OOMike
The Great One 
Posts 3673
Registered 1-3-2002 Location Columbus, OH Member Is OnlineMood: same ol same ol
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| posted on 5-8-2017 at 12:35 PM |
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To be honest, with that much room on the ice, I don't think the Legion of Boom will be able to check anyone.
Prejudices are rarely overcome by argument; not being founded in reason they cannot be destroyed by logic � Tryon Edwards
Never let the facts interfere with a good rant.
The only OO columnist that has never written a column.
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3412
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-10-2017 at 04:33 AM |
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Yup, you're probably right... I got so focused on thinking about great.... er, I don't want to say threesomes... that I forgot that
yeah... 3 on 3 there would be a lot of room on the ice.
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PB-13
Showstopper
Posts 862
Registered 7-27-2002 Location Belleville, IL(near St. Louis) Member Is Offline Mood: No Mood.
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| posted on 5-17-2017 at 07:20 AM |
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The annual tradition continues: God damn it, Blues.
-PB
RIP My Friend Mark, 1991-2016
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bigfatgoalie
The Man
Posts 6501
Registered 1-16-2002 Location Stratusphere Member Is Offline Mood: Stratusfied
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| posted on 5-26-2017 at 04:54 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by bigfatgoalie
Atlantic = Tampa
Metro = Pittsburgh
Pacific = LA
Central = Chicago
Playoffs
Pens over Tampa
Nashville over Calgary
Pens over Nashville
Hart = Crosby
Art Ross McDavid
Norris = Suban
Calder = AUSTON MATTHEWS
Extra Prediction = Wings miss playoffs, Habs trade their captain, Columbus fires Trots in November and instantly goes on a winning streak.
ETA ...
Fuck anybody who thinks Canadians have to get behind the last team from Canada in the playoffs. It's beyond stupid.
[Edited on 10-13-2016 by bigfatgoalie]
So I'm sticking with Pens over Preds.
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3412
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 5-28-2017 at 04:36 PM |
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So yeah... I suck in picking...
I think this could be a very good series as you basically have the best offence in the game versus the best defense; with the added problem that most
teams are missing some key guys.
I think for the Pred's it will come down to how well whomever they can slot into Johansen's spot responds; It will probably have to be a
by committee approach to an extent, but someone is going to have to lead the way up the middle. With the Pen's it's often as goes Crosby
so goes the Pens, and Crosby has been doing a hell of a job proving why he's still the best player in the game. The Pen's keeping
what's left of their D-corps healthy will also be key.
I also am not sure who I actually want to win this year either... Hard not to like either team; the Pens have a number of great players and are a well
put together organization, and while the Pred's do have superstars; they seem to fold into the team with a team first vibe more so than on other
star driven teams... so gotta love how much has gone into building the team and what they've achieved. In the end I don't really care
which team wins; I think good hockey will win out over what should be a long series, but for the sake of the increasingly rare repeat I'll give
the edge to the Penguins.
*Buzz out of Ottawa is that playoff warrior Bobby Ryan might be exposed in the expansion draft; the prevailing thinking is that with a $7 million
dollar a year contract with several years left on it exposing Ryan is kind of a calculated risk that L.V. won't take a player/contract like that
this early in their team building and if they do it might be a win by subtraction for the Sens as $7m a year in cap space with several players likely
looking at good size raises wouldn't be a bad thing.
Of course expansion lists haven't been announced yet and teams are still jockeying around to pick up various mid value journeymen to expose in
lieu of their middle of the pack younger talent, and you will still probably see some trades as teams try to get something for a guy in lieu of
exposing him for nothing... so who knows how those lists will look in the end.
Players with less than 2 years of pro experience are exempt from the draft; so teams like the Leafs and Coyotes are expected to be sitting fairly
pretty by being able to essentially have their cake and eat it too in that they can protect most of their vets and don't have to worry about
losing a rising star.
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bigfatgoalie
The Man
Posts 6501
Registered 1-16-2002 Location Stratusphere Member Is Offline Mood: Stratusfied
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| posted on 6-12-2017 at 05:04 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by bigfatgoalie
quote:
Originally posted by bigfatgoalie
Atlantic = Tampa
Metro = Pittsburgh
Pacific = LA
Central = Chicago
Playoffs
Pens over Tampa
Nashville over Calgary
Pens over Nashville
Hart = Crosby
Art Ross McDavid
Norris = Suban
Calder = AUSTON MATTHEWS
Extra Prediction = Wings miss playoffs, Habs trade their captain, Columbus fires Trots in November and instantly goes on a winning streak.
ETA ...
Fuck anybody who thinks Canadians have to get behind the last team from Canada in the playoffs. It's beyond stupid.
[Edited on 10-13-2016 by bigfatgoalie]
So I'm sticking with Pens over Preds.
So Phil Kessel is a 2 time champ, as everyone saw coming.
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3412
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-12-2017 at 09:05 AM |
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Congrats to Crosby and the Penguins on repeating; tough to do in this era, and with them likely to send Fleury off either via expansion draft or trade
freeing up almost $6 million in cap space (although you've gotta imagine that's already earmarked for Murray), and a pipeline full of good
D-men there's no reason they can't be competitive for the next few years with the core they have.
*Buzz is that a core member of the Blackhawk will be traded, as while the team has managed to shed a few burgeoning contracts to get under the cap in
prior years and then make do with some up and coming NHLers or fringe players to compliment their core, their problems with cap seem to be worse then
ever. One deal that has been heavily rumoured is that Krueger will go to Vegas and in exchange they will expose Trevor Van Remsdyk (kid brother of
Toronto's James) for the taking. Other moves are expected that will impact the core as a one step back, two steps forward view is being taken...
problem is Chicago has a lot of guys with NM clauses.
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3412
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-24-2017 at 07:05 AM |
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So Saad is back with the Blackhawks, with Panarin going the other way to the Jackets. Schenn is now a Blues member, Eberle goes to the Islanders, and
Montreal lands Drouin... busy week.
Still lots of talk about Galchenyuk, and Hamonic being in play- with all the GM's doing day two of the draft tomorrow who knows what else we
might see.
I'd love to see the Leafs land one of Methot or Hamonic- I think Methot's ruggedness would fit a bit better for what the Leafs need, but
Hamonic would be a welcome (and cheaper) addition as well. Despite losing Leipsic in the expansion draft the Leafs still have some pieces that could
be used to net a good D-man; Brown, Rychel, Griffith, Leivo, and even Kapanen have all been linked to various rumours. I think Brown and Kapanen are
bigger pieces that maybe aren't in the one for one range, they would at least be more centrepiece trades that you might compliment with a 2nd or
third round pick; whereas Griffith and Rychel are likely a bit more disposable, but would probably need to be packaged together with a first rounder
or something like that... Leivo is intriguing as Babcock doesn't seem to like using him, but he put up some good points in a limited amount of
games, and the Leafs did choose to protect him.
Feel bad for Ottawa losing Methot- I mean it is what it is, but thanks to some various expansion rules they can't even trade for him back until
2018. Tough spot for Phaneuf- he's likely to be blamed for the loss of Methot for not agreeing to waive his NMC, but such was his right to do
so.
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3412
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 7-1-2017 at 09:27 PM |
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Looks like both Methot and Hamonic found new homes; Calgary looks like they could be boasting one of the best defenses in the league for the next few
years; here's hoping Smith can hold up between the pipes and they can find a bit more depth up front- if so they'll be tough to stop.
So today is the big free agent day in the NHL and it's a bit surprising to see how much restraint is being showed by GM's everywhere- not
that oodles of cash aren't being handed out like every year, but the Caps resigning of Oshie at 8 years, and Orlov at 6 years are the only
contracts handed out during the silly season longer than 5 years... even the biggest name in Shattenkirk only got 4 years, and many others ran shorter
than that. (Forgot about Alzner- he got 5 from the Habs)
I wonder if this might be a two-fold reason:
*The current CBA ends in 20-21 I do believe- and with things till being terse between the NHL and the NHLPA over various issues (the cap, the escrow
payments, Olympic non-participation) teams may not want to be handcuffed into paying money if there is a new lock-out/strike for that season, and who
knows what the new CBA landscape will look like after that so they'll want financial flexibility.
*Connor McDavid's rumoured $13 million plus a year deal is a game changer- yeah it maybe makes sense for a generational player like him to get
the big bucks, especially when you consider stuff like the cap probably going up to match those kind of increases in later years where the percentage
of his cap hit kind of balances out- but the trickle down effect is going to be a bitch, and is likely leaving teams re-evaluating their own internal
projected payroll structures- like what do you sign Draistil for now? If Matthews is going to get close to, or equal to McDavid money what do you sign
Marner and Nylander for? Johansen in CJB for example is rumoured to be asking for $8.5 a season.
[Edited on 7-1-2017 by Flash]
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3412
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 06:40 AM |
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I like the Leafs signing of Moore and Hainsey; both will bring some PK skill, and veteran experience to a young team.
Hainsey is probably a 5-6 defenseman, and as such $3 million is a bit much- but he'll be able to play higher on a lot of nights while still
bringing a bunch of intangibles- plus the $3 million isn't that much, and it comes off the books by the time Marner and Matthews will be getting
raises.
Moore gets Boyle's fourth line job at a bargain basement $1 million- he had like a 54% faceoff percentage with the Bruins last year which is an
area the Leafs need help in. He can kill penalties and like Hainsey can play more minutes than just on the 4th line as needed- I usually trade or sign
for him when I'm playing my NHL 17 as I was a big fan of his when he had his first go around with the Leafs several years ago, so I like
this.
The Leafs are said to be heavily involved with trying to land Marleau- I like what the guy can do on the ice, but heart has been a frequent criticism
of the Sharks in the playoffs, and going from having your whole career in a city where you spend your off days on the beach to the pressure cooker
that is Toronto hockey might not be the best fit. I like the two veteran signings, and I get that complimenting our very skilled talent at a time when
they are still cheap makes for a small window, but I'd rather see us continue to build from within and see what some of the rookies down on the
farm can do, or how our returning young guys fare in year 2.
One rumoured name I like is Cody Franson- He's a big guy, right handed shot, and coming off some down years in Buffalo he likely won't be
too expensive. As an ex-Leaf he knows the market, and apparently never wanted to leave when he was traded. I'd be curious to see what he can do
under Babcock... again barring a trade though; with Gardiner, Reilly, Hainsey, Carrick, and Zaitsev all filling up spots for you, it might be a good
idea to promote from within for those last two spots as there is no shortage of close, but maybe not quite there yet talent in the system for the blue
line.
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