2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs

[The_People1]

Congrats to VGK.

 

FLA looked like a team of destiny.  Makes playoffs in final week.  Bobrovsky and Tkachuk were unreal.  But clock struck 12 for Cinderella.  Tkachuk hurt.  Bobrovsky looking human again.  FLA had no push back.

 

VGK too big too fast.  Adin Hill really saved the day for them.  Was he the 4th string goalie coming into the season?  What an amazing story.

[The_People1]

1 hour ago, medatswhoP said:

Well gotta say this is the most boring Stanley Cup final that I can remember, maybe its because I despise Vegas as much as the greasers.

Vegas to me just doesn't deserve the Lord Stanley.

 

I mean, what if the Flames got Mark Stone instead of VGK?  OTT wanted Brannstrom instead of Valimaki.

 

What if the Flames got Eichel instead of VGK?  Another key pieces the Flames were interested in but didn't get it done.

[sak22]

The entire playoffs really took a dive after the first round, some good games here and there but every series after the first round lacked drama outside of the Seattle/Dallas, which that series went 7 but almost every game was a blowout, most years I hope the final goes 7, this year I was just wanting it to end.

 

It was a well scripted final though.  Florida who was partially responsible for gifting Vegas a good team right off the start sees one of their gifts score the series clinching goal and the other win the Conn Smythe, just goes to show that karma is real.

[travel_dude]

7 hours ago, The_People1 said:

 

I mean, what if the Flames got Mark Stone instead of VGK?  OTT wanted Brannstrom instead of Valimaki.

 

What if the Flames got Eichel instead of VGK?  Another key pieces the Flames were interested in but didn't get it done.

 

I didn't understand the offer for Eichel.  It's like we offered a minibike for a high end car with a ding in the door.  Buffalo colluded though, so it ruined the offer.  The Stone deal was kinda strange.  All the talk about not being able to sign Stone when it was really could we sign Stone.   

[travel_dude]

And Tkachuk again misses the end of a playoff run.  Injured against the Stars in a round 1 loss a few years back.  Pushes in a heated series until someone levels him.  It was never going to be Tkachuk fencing in front of the net and drawing a penalty, it was always going to be a hit over the edge and a team targeting him in return.  

[rocketdoctor]

Congrats to Vegas.

 

One more cup than the Canucks.

[travel_dude]

I'm not a fan of Vegas.  They had the exact right team to win the cup this year.  The dynamics of winning the cup changes every year.  Prior to the seeding, you really don't know what will shake out.  Vegas had the right pieces and the right moves at the right time.  

 

Where the Flames fail is that they don't make adjustments that work.  Vegas right sizes and looks at players that can help.  Flames seem to make knee jerk moves that don't work.  

[jjgallow]

1 hour ago, travel_dude said:

I'm not a fan of Vegas.  They had the exact right team to win the cup this year.  The dynamics of winning the cup changes every year.  Prior to the seeding, you really don't know what will shake out.  Vegas had the right pieces and the right moves at the right time.  

 

Where the Flames fail is that they don't make adjustments that work.  Vegas right sizes and looks at players that can help.  Flames seem to make knee jerk moves that don't work.  

 

They have the right mix to be competitive most years, and while I admit I never expected much from them when they first entered the league, they have done nothing but the right things ever since.   Not sure if "like" is a necessary word but hard not to recognize them

 

This was not fluke.

 

And it's not rocket science.

 

https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/goldenknights

 

All their money is in decent-sized RHS players, with a healthy weight on D and goaltending.

 

They have one bad contract:  Stone.  But, even here, it was calculated and paid off.  We have easily 4 contracts worse than this.

 

..

 

If one thing is unfair, is that they do better on their signings in large part because it's Vegas.

 

But on the other hand, they never mess around going light on goaltending or D or RHS.  They get their basics right, and they go light or "take chances"  on LW, LHS positions etc.    The exact opposite of us.

They do have an unfair advantage but at the same time we can learn from this.

[travel_dude]

42 minutes ago, jjgallow said:

But on the other hand, they never mess around going light on goaltending or D or RHS.  They get their basics right, and they go light or "take chances"  on LW, LHS positions etc.    The exact opposite of us.

They do have an unfair advantage but at the same time we can learn from this.

 

So the amount of golies that they invested in, only to have their 4th stringer be the best of them.  That is in addition to the goalie that hadn't played since last year.  

[jjgallow]

46 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

So the amount of golies that they invested in, only to have their 4th stringer be the best of them.  That is in addition to the goalie that hadn't played since last year.  

 

So, you are exaggerating, Adin Hill was always much more than that.

 

But if we do it your way, it's the same message.  You're saying there was no way to know with certainty that Aiden Hill would have won the cup.  Ok fair.

But, before and during the season, would it have been a stretch to say these guys are stacked in net with both NHL vets, prospects, and guys entering their prime?

 

Yeah.   They won a cup using:

1.  A goalie we tossed away  (Laurent)

2.  An undrafted native Calgarian with obvious potential that we passed on..Logan Thompson 
           (cough cough Cale Makar)

3.  An extremely promising prospect Jiri

4.  Aidin Hill, a long-time promising prospect just entering his prime

 

The result?  Nobody.  Was.  Overplayed.

 

Clearly nothing for us to learn from here lol.   I see no lessons here about giving local talent a chance, having a development system with proven goalie coaches, acquiring young undrafted talent, giving prospects a chance, not giving up on them (Adin Hill), and not overplaying our goalies.

 

Goalies win games, goalies win cups.  Want to make the playoffs?  gamble on one.
   Want some cups?  Stack your odds.

[travel_dude]

2 hours ago, jjgallow said:

 

So, you are exaggerating, Adin Hill was always much more than that.

 

But if we do it your way, it's the same message.  You're saying there was no way to know with certainty that Aiden Hill would have won the cup.  Ok fair.

But, before and during the season, would it have been a stretch to say these guys are stacked in net with both NHL vets, prospects, and guys entering their prime?

 

Yeah.   They won a cup using:

1.  A goalie we tossed away  (Laurent)

2.  An undrafted native Calgarian with obvious potential that we passed on..Logan Thompson 
           (cough cough Cale Makar)

3.  An extremely promising prospect Jiri

4.  Aidin Hill, a long-time promising prospect just entering his prime

 

The result?  Nobody.  Was.  Overplayed.

 

Clearly nothing for us to learn from here lol.   I see no lessons here about giving local talent a chance, having a development system with proven goalie coaches, acquiring young undrafted talent, giving prospects a chance, not giving up on them (Adin Hill), and not overplaying our goalies.

 

Goalies win games, goalies win cups.  Want to make the playoffs?  gamble on one.
   Want some cups?  Stack your odds.

 

So, looking at the season, who would you bet the farm on?

Hill was the superior goalie during the playoffs and had a good run in regular season.

Quick was broungt in for depth.Brossoit was the starter leading up to the playoffs and round 1 and 2.

Thompson was their guy for most of the season.

Had there been no injury, Hill wouldn't have got the start.

Not saving that was right.

 

My obvious point is that not many teams are lucky enough that their starter is on LTIR, they get a goalie on waivers, don't lose Brossoit on waivers and manage to run a team on multiple goalies up to and including the playoffs.  Silent applause form not waiving Hill at the time, since he could have been claimed.

 

Depth of good goalies is only possible if you have guys in the AHL, run 3, makes trades for extra depth or have a guy come out of nowhere.  

[jjgallow]

3 hours ago, travel_dude said:

 

So, looking at the season, who would you bet the farm on?

Hill was the superior goalie during the playoffs and had a good run in regular season.

Quick was broungt in for depth.Brossoit was the starter leading up to the playoffs and round 1 and 2.

Thompson was their guy for most of the season.

Had there been no injury, Hill wouldn't have got the start.

Not saving that was right.

 

My obvious point is that not many teams are lucky enough that their starter is on LTIR, they get a goalie on waivers, don't lose Brossoit on waivers and manage to run a team on multiple goalies up to and including the playoffs.  Silent applause form not waiving Hill at the time, since he could have been claimed.

 

Depth of good goalies is only possible if you have guys in the AHL, run 3, makes trades for extra depth or have a guy come out of nowhere.  

 

I would replace the word "lucky with "smart".   

 

LTIR, ok.

 

Waivers?  nothing stopped us.  we don't take those opportunities.

Free agent signings/tryouts?   they take the opportunities, we don't.

 

The draft?       They average just above 1 goalie drafted per year.

                               We average just below 1 goalie every 2 years.

 

So they start off with 3x more ammo than us, and it is not luck.

 

Then you've got coaching.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/vegas-acquires-adin-hill-in-trade-with-san-jose/c-335415850

 

 

Broisoit was not on LTIR when they acquired Hill.   They already had a healthy Broissoit and Thompson.   

 

We would never even conceive this, we would just play the starter till they dropped dead and then sign another vet to a 10 year deal.

 

They stacked themselves with young talent, and they have more coming.

[travel_dude]

1 hour ago, jjgallow said:

 

Broisoit was not on LTIR when they acquired Hill.   They already had a healthy Broissoit and Thompson.   

 

Who was the starter that didn't play a single game this year?  On LTIR perhaps?

RL are his initials.

[jjgallow]

28 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

Who was the starter that didn't play a single game this year?  On LTIR perhaps?

RL are his initials.

 

doh!