The NHL Thread

[mvp 78]

Yeah, let's just keep all our players and hope the NHL starts a senior circuit.

 

I'm not blaming Ference, Peverly, Kelly, etc for losing to CHI. It's just silly to say there shouldn't be any improvements. Plus, with the salary cap going down, they're likely to lose a few players just to squeeze under the cap.

[Dojji]

Ference Jagr and Peverley gone. I think Kelly stays. I think his checking and PK ability are invaluable for the deopth of this team and we're going to be making big sacrifices in personnel on the PK no matter what we do -- I don't think we can lose all of Ference, Pevs, and Kelly and still maintain our PK effectiveness.

 

I think we have the scratch to keep everyone else as long as we aren't determined to bring in new blood in the forward corps -- which I don't think we actually need.

 

I think we should seriously consider losing one of Seidenberg and Boychuk. We need a faster skating defense if we want to get to the next level, that's what the young guns proved to us in the middle two rounds (and what the final round proved to us when the young guns came off the ice).

 

Given my druthers, of the two, I grit my teeth and move Seids. Boychuk is a little younger and a little stronger, and I like his defensive style a great deal when he can keep his head and stay on position. He also was a force for us these playoffs in a way Seids really wasn't.

 

If we want to keep the defense we have, then we need to find a new home for Rask and upgrade at forward, because I don't think it gets better unless we manage to get faster somewhere. I think getting and faster on the backend in excuange for smaller size is the smarter of the two ways to improve.

 

Here's my preference:

 

Lucic-Krejci-Horton

Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin

Spooner-Kelly-Soderberg

Merlot

Daug as 13th.

 

Don't see a lot of weaknesses in that forward corps, and I think this is the big reason why you keep Kelly -- if you're promoting both Soder and Spooner, you need a veteran center between them and Kelly fits that particular bill nicely..

 

Chara-Hamilton

Boychuk-Bartkowski

Krug-McQuaid

 

Rask

Svedberg

 

 

Bring in some big body to play 7th D and be a good positional guy.

[jung]

Well now what...we were thinking we would move guys around to keep Horty and now Horty walks. I wonder if the concussion issue really has him spooked. I think he is looking for a soft cushy spot, like back in Florida where nobody will bother him for coasting through regular season games. There he could play out his career at $5M plus comfortably. I don't expect to see Horty on a cup contender but I could be wrong.

[redsoxrules]

I can't beleive that Boston trade Seguin. Bad move IMO

[Northern Star]

I can't beleive that Boston trade Seguin. Bad move IMO

 

He's only 21 right? And they are writing off any chance of him maturing? Dubious move.

[yeszir]

Man Seguin was probably my favorite Bruin

[mvp 78]

Well now what...we were thinking we would move guys around to keep Horty and now Horty walks. I wonder if the concussion issue really has him spooked. I think he is looking for a soft cushy spot, like back in Florida where nobody will bother him for coasting through regular season games. There he could play out his career at $5M plus comfortably. I don't expect to see Horty on a cup contender but I could be wrong.

 

Then why was he visiting Columbus?

[mvp 78]

He's only 21 right? And they are writing off any chance of him maturing? Dubious move.

 

It's not like baseball, hockey players mature faster. Stamkos didn't need 4 years to learn to score. He's fast, but not a first line winger and will be highly overpaid the next few years. If you can't score at 21, you aren't scoring at 25. He didn't fit Boston's playing style and did jack s*** in the playoffs.

[Dojji]

The return seems solid, and fits Boston's MO if trading 1 stud for multiple chances at solid contributing players.

[redsoxrules]

It's not like baseball, hockey players mature faster. Stamkos didn't need 4 years to learn to score. He's fast, but not a first line winger and will be highly overpaid the next few years. If you can't score at 21, you aren't scoring at 25. He didn't fit Boston's playing style and did jack s*** in the playoffs.

 

In all fairness he was robbed quite a few times in the playoffs and I thought he played very well.

[mvp 78]

In all fairness, he played like garbage.

[mvp 78]

Hello Iginla. Goodbye Horton. Seven year contract for him is ridiculous considering his injury history.

[jung]

Why sign Horton for seven years. What...do they actually think he will have the afterburners glowing during the regular season there? Horton was looking for a nice soft landing zone someplace. Not only did he find it but he has it for seven years. I really don't blame him given the concussion situation. Just surprise he got seven years out of it.

[Northern Star]

Those new divisions:

Pacific

Central

Atlantic

Metrosexual

[Northern Star]

Shouldn't Scott Gomez be retiring instead of signing with another team? Poor Panthers....

[Navafan29]

I'm finally over not winning the Cup. Our magical comeback vs. the Leafs still allowed us to become champions of the East, even if it didn't take us all the way. Can't wait for next season; I've never really watched regular season hockey before.

[Northern Star]

So if you want to go to a home game in St Louis or Nashville against the Blackhawks, you can only get tickets by purchasing at least two other non-Blackhawks games. I guess they don't want their arenas taken over by Chicago fans. ********.

 

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/morning-skate/blues-single-game-tickets-go-on-sale-saturday/article_0ec40853-0a3b-5104-b23f-e742bc82abea.html

[Wasatch]

The Bruins are coming!

[Navafan29]

I counted 5 fights in the Capitals/Bruins preseason game today. Take it eeassy it's only the preseason... We outshot the Caps by a lot. Our overtime goal was really satisfying - a wide open shot for Kelly.

[jung]

There has always been more fights than you would expect pre-season NHL, especially since the league has been handing out suspensions and the like. I think guys are trying to establish their relative positions as the leagues bullies before the regular season gets going and the games really count for something.

 

I think the funniest thing I have seen is the almost gentle manner guys are using to remove each others helmets before a fight. Guys who used to rip their helmets off their own heads are gently removing the helmet off the head of a guy that they are about to try to blow up in a matter of seconds. It is almost like the players are trying to make sure an injury does not occur while they are working their way around the new NHL rule about removing your own helmet.

 

"Pardon me while I unbuckle your strap". "Excuse me while I get the helmet over your ears".

 

It is almost like the players do not want to give the league more excuses than it already has to try to close this loophole in its new rule.

 

Truth is, the can't legislate fighting out of hockey and hockey is all the better for it. Without fighting we would have more of these stick slashing incidents where a guy can really get hurt. The league really should pay attention to the cheap shots and try to rid hockey of those. Never mind trying to stop two equal size guys from squaring off one on one. Nothing wrong with that.

[Navafan29]

I guess intimidating the opponent is part of the game's strategy, especially if you don't want them screening the goalie on your turf.

[Dojji]

Apparently Tim Thomas signed, or is close to a contract, with the Panthers.

 

Looks like a solid move on both sides. Playing the role of starter until a rookie can transition into the #1 role is a situation Thomas gets, since it's pretty much all the Bruins ever thought he was supposed to do except for the unfortnate fact that he kept proving them wrong every year. And it'll be nice to see him in the league again.

 

If the Panthers' young stud thinks TT is going to surrender the job easily though, he has a surprise in store. Rask found that out the hard way, and Rask is probably better than the Panthers' heir apparent. I still think having to compete with a warrior like Thomas for playing time helped shape Tuukka into the stud he was last year, one more thing to be grateful to #30 for.

Edited September 26, 2013 by Dojji

[Navafan29]

Thursday, November 7th at 7pm on NESN

 

Panthers @ Bruins

 

Possible Rask vs Thomas showdown. I might be busy on this date... dang

[Northern Star]

Thomas is a buffoon, btw.

[Dojji]

Your attempt to troll is noted and dismissed. Moving on...

[Navafan29]

"I know we wouldn't have won the cup without Thomas, but I just want to forget about him because he's a Republican."

 

-Some fans

[Dojji]

Well he's a little farther right than even most of the GOP, call him a radical right winger most conservatives (like myself) will agree, but my position on that whole debate all along has been, as long as Thomas doesn't advocate sedition or violence against the government, why in the everloving hell is it any of our business?

 

All this because the man didn't want to be used in a photo op by a President he dislikes. That should be his right as a free citizen, unless specific contract requirements state otherwise, and it was made clear at the time that they didn't.

 

If this team could get along with "Jurassic Carl" Everett, I don't see why "Tea Party Tim" Thomas should have been singled out the way he was. His political outlook as such should have been used as fodder for jokes by the talk show crowd, and the occasional "humorous" one liner by Jack Edwards (if we'd beat the Caps that one series, I can just imagine the full Jack monologue that would have ensued). that should have been the end of it, and it's embarrassing to this region that it wasn't.

Edited September 27, 2013 by Dojji

[mvp 78]

"I know we wouldn't have won the cup without Thomas, but I just want to forget about him because he's a Republican."

 

-Some fans

 

This has never been said by anyone.

[Northern Star]

The Sabres have named co-captains. One for home games and another for road games. Is this for serious??

[redsoxrules]

The Sabres have named co-captains. One for home games and another for road games. Is this for serious??

 

There's actually 3 lol. In addition there will still be the assistant captains.