Jump to content

NHL 17-18 Season Chat

Fullright

By Fullright
in NHL

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 93
  • Created
  • Last Reply
motowngoalie Proficient

motowngoalie

Posted
Posted

Well, Winnipeg was a unique situation, and a bit knee-jerk on the part of the NHL. The Thrashers were in pretty bad financial trouble and needed a new owner, fast. Winnipeg had a deep-pocketed owner in True North, an (albeit small) arena, and built-in fanbase. Their franchise value is one of the lowest in the league, however, and probably always will be. You can only milk so much revenue out of a regional city of around 1M residents. FWIW, I'd love to see the Nordiques return, just putting things in the perspective of owners/NHL brass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
IPv6Freely Mentor

IPv6Freely

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, BetweenThePipes31 said:

As much as i want to see another Canadian team in the NHL (It's always blown my mind they invented the sport and have so few teams in the league.), Seattle's market is WAYYYYYYYY bigger than Quebec. Like moose said earlier Bettman and the rest of the NHL execs are seeing green.

It shouldn't. The population size is significantly smaller. The major Canadian cities that could actually support a team already have one. Quebec City is the only other one that's even close. Toronto could possibly support a second team like NY (and Chicago in baseball, LA in basketball and football, etc.) but that's about it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BetweenThePipes31 Newbie

BetweenThePipes31

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

It shouldn't. The population size is significantly smaller. The major Canadian cities that could actually support a team already have one. Quebec City is the only other one that's even close. Toronto could possibly support a second team like NY (and Chicago in baseball, LA in basketball and football, etc.) but that's about it. 

Yea, demographically speaking i can definitely see why there are so few. I just feel like per capita there are more hockey fans and A LOT more people play hockey or are interested in hockey in Canada ,compared to a lot of places in the States that have NHL teams. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
coopaloop1234 Grand Master

coopaloop1234

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

It shouldn't. The population size is significantly smaller. The major Canadian cities that could actually support a team already have one. Quebec City is the only other one that's even close. Toronto could possibly support a second team like NY (and Chicago in baseball, LA in basketball and football, etc.) but that's about it. 

Bingo. We're pretty much tapped out for teams really. Quebec City only has a population of 500,000. Seattle has 750,000. Seattle being on the west coast (fill out divisions), being in the USA (hello TV contracts) and filling a geographical hole in the northwest of the USA is a much more appealing location.

I mean, we only have 35 million people living here, compared to the 323 million in the states. Hell, NYC has just over 8 million people alone, that's almost a 1/4 of our entire population in one of your cities. Our largest city is Toronto with 2.8 million lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
WillyGrips13 Experienced

WillyGrips13

Posted
Posted

I didn’t want a new thread for this.

I don’t really watch hockey nowadays. I put on the Ottawa v Flyers game today. To me, it was hard to watch. There doesn’t appear to be any order. It just looked like ten guys thrashing around. The worst part was no one could defend once the play was in the zone. Defenders are all good skaters today so defending on the rush is decent. But once it comes to each player picking up a man in their zone, it’s embarrassing how players just chase the puck. There appears to be no thinking that goes into defending, just chase the puck. Also attacking players seem to be surrounded by a force field as defenders choose to stay ten feet away from their mark and want to block a shot instead of getting in the attacker’s face. The result is attackers having more time to pass or shoot or even carry the puck. Philadelphia’s second and third goal showed how defending players just roam around aimlessly in their own zone. On the second goal, there were two Flyers unmarked in front of the net as the pointman who was unmarked shot and both players went for the tip. There was one Ottawa player attempting to block the shot from the high slot as the other four Senators were doing rink turns watching the puck. WTF? The third goal was typical last minute of the game “defending”. Two senators ended up behind the goalie, one was hooking his own goalie, the pointmen were wide open and the attacker in the slot had time and space to score on the rebound. What happened to defending?!! The three on three overtime was entertaining. In the shootout the goalies were good, but players refused to shoot five hole and many were missing the net. I just don’t see myself watching this sport if it’s going to be like this.

Sorry for the rant, but I just had to say my peace.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
insertnamehere Proficient

insertnamehere

Posted
Posted

@WillyGrips13 Ottawa is awful this year and the Flyers did have a 10 game losing streak this season. Not exactly the upper echelon of the league. To be fair, the Flyers have turned it around since then. 

How about goaltender interference lately? I was at the jets game on Thursday where Neal broke his stick on Hellebuyck's mask. Also the Allen goal was Thursday night. After that memo post all star break, it sure hasn't improved...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
WillyGrips13 Experienced

WillyGrips13

Posted
Posted

On your first point, fine, neither team is great. However, there should be at least a semblance of understanding of how to defend. Defending should be as cerebral and dynamic as attacking is. Instead it’s just about how fearless you are to block shots. Why not defend smarter instead of harder? It doesn’t help that all scouts seem to care about is offensive upside with no thought to defensive abilities. 

As for your second point, the league cares about more goals and only more goals. I’m curious to know if the desire for more goals is rooted in anything. Does the league think that 7-6 games will increase the popularity of the sport. Is there any data to support that? I seriously doubt consistently higher scoring games will increase the popularity of the sport by those who could care less about it. It also doesn’t help that most hockey people in positions of authority in the league are former out players who have a built in resentment for goalies, so they tend to think goaltender interference should only be called when the goalie losses a limb. Nevermind that a penalty or infraction doesn’t have to be violent for it to be justifiably called.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Moose75 Proficient

Moose75

Posted
Posted

To piggy back on the shot blocking, I scream at the TV watching the Rangers. You have the best goalie in recent history in net. I think he can save a shot from the point.

The league (by league I mean owners and operators because players and fans must hate this crap.) must have a love-hate relationship with shot blocking. On one hand, it creates chaos, rebounds and bounces that even the most elite of goalies can't track in time, leading to more scoring and scoring chances. On the other, it leads to major injuries to big money players, and has shortened careers. Mix this with a newer crop of mediocre starting goalies, and the modern defensive game, and you have a perfect storm for the messy play we've been seeing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mike24 Experienced

Mike24

Posted
Posted

Think the flyers will look to trade for a goalie???  I know hextall hinted at it when Elliot went down.  Today with Neuvirth going down after the first. Seems like a move is on the horizon.  Lyon did play well the rest of the game.

Any thoughts who is available?

unless Nick Foles has a hidden talent as a goalie.. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
insertnamehere Proficient

insertnamehere

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Mike24 said:

Think the flyers will look to trade for a goalie???  I know hextall hinted at it when Elliot went down.  Today with Neuvirth going down after the first. Seems like a move is on the horizon.  Lyon did play well the rest of the game.

Any thoughts who is available?

unless Nick Foles has a hidden talent as a goalie.. 

Mrazek? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Moose75 Proficient

Moose75

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Mike24 said:

Any thoughts who is available?

Carey Price! Patrick + Weise + 1st round pick 2018 for Price. Then again, not enough 3rd/4th liners in the return.

Bad joke aside, I can see NYI pawing off Greiss or Halak. Greiss has a 4.00 GAA though, so hard sell, but he'd be a solid fill in until someone gets healthy that won't cost you too much. Halak would give them a more defined starter, but then you have a three-headed mess when health returns to the others. Would remind me of when he was traded to Washington. Then they can turn around and trade him in the summer.

Others I can see. (Disclaimer: I'm ignoring contract facts because I don't know them)

-Robin Lehner: the most Philly goalie to ever not play for Philly. Buffalo has Minion Mask Man, and Chad "Most Boring NHL Goalie Ever" Johnson. They aren't winning anything this year, might as well give Ullmark his shot. If he succeeds, you have your goalie, if he fails, you get a higher pick. Win/win. Don't think this is likely

-Linus Ullmark: By gar, it's time we freed that man from the hell of Rochester!! Might be risky since he is unproven, and would potentially clog the crease. Don't think this is likely, either.

-Michael Hutchinson: it'd be risky, but with Mason on his contract and Hellebuyck emerging, he's the odd man out. Probably a cheap grab too. 

-Anders Nillson: basically an older, better, Swedish Stolarz, and a really good option to pair with Elliot when he's healthy. I think this is an optimal choice.

-Phillip Grubauer: Long shot, but possible since cap hell awaits for the Caps. I also think he's a 1A/backup, not someone you want carrying the load.

-Jonathan Bernier: Hextall is the one responsible for getting Bernier to play to his fullest when Hextall was Monarch's GM. Could be a connection here. Downside is Bernier's mental fortitude folds faster than an ECHL franchise faced with the pressure of a big sports city. Don't see the Avs leaving the crease to the Perpetual Groin-Rippin' Russian this year though.

-Joonas Korpisalo: By gar, it's time we freed that man from the bench of a filler team!! I'd like to see what he could do given the reigns. He was outstanding the year Bobs went down. Might be a steep price, might be a crease clogger. Love Korpi though, he's got the makings of a damn good starter. His potential is stifled sitting behind Bobrovsky. I wouldn't want to see him go to Philly anyways.

They get Hart, and possibly Sandström, next season so Lyon is replaceable/tradable, unless they see value in keeping him, or don't trust a double rookie tandem in the AHL. I worry Hart will be a Comrie or Fucale type of case with all this hype. Stolarz has lost his chance, or is losing his chance due to meniscus surgery (knee surgeries are a goalie's kiss of death). It also makes trading for a younger goalie like a Joonas Korpisalo a bit risky, since you're potentially clogging your system. Then again, never hurts to have options in net so when stuff like this goes down you're ready. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...