2014 / 2015 Official NHL Thread

[Merlot]

BOYZZZ!

I'll put this hear so no one will whine about invading their thread.

]Mr. Shanahan and his lieutenants have now finally received a broad mandate from ownership to scorch as much earth as they see fit in order to return the Leafs to contention, according to two sources familiar with that meeting. It will mean a new philosophy on building slowly through the draft and long-term projects, rather than quick fixes via trades for established players. It will mean at least three more years of pain for fans, and as many as five.

Well glory be, they figured this out after almost 48 years? :lol: This sounds like another feel good panacea publicity approach. Is Toronto really planning anything new or are they trying to make it sound like a...let's crack down and get serious...plan. I mean you're a damn professional hockey organization that has been around since the founding of the league. If you haven't known what approach works in 47 1/2 years you sure should have, either by very long LONG trial and error or by looking at the successful teams that have beat the tar out of you for nearly half a century. They now make it sound like they are suddenly reinventing the PUCK.

Overall it sounds like a diversion to save face. You can build a great hockey team or any sports team by having players built from the farms up AND making smart trades. Look at any successful team and you will see that. What's really been missing in Toronto and others in different sports is the talent for getting the right players to be a better team, having the wisdom to know where, when, who, and how. If the same guys who have brought the Leafs to this mess and the desperate need for revamping are still going to be running the show NOTHING has really changed. But good luck. After nearly a half century of seeming to almost deliberately avoid the finals...the fans deserve better.

Honestly, if I was reading that statement from Red Sox owners before 2004 after 86 years of no championship I'd be laughing my butt off thinking the same thing...what, it took you that long to figure something out or you're just buying time again. At least we went to the World Series 4 times. The leafs can barely spell Stanley Cup Finals.



Cheers,

Merlot

 

[wolfie7]

BOYZZZ!

I'll put this hear so no one will whine about invading their thread.

Merlot

LOL. :lol:

But but but I mean the Leafs are such a legendary franchise! And mythical! And orgasmic! I mean it farts bouquets of roses and shits gold fairy dust, no? Just kidding!

I am surprised Shanny is having so much difficulty. It speaks to how messed up that organization is, up and down the hierarchy. Granted, I loved Shanny as a Red Wing, but is he really an A+ hockey executive? It's one thing to manage relationships during strikes and league disputes, it's another to have talent at evaluating talent. Shanny still needs to add that talent to his management team, and, at least from the results, who the Leafs currently have in those roles suck. And Shanny still hasn't gotten rid of that cancer. How long has he been in the job?

Personally, I'm more than happy to see Toronto maintain its mediocrity forever more. More easy points for everyone else to pick up. Don't all countries like it more when their largest city's sports teams are suffering??

 

[wolfie7]

Not very classy what Seguin and Benn said about the Sedins. Grow up, kids!

Those two punks are losers. No matter how much Seguin is scoring with the Stars, the Bruins did well to dump him. They probably just didn't get enough back in return.

Seguin goes in the same pile as Kessel, Semin and the other cherrypicking forwards in the NHL.

 

[anon_vlad]

One wonders if the Leafs' new five year plan will be as successful as Burke's, which was reminiscent of the Soviet's five year plans - in particular of the agricultural 5 year plan which led to millions starving.

 

[Merlot]

BOYZZZ!

LOL. :lol:

But but but I mean the Leafs are...orgasmic!

Makes you wonder why any Leafs fan needs a sex board.

...it's another to have talent at evaluating talent.

THAT'S what it's about. It's not using formulas like...we're going to draft and build from the ground up or we're going to get free agents. It's evaluating talent, and even harder, it's making a team chemistry. If the Leafs had chemistry like Doc and his pet...they'd never miss the finals.

Hmmmm, maybe they should let 15% of the air out of the puck... :lol:...or kidnap Carey Price.

Cheers,

Merlot

 

[Doc Holliday]

Is it time to trade Chara?

Things haven't gone exactly to plan for the Boston Bruins this season.

With the team currently sitting in the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 28-19-7, many wonder if the Black and Gold can make a deal to shake up the lineup.

Earlier in the week, Insider Joe Haggerty suggested the B's could kickstart the teams future by trading captain Zdeno Chara.

Haggerty discussed the idea on Cross Check.

"I think this summer it's something they absolutely have to look at and they should do," said Haggerty. "He's signed on for three more years at a $7 million cap hit per season and you can still get some value for him. I think you've got to make that move now before you're watching him really deteriorate over the next couple years."

Mike Milbury agreed that the team needs to bring in some new blood, and no one on the roster should be safe from a trade.

"In this offseason I'd consider it with everybody not just Zdeno Chara," said Milbury. "I'd have to take a global look at this thing to see what can we keep from this group and what do we have to do in terms of changes."

Is it time to trade Chara?

 

[Merlot]

BOYZZZ!

Is it time to trade Chara?

It's a legitimate question, one that has been discussed among analysts and fans, though the Bruins are keeping whatever they think to themselves. Chara is still a game-changing presence on defense. It's well known and acknowledged by most that the team is not up to the same level without him on the ice. He's intimidating and still has enough skill. Still, he has been around since he joined the Islanders in the "97-98" season. That's a damn long time. Teams always have to keep measuring the current value of a player against what they might gain by trading him/her. You can't stay relevant if you let sentiment and attachment go against what is better for the team. The question here is do they gain more from a trade. It's being debated as it ought to be, especially after 16 1/2 seasons. How much time is left?

I'll still miss that devastating Slovakian short right of his that destroys anyone dumb enough to bother him.

BTW:

Phil Kessel: All-Star
Tyler Seguin: All-Star
Leafs going nowhere.

:wave:

Merlot

 

[Doc Holliday]

It's a legitimate question, one that has been discussed among analysts and fans, though the Bruins are keeping whatever they think to themselves. Chara is still a game-changing presence on defense. It's well known and acknowledged by most that the team is not up to the same level without him on the ice. He's intimidating and still has enough skill. Still, he has been around since he joined the Islanders in the "97-98" season. That's a damn long time. Teams always have to keep measuring the current value of a player against what they might gain by trading him/her. You can't stay relevant if you let sentiment and attachment go against what is better for the team. The question here is do they gain more from a trade. It's being debated as it ought to be, especially after 16 1/2 seasons. How much time is left?

More reason to trade him now. Not necessarily because his trade value will likely never be any higher than it is currently, but mostly because they need cap space in order to change the current culture of the team. Sure, trading the likes of Marchand, Lucic, Bergeron & Rask could help in this matter, but Chara is the one who'll be 38 years old next season and he's the one whose declining skills are most obvious among the bunch.

The Bruins will lose their leader & his presence on their defence, but they'll gain cap space & will thus be more able to overhaul their current roster, a roster that has been unable to beat the Montreal Canadiens, arch-enemies of theirs, over the past 2 seasons. They are owned by the habs. Tukka Rask is owned by the habs. Milan Lucic is owned by Alexei Emelin and the habs. Heck, he's even owned by Dale Wiese!

By holding on to Chara, it will be once again a case of same-old, same-old. Same boring team that can't beat the Habs if their lives depended on it. A team who lost a lot of character when it parted ways with Shaun Thornton.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Steve Montador R.I.P.

I've just learned that he passed away today at age 35.

He had spent this past season playing for a Croatian team in the KHL.

I was told that he had a history of concussions & also battled depression.

He played a total of 571 games in the NHL for various teams, including the Bruins.

Here he was two years ago talking about his recovery from depression:

Montador talks about recovering from depression

 

[Doc Holliday]

Former NHL player Steve Montador found dead at his Mississauga home

MISSISSAUGA – Former NHL player Steven Montador was found dead inside his Mississauga home early Sunday morning, according to Peel Regional Police. Police said a female friend woke up at 2 a.m. to find Montador deceased. She contacted police and he was pronounced dead just after 2:30 a.m. at his residence. "Foul play is not suspected, pending the outcome of an autopsy," said Const. Fiona Thivierge, a Peel police spokesperson.

At this time, Thivierge said, the incident is being treated as a sudden death investigation, not a criminal investigation. Born in Vancouver, the 35-year-old began his NHL career with the Calgary Flames in 2001-02. He went on to play defence for a number of NHL teams including the Carolina Panthers, Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Chicago Blackhawks.

He last played in the NHL during 2011-12 season for Chicago and suffered a season-ending concussion. He went on to play for the American Hockey League's Rockford Icedogs the next year before moving to the Kontinental Hockey League for the 2013-14 season. Next of kin has been notified.

Steve Montador dead at age 35

 

[Joe.t]

Wow, Bergevin was at the game in Toronto tonight along with five of his scouts, a big trade could be in the works.

http://www.gohabsgo.com/2015/02/17/marc-bergevin-is-working-on-something-big-with-the/

 

[Doc Holliday]

Wow, Bergevin was at the game in Toronto tonight along with five of his scouts, a big trade could be in the works.

http://www.gohabsgo.com/2015/02/17/marc-bergevin-is-working-on-something-big-with-the/

I'm surprised to learn this, since he was in Toronto over the weekend for a Marlies game.

Mtl wants to get bigger up front and would like to add one or two more defencemen. It would have to be a top 6 forward, so Winnik is out. But he's exactly the type of role player that seems to thrive in Mtl.

Toronto does have a few defencemen available that would look good with the habs: Robidas, Holzer, Polak and Phaneuf. But i'd rule out Phaneuf due to cap space. But he'd be great as a #2 or 3 defenceman on any team, just not as a #1.

It would also not surprise me if Bergevin adds a veteran goaltender to the fold. He's lost confidence in Dustin Tokarski. Since the habs will soon be playing a bunch of games every second night, they realize Carey Price can't play every game. So adding a goalie would make sense.

 

[Doc Holliday]

My Boston source has just told me that David Krejci may be out for the rest of the regular season after suffering a serious knee injury against St-Louis. If so, Boston will no doubt be looking for a center to replace the injured Krecji. I've also been told that they're looking around for a quality backup goalie (hey, Bryzgalov is available! lol) in order to give Tukka Rask some rest. Word is that Rask is fatigued and badly needs a rest. But with the Bruins not having much cap space, they'll likely have to move out someone in order to give them the cap room they need.

Krejci has become injury-prone over the past couple of seasons & i've heard rumblings that he's the NHL's new Joffrey Lupul when it comes to time spent injured.

It's nothing new that the next few weeks will likely determine coach Claude Julien and GM Peter Chiarelli's future with the team. Miss the playoffs and both of them will likely get canned.

Chiarelli has so far stated that he'll never trade his first-round pick & that none of his younger players (e.g. David Pasternak, Dougie Hamilton, Malcolm Subban, etc) will be dealt this season. But with Krejci likely out for the regular season and defenceman Kevan Miller out for the rest of the year, Chiarelli will have to do something in order to make the playoffs and make it past the first round if they do.

He'd love to get one of Edmonton's younger star players (e.g. Eberle, Yakupov, etc) and possibly defenceman Jeff Petrie, but the Oilers simply won't give those players away.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Arizona is in New Jersey tonight. Over 25 scouts are expected at the game. Among the players available from both teams are Marek Zidlicky, Jaromir Jagr, Scotty Gomez, Antoine Vermette, Zybiniek Michalek & Keith Yandle. Word is that the Coyotes are asking way too much for their players, which is why they haven't moved anyone yet.

Montreal is rumored to be interested in Zidlicky & possibly Eric Gelinas. Antoine Vermette and Keith Yandle are also on their radar. I've also heard that their interested in Andrej Sekera of the Hurricanes, Curtis Glencross of the Flames, Joffrey Lupul, Roman Polak & possibly Nazem Kadri of the Leafs. Braydon Coburn of the Flyers could also be available, but the Flyers haven't yet thrown in the towel. And indeed, Jeff Petrie of the Oilers has also caught Montreal's attention.

I'd be surprised if Montreal doesn't acquire a veteran goaltender to backup Carey Price. Dustin Tokarski simply isn't an NHL-calibre goalie. But he does have a gorgeous girlfriend! :eyebrows:

 

[joelcairo]

Dustin Tokarski simply isn't an NHL-calibre goalie.

Interesting opinion, given that Tokarski's stats are better in every way than both Bernier's and Reimer's, as shown here:

Tokarski: 5 - 5 - 2 record, 2.70 goals against average, .914 save percentage

Bernier: 17 - 18 -5, 2.73, .914

Reimer: 7 - 13 - 0, 3.15, .906

 

[gohabsgo]

My Boston source has just told me that David Krejci may be out for the rest of the regular season after suffering a serious knee injury against St-Louis.

Your "source" must read NBC Sports Pro Hockey Talk and follow Kypreos' twitter feed ...

 

[Doc Holliday]

Your "source" must read NBC Sports Pro Hockey Talk and follow Kypreos' twitter feed ...

Actually, it's the other way around. Kyper follows 'me'.

 

[Doc Holliday]

This morning, the habs traded highly-touted rookie Jiri Sekac to the Anaheim Ducks for Devante Smith-Pelly.

Early on, many habs fans were comparing Sekac to Alex Kovalev. Sekac was also invited to the all-star game to play in the prospects game. He skates like the wind & has offensive ability, but had lost his scoring touch over the past couple of months & spent time in coach Michel Therrien's doghouse. It wasn't surprising to me that his play declined since he's spent his life in Europe & wasn't used to the rigorous NHL schedule.

Smith-Pelly spent most of his career in the minors but did play in last year's playoffs. He's a friend of P.K. Subban's and his main asset is toughness & aggressive play.

The most talented of the two is easily Sekac, but Smith-Pelly is more suited to the habs' defensive & hard-working style.

Many are surprised that habs have given up on Sekac so early into his young career, since they were one of many teams to be after Sekac prior to the season & wound up winning the so-called lottery in successfully luring him to their club. And now he's gone & i have no doubt he'll succeed in Anaheim, a team better suite for a player of his style.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Patrick Kane out for 6-10 weeks

He was checked from behind into the boards last night & suffered a broken collarbone. The Hawks' best player, Kane was one of the candidates for the Hart trophy as the league's MVP. There's word he may be out until the 3rd round of the playoffs, if they ever make it as far.

Replacing a prolific scorer like Kane won't be easy in the very competitive west conference. Could the Hawks become candidates to trade for Phil Kessel, who is a very similar type of player as Kane?

In other news, the Jets picked up Jiri Tlusty from the Canes for a 3rd-round pick & future considerations. As for the LA Kings, they have acquired Andrej Sekera from Carolina. Word is that the Canes will get a first-round pick & a prospect from the Kings.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Jaromir Jagr was traded to the Florida Panthers today for a 2nd-round pick in 2015 and a conditional 3rd-round pick in 2016.

Montreal was rumoured to be one of the teams after him, but i guess they figured the price was too high.