NHL 2017 -Official Discussion Thread

[Smitty-48]

He's got a bomb for a shot, that's for sure.

He crushes people too, like I said, I've seen him live, he was cruisin' around smushin' kids into the glass left and right, he likes to hit, a lot.

[StCapps]

He's got a bomb for a shot, that's for sure.

He crushes people too, like I said, I've seen him live, he was cruisin' around smushin' kids into the glass left and right, he likes to hit, a lot.

Well at 6'7", you would hope so.

[Smitty-48]

He's got a bomb for a shot, that's for sure.

He crushes people too, like I said, I've seen him live, he was cruisin' around smushin' kids into the glass left and right, he likes to hit, a lot.

Well at 6'7", you would hope so.

Exactly, but it's not the case with Nick Hague, Hague is a polite and gentle giant, whereas Rasanen is an arrogant s-o-b with a mean streak a mile wide, I like Rasanen way better than Hague, Hunter knows.

[StCapps]

He crushes people too, like I said, I've seen him live, he was cruisin' around smushin' kids into the glass left and right, he likes to hit, a lot.

Well at 6'7", you would hope so.

Exactly, but it's not the case with Nick Hague, Hague is a polite and gentle giant, whereas Rasanen is an arrogant s-o-b with a mean streak a mile wide, I like Rasanen way better than Hague, Hunter knows.

Maybe the Avs should have drafted him, could have had Rasanen and Rantanen, lulz.

[Smitty-48]

Once in awhile you'll see Hague do something, feels like he has to step up, picks some relatively easy target and then goes through the motions, but you can tell, it goes against his nature, he's really more of a rushing d-man in a big man's body, whereas Rasanen rushes the puck just as well, has just as good of a shot, but without the puck, is in a constant state of boom-crunch-whap-thump, crushing peoples kids and throwing their pelts into the stands.

I don't project Hague to be physical at the NHL level at all, whereas with Rasanen, there's a bit of Laine to him, he don't give a fuck, he doesn't fear, he wants to be feared.

Hague is kind of like Cody Franson, whereas Rasanen is more like Ristolainen.

[Smitty-48]

I'm liking this kid Fedor Gordeev as well, Russian, started playing in Russia, but moved to Toronto ten years ago, so actually grew up in the 6ix, playing in the GTHL, huge Leafs fan, tears of joy when called by the Blue & White, my man Gordy, who knows what he pans out to be, 141st overall is just throwing darts at the wall anyways, so throw him a dart, Dartguy, might just be 6'6" and not much else, but whatevs, he's a homey either way.

[StCapps]

Prediction:
Avs never trade Duchene, he doesn't resign and we get nothing for him. I can see it now, that's just the way the Avs seem to roll these days, just ask Paul Stastny. Either that or we make the Ryan O'Reilly Trade 2.0, realistically best case scenario barring a surprise. Whatever happens Joe Sakic is extremely likely to disappoint me, that I can tell you.

[Smitty-48]

Leafs dodged a bullet, reportedly offered JVR and next year's 1st round pick to the Isles for Hamonic, I'd rather just keep the powder dry than overpay for Hamonic, Hamonic is OK, but wouldn't be a game changer for the Leafs, and he gets hurt a lot. Hamonic is not a possession player, in this era of just move the puck up the ice hockey, Hamonic is only a marginal upgrade on Roman Polak. NHL silly season is where mistakes are made, perfectly fine to go into the next year without making a big splash, see what teams end up sucking, then circle them like a vulture.

I'm OK with just playing JVR's contract out and taking the cap room back, they shouldn't be so eager to run JVR and his 30 goals out of town, nor to disrupt the chemistry between JVR and Marner. Rather just take another year to see how Rielly and Zaitsev play, Rielly was being forced out of his comfort zone by Babcock, Zaitsev was getting his first taste of the league, let's just let them take the offseason to digest, then reevaluate next season, rather than running out to overpay for somebody who might not end up being any better.

Some people seem to have this idea that the Leafs have to go out and get a bruiser on the back end, but I mean, hell-o, Pens, Preds, no bruisers at all, it's a puck moving era, the problem with the Leafs defence was not a lack of bruising, Roman Polak fullfilled that role just fine, the problem with the Leafs defence was coughing the puck up needlessly and then running around in a panic, and there's no guaruntee Travis Hamonic wouldn't do the same thing, in fact he probably would, because he's not a great possession player, in fact Zaitsev's possession numbers were significantly better than Hamonics last year, Corsi and Fenwick, Hamonic's possession stats look more like Polak's.

I'm all for either bringing Polak back, or finding another Polak, but not for JVR and 1st round pick, ffs, get a grip on these people and take charge, Dubas, stopping them from overpaying for a Polak, is what we are paying you to do. Hamonic's numbers have been in decline, the game is getting faster, Hamonic is slowing down, Nikita Zaitsev may not be Colton Parayko, but neither is Travis Hamonic, the Islanders wouldn't be looking to dump him otherwise, so they could pay the younger faster Calvin De Haan, when teams are looking to fleece you, powder dry and just stick with what you've got, grass is not always greener, Calgary is going to find out.

Hamonic will end up being their 4D, behind Giordano, Hamilton, and Brodie, and they just traded a 1st and two 2nds for that? Yeesh. A 1st and two 2nds is Timothy Liljegren, Travis Dermott, and Jeremy Bracco, would I trade that for two years of Travis Hamonic? Not a chance, just stick to the Shanaplan, dummies, don't get off track.

Prediction:
Avs never trade Duchene, he doesn't resign and we get nothing for him. I can see it now, that's just the way the Avs seem to roll these days, just ask Paul Stastny. Either that or we make the Ryan O'Reilly Trade 2.0, realistically best case scenario barring a surprise. Whatever happens Joe Sakic is extremely likely to disappoint me, that I can tell you.

Prediction:
Duchene will be moved eventually, just for not as much as you or Av's ownership are thinking right now; in a cap world, at $6 million, he's just not that valuable, you are expecting and Sakic is asking for other teams A+ future youngstars, and other teams are simply balking and offering a package of B+ prospects and a 2nd round pick. Duchene's stock is meh, at $6 million, that's basically a salary dump for the Avs, similar to Edmonton trading Jordan Eberle, that's the value of a Duchene, he's in the Jordan Eberle zone, and what does that get? Ryan Strome straight up.

Noah Hanafin? Dante Fabbro? Thomas Chabot? "Dream on, Joe, call me back when you're ready to get serious." *click*

There are likely hockey trades available for Duchene, comparable for comparable, straight up, your Duchene for their "Duchene", so the Habs are looking to move Galchenyuk, Duchene for Galchenyuk, the Islanders want a 2C behind Tavares, they might be willing to part with Michael Dal Colle, because he hasn't really panned out as a 5th overall, so Duchene for Dal Colle, Carolina might be willing to part with a young D, but think Hadn Fleury and a pick, not Noah Hanafin, Ottawa might be interested, but they're probably offering Bobby Ryan. Nashville? They prollly offered a late 1st and 2nd and some middling prospects, similar to the Phill Kessel trade. Anaheim? Sami Vatanen is prolly available. St.Louis? Jordan Schmaltz maybe?

If you're selling Duchene now, you're selling low, other teams are not going to buy high, you want rid of Duchene, you have to look at what they want to get rid off, you're selling junk for all intents and purposes, so you're not getting diamonds for junk, it will be junk for junk, or take a lap. Right now, Sakic is just doing laps, other GM's see him coming from miles away, and they'll just wait him out, eventually, Joe will have to capitulate.

If I was Sakic, I would look to Montreal, they're desperate, the Carey Price window is open, but their core is not getting it done, so I would sweeten the pot and offer the whole package, Duchene, Landeskog, and Barrie, complete core makeover, with the centre, the power forward and the top dman, take Galchenyuk back, and their prospects, prolly get the biggest haul of prospects from Montreal, their late first rounders in St. John's, like Noah Juulsen, Zach Fucale, Nikita Scherbak, Michael McCarron, plus their 1st and 2nd next year, then just tank and get another high pick, Rasmus Dahlin if available.

Bergevin is under the gun, he's ripe for the strip mining, I don't see anybody else who could be strip mined like the Habs right now. You're not going to get A+ prospects for your cast offs, but you could load up on B prospects and picks, and Montreal is in win now mode, even though they suck, so they would be the ones who would throw the most B's and picks at you right now, plus Galchenyuk, in sheer desperation.

Duchene is small, yeah, he has upside, but he's not like a Ryan Johansen or a Mark Shieffele, he's not the kind of centre you build a contender around, he's more like a Nugent-Hopkins, who is the 3C in Edmonton, Landeskog has upside, but he doesn't put up big numbers for the money he's paid, and Barrie is a top paring RHD, he's the most valuable commidity, but he's basically a glorified Jake Gardiner, offensively gifted, but weak in his own zone, so I don't see anybody giving up a big haul for that, particularly not with a cap hit of $17.5 million, except maybe a completety desperate Montreal, who has to do something big, right now, before they have to hand Carey Price the blank cheque, and before the wheels fall off Shea Weber.

Not that any of that would ever happen mind you, massive multiplayers just don't happen anymore, picks and prospects are just too valuable, note that Calgary is the only team to trade away their 2018 1st round pick, I have my doubts that the Leafs actually offered their 2018 1st for Hamonic, that's prolly what the Islanders asked, at which point the Leafs I would assume walked away, who trades their first rounders away these days? Stanley Cup champions looking to repeat?

Tell you right now, Sakic is trying to make this happen with the wrong asset, Anaheim is apparently asking "Marner or Nylander" for who? Sami Vatanen?! SRSLY?! Tyson Barrie is the guy Sakic should be looking to fleece people with.

[StCapps]

Tell you right now, Sakic is trying to make this happen with the wrong asset, Anaheim is apparently asking "Marner or Nylander" for who? Sami Vatanen?! SRSLY?! Tyson Barrie is the guy Sakic should be looking to fleece people with.

Especially after drafting two RHD, near the top of the first and second rounds, in Makar and Timmins. We have depth at C and RHD, we should be looking to move Barrie and Duchene, Barrie will no doubt yield the better return of the two.

[Smitty-48]

Plus Duchene could bounce back, he can't be feeling good about his game right now, give him a chance to have a big NHL offseason, then see where he's at next year, if he bounces back and scores 30 again, then you're selling high, I'm a big fan of just standing pat and seeing what the players do in the offseason, one camp Marner looked lost out there, the next camp he looked like Patrick Kane, let. the. cake. bake.

What is Nikita Zaitsev's ceiling? I don't know, but where is he right now? In the gym with Gary Roberts? OK, so lets just wait and see how that goes. You may have the asset internal already, he's was a rookie at the NHL level, give him a chance to digest, he's got the skills, he's highly motivated, maybe he just needs to add some more muscle to go with more confidence and catching up to the pace, so let him put on some more muscle, then see how he is in camp, before you run out and blow yourself up for Sami Vatanen or Travis Hamonic.

What if this kid Liljegren tracks like Nylander? They're coming from the same pipeline, they have comparable skills, so year after next you've got Zaitsev playing like a Hamonic, and Liljegren looking like Karlsson-lite, now what do you do with that Vatanen contract, just when you have re-sign Matthews and Marner, and you tarded Nylander away for Vatanen? You can be in cap jail, just like that, Edmonton is in cap jail already, never throw away A+ prospects for somebody elses overpriced junk, assets will have to be moved in a cap era, inevitably, but that's why you just let the cake bake, and keep the pipeline flowing constant, jumping the gun and making a move before you've let the cake bake, is where all the mistakes get made, Milan Lucic? They couldn't give that contract away right now. Who would you rather have, Lucic, or Draisaitl? What if you have to move Draisaistl because you have to pay McDavid but you can't move Lucic and so are in cap jail?

Me, I like the Big Rig, Patrick Maroon, he did the job Lucic was supposed to do, power forward on McDavid's wing, 27 goals, for what again? $2 million? Asset was internal, such a deal that Big Rig turned out to be, now what are they going to do with Lucic and his 23 goals on the second line, declining at 6 more years at $6 million a year? That Lucic contract is an anchor around their necks, as I said it would be when they signed it.

Here's the former coach of Kingston Frontenac now with the FLA Panther's, on my boy Mel Rasanen, btw;

"They’re both raw, especially Rasanen. It’s interesting — everyone time I would talk to Paul McFarlane, who is the now-former head coach of the Kingston Frontenacs and now the assistant coach of the Florida Panthers, I would ask him about Jason Robertson, who went to Dallas in the second round. Unprompted, right away, he would bring up Rasanen, as in “I can’t believe no one is talking about this guy. How come nobody is talking about Rasanen?” Sure he’s raw, but this guy has sky-high potential. Is he the most fleet of foot? Nope. Working on it. Does he get that bullet of a shot off enough? Nope, but that’s something that he’s working on. He brought up a good point. He said, if it was ten years ago, you’d be talking about this guy as a surefire first-round pick. You’d say, “He’s [Finnish] Chara.” I don’t think, with Rasanen, you’re just looking at size or thinking, “Wow, let’s get him on the blue line.” Of all those picks after Liljegren that the Leafs made, he probably has the most potential. It’s going to take a while and he’s still a project, but when you look at the potential that is there, I think that there is a whole lot of “there there” when you’re looking at Rasanen. That one could be the, “Wow, how did we get him in the second round?” shocker pick."

All I'm sayin', yo, who needs Sami Vatanen? Just let that pipeline flow.