And the season has started!
...fuck, missed most of the first period of the Leafs game.
...fuck, missed most of the first period of the Leafs game.
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The Everything NHL Thread
- Thread starter Jackal
- Start date
Don't worry, you didn't miss anything -- it sucked.
what are you guys talking about, hockey doesn't start until 7:30 PM Central tomorrow
cansucks gonna suck it so hard
Luongo already in playoff form
hey he didn't do too badly...they should swap in cory for the shootouts tho, dunno why but he sucks hard on those lol
o and good job toronto :)
also theres an edit function on this forum bro, as good as your posts are everyone knows you hate the canucks because ur jealous so its cool man
o and good job toronto :)
also theres an edit function on this forum bro, as good as your posts are everyone knows you hate the canucks because ur jealous so its cool man
Hey, look at the bright side, at least Vancouver hasn't rioted yet. In other news, the Sedin sisters are still going to be regular season superstars, playoff duds as always.
This is completely gay. Oilers get like 2 games in by the time everyone else gets in 5. Not to mention they're the last team to have their season opener. Well, in the meantime, I guess I can make fun of Vancouver for choking and Calgary for having no future.
I like how as the years go by, Phaneuf gets angrier:
Have you seen the defense we've put in place this season?
Obligatory pre season playoff projections...1 day late I know.
EAST:
1.) Pittsburgh - basically got really far without Crosby / Malkin; now they should have both healthy for the majority of the season and a full year of a legitimate winger (neal) on their side
2.) Washington - Vokoun for 1.5 million best value of the off season...if washington keeps its supposed emphasis on defense in tact then this will be a fun year for caps' fans
3.) Boston - rich get richer; picking dougie hamilton in the draft will solidify their D in the future but having seguin grow more (wonder if they'll stick him on a wing on one of the top 2 lines) and show some of that slick ability we saw in the playoffs will be sweet. also the whole two legitimate #1 goalies thing gives them a luxury few other teams have (vancouver?)
4.) Philadelphia - i believe in bryzgalov and jagr, and think simmonds fits into the philly culture beautifully (stupid homophobic comments aside). jvr is gonna have to prove he is worth his contract and compensate for those points they lost via richards / carter leaving.
5.) New York Rangers - i hate the rangers but brad richards is an incredible player and he will make everyone forget about drury / gomez. can never bet against lundqvist. hopefully del zotto makes the team and doesn't suck after the first 20 games...again lol
6.) Tampa Bay - obvious regression to mean team choice...but fear of last year's overperformance aside, i love roloson and will never bet against him. if hedman finally gets aggressive and turns into a legitimate #1, this team will be nasty. fully expect yzerman to pull whatever moves need to be done to ensure this team remains in contention.
7.) Carolina - not hearing a bunch of buzz about this team but everyone forgets how young they are and how their pp improved significantly (adding kaberle). cam ward is consistently one of the more underappreciated Gs in the NHL, and if he continues being great they'll get in (also a full healthy season from staal would help)
8.) Buffalo - i believe in pegula. and crazy, rabid buffalo fans. and money. really hoping leino and erhoff moves work out cause it's just pure fun to see any buffalo team in the playoffs due solely to those god damned ridiculous fans.
3 from Atlantic and Southeast and respect to Toronto / Montreal; I expect Toronto to be close. Riemer was lights out today, and I would think Toronto, with that D, competes with Montreal and New Jersey for those final playoff spots. Speaking of NJ, I couldn't homer pick them but if a.) brodeur / parise are healthy b.) they remember defensive positionality is important for the first half of the season this time c.) zajac comes back and doesn't play timidly, I'll have them over Buffalo. That said...all 3 might be too much to ask for...
WEST:
1.) San Jose - Defense wins championships...and getting Burns makes that defense really really damn good. Havlat needs to stay healthy obviously (lol I see he is on IR already) but THIS IS THEIR YEAR FINALLY LOL
2.) Vancouver - Yea, Erhoff moved on...but they have ridiculous defensive depth. They'll get over it. Luongo is a great goalie playoff haters notwithstanding; if he fails, Schneider can more than pick up the pace. Great offensive depth from Sedins + Burrows line to Kesler's line to Malhotra's defensive line...hopefully this team is healthy come playoffs this time.
3.) Detroit - Calling fabian brunnstrom signing to be an incredibly intelligent, valuable signing. Predicting 25 / 25 season for fabs playing in the winning, professional culture (lol at recent dallas). Lidstrom is superman and they basically have the same core - rafalski; they'll contend for 105+ points as usual.
4.) Los Angeles - holy shit, everyone's favorite "next big team" last year adds Richards and Gagne...That makes the entire team so much better due to the talent trickle down on the lines. Upgrade to C2 and LW2 moves Stoll down to C3 (where he belongs) and upgrades C3 as well. If San Jose's defense wasn't looking so incredible, I'd pick LA as my West representative for the cup. It'll be interesting to see quick vs. bernier goalie battle.
5.) Chicago - got their grit; love toews. they'll contend with crawford having a full year under his belt. keith kinda had a down year last year so fully expect him to come out charging ferociously.
6.) Anahiem - As long as hiller is healthy and selanne remains what makes him like everyone's favorite older player, this team will make the playoffs. Perry / Getzlaf / Ryan are beasts and Fowler should continue development as a legitimate offensive Dman.
7.) Nashville - um...dunno what to say here. they'll somehow make it like they do every year? trotz is a coaching legend; deserves far more accolades than he currently gets. does more with little than any other coach in the nhl year after year. pekka rinne / shea weber / ryan suter are human monsters and should keep them relevant should any injuries take out...um...whoever.
8.) Columbus - assuming james wiesnhoweveryouspellhislast name stays on the ice and not in the suspension box, and assuming carter / nash mesh...columbus has exactly what its been missing for a while...a legitimate power play defenseman and a legitimate #1 center. I think those two enough are enough to push this team from the bubble to the playoffs (and a steve mason rookie performance).
That's right, 4 from the central division, and I think even St. Louis will be close with that tantalizing potential from its youth. Northwest division is shameful and calgary might challenge for a while but they'll probably drop off with like nothing to show past iginla line. Minnesota lols at its own D and edmonton is still a few years off from contention. Colorado is another team that has interesting youth but I dunno if Varlamov is the answer in goal (I hope he is as he is a goalie on my other serious fantasy team :P). I expect all of Columbus / St. Louis / Colorado / Calgary / Phoenix to fight for that last spot, with Calgary / Phoenix trailing off near the three quarters mark and st.louis / colorado trailing off at the end.
East playoff finals will be Washington vs. Pittsburgh, with Vokoun finally leading Washington to the finals.
West playoff finals will be San Jose vs. Los Angeles, with that D finally putting the Sharks in the finals.
Washington vs. San Jose for the cup, with San Jose winning it all.
EAST:
1.) Pittsburgh - basically got really far without Crosby / Malkin; now they should have both healthy for the majority of the season and a full year of a legitimate winger (neal) on their side
2.) Washington - Vokoun for 1.5 million best value of the off season...if washington keeps its supposed emphasis on defense in tact then this will be a fun year for caps' fans
3.) Boston - rich get richer; picking dougie hamilton in the draft will solidify their D in the future but having seguin grow more (wonder if they'll stick him on a wing on one of the top 2 lines) and show some of that slick ability we saw in the playoffs will be sweet. also the whole two legitimate #1 goalies thing gives them a luxury few other teams have (vancouver?)
4.) Philadelphia - i believe in bryzgalov and jagr, and think simmonds fits into the philly culture beautifully (stupid homophobic comments aside). jvr is gonna have to prove he is worth his contract and compensate for those points they lost via richards / carter leaving.
5.) New York Rangers - i hate the rangers but brad richards is an incredible player and he will make everyone forget about drury / gomez. can never bet against lundqvist. hopefully del zotto makes the team and doesn't suck after the first 20 games...again lol
6.) Tampa Bay - obvious regression to mean team choice...but fear of last year's overperformance aside, i love roloson and will never bet against him. if hedman finally gets aggressive and turns into a legitimate #1, this team will be nasty. fully expect yzerman to pull whatever moves need to be done to ensure this team remains in contention.
7.) Carolina - not hearing a bunch of buzz about this team but everyone forgets how young they are and how their pp improved significantly (adding kaberle). cam ward is consistently one of the more underappreciated Gs in the NHL, and if he continues being great they'll get in (also a full healthy season from staal would help)
8.) Buffalo - i believe in pegula. and crazy, rabid buffalo fans. and money. really hoping leino and erhoff moves work out cause it's just pure fun to see any buffalo team in the playoffs due solely to those god damned ridiculous fans.
3 from Atlantic and Southeast and respect to Toronto / Montreal; I expect Toronto to be close. Riemer was lights out today, and I would think Toronto, with that D, competes with Montreal and New Jersey for those final playoff spots. Speaking of NJ, I couldn't homer pick them but if a.) brodeur / parise are healthy b.) they remember defensive positionality is important for the first half of the season this time c.) zajac comes back and doesn't play timidly, I'll have them over Buffalo. That said...all 3 might be too much to ask for...
WEST:
1.) San Jose - Defense wins championships...and getting Burns makes that defense really really damn good. Havlat needs to stay healthy obviously (lol I see he is on IR already) but THIS IS THEIR YEAR FINALLY LOL
2.) Vancouver - Yea, Erhoff moved on...but they have ridiculous defensive depth. They'll get over it. Luongo is a great goalie playoff haters notwithstanding; if he fails, Schneider can more than pick up the pace. Great offensive depth from Sedins + Burrows line to Kesler's line to Malhotra's defensive line...hopefully this team is healthy come playoffs this time.
3.) Detroit - Calling fabian brunnstrom signing to be an incredibly intelligent, valuable signing. Predicting 25 / 25 season for fabs playing in the winning, professional culture (lol at recent dallas). Lidstrom is superman and they basically have the same core - rafalski; they'll contend for 105+ points as usual.
4.) Los Angeles - holy shit, everyone's favorite "next big team" last year adds Richards and Gagne...That makes the entire team so much better due to the talent trickle down on the lines. Upgrade to C2 and LW2 moves Stoll down to C3 (where he belongs) and upgrades C3 as well. If San Jose's defense wasn't looking so incredible, I'd pick LA as my West representative for the cup. It'll be interesting to see quick vs. bernier goalie battle.
5.) Chicago - got their grit; love toews. they'll contend with crawford having a full year under his belt. keith kinda had a down year last year so fully expect him to come out charging ferociously.
6.) Anahiem - As long as hiller is healthy and selanne remains what makes him like everyone's favorite older player, this team will make the playoffs. Perry / Getzlaf / Ryan are beasts and Fowler should continue development as a legitimate offensive Dman.
7.) Nashville - um...dunno what to say here. they'll somehow make it like they do every year? trotz is a coaching legend; deserves far more accolades than he currently gets. does more with little than any other coach in the nhl year after year. pekka rinne / shea weber / ryan suter are human monsters and should keep them relevant should any injuries take out...um...whoever.
8.) Columbus - assuming james wiesnhoweveryouspellhislast name stays on the ice and not in the suspension box, and assuming carter / nash mesh...columbus has exactly what its been missing for a while...a legitimate power play defenseman and a legitimate #1 center. I think those two enough are enough to push this team from the bubble to the playoffs (and a steve mason rookie performance).
That's right, 4 from the central division, and I think even St. Louis will be close with that tantalizing potential from its youth. Northwest division is shameful and calgary might challenge for a while but they'll probably drop off with like nothing to show past iginla line. Minnesota lols at its own D and edmonton is still a few years off from contention. Colorado is another team that has interesting youth but I dunno if Varlamov is the answer in goal (I hope he is as he is a goalie on my other serious fantasy team :P). I expect all of Columbus / St. Louis / Colorado / Calgary / Phoenix to fight for that last spot, with Calgary / Phoenix trailing off near the three quarters mark and st.louis / colorado trailing off at the end.
East playoff finals will be Washington vs. Pittsburgh, with Vokoun finally leading Washington to the finals.
West playoff finals will be San Jose vs. Los Angeles, with that D finally putting the Sharks in the finals.
Washington vs. San Jose for the cup, with San Jose winning it all.
I've been following my Sharks news all pre season and from my understanding the number one pairing will be Vlasic/Burns and number two will be Boyle/Murray. I'm all for splitting up Boyle and Burns, Vlasic is a very underrated shut down defender and Burns is a very good puck handler and skater. This off season has me salivating, this is the deepest blue line we've had in our history. Colin White was also a very smart signing by DW, the guy is used to playing against the top line but this season he has the luxury of playing against third stringers. Losing Seto and Heatley is a big cost but I'm praying that Havlat is healthy and fills the role that Seto had at the club as a speedy skater. The biggest question mark looming over our team is what the bottom lines are going to be like. We have a few decisions to make for our opener in regards to the 3rd and 4th lines.
Ps here's hoping Aldaron is a prophet or something!
@ The Edmonton schedule thing, Toronto has two games in the first two calendar weeks ofthe season :P A full week off between games 2 and 3.
yeah fuck that, great start though. let's just not completely crash in the middle of the season and make some false last minute run only to come up a few points short...
Predictions:
East:
1)Pittsburgh - Even with Crosby out for the moment, this team is still has ridiculous chemistry and cohesion. They finally have a legit winger in Neal, and Sullivan looks great in his starting game. Letang and Martin will bring up their defense and Malkin looks rusty, but he's in for a great season this year. Bring Crosby and they're going to dominate.
2)Washington - Upgrades on their depth, adding Vokoun and having Ovechkin hungry for a good year. If Semin would stop being so unmotivated this team would be number one, but as long as he keeps on being ambivalent about playing his best, this team is a number two.
3)Boston - No one else in their division is going to beat Boston. Crazy depth, physical players, a world class goalie, and a monstrous defense. Wondering if Lucic will build on his last season, and if Seguin can step it up.
4)Tampa Bay - I don't see Boucher or Yzerman having a sophomore slump. They have a great offense, and their defense is no slouch. Hedman needs to step up now, and if Roloson can keep his motors (or whatever cyborg machinery he's running) going, they're going to be good this year.
5)Philadelphia - If game 1 was a sample of what the season was to come, then they're going to be a dangerous team this year. However, I'm not reassured on their chemistry. Pronger needs to stay healthy for them to be legitimate this season, and their chemistry must stay together.
6)NY Rangers - Good depth, addition of Richards, and a great 1st and 2nd line will make this team playoff contenders. Staal hopefully recovers from his post concussion syndromes, and Lundqvist will steal many a game in the regular season for them to make it.
7)Buffalo - Addition of Reghr, Ehrhoff, and Leino create a playoff contender. The city is still in Pegulaville at the moment, but I feel overpaying for free agents isn't the right answer to this team. Miller bounces back and plays reminiscent of his Olympic days, and they make the playoffs
8)Montreal - Price carries his team kicking and screaming into the playoffs. I'm not assured on their offense and injuries to their team at the moment. They'll be easy knockouts in the playoffs though.
West:
1) San Jose: Upgrades their defense in a good way, loses two key players on offense, but adds a rather mysterious one in a good way. San Jose dominates the regular season like they have in the past decade.
2) Vancouver: Loss of Ehrhoff bad for power play and 50 points is no small number. However, emergence of Tanev as a calm defenseman, and Ballard playing like the 4 million dollar defenseman he is keeps Vancouver's defense in shape. Samuelsson and Edler will have consistency problems of the course of the year. Second line is still not down pat at the moment, with Sturm still struggling. First line will show why they're one of the best offensive weapons in the league. Luongo has his shitty October, and then proceeds to go god mode.
3) Chicago - Crawford is legit, and Kane, Sharp and Toews are hungry for their cup again. Defense is intact, even with the loss of Campbell, which I feel they'll regret. Great depth, especially with fucking Bolland as their 3rd center.
4) Detroit - Datsyuk and Zetterberg stay healthy and play extremely well as is their usual standard. Their cyborg Lidstrom puts up another great year up, before his retirement. Howard struggles a bit, but bounces back in a strong way.
5) LA Kings - Addition of Richards and Gagne make this team offensively dangerous. Gagne gets injured however (as his normal standard). Kopitar has a career year, and Doughty makes everyone forget his spat over the summer. Quick plays good hockey and the LA kings make the playoffs.
6) Anaheim - Assuming Hiller stays healthy, Anaheim gets in the playoffs. Perry doesn't live up to his Hart season but has a strong season regardless. The RPG line is strong as ever, but their top heavy team worries me a bit.
7) Nashville - Trotz is some sort of god, bringing his team to yet another post-season. Hornqvist and Erat lead this offensively starved team, while Weber, Suter and Rinne shuts opponents down. Their defensive growth also continues with the likes of Blum.
8) St Louis - Good young team barely makes the cut for the playoffs. Halak plays well, while players like Backes put up career numbers to help bring St Louis back in the post season.
East final: Pittsburgh vs Boston
West final: Vancouver vs San Jose
Final: Vancouver vs Pittsburgh (Fuck I wish, Pittsburgh makes me worried as hell).
East:
1)Pittsburgh - Even with Crosby out for the moment, this team is still has ridiculous chemistry and cohesion. They finally have a legit winger in Neal, and Sullivan looks great in his starting game. Letang and Martin will bring up their defense and Malkin looks rusty, but he's in for a great season this year. Bring Crosby and they're going to dominate.
2)Washington - Upgrades on their depth, adding Vokoun and having Ovechkin hungry for a good year. If Semin would stop being so unmotivated this team would be number one, but as long as he keeps on being ambivalent about playing his best, this team is a number two.
3)Boston - No one else in their division is going to beat Boston. Crazy depth, physical players, a world class goalie, and a monstrous defense. Wondering if Lucic will build on his last season, and if Seguin can step it up.
4)Tampa Bay - I don't see Boucher or Yzerman having a sophomore slump. They have a great offense, and their defense is no slouch. Hedman needs to step up now, and if Roloson can keep his motors (or whatever cyborg machinery he's running) going, they're going to be good this year.
5)Philadelphia - If game 1 was a sample of what the season was to come, then they're going to be a dangerous team this year. However, I'm not reassured on their chemistry. Pronger needs to stay healthy for them to be legitimate this season, and their chemistry must stay together.
6)NY Rangers - Good depth, addition of Richards, and a great 1st and 2nd line will make this team playoff contenders. Staal hopefully recovers from his post concussion syndromes, and Lundqvist will steal many a game in the regular season for them to make it.
7)Buffalo - Addition of Reghr, Ehrhoff, and Leino create a playoff contender. The city is still in Pegulaville at the moment, but I feel overpaying for free agents isn't the right answer to this team. Miller bounces back and plays reminiscent of his Olympic days, and they make the playoffs
8)Montreal - Price carries his team kicking and screaming into the playoffs. I'm not assured on their offense and injuries to their team at the moment. They'll be easy knockouts in the playoffs though.
West:
1) San Jose: Upgrades their defense in a good way, loses two key players on offense, but adds a rather mysterious one in a good way. San Jose dominates the regular season like they have in the past decade.
2) Vancouver: Loss of Ehrhoff bad for power play and 50 points is no small number. However, emergence of Tanev as a calm defenseman, and Ballard playing like the 4 million dollar defenseman he is keeps Vancouver's defense in shape. Samuelsson and Edler will have consistency problems of the course of the year. Second line is still not down pat at the moment, with Sturm still struggling. First line will show why they're one of the best offensive weapons in the league. Luongo has his shitty October, and then proceeds to go god mode.
3) Chicago - Crawford is legit, and Kane, Sharp and Toews are hungry for their cup again. Defense is intact, even with the loss of Campbell, which I feel they'll regret. Great depth, especially with fucking Bolland as their 3rd center.
4) Detroit - Datsyuk and Zetterberg stay healthy and play extremely well as is their usual standard. Their cyborg Lidstrom puts up another great year up, before his retirement. Howard struggles a bit, but bounces back in a strong way.
5) LA Kings - Addition of Richards and Gagne make this team offensively dangerous. Gagne gets injured however (as his normal standard). Kopitar has a career year, and Doughty makes everyone forget his spat over the summer. Quick plays good hockey and the LA kings make the playoffs.
6) Anaheim - Assuming Hiller stays healthy, Anaheim gets in the playoffs. Perry doesn't live up to his Hart season but has a strong season regardless. The RPG line is strong as ever, but their top heavy team worries me a bit.
7) Nashville - Trotz is some sort of god, bringing his team to yet another post-season. Hornqvist and Erat lead this offensively starved team, while Weber, Suter and Rinne shuts opponents down. Their defensive growth also continues with the likes of Blum.
8) St Louis - Good young team barely makes the cut for the playoffs. Halak plays well, while players like Backes put up career numbers to help bring St Louis back in the post season.
East final: Pittsburgh vs Boston
West final: Vancouver vs San Jose
Final: Vancouver vs Pittsburgh (Fuck I wish, Pittsburgh makes me worried as hell).
We in Pittsburgh love shootouts, because the Penguins struggle to hold onto leads late and are usually pretty good in the shootouts, as shown last night.
But yeah, high expectations for this team, a round 1 exit won't work this year. Hopefully Sid gets back soon, but who knows.
And Matt Cooke is on pace for 164 goals this year!
East:
1. Washington
2. Pittsburgh
3. Buffalo
4. Philadelphia
5. Boston
6. Tampa Bay
7. N.Y. Rangers
8. Toronto
West:
1. San Jose
2. Vancouver
3. Detroit
4. L.A.
5. Anahiem
6. Chicago
7. Nashville
8. St. Louis
SCF matchup: Buffalo vs. San Jose
1. Washington
2. Pittsburgh
3. Buffalo
4. Philadelphia
5. Boston
6. Tampa Bay
7. N.Y. Rangers
8. Toronto
West:
1. San Jose
2. Vancouver
3. Detroit
4. L.A.
5. Anahiem
6. Chicago
7. Nashville
8. St. Louis
SCF matchup: Buffalo vs. San Jose
