2023 Spring Time Open NHL Thread

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

 

It's that time again.
Usually, right around this time of year, just a bit before the playoffs begin, I start an open style thread for any stories, comments, or observations from myself, or anyone else, that don't necessarily need their own thread.

I also like to have a bit of fun in threads like these so, many times, opinions and/or commentary expressed here may have sarcastic, satirical, or sardonic overtones.
Just putting that out there ahead of time for those that may not know and start bothering me with FACTS if I happen to post something that CLEARLY should not be taken as FACT!

Those who know me in that way, know me, and I want to thank those people up front as well, and say I am truly sorry you now need therapy and/or anger management after reading my postings here!  

Aaaaanyways. Yea.
NHL Open thread, oddball hockey topics, commentary....all are welcome to post stuff about things they are seeing around the league.
 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I'll get us started with a couple items:

"Be Bad For Bedard"

I saw this phrase a few times already. Yes, it is the 'code' for "Hey, let's pull a Penguins and tank to get us a generational player!"
Well, the Chicago Blackhawks, right from the very beginning, looked like they were subscribing mightily to this way of doing business, figuring there MAY be another team or two trying to do the same.

But lo and behold, looking at the standings, there are a good SIX teams who all seem to have had the same idea as the Hawks! They've got lots of company for lottery pick candidacy, and they can't be too happy bout that!
Not only is competition for Bedard fierce, but seems to me, much ATTENTION is being drawn to what is going on because of how many really awful bottom feeders there are.

Surely something must be done about this....right...Gary? Gary??
Ummm..what's that you say? You have to check and see what helps the Bottom Line first?
Ahh, ok, gotcha. Politics as usual. 
Carry on Mr. Gnome....


"Colorado Avalanche"

Meh, I am sick of hearing the moaning from the fans, and even some of the media, about how this player is hurt, that player is hurt, blah, blah, blah...
"Argle, Bargle, arrrrrrgle, BARRRGLE" (Those of you who understand that reference, damn you....you degenerated me more than I already was!   ).

Got news for ya Avs:
NOBODY is feeling sorry for ya! You won a damned Cup last Spring. You still have a solid enough team to try and make another run, even WITH the "Oh woe is me" injuries.
And, you've got enough UFA on the secondary lines that you can reshape the roster, retool on the fly, and go yet again next year if you want to.
All of that is a LOT more than many other teams have!

But wouldn't it be funny if the defending SC Champions don't even make the cut, or even possibly get bounced in the first round without the chance to actually defend said Cup?
Yea, some people don't want to see that.....but I would find it hilarious! HEEEEE-larious!
Then again, I am still salty over last June, so.... 

"Boston Bruins"

Speaking of teams that I would find hysterically funny if they got bounced in round 1....how are ya Big Bad Bruins?
Doing good? Got that shelf space ready for that big impressive President's Trophy? Be sure you have some room on the side for the big fat curse that goes with it.

Go ahead. Win 70 games this year. Then face some Cinderella or barely there team like the Islanders, Capitals, or even some upstart like the Sabres or Senators and get swept in Round 1.
What...that can't happen? Sure. Whatever you say, Beantown. Can't happen. You're right.  
That's NEVER happened before and you guys aren't gonna be the first.....all good. 

Edited March 14, 2023 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

"Danny Briere"

NHL GM meetings are going on in my home state of Florida. All the invited GM's got their passcards long ago, and Briere wasn't an NHL GM when those were given out.
They are either gonna have to print him up a black n white quick one so he can get in, or he can just use Chuck Fletcher's, with Danny's picture superimposed over Chuckles, and Fletcher's name crossed off in favor of BRIERE...written in interim ink, of course, as he isn't perm yet.  

And Mr. Briere has actually DARED to use the term "rebuild" with regards to the Philadelphia Flyers! Imagine that!
Pretty bold to do that with that ownership and upper management. 
But then again, he is "interim", as in Dry Erase Marker GM, so he has nothing to lose.
He will either get replaced by the beginning of next season because that is what Philly was going to do anyways, or he will be kept on for showing he actually has a set and uttered "REBUILD"

But if Philly plans on replacing him anyways, how much are they going to let him participate in said GM meetings? What's the point in having a Dry Erase Marker GM represent them if they are just gonna get another guy afterwards?
Who knows.

Flyers do things in mysterious ways.....

[Tomdog]

On the topic of be bad for Bedard, why bother. 
I think Arizona has the inside track. 
Bettman is going to do everything he can to make that franchise work, and if that means cooking the ping pong balls so be it. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1 hour ago, Tomdog said:

On the topic of be bad for Bedard, why bother. 
I think Arizona has the inside track. 
Bettman is going to do everything he can to make that franchise work, and if that means cooking the ping pong balls so be it. 

 

Yea, probably.

That just rubs more salt in the wound for the Blackhawks.
Right from training camps they looked to ice the most AHL-like squad possible while moving their two biggest players for big returns.

But other teams seem like they are just as bad!

[Tomdog]

On the flip side of this it would send the message, don’t tank. 

[Math]

I'm an outlier here but I'd love to see Bedard landing in Arizona*. Bebard, Keller, Hayton, Crouse, Schmaltz, Guenther, Cooley, the promising Vejmelka, etc. Between already great young players and an insanely large pool of prospects, the Coyotes have the potential to become damn good. Just need an arena, decent ownership, and stop being a salary dump for other teams... And frankly, despise all this pathetic circus around the League, I truly want them to finally succeed in AZ.

 

*And please, no Chicago, no Columbus, no Anaheim and no Montréal.

[radoran]

9 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

That just rubs more salt in the wound for the Blackhawks.
Right from training camps they looked to ice the most AHL-like squad possible while moving their two biggest players for big returns.

 

The whole "be the worst" thing gets you less than a 1 in 5 chance of the top lottery pick - 18.5%.

 

You want to base the future of your franchise on those odds, I wish you well in Vegas.

 

2 minutes ago, Math said:

Just need an arena, decent ownership, and stop being a salary dump for other teams

 

They have none of those things and are poised to have *checks notes* none of those things.

 

On other news, Glendale, AZ just renamed themselves after Taylor Swift for a weekend for her tour opening.

 

Pretty sure they're never going to be "Coyote City".

 

Honestly, an NHL team playing in a 5,000 seat college hockey arena is a disgrace and a joke. And it's one that's going to go on for at least the next two seasons.

[Tomdog]

28 minutes ago, radoran said:

Honestly, an NHL team playing in a 5,000 seat college hockey arena is a disgrace and a joke. And it's one that's going to go on for at least the next two seasons.

And the last game the Wild played there half the fans were Minnesota. 
Is Arizona a destination city for the colder cities?

If so what is the attendance for a team like Dallas. 
The Minnesota high school hockey tournament filled the Excel energy stadium that the Wild play in and the coyote’s can’t fill a college arena. 

[IllaZilla]

I've seen some nonsense about the league wanting to expand again. But not to Canada. Heaven forbid the league put a team in Quebec City. No, they want to try for Atlanta. Again. Talk about the definition of insanity. The Flames couldn't hack it in the 1970's and moved to Calgary after eight seasons. The Thrashers lasted a bit longer than the Flames (14 seasons) before moving to Winnipeg. But yes, let's expand to a city that wants nothing to do with hockey. 

[radoran]

5 minutes ago, Tomdog said:

If so what is the attendance for a team like Dallas. 

 

Dallas slots in right between Montreal and Vancouver.

 

No, really.

 

https://www.hockey-reference.com/friv/attendance.cgi

[radoran]

2 minutes ago, IllaZilla said:

But not to Canada. Heaven forbid the league put a team in Quebec City.

 

The issue is that there's no monetary benefit to going to Quebec City for the league.

 

Quebec couldn't support the team before. They don't have have the population of the corporate support to be competitive. And "Quebec's team" will always be Montreal.

 

Adding major US media markets has a tangible revenue affect.

 

That said, I agree that Atlanta is a terrible idea as is expansion in general.

[Brewin Flames]

I'll go back and re read when time allows, all i know at this moment is that the bruins, who have the best record thus far, just got destroyed back to back by the Wings/Blackhawks respectively, two teams that they should have stomped on.

 

Should i be worried....

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

54 minutes ago, Math said:

I'm an outlier here but I'd love to see Bedard landing in Arizona*. Bebard, Keller, Hayton, Crouse, Schmaltz, Guenther, Cooley, the promising Vejmelka, etc. Between already great young players and an insanely large pool of prospects, the Coyotes have the potential to become damn good. Just need an arena, decent ownership, and stop being a salary dump for other teams... And frankly, despise all this pathetic circus around the League, I truly want them to finally succeed in AZ.

 

*And please, no Chicago, no Columbus, no Anaheim and no Montréal.

 

That's a pretty nice lineup of good young players for the Coyotes....problem is, will they all STAY there?

I've made cracks before about the Coyotes collecting draft picks, then getting more than solid, sometimes GREAT talent with those picks, but with no real plan for building towards a Cup in place, they sorta flounder, then find their way to other franchises as they are sold off for...wait for it...MORE picks, and the cycle starts all over.

If there is any talk about expansion, the NHL should really shelve that idea until they can fix problem franchises like the Coyotes and even the Panthers for that matter.

Because until they do, black eyes like Arizona will exist, and that pretty cool lineup of players will never really exist long enough for the team to really make competitive leaps forward.

[Math]

51 minutes ago, radoran said:

They have none of those things and are poised to have *checks notes* none of those things.

 

On other news, Glendale, AZ just renamed themselves after Taylor Swift for a weekend for her tour opening.

 

Pretty sure they're never going to be "Coyote City".

 

Honestly, an NHL team playing in a 5,000 seat college hockey arena is a disgrace and a joke. And it's one that's going to go on for at least the next two seasons.

 

Oh, I fully agree with all of that. The first epic mistake that lead to all the franchise woes was to move from downtown Phoenix to freaking Glendale. That was a total nonsense followed by many other nonsense business decisions from top to bottom. That being said, I still don't understand why they didn't go back to Phoenix when Glendale sent them out. Phoenix and the whole valley area is still a big sports market that can be successful. The potential is huge and that's why the NHL can't afford to turn its back on it.

 

If you see current struggling franchises, all of them have bad arenas that are terribly located in some no man's land desert of concrete like Kanata (the current Senators home), Sunrise and Glendale/Tempe. Ottawa is in good shape to have a new arena downtown, The BB&T current lease runs unitl 2027 or 2028, let's see what will be going on after that for the Panthers.

 

 

10 minutes ago, radoran said:

The issue is that there's no monetary benefit to going to Quebec City for the league.

 

Quebec couldn't support the team before. They don't have have the population of the corporate support to be competitive. And "Quebec's team" will always be Montreal.

 

I'm living in Québec City and you are totally right. Not to Mention that the Nordiques only lasted 16 years in the NHL and were there only because the WHL folded. Also, the current owner of the Vidéotron Arena is deeply linked to politics and is a die-hard Québec separatist (something that the League doesn't want at all). There's also the currency rate: salaries paid in USD, revenues in worthless toilet paper CAD. But moreover, it's a french market. But hey! we have a fantastic brand new NHL standard arena for... Junior hockey and built by taxpayers just because one day around 2014, Gary Bettman said that Québec City could be a possibility for an eventual expansion.

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

2 minutes ago, Brewin Flames said:

I'll go back and re read when time allows, all i know at this moment is that the bruins, who have the best record thus far, just got destroyed back to back by the Wings/Blackhawks respectively, two teams that they should have stomped on.

 

Should i be worried....

 

Two things:
One, the Bruins are so far ahead of everyone, they no longer have the challenge of staving off competitors. They ARE in the playoffs, they WILL be getting top seed.
Their main focus and tests will be keeping themselves sharp mentally while they await the start of the playoffs. That can have a negative impact on their current play, but, if they are for real, should shake it off in time for the post season.

Second, I thought I read somewhere that Jim Montgomery may either start resting some players, or at least limiting their minutes, while giving non regulars, or players who normally play a low amount of minutes more time on the ice AND in more crucial situations.
Again, in the short term, that could negatively impact current team performance, but should right itself when the time comes for them to play like they mean it.

Should you be worried?
I'd say 'not really'. I mean, the team hasn't really faced any sort of adversity, slumps, or anything that is normal during the course of the regular season for a typical team. Maybe they are just now going through it.
Better now than right at season's end and into the post season, right?

But, and I rather like you so it isn't personal, if the Bruins fall on their collective bear faces and get bounced early by NOT being able to 'shake the funk' in time while they get surprised by some desperate 8th seed that happened to squeak in, I will be beside myself in laughter, joy, and general giddiness!  

So, if you WANT to worry about something, I suppose you could worry about that.  

[radoran]

31 minutes ago, Math said:

The potential is huge and that's why the NHL can't afford to turn its back on it.

 

There are some hockey fans in Phoenix and while everyone likes to say "Desert = hot" the High Desert can be Very Very Cold.

 

It's a Top 10 media market which has serious value for the league. The franchise, however, is a joke. Always has been.

[Icechipper]

Springtime my a**. We haven't had a day above freezing since November.....

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

"Vancouver Canucks"

Just what in blazes are they doing over there?? They had high hopes for the playoffs when the season started, then fell on their collective face masks when they realized they couldn't really defend, were soft to play against, and the goaltending was almost nonexistent.

It cost Bruce Boudreau his job, players, like Bo Horvat, Curtis Lazar, and Luke Schenn got traded, with speculation that Brock Boeser, JT Miller and even Thatcher Demko were on the block, or that those players could be traded in the offseason or at the draft.
So they positioned themselves to collect picks, play games, but likely lose, thus get put into better draft position......BUT, now they are %$@!ng winning games left n right, JT Miller looks angry and revitalized (that's a good thing for the team he plays for), and Thatcher Demko has looked like a world class goalie once again since returning from injury.

Soooo, does that mean they try to load up in the offseason and try to be a contender once again? Or do they just stay the course, commit to a rebuild, and try to find homes while getting nice hauls for Demko, Miller, and Boeser?
Maybe even eat some salary to move Oliver Ekman-Larssen, seeing as how NO ONE will take him at current cap hit value?

What about Boudreau? Do they give him a do-over? Did they really think he was the problem?
Who knows with this franchise. Just when I think I have them figured out, and have the answers to the questions, they go and get expelled from school....

And on the subject of "Bruce Boudreau":

Nice to see him back at the NHL Network studios lending his expertise, knowledge, and unique insight from the perspective of a long time, and recent, NHL head coach.
He oftentimes says things, talks about things, and point out things that seem to escape the average sports journalist...probably because he stood right behind real NHL players for so many years, as opposed to just watching them on TV like us fans and many journalists do.

Personally, I think that gig, which he had before Vancouver came a-calling, suits him well.
Is he sitting around yet again to see if another team wants to give him another shot?
He probably considers his career 'incomplete' because that Stanley Cup has always eluded him despite having some really good teams during his coaching tenure.
Lots of journalists and fans certainly feel he will always be missing that something unless he wins a Cup.

But is that time passed for him? The man is 68. Does he really want to continue to go through the grinds, the headaches, the burnout with the media and fans, that goes with being an NHL head coach?
Minnesota and Vancouver were his most recent attempts, and each time, it LOOKED like the timing was right, but those teams he coaches were very flawed on many levels and for various reasons, he couldn't mold either into what he likely wanted....something in the mold of the powerful offensive Capitals teams, or the mean, in your face Ducks teams, that he once coached.

 

He has had a great career as a minor league player, brief stints at the NHL level (did decently as a Leaves® player in the late 70's/early 80's according to stats), and a very solid, if not Cup winning, head coach at the NHL level.
If he were to take an easy analyst gig, be able to go home to his family at normal hours every day, and just enjoy the rest of his post coaching life, I'd say no one would blame him, and he can still be considered a successful NHL coach.

I dunno Bruce. Don't go jumping at that Columbus, Anaheim, or San Jose job if it becomes available.....long roads for those clubs. And all the teams ready to win now are set at head coach.
Enjoy what you HAVE done and keep being entertaining and informative on TV!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

"Jason Zucker"

Being described by the talking heads as a "Scoring Demon" due to his sudden streak of goals he has put on display over the last several games. 
Not only that, but he is hitting, agitating, and generally dialing up the temperature anytime he is on the ice.

Reminds me of that fantastic Jason Zucker the Wild saw during their best runs with the core of Granlund, Parise, Suter, Spurgeon, Coyle, Nino, and Koivu when Minnesota THOUGHT they had a winning formula.
How long this version of Jason Zucker will last is anyone's guess. Even back with the Wild he could be streaky as all get out, but if he can continue to do what he is doing, drawing all the attention he is and providing some scoring for the team that ISN'T always Sid, MalkinStein, Letang, or Guentzel, then I do like the Penguins chances of grabbing a wild card and moving onto the post season once again.

They likely draw a juggernaut team like the Boston Bruins in doing so, but with the aging Pens, I think they take what they can get as I still feel they are wanting to get at least one more Cup before Sid calls it a career.

Of course, CERTAIN Penguins fans may be disgusted at all this winning and damn Jason Zucker straight to H-E- Double Hockey Sticks for helping to buoy the team's playoff hopes, but well, the Pens simply aren't bad enough to be in the lottery conversation anyways at this stage.
May as well get in the playoffs, see if they can upset a Boston, Carolina, or New Jersey team in the first round, right?

Lottery, lotter, lottery?
Jason Zucker HATES lotteries.  

 

 

Next up, 
"Jordan Binnington"

Suspended for two games for his actions in the loss against the Wild, 8-5. He was terrible, his defense was terrible, he didn't represent his team well in his actions, he is, in fact, a tool.

Marc Andre Fleury even took a penalty and left his crease to try and get a piece of ol Binny, Alex Goligoski mocked him after the MN defenseman scored a goal, and lost in all that was the Blues' Pavel Buchnevich who notched a hat trick....that not many likely noticed due to Binnington hogging the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

And I will finish this post with, the "Ottawa Senators"

Really rooting for those guys to catch a wild card team and make it in, but damn....the Isles and the aforementioned Penguins just refuse to completely fall apart!
On top of that, the Sens would have to get past and or stave off teams like the Red Wings (slumping, but capable of some streaks here and there), the Capitals, Sabres, and Panthers.

Tall order no matter how you slice it for Ottawa. They may have to wait till next year to star in Prime Time. But in order to do that, they should look at getting a solid veteran defensemen, and maybe see where they can score a young up n coming goalie or one in his prime NOW (Thatcher Demko??), that can help put them over the hump.
They are fast already, can score well enough, and seem to have the grit and desire.....they just still have trouble with goal prevention.

The Ottawa Senators. If they can address their deficiencies, I think they are an actual playoff team next year!
And if they aren't, then I can just keep saying they WILL be the following year for the next ten years, like Buffalo fans have been doing up to this point!  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

"TB Lightning at NJ Devils: Part Deux" :

Just tuning in to watch my Bolts take on the Devils in a second consecutive game due to a schedule quirk, and saw THIS on the pre-game....
Kenny "The Body" VenDaneyko! 

 

Is it Wrestling Night in Newark like it was last night in St. Louis with Ric Flair in the house? 
Will there be some goalie fights (or attempted fights) in this one as well? Possibly a blow out, one way or the other?

Not sure.
But always glad to see the big scary man playing the clown.
Hey, I thought he was scary as a kid watching him as a NJ defensemen crunch my heroes Brian Bradley, John Cullen, and Rob Zamuner into the boards back in the mid 90's!

The man is goofy as an analyst, says some really strange things, but at the same time, loveable as well, and while I don't know him personally, I hear from people that do that he is a very good human being to others as well.

Monster on the ice, human off the ice. Sounds about right.
Reminds me of Andre Roy whom everyone said was a complete maniac.
I met him in person, and maybe it was just for us fans, but he was a complete sweetheart!  

Edited March 16, 2023 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[Tomdog]

Nice posts TFG. 
Vancouver is doing what all bad teams do, win when they should lose and lose when they should win. They need a reset. 
I think Bruce would be awesome on TNT. Think about it. Biz a colorful never was, who knows it. Liam a great moderator. Bruce an excellent former head coach with personality and Henric Lunquist a star player who can give the perspective of the goalie. 
That would be awesome. 
 

It’s not surprising that Jason is on a tear, but as always he will get injured right when they need him the most. 
And it’s too bad because I really like the guy, but that has always been his trend. 
I think they let St. Louis off easy last night with the penalties and I would have given Binnington at least 3 games. 
That was clearly intent to injure. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

"Playoff Eliminations"

Obviously this is going to happen as the season winds down, and the teams mentioned are NOT a surprise, but after yesterday's results, both the Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks have become the first official playoff eliminated teams.
Both teams need rebuilds in the worst way and both have pretty good draft capital so they can now start game planning for that.

I foresee some lengthy rebuilds here though. I am not privy to all the prospects these two teams have, but from the little I know, there isn't a ton right now, in their systems that can make an NHL impact.
Some prospects that can use some more simmering, sure, and of course, new adds from the draft this summer, then need to find the right mix of vets who will still be NHL viable in about two to three years.

Plus...are players still avoiding playing in Columbus like baseball players avoid Cleveland?? If so, could be even worse for the Jackets. I would imagine northern Cali would be a nice place for hockey players to want to go play in and the Sharks have been a franchise that seems committed to winning and getting back on track ASAP, but we will see.

The playoff chopping block will be coming for some other teams soon enough.....

[Math]

Not exactly the start you are expecting from your goalies when you are still fighting for a play-off spot.

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1 minute ago, Math said:

Not exactly the start you are expecting from your goalies when you are still fighting for a play-off spot.

 

 

Frankly, I was surprised to see the Preds even still in it.
The bodies they shipped out and the draft capital coming back, looked for sure like they were getting ready for next season.

Part of it could be a team like the Jets falling from the top of the division to almost out of it.
Had Winnipeg stayed solid, I don't think anyone even bothers thinking Nashville has a shot.

But, you are right though.
As long as the Preds DO have a shot, you'd want the goalies to play better than what is shown here. 
Saros for sure....Lankinen? Meh... He is a career AHL'er, borderline NHL'er anyways.