6/30/2013
FuNHL draft order
Apologies for formatting:
1. Severed Heads
2. Edge
3. Knights Templar
4. Shadowmen
5. Scourge
6. Bladerunners
7. Barbarians
8. Great Whites
9. Ramapithicines
10. Wolves
11. Highlanders
12. Personal Vendetta
6/25/2013
Hawks WIN 2nd CUP in 4 Years!!!
Kane (CHI) WINS Conn Smythe Award...1st American FWD and 4th American after Quick, G LA; Leetch, D NYR and Hextall, G PHI...
CHI wins in 6 games and Won the lst 3 gms of the Finals as well as SEMIs vs DET...
I guess Crawford, will be a starter for Canadian Olympic Team?
6/18/2013
Jagr magic in BST victory...
BST up 2-1 in Series and the Hawks, mind you without Hossa, looked a lot like the Pens in this game 3.
Jagr now alone in 5th all-time playoff scoring at 197 passing Coffey.
4th is Andeson at 214, then Kurri, Messier and of course Gretzky..
When will Toews and Kane play together?
6/14/2013
FUNHL News and Notes
Bob had suggested he was jonesing for a new N+N, so I am breaking down and delivering one best I can.
- The Pens/Bruins series was depressing on a whole lot of levels;
A. Malkin played OUT OF HIS F*%&NG MIND in games 3 and 4 and simply wasn't able to beat Rask (or Chara's hand). In game 4 alone he attempted now fewer than 21 shots. Dude definitely earned his big pay day.
B. Where the hell was Crosby? Seriously, how is he not hurt and in the hospital after being so invisible?
C. Despite his streak of 30 goal seasons, Flames fans with advanced stats knowledge have been declaring Iginla 'washed up' for a couple of years now (actually, they would declare 'he can't play the hard minutes and isn't moving the needle in the right direction anymore). Despite his reasonable points per game in the playoffs, it was pretty clear Iggy was skating in sand for the Pens all through the playoffs. He may not be 'done' as a player, but he is a shadow of the guy who used to single-handedly win Calgary games. I'll be surprised if he is re-signed by the Pens. Also, all the fans who thought we didn't get enough for our fading hall of famer can suck it.
D. The Bruins (and Kings) both have been playing the kind of beat-em-up/lock-it-down 1-2-2 trap hockey that kills braincells and fan interest alike. Mercifully, the Blackhawks took care of half the problem. Now, hopefully, they can take care of the other half.
E. I really hate Brad Marchand. He's the spitting clone of Pat Verbeek. Wish he was a Flame.
- The addition of Robyn Regehr was IMO a terrible move for the Kings. He's too slow to positively affect play anymore. He'll get primo ice-time from Sutter, derailing the team moving forward. The WOWY stat (with or without you) that tracks how players do when on the ice together showed pretty definitively that Regehr was dragging down Doughty's game something fierce.
- Quick's play was off the charts. Ditto Doughty, who also had to drag Regehr's corpse around the ice.
- Common wisdom is that you build a team around productive center-ice men. Common wisdom says that some 30 years ago the Red Wings selected Steve Yzerman, and the dynasty was born. The truth is that with the first decade or so of Yzerman the Wings didn't get anywhere. Yzerman or no, the Red Wings weren't a dominant team until Nik Lidstrom arrived. LA has Doughty. The Bruins have Chara. The Hawks have Keith and Seabrook. The Av's will take (and come to love) Seth Jones.
- I had been comparing Jonathon Drouin's game to guys like Ray Whitney and Pat Kane, but I read that at least one scout compared his game favourably to Denis Savard. He'll be the top prospect pick in our draft.
- So Patrick Roy is both the coach and Assistant VP of Hockey Operations next to Joe Sakic who is VP Hockey Operations/President (or something). Yeah I don't see how that could ever be a problem.
- Got into a heated internet argument (is there any other kind?) after I posted on Flames Nation that Oiler fans should shut up and stop proposing that pick #7 + Gagner will get them to move up, or land a high caliber center like Sean Couturier. The argument got me looking closely at Gagner's advanced stats - which are beyond terrible. The guy is the poster-child for not looking at just the offence a player produces, as he 'bleeds possession' at a fantastic rate, can't play against top players, loses draws at an atrocious pace for a center, and his 'WOWY' stats show that he drags anyone down he plays with. The other item worth mentioning was that after I made my case against Gagner being worth anything at all, a poster indicated he agreed with my arguments and then added that 'Gagner sucks a trunkful of dongs'. Needless to say, I laughed out loud and spit coffee on my iPad. Moving forward, any I player I don't like will suck a trunkful of dongs (SATOD).
- The one guy I can see falling out of the top ten despite all the scouts being in love with him is Valeri Nichushkin. Everybody is in a panic still about his birth certificate, and he was underwhelming at the combine. Hey, at least he attended (I'm looking at you Drouin, MacKinnon, Jones). A hulking Russian power winger with blazing speed, high end stickhandling and a bomb for a shot? He gets picked in our top 5.
- Feaster has earned a reputation for thinking outside the box (Jankowski, Cervenka), and he may have an opportunity to pull another brazen move off. If Feaster could get permission from Edwards to set a large amount of money on fire, he could conceivably make a deal with the Islanders that brings in DiPietro and prospect Ryan Strome for say a 3rd rnd pick. Then he uses the compliance buy out and burns about $24m of Edwards money without affecting his cap space moving forward. If Feaster is really bold, he then gets Tampa to send him Lecavalier and the #3 overall pick for some future pick, and torches another $25M or thereabouts freeing Lecavalier up to re-sign with the Bolts and finish his career in Tampa. So, if you are Murray Edwards (a billionaire) would you agree to jump start the Flames rebuild at the cost of $50M or so if it brought in Strome and Barkov and didn't cost us anything significant in players, prospects or cap space, AND left alone our 3 first round picks? Damn straight I would.
- Just finished watching 'A Good Day to Die Hard' (which is what, Die Hard 5? 6?). It SATOD.
- If you haven't read it yet, Elliitte Friedman's column on Jagr and his workout regime is enlightening. For years pundits crapped on Jagr for his work ethic and coach killing. Now we find out that Jagr has been leading the work out fanatics by example, and among other things has midnight weight lifting sessions. His speed is only half what it used to be, but he's still impossible to contain on the half-wall. If he keeps it up, he could be the next Chelios. Also, he has the sweetest playoff beard ever (Mutton Chops!)
- Jonathon Toews won the Selke. Good. Guy is a freaking beast.
- Huberdeau, Saad, and Gallagher are the league's Calder nominees. Should have been Yakupov, Conacher and Brodin.
- PK Subban gets the Norris. Also Good. He gets a ton of crap from the media (I'm especially looking at you PJ Stock), and I think it's cool he gets to stick it to his critics.
- Another fantastic rumour going around is Buffalo looking to make massive changes to their team, and that they are considering the following deal;
---> Calgary: Myers-D, Vanek, a 2nd
---> Buffalo: Backlund-C, Cammalleri, the 22nd overall 1st rnd pick (StLouis)
I have to say, I like this deal, it brings in a better/younger but more expensive sniper in Vanek, a 23 year old 6'7" monster with increidble upside in Myers (albeit one that has declined every year since his rookie season for a very good 2 way center in Backlund (about to get a raise), and does so at the cost of about 15 spots in the draft. What I don't get is why Buffalo can't do better elsewhere.
The other rumour is that they offered up Miller, Myers, Grigerenko and 2nd rnd picks for the 1st overall - which I just don't see as being appealing to Colorado. They already have a big investment in Varlamov, and he's been pretty good for them. Myers would be an attractive piece, but without a high end pick coming back I can't see them being too tempted.
- If the Blackhawks win the cup (please!) I fully expect that Vince Vaughn's head will explode with joy and spray centre ice with brain matter.
- One player I am really looking forward to seeing get drafted is smurf Nic Petan. Possible he will be there when the Flames use the Pitt 1st.
- That's it, I'm out. Try not SATOD.
- The Pens/Bruins series was depressing on a whole lot of levels;
A. Malkin played OUT OF HIS F*%&NG MIND in games 3 and 4 and simply wasn't able to beat Rask (or Chara's hand). In game 4 alone he attempted now fewer than 21 shots. Dude definitely earned his big pay day.
B. Where the hell was Crosby? Seriously, how is he not hurt and in the hospital after being so invisible?
C. Despite his streak of 30 goal seasons, Flames fans with advanced stats knowledge have been declaring Iginla 'washed up' for a couple of years now (actually, they would declare 'he can't play the hard minutes and isn't moving the needle in the right direction anymore). Despite his reasonable points per game in the playoffs, it was pretty clear Iggy was skating in sand for the Pens all through the playoffs. He may not be 'done' as a player, but he is a shadow of the guy who used to single-handedly win Calgary games. I'll be surprised if he is re-signed by the Pens. Also, all the fans who thought we didn't get enough for our fading hall of famer can suck it.
D. The Bruins (and Kings) both have been playing the kind of beat-em-up/lock-it-down 1-2-2 trap hockey that kills braincells and fan interest alike. Mercifully, the Blackhawks took care of half the problem. Now, hopefully, they can take care of the other half.
E. I really hate Brad Marchand. He's the spitting clone of Pat Verbeek. Wish he was a Flame.
- The addition of Robyn Regehr was IMO a terrible move for the Kings. He's too slow to positively affect play anymore. He'll get primo ice-time from Sutter, derailing the team moving forward. The WOWY stat (with or without you) that tracks how players do when on the ice together showed pretty definitively that Regehr was dragging down Doughty's game something fierce.
- Quick's play was off the charts. Ditto Doughty, who also had to drag Regehr's corpse around the ice.
- Common wisdom is that you build a team around productive center-ice men. Common wisdom says that some 30 years ago the Red Wings selected Steve Yzerman, and the dynasty was born. The truth is that with the first decade or so of Yzerman the Wings didn't get anywhere. Yzerman or no, the Red Wings weren't a dominant team until Nik Lidstrom arrived. LA has Doughty. The Bruins have Chara. The Hawks have Keith and Seabrook. The Av's will take (and come to love) Seth Jones.
- I had been comparing Jonathon Drouin's game to guys like Ray Whitney and Pat Kane, but I read that at least one scout compared his game favourably to Denis Savard. He'll be the top prospect pick in our draft.
- So Patrick Roy is both the coach and Assistant VP of Hockey Operations next to Joe Sakic who is VP Hockey Operations/President (or something). Yeah I don't see how that could ever be a problem.
- Got into a heated internet argument (is there any other kind?) after I posted on Flames Nation that Oiler fans should shut up and stop proposing that pick #7 + Gagner will get them to move up, or land a high caliber center like Sean Couturier. The argument got me looking closely at Gagner's advanced stats - which are beyond terrible. The guy is the poster-child for not looking at just the offence a player produces, as he 'bleeds possession' at a fantastic rate, can't play against top players, loses draws at an atrocious pace for a center, and his 'WOWY' stats show that he drags anyone down he plays with. The other item worth mentioning was that after I made my case against Gagner being worth anything at all, a poster indicated he agreed with my arguments and then added that 'Gagner sucks a trunkful of dongs'. Needless to say, I laughed out loud and spit coffee on my iPad. Moving forward, any I player I don't like will suck a trunkful of dongs (SATOD).
- The one guy I can see falling out of the top ten despite all the scouts being in love with him is Valeri Nichushkin. Everybody is in a panic still about his birth certificate, and he was underwhelming at the combine. Hey, at least he attended (I'm looking at you Drouin, MacKinnon, Jones). A hulking Russian power winger with blazing speed, high end stickhandling and a bomb for a shot? He gets picked in our top 5.
- Feaster has earned a reputation for thinking outside the box (Jankowski, Cervenka), and he may have an opportunity to pull another brazen move off. If Feaster could get permission from Edwards to set a large amount of money on fire, he could conceivably make a deal with the Islanders that brings in DiPietro and prospect Ryan Strome for say a 3rd rnd pick. Then he uses the compliance buy out and burns about $24m of Edwards money without affecting his cap space moving forward. If Feaster is really bold, he then gets Tampa to send him Lecavalier and the #3 overall pick for some future pick, and torches another $25M or thereabouts freeing Lecavalier up to re-sign with the Bolts and finish his career in Tampa. So, if you are Murray Edwards (a billionaire) would you agree to jump start the Flames rebuild at the cost of $50M or so if it brought in Strome and Barkov and didn't cost us anything significant in players, prospects or cap space, AND left alone our 3 first round picks? Damn straight I would.
- Just finished watching 'A Good Day to Die Hard' (which is what, Die Hard 5? 6?). It SATOD.
- If you haven't read it yet, Elliitte Friedman's column on Jagr and his workout regime is enlightening. For years pundits crapped on Jagr for his work ethic and coach killing. Now we find out that Jagr has been leading the work out fanatics by example, and among other things has midnight weight lifting sessions. His speed is only half what it used to be, but he's still impossible to contain on the half-wall. If he keeps it up, he could be the next Chelios. Also, he has the sweetest playoff beard ever (Mutton Chops!)
- Jonathon Toews won the Selke. Good. Guy is a freaking beast.
- Huberdeau, Saad, and Gallagher are the league's Calder nominees. Should have been Yakupov, Conacher and Brodin.
- PK Subban gets the Norris. Also Good. He gets a ton of crap from the media (I'm especially looking at you PJ Stock), and I think it's cool he gets to stick it to his critics.
- Another fantastic rumour going around is Buffalo looking to make massive changes to their team, and that they are considering the following deal;
---> Calgary: Myers-D, Vanek, a 2nd
---> Buffalo: Backlund-C, Cammalleri, the 22nd overall 1st rnd pick (StLouis)
I have to say, I like this deal, it brings in a better/younger but more expensive sniper in Vanek, a 23 year old 6'7" monster with increidble upside in Myers (albeit one that has declined every year since his rookie season for a very good 2 way center in Backlund (about to get a raise), and does so at the cost of about 15 spots in the draft. What I don't get is why Buffalo can't do better elsewhere.
The other rumour is that they offered up Miller, Myers, Grigerenko and 2nd rnd picks for the 1st overall - which I just don't see as being appealing to Colorado. They already have a big investment in Varlamov, and he's been pretty good for them. Myers would be an attractive piece, but without a high end pick coming back I can't see them being too tempted.
- If the Blackhawks win the cup (please!) I fully expect that Vince Vaughn's head will explode with joy and spray centre ice with brain matter.
- One player I am really looking forward to seeing get drafted is smurf Nic Petan. Possible he will be there when the Flames use the Pitt 1st.
- That's it, I'm out. Try not SATOD.
6/09/2013
Hawks finish off Reigning Champs in 2nd OT - Kings and Pens gone...Original Six Final starts Wed. June 12th - CHI v BST
First Original Six Final since Montreal-Boston in 1979
Hawks-Bruins never faced each other Finals in Stanley Cup History
2010 Champs vs 2011 Champs.
Should be fun...The Shadow predicts BST in 6.
6/06/2013
6/02/2013
5/30/2013
And then there were Four...
The West Final took 2 game 7s and an OT to determine...
The East Final took 5 games each to finish.
The result: the final 4 are the last 4 Stanley Cup champions.
PIT -2009 vs BST -2011
CHI -2010 vs LA -2012 and defending champs.
Enojy!
5/28/2013
Chi-Det Gm7 based on nice shot by Frolik; Kings-Sharks Gm 7 Tonight
While the East waits...Bst v Pit starts Saturday....Double Gm7 Pleasure Upcoming...
5/23/2013
5/21/2013
Det v Chi...Gm#3
Datsyuk's Roar
After Detroit scores two goals in 31sec...
Chicago is down 2-1 in the series facing a must-win in gm#4 for them (and me)...Meanwhile the Pens can't afford to blow leads whilst on the pp with 30sec left in reg and then lose in double OT
WTF?
5/16/2013
Bladrunners lose Eric Staal at Worlds; Barbarians lose Roman Cervenka to KHL
Canada losing in a shootout to Sweden was bad enough but the Edler hit on Eric Staal may have a more lasting impact.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/swedens-edler-injures-canadas-eric-staal-with-knee-on-knee-hit/
Calgary's latest "best player not in the NHL" is again, not in the NHL.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames-rfa-roman-cervenka-signs-with-khl-team-ska/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/swedens-edler-injures-canadas-eric-staal-with-knee-on-knee-hit/
Calgary's latest "best player not in the NHL" is again, not in the NHL.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames-rfa-roman-cervenka-signs-with-khl-team-ska/
5/11/2013
With a WTF? goal the Blues are Gone Again!!
Penner's last second buzzer beater to end the second period, ends the Blues...WTF?
Actually - unacceptable! LA moves on...
The Hands of Datsyuk...
Who can stop the Magic Man
But two goals by Z. gets Detroit to Game 7...
PS During the last 22 years during Detroit's "making the playoff streak" only eliminated at home 4 times: by 1993 Leafs; 1994 Sharks; 1999 Avs and 2009 Pens...
5/10/2013
5/03/2013
FUNHL News and Notes
1. Congrats to the Highlanders for their 4th Predator Cup victory! Well deserved.
2. The Gryba hit on Eller raises some interesting points; it was a clean hit (didn't leave his feet, didn't target the head, didn't throw the elbow), but Eller was destroyed by it, in part because his face bounced on the ice ala Kevin Stevens. Gryba (incorrectly as the puck had hit Eller's stick) received an interference penalty and was ejected (I suspect to prevent their from being a riot). So here's the thing, as the rules go, this was a clean hit, but I think everyone can agree that hits like this are not good for the game (or for Lars Eller). Is it time for a 'vulnerable player' rule? What happens the first time a guy like Alexei Kovalev deliberately puts himself into danger? Does the league need to take some of the hitting out of the game?
3. Martin St Louis winning the scoring title is just freakish. At an age where players tend to start thinking about what golf course they want to retire next to, St Louis just keeps rolling along.
4. Taylor Hall is officially FP caliber.
5. If you were replacing an FP next year, who would you take, Patrick Kane or Hall?
6. Colorado winning the lottery guarantees that Seth Jones will be an Avalanche. As long he exceeds the performance of another first overall defender on the team (Erik Johnson) he'll be just fine.
7. Florida is littered with pivots in various stages of development; Huberdeau, Bjugstad, Shore, Grimaldi, and Howden. They'll take Drouin, or if they take MacKinnon convert him to the wing.
8. Tampa Bay, barring a meltdown in Yzerman's cranium, will take MacKinnon to be the future 2nd line center behind Stamkos.
9. The Lightning will also have to look long and hard at buying out Lecavalier. His price tag of $10mil for the next three years (at a cap hit of $7.7M) is now far in excess of what his worth as a player is. The Lightning can't fully rebuild until big Vinny is cut loose.
10. I have to believe the Predators are drooling at the thought of landing Sasha Barkov with pick #4. Hope you like Predator prospects Doug!
11. Carolina is the wild card for the draft's top 5 teams. They have a screaming need for a defenseman, and could well take 6'5" Darnell Nurse, but it is also likely that the best player left on their draft board will be Valeri Nichushkin. The big Russian comes with some substantial risk, and Carolina might not be prepared to wait out his KHL contract (2 years). I bet the Hurricanes take the surer thing, or trade down.
12. Calgary and Edmonton fan boards (Flames Nation and Lowetide) have almost identical desires;
- Trade to get the #4 pick to select Barkov.
- Trade for an extra pick in the top 10
- Failing either of those options, pray to God that Barkov falls because of his shoulder surgery
- Once Barkov is off the board, take the remaining best pivot; Nichushkin/Lindholm/Monahan
13. Of the players in this draft, I really like; Barkov, Nichuskin and Lindholm - in that order. Doug and I have talked and we both think Nichushkin is the 'win the game card' that might drop to the Flames or Oilers. He also might be a bigger version of Nik Zherdev.
14. Personally, I think if Nichushkin is available at #6 Feaster will take him. Feaster has a record of preferring high-ceiling over sure-things, and Nichushkin's package of size (6'4" 195lbs), skill and offensive ability, will be impossible for him to ignore.
15. As far as FA available this off-season, the Flames should target Nathan Horton and Valterri Filppula. They would address both scoring and depth issues, and in Filppula the Flames would have a pivot who could win more than 50% of his face-offs and slide easily down the depth chart if/when the kids are ready to displace him.
16. Any draft list you see that has the Flames taking a goalie in the first round (with any of their 3 picks) is lying to you. One thing I believe Weisbrod and Feaster have instilled in their scouts is that the first round is for high-skill forwards, that defenders are for late in the 1st, and that goalies shouldn't be taken till after the 2nd. Also, the Flames have two very good prospects (Laurent Brossoit of the Oil Kings, and John Gillies in the NCAA), plus a trio of older Euro-tenders (Joni Ortio, Reto Berra, and Kari Ramo) already in the system. Goaltending is just not the team's highest priority.
17. If I'm the Vancouver GM I'd seriously look at moving Corey Schneider instead of Luongo. Schneider's return value would be substantially greater than Bobby Lou, and Bobby Lou is more than good enough to win you the cup.
18. I'm VERY curious to see how the cap contraction hammers those teams that are traditionally high spending. There may be some very interesting value trades available for teams willing to take on salary (i.e. Hey Yzerman, we'll take Lecavalier off your hands and your #4 overall pick, and we'll send you a 2nd rnd pick from next year for the privilege...deal?)
19. I'm on record that the Regehr trade to LA has killed their playoff chances. Without him they were awesome, but since he's arrived and taken a regular shift their possession numbers (and Regehr's in particular) have dropped. He's no longer a dominant physical or defensive presence - and all he cost them was two 2nd rnd picks!
20. I believe that Philly's first buyout will be Danny Briere, not Bryzgalov.
21. Aside from the five kids (Hall, Eberle, Yakupov, The Nuge, and J.Schultz), their team is a total goddamn mess. One amusing thing you can count on from Edmonton fan message boards is the proposed trade of Sam Gagner + something = #1 defenseman! It's getting kinda sad frankly.
22. Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart and Connor McDavid. In our next prospect draft these three guys will be the most likely underagers taken. Note: You have to burn 3 years to wait for McDavid, which means he just might not be the 1st overall in our draft.
23. Any time an announcer calls out Craig Anderson's name for a big save it should be done in the drawling voice of Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith; "Misssssterrr Anderrrrrssson". I'd watch a ton more Sens games if they do that.
24. Every other rumour I read has the Flames or Oilers sending a package to Philly for Couturier. Sorry, but I just don't see it happening. Big, strong two-way pivots are at a premium, and when they are in their early 20's on an entry level deal they are more valuable than gold. Philly isn't going to let him go.
25. One team that could be crunched hard by the cap contraction is Washington. I think that you could shake loose something quite good from them if you played your cards right (like, say, Mike Green).
26. PJ Stock and Glenn Healy are brutal. Stock because he insists everything in the game is an emotional reaction that is of the highest importance (i.e. Subban's antics are destroying the team chemisty - after Subban had 2 assists in a period), and Healy because his advice to Montreal 'you have to hit Erik Karlsson', was so lame I almost threw something at the tv - really Glenn? You think they should try to hit Karlsson? Has it crossed your mind yet that you have to catch him first? Just brutal. Thank god Elliotte Friedman is on the CBC panel.
27. A guy who may pop loose from San Jose in the off-season is Joe Thornton. He's on the downside, has a big ticket contract, and SJ can easily move Couture and Pavelski up the batting order to replace him.
28. Toronto is a team whose underlying possession stats are TERRIBLE. Expect a sweep.
29. On that note, Nazem Kadri's shooting % in the regular season is just not sustainable. I predict he is taken WAY too high in next year's draft.
30. If the Flames can get a pair of big scoring wingers like Anthony Mantha, Kerby Rychel and Adam Erne with their late 1st rnd picks (to go with Nichushkin) I will be ecstatic!
2. The Gryba hit on Eller raises some interesting points; it was a clean hit (didn't leave his feet, didn't target the head, didn't throw the elbow), but Eller was destroyed by it, in part because his face bounced on the ice ala Kevin Stevens. Gryba (incorrectly as the puck had hit Eller's stick) received an interference penalty and was ejected (I suspect to prevent their from being a riot). So here's the thing, as the rules go, this was a clean hit, but I think everyone can agree that hits like this are not good for the game (or for Lars Eller). Is it time for a 'vulnerable player' rule? What happens the first time a guy like Alexei Kovalev deliberately puts himself into danger? Does the league need to take some of the hitting out of the game?
3. Martin St Louis winning the scoring title is just freakish. At an age where players tend to start thinking about what golf course they want to retire next to, St Louis just keeps rolling along.
4. Taylor Hall is officially FP caliber.
5. If you were replacing an FP next year, who would you take, Patrick Kane or Hall?
6. Colorado winning the lottery guarantees that Seth Jones will be an Avalanche. As long he exceeds the performance of another first overall defender on the team (Erik Johnson) he'll be just fine.
7. Florida is littered with pivots in various stages of development; Huberdeau, Bjugstad, Shore, Grimaldi, and Howden. They'll take Drouin, or if they take MacKinnon convert him to the wing.
8. Tampa Bay, barring a meltdown in Yzerman's cranium, will take MacKinnon to be the future 2nd line center behind Stamkos.
9. The Lightning will also have to look long and hard at buying out Lecavalier. His price tag of $10mil for the next three years (at a cap hit of $7.7M) is now far in excess of what his worth as a player is. The Lightning can't fully rebuild until big Vinny is cut loose.
10. I have to believe the Predators are drooling at the thought of landing Sasha Barkov with pick #4. Hope you like Predator prospects Doug!
11. Carolina is the wild card for the draft's top 5 teams. They have a screaming need for a defenseman, and could well take 6'5" Darnell Nurse, but it is also likely that the best player left on their draft board will be Valeri Nichushkin. The big Russian comes with some substantial risk, and Carolina might not be prepared to wait out his KHL contract (2 years). I bet the Hurricanes take the surer thing, or trade down.
12. Calgary and Edmonton fan boards (Flames Nation and Lowetide) have almost identical desires;
- Trade to get the #4 pick to select Barkov.
- Trade for an extra pick in the top 10
- Failing either of those options, pray to God that Barkov falls because of his shoulder surgery
- Once Barkov is off the board, take the remaining best pivot; Nichushkin/Lindholm/Monahan
13. Of the players in this draft, I really like; Barkov, Nichuskin and Lindholm - in that order. Doug and I have talked and we both think Nichushkin is the 'win the game card' that might drop to the Flames or Oilers. He also might be a bigger version of Nik Zherdev.
14. Personally, I think if Nichushkin is available at #6 Feaster will take him. Feaster has a record of preferring high-ceiling over sure-things, and Nichushkin's package of size (6'4" 195lbs), skill and offensive ability, will be impossible for him to ignore.
15. As far as FA available this off-season, the Flames should target Nathan Horton and Valterri Filppula. They would address both scoring and depth issues, and in Filppula the Flames would have a pivot who could win more than 50% of his face-offs and slide easily down the depth chart if/when the kids are ready to displace him.
16. Any draft list you see that has the Flames taking a goalie in the first round (with any of their 3 picks) is lying to you. One thing I believe Weisbrod and Feaster have instilled in their scouts is that the first round is for high-skill forwards, that defenders are for late in the 1st, and that goalies shouldn't be taken till after the 2nd. Also, the Flames have two very good prospects (Laurent Brossoit of the Oil Kings, and John Gillies in the NCAA), plus a trio of older Euro-tenders (Joni Ortio, Reto Berra, and Kari Ramo) already in the system. Goaltending is just not the team's highest priority.
17. If I'm the Vancouver GM I'd seriously look at moving Corey Schneider instead of Luongo. Schneider's return value would be substantially greater than Bobby Lou, and Bobby Lou is more than good enough to win you the cup.
18. I'm VERY curious to see how the cap contraction hammers those teams that are traditionally high spending. There may be some very interesting value trades available for teams willing to take on salary (i.e. Hey Yzerman, we'll take Lecavalier off your hands and your #4 overall pick, and we'll send you a 2nd rnd pick from next year for the privilege...deal?)
19. I'm on record that the Regehr trade to LA has killed their playoff chances. Without him they were awesome, but since he's arrived and taken a regular shift their possession numbers (and Regehr's in particular) have dropped. He's no longer a dominant physical or defensive presence - and all he cost them was two 2nd rnd picks!
20. I believe that Philly's first buyout will be Danny Briere, not Bryzgalov.
21. Aside from the five kids (Hall, Eberle, Yakupov, The Nuge, and J.Schultz), their team is a total goddamn mess. One amusing thing you can count on from Edmonton fan message boards is the proposed trade of Sam Gagner + something = #1 defenseman! It's getting kinda sad frankly.
22. Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart and Connor McDavid. In our next prospect draft these three guys will be the most likely underagers taken. Note: You have to burn 3 years to wait for McDavid, which means he just might not be the 1st overall in our draft.
23. Any time an announcer calls out Craig Anderson's name for a big save it should be done in the drawling voice of Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith; "Misssssterrr Anderrrrrssson". I'd watch a ton more Sens games if they do that.
24. Every other rumour I read has the Flames or Oilers sending a package to Philly for Couturier. Sorry, but I just don't see it happening. Big, strong two-way pivots are at a premium, and when they are in their early 20's on an entry level deal they are more valuable than gold. Philly isn't going to let him go.
25. One team that could be crunched hard by the cap contraction is Washington. I think that you could shake loose something quite good from them if you played your cards right (like, say, Mike Green).
26. PJ Stock and Glenn Healy are brutal. Stock because he insists everything in the game is an emotional reaction that is of the highest importance (i.e. Subban's antics are destroying the team chemisty - after Subban had 2 assists in a period), and Healy because his advice to Montreal 'you have to hit Erik Karlsson', was so lame I almost threw something at the tv - really Glenn? You think they should try to hit Karlsson? Has it crossed your mind yet that you have to catch him first? Just brutal. Thank god Elliotte Friedman is on the CBC panel.
27. A guy who may pop loose from San Jose in the off-season is Joe Thornton. He's on the downside, has a big ticket contract, and SJ can easily move Couture and Pavelski up the batting order to replace him.
28. Toronto is a team whose underlying possession stats are TERRIBLE. Expect a sweep.
29. On that note, Nazem Kadri's shooting % in the regular season is just not sustainable. I predict he is taken WAY too high in next year's draft.
30. If the Flames can get a pair of big scoring wingers like Anthony Mantha, Kerby Rychel and Adam Erne with their late 1st rnd picks (to go with Nichushkin) I will be ecstatic!
4/30/2013
Shameless Highlander Victory Lap
Great race Brian! I won't lie, it feels fantastic to be in the 4-time club with Dan. Collin, I hope to disappoint you and push for 5 as soon as next season, if I can. That said, if it can't me me next year I would be happy to see you, Rob or any other GM who hasn't yet tasted the sweet Jagrmeister of victory to win their first.
The Omnivore win was completely unexpected, though most welcome, it didn't even seem possible until the last few days. I still think I could have taken Brian for the Challenge Cup (and hence my second Triple Crown) as well but for Subban's gooning it up :-) - really, has he every gotten 17 PIM in a game before??.
Last couple of times I prepared one of these pictorals in advance, in both 2009 and 2010, I ended up falling short to both Darrell and Brian so I held off until I knew I had it in hand this time. No sense angering the Hockey Gods. As a result, my morning at work was not as productive as it might have been. C'est la vie.
My plan at the draft was to have one of my FPs compete for the Art Ross, though I must admit that I did not expect that it would be St. Louis who accomplished the feat. Crosby's pre-injury play was amazing but missing a quarter of the season is, unfortunately, par for the course for Sid the Kid. Acquiring St. Louis at the ED proved a vital piece in the run, would like to think he has another one in him but I suspect that he will begin to drop off soon (unless you are interested in trading for him, in which case I have no doubt that his production will hold :-).
My D, coming out of the entry draft was much weaker than I am normally comfortable with and seeing Gardiner, among others, underperforming really hampered me but acquiring Makarov (after a slow start) proved an important piece and Yandle, in the last week in particular, went on a tear. Rinne was a wise investment in net as the "trade Luongo to promote Scnheider" gamble only paid off in the last few weeks once the Predators began to stumble. Matching on Hall proved to be another good call on my part as his 50pts made him the fourth highest contributor to Highlander pts (right behing the FPs and Rinne). My Shadowmen-inspired helicoptor team of Croby, H.Sedin and M.Koivu gave me one of the most potent centers - by design - and Eberle and Burrows game me two thirds of what I wanted on right. I had a surplus of talent on left but probably didn't maximize the trade value of Fleischmann or Marchand. I also did not get as much toughness as I might have hoped for. Still, the Omnivore Baseline gives a good indication of how one's team looks out of the Entry Draft and only Collin and Mike Getta had a higher baseline with only the Edge as significantly higher.
The trade deadline was so different from years past as there were only a few post-deadline weeks to be concerned about. Rob offered me a fantastic, "win the game card" deal but I was unwilling to part with both Barkov and my 1st without getting Schultz back in the deal. Rob, wisely, went and made his deal with Brian and then I watched Kessel go on fire for Brian and I began to quietly curse my arrogance. The last minute deadline deals I made with Cam, Dan and Bob did not cost nearly as much (though I suspect that Orlov, Kreider and Perron will come back to bite me down the road) and getting Mike Green, in particular, was a big part in addressing a long term deficiency in my blue-line corps. The other defensive pick-ups provided alternating production: Doughty got nothing in the last week but 5pts in the two weeks prior. Weber gave me 5pts but only in the last two weeks. Visnovsky gave me two goose eggs but a 4pt week in week 14. Pre-deadline deals to get Richards and Callahan really paid dividends once the Rangers woke up - but it sure was touch and go for a while there.
Anyhow, as always it is a blast being part of the pool - even when I don't have a good season. Thank you all for putting up with my self-serving trade offers, my delayed or erroneous stats and my long-pauses when it is my turn to draft (not to mention my flights of gratuitous self-indulgence, like this post).
My dad's 70th birthday was this past Sunday and I couldn't help but think how lucky I am to have a group of friends like all of you and to have had them for as long as this pool has been around. I know how rare it is to keep in touch with people given the distances involved, the many work and family commitments all conspiring to make maintaining those connections all the more difficult. I would like everyone to know how much I appreciate the effort we all make to stay in the pool and hope you find the connection as rewarding as I do. Enjoy the playoffs, and the NHL entry draft and I look forward to outdrafting, outtrading and outlucking you all again next season.
Doug McLachlan, GM of the Highlanders 4-time (and counting) Predator Cup Champions
Avs Win Draft Lottery and 1st Rnd Playoffs start tonight!
So the 1st time in 3 years Edmonton does not have the 1st pick or one in the top 5...Obviously they MUST be getting better...he he...\
So Colorado picks 1stoveral and Florida second...
We'll see how these teams mess up!
The playoffs start tonight with three games!! All in the West starting with CHI vs MIN and STL vs LA on CBC with ANA vs DET on TSN...
Enjoy!
4/29/2013
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