NHL 2017 -Official Discussion Thread

[StCapps]

Sabres hire Phil Housley as their new head coach.

How long before GM Jack runs him out of town?

[Smitty-48]

Sabres hire Phil Housley as their new head coach.

How long before GM Jack runs him out of town?

The problem in Buffalo; meddling ownership kiss of death; Harold Ballard Syndrome. Terry Pegula is turning the Sabres into the Bills on ice, but getting an owner like that to lay off, easier said than done, Leaf fans know.

I get why Phil Housley would take the job, but he's asking for trouble with that owner, once Mr. Sabre gets fired by the Sabres, where's he gonna go from there?

[StCapps]

I know you said Duchene for Hanifin was fake news Smitty, but I'm hearing some rumblings on twitter, that it might just happen. Not going to get my hopes up but if that happens what a steal. Hearing rumblings of Dumba for Landeskog as well.

[Smitty-48]

I know you said Duchene for Hanifin was fake news Smitty, but I'm hearing some rumblings on twitter, that it might just happen. Not going to get my hopes up but if that happens what a steal. Hearing rumblings of Dumba for Landeskog as well.

Stranger things have happened I suppose, but ask yourself, why would Carolina make that trade? A 5th overall pick top pairing D, 6'2", 210 lbs, on an ELC, expansion draft exhempt, who already has 30 pts in 81 games as a rookie... for two years of Matt Duchene at $6 million, and they'd need to use up an expansion protection spot for him on top? They'd have to be totally retarded.

If such a trade came about, hard to believe it would be Duchene for Hanafin straight up, if I'm Carolina, I want more than Duchene, 4th overall pick better be in there too, at least, Hanafin represents the single most sought after commodity in the league, they could do way better than two years of Duchene at $6 million, for Hanafin, it's basically a salary dump for the Avs, Duchene is an overpaid bum at this point.

[StCapps]

Stranger things have happened I suppose, but ask yourself, why would Carolina make that trade? A 5th overall pick top pairing D, 6'2", 210 lbs, on an ELC, expansion draft protected, who already has 30 pts in 81 games as a rookie... for two years of Matt Duchene at $6 million, and they'd need to use an expansion protected spot for him on top? They'd have to be totally retarded.

I totally follow you. Even if Ron Francis is entertaining the idea he's going to wise up before he does something stupid, you'd have to imagine. Slavin seems like a more realistic possibility, but if they are dummies, we'll take Hanifin all day.

[Smitty-48]

Stranger things have happened I suppose, but ask yourself, why would Carolina make that trade? A 5th overall pick top pairing D, 6'2", 210 lbs, on an ELC, expansion draft protected, who already has 30 pts in 81 games as a rookie... for two years of Matt Duchene at $6 million, and they'd need to use an expansion protected spot for him on top? They'd have to be totally retarded.

I totally follow you. Even if Ron Francis is entertaining the idea he's going to wise up before he does something stupid, you'd have to imagine. Slavin seems like a more realistic possibility, but if they are dummies, we'll take Hanifin all day.

Yeah, I could see them moving one of the older more expensive D who require a protection spot, Justin Faulk for Matt Duchene would be a little more realistic, but even then, that would be a stupid trade for Carolina, never trade a top 4 D, unless it is for a genuine number top 2 C, which Duchene is not; too small, he's a winger who can take faceoffs, I'd rather go with Jordan Staal than Matt Duchene, but if you want to trade MacKinnon, OK, now Hanafin is on the table.

[StCapps]

A soft center is still a center. You don't have to be Malkin-Matthews-Getzlaf size and strength to be a top two center in the NHL.
/shrugs

Duchene is a center, just because he's got holes in his game doesn't mean he isn't a top 2 center, he just needs talent to play with who can cover his weaknesses and emphasize his strengths, he worked great with someone like O'Reilly on his wing for instance. Duchene is just a winger who can win faceoffs my ass, just because he can play wing too doesn't make him a winger, being soft doesn't help you win board battles, and the lack of size doesn't hurt him on faceoffs at all.

Unless Duchene goes to a team with two great top 2 centers, he's going to be playing second or perhaps even first line center. You are reading too much into him being played on the wing in international competition because Canada is so stacked at center, but there aren't many NHL teams who have anywhere near that depth at center, especially Carolina.

[Smitty-48]

He a classic Tweener, better than a pure Winger, but too small to be a full Center, you can play him at Center, but you'd be out of your mind to trade a franchise blue chip big frame top 2D like Hanafin, for an overpaid underperforming Tweener like Duchene, again, just stick with Jordan Staal, he's more effective than Duchene, and he even had more points last year.

[StCapps]

He a classic Tweener, better than a pure Winger, but too small to be a full Center, you can play him at Center, but you'd be out of your mind to trade a franchise blue chip big frame top 2D like Hanafin, for an overpaid underperforming Tweener like Duchene, again, just stick with Jordan Staal, he's more effective than Duchene, and he even had more points last year.

Recency bias on full display if you think Jordan Staal is better than Matt Duchene, because he had more points last season. Duchene is 50-60 point a year center who is one of the best faceoff guys in the league, you are under-rating him because of a down year. Still I wouldn't trade Hanafin if I was Carolina, but if they want to go crazy, I'm more than happy to exploit their foolishness, if they think he's the 70 point center he was in Roy's first year. Done and done.

[Smitty-48]

He a classic Tweener, better than a pure Winger, but too small to be a full Center, you can play him at Center, but you'd be out of your mind to trade a franchise blue chip big frame top 2D like Hanafin, for an overpaid underperforming Tweener like Duchene, again, just stick with Jordan Staal, he's more effective than Duchene, and he even had more points last year.

Recency bias on full display if you think Jordan Staal is better than Matt Duchene, because he had more points last season. Still I wouldn't trade Hanafin if I was Carolina.

I'd rather have Staal, big frame two way, power game down low at both ends, they've got Jeff Skinner, Elias Lindholm, Sebatian Aho, Viktor Rask, and Teuvo Teravainen, why do they need Matt Duchene, particularly at $6 million, for only two years, coming off his worst season ever, for any of their blue chip D? They'd be crazy to make that trade.

For Hanafin? That's crazy talk, Hanafin is better than Sergachev, and Sergachev just fetched Drouin, which means Carolina could have had Drouin for Hanafin, but they passed on that for Duchene? Fake News.