In case people were not aware, the NHL pre-season started yesterday.
For most of the people on here Isles beat Flyers 3 - 2 in OT today, Rangers, Canadiens, Canes, Sens, etc. all play tomorrow (Monday).
NHL.com top 50 players:
50. Zach Werenski (should be closer to the top IMO)
49. Aleksander Barkov
48. Ryan Johansen
47. Dustin Byfuglien
46. Jonathan Quick
45. Oliver Eckman-Larsson
44. Devan Dubnyk
43. Filip Forsberg
42. Max Pacioretty
41. Ryan Suter
40. Phil Kessel
39. Leon Draisaitl
38. Blake Wheeler
37. Jack Eichel
36. Anze Kopitar
35. Jonathan Toews (should be closer to the top IMO)
34. Shea Weber
33. Johnny Gaudreau (should be closer to the top IMO)
32. Matt Murray
31. Artemi Panarin
30. Patrice Bergeron
29. Patrik Laine (will be much higher soon)
28. Kris Letang
27. Roman Josi
26. Joe Pavelski
25. PK Subban
24. Mark Scheifele
23. Ryan Getzlaf
22. Tyler Seguin
21. Duncan Keith
I think that's as far as they've gotten.
Not a huge fan of lists, but for discussion purposes sometimes they're interesting.
Only Canadiens in the top 20 I'd think is Carey Price.
Tavares still to come. Probably Hank I'd guess.
Not sure who else of BBI fan teams.
I'm interested to see how the D situation plays out. DeAngelo and Pionk have looked solid. Staal and Holden look basically the same which isn't a good thing. Just find it hard to believe AV would actually sit two "trusted" vets for two young guys.
AV thinks he's good? I agree with you though. Biggest problem is I don't trust our decision makers. Maybe Ruff has more autonomy on picking his d-men and maybe as a result that means we'll see players used better. That's my only hope because AV's track record is awful.
I wonder if Vegas having a handful of comparable players to Holden (#6/7 JAG's) that they intend to move is making it harder to move him?
I was gobsmacked to hear AV say that Staal was fighting for his job. I think that's Gorts.
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Their options with Staal are limited, but not with Holden. What purpose does he serve?
I wonder if Vegas having a handful of comparable players to Holden (#6/7 JAG's) that they intend to move is making it harder to move him?
Probably. The whole league is waiting for Vegas to be forced to cut guys.
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In comment 13619955 Greg from LI said:
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Their options with Staal are limited, but not with Holden. What purpose does he serve?
I wonder if Vegas having a handful of comparable players to Holden (#6/7 JAG's) that they intend to move is making it harder to move him?
Probably. The whole league is waiting for Vegas to be forced to cut guys.
Then again, the asking price on Holden could be so low that you have to wonder if a GM is really going to hold out for LVK guys (especially GMs who need 2 or 3 Ds)
I was gobsmacked to hear AV say that Staal was fighting for his job. I think that's Gorts.
I don't want Ruff as a replacement if it comes to that. I wasn't a huge fan of his hire. I don't see him as a better alternative to AV.
I agree with your assessment of AV vs. Gorton. Gorton made a comment after the Shattenkirk signing mentioning Smith/Skjei/McD/Shattenkirk as top four dmen - which is at odds with the usage of Smith/Skjei in the playoffs. I forget the exact quote. I think we've seen this disconnect a bit before with Yandle as well.
Aside from the rookies looking more ready than most expected, this kid Letteiri is super disruptive and has some skill.
I was thoroughly unexcited when the signed Desharnais, so his preseason has been a pleasant surprise.
With the Giants looking like shit, I'm officially pumped up for hockey.
Rangers win the Cup.
Calder: Chytil
Vezina: Lundqvist
Conn Smythe: Lundqvist
Rangers win the division. Caps beat the Pens in round one, lose to the Rangers in round two.
Sharks win the West.
Toronto wins the Atlantic. Habs a close second.
No need to watch anymore. You're welcome.
I think the Rangers have a good shot, I bet them when I was in Vegas.
I think the Pens will be tough to beat (obviously?).
Right now I can make a case for probably 10 teams to win the cup and believe it. There are just a handful of teams I think have no shot.
I also think OTT takes a step back. I'll say they miss the playoffs.
I think there are probably 4 teams in each conference I'd say are a lock (assuming no major injury disaster) to make the playoffs. The other 4 spots, nothing would shock me and OTT isn't one of the 4 lock in the East (PIT, NYR, CBJ, and TB)
So they could make it and even win the cup, because in the NHL once you get in, anything can happen as we've seen.
In the West I'd say my 4 locks are DAL (love their off-season), NSH, STL, and can't leave CHI out, but I can easily see ANA and MIN making some noise.
But I'm playing fantasy hockey for the first time this year. Very casual league and only $25 buy in.
It's 10 teams, season-long Roto, and the draft is auction.
Any general advice? Best sites for projections and rankings?
But I'm playing fantasy hockey for the first time this year. Very casual league and only $25 buy in.
It's 10 teams, season-long Roto, and the draft is auction.
Any general advice? Best sites for projections and rankings?
I joined one last year, giving in to the constant nagging of one of my teammates. It's kind of a pain in the ass if you take it seriously. because it's not like football and your lineup changes daily (or can change). You probably already know that.
My advice is pay attention to the scoring. Our league was a h2h 7x4 so 4 goalie categories and 7 player categories, so goalies are important, and having 2 #1 goalies is important, but you need to balance that with the offense since the non-goalie skaters have 7 possible points.
trying to get players who score points and rack up PIMS is good too, because for some reason in our league PIMS are a "positive" stat.
Marchand was the #1 player in my league last year due to that 85 points and 85 PIMS. some flukey stuff too like GWG is a stat, as is shots.
I enjoy watching hockey, not a huge fan of fantasy hockey, but I do it, and it's a small buy in for us too.
for example if I go 11 - 0, that's my record after week 1, my opponent would be 0 - 11.
I joined one last year, giving in to the constant nagging of one of my teammates. It's kind of a pain in the ass if you take it seriously. because it's not like football and your lineup changes daily (or can change).
Yeah, many years ago now I did online fantasy hockey - Molson used to have free online fantasy leagues. If you weren't juggling your lineups every single day, you weren't going to do well. Wasn't worth the hassle.
We'll see how it goes.
I think there are probably 4 teams in each conference I'd say are a lock (assuming no major injury disaster) to make the playoffs. The other 4 spots, nothing would shock me and OTT isn't one of the 4 lock in the East (PIT, NYR, CBJ, and TB)
So they could make it and even win the cup, because in the NHL once you get in, anything can happen as we've seen.
In the West I'd say my 4 locks are DAL (love their off-season), NSH, STL, and can't leave CHI out, but I can easily see ANA and MIN making some noise.
I think TB will make it, but their lack of depth is going to hurt. I don't like their bottom six or D outside of the top pair.
I'm not as high on CBJ as everyone else. I think they're going to fight for a playoff spot with NYI/CAR/PHI.
I'm also not in love with what DAL did. I think Bishop's overrated. I can see them doing well, but they're a higher risk team.
Conversely the only teams we know won't make it are NJ, Florida and Detroit.
The Rangers have question marks like so many of the other teams, i dont get the 'shoe in' stuff. And while the puck possession fad seems to have faded after being treated as gospel for ~5 years there, its still relevant and i'd like to see us be a lot better at it this year to buy in.
Conversely the only teams we know won't make it are NJ, Florida and Detroit.
The Rangers have question marks like so many of the other teams, i dont get the 'shoe in' stuff. And while the puck possession fad seems to have faded after being treated as gospel for ~5 years there, its still relevant and i'd like to see us be a lot better at it this year to buy in.
MTL is not a shoe-in unless you think so because they're a lock to finish top 3 in the Atlantic. They haven't won a game in the PS and have looked bad losing. I'm not someone who worries too much about the scores in the pre-season, but I like to see some cohesiveness and positives. There have been very few.
Plus while I agree on the Metro, the Atlantic should be better this year. TB is much better than last year, TOR is improved, and so is BOS, and let's not forget OTT made it to the ECF.
I consider the Rangers a lock for the playoffs because there is no team with as deep a forward roster as the Rangers. They have size, skill, speed, and they signed the best available D to help improve their Achilles heel.
The 3 best teams in the East are again in the Metro and the Rangers are one of them IMO.
MTL basically traded Radulov, Emelin, Markov, and Beaulieu (plus prospect Sergachev) for Drouin and Alzner. They already lost their #1 prospect D to a broken foot, so no help there.
They should be worse than last year, but probably make the playoffs. If they get in they can do damage, but they're not a lock IMO.
I like it, too many teams with a challenge used it as a timeout, NHL wants to avoid that.
I think this will help.
Of course, given the putrid state of the Ranger power play, I doubt any opponents will care about incurring the penalty.
Of course, given the putrid state of the Ranger power play, I doubt any opponents will care about incurring the penalty.
agree, offsides review sucks.
1. Enough with the vertical plane judgment shit. Make it black and white as it is with sideline catches in the NFL - if (and only if) both skates of a player have touched past the blue line before puck entry - offside.
2. If goal occurs more than 15 seconds after the dispute - statute of limitations. Good Goal (anyway).
....absent these two changes, its still a shitty rule.
And what's the point of charging a penalty now anyway? It seems like they're admitting its a shitty rule, but hey, this will help reduce coaches' challenges a little!
And above all - if you arent going to empower your linesmen refs... which i guess is fine, we do want to get calls right - then with the speed of the game increasing every year, have one instead of two on the ice. If you still want two maybe put one in some sort of umpires chair... even worse than these offsides challenges, too often linesmen skates are ruining breakouts or leading to odd-man rushes the other way. That may even annoy me more than the offside challenges.
Also, cool stat stuff. NHL just finished off a 6 year project where you can now see player stats going all the way back till 1917. Link below.
NHL Historical Stats Now Available - ( New Window )
Rangers stuff with an Islander tidbit at the end of 25.:
24. I’m really interested in the physical research teams do with their draft picks. In the summer of 2015, Chytil was five-foot-eight, playing in a Czech league labelled similar to Junior B. The Rangers looked at the genes around him. His mother is five-foot-10 and a good athlete. His father is six-foot-four, also very active. His brother, who is 20, is six-foot-five soccer goalkeeper. Now, Filip is listed as six-foot-two, with the possibility of adding a little more. It really helped that he jumped from his previous stop into the Czech Elite League, where he played very well. But it’s clear the Rangers invested a lot of time in making the best possible projection of his growth. Very intriguing prospect.
25. The Rangers are quietly thrilled their 21-year-old goalie prospect, Igor Shesterkin, is making a strong case to be Russia’s Olympic starter in South Korea. I’d pencilled in a different up-and-comer, the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin (who is 22) for that job. But Shesterkin, who had a .937 save percentage last season, is at .951 so far for St. Petersburg. His coach there is Oleg Znarok, who doubles as the Olympic team’s bench boss.
Sportsnet - ( New Window )
Shockingly islanders and flyers are both 50:1. I'd put modest money down on either of those teams - I think both make the playoffs and then who knows.
I got 16 to 1 on August 31 at the Cosmopolitan. Same as Montreal, who I also bet. I bet more on NYR though.
1. Enough with the vertical plane judgment shit. Make it black and white as it is with sideline catches in the NFL - if (and only if) both skates of a player have touched past the blue line before puck entry - offside.
2. If goal occurs more than 15 seconds after the dispute - statute of limitations. Good Goal (anyway).
....absent these two changes, its still a shitty rule.
And what's the point of charging a penalty now anyway? It seems like they're admitting its a shitty rule, but hey, this will help reduce coaches' challenges a little!
And above all - if you arent going to empower your linesmen refs... which i guess is fine, we do want to get calls right - then with the speed of the game increasing every year, have one instead of two on the ice. If you still want two maybe put one in some sort of umpires chair... even worse than these offsides challenges, too often linesmen skates are ruining breakouts or leading to odd-man rushes the other way. That may even annoy me more than the offside challenges.
I agree with this and Deej, offsides shouldn't be reviewable. Period.
It's a game played by and officiated by humans. As long as you have methods to ensure the refs are not corrupt, I see no issue with human errors, sometimes it sucks, but I would live with that over the challenge.
Plus when they added a 4th on ice official (two linesman, two refs) you'd hope the errors got reduced.
ESPN - ( New Window )
Rangers stuff with an Islander tidbit at the end of 25.:
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23. When Filip Chytil was drafted 21st overall by the Rangers in June, he shook the hand of New York’s European Scout, Jan Gajdosik, and reminded him of their conversation in a pre-draft interview. In that meeting, Gajdosik said he could see Chytil in a Rangers’ uniform. As he walked up on stage in Chicago, the 18-year-old smiled, “I’m here!” That’s a terrific story, and the rookie forward is pushing hard to continue “being here” into the season. He also told the Rangers he did not expect to go that early, as his agent told him to prepare for a late-first, early-second selection.
24. I’m really interested in the physical research teams do with their draft picks. In the summer of 2015, Chytil was five-foot-eight, playing in a Czech league labelled similar to Junior B. The Rangers looked at the genes around him. His mother is five-foot-10 and a good athlete. His father is six-foot-four, also very active. His brother, who is 20, is six-foot-five soccer goalkeeper. Now, Filip is listed as six-foot-two, with the possibility of adding a little more. It really helped that he jumped from his previous stop into the Czech Elite League, where he played very well. But it’s clear the Rangers invested a lot of time in making the best possible projection of his growth. Very intriguing prospect.
25. The Rangers are quietly thrilled their 21-year-old goalie prospect, Igor Shesterkin, is making a strong case to be Russia’s Olympic starter in South Korea. I’d pencilled in a different up-and-comer, the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin (who is 22) for that job. But Shesterkin, who had a .937 save percentage last season, is at .951 so far for St. Petersburg. His coach there is Oleg Znarok, who doubles as the Olympic team’s bench boss.
Sportsnet - ( New Window )
Chytil earning 2 separate thoughts at such a newsy time is pretty telling. There must be a lot of buzz on him.
Chytil made a massive gains over the year leading up to the draft, but it had nothing to do with the Rangers, by the time of the draft he was picked pretty close to where Central Scouting suggested he should go.
NHL Central Scouting had him 11th European skater in their final ranking, he was the 10th Euro picked.
I'm pretty sure the Rangers investigating into his parents height and how active they are didn't tip the scales to have them select him and isn't some Ernia Adams cloak and dagger stuff the Rangers are doing. He's 6' 2" already. and he played really well in the INTL tournaments. He was going to be picked right around there anyway.
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The New York Rangers traded the wrong goaltender two years ago.
ESPN - ( New Window )
At the risk of sounding like Seth.... that's one of the worst articles I've ever read. I want my 5 minutes back. First of all, Hank had a NMC. Second, an $8mm+ per year contract until age 35. Third, he's been even with Talbot in terms of performance the past 2 years so how exactly did he cost us a chance at a title?
And finally - the article says our cup window is slammed shut. Ok then - well, since hockey threads are pretty much the only reason I come to BBI these days... see ya guys after the rebuild!
I don't agree with it, but I can see why others do. The Rangers decisions on D in 2014/2015 have hurt the team much more than whatever someone thinks Lundqvist is overpaid by.
Kreider - Zibanejad - Zucc
Vesey - Hayes - Miller
Nash - Chytil - Buchnevich
Grabner - Desharnais - Lettieri/Carey
Nieves as a spare.
Defense:
McDonagh - Shattenkirk
Skjei - Smith
Staal - Holden
DeAngelo as a spare.
Fucking joke if Staal - Holden is going to be a thing.
NY Post - ( New Window )
Disappointed about Pionk, but maybe they're waiting to move Holden?
I don't agree with it, but I can see why others do. The Rangers decisions on D in 2014/2015 have hurt the team much more than whatever someone thinks Lundqvist is overpaid by.
Far too much attention has been paid to Hank's salary, with theories like you cant win spending X on a goalie. Teams routinely win with 10+ million in injured or total bust players.
People are now shitting themselves over Hank's bad season. Obviously he's getting older but until further notice Im attributing most of his struggles to the terrible Dman corps he had (including the misuse).
Empire State Development Corp has given no timeline for its decision; it will likely be months before one comes.
Still a ways to go, but the first big step has just been taken.
Islanders submit plan for arena at Belmont Park - ( New Window )