yave1964

  Wendell Young is one of my favorite people in all of Hockey to follow. He broke in as a 4th round pick of the Canucks in 1981, he took six years of bus rides to get a crack with the Canucks when they were one of the worst teams in the game, going 6-15-4 with awful stats. That shoulda been the end. Players like that usually end up back in the minors, quickly forgotten, going to Europe for a payday if they can secure a job. The end. Case closed.

  Instead he went to the minors, worked his way back, became a semi regular in net with the Pens before being drafted by the expansion Bolts to be their first starter.after a year and a half at age 31 he was sent to Chcago in the minors, retirement never entered his mind. Other than a few games with the desperate Penguins he spent the next seven years in Chicago as a part time goalie, an unofficial goalie coach. He retired in 2001 after being named the IHL man of the year for perseverance. He went on to be an assistant coach through 2009 when he became the GM of the most independent team in the AHL, the same Wolves who he has come to love.  

  Many, even most AHL clubs are owned by their parent NHL team but the Wolves have refused to do so for years. They have had working agreements with half a dozen NHL clubs over the years, often clashing with NHL execs who want their players played when the proud Wolves team wants to win, development is often secondary, so they play the guys who give them the best chance to win. Last year it came to a head between Wendell Young who refused to play the young Pyotr Kochetkov instead wanting to run veteran Alex Lyon out their because he gave the team the best chance to make the playoffs. Hurricanes GM Wadell threatened to pull his team away from the Wolves leaving owner Don Levin and GM Wendell Young to make a hard decision. Wadell escalated the feud threatening to have the coach, Warsofsky fired, and then very publicly stating that coach Warsofsky was told that they didnt need to worry about winning, they only needed to worry about development of prospects for the Hurricanes. The year before Warsofsky won the Calder Cup. Last year with all the distractions they missed the playoffs by one point. With a month to go they told the Hurricanes they were not welcome back, they were going to go it alone. Waddell stated he just wanted to develop winners, Young said winning develops winners. It got ugly.

 Young, with aproval from ownership told the Hurricanes to get bent. They officially became independent and the Canes ended up out in the cold with no AHL team.

  As an independently owned franchise, they need to make money. To make money they need to win. finishing near the bottom of the standings does not draw fans or make money for an owner or an organization.

  So without an AHL franchise Dufus Don Waddel, high on my list of overrated GMs in the NHL was forced to loan prospects to other organizations or send them to Europe. 

  Meanwhile Wendell  Young quietly and calmly signed veteran minor leaguers to build what honestly looks to be a pretty damn god AHL squad (albeit a bit thin in net). Somewhat familiar names such as Rocco Grimaldi, Cory Conacher, Isaac Ratcliffe, Chris Terry, Matt Donovan, Brendan Perlini and now Max Comtois dot the roster alongside some kids who for whatever reason didnt quite stick with the team that originally drafted them make up a decent, passable AHL roster. They are being paid slightly more than most AHL clubs offer, not all salaries are released at that level but it is about ten to twenty percent higher than most AHL clubs pay veteran players.

  All players have been told that if an NHL job opens up, such as someone needs third line scoring and wants Grimaldi they are free to go, as long as the organization they are going to trades a veteran back their way. 

  Honestly, i am a bit torn. As much as i dont like Waddel and think he accidently hit the perfect storm with the Canes hiring the perfect coach and inheriting what was mostly drafted from other teams while making one bad signing and trade after another they are still relevant is more a statement of the coach than anything. But i understand why he wants his best player prospects to play top minutes and learn on the job so they can be ready when needed. Part of the problem is the Canes are notorious for not wanting to spend a ton of money on development and have refused to secure a permanent AHL affiliate that is club owned, instead trying to bully the Wolves into bending to their will. That is something Wendell Young has not and never will do. He put his foot down with Vegas who bought their own AHL club in Henderson that they can control. It makes sense for the organization.

  But the Wolves get paid based off the gate, off the revenue, so winning now, being entertaining is very important. Butts in the seats, hot dogs sold, all that matters to the ownership. Winning matters to GM Young. Developing a fourth line penalty killer for a parent club by giving him twenty minutes a night when he is not close to being the best player on the team for those minutes, not so much.

  Anyway, the last truly stubborn cuss of an organization in any minor league that I can think of anywhere, i am rooting for them to win the Calder Cup this year if the Griffins or Monsters cannot (Parent club owned). Wendell Young may never get a shot at the NHL running a franchise because of the well earned rep he has earned in the AHL of being hard to deal with as he treats winning as the only thing, but i am rooting for him and the Wolves. I seriously think this will be the Wolves last rodeo, they will either agree to be purchased by an NHL parent club (with Wendell Young either immediately being fired or summarily shot, lol) or they will partner up with another organization next season. The third possibility, the one that makes me saddest of all is Carolina does a start up with an AHL team close to home and the Wolves are not invited back to the AHL for next season and they are forced to drop down a runf to the ECHL or simply cease to exist. It is fun to watch a little guy exasperate the big guys every now and then and that is what Wendell Young has done to Waddell. Sadly, i think this is it, the final season for this type of thing. 

2 games. About right. Sucks, I like Tanev a lot, hate to see it. 

2 hours ago, J0e Th0rnton said:

That's not really their first line. They tend to spread the offense around 3 lines. But Seth jarvis is only 21 and had a 40 and 39 point season. He might yet grow into that 13th overall pedigree. A healthy Teravainen isn't a usual thing, but when he is healthy he can put up 65-70 points.

I knew someone would catch that, really only three forwards, not necessarily on the same line. Jarvis still hasn't stepped up but let's say he has a 60 point year. Is it enough to move the needle? Terravainen was beat up last year and was miserable for long stretches when he could play, clearly in decline. I simply think the forward group is very pedestrian, middle of the pack as a whole. 

18 minutes ago, Math said:

STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS -- I'm going with the Hurricanes. They will finally make it after years being in the discussion.

 

DIVISION WINNERS -- Toronto, Edmonton, Rangers, Colorado.

 

FIRST COACH FIRED -- I'm going with DJ Smith if Ottawa doesn't show the high hopes in this team. Otherwise, Rick Bowness for the reasons mentioned by @yave1964

 

NORRIS WINNER -- Makar. This thophy is offense-first minded and Heiskanen will never be spectacular at the point of grabbing this award.

 

HART WINNER -- McDavid, no brainer

 

IF NOT MCDAVID, WHO WINS THE HART? Matthews, who will propel the Leafs to the western Conference final

 

VEZINA WINNER -- Sorokin will create the surprise

 

CALDER TROPHY -- Bedard, no brainer

 

IF NOT BEDARD? I put a coin on Levi, or Cooley whose Coyotes will qualify for the playoffs

 

SELKE TROPHY -- If the Devils maintain their progression, Hischier is a legit choice.

 

LADY BING TROPHY -- Yeah, no one gives a sh** about it.

 

OVECHKIN TOTAL GOALS -- 33

 

DOES THE OVER THE HILL GANG IN THE IGLOO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS? -- Yup, they missed them by one point, this year they will make it by one point with the help of a rejuvinated Jarry.

 

DO EITHER OF LAST YEARS CUP FINALISTS MAKE THE FINAL FOUR? -- Nope. I have Stars vs. Vegas and Toronto vs. Carolina

 

WORST RECORD IN THE GAME THIS YEAR -- I deeply want Montréal but it will be between San Jose and Chicago.

Agree Yotes could surprise, if they get enough goaltending.

Montreal will be bad and in easily the deepest division, you may get your wish and they may crater 

Dj smith. Hmmm, I am more bullish on Ottawa, but cracks already. Norris may be done already and watching korpisalo up close here in Ohio, let's just say he does not inspire confidence.

 I do not believe in Carolina. At all. Love the coach, hate the gm, mostly though I don't think past the first line that there is any offense. Svech, Aho and Necas are brilliant but nobody else scares anyone. And really they had nobody in top 40 in scoring or goals for. Love the defense, all three goalies, top three forwards but IMHO I don't believe they make it out of first round without two key middle six adds. Just not enough there there if you know what I mean.

  Heiskanen. Agreed, Norris has become an offensive award but every now and then the voters get one right. I think Dallas is phenomenal right now, he is the games best defensive dman and I hope the writers for once stop being lazy and get one right.

  Colorado acquired Seth Jones brother Caleb from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Cal Burke.

  Here is where the trade gets weird.

  The Hurricanes do not have an AHL affiliate this season as the Chicago Wolves literally gave them the bot choosing to play as an independent in the AHL this season. Thus, the Canes have been forced to scramble for a place for their players to play in the minors this year, sending some to the ECHL while loaning others around the AHL. Last week they announced that Caleb Jones would be loaned to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL subject to recall by the Canes.

  Cal Burke had been assigned to the Eagles by the Avalanche as well.

  So in short, Jones was an Eagle and after the trade remains an Eagle. Burke, also an Eagle who post trade was loaned by Carolina back to them, so he too remains an Eagle.

  In my entire memory of the game, I cannot remember ever hearing of one teammate being traded for the other, and then both will remain teammates for the upcoming season as well.  Just too cool.

STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS Edmonton gets past the Rangers in six very spirited games.

DIVISION WINNERS Toronto, Edmonton, Jersey, Dallas.

FIRST COACH FIRED Rick Bowness in Winnipeg. Rumored to be universally hated by his team.

NORRIS WINNER Heiskanen edges out Dahlin

HART WINNER McDavid until further notice

IF NOT MCDAVID, WHO WINS THE HART? Jack Hughes

VEZINA WINNER Oettinger wins, edging out Shesterkin

CALDER TROPHY Bedard of course

IF NOT BEDARD? I think Clarke from the Kings is gonna have a damn fine career and was my sleeper pick but coach Scott Stevens wants his defenseman to be defense first last and only, like when he played so he was shipped to start the year in the AHL to get more seasoning. So my non Bedard pick is now a tie between Cooley in an Arizona High school gym or Levi in Buffalo

SELKE TROPHY Shoulda hands down been Hischier last year, maybe even the year before. He gets his first of many this season.

LADY BING TROPHY Again, as in every year, nobody really cares.

OVECHKIN TOTAL GOALS 38

DOES THE OVER THE HILL GANG IN THE IGLOO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?  No. Penguins barely miss the final spot.

DO EITHER OF LAST YEARS CUP FINALISTS MAKE THE FINAL FOUR? No. Final four will be Dallas losing to Edmonton, Leafs losing to the Rangers.

WORST RECORD IN THE GAME THIS YEAR San Jose. 

35 minutes ago, Math said:

I guess both Scheifele and Hellbuyck have been given the insurance that Bowness is gone after the upcoming season. Scheifele's deal is good -- he's the face of the franchise --. On the other hand, as good as Hellebuyck is, giving him a 7-year deal (by extension, to any goalie goalie in general) is a mistake and the Jets might regret it.

It was important to keep these two, Winnipeg is developing a rep as Siberia of the NHL. If the two faces of the franchise left, who knows, they may have ended up relocating to somewhere stupid like Arizona.

  Oh wait.....

great deal for both. great deal for the city. great deal for the game. Great day for Manitoba at large.

Great deal.

18 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Done.

Somewhere Mo seiders agent is grinning wide.

Amadeus Lombardi made an impression, the kid is slipping under the radar but is very talented 

  Wallinder not so much. Did little to impress with as many dmen as we have he could get buried. Edvisson had a nice goal to close out Pittsburgh late but hasn't done much 

  The vets, you are spot on. Rasmussen especially has impressed. I think we will be able to run two legit power play units this year. Cautiously optimistic we will be average or a bit better in net.

  Tough division. We have to close mb over at least two of Boston, Florida, Ottawa or Buffalo which is a huge task..still I like the roster, not only at the NHL level but the kids at GR as well.

  Oh PS compher looks really, really fearless and skilled as well.

1 hour ago, ruxpin said:

So much so that they'll subtract him repeatedly out of habit.

Damn autocorrect lol

7 hours ago, thegx.ca said:

Wow hot take for sure I hope you're right being a Calgary fan...but I also hope you're wrong being a Calgary fan about this being the year for Edmonton haha

Calgary was so snakebite last year. IMHO their biggest addiction was the subtraction of Sutter ....

7 hours ago, thegx.ca said:

Totally agree with crapitals haha but no Pens even with Karlsson...? Well we'll see I guess haha

The problem to me was picking Boston ylor the penguins for the last spot. Almost a coin toss imho

Fairly high on the yotes this year, surprised and bummed they sent maveric lamereaux back to juniors today. Talented fun kid I was hoping he would stick. 

Dallas

Colorado

Minny

Arizona

Nashville

Loserpeg

Blues

Hawks

Toronto

Tampa

Ottawa

Florida

Boston

Detroit

Montreal

 Man is this division stacked. Top five make playoffs

Rangers

Devils

Hurricanes

---------

Only three to make playoffs

Penguins

Islanders 

Bluejackets

Crapitals

Flyers

Edmonton. Cup winner.

Calgary. Yes, I said Calgary

Vegas

Los Angeles

Seattle

Anaheim

Vancouver

San Jose 

Just now, Alexandron said:

I am more optimistic for this season results. We will make playoffs and will pass the 1st round. Dallas is a beatable team. We should pass the 1st round of the playoffs this season if we hadn't EEK injury, and control better Suter. Referees were not as good too, especially against Foligno, penalizing him for nothing multiple times. 

I think Dallas is One of the deepest teams in hockey right now with kids bursting on the scene as well. The signing of Duchene may have been the best under the radar this offseaon.

7 minutes ago, pilldoc said:

 

You really think Campbell turns it around.  I have no doubt about Skinner's abilities.... I just have concerns regarding Campbell.  Campbell struggled mightily in his first season in Edmonton (3.41 GAA, 0.888 SV%), while Skinner played well enough to be nominated as a Calder Trophy finalist. Campbell, on the other hand, has a career save percentage of 0.910 on 4,845 shots at the NHL level....an at age 31, most should know is what we see is what we get.  Down the stretch last year Skinner got the vast majority of starts. (22-11 in the last 33 games of the season).  Campbell might very well turn it around ... who knows.  

 

I do like this Oilers team AND if they get consistent goaltending they will be a force to be reckoneded with.  I say it is Skinners job to lose and will only see Campbell in spot starts.  (His contract makes things difficult.)

I do not see Campbell as a Vezina candidate but yes i see him as a legit 1B this season. His career goals against is 2.72 with a career save pct of .910, the league scores more now than in years, i do not expect him to match that but if he is something like 2.90 and .900 that is very solid for a guy who will start 35 games. I see something like that with a record of 22-10-3 out of him this year. IMHO he will turn it around and provide a solid safety net if Skinner slips a bit. 

Saved the best for last.....

LAST SEASONS RECORD 50-23-9 109 points, second in Pacific. Beat the Kings in a spirited first round matchup before bowing out in six games to the eventual champion Vegas Knights. plus 65 goal differential best in division, second best in Coference.

ADDITIONS Added Connor Brown who they believe is the next Hyman. I dont see it but who knows. Ekholm brings his steady play to the team for the whole year allowing Bouchard to terrorize opponents on the rush all yeal long. Honestly not a whole lot of new faces.

SUBTRACTIONS Yamamoto and Klostin were cap casualties. Bjugstad was rumored to have been a deadline add but didnt do much and is gone back to Arizona.

KIDS AND ROOKIES FOR THIS YEAR Dylan Holloway did very little last year but a middle six role is his for the claiming. Same with Broberg on the back end, he didnt impress much but much more is expected this season, he could crack a talented top four. The team is in need of a third line center with the underwhelming Mcleod the leading candidate but they have two talented rookies beating on the dor in Lavoie and Bourgault who if they earn the spot may surprise.

WILL THIS BE THE YEAR? Yes. The Oilers will beat the Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals to take home the cup for a Canadien market for the first time in nearly a third of a century. Mcdavid and Draisatl will lead the way, They have zero cap space so additions will be difficult but deadline adds will be made to the most solid core the Oilers have ever put together around the two since they came into the league. Holloway will beat out brown for the second line winger positions and score 50ish points. The third line will be solved with Janmark/Foegele and one of the two talented kid centers for the deepest lineup the Oilers have had in years allowing RNH to stay on the wing on the Draisatl line. Kane will stay healthy and score 40 on the McJesus line and come close to leading the league in penalties.

  The biggest surprise will be in net where last years flop Campbell will battle and push skinner earning a 1B to Skinners 1A and the two of them will provide a fantastic goalie tandem for the Oilers.

  The team wins the first cup in the McDavid era. This is their year. They are more than just two players, they are a solid NHL team.

11 hours ago, SpikeDDS said:

I was really looking forward to seeing the annual Red-White Game marking the end of training camp. The first period, all 5-on-5 ran as expected, as it seemed most of our better veterans were on the Red squad. Daniel Sprong hit a nice one-timer after a cross-ice pass from Veleno right around a minute into the game, and I was thinking maybe we were going to see some scoring. We did see one more goal in the 5-on-5 by the Red team, and there were some nice saves and more than a couple of posts hit. But not as much scoring as there could be.

 

But don't worry, the second period consisted of 16 minutes total of all 5-on-4 play, 8 minutes for each team on the man advantage. Surely there would be some goals scored in the equivalent of 8 power play opportunities.

 

Nope. The PP on both teams went 0-8 on 1:00 power plays. The penalty kill looked good and the goalies did well, but nobody could finish.

 

Only in the third period and the shootout was there some scoring to please, with 10 shooters for each side in the shootout. The Red team held serve. Team Red took the whole game with a final score of 6-4.

 

The big yawn for me was the lack of PP scoring. Not. One. Goal. Our PP has been one of our consistently weak aspects of our game since the playoff drought began. It was THE most legitimate criticism of Jeff Blashill during his tenure. And while it did improve under Newsy, it was still far from decent. I was really hoping to see some good finishes. And while I do acknowledge there was some good puck movement at times, the same could be said for the Red Wing PP for the last 6-7 seasons. Newsy noted the movement in hist post-game presser, but he had to find things to be positive about, so it was predictable that he would mention that as a strong point. Unfortunately, when it came to the PP that WAS the strong point.

 

I suppose good things can and should be said about the PK and our goalie play. OK, but that wasn't what I wanted to see. 16 minutes of PP time. Not one goal is what I got.

 

<YAWN!>

 

 

I never worry much about preseason. I watch every game just to see the kids play and this year more than any other in my memory see how the new faces mesh with the returning players. We open tonight against the Penguins, cannot wait to see how that goes.

  I think the power play will be so much better that year with the Cat and most important Ghost on the point. IMHO those two are simply huge, our P/K will be much better as well. Looking forward to the season. I know a lot of folks ripped on Yzerman but honestly the team has zero holes anywhere in the lineup. Yes it would be a lot more fun to ice an all star team every night but no weaknesses is a lot better than the Ericsson/Abdelkader/Helm/wasted low pick era that he inherited.

PREVIOUS SEASON 46-25-11 103 points, 3rd in Central, lost to Dallas in first round. plus 21 goal differential

ADDITIONS Pat Maroon came aboard to provide bottom six grit. That is it as far as i can find. Additions are difficult as every Wild fan knows and laments as they still have this year and next to pay huge money to Parise and Suter before the cap hit flattens out at a manageable figure. They have tough decisions on Hartman and Zuccarello as both are UFA at the end of the year. 

SUBRACTIONS Dumba moved on, kind of a mutual thing. Klingberg was a poor fit and is gone as well. Sundqvist, Steel and Reaves are all gone from the bottom six.

ROOKIES Rossi failed to impress much with 1 point in 19 games last season, he has to break through into the middle six this year. Dumba will be replaces by talented Brock Faber who is a puck mover on the back end. Carson Lambos is a stay at home defender who will likely be the first callup on the back end when injuries occur. Losing four bottom six forwards and adding one means that Adam Beckman may earn a role with his grit, surprised with 24 goals at Iowa then went pointless in nine games with the big club. These are the names that will be breaking into full time roles this year. If injuries and age finally catch up to Fleury, there is a chance that uber talented goalie Jasper Walstedt is given a chance.

SO THE QUESTION, CAN THEY WIN A SERIES OR MORE IN THE CENTRAL DIVISION? Dallas is better and the Avalanche were the Stanley cup champs two years ago. They have two of the toughest teams in the entire conference that they must get past in order to move past the first round. 

 Colorado first, Landeskog is going to miss the season again but they are simply stacked and proven. Dallas added Duchene as well as spare parts Steel and Craig Smith, and like the Wild has three or four very talented kids. 

  My opinion is the Wild are talented and with Kaprisov and Boldy leading the offense they are an absolute lock to make the postseason, likely as the third seed. I just dont see them making it out of the first round unless something significant happens and with the cap hell they are in significant is very unlikely. 

Clear playoff team. Losing in first round to the Stars with the hope that they can resign one of Hartman or Zuccarello and ride out the next two years and then build around a very talented young base once the Parise/Suter check is finally (mostly) paid. 

2 hours ago, flyercanuck said:

 

Look, just because someone disagrees with you, telling them to go kill themselves is totally inappropriate. I've been a Flyers fan a looooong time, but they certainly aren't my life. I can find plenty of better things to do than watch a Fletcher run team accomplish absolutely nothing, and I did. If you want to sit there and watch that garbage and say "This is wonderful" then go ahead. 

 

Am I happy Briere is running the team? Well, anything is better than Fletcher. But right now it's just replacing an 1990 Lumina with a 1991 Caprice. This ex-Flyer thing has never worked, so lets see if it does this time. Makes sense. I can see why you're thrilled.

 

Most people on here aren't scared to call a spade a spade. And I won't change that to lovely gardening tool  just so people like you don't lose their mind because someone isn't being all sunshine lollypops and rainbows....and then tell them to kill themselves.... hypocrite much? 

 

Have a nice day....hope you find your forum of sheep. It isn't here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I deleted the comment as soon as I saw it.

@CamWardo,

Saw your second favorite team in the Kings, here is my preview on them 

  I love the rebuild, hate the goalie situation. Peterson was supposed to be the answer but man did he bomb. Love getting Done bois but very hefty price. My favorite sleeper prospect is Clarke, just love the kid.

  All that said, they are at the cap limit, doubtful they can add an impactful goalie, Copley is a career ahler who had a kid and of had a Andrew Hammond year. I would not bet on him winning as many games for the rest of his career as he did last year. Adding Cam Talbot ..ugh.

  They go as far as the goalies allow. 3rd place, first round exit unless something changes in net.