Leafs. We love to pick on them but overall they're not that bad. Sometimes they can be tough. They're problem is they are stuck in the netherworld of borderline playoff mediocrity. It's a step up from a couple of years ago. They have some good tools to build on but somewhere between the owners and the coaching staff they don't have the will or the skill or the guts to be completely open-eyed and dispassionate enough to look at that team and make the tough decisions that would make them a top contender. They had been able to score well until recently, but they give up just as fast. Somewhere they've got to make a commitment to defense by sacrificing just enough of the right offensive players. Montreal has scored 22 less goals and yet that team is +17 in goals differential and 2nd in the Atlantic division. People in Toronto just don't get it. They're settling for those old fashioned sugar stick candy types that give you a quick high, lots of fun for a while with poor staying power. Frankly I'm stunned they are now behind the Bruins who have become a team that has a very tough time getting the one extra push to win more games and actually have a negative goal differential.
Toronto fans should look at all of that an be very concerned. Your franchise leaders from Burke to the present have shown they don't philosophically know how to make up the difference to become real "CONTENDERS".
Good luck,
Merlot
The poor Leafs. We love to pick on them but overall they're not that bad. Sometimes they can be tough. They're problem is they are stuck in the netherworld of borderline playoff mediocrity. It's a step up from a couple of years ago. They have some good tools to build on but somewhere between the owners and the coaching staff they don't have the will or the skill or the guts to be completely open-eyed and dispassionate enough to look at that team and make the tough decisions that would make them a top contender. They had been able to score well until recently, but they give up just as fast. Somewhere they've got to make a commitment to defense by sacrificing just enough of the right offensive players. Montreal has scored 22 less goals and yet that team is +17 in goals differential and 2nd in the Atlantic division. People in Toronto just don't get it. They're settling for those old fashioned sugar stick candy types that give you a quick high, lots of fun for a while with poor staying power. Frankly I'm stunned they are now behind the Bruins who have become a team that has a very tough time getting the one extra push to win more games and actually have a negative goal differential.
Toronto fans should look at all of that an be very concerned. Your franchise leaders from Burke to the present have shown they don't philosophically know how to make up the difference to become real "CONTENDERS".
Good luck,
Merlot
Personally speaking, i'm hoping that the Leafs totally tank the season in order to improve their standing for the upcoming draft.
I also hope they wind up losing most of their games since i don't want give them an excuse to keep their current coach (Peter Horachek) instead of hiring either a Babcock, Bylsma, DeBoer, Maclean or even a Julien come next season.
Boston, Philadelphia & Ottawa are also among the teams that have struggled mightily when better & bigger things were expected of them.
To be honest, no one really expected the Leafs to be any better than they currently are. At best, they were going to be a 'bubble' team and that's where they currently stand.
As for the Bruins, one of the Boston reporters covering the team was on Primetime Sports yesterday & things aren't going that much better in Boston. Julien was nearly fired at least twice over the past 3 seasons and he believes that should he be fired, it wouldn't surprise him to see GM Peter Chiarelli & President Cam Neely also getting the ax. He also mentionned Zdeno Chara's deteriorating play over the past 2 seasons & how slow he's become. He also added that like hte Leafs, the Bruins don't have much cap room to play with if they want to make a big move prior to the trade deadline. It was quite an interesting interview.
I also hope they wind up losing most of their games since i don't want give them an excuse to keep their current coach (Peter Horachek) instead of hiring either a Babcock, Bylsma, DeBoer, Maclean or even a Julien come next season.
Boston, Philadelphia & Ottawa are also among the teams that have struggled mightily when better & bigger things were expected of them.
To be honest, no one really expected the Leafs to be any better than they currently are. At best, they were going to be a 'bubble' team and that's where they currently stand.
As for the Bruins, one of the Boston reporters covering the team was on Primetime Sports yesterday & things aren't going that much better in Boston. Julien was nearly fired at least twice over the past 3 seasons and he believes that should he be fired, it wouldn't surprise him to see GM Peter Chiarelli & President Cam Neely also getting the ax. He also mentionned Zdeno Chara's deteriorating play over the past 2 seasons & how slow he's become. He also added that like hte Leafs, the Bruins don't have much cap room to play with if they want to make a big move prior to the trade deadline. It was quite an interesting interview.
I'll say that they got good & fairly equal value for Kessel. They were very lucky that Toronto finished second-last in the standings a year later in order to draft Seguin or else the trade would have tilted in Toronto's favor when it was made. They also got another 1st rounder in that trade which turned out to be serviceable defenseman Doug Hamilton, who would likely not have been drafted by Toronto a year later had they not made the Kessel trade.
But trading phenom Tyler Seguin to Dallas for what they got in return was & is a total calamity!!!! You don't trade a franchise-type player like Seguin, who only comes by every 5 years or so, to a team for a bunch of average players. As the great GM Sam Pollock once said, the team that gets the best player always wins the trade. First trading away the great Joe Thornton, and then young phenom Tyler Seguin because the team had dubbed him to be 'immature", will once again haunt the franchise for years to come.
By the way, that Boston writer stated yesterday that Cam Neely was the one who had given up on Seguin & insisted he be traded away because he felt he was 'unworthy of being a Bruin'.
BOYZ,
All of this tit for tat stuff between fans about who got the better of deals has been cheap talking points. The fact is both teams put themselves in binds with salary caps because of stupid salaries they gave out. Now they are both paying for those mistakes.
The Bruins have lost some key sparks and have not been playing with the same consistent elan they used to have. Losses like Shawn Thorton, Johnny Boychuk, Rich Peverly, Jarome Iginla have hurt. They've also had some a slew of key injuries. Analysts and fans are still surprised. They expectations were for the Bruins to remain one of the top contenders and despite any excuses they have not performed that way. As for Julien there have always been tensions between him Chiarelli and Neely. Many felt his job was on the line when the team won the Stanley Cup and has remained at risk. Panic mongers want drastic steps, but the leadership is said to be trying to be considerate of the best steps for the future instead of attempting to go for broke now with whatever big trade that might be made.
I think the major issue is Tuukka. He can be extremely good against anyone, but he may not be able to be as consistent enough under real pressure as many had hoped and expected. And, as we know, Montreal has been a big sore spot on his record.
BTW: I don't agree with Doc that Leafs fans didn't expect them to be better, and that's not about being delusional in most cases. They should be better by every expectation or there's been a failure of philosophical leadership, team conceptualization, and game planning.
Merlot
All of this tit for tat stuff between fans about who got the better of deals has been cheap talking points. The fact is both teams put themselves in binds with salary caps because of stupid salaries they gave out. Now they are both paying for those mistakes.
The Bruins have lost some key sparks and have not been playing with the same consistent elan they used to have. Losses like Shawn Thorton, Johnny Boychuk, Rich Peverly, Jarome Iginla have hurt. They've also had some a slew of key injuries. Analysts and fans are still surprised. They expectations were for the Bruins to remain one of the top contenders and despite any excuses they have not performed that way. As for Julien there have always been tensions between him Chiarelli and Neely. Many felt his job was on the line when the team won the Stanley Cup and has remained at risk. Panic mongers want drastic steps, but the leadership is said to be trying to be considerate of the best steps for the future instead of attempting to go for broke now with whatever big trade that might be made.
I think the major issue is Tuukka. He can be extremely good against anyone, but he may not be able to be as consistent enough under real pressure as many had hoped and expected. And, as we know, Montreal has been a big sore spot on his record.
BTW: I don't agree with Doc that Leafs fans didn't expect them to be better, and that's not about being delusional in most cases. They should be better by every expectation or there's been a failure of philosophical leadership, team conceptualization, and game planning.
Merlot
Boston is indeed a different team than past years, mostly because they've had to deal with cap issues. Today, they are a smaller, more skilled team than they've ever been in years. When the skill players don't contribute, the team's in trouble. You can't keep getting saved by your goalie night after night.
Another problem is that the core of this team is getting old. Zdeno Chara is a shell of his own self. Lucic has slowed down. Marchand at times has been invisible over the past two seasons. Bergeron is still a very good two-way player and great on faceoffs. To me, he's their best player by far. And many Boston scribes have mentionned that David Krecci hasn't performed to expectations and has been injured way too often.
But the Bruins will have to figure out a way to regain their confidence and find a way to beat the Montreal Canadiens, who have been their achilles' heel since losing to the Bruins three years ago in a game 7. It's now well-known that winning that game 7 was the only thing which saved Claude Julien's job. Same thing with coming back and winning that game 7 against the Leafs two years ago. The Leafs were trailing 3-1 in games and came back to tie the series. Peter Chiarelli and Cam Neely were about to fire Claude Julien the following day should Boston have not come back from a 4-1 deficit to beat the Leafs in overtime.
However, despite all of this, i still say that Boston would not be in this position today should they have hung on to Phil Kessel or Tyler Seguin. They got swindled in that Seguin trade with Dallas and it may take years for them to recover from that tremendous mistake.
Another problem is that the core of this team is getting old. Zdeno Chara is a shell of his own self. Lucic has slowed down. Marchand at times has been invisible over the past two seasons. Bergeron is still a very good two-way player and great on faceoffs. To me, he's their best player by far. And many Boston scribes have mentionned that David Krecci hasn't performed to expectations and has been injured way too often.
But the Bruins will have to figure out a way to regain their confidence and find a way to beat the Montreal Canadiens, who have been their achilles' heel since losing to the Bruins three years ago in a game 7. It's now well-known that winning that game 7 was the only thing which saved Claude Julien's job. Same thing with coming back and winning that game 7 against the Leafs two years ago. The Leafs were trailing 3-1 in games and came back to tie the series. Peter Chiarelli and Cam Neely were about to fire Claude Julien the following day should Boston have not come back from a 4-1 deficit to beat the Leafs in overtime.
However, despite all of this, i still say that Boston would not be in this position today should they have hung on to Phil Kessel or Tyler Seguin. They got swindled in that Seguin trade with Dallas and it may take years for them to recover from that tremendous mistake.
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