travel_dude

I'm less concerned about the Vegas pick, but a win does put the pick in 2025 where everything is possible. If they lose in round 1 as the 2nd WC holder, then they are possibly picking 17th in this year's draft. That means a relatively early 3rd rounder, so there is some upside. In fact, STL could win out and bump Vegas to outside the playoffs. Vegas doesn't look like the same cup threat this year. VAN, assuming it wins in R1, faces the next up Pacific team. It's a crazy year. Dallas is one win one loss and one tie from clinching 1st in the West. Only Vegas and LA have not clinched in the West.

How many Pasta's are available every draft year at 25+? Who did he play with in his D+1 year? 25 year old Marchand and 30 year old Bergeron. On another team he may have been more of an afterthought. I never thought Holloway was a good pick. Name some others that I may be more interested in. Holtz for a 1st? Bad example.

Coleman out day to day. Not sure of who is coming in, but likely Hunt and Duehr in. Mangiapane was able to play last game, so one less. Kylington skating, but as an extra D. I don't think there is a need to bring him back unless he is 100%. Even then, these are meaningless games and you can evaluate others.

The flip side to that is that a team may decide they have too many prospects they have to deal with and a blockage at the AHL and NHL level. They might not be that impressed with a prospect's development and feel he needs a change. This kind of deal might just happen on the draft floor when player X is available to the Flames 2nd pick and a team desperately wants it. Think about it this way. We have a team with little prospects in the 18-20 range that seem to be definite game changers. Adding a nice 1st round pick gives us a potential middle 6 player eventually. Unless we are adding some top players in this and the next few drafts, we are not building that new generation.

Perhaps I misspoke. I was referring to French language rules enacted in Quebec that are different than the other provinces that have NHL teams. I won't pretend to understand how they would or may impact a NHL team. Are there rules about advertizing in Quebec that would preempt NHL plans with gambling sites and new promotions on player jerseys? Is Montreal grandfathered to older rules that existed that would not be available to a new team? By comparison, the USA is the wild west. Some states have things that may prevent a NHL team from thriving, but mostly they seems to be falling over themselves to welcome a new team. I don't see Bettman falling over himself to even talk about Quebec as a real player. When pressed, he talked about Kansas City, Utah and Houston in more concrete terms.

If they add more teams, there will be more likely a play in round. Maybe like the Covid Cup. Gotta make the 82 games even less important, right? Add an extra week into the schedule and you are close to July. Seattle made sense because of the under-represented Pacific NW. Houston is cool, but only happens if Utah gets a team. Quebec City gets nothing because it is all French and the league is scared of the rules. MTL is one thing, but that's original six. Utah may end up with Arizona's team, but expansion takes a long time. Teams need enough lead time to plan for it. NHLPA would love it because the mid players get more money and keep talent in NA. Owners love it because the revenue for a new franchise coming to them is nice. I prefer to keep to 32.

Phoenix really messed up the team. Perfectly fine stadium to play in and they whined about it being too far to drive. Then they want to go to Tempe, nope too close to the airport lands? Next they want to enter the land draw in Phoenix, but nope too close to Scottsdale and water concerns? Give me a break. Bettman forced the issue with the current stadium being too small, so they got backed into a corner. Should have just let the Blackbery guy put it in Hamilton and it never would have gotten to this stage. But anyway, the league is just the right size. 16 in, 16 out. Revenue only got messed up due to Covid. But Bett-man wants more money, or so he is being told. Utah needs a team like I need an extra hole in my head. Nice that they played the Olympics there one time. They also played in Sarajevo. Rant rant. By the time the next winter games comes around, the NHL will pull out because of terrorist threats. Paris will be the start of it. Olympics is not political. Tell that to Munich.

Well I think we should only concern ourselves with 1st overall and something between 5 and 9th. 2nd-4th impossible. Why I say that is whatever the best available after the other teams pick leaves us whatever is left. How they rate the picks is as important as how we do. Anyway, I am hopeful for #1, but ready to get 5-9th.

So, why not offer the VAN pick + something instead of one of the few D we have. And I don't necessarily mean to DET. Ras is going to be at least top 4 for the next 6 years, within the cycle of developing a new D. We have a couple of 2nds this year and possibly another 3rd if VGK loses round one. If NJ doesn't make the playoffs, they will be pretty close to 17th. 1st + Holtz for Markstrom with no money retained. Why is that better than the TDL (supposed) offer? Because NJ may have gone on to a higher placement in the draft. But if they don't make the playoffs now, then we know what the pick is.

There were lots of players that could have been picked. I had no specific choice at the time.

There's little difference between 8th and 7th unless 7th gets you a lotto win. We are currently closer to 6th than 9th. Same distance to 5th. Who would even figure ARI would win another game this season. MTL is always good for an unexpected win, as is OTT. Game 82 is whatever. Players will have checked out and it's at home, where we suck.

Well, we aren't getting any closer to Seattle tonight, even with a win. Zona losing finally, but they have a really tough end to the season so they ain't catching us.

Montreal won today and Ottawa lost. Yotes losing to the Kraken, early yet.

Two game starts, one a shutout, the other 7 goals against. Hard to make much of that.

Jose can you see....

Lines Pospisil-Kadri-Kuzmenko Huberdeau-Zary-Mangiapane Sharky-Backlund-Coleman Greer-Rooney-Coronato Weegar-Miromanov Okhotiuk-Anderssone Solo-Pachal Wolf

Wolf starts. Kylington out, Solo in. Mangiapane back in\ Hunt sits

I think they should keep him at C as well. I don't think it's the right time to pair him with the other rookie without a top player. With Pospisil he had Kadri, to both handle the C spot and to balance out the skills. Honestly, I can't tell you what the lines were through the entire game, but it appeared that it was Huberdeau-Zary-Sharky. That allowed them to play Backlund against McD (and Draibaby?), and at least get sawed off results with Zary at C. Kylington is day to day after the friendly fire hit at the blueline. Solo should draw in, but it's anyone's guess who gets rewarded with games. I doubt they play Kylington again if it's concussion related, but I think it was mostly upper body (shoulder/arm).

Wallstedt - 2 NHL games 3.52 GAA and .879 SA % Not exactly "howling" to be in the NHL.

We haven't been great after road trips. The SJS games looks like the most likely to win. And maybe game 82, because that's what we do. We probably have the same bad luck as the Tkachuk drat. Win one too many or one too few and miss two lotto draws. This time there is only one, but I doubt we win no matter where we place.

Give them a few years. Some players take longer, especially when they were injured most of the year.

Zona is winning a lot. MTL the only ones to not be able to win. We are likely to win a few (I keep saying that). Still don't have a feel how we will do against the remaining teams. Ducks taking STL to a shootout. Yotes killing the Sharks.

Some days Connie says the right things, then some days I hear the thoughts about looking to rebuild quickly. Maybe it's just concern on my part, but I feel that they might just try to getting back to compete. Decisions like keeping Markstrom even if the offers are there. Or go big on UFA's thinking they can get back to top 16. It may all be needless worry on my part.

Even if Kylington is back, that doesn't give us the stability we need next season, unless you are looking to finish bottom 10. Kylington is best paired with a Tanev like defensive D. Pachal is okay, but has a lot of growing to do to get there. He has less games than Kylington. When I look at who we have signed or likely to extend, I don't get a warm fuzzy feeling: Andersson Weegar Miromanov Pachal (signed - waivers) Hanley (signed - waivers) Okhotiuk (RFA - waivers) Kylington (UFA) That's too many 4-7 guys. I would be reluctant to put Pachal on waivers. Okhotiuk has about the same number of games as Pachal and also requires waivers. I can't really come up with pairings that leave me confident, seing as we have seen Ras paired with most of the top 4-ish guys we have. Bringing in a top 2 LD might help, but I think that only solves one issue.

I seem to remember that we traded away three "core" pieces of the lineup just prior to TDL. His value will be whatever teams are interested in a goalie, not so much his season finish. I'm more concerned that they decide they need to keep him during the re-tool so we don't finish last.