TropicalFruitGirl26

The Adventures of Wideman (too soon?? )

"...Boston Strong for LIFE! Yeaaahhhhhhhhhh...... oh wait...."

The NHL according to hockey dumbasses.......

Money-wise, I think its a wash...Subban with the higher AAV but Weber with the longer term. Performance and health-wise, Weber, at 30 (and given his sometimes very rugged style), may begin to wear out sooner than Subban (27) who CAN play a rugged style, but mostly plays an agitation / finesse type game. Weber is, IMO, the overall better defender with pretty good offensive skills, but Subban represents moxy, attitude, and he too possesses some good offensive skills, and his defensive awareness, while not top tier, has certainly improved the last couple seasons. The Preds, I believe have more than enough depth on their blue line and a balanced enough forwards unit to absorb the loss of Weber (and bringing in Subban alleviates his loss as well), but I am not sure if Montreal has enough overall depth for the loss of Subban. Surely, as I already said, the Habs got themelves a better overall defender who is good on offense...but will Weber continue to flourish in MTL even with the diminished balance of offense (and indeed, sometimes LACK of it)? I think Subban fits in seamlessly with the Preds, while Weber may need to make many more adjustments with the Canadiens. Things can certainly work out well for both teams, but for the here and now, I am going to say the Preds made out a bit better than the Habs did. Of course, for Montreal, if this is just one move in a series of moves to revamp and revitalize the team, then things could very well turn more in the Habs favor. Good job Smashville though!

@hf101 just mentioned in the shoutbox, Eric Staal to the Rangers for a pair of 2nd rounders. Nice pickup for the Rangers. They still feel they have what it takes to unseat the Caps as favorites in the East.

Interesting off season coming up for Florida. Obviously, some of those will depend on this season's playoff run (assuming they maintain their position and get in), but looking over their roster and corresponding salary, I see where the 'greybeards' of this team, Jagr and Thornton, are both UFA's at season's end. Given both those players' ages, it would seem like a no-brainer to let them walk and sign some younger players....however, those two are no ordinary grizzled, past-their-primes veterans. Jagr, no secret, has still been productive and many of the younger forwards on the team credit him for helping their game along. Thornton lends an air of legitimacy to the entire team by providing a serious and championship presence on a team otherwise populated by young unproven talent. One thing VERY much in Florida's favor is the current salary structure. They don't have a glut of 'bad contracts' they have to constantly maneuver around. The only two that really stand out are Brian Campbell (36 yr old D-man with a $7.1M hit...yikes!) and Dave Boland, 29, who somehow managed to garner a $5.5M hit salary, despite him being a mostly pedestrian type player. Campbell's contract is coming off the books, and unless he takes a big discount, he likely won't be returning....so that leaves Bolland as Florida's only real nettlesome contract. Luongo has a $4.5M cap hit, but he obviously has proven he can still play and really, as a young team on the rise, you don't wanna go frugal on the goaltending. That brings us back to Thornton and Jagr. Do these two return for yet another season? At what rate? Jagr is 3.5, while Thornton is 1.2. To keep in mind, Gudbranson ($2.5M), Pirri ($925K), and Trocheck ($660K), all fine players, will be RFA's and will require nice raises.

I like Eichel over the others BECAUSE he plays on the worst team and his production is right there with everyone else's save for Panarin who has opened up a distinct advantage since this thread was started. Keep in mind, I am taking Eichel as MY pick....not necessarily that he will win. The easy boring answer to that would be Panarin the way things are shaking out. But if all things on top of production are taken into account, the fact that Eichel plays on one of the more inept offenses in the league, yet is still finding ways to produce is pretty impressive. Domi is on a team without high expectations as well, so an argument could be made for him as well (though having fellow rookie Duclair to share the pressure sure helps), meanwhile Larkin is on a team that should be playoff bound. NO WAY are the Wings as bad as the Sabres. Finally, I also like the fact that Eichel has the MOST pressure of the leading rookies to make his team better. Like I said, Domi has Duclair to share the load, Larkin has a pretty solid Wings club with established vets to help him out, and Panarin has a plethora of championship caliber players surrounding him. None of those players have the spotlight and/or microscope on them as much as Eichel does, and despite that, he produces, is a key component over the others in the possession department (I.E. faceoffs) and he seems to have a veteran type savvy about him where he seems to pick the pockets of opposing players with relative ease when compared to the other players, as evidenced by his having the highest amount of takeaways as compared to the other rooks. I am just overall more impressed with his work, given his team, over the others.

Connor McDavid. Back with a bang (granted it WAS against the Blue Jackets, but still....) and putting the other rooks on notice: "It doesn't matter how many games I missed, I am going to be there for consideration for that damned Calder!" Ok, ok...so McDavid has a lot of work to do (as does his team), and no one can really expect him to do what he did against the Jackets on a nightly basis. But this is still Connor Freakin McDavid. Maybe he CAN do what he did on Tuesday regularly. I mean, he walks on water after all, right? I thought I read on here somewhere that he can walk on water, turn rocks to fish, and water to wine.....I could be wrong... Anyways, this guy isn't going away quietly in the Calder race. I will stick with my pick Jack Eichel, but still.....Eichel, Larkin, Panarin, McDavid, Domi, Duclair? This Calder race will be fun to watch to say the least.

I hear ya, @ BluPuk , but the bottom line is, by NHL standards, he is still a "rookie" and will be treated as such for the purposes of contracts, awards, etc. Even if you or I would consider him not to be so (he certainly is a young, but VERY veteran player having played all those seasons in the K while still being only about 24 or 25), the fact remains this is his first year in the NHL, a rook, and thus, eligible for the Calder. As you know, the NHL themselves have to acknowledge his previous seasons in the KHL and perhaps give him status past being a rookie...though they won't. Yet another reason I like Eichel for the Calder better!

One other award that I would like to buck the trend on is the Norris. Now, I honestly gave up on the 'proper' player winning this award long ago as it seems it usually goes to the highest point producing defenseman (and this year it's Erik Karlsson), but I'd like to make a case for Brent Burns. I never was a Burns fan since way back when he played for the Minnesota Wild. In fact, I was happy the Wild traded him and got Charlie Coyle, Devin Setoguchi, and a 1st round pick (Zack Phillips). I always thought Burns was a liability on defense and while his offense was good, it still didn't make up for the chances and goals against. Plus, with Coyle, Setoguchi and a 1st rounder, the Wild HAD to come out on top here, right? Well, not so fast. Burns proved many (myself included) wrong and has gotten progressively better in San Jose both as an all around defenseman while still maintaining and IMPROVING his offensive play....with a tad of mean streak thrown in too. Setoguchi, meanwhile, did very little for the Wild, Zack Phillips has yet to be a factor with the big club, and while Charlie Coyle is rounding into a nice top six forward, Brent Burns is by far, outpacing him in overall development. But this post is about the Norris, not who won a trade some 6 years ago, right? Right. Thus, my pick for Brent Burns over Erik Karlsson for the Norris. Burns is right there with Karlsson in the production department, but I believe, plays an overall better brand of defense, complete with all the physical aspects of it, that gives TRUE meaning to "Norris Candidate". Not taking anything away from Erik Karlsson, but Burns, right now, just seems like the complete package of offense, defense, hitter, coverage guy, game changer, and a guy a team can ride all the way to the post season. Is this a fluke year for Burns? Maybe. But I think not. Like I said...I think he has been building up to this fine year for several seasons now and this is simply who he is as an NHL player. And while I love Charlie Coyle on the Wild, I'd have to say, the Sharks ended up with the better end of the deal here after all. Brent.........making the Norris hardware a trophy for overall best defensemen once again!

Well guys, starting tomorrow we are entering the last leg run to the post season, and I thought it would be BUMP time for this thread as some players have really separated themselves in the races for the various hardware awards....and some races are still close. I will start with the last post in this thread, about the Calder. Occams rightly had Panarin, Domi, and Larkin (and those are still viable of course), but you simply can't leave Jack Eichel out of the equation, and he is MY pick for the Calder. Ya, it'll be tough sledding for Eichel due to him being 12 points behind point leading Panarin, but there are more than enough games left in the season for Eichel to make a push. Main stumbling block for Jack though, would be who he plays with. Let's face it, if Panarin is playing with Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews, then that right there is a huge advantage over ANYONE on the current Sabres who is playing on the same line with Eichel! Just no getting around that. That said, Eichel is producing and carrying the load on a team that is still quite behind the curve of being a contender. Not a ton of defense and goaltending to speak of, yet Eichel continues to be the one player that can be relied on if the team needs some offense. Panarin is the favorite, but I will channel my inner HJ and say, Jack Eichel pulls a rabbit out of his Sabre hat and steals away the Calder when all is said n done!

@J0e Th0rnton You mentioned San Jose having an "overflow" of forwards....who in your opinion on that team would be considered expendable, yet having good value to other teams? Talk this morning on local airwaves was about the Minnesota Wild trying to find a goal scorer to shake up the lineup coming out of the All Star Break. No specific teams were mentioned, but back when the Wild were inquiring about Jonathan Drouin, it is believed Minnesota would be willing to part with young 22 yr old Jonas Brodin in order to get another scorer. Not sure if that is the case anymore (Wild willing to part with Brodin...or even Dumba, whom the Lightning reportedly asked for in a trade for Drouin), but was wondering if Minnesota would consider talking with San Jose about a trade for a young D-man they have to acquire a forward of significance from the Sharks.

It's not a 'stat' per se, but the fact that the Dallas Stars had been on top of the entire West for so long while having little in the way of defense, and certainly not much goaltending to speak of is a shocker. No doubt the Stars have a very talented OFFENSIVE bunch, but defense and goaltending rule this league and the Stars had gotten by without having much of either this season...oh, but they have been slumping lately, and now perhaps that lack of 'D' is coming home to roost? We will see.... Oh, and @flyercanuck , that's because just when you men think you have all the answers, we women change the questions.... and THEN we ask you to re-arrange the furniture for the 3rd time in 6 months...

@yave1964 Probably more minor transactions taking place. Some teams have already pulled triggers on a few noteworthy trades. Unless the likes of a Stamkos (sign n trade) or Drouin from Tampa Bay, or some deal that may move a big name out of Vancouver for instance take place, there probably won't be much hoopla surrounding this trade deadline. Parity is greater than it has ever been, teams can make runs now, and outside of maybe a team like the Capitals, there really doesn't seem to be any one dominant team in the standings. Thing is, even if some minor stuff went on, THOSE could be the deals that can make or break a team's playoff run. You know, those little known or underrated names that come up huge during a playoff push or during a playoff series.

Good list. Not so sure I agree with Toronto and St. Louis on there though. Leafs ARE bad, but really, I would not recommend watching garbage hockey (the kind they seem to play more often than not) to anyone who wants to enjoy the game. I get the whole "they are so bad, they are fun to watch" type schtick, but frankly, I could think of other teams who are bad, but more fun to watch due to the talent and potential to turn things around...such as Buffalo and the Colorado Avalanche. Blues? Bunch of big bodied, slow moving lane cloggers. Outside of a few players, this team just plods along for the most part. And if they find themselves against a really fast skating team, they look almost out of place on an NHL ice sheet. Yes, they win, but they do so IN SPITE of the plodding ways...guys like Tarasenko don't fit that description, but most of the rest of the team DOES....hence why they find ways to lose in the post season.... So yea, I'd take out Toronto and St. Louis and put in Buffalo (or even Florida) and Colorado in their place.

My Path to Enlightened Hockey - James Neal

**hiccup....**** "...so yea....like, this one time, at band camp...."

Don't move....it will only hurt worse if you do.......

Ahhh, the good ol "Can You Play For the Maple Leafs and Handle the Media" Test

Yes, he dreamed of playing for his country at the Olympic Games....perhaps, a bit TOO much......

And yet ANOTHER evolution pic.......