yave1964

@HockeyJunkie Good to see you back. spending all that money on the very one dimensional Skinner will set your boys back for literally years. The team could have filled three gaping holes every year for the next eight years with that money. Awful signing, i said it then, i will say it five years from now when you are still paying him. The drop off in talent from the top to the bottom is one of the highest and most steepest in the game. True superstars at the top, very little in the middle, lots of lower tier players, too many of them. They may need to move Risto out for a top six center to give Eichel some relief.

The wife and i were in Toronto a decade ago, the Senators were on their way down, Toronto was pretty bad, the two of them played the night before, (I think the Leafs won) it was the only thing on the news for the next day, i mean, THE ONLY THING. A meaningless game between two teams that everyone knew were going nowhere and it was inspected digested rejected infected selected on all three channels that we got at our hotel. I was stunned, i think that was the moment that i realized that Minny may be the State of Hockey, Motown may be Hockeytown but Canada is a different animal. If the Wings play a hard fought game against say, Nashville, that night it might lead in sports but by the next day it is pretty much forgotten. I remember the Emery/Gerber debate beingdiscussed Ad nauseum on television as if it were Trump versus Biden/ In short, in the USA Hockey is sport, in Canada it is life.

Hang in there lady. Agreed, not trying to derail the thread at all, shoulda posted it elsewhere. No logical way to do fnatasy hockey that makes sense. Kind of like real hockey as well truthfully.

Sloppy ugly hockey, i guess it is better than no hockey at all. I guess. Here is a question for all fantasy players, what do we do now? @ruxpin was winning in nahana, i was winning in all star, do we figure out a way to continue through the playoffs or do we just call it? @jammer2 @pilldoc @TropicalFruitGirl26 @hf101 @J0e Th0rnton @Mad Dog @radoran @Pipers and more, i dont know if anyone has any ideas, or if it matters even.

To me: 1) Blackhawks during original six era, they were the two Western teams and kind of by default as Boston/New York and Toronto/Montreal were already taken. 2) The Blues. MAN was that a fun rivalry for a lot of years, it seemed they were down at the same time and up at the same time as well, i HATED Pronger and loved it when Yzerman ripped a slapper past Fuhr in OT from just inside the blueline to finish them off in a playoff series. 3) The Norris AKA the Black and Blue division. It was a time when Calgary/Edmonton dominated and the Norris wasnt vey good so the North Stars, Leafs, Wings, Hawks and Blues would sign every knucle dragger who could barely stand on skates to entertain, yet guys like Yzerman, Federko, Modano and Roenick were brilliant to watch. 4) Love hating the Pens. I respect the Hell out of their talent, i enjoy watching them and secretly dont hate Crosby but love the rivalry. 5) to me however the rivalry, which is up there with the Nordiques/Habs and the Battle of Alberta has to be the Wings V Avalanche, i still hate Claude Lemieux, Roy, Keane, Ricci and so many more, i detest them more than almost any current players. It was two elite teams where no quarter was aksed, none given and from 96 thru 02 whoever got past the other one went on to win the cup 5 times in 7 years. Two hall of fame stacked teams that truly hated each others guts.

Thank you for the correction! Any way you look at it, he was rotten this year, lol.

Skipping ahead slightly, i will save the Wild/Flyers for near the end as whatever needs written about those two teams is pretty well covered by a ton of posters in here already. Therefor next on the list are the Preds. PRESEASON OUTLOOK Among the elite in the West for years, cracks have appeared in the foundation by way of slippage among the forwards and an aging goalie. The offseason saw the trade of Subban to free up the money to add duchene. Hopes were the talented trio Ekholm/Ellis/Josi would still perform admirably on the back end, Duchene along with a bounce back year from Forsberg would help keep them in the running for the cup. FINAL RECORD 35-26-8 5th in the Central,8th in the Western conference. If the playoffs had started they would have had a first round matchup against the St. louis Blues. HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR The end of the year saw the Predators peaking, Saros had taken over in net for Rinne as the full time starter, they had won six of nine (the only loss a game started by Rinne) with Saros finishing the season with back to back shutouts in a home and home against the Stars. They appeared all but certain to be a playoff team and although potentially a low seed certain to be n the conversation. LOW POINT OF THE YEAR They muddled their way through the first third of the year, from Halloween thru November 21st they lost 8 of 9 including six in a row culminating in Rinne getting smashed by Vancouver. They looked out of sync and slow. STRANGE STAT OF THE YEAR Arvidsson was brilliant at home with 11 goals but only a meager 4 on the road. Jared Tinordi had a very strange stat, 32 PIMs on the road, but only one minor penalty for the year at home. WHAT WENT RIGHT Roman Josi was brilliant, leading his team in total points with 65, nearly a point a game. Forsberg while not exactly killing it led the team in goals scored. Duchene was a mixed bag, not quite living up to the contract but not bad either, among the best faceoff men in the league with decent offensive numbers. Ryan Ellis was at nearly a point a game pace like his fellow blueliner Josi but he missed a chunk of time. Bonino was arguably the most underrated 3C in all of hockey. Jarnkrok was solid, Ekholm was near brilliant on the back end. Secondary scoring was a non issue, Grimaldi, Turris, Sissons, Watson, all played bottom six minutes and contributed admirably chipping in on the offense. Craig Smith overcame a glacially slow start to finish second on the team in goals scored. Saros took over as the starting goalie, outperforming Rinne giving up nearly half a goal less per game and cementing himself as the teams starter. WHAT WENT WRONG Rinne clearly has slipped, giving up a career worst goals against average and losing his starting job. Johansen was average on his best days, and awful on his worst, appearing indifferent much of the year. Arvidsson was ineffective, then hurt and then innefective again. In spite of leading all Predator forwards in ice time, Granlund managed only a paltry 17 goals and was 12th on the team in scoring. Yannick Weber and Hamhuis as a bottom pair were pretty bad, both look to be done. FREE AGENTS Steady as she goes Craig Smith is an UFA who they would like back, Markus Granlund will likely need a change of scenery to get his career going after going off the rails after coming over a few years ago from the Wild. Hamhuis almost certainly will retire, Weber likely wont be back. OFFSEASON QUESTIONS Pretty much the exact same ones as last year. The offense was short, forward scoring was pretty bad and a need for top six scoring is essential. They have one more year on the contract of Rinne, will they have him back or look to find a home for him to clear cap space to find offense? They appear to be in a bit of decline but still could be relevant if things break right.

PRESEASON OUTLOOK Pretty high. After barely missing the postseason the year before, Kessel came over for the underperforming Galchenyuk. Soderberg a solid middle six jack of all trades was also added to an anemic offense, hopes were high for a playoff appearance. FINAL RECORD 33-30-8 11TH in the West HIGH POINT OF THE SEASON on the night of December 16th the Coyotes made arguably the biggest trade of their existence, giving up draft picks and prospects for Taylor Hall. Two nights later in his first game as a 'Yote, late in the third in a game against the Sharks Hall stole a puck and set up OEL out front who scored to win the game, running the record to 20-12-4. They looked like not only a playoff team but a legit Western conference contender. LOW POINT OF THE SEASON Same date, December 16th. The trade for hall cost them three prospects and a first and third. After the electrifying win a few nights later, they won a few, lost a few more finally falling out of contention. The worst is Hall is an unrestricted free agent at years end and will likely walk or command a cap breaking deal to stay. STRANGE STAT OF THE YEAR Sticking with Hall, he scored goals in nine games for the Coyotes, they went 3-6 in those games. WHAT WENT RIGHT Nick Schmaltz justified his trade from the Hawks the year before by leading the team in scoring. Canor Garland led the team in goals. Soderberg was very solid. Goligoski and OEL provided a very solid one two punch from the back end. Dvorak bounced back nicely after missing most of the year before. Chychrum finally blossomed on the back end both defensively and on the power play. Lawson Crouse had a fine season in the middle six. The tandem in net, Raanta and Keumper battled injuries but both were near brilliant when healthy. WHAT WENT WRONG Kessel was pretty much a flop, he did lead the team in power play points but that was it. Keller was awful for long stretches although eh came on late. Stepan clearly lost a step and dropped all the way from the top line to the third. Veterans Grabner and Richardson are clearly in the twlight of mediocre careers. Christian Fischer didnt live up to the year before. Barrett Hayton was given every chance to take a top six center role and was clearly not ready. OFFSEASON QUESTION MARKS How long does GM Chayka have before he gets the axe? Every year they seem to end up the same, a few points out of a playoff spot with offense being the culprit. Now, what does Taylor Hall do? Resigning him severely limits the team, letting him walk after such high payment to get him will almost certainly start the grumbling. Can Kessel and Stepan bounce back? Without both of them doing so the offense will again be anemic. What the Hell happened to Keller? Will he bounce back? Can they role again with essentially two damn good starting goalies? It has worked for several years as both are brittle when one is hurt the other is usually healthy but how long until discontent from one of them settles in if both are healthy and one has to sit for long stretches? Honestly, they look like a team in transition, a new GM came aboard, brought them up to mediocrity and they seem to have peaked there.

PRESEASON OUTLOOK Pretty decent, still a viable core of Kane/Toews/Keith/seabrook/Crawford, new flair from gustafsson/Strome/Debrincat, then shoring the net up with Lehner, adding Maatta to the blueline and Nylander/Kubalik to the forwards. Hopes were high for a return to relevance. FINAL RECORD 32-30-8 12th in the West. HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR When the Hawks beat the 'Yotes on February first they had overcome a horrendous start to the year and climbed into the conversation with a record of 25-21-6 They had won 6 of their previous 7 with Lehner/Crawford pushing each other nicely. LOW POINT OF THE YEAR Two come to mind. First, their high hopes were dashed with a rotten start, losing 9 of their first 12. Most importantly, after spending most of the year climbing out of the hole dug by the early futility, after that overtime win on February first, they then lost their next five and nine of twelve to sink out of the conversation. STRANGE STAT OF THE YEAR Toews was used and abused in the dot like no other center in the game, he literally took as many faceoffs as the next three centers, Strome, Kampf and Carpenter combined the only such overused workhorse that i could find. I get wanting your top pivot to take as many draws as possible but his totals were off the charts. Debrincat had an off year but his scoring was vital, the Hawks went 12-2-2 when he tucked one in compared to 20-28-6 when he was held off the scoresheet. WHAT WENT RIGHT Kane was his usual hall of game caliber stud, Toews was one of the best two way forwards in the game. Kubalik came out of nowhere to score 30 goals. Saad provided nice secondary scoring with 21. Kirby Dach didnt embarrass himself playing 3rd line minutes as a kid. Boqvist was solid on the back end in his first year. Debrincat led the team with 10 PPG. Strome and Nylander werent great but werent bad either. Both Crawford and Lehner had their moments. Lehner and Gustafsson were moved out for extra picks at the deadline. WHAT WENT WRONG Defense was awful, Gustafsson had a careeryear the season before and was awful before being dealt at the deadlne. Seabrook is a contract hanging over their heads who can no longer play. Keith was meh. De Haan contributed zilch. For many, 18 goals is a good solid year, for Debrincat it was a huge dropoff. So that is the problem with this club they had a lot of guys like Debrincat, Lehner, Strome, Keith who werent exactly bad but not exactly good either. Too many passengers not enough drivers. Kane and Toews cannot do it all. FREE AGENTS Only Crawford matters as the Hawks are finally out from under his deal. OFFSEASON QUESTION MARKS Do you keep Coach Jeremy Colliton? The Hawks clearly underperformed. The Hawks desperately need speed and skill on the back end and Holtby is likely their top priority among free agents to fill up the net. a 2C who can play in all situations is important too. Kane is still a Hockey God but they need to surround him with more skill.

Gonna continue with the series, end of season reviews. There is still a very real possibility that the league will resume with a 24 team postseason, if so the Habs will be the last team in. I am going to continue with this series, if a lower rung team wins the cup (if there is one) i will do an adjustment. PRESEASON OUTLOOK kind of a mixed bag. The Habs missed the playoffs by a point the year before, the hopes were that with a better backup goalie (Niemi almost certainly cost Montreal a playoff spot the year before with dreadful play when called on in the second half) another year under the belt for Kotkaniemi and a few kid blueliners that they would and should compete for a bottom rung playoff spot. FINAL RECORD 31-31-8 5th place in the Division which doesnt sound bad unless you take time to realize the Atlantic Division had 4 of the worst 8 teams in the game. Easily the most bottom heavy division in the game. HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR When Montreal defeated the Flames 4-3 on December 18th they had won five of their previous six including games against very good Flames/canucks/Penguins teams. They sat at 17-12-8 and looked as if they were going to be in competition for a playoff spot. LOW POINT OF THE YEAR Then they went out and lost eight in a row, including losses to the Dreadful Wings, they fell a couple of games under .500 and from then on they stayed a few games above or below .500 from that point on, never a serious competitor and never a really bad team. STRANGE STAT OF THE YEAR They were the first team in the past three years to finish under .500 at home and over .500 on the road. They played a lot of tight games as testified to by their 21 games that went to overtime, second most in the league behind Columbus. WHAT WENT RIGHT Danault has turned into a hell of a player, great faceoff guy plays in all situations and had 47 points. At plus 18 on a mediocre team playing big minutes he is a very underrated two way player. Tatar who was partial payment for Pacioretty had a career year leading the team in most all offensive categories. Domi started slow but came on strong. Gallagher missed 13 games but led the team in goals. Nick Suzuki, also pmt for Pacioretty is the real deal, playing 2C minutes and leading the team in power play scoring. Petry and Weber continued to be a dynamic one/two punch on the back end. Chiarot was a solid contributor on the back end as well. Lehkonen, Armia and Cousins were all solid providing secondary scoring. Carey Price was unspectacular but still very solid. WHAT WENT WRONG Former New Jersey netminder Kincaid was brought in to shore up the backup goalie position and bombed miserably. Drouin was awful then hurt and then awful again. Paul Byron clearly either lost a step or was playing most of the year with a leg injury. Kotkaniemi was dreadful and then sent to the AHL. FREE AGENTS None of note. Next year is their big year as Gallagher, Tatar, Petry and Danault all are UFAs after the 20-21 season and all are critical if the team is going to succeed. OFFSEASON QUESTION MARKS Starts with the 20-21 free agent class of Danault, Gallagher, Tatar and Petry. The cupboards are not bare but they are certainly low, they can ill afford to lose any of them let alone all of them if they are going to remain in the mix. Price and Weber are aging, the Habs may gear up for one run next year and then blow it up if it doesnt work out. Time is not running out on Kotkaniemi but the clock is certainly ticking. A middling team with a chance to move up because of brilliant goaltending or to slip down as they age. I dont like their future, i dont like it at all but i think 20-21 might be slightly better before they fall apart.

To me: A player has a right to be an ass. Period. The team has the right, if said player crosses a line, terminating said contract and telling him they no longer want his services. See Avery, Kordic, Mike Richards, and many, many more who are bought out and sent on their way. Look, the contract is still being honored, he is getting paid for the remainder of this year (if there is one) but the Capitals have decided that his idiocy is enough to where they no longer want him back. Another team might, Mike Ribiero is about as bad a human as ever played the game according to many sources, but he kept getting invited back by one team after another because he could flat out play. The moment he lost a step and a mile an hour off his previously crisp passes the offers dried up. Leipsic is a 4th liner who went 34 games this year without a goal would have likely had a difficult time getting a contract anyway, now if lets say, the Jackets are looking to add bottom six forwards to compete for a job and it comes down to Leipsic or a similar player who doesnt have his baggage for the same contract, who would you expect them to sign? I guess if there is a rub that is it. Two standards DO exist in sports, star players have one set of rules, borderline NHLers another, but the borderline players know this and have to live by them. Wuld i have wanted Leipsic previous to this? Probably not, 5 teams by the age of 25 already puts a cloud over his head, this is probably the tipping point and should be. If he wants a career going forward it will probably be in Europe and i am totally fine with that.

PRESEASON OUTLOOK The year before the Sabres started hotter than anyone then finished colder than anyone missing the playoffs by a mile. Skinner was resigned, the hope was that another year of more or less the same crew growing up together would be enough to get them into the playoff hunt. FINAL RECORD 30-31-8 6th in Division. Here is the deal. The league is rumored to be considering a 24 team playoff for this summer, the Sabres being the Sabres faded badly down the stretch, if they do indeed have 24 of the 31 teams make the playoffs as rumored, the Sabres will be just on the outside looking in. HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR They started hot as Hell again, winning October 25th 3-0 against the Wings to tun their record to 9-2-1 The offense led by Eichel was clicking, the tendem in net of Ullmark and Hutton already had 3 shutouts in the first 12 games. People were buying in. LOW POINT OF THE YEAR From then on, they turned back into the 2018-19 Sabres again. They lost 9 of their next 10 and spent the season with their wheels stuck in the mud for the rest of the year. They did manage to climb to 29-25 -8 in late February which would have gotten them to the playoffs under the proposed system but being the Sabres they then lost their next six games to fall behind Montreal and slip out of contention. STRANGE STAT OF THE YEAR Only five teams won more games at home than the Sabres but only two teams won less than the Sabres on the road. This happens sometimes with young teams as they learn to win. This was best represented by Eichel who had 49 points at home but a very average 29 on the road. Reinhart had 14 goals at home and only 8 away. WHAT WENT RIGHT Eichel had 78 points in 68 games becoming a beast, Reinhart proved to be a top six winger. Rookie Olofsson had 20 goals, long stretched of scoring by long stretches of being a non factor but lots of promise. Ristolainen had a fantastic bounce back year. Dahlin had a great year and looks like he is going to dominate for years. Montour was a solid contributor on the back end, Ullmark was pretty damn good in net. WHAT WENT WRONG Start with Skinner who was wretched following a 40 goal season and a long term extention with the worst year of his career. Middle six wingers were a gaping hole as well, Vesey, Sheary, Larsson and Okposo were dreadful most of the year. Mittlestadt has bust written all over him. Frolik and Simmonds came aboard to shore up the middle six and were bad. Asplund is a bust. Hutton is at best a 20 game a year backup goalie disguised as a time share quasi starter and being overused was overexposed. The defense was very top heavy, the bottom six produced very little in the way of offense. FREE AGENTS Simmonds, Girgensons, Vesey, Sobotka, Wilson, and Frolik are all UFA and none are expected back, none will be missed much. OFFSEASON QUESTIONS Can they find a 2C to slot in behind Eichel to take the pressure off? Cozins should make the team this year and will be given every opportunity. Can Mittlestadt turn it around? Is Ullmark for real? Can they find any real middle six wingers? with the established Dahlin do you trade Risto to fill holes elsewhere? This team is very top heavy, Eichel, Dahlin, Risto, Reinhart, Olofsson all can play, but beyond them there is almost literally nothing. Skinner has to be better (he cannot possibly be worse) and true skill players have to be found to go with the short list of ones they already have.

He also made fun of the legs on McDavid's girlfriend. The guy is a complete tool.

Brendan Leipsic may be the happiest guy in the game that there is no Hockey right now. He had a series of messages from Instagram come out a few days ago, i am not gonna get into the ones ripping women one way and another, they are out there to be read if you are so inclined, Enough to say that the Capitals once it came to light had no choice but to cut him on the spot. He also called linemates Nick Down and Garnet Hathaway losers. And ripped on former teammate Jake Virtanen. Coke was mentioned. Leipsic of course apologised, saying his friends instagram was hacked, blah, blah blah. Sabre AHL non prospect Jake Rodewalk was also in the thread. And this with Tanner Pearsons wife. What a tool. Leipsic has went through five teams in a short career not even counting the Predators who drafted hima nd traded him. All by 25 years old. Last year he managed 3 goals in 61 games including a stretch where he had a 34 game goalless draught. Odds are he will have to go to Europe when/if Hockey resumes.

DEVILS PRESEASON OUTLOOK They overachieved two years ago, then underachieved in 2018-19, they added Subban in a big trade, signed Simmonds, added Gusev from the Knights and added the first pick in the draft in Jack Hughes,. With Taylor Hall healthy hopes were the Devils could contend for a playoff spot in a rugged division. FINAL RECORD 28-29-12 68 points last in the Metro HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR The offseason was the high point, adding Subban, Hughes, Gusev and Simmonds. Nothing after that really compared. LOW POINT OF THE YEAR So, the team added a bunch of solid pieces and then.... it all went to hell very fast. They lost their first six and nine of their first eleven. They righted it a bit but then from November 30th thru December 13th they lost seven in a row to slip to 9-17-5. A preseason of promise turned into a nightmare. STRANGE STAT OF THE YEAR Taylor Hall scored six goals for the Devils in those games the team lost five times. Palmieri, the teams leading scorer was oh for seven in the shootout. WHAT WENT RIGHT Palmieri led the team in goals and in total points having a fine season. Gusev was disinterested in playing defense but proved a capable setup man leading the team in assists. Hall, Simmonds, Greene and Coleman were all moved out as they added picks for a rebuild. Hischier showed some promise finally. Bratt contributed 16 goals, Zacha showed promise of finally establishing himself. Severson was fine on the back end, Vatanen when healthy looked good. MacKenzie Blackwood had some growing pains but earned the confidence of his team and the beleif is he is the teams number one going forward. WHAT WENT WRONG Hall was very ordinary prompting his trade. Subban had a dreadful year. Hughes had an awful rookie year. Cory Schneider continues too sink lower even spending time at the AHL level. Mcleod was recalled and looked completely overwhelmed at the NHL level. simmonds is done and was put out of the teams hair at the deadline. Too many vets didnt earn their pay. FREE AGENTS None. a few AHL bodies that is about it.Palmieri and Gusev will noth need paid as they are free agents at the end of the coming year. They traded all potential free agents before the deadline and go into this draft with 3 first rounders. OFFSEASON QUESTIONS They went for it in a big way before this season with Subban, Simmonds, Hughes and Gusev and it ended badly, The question is, do they try again this year or do they go with a full on youth movement? Is Blackwood the answer in net? Can subban rebound?