yave1964

I dont watch the WNBA for the exact same reason, it is an inferior product, full stop. If you take the best team from the new womens hockey league and put them on the ice against a random ECHL club, say the Indianapolis Fuel or Tulsa Oilers, a far and away inferior mens league that serves as nothing more or less than the minor leagues for the real minor leaguers for when an AHL team needs a body or two because of callups, play the Ice or Oilers or Idaho Steelheads, put them against the best womens team in a seven game 'Summit Series' it would be a cakewalk, the ECHL team would win hands down in a route. I watch the occasional ECHL game in Toledo because of 1) location and 2) pricepoint on top of having met TJ Hensick a time or three and i love to root for someone who I have met because even at 58, i am still a damn fanboy. That said, after watching ECHL hockey it is not close to the real deal, it is slow, ugly, choppy, resembling the game but not quite the finished product. And for all of that, it is still a much better product than anything the women league could ever hope to put out there. I am a progressive thinking person but facts are facts, inferior product is absolutely not worth my time.

PREVIOUS SEASON 40-31-11 91 Points, missed playoffs by one point with a fatal disastrous loss in the seasons final game to the Blackhawks. minus 2 goal differential ADDITIONS Well start with Karlsson who brings 100 points on the blueline to a team in need of offense. Ryan Graves is as underrated a defensive blueliner as the game has. Reilly Smith joins the middle six. Noel Acciari and Lars Eller help solidify what was a very weak 4th line. Andreas Johnsson will be given a chance to replace Zucker. Nedjelkovic is the new backup goalie. Lots of additional depth pieces like Nieto and Pitlick join the club. DEPARTURES Petry is gone to Detroit via Montreal. Dumoulin and Rutta are also gone from the back end. Granlund was moved out to bring in Karlsson. Zucker is now in Arizona. DeSmith is a Hab. Heinen, Bonino and Kulikov all looked old and slow and all are gone. KIDS IN THE SYSTEM Sam Poulin is about it, a winger with 3rd line skill at best who may make the team unless they find a way to sign Tatar. Pittsburgh cupboard is bare. There is nothing in the system even close to playing in the NHL. SO ALL THESE MOVES ARE THEY CUP CONTENDERS AGAIN? AFTER ALL, THEY MISSED THE PLAYOFFS BY ONLY ONE POINT Man i want to say yes, i really do. I believe they are better than last year but the problem is several other clubs are as well. This oer the hill gang has about a three year window if everything breaks right, Letang, Crosby and Malkin are all in their own ways showing signs of age, Karlsson is right in the same group. They are better, but so are several other clubs. I think they will fight to the last week of the season against Boston and Buffalo for the final playoff spot and fall just short with Boston having just enough to send Pittsburgh home without a playoff spot for the second straight year. It is now a young mans game built around speed and youth, Pittsburgh is the opposite and IMHO the Karlsson trade and resigning Jarry to a five year extention will prove to be mistakes. Painfully close but just short. Again.

PREVIOUS SEASON 23-47-12 58 Points, worst record in Hockey. minus 129 goal differential, worst in the game. By far. ADDITIONS Drafted Leo Karlsson with the second pick in the draft. Signed Killorn away from the Bolts. Brought some snarl to the back end with Gudas and Hagg. Drysdale missed the season will return this season. Rugged Lybushkin came aboard in a trade from Buffalo. SUBTRACTIONS Shattenkirk, Comtois and Stolarz are all vets who were given a copy of the home game and shown the door. KIDS IN THE SYSTEM Dostal is a real deal goalie prospect stuck behind Gibson. Helleson will crack the blueline this year along with Mintyukov and Lacombe. All are skilled and along with Drysdale give the Ducks tremendous hope for the future of the back end. Leo Carlsson brings elite skill to combine with McTavish and Zegras giving them an insane amount of skill down the middle. Olen Zellweger is yet another fantastic defense prospect who will likely play in the AHL while Benoit Olivier Grouix is a solid B level prospect at center who was second in the AHL in scoring last year and is beating on the door for a roster spot. SO ARE THEY GOING TO FINISH DED LAST AGAIN THIS YEAR? No, not even last in their own division. They are talented and deep and raw, not ready to contend but their is light at the end of the tunnel. When i look at a team, i look at their top five, three frowards and two blueliners and kind of see where i see the team in relation to others. Ducks top five are Terry...Zegras....McTavish....Fowler...Drysdale. That is a bottom third top five with upside. The top five rank about 20th, 21st among all teams but could massively move up in a year or so. HOWEVER After that you have Carlsson...Zellweger....Killorn...Mintyukov...Helleson Lots of teams have a better top five. Lots and lots. Very few have a better second five. And this team is young hungry and full of incredible upside. I believe they will be raw and ugly and finish sixth this year, Carlsson may spend the year in the A, but 2024-25 is when they make their move. I see them where the Kings were two years ago, drafted well, took their lumps and ready to start bearing fruit. Lots to like with this team going forward. 6th place realistic.

no interest at all. None.

With his draft history your boys are probably better off without the draft picks lol. Nobody needs remind you of Zboril, DeBrusk and Senyshin instead of Barzal, Chabot and Kyle Connor. You cannot even call it hindsight, Bruins fans were screaming bloody murder at the draft.

Movement in the transaction column has begun again, teams are offering PTOs to players and signing ECHL and AHL vets to fill out minor league rosters. With that said, a surprising number of NHL regulars are still without a job including... Patrick Kane. Coming off surgery Kane wants to heal and is eyeballing picking his own team around mid year. Ethan Bear in the same boat, likely returning around the all star break and a team in need of depth defenseman could do worse. Josh Bailey, Tomas Tatar Paul Stastny all can contribute none signed. Eric Staal, Phil Kessel, Zach Parise, Wayne Simmonds all likely to retire, none have announced but the phone ain't ringing. Same for Brian Elliott and Alex Elder Dadonov and Holden. Someone really should give a league minimum contract to Adam Erne, Danton Heinen, Tyler Motte and Max Comtois all of whom can contribute still. Guys like Demers, Del Zotto, Brassard and Stephan are almost certainly done as well. So maybe six to eight players who should have jobs waited too long, another fifteen to twenty are waiting for calls that they know in their hearts likely will never come.

PREVIOUS SEASON 65-12-5 135 Points, breaking the record for best single season regular season points in a season. Then lost in seven games to the Panthers. ADDITIONS JVR came over from the Flyers. Lucic makes a return for the 4th line. Shattenkirk joins as a puck mover. Morgan Geekie joins the 4th line from Seattle. SUBTRACTIONS Bergeron and Krejci retired. Taylor Hall was traded to the Hawks. Clifton left to ply his trade in Buffalo. Orlov left for Carolina, Bertuzzi left for Toronto. Hathaway moved on to the Flyers. Foligno left also for Chicago. Mike Reilly left for Florida. In all, 9 of their 18 starting skaters have left for elsewhere. KIDS AND ROOKIES Here is a problem to be sure, the Bruins have little in the pipeline and even less that is anywhere near NHL ready. Fabian Lysell may stick on the wing replacing Taylor Hall, dynamic prospect. Jakub Lauko may be a 4th line center if the breaks come his way but is a dime a dozen player. Nobody else will stick this year. SO AFTER AN EMBARRASING FIRST ROUND DEFEAT IN A SERIES IN WHICH THEY LED 3 GAMES TO 1 AND HAD GAME 5 ON mARCHANDS STICK ON A BREAKAWAY BEFORE CHOKING AWAY THE SERIES TO THE pANTHERS, WHERE ARE THEY NOW? My opinion is they have slipped below Toronto, Tampa, Florida, Ottawa and are right there with Detroit and Buffalo. I think they will (barely) take the 8 seed in the East as the fifth team in the Division in, a point or two above Pittsburgh. Once proud franchise on their way towards a serious decline.

LAST SEASON 47-22-13 107 points 3rd in Division. Lost heartbreaking series to the Devils in first round costing Coach Gallant his job. PLUS 58 GOAL differential, 4th least goals against in Hockey. ADDITIONS New coach Peter Laviolette continues his assault on his attempt to coach every team in this Division. Blake Wheeler brings skill and experience to the third line. Bonino is an underrated 4th line pivot and penalty killer. Gustafsson can score 50 points if the Rangers can hide his defensive deficiencies on the back end. Quick is the new flavor of the day as the backup goalie. DEPARTURES Gallant is a favorite of mine but in spite of 107 points never seemed to be a great fit. Halak is done. Deadline adds Kane, Taresenko and Motte were not welcomed back. PROSPECTS I like Will Cuylle as a forward prospect but he is stuck behind a logjam and will have to hope for injuries to get a shot. Zac Jones seemed a shoe in to bring his offensive game to the back end in Broadway before the signing of Gustafsson, he will still make a push. Brennan Othmann is a 3rd line heat seeking missile waiting to happen but needs to earn a job. All three are impressive prospects with no clear path to an NHL job on a team that prefers veteran players. All may find a home- or be part of a package at the deadline for more veterans. SO ARE THEY CONTENDERS? They have the best goaltender in Hockey. The veteran players are hungry and wanting to win. They are deep and talented everywhere. They win the Divison. Caroline will take a step back, Jersey is the future but what goes up usually finds its level the next year and i am still not sold on their goaltending. Rangers win the Division, beat Toronto to advance to the Stanley Cup finals in the ECF. In the same way that Tampa was embarrassed by a 4 game sweep to Columbus and learned from it to win back to back cups and make three straight finals, the Rangers are ouching from losing to the Devils and 23-24 will be their revenge tour.

FINAL RECORD 38-37-7 83 POINTS, 11th in conference, 12 points out of a playoff spot. Minus 22 goal differential ADDITIONS Rich Tocchet comes aboard as head coach to apply triage to a unit in disarray. Beaulivier and Hronek came to the club late in the year. Pius Suter is the new 3C. Soucy and Ian Cole join the defensive core. Demko had a lost year, hopes to rebound and stay healthy. DEPARTURES The long national nightmare is over as the OEL debacle is finished. Dermott and Bear are also out on the back end. Tyler Myers is due a bonus first part of September, open secret he is being dealt to the Coyotes right after. PROSPECTS Arturs Silovs should beat out Martin as the backup goalie and if Demko is injured may surprise. Honestly as far as NHL ready players that is about it. Raty is decent but nowhere near ready. Rathbone was expected to make the jump to top four defense but cannot stay healthy. not much here. SO SKY HIGH EXPECTATIONS LAST YEAR, WHAT ABOUT THIS SEASON? I look at this roster and see absolutely nothing that i like. Even the players whom i like have significant holes. Miller is hated by the fan base because he is a floater, Pettersson is a center who cannot win faceoffs or play defense. Kuzmenko quietly had nearly 40 goals but is soft as 20 ply with 18 blocks and 15 hits for the season making Johnny Gaudreau look like a goon. Boeser is always the subject of trade rumors for the same reason. Beaulivier fits in so well as a 20 goal scoring winger with holes in his game just like Boeser, Garland, ect.... The defense, dont get me started. Hughes can move the puck but wont play defense. Hronek can do both sometimes, but seldom does both in the same game. Matt Irwin is being counted on to be the primary penalty killer from the back end. Really. Goaltending, i like Demko but after last season there are many more question marks than answers. Love the coaching hire, Tocchet has a solid rep but he has now made the playoffs exactly once in his nine years as an NHL head coach. Pettersson has made it clear that he will not be resigning unless there is significant improvement on the ice this season. Unless they manage to move out either Miller or Boeser they likely cannot afford him anyway, and if they move one of those two the product on the ice slips so he likely wouldnt want to stay. I see them in seventh place nestled between the Ducks in sixth and the Sharks dead last. Just an awful organization.

LAST SEASON 47-21-14 108 POINTS SECOND IN DIVISION. Beat the Wild in six relatively easy games, bested the Kraken in a tough seven game series, lost the conference final to eventual cup winner Vegas in six hard fought games. Plus 67 goal differential the best in the Western conference ADDITIONS Matt Duchene came aboard after being bought out in Nashville. Sam Steel joins the bottom six, Craig Smith provides depth. A quick aside, one thing about this Jim Nill team that strikes me is how many players can play not only up and down the lineup but can play center or wing as well. Hintz, Pavelski, Steel, Duchene, Seguin, Benn, Dellandrea. It gives coach Deboer so much flexibility when it comes to setting lines. In an age when teams are desperate for center help they have seven or eight guys who can plug into the middle or on the wing giving them a massive advantage over most other teams. SUBTRACTIONS Domi and Glendening moved on after the season, Domi to Toronto and Glendening to Colorado. About it. IN THE PIPELINE Dellandrea is a sure fire real deal forward who played in the NHL al year last year and is a very real possibility to have a breakthrough season. Kid Logan Stankoven may play in the AHL this year but with a great showing could crack the team and is a fantastic playmaker and a top notch prospect. Thomas Harley will be a top four defender this year and if he gets a chance to work the first power play will surprise with his offensive talent. Matej Blumel is a real deal scorer but has been in and out of the doghouse in the AHL because he is a bit of a floater but the talent is certainly there. Mavric Bourque may have to return to the AHL because there is simply no room for him at the NHL level but the kid is a fantastic pivot who should slot into a 2C role in the NHL for a decade or more. Usually when a team drafts so late as Dallas always seems to do they slip into mediocrity because of it but Nill was the true brains behind the great Redwings drafts that Holland always got the credit for (this as soon as Nill left, Holland crapped the bed with his picks for years before moving on) and he contnues to bring his fantastic drafting skills with him to Dallas. Jason Robertson 39th, Oettinger late in the first, Hintz a second rounder. The new batch of kids is talented and pushing up against the older players. This team is very talented top to bottom. SO, ARE THEY CUP CONTENDERS? God yeah, no doubt about it. I think they win the Division this year and battle Edmonton into the final days for the best record in the West. Top flight goalie? Check. Elite minute munching defenseman and defensive depth? Check. Forwards coming out of the woodwork, throwing four lines at you? Absolute check. There is no reason that this club cannot contend for years to come. Even with Pavelski, Seguin and Benn being much closer to the end than the beginning the organizational depth is astounding, all three could call it a career right now and the team might slip a bit for a year while the kids acclimated to the NHL but then they would be right back on top. I have crazy mad respect for Nill and think this is one of the very best organizations from top to bottom. They very easily could win a cup this year.

Agree to disagree on Babs, one hell of an in game coach, probably the best in the game at thaaspect if not certainly on the very short list. Bowman was the best counting everyone at getting an edge by switching lines around and searching for the correct combo in a particular situation, Al Arbour was right there as well. Of modern coaches i have never seen anyone capable of getting the edge in game as well as Babcock. The off ice stuff, yeah a big issue as his ego grew. Hated by his Toronto players, Mike commodore makes a living talking about what a piece of Sheeat Babs is/was. Franzen says that Babcock is the worst human he has ever met in or out of hockey. But he won, the Ducks became a power under him. Detroit won a cup with him and were right there year after year. Toronto didnt climb all the way up the mountain but they became a huge contender under him. We have gone soft in this Country. Give me a coach who is a jerk but wins over a kinder gentler hugging type who doesnt. Leo Durocher was despised by his players but he won and famously said "nice guys finish last." That is Babcock. If he wins in Columbus I wouldnt care if he kicked a puppy every day on the way into the arena. Winning is the only thing that matters and he wins.

I think better. By far. I can think of no coach more over his head as a head coach than Brad Larsen. He never established a regular lineup, he was unable to adjust on the fly and reset during a game. Just dreadful. IMHO Larsen gone is 5 points, Babs coming in is 5 points. Normally I think coaching changes are only good for a few points but following Babs for years, he is an incredible on game coach, compared to Larsen who never made in game adjustments. Ten points better IMHO with the coaching change.

FINAL RECORD 25-48-9 59 points dead last in the East. Whopping minus 116 goal differential. ADDITIONS Werenski essentially missed the whole season, great having him back. Stevenson was a cap casualty in Jersey fits in nicely on second paring. Texier returns after a season of self imposed exile in France. Provorov also fits in nicely in the top four on blueline. Fantilli slipped to them and gives the CBJ their first ever true 1C. High first rounders Mayeychuk and especially Jiricik will push for roles on the back end. Babcock returns from exile as a quality coach SUBTRACTIONS none. Oh some very minor junk pieces but nobody they really wanted. IN THE SYSTEM Fantilli, Jiricik, Mayeychuk will all be quality regular performers for years. Sollinger and Ceulemans headline a second tier of quality prospects. The Jackets have quite a few ready now good to excellent prospects. SOO, ARE THEY READY TO COMPETE? No, too young and too raw but the talent is there. Fantilli could and should push Jenner to the 3c spot where he belongs behind fantilli and Kent Johnson, the defense is a strength, Gaudreau and Laine warts and all are quality scorers. What holds them back is awful netminding with Elvis as the lead arsonist, inexperienced kids in key roles as well. I like their future but this year I expect a modest turnaround with around 80 points battling Washington for the cellar. Lots to like here tho.

FINAL STANDINGS 42-32-8 92 POINTS 3 POINTS OUT OF A PLAYOFF SPOT. minus 9 goal differential ADDITIONS Luke Schenn brings grit to the back end. Nyquist if healthy is a 50 point a year steady winger. Ryan O'Reilly is the catch here, the desperately needed number one center. Guryanov is a low risk, medium reward signing from Montreal. DEPARTURES Ryan Johansen takes his hot one year, cold the next body to the avalanche. Duchene was bought out and let leave for Dallas. Cal Foote and Zach Sanford were not resigned and went elsewhere. TOP PROSPECTS The elephant in the room is that Nashville has one of the games best goalies in Saros but the absolute top goalie prospect in terms of ready now elite level talent in Askarov and failed to move one out to fill needs. They begin the year where they were all of last year with Saros in net and Askarov trapped in Milwaukee. Other prospects, Joakim Kemell is a real deal scorer but young and raw and will likely begin at the AHL level but if he is hot will get a legit shot at the age of 19 of being a difference maker. Luke Evangelista is a name who i have been hearing about for several years who is ready to join the middle six and put up decent numbers. A wildcard is Zachary L'Heareux, a little ball of hate on the wing who loves to hit and to score. Some scouts are calling him Marchand'ish, i think more Marchand-lite but still one to watch for. SO WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ARE THEY READY TO CONTEND OR ARE THEY FOOLS GOLD? I see them as neither really. Not ready to contend because their kids are just that, kids, too young to make a difference this year, but very talented and truthfully a year or two away. This list does not even include 18 year old Matthew Wood, huge scoring winger who IMHO was one of the steals of this years draft. I think the 18-20 year old talent in the system ranks up there with just about anyone, but that will not translate to this year. So for this year O'Reilly relaces Johansen (win) Nyquist replaces Duchene (loss) andSchenn brings grit while kids get their feet wet at the NHL level but are not really ready to make a big difference. I really was stunned that Saros was not dealt to the Kings, it still might happen mid season. One way or another Askarov will have to be given the keys to the Kingdom or moved out to fill holes. It is an aging blueline which by the time the kid forwards are ready in a couple of years will be a major problem if not addressed. So also ran, 90 points give or take a couple, flirt with playoffs but not getting there. They are two years from possibly having the best offense in team history but the defense will be aging and out of date by then. I am bullish on the kid forwards and Askarov but truth is something i doubt that i have ever said before, more than a bit worried both mid and longterm about the aging back end. I see the next three or four years being more of the same as weakness becomes strength and strength becomes weakness. Just a lower middle of the pack team that in a great year makes the playoffs and loses first round in six but most years wont even do that.

IMHO if they dump Nylander and get picks back, yeah they are done. However if they trade him for a hanifin or pesce, someone who changes the dynamic of the back end they still might win. I am very skeptical of both Robertson and Knies but if either go for 20-30-50 it would go a long way. I still think they are capable but every year gets harder and harder.

Coming in a bit shy of the long predicted 13.5 million AAV Matthews signed with the Leafs for 13.25 million AAV on a four year deal. Love it for Matthews. With the cap almost certain to go up before his next deal, he may parlay the next deal into an eight year extension or go to market still close to prime. Kudos. Don't hate it for Toronto. Yeah Allison they did was kick the can four years down the road rather than sign him to a max term deal, but it resolved the Matthews situation before camp. Nylander rumored to be good as gone but that is for another day.

FINAL RECORD 50-21-11 111 points 2nd in division. Made short work of Bolts before being bounced by Panthers ADDITIONS Domi and Bertuzzi bring scoring and grit to the middle six. Klingberg hopes to rediscover scoring touch on the second power play. Martin Jones hopes to be adequate backup goalie. Ryan Reaves brings grit. Youngsters, a lot of folks are really high on Matthew Knies, I think it is just Leaf fans overrating prospects again. Speaking of which this is make or break year for Nick Robertson. DEPARTURES whipping boy Holl takes his game to Detroit. Simmonds likely retiring. Both easily replaced not so much Ryan O'Reilly or Michael Bunting. Schenn, Astin-Reece and Kerfoot are depth losses. The hope is that Bert, Max and Klingberg can replace O'Reilly, Schenn and Bunting. Yikes. Matthews and Nylander need new deals, both sooner than later so it is not a distraction throughout the season. SO THE QUESTION, CAN THE LEAFS WIM IT ALL? IMHO yes, absolutely. A ridiculous amount of talent but every year that they don't is more pressure. Even a great season and defeating Tampa in the first round did not save Dubas job. Marner and Tavares locked up long term Matthews will be key. Nylander with no trade protection may be dealt for defenseman, Carolina seems a natural fit. I believe they win the division with around a 110 points and have the best record in the East. How it translates come postseason, I see them losing in the conference final to my pick to win it all who I haven't written up yet.

Hey why do you gotta pick on my big Red Machine lol

FINAL RECORD 35-37-10 80 points, 12th in conference, 12 points out of a playoff spot ADDITIONS Max Pacioretty will spend much of his time on IR for the Capitals this season. He is the only addition. Oh I guess boring third pair defender Edmonson coming over from Montreal might count SUBTRACTIONS Depth forwards Sheary, Craig Smith and Connor Brown all left, depth defenders Irwin and Pilon as well. At the deadline they dealt key players Hathaway, Orlov and Eller. IN THE SYSTEM Connor McMichael and Beck Malynstyn are nhl depth forwards, Alexander Alexyev will be handed a third pair spot on the blueline with no evidence that he is much of a player. IMHO this is the worst farm system in the game today which bodes poorly for an aging Capitals team. THE QUESTION, ARE THEY A BOUNCE BACK CANDIDATE? no, not much of a chance. They are an aging club with very few NHL ready depth players and no impact players in the organization. Ovie is in the middle of his drive towards breaking the all time goal record held by Gretzky, At least the Cap fans have that to watch nightly. Backstrom is getting old and fragile. Mantha is doing the same even moreso. Tom Wilson just missed 49 games and is on the wrong side of 30 so they signed him to an extention thru 2031, because of course they did. They fired a coach who always gets the most out of their players Kuznetsov asked for a trade then angrilly denied that he did and then said well, i sorta asked for a trade. Oshie is a shell of his former self because of his hard style of play. Carlson is 33 and breaking down. Kuemper at 33 in the first year of a five year deal actually was surprisingly good but is aging, Lindgren his backup came out of nowhere to play very well last year but is no kid, it took until he was 29 to establish himself as a fringe backup goalie. Things could break right, all of these guys could stay healthy and rediscover the touch that they once had but it is son extremely unlikely. I have them with around 82 points, 7th in the Division.

Agreed. one hundred percent.

LAST SEASONS RECORD 38-27-17 93 points 2 points out of a playoff spot, plus 8 goal differential. STAT OF THE YEAR, NOT JUST FOR THE FLAMES BUT FOR ANY TEAM They became just the 3rd team EVER to lose 30 games or more by one goal, their 31 one goal losses is the second most in history. On top of that they shattered their own team record with 17 overtime losses. This team simply did not know how to win. ADDITIONS Sherengovich came over from the Devils. They brought in long time assistant and player friendly Ryan Huska to be the head coach and longtime Flame alum Craig Conroy to be the GM. Retread Oesterle will serve as the 7D. SUBTRACTIONS Sutter is out as coach. Treliving is gone as the GM. Toffoli wanted out, he was dealt to New Jersey. Spare parts Lucic, Michael Stone, Ritchie, Trevor Lewis and Troy Stecher were all shown the door. KIDS IN THE SYSTEM Lots. Matthew Coronato is going to be a very good goal scorer for years to come. Walker Duehr is a fantastic forward prospect. Jakub Pelletier is going to be a middle six winger for a decade. Dustin Wolf has pushed himself into the conversation for top young goalie prospects with a second consecutive fantastic season with Stockton. A good four or five other kids will be fighting for ice time this year. I was a Sutter apologist for much of last year, i like a tough coach who isnt afraid to put the fear of God into a team but sutter lost the room completely. His biggest failing was giving guys like ritchie and Lucic top six minutes at various times throughout the season and not trusting the kids. It cost him his job and will likely tarnish his hall of fame resume a tad. SO THE QUESTION, ARE THEY STILL CONTENDERS? I give new President of hockey operations Mloney and GM Conroy so very much credit, they didnt panic sell. Rumors were that Lindholm, Hanifin and Backlund all wanted out, none have (so far) been dealt. They have taken it slowly, assessing where they are as an organization. I give Treliving credit for last season as well, he lost Guadreau for nothing, instead of doing the same with Tkachuk he dealt him for Huberdeau, Weegar, and signed Kadri. It didnt work out but he went down swinging. SO THE ANSWER, ARE THE FLAMES IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM A CONTENDER? Absolutely yes, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES. 31 one goal losses will never happen again. If they slip back into the middle of the pack with that number this year, league average last season was 17, that bumps them to 107 points. Losing Toffoli hurts, plain and simple he was lights out last season. Sherengovich is a solid hard checking 3rd line winger who can sneak a goal in every now and then, nothing more. He along cannot and will not replace the offense. But man the kids, led by Coronato can and will score. clearing out the deadwood, Ritchie, Lucic, Lewis were not very good or interesting. By not panic trading as Treliving did, they have kept the core of a damn good team that was snakebit and couldnt get catch a break all year. The kids, a fresh new front office with an optimistic outlook IMHO many folks will look past the club and forget that two years ago they were one of the leagues darlings. Not me, i am going to buck that trend. I have them second in their division with 105 points and a damn fine year.

Higher tax rates. IDK if you make 40 grand or 40 million you wanna keep as much as you can. Fam pressure. Any member of the Panthers can walk down any street without being known. The lowest least known leaf would be swarmed in Toronto. Media pressure. Ducks lose, it's fifty seconds tops on the nightly news. Oilers or Senators lose it gets directed ad nauseum until the next game. It's freaking cold.about half the USA teams play in warm weather and about half of those have lower taxes.

I am not expecting a 50 point season or anything, at 35 this is what I think....... 70 games Steady unspectacular defense 35 points, some play on second pp unit For a bit over two million and two years that is a value signing.

Man Korpi was a bad signing proof that Ottawa will continue to shoot themselves in the foot lol. But wow those top three lines are beyond scary and their fourth line will just hit everything that moves.

Same basic question as Buffalo. LAST SEASON 39-35-8 86 points, 6 points out of a playoff spot. Minus ten goal differential ADDITIONS. Taresenko came aboard on a one year deal. Chychrun added at the deadline solidifying the back end. Korpisalo signs five year deal to fix the net. Kubalik helps in middle six. Very gifted Norris missed most of season will fill top six role at the pivot. Zach McCewen brings grit to Fourth line. SUBTRACTIONS Debrincat traded to Detroit. Talbot left for Los Angeles. PROSPECTS Jake Sanderson will have a breakthrough season on the back end. MAIN Question will they make the playoffs? God yeah, this team is simply stacked. Stutzle, Tkachuk, Chychrun, Sanderson, Norris, Batherson, Pinto i submit no team anywhere has a better young core. None. Add vets such as Giroux and Taresenko and Kubalik they will dominate many nights. They are real and dangerous. They waaaaay overpaid for Korpisalo and most of the blueliner is young and raw but talented so they will win or lose a lot of 6-4 games with lots of fights from Tkachuk, McCewen, Kelly and Grieg among others. 80s style hockey. Imho they will possibly contend for the Division and be as fun as team to watch in all of hockey.