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Post by SeaBass on Oct 30, 2020 10:42:16 GMT -5
So who is the team that is going to take the chance now? KHL Kind of what I was thinking too.
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Post by SeaBass on Oct 30, 2020 10:55:59 GMT -5
Kind of what I was thinking too. Of course, if he plays for team USA at the world juniors and lights it up...
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Post by KSJ08 on Oct 30, 2020 11:16:57 GMT -5
Kind of what I was thinking too. Of course, if he plays for team USA at the world juniors and lights it up... Do you think they'll let him play for them?
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Post by madmarx on Oct 30, 2020 11:35:09 GMT -5
North Dakota just dropped him as a hockey player, can still attend as a student..
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Post by SeaBass on Oct 30, 2020 12:13:52 GMT -5
Of course, if he plays for team USA at the world juniors and lights it up... Do you think they'll let him play for them? My guess is not anymore. There was an article yesterday saying he was still a candidate.
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Post by SeaBass on Oct 30, 2020 12:19:45 GMT -5
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Post by crafar01 on Oct 30, 2020 12:24:47 GMT -5
Uhoh...the days of never having to buy his own drinks in Boston are probably now over.
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Post by fforr on Oct 30, 2020 12:35:58 GMT -5
Bravo Bobby! I too am very concerned for my country. That’s what leaders do. They step up.
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Post by madmarx on Oct 30, 2020 15:44:35 GMT -5
Saw that this morning Twitter was on fire with all the hot takes and disowning Bobby, all I know is this election won’t be over fast enough for myself...
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Post by KSJ08 on Oct 30, 2020 17:16:54 GMT -5
He spoke the truth!! 4 MORE YEARS!!! Now let's get the season started already!!!!!
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Post by KSJ08 on Oct 30, 2020 17:34:02 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 2, 2020 7:39:42 GMT -5
In July, even before the Bruins departed for Toronto, Tuukka Rask was anxious. He was leaving wife Jasmiina home with their three daughters, including newborn Livia, in a pandemic.
It would have eased his mind had his family been able to travel to Finland during the playoffs. But they could not fly internationally because Livia did not have a passport. The girls’ grandparents were banned from traveling from Finland to the United States.
Once Rask settled in Toronto, his unease did not wane.
“I think it was challenging for everybody,” Rask recalled over the phone on Thursday in between feeding Livia bites of banana. “You’re inside a bubble looking outside and you see the world out there, and you just know you can’t exit the perimeter. It’s obviously not easy from that perspective. But for me, my whole thing, before it even started, was that we didn’t even have a passport for our youngest one for my family to go home. If they had a chance to go home, I’d be OK with that. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about anything with what’s going on in Boston. That was obviously something I was weighing even before we were in the bubble.”
Everything boiled over once Rask got the call from Jasmiina, saying that Vivien was in a situation requiring medical attention.
“There was a situation with our oldest daughter that needed my immediate attention,” Rask said of Vivien. “I did what, as a dad and as a parent, I needed to do. That’s it. There’s no more drama to it. I had to make a choice of dealing with the consequences that might come afterwards. I chose for my own personal sake that it’s better for me to come home than stay there and deal with the stuff later at home.”
On Aug. 15, the morning of Game 3 of the first round against Carolina, Rask flew back to Boston. Two-plus months later, he knows he made the right call. Even if, at the time, it was an agonizing one to make.
OK at home Vivien is doing well. She is in first grade. She spends her days at home, the site of a pod where a tutor teaches Vivien and several other first-graders. Rask is the custodian.
“I get to clean up the school basement here,” Rask said. “I get to do breakfast and stuff like that before a workout. That’s my morning. I go work out for a couple hours and do that. After that, maybe play a round of golf or do tennis or something. The kids get out of school, then you start making dinner. I think it’s pretty much like any other parent. Or most of the parents’ days, at least. Now, you just try to survive the day, keep the kids busy and keep them entertained as much as possible.”
Rask, of course, is not just any parent.
Last season, he was the second-best goalie on the planet after Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. In retrospect, Tampa Bay, the eventual Stanley Cup champion, was better than the Bruins at almost every position. The exception was in net, where Rask, had he been rocking and rolling, could have outperformed Andrei Vasilevskiy and given his team a fighting chance before the Lightning bounced the Bruins in the second round.
Instead, the Bruins had to roll with Jaroslav Halak and Dan Vladar. It was a big ask for both. They fell short, as did the rest of the team. It wasn’t fun for Rask to watch.
“It’s not easy, as you can imagine, watching all these games and kind of hoping they would advance,” Rask said. “But then knowing that you’re needed at home more than you are over there in the long run. I knew I made the right decision deep inside of me. I didn’t second-guess myself. But obviously, like you can imagine, it’s not easy to watch them play, knowing you should be there and you could be there. It was a tough thing to do. But I was watching every game, hoping they would win. It wasn’t easy. But like I said, I knew I made the right decision. That’s really all that mattered to me in the end.”
Rask said he does not read hockey media. He does not listen to sports radio. But the volume, in all senses of the word, of public opinion regarding his unexpected exit could not help but pierce his perimeter.
“It really didn’t bother me,” Rask said. “It’s like anything else. People will always have their opinions. And people don’t know all the facts. That’s just the day and age now, especially with social media, that people are going to voice their opinions. That’s fine by me. I knew, deep inside of me, I made the right decision, the only decision I could make at that point. I don’t read the papers or listen to the media, really. So it didn’t bother me. But obviously I heard some of that. It didn’t really affect me. It was like, ‘It’s going to go away at some point. At some point, the truth will reveal itself. That will be that.’ If people knew what was going on, they might have a different perspective. I’d like to say everything. But I want to be very protective of my daughter. I don’t want to cause her any damage in the future by saying what happened and what didn’t happen. I hope you understand that.”
Preparing to play Away from school at home, Rask’s days are quiet. He does not have much company at Warrior Ice Arena, where he works out off the ice. In that way, it was kind of nice for Rask to reconnect virtually with seven of his teammates on Thursday for a Zoom Halloween visit with children from local hospitals. Rask was Oscar the Grouch.
“There hasn’t been anybody there, really,” Rask said. “I don’t know when they’re going to open up for the protocols. I guess when five guys show up. So I’ve just been going in there with my swipe and doing my workouts every day. It takes a couple hours. That’s about it. I haven’t skated yet. I’m assuming, hopefully soon, we can start skating when more guys start coming in.”
Rask is preparing for a season that could be his last as a Bruin. His eight-year, $56 million contract expires after the season. Halak, his partner for the last two seasons, will also be up. So will David Krejci.
Torey Krug is already gone. Whether Zdeno Chara will re-sign is unknown.
“I don’t think we’re changing that much,” Rask said. “It sucks for Torey that he wasn’t able to stick around and had to move on. But if you look at the past five or six years, I think we’re past that rebuild phase, or whatever people were talking about at that point. Years ago, we were bringing these people in, young guys in, giving them minutes and getting them comfortable playing in the NHL. That’s been working really good for us. We always talk that it’s not the Providence Bruins and Boston Bruins. We have so many people coming up and down the line that everybody feels comfortable playing with anybody. I think that’s one of our main strengths.
“From my perspective, nothing changes. I think we’re a very competitive team, regardless of when we start playing. I don’t know what Z’s situation is. He’s obviously been a part of the organization for a long time, captain and a big piece. Who knows what’s going to happen there. Regardless of what happens, I think we have a very competitive team. I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully, this season kicks off at some point. Because it seems to be the waiting game again.”
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 2, 2020 7:41:17 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 2, 2020 9:34:46 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 2, 2020 14:31:53 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 3, 2020 7:58:56 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 3, 2020 8:05:33 GMT -5
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Post by nfld77 on Nov 3, 2020 22:01:43 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 4, 2020 9:01:16 GMT -5
There’s a point in each offseason where most hockey fans will peruse CapFriendly and say “it’s just not fair.” That statement can go both ways, it could mean an amazing contract on a rival team or a terrible one on your favourite team.
Last year we looked at the 10 best and worst contracts in the league, as well as the efficiency of every contract in the league and we’re back at it again this year. The goal is to grade contracts empirically with the same context being applied to each player across the league. It’s looking at how much value each player brings to the table and how likely they’ll provide positive value over the life of the contract. It’s just math, no subjectivity here.
The way that’s measured comes from comparing a player’s GSVA and the expected salary that comes with it to the current contract a player possesses. Surplus value compares what they make with what my model believes they should be making, while positive value probability measures the certainty that a player will perform above his cap hit. The list of best and worst contracts is based on those two factors (with twice as much weight being placed on surplus value) looking outwards. What players have already done holds no merit, this is about the future value of the deal. Contract clauses and bonus structure are important, but not considered with this assessment.
So here it is, a look at the 10 best contracts in the league, along with some honourable mentions.
1. David Pastrnak, BOS Contract: $6.67M x three years Surplus Value: +$26.4M Positive Value Probability: 100.0 percent
First last year. First this year. But with just three years left on his bargain bin deal, it’ll be difficult for David Pastrnak to keep his spot at the top for much longer.
Pastrnak is one of the league’s best wingers and his deal is a pittance compared to what he’s worth. The expected win rate for $6.67 million is around 1.75 wins, or a strong second liner. Pastrnak projects to provide nearly three times that amount at 4.5 wins per year, one of the highest marks in the league. That massive gap is the reason he’s this high despite not having much term left on his contract. He’s an elite scorer and one of the best power play weapons in the league.
2. Brad Marchand, BOS Contract: $6.13M x five years Surplus Value: +$31.8M Positive Value Probability: 98.9 percent
It’s the exact same top two from last season as Brad Marchand remains second to his linemate Pastrnak. Marchand has two extra years at a lower price than Pastrnak which helps him create a larger surplus value but Pastrnak has a slight edge in the likelihood of providing positive value. That’s thanks to the shorter term, but also age. Marchand is projected to be worth 4.1 wins this season, but that drops all the way down to 2.8 in his fifth year. That’s still well ahead of what’s expected of him at 1.5 wins, but toward the end of the deal, it’s not nearly as large as the gap Pastrnak has. Still, Marchand gives Boston the two best contracts in the league as the elite play-making and play-driving winger projects to be worth twice as much as his slight $6.125 million cap hit over the duration of his deal.
3. Nathan MacKinnon, COL Contract: $6.3M x three years Surplus Value: +$24.6M Positive Value Probability: 99.9 percent
There was a bit of controversy last season when Nathan MacKinnon wasn’t ranked first and I imagine it’ll be the same this year as he’s ranked third again (I promise the rest of the list is different). The truth is there’s almost no separation between any members of the top three and the three contracts look interchangeable by the model in terms of how great they are.
The sticking point comes from most observers, me included, viewing MacKinnon as a better player than Pastrnak. At a cheaper price, he should have the better contract, right? I’d agree, but with the list being strictly empirical, the model favours Pastrnak’s future over MacKinnon’s so it’s worth digging into why. The one year age difference helps in terms of ageing, but it’s mostly Pastrnak’s efficiency playing a role providing similar value while playing fewer minutes. The model views both as true talent 100-point players a year after both were on pace for 110, with similar 5-on-5 impacts. The difference is Pastrnak does that playing 19 minutes per night, while MacKinnon does it at 21. The model views the former more favourably (and also doesn’t have the knowledge of MacKinnon’s spectacular playoff run either).
Regardless, it’s two top-five players in the league with contracts under $7 million. That really isn’t fair and it’s why Colorado and Boston are projected to be Stanley Cup contenders this season. If either player were to hit the open market, how much could they command? I don’t think more than the league’s highest salary is out of the question for either. That’s how much they’re worth anyways, though the flat cap obviously puts a wrinkle in that.
4. Leon Draisaitl, EDM Contract: $8.5M x five years Surplus Value: +$25.1M Positive Value Probability: 96.5 percent
Finally, a new addition and it’s a player many felt should’ve been on last year’s list. That error has been fixed after Draisaitl won the Hart Trophy last season with a spectacular offensive season, leading the league in points with 110, a 127-point pace. Draisaitl was close to making last year’s list, but there was some concern that his 50-goal, 105-point season wouldn’t be repeatable. That’s not the case anymore after producing at an even higher clip the very next season.
Players being paid $8.5 million – that’s $500,000 more than Matt Duchene for those counting at home – are generally expected to be worth around 2.3 wins, a solid first line rate. Draisaitl is closer to four wins, an elite mark that ranks as one of the highest in the league. It’s funny that the discourse around his deal at the time was that of a huge overpay, one that set the market for RFAs way too high. The thing about RFAs is that they’re young players entering their prime and it’s those guys who can usually maintain steady value and even surpass what’s expected of their deal as they blossom. That’s exactly what happened with Draisaitl, who would still be underpaid relative to his on-ice value if he had the same deal as teammate Connor McDavid. That’s how good he’s been the last two seasons and projects to be over the remaining five years of his deal.
5. Shea Theodore, VGK Contract: $5.2M x five years Surplus Value: +$25.8M Positive Value Probability: 95.6 percent
Shea Theodore is entering his third year of a seven-year pact and though he’s been great value to date, the next five seasons should be even sweeter if he can maintain his elite impact. For a defender, the expectation on a $5.2 million contract is a low-end top-pairing defender – a number two guy on the depth chart, worth about one win. Theodore is a number two in terms of role, an offensively-utilized play-driver that isn’t burdened with tougher minutes, but he’s arguably the league’s best defenceman in that role. He provides enormous value as the team’s offensive catalyst from the back-end, projecting to be worth closer to 2.5 wins. That’s one of the highest impacts in the league and a steal at $5.2 million. Vegas has a reputation as one of the league’s best possession teams and Theodore is a massive part of that, showcasing as much with an incredible playoff run where he frequently looked like one of the best players on the ice. He tilts the ice better than almost any defenceman in the league and that’s worth a lot more than what he’s paid.
6. Nikita Kucherov, TBL Contract: $9.5M x seven years Surplus Value: +$28.9M Positive Value Probability: 92.1 percent
It’s still pretty amazing that the Lightning were able to sign Kucherov to an eight-year deal that pays him under $10 million the season before he won the Hart Trophy. Like Pastrnak and MacKinnon, my model also projects Kucherov to be a top-five player this season (spoiler alert: The other two also make this list) which puts him above the four-win threshold. That value is primarily from putting up big point totals, but it’s also because of Kucherov’s ability to dictate the pace of a game. That was on full display last season where Kucherov’s possession game took a big step, turning into a more complete player. That translated to the playoffs when the Lightning carried over 60 percent of the scoring chances with him on the ice. That’s an absurd number and not usually what a team gets for $9.5 million. In 2020-21 terms, that’s reserved for a high-end first liner worth around 2.7 wins. That’s well below Kucherov’s projected output and why he has a high positive value probability. Even in the last year of his deal, he should be a three-win player with a 78 percent chance of providing surplus value. There’s very little concern for the entire life of this deal.
7. Jake Guentzel, PIT Contract: $6M x four years Surplus Value: +$18.6M Positive Value Probability: 95.3 percent
For $6 million, what teams usually get is a really good second liner. Over the last two seasons, Guentzel has proven to be a lot more than that, scoring at a 40-goal pace and playing close to point-per-game hockey. Next to Sidney Crosby, he’s quietly emerged as a legitimate elite winger in his own right worth about three wins, double what’s expected of his contract. The big thing with Guentzel, aside from his dazzling production, is that he’s a great possession driver. He’s been magnificent in that regard over the last two seasons with either Crosby or Evgeni Malkin both benefitting whenever Guentzel is on their respective wings. He leads the team in expected goals during that time frame and while it’s likely playing with two elite centers plays a role in that, that’s not the whole story when both centres perform much better with him than without.
8. Victor Hedman, TBL Contract: $7.875M x five years Surplus Value: +$20.0M Positive Value Probability: 90.7 percent
In general, it’s difficult for defenders to out-perform their deals as there’s a lot less certainty at the position and my model believes teams tend to overpay relative to their on-ice value. It’s why this list has just two defencemen while the worst contracts list is littered with them.
It’s that context that makes Hedman’s place on this list so impressive, but what else can be expected from the Conn Smythe Trophy winner and one of the league’s best defencemen. Hedman is currently being paid a shade under $8 million over the next five years, but his true worth is something closer to $12 million putting up close to three wins of value. There are only two other defenders in that range and Hedman earns his place there with his ability to control play at 5-on-5 while also being a strong point producer. He’s consistently been one of the league’s best defencemen over the past few seasons and that shows up in the numbers where he’s projected to score around 65 points while being a force at both ends of the ice, in tough minutes to boot.
9. Auston Matthews, TOR Contract: $11.634M x four years Surplus Value: +$17.1M Positive Value Probability: 93.8 percent
Earlier I teased that the other two players projected to provide top-five value were also on this list, so here they are. Most people probably expected Connor McDavid first, not Matthews who’s being paid under a million less for two fewer years. That shouldn’t make for a more valuable contract, but the model currently believes the gap between the two isn’t as wide as it may seem for next year – a spicy take worth explaining.
Remember, this is about on-ice impact and not talent. There is no doubt who the more talented player is, it’s McDavid, full-stop. But in terms of on-ice impact, Matthews has developed into a more well-rounded player while McDavid’s defensive struggles have been well documented. My model projects McDavid to outscore Matthews by 25 points next season, but Matthews’s defensive ability makes up that ground to the point where both players are projected to be worth 4.6 wins next season. For Matthews, the expectation at his price is a 3.3-win player, and he looks likely to be well above that over the next four seasons.
There was some sticker shock when he signed his deal due to its proximity to McDavid’s (an underpay from day one), but his impact has inched closer to the league’s best player as he’s become a more complete player.
10. Connor McDavid, EDM Contract: $12.5M x six years Surplus Value: +$18.7M Positive Value Probability: 85.9 percent
It may seem strange to have the highest-paid player in the league on such a list, but based on what players are paid on the open market, a player of McDavid’s current stature is worth closer to $15-to-16 million, making his current deal a relative bargain. And that’s based on his current stature which is a very important caveat because McDavid arguably deserves to be higher.
At the end of the 2017-18 season, my model had McDavid rated at around 5.3 wins, far and away better than any other player. Not even close. At that valuation, McDavid would be worth closer to $18 million (not a typo), good for a surplus of $37 million with a 98 percent chance of out-performing his contract. He’d be much higher on the list if that was indeed the case. But over the last two seasons, McDavid’s defensive impacts have really hampered his on-ice value to the point where the gap between him and the rest of the league has closed significantly now that he’s at 4.6 wins. If his defence was merely average, he’d be right there at a projected win rate of 5.3 and I have no doubts he can get there. But for now, based on his last few years of work in his own end, this is where he lands instead. Either way, he’s a bargain, but becoming a more responsible player is the difference between him being at the bottom of this list or near the top.
Honourable Mentions: Teuvo Teravainen, Travis Konecny, Charlie McAvoy, Ryan Ellis, Steven Stamkos
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Post by nfld77 on Nov 4, 2020 11:39:29 GMT -5
Matthews is on the list??? Yes he's a great player BUT he's also getting paid practically what Pasta and Marchand are getting combined..9th best contract even though he gets over 11.5 million a season??
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 5, 2020 8:43:23 GMT -5
The quality of video from the Czech Extraliga is quite good, according to John Ferguson Jr., the Bruins’ executive director of player personnel and Providence Bruins general manager. The services the Bruins employ do fine work at cutting up each player’s shifts, just like video coaches do in the NHL, for specific and personalized viewings.
On these clips, Ferguson likes what he sees from Jakub Zboril, the defenseman currently on loan to HC Kometa Brno until the NHL establishes a plan for training camp.
“Real strong. Real strong,” Ferguson said of Zboril, the 13th pick in the 2015 draft. “He’s on a very encouraging development curve, from where he became a real go-to defenseman for us in Providence to where he is now in Brno, playing extensive and important minutes in critical situations.”
The video confirms what Ferguson, the Providence coaches and the development staff saw in person last season. They watched Zboril, with reinforcement from stay-at-home partner Josiah Didier, grow into the team’s strongest defenseman prior to the AHL’s shuttering. Ferguson interprets these as signals that the 23-year-old might no longer be an NHL question mark.
“I would have said I was more hopeful than emphatic,” Ferguson said of prior projections of Zboril as a varsity defenseman. “I’m much closer to emphatic now. Because he made good strides, but we still wanted to see that high level sustained over a few weeks over just a few games. That happened. He was playing at the top of his class in our organization for an extended period. We saw that over months leading up to the pause — that extended view as opposed to games or weekends.”
For now, the Bruins blue line is compromised. Torey Krug is gone. Nobody can replicate his touch on the power play.
Zdeno Chara could follow Krug out of Boston. If he returns, in specific five-on-five and shorthanded situations, Chara should still be a fearsome presence next year.
It would be unfair for the Bruins to expect Zboril to assume both of their responsibilities. But one of the reasons general manager Don Sweeney has yet to pursue external reinforcement for the left side is the readiness of their internal option.
“He was at the top of his game,” Ferguson said. “Providence won 12 straight. He was a go-to guy for us. He was logging high, important minutes and doing the things we thought he was capable of. Now, understanding the next challenge is even greater, there’s no reason to believe he can’t make it or can’t make the step and continue on what’s been a strong year-over-year improvement. Now it’s time for him to challenge himself to grab the next opportunity.”
Previously, it was all well and good for Ferguson, Sweeney and the Boston bosses to proclaim that jobs were up for grabs. The truth was that Chara, Krug and Matt Grzelcyk had the three left-side jobs locked up the past two preseasons. Even if Zboril played like Duncan Keith in camp, there was no way he would advance past any of the three on the depth chart.
Zboril knew it. His only chance to play would be pending the misfortune of others. That happened in November 2018. Zboril’s two NHL appearances took place when bodies fell like raindrops. On Nov. 16, Zboril made his NHL debut, only because Chara, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, John Moore and Urho Vaakainanen were hurt.
It’s different now. He knows, at the start of camp, at least one job is available. Maybe two. Competing for a legitimate opening is easier than being recalled, having a short leash and playing not to make a mistake.
That opportunity, to a lesser extent, is also available for Vaakanainen. He’s behind Zboril for now, partly because the 2015 first-rounder has a greater volume of AHL results than the 2017 first-round pick.
“That fact won’t be lost on them,” Ferguson said of the available openings for Zboril and Vaakanainen. “At the same time, as a management group and development group, we always implore them to prepare and compete the same way. If they prove they’re ready to make the next step and push their way through, a spot will be made. Or maybe that spot will be on a different team. But without question, that potential opening, a spot to compete for, is there. Let’s face it, it’s not lost on them and it’s not lost on anyone. It’s going to be up to them, like in any other year, to earn it with their performance, demonstrate they’re ready to go do it and do it over time.”
Uncertainty surrounds AHL, ECHL seasons Last month, the AHL announced Feb. 5, 2021, would be the targeted start date for the upcoming season. It may be that Providence opens play at Dunkin’ Donuts Center without fans.
The target date will allow AHL teams, in conjunction with the NHL, to identify players who could attend ECHL training camp. The ECHL is planning to open play on Dec. 11. In all likelihood, players on entry-level NHL contracts and AHL deals would be eligible to report to the ECHL.
One wrinkle for the Bruins is that Atlanta, their previous ECHL affiliate, suspended operations for the season. The Bruins are working on an arrangement to place players with the Jacksonville Icemen.
“If we can get back and do so in a safe manner with the appropriate protocols in place, they’re all raring to go,” Ferguson said of eligible players. “To a man, they’ve had enough, for a lack of a better word, of just practicing in small groups. It’s intermittently been up and down and getting shut down. Which, let’s face it, is not unlike the bulk of the populace these days. There is a form of exhaustion.”
On loan Along with Zboril, prospects Joona Koppanen (Koovee, Finland), Oskar Steen (IF Bjorkloven, Sweden), Nick Wolff (DVTK Jegesmedvek, Slovakia) and Robert Lantosi (HK Nitra, Slovakia) are all playing on loan for their respective European clubs.
Dan Vladar is practicing with Kladno (Czech Republic), but has yet to see any game action.
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Post by fforr on Nov 5, 2020 10:44:12 GMT -5
Great stuff to hear about Zboril. Realily pulling for this kid. He’s putting in the hard work. Probably should be noted that he was paired up with Josiah Didier to form Providence’s top pairing. Didier’s a rugged 6’3” 225lbs right shot who’s not shy about dropping the gloves.
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Post by nfld77 on Nov 9, 2020 23:55:33 GMT -5
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Post by nfld77 on Nov 10, 2020 22:41:52 GMT -5
Bruins Looking Hanifin From the Flames? Jimmy Murphy of Florida Hockey Now (subscription required) reports that the Calgary Flames might be willing to trade left-side defenseman Noah Hanifin to bring in a less expensive right-side defenseman. Murphy notes that:
‘…sources he spoke with believe Hanifin isn’t been shopped but Flames GM Brad Treliving is listening and contemplating a “hockey trade” offer.’
source – ‘Off The Record: Dallas Stars Circle Back On Haula, CBJ and Hoffman Match?’ Jimmy Murphy – FLAhockeynow.com – 11/09/2020 One of the teams rumored to be interested is the Boston Bruins and there’s talk that maybe Brandon Carlo could be the player moved in that deal. He makes $2.1 million less than Hanifin. The Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets are also teams that might be interested if Hanifin is available.
This isn’t the first time Hanifin has been linked to the Bruins as he’s a Boston native and there were rumors years back that the Bruins might have targeted him in a deal before he landed in Calgary.
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 11, 2020 7:05:03 GMT -5
Murphy is right about the same as Haggerty. Shit stirrer if you ask me.
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 11, 2020 7:06:10 GMT -5
Have you ever had an ex that, for whatever reason, you had to move on from, but then you find out that they’re doing well in their new life without you and you feel genuinely happy for them?
No, of course you haven’t, nobody wants that. Seeing an ex go on to bigger and better things is miserable. And that’s especially true for hockey fans, who hate to see a player that used to be part of their favorite team go on to success somewhere else.
So today, let’s all feel that misery together, as we try to answer the question: Which team could build the best six-man starting lineup of players who used to play for them?
But first, a few ground rules:
Let’s be clear on something important: We’re trying to make teams that are good right now. Imagine we’re trying to build the best team for a single season played this year. If a player was an elite superstar years ago but no longer is, he won’t be a strong choice. (Call this the Patrick Marleau rule.) And it should go without saying, anyone who’s retired or otherwise inactive isn’t an option, because this isn’t an all-time team. (Call that the Jaromir Jagr rule.) We want three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie, and a team has to have a decent option at all six spots to qualify. But otherwise, we don’t care about specific positions. Players who’ve changed teams during this offseason count, but free agents who remain unsigned do not. You’re not officially an ex until you’ve found a new home. That’s the Zdeno Chara rule. Players that were traded away as prospects count, even if they never played a game for the team. But we’re not including players who were drafted with picks a team traded away. Your rights have to have belonged to the team at some point before you can be an ex. As always, I’ll try to cover about half the league, then turn it over to you in the comments to fill in the rest, improve on my choices, and tell me about which obvious player from one team I forgot that will ruin my whole day. And we’ll start with a team that seems like it could be the favorite …
Ottawa Senators Forwards: Mark Stone, Mika Zibanejad, Matt Duchene
Defense: Erik Karlsson, Zdeno Chara
Goalie: Robin Lehner
Man, the last few years have done a number.
The Senators were probably one of the first teams you thought of when you saw the premise, and rightly so. They’ve executed a full-scale rebuild, which means they’ve parted with a lot of good players. The forward line is stacked, and they could even run out a Jean-Gabriel Pageau/Mike Hoffman/Ryan Dzingel second line. They might want to trade one of those guys for a defenseman, because a 43-year-old Chara is the only thing close to a weak spot here (but still good enough to beat out Cody Ceci and Mark Borowiecki).
It’s a very good lineup, as you probably expected. Can anyone beat it? Let’s try a few division rivals and find out.
Buffalo Sabres Forwards: Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Tyler Ennis
Defense: Tyler Myers, Marco Scandella
Goalie: Robin Lehner
O’Reilly is the big name, based on a disastrous trade that still aggravates Sabres fans. Ennis narrowly beats out Conor Sheary as the third forward, and I went with Scandella over Zach Bogosian and Andrej Sekera as the second blueliner based on where he is right now. Meanwhile, Lehner beats out Ryan Miller to make a second appearance on the list, reminding us that he’s somehow already on his fifth NHL team.
Montreal Canadiens Forwards: Max Pacioretty, Max Domi, Alex Radulov
Defense: Ryan McDonagh, P.K. Subban
Goalie: Jaroslav Halak
That’s not a bad lineup, although it would have looked better a few years ago when the blue line would have been a major strength. McDonagh’s status has dipped, but he’s still a solid player, while Subban’s stock has plunged. If you wanted to make the argument that Jordie Benn would be a better choice at this exact moment, it might not be completely crazy.
Speaking of Subban and stacked blue lines, let’s head to the Western Conference …
Nashville Predators Forwards: Kevin Fiala, Patric Hornqvist, James Neal
Defense: Seth Jones, Shea Weber
Goalie: Devan Dubnyk
Talk about having a type; even when we focus on ex-players, the Predators are still loaded with defensemen and weak in star power up front. The blue line is silly, with Jones and Weber as our picks and Subban and Ryan Suter available as a second pairing, but the forwards keep this group from serious contention. By the way, if you don’t remember Dubnyk’s Predators era, it lasted two games.
Chicago Blackhawks Forwards: Artemi Panarin, Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Schmaltz
Defense: Niklas Hjalmarsson, Nick Leddy
Goalie: Corey Crawford
Up front, there’s one giant name that stands out – if you look at a list of the best seasons of the cap era by a Hawks forward, it’s basically all Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, retired guys, and then Panarin’s two-year stint. The other options are solid, though, and you could flip a coin between Schmaltz and Phillip Danault. The defense is OK, although it gets better if you want to still count Dustin Byfuglien as active. And listing Corey Crawford as the goalie is just … too soon, man.
By the way, Panarin is probably the single best player we’ll encounter in this whole exercise. Of the top 10 scorers in the league last year, he’s the only one who has an ex-team. Speaking of which …
Columbus Blue Jackets Forwards: Artemi Panarin, Jakub Voracek, Ryan Johansen
Defense: Ryan Murray, Anton Stralman
Goalie: Sergei Bobrovsky
The great offseason exodus of 2019 does some of the heavy lifting here, and we don’t even need to call on Duchene (or Brandon Saad or Jeff Carter or William Karlsson or even Josh Anderson). The defense is not good, and I toyed with the idea of going with a Jack Johnson/Kris Russel pair just to torture the analytics guys. So we’re dynamite up front and weak on the blue line, meaning your feelings about this team as a contender probably rest on whether you think Bobrovsky’s first year in Florida was a fluke or a sign of what he is now.
Tampa Bay Lightning Forwards: J.T. Miller, Jonathan Marchessault, Jonathan Drouin
Defense: Kevin Shattenkirk, Tony DeAngelo
Goalie: Ben Bishop
I was really hoping they’d bolster the team by sneaking in a Steven Stamkos trade before my deadline, but no dice. This is a good squad, although given how much talent we’ve seen in Tampa over the years, it’s impressive how rarely the Lightning part with a player who goes on to genuine stardom somewhere else.
Let’s cover off another Canadian team you’re probably wondering about …
Edmonton Oilers Forwards: Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, David Perron
Defense: Jeff Petry, Justin Schultz
Goalie: Cam Talbot
It’s a good team. It’s probably not as good as you thought it would be.
Along with the Bruins, the Oilers form the second half of a Peter Chiarelli resume that should be unbeatable, since trading away good players is kind of his whole thing. He did it in Edmonton too, with Hall as the obvious highlight, but the rest of the squad is just OK. Hmm. Star power up front, but not enough depth to really contend. Nope, doesn’t ring any bells for the Oilers, let’s move on.
Minnesota Wild Forwards: Eric Staal, Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker
Defense: Brent Burns, Marco Scandella
Goalie: Darcy Kuemper
There’s been a ton of recent turnover in Minnesota. The forward options are basically all from the last year or so, and we didn’t even use Mikko Koivu or Mikael Granlund. They’ve also been rumored to be on the verge of moving a big-name defenseman, and if that happens then this roster will look a lot better than it does with Scandella penciled in.
Carolina Hurricanes Forwards: Elias Lindholm, Jeff Skinner, Eric Staal
Defense: Justin Faulk, Noah Hanifin
Goalie: Anton Khudobin
The Hurricanes are an underrated team when it comes to making fun trades, so it’s no surprise to see them able to put together a decent squad. I’m not sure it’s all that much more than decent, but aside from maybe Hanifin, there aren’t any obvious weak spots.
OK, I’ve been putting this off long enough. Let’s bring the hurt.
Toronto Maple Leafs Forwards: Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, Kasperi Kapanen
Defense: Jake Gardiner, Tyson Barrie
Goalie: Tuukka Rask
That’s … not as painful as I thought it might be? The Leafs have churned through a bunch of players over the years, but a lot of them aren’t especially effective anymore. That includes names like Phil Kessel, Alex Steen and Tyler Bozak, and honestly van Riemsdyk too, even as he’s still a consistent 20-goal scorer. Gardiner had a rough first year away from Toronto, although that’s balanced out by Barrie’s inevitable 2021 Norris win. Still, that’s not as bad as I expect. (The Rask trade still hurts, though.)
Anaheim Ducks Forwards: Kyle Palmieri, William Karlsson, Corey Perry
Defense: Shea Theodore, Sami Vatanen
Goalie: Frederik Andersen
The Ducks were a fun one. The forward group isn’t especially scary, but it’s deep, with other options including Nick Bonino, Andrew Cogliano, Bobby Ryan and Ondrej Kase. You could make an argument for at least a few of those guys over a 35-year-old Perry, but he had a strong Cup Final and he was a lifelong Duck before that, so I’m putting him on the team. The blue line is good, thanks to Theodore emerging as a Norris-level stud.
Arizona Coyotes Forwards: Taylor Hall, Max Domi, Dylan Strome
Defense: Tony DeAngelo, Keith Yandle
Goalie: Thomas Greiss
This team probably should have been captained by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but apparently that ship has sailed. It’s still a solid entry, with a blue line that features a nice mix of young and old and a recent MVP up front. Your mileage may vary on Greiss over Dubnyk or Mike Smith in goal, but based on last year he’s the right call.
Three more contenders to close this off …
St. Louis Blues Forwards: T.J. Oshie, Paul Stastny, Pat Maroon
Defense: Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk
Goalie: Ben Bishop
Fun fact: If you go by points scored by a Blues defenseman in the cap era, the top 13 spots on the list are all either Pietrangelo or Shattenkirk. That gives us a strong back end, especially once you remember that oh yeah, Ben Bishop started off as a Blues prospect/backup option like a decade ago. The forwards are too weak to make the Blues true contenders, but it’s a solid entry.
New York Rangers Forwards: J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, Eric Staal
Defense: Keith Yandle, Ryan McDonagh
Goalie: Antti Raanta
I’m not sure what bums me out more, that I didn’t even really consider putting current-day Henrik Lundqvist in the goalie spot, or that after I did think about it I ended up with him as third-string behind Cam Talbot. Still, the Rangers offer a good lineup with a strong blue line (that would have a Shattenkirk/Brady Skjei second pair) and a forward line that isn’t the best we’ve seen but has three solid options, including Staal’s third appearance.
Let’s close it out with a team that might make a late run for the crown …
Boston Bruins Forwards: Tyler Seguin, Blake Wheeler, Joe Thornton
Defense: Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug
Goalie: Anton Khudobin
Yeah, that’s a way better team than I expected. The Bruins haven’t done a rebuild in forever, which should work against them. But in Boston’s case, they benefit from the other side of the coin, as they’ve moved a few young players who went on to big things. The third forward spot is a bit weak, since Thornton isn’t elite anymore (and our other options are guys like Phil Kessel, Milan Lucic and Loui Eriksson), but the blue line is great. Khudobin’s playoff run gives us a nice dose of recency bias, and means I don’t have to get sneaky and use Martin Jones as the goalie.
So who you got? I think the Bruins might be just good enough to clip the Senators at the end, although I could see cases made for the Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and maybe the Ducks and Coyotes.
Then again, we only covered 16 of the 31 teams, so if you want to offer up a different option, go ahead. Anyone want to take a crack at the Golden Knights? Want to get excited about starting a Flames team with Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie and Cam Talbot before realizing they have no forwards? Want to make Capitals fans sad with a Filip Forsberg-based team? Are you an Islanders fan who’s going to insist on putting together a team that doesn’t include John Tavares? Let me see what you’ve got in the comment section.
(And if any NHL GMs want to take this opportunity to screw up my whole post with an old-fashioned blockbuster trade … do it.)
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 11, 2020 7:28:59 GMT -5
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Post by RascalHoudi on Nov 11, 2020 10:16:44 GMT -5
it sure doesn't give me an urge to go buy one.
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Post by nfld77 on Nov 11, 2020 13:34:34 GMT -5
it sure doesn't give me an urge to go buy one. I actually like it..Certainly better than sticking a pooh bear smack on the chest!!
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Post by kjc2 on Nov 11, 2020 16:03:46 GMT -5
Bruins Looking Hanifin From the Flames? Jimmy Murphy of Florida Hockey Now (subscription required) reports that the Calgary Flames might be willing to trade left-side defenseman Noah Hanifin to bring in a less expensive right-side defenseman. Murphy notes that: ‘…sources he spoke with believe Hanifin isn’t been shopped but Flames GM Brad Treliving is listening and contemplating a “hockey trade” offer.’ source – ‘Off The Record: Dallas Stars Circle Back On Haula, CBJ and Hoffman Match?’ Jimmy Murphy – FLAhockeynow.com – 11/09/2020 One of the teams rumored to be interested is the Boston Bruins and there’s talk that maybe Brandon Carlo could be the player moved in that deal. He makes $2.1 million less than Hanifin. The Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets are also teams that might be interested if Hanifin is available. This isn’t the first time Hanifin has been linked to the Bruins as he’s a Boston native and there were rumors years back that the Bruins might have targeted him in a deal before he landed in Calgary. A hard no on Carlo for Hanifan, just my opinion. Debrusk maybe but not Carlo
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