NFT: NHL Thread - Rest of Regular Season/Playoff Positioning

hindsight is beautiful though, I don't think there was a ton of debate though about Makar #1 overall. it was more between Hischier and Patrick and I think the Devils chose right.

I think the Devils chose right with Hughes too and Hughes can be in the Matthews level (not McDavid, but Matthews I think).

I'm just glad 2022 is not an Ekblad or Dhalin year b/c as good as those two are I think what they provide is easier found outside the top of the draft and cheaper in free agency or trade than what Hischier or (likely) Wright brings. Even if they're not McDavid (or Matthews) both project to be or are 1C/2C.

In comment 15735653 Jay on the Island said:

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With the benefit of hindsight the Devils made a mistake taking Hischier over Makar that year. The Devils loved Makar too back in the draft.

Jay, George Rodgers before LT come to mind? Imperfect comp, jk

next two games go in TB but I may haveseverely underestimated how TB would respond to COL speed and more importantly depth.

COL is playing the Johnsons on D.

EriK (who is just past his prime) and Jack (who makes Erik look like Ray Bourque) And for the record I like them both and always felt terrible that Jack Johnson was robbed by his family but if that's not an exposeable D pair nothing is.

Not to mention John Manson (think Justin Braun) in their top 4.

MacKinnon and Landeskog were barely noticeable last night (on the scoresheet). This wasn't damage done by McDavid when you play the Oilers, this was damage done by the Josh Archibald of the Oilers (for example).

Nichushkin, Cogliano, Helm, O'Connor, Newhook, those are the players who won the game last night. Makar was ridiculous but he didn't score until it was 5 - 0. MacKinnon didn't get a point until the 7th goal.

TB is in trouble, but let's see what happens after two games in TB.

Byram,Towes and Makar make up for the other defensemen for sure.
I thought Eric Johnson played well last night.
Helms is hitting everything in sight...wow.

In comment 15735750 Rick in Dallas said:

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Byram,Towes and Makar make up for the other defensemen for sure. I thought Eric Johnson played well last night. Helms is hitting everything in sight...wow.

Lehky is awesome, I tried to tell Rangers fans he'd be a good acquisition and none wanted to send a pick and a prospect (like Lundvkist), he is getting a chance in COL to play top 6 minutes - something he never did in MTL and he's thriving.

he's not the same player as Kakko, but IMO as Fins they share some traits around fundamentals and I think the Rangers should do this with Kakko (just put him in the top 6).

Saw somewhere that the Avs are set up to be good for a long time. I caught a minute or two of last night's game @ the bar & Colorado was up 5-0.

Colorado has scored 4 goals or more in 12 of their games so far in this 2022 playoff run.

and I'm the lunatic for believing high scoring is a quirky outlook in winning a Stanley Cup.

Far out, bro.

Of course all 30 teams would take Makar there knowing what we know now. I agree Nico is pretty much an underwhelming #1 overall though I'm interested to see him next year because he showed a lot more offensive upside the 2nd half of the season.

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and nothing happened

In comment 15735791 Stu11 said:

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Of course all 30 teams would take Makar there knowing what we know now. I agree Nico is pretty much an underwhelming #1 overall though I'm interested to see him next year because he showed a lot more offensive upside the 2nd half of the season.

I wasn't knocking NIco. He was still a solid choice for the Devils and thank god they didn't take Nolan Patrick instead. Obviously at the time nobody had Makar as the #1 overall prospect that year so the Devils made the smart choice of the two just as they did in the Hughes/Kakko draft.

Hischier really came on last season and I think he will have a career year IF he stays healthy which is always the issue with him. The Devils have some real firepower up front and normally I would be very excited going into next season but for the life of me I have no idea why they brought Ruff back. The Devils made a mistake hiring him in the first place over Gallant and now the mistake is compounded by keeping him when Trotz and Cassidy were available. Hell I would have been happy if they replaced Ruff with Kevin Dineen.

- not only is it possibly the penultimate game of the '21 - '22 season, after which we have to wait ~4 months before bullets start flying, but

- am intrigued by whether Cooper can find some answers, because the first two games didn't seem to offer up many: three pair that look overmatched and the forward lines that have looked NYR like in ineptitude in some of their games vs PIT, CAR, and TBL, and

- COL seems to have picked up on Rangers' secret sauce vs Vasiylevsky by shooting high on glove and blocker, but Blueshirts went punk on any sustained pressure in TBL zone--not an Avs problem; will Kuemper be tested?, and

- get a chance to marvel at a bunch of the elite talents in the league;

- to keep it real, Rangers lost to COL 7-3 and 4-2 this season. Some of us maintained pretty much throughout this season that we were not in the same class as the NHL's elite teams and I don't believe, had we managed not to get swept four straight by Tampa Bay (after Games 1-2), we would be looking that much better. It's fun to lace up the skates and not really be wired or gouged by the outcome however it goes.

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lulz

Tampa has won 11 series in a row. They're not chumps. They were just down 2-0 to the Rangers and came back. I know the Avs are better than the Rangers, but Tampa is still alive.

but tonight is a must win.

Get to see these heavyweights go head to head. Cannot be a hockey fan and not be amped to see how this plays out.

had hip surgery, his career is in doubt.

Losing Bergeron (?) and Backstrom in the same off-season would be a big talent drain in one year.

not in the morning skate, apparently a GTD.

Kadri and Burakovsky listed as day to day, not sure either plays tonight.

In comment 15736367 BrettNYG10 said:

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10-0?

In comment 15736407 ColHowPepper said:

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lulz

Damn you.

You made the same joke BEFORE me.

pj, and all, what's your take on him? He's a truck, Kreider-sized at 6'4'' and 210, except that he is producing, steamrolling. I'd been barely aware of the player, as in clueless, until the last couple weeks.

Amount of time taken by refs to overturn that offsides, flawed Av goal.

In comment 15736594 ColHowPepper said:

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pj, and all, what's your take on him? He's a truck, Kreider-sized at 6'4'' and 210, except that he is producing, steamrolling. I'd been barely aware of the player, as in clueless, until the last couple weeks.

He'd always been a defense first, almost offensive zero until this year in COL. I think he made himself some money this off-season as a UFA, and hopefully it's not my team that overpays for him.

Or...maybe like a lot of big hockey players the light bulb takes a little longer to come on and this is the player he is - 50+ point physical good defender - in which case it will be a great signing, lol.

who is going to take the gamble though?

Saves their ass on a great play.

In comment 15736652 Percy said:

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Amount of time taken by refs to overturn that offsides, flawed Av goal.

Very Strome like not to keep the puck inside the BL, Bowen, just drifting into a mindless mistake

Good game so far, pj, tnks

Puts 'em ahead with 3 on 2 nice shot.

If you're successful on a challenge you should get one more. Shame to punish Tampa late in the game for correctly challenging that play in the 1st period.

gets yanked after the Maroon goal - I think the Stamkos goal was kind of soft too.

Mortal after all.

I'd love to see TB even it up Wednesday.

even though I hate TB.

Nice. Glad this isn't a sweep.

Bear given permission by CAR to seek a deal elsewhere.

not sure if they will QO him or not.

He's an RFA.

They do good deep dive advanced metric pre-draft comps between this year's draftees and current NHL player's pre draft stats. The more I read I think the Devils should be open to dealing #2 for a current star or thinking about Cooley or Nemic. The comps are not kind to Slaf to put it kindly.
@ByronmBader is a good one to follow. @jhanHky is another good one.

a way MTL could take Cooley and not pass on Wright.

I wonder how much better Bedard is as a prospect compared to Wright.

Another smurf though.

I like Michkov too, but same thing as Bedard and everyone from Russia is being dinged as prospects due to global issues.

I'm going to change my vote and now I'm thinking this series goes 6 or 7. I'm going to go with 7.

I thought Tampa Bay was dead in the water.

awards show tonight.

Maurice hired in FL.

the NHL is basically just a revolving door/game of musical chairs of the same 32 men coaching each of the 32 teams.

a game time decision.

no issue with any awards.

Technically Josi had a better year in many regards than Makar, but I see no issue with Makar winning.

I would have voted for McDavid as Hart over Matthews, but again no issue with Matthews.

Seider earned Calder. I think another month of the season Caufield could have moved into the top 5, but he was invisible for two months and that sunk him.

Igor ran away with Vezina.

Bergeron probably the least deserving, but sometimes the award that hard to measure, like Selke, goes to the reputation guy.

in, pretty amazing that he's playing.

1 - 0 TBL - Kuemper mask came off - wonder if that's a review?

So you get to stab the goalie in the mask with your stick and all is fair?

In comment 15738414 Route 9 said:

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So you get to stab the goalie in the mask with your stick and all is fair?

the puck hit him in the mask knocking it off.

Ah ok.

In comment 15738423 Route 9 said:

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Ah ok.

I still thought they blew the play dead if that happened, but the crew actually did a good job explaining it.

play is blown dead immediately if the goalie's mask comes off *unless* there is an immediate scoring chance - like there was on that play. learn something new all the time.

goal off Mackinnon's skate ties it.

goes coast to coast (basically) and beats Kuemper with a bad angle backhand (pretty soft goal).

2 - 1 TBL

He truly is a great goalie and only 27

Patrick Kane?

What a GWG by Kadri! Hell of a return