Playoffs around the league for 2018

[DC_1908]

V-G-K!!!


V-G-K!!!

V-G-K!!!

V-G-K!!!

[alta]

that's a good example of why the SOG stat is a joke, if that puck hits just a hair higher it's a clean pipe hit and doesn't count as a SOG

[Maacoshark]

that's a good example of why the SOG stat is a joke, if that puck hits just a hair higher it's a clean pipe hit and doesn't count as a SOG

   I agree. High scoring chances is a better stat.

[Maacoshark]

    The Knights are in the Stanley cup finals. This is an embarrassment to the NHL. Bettman had to make sure this team was successful right out of the gate. Its all about the money. They should have had to go through the growing pains other expansion teams did. Make them build a team. It may take a few years and they may not have gotten support if the fans if they were a bottom feeder. If that's the case so be it. If the fans won't vsupport a team that is building then they don't deserve a team.
    This is a black mark on the NHL. Pretty bad when it is a lot easier to build a team from scratch then it is to rebuild an existing franchise. Vegas not only was given a good team but they are mostly young players and they stocked up on draftpicks. They should be a solid team for quite awhile. This whole Vegas thing has really turned me off from hockey. At least the NHL.
   I can now watch the Regina Pats play their 2nd game of the Memorial Cup.

[BlackIce]

Well, I just finished watching some of the Jets/Knights game.


This is absurd.  A first-year expansion team wins its division, then ROARS through the Western Conference to the Stanley Cup finals, playing only 15 games to get there.  They are going to have a significant rest advantage over either the Caps or Tampa.  It wouldn't be a huge surprise to watch them win the Cup in 6 games or fewer.  And there is no fluke about it; this team's players support each other better and know where each other is better than teams with players who have played together for 10 years.  Argue all you want about the quality of players, and whether or not they should have had the selection they did.  But this team LOOKS as though they are playing a different game than anyone else is.  I saw it when they played the Caps in the middle of the regular season; I see it now.  It's almost as if they came down from a superior league and are toying with the other teams in this one.

[Maacoshark]

Well, I just finished watching some of the Jets/Knights game.


This is absurd.  A first-year expansion team wins its division, then ROARS through the Western Conference to the Stanley Cup finals, playing only 15 games to get there.  They are going to have a significant rest advantage over either the Caps or Tampa.  It wouldn't be a huge surprise to watch them win the Cup in 6 games or fewer.  And there is no fluke about it; this team's players support each other better and know where each other is better than teams with players who have played together for 10 years.  Argue all you want about the quality of players, and whether or not they should have had the selection they did.  But this team LOOKS as though they are playing a different game than anyone else is.  I saw it when they played the Caps in the middle of the regular season; I see it now.  It's almost as if they came down from a superior league and are toying with the other teams in this one.

    The team is coached very well. They play a good team game but they have good talent. Very good talent. And they have a lot of depth. We have 3rd line players that coulkdnt crack that lineup. The future also looks good for this team. I'm disgusted that an expansion team gets to the cup final and could very well win it.

[DC_1908]

    The Knights are in the Stanley cup finals. This is an embarrassment to the NHL. Bettman had to make sure this team was successful right out of the gate. Its all about the money. They should have had to go through the growing pains other expansion teams did. Make them build a team. It may take a few years and they may not have gotten support if the fans if they were a bottom feeder. If that's the case so be it. If the fans won't vsupport a team that is building then they don't deserve a team.
    This is a black mark on the NHL. Pretty bad when it is a lot easier to build a team from scratch then it is to rebuild an existing franchise. Vegas not only was given a good team but they are mostly young players and they stocked up on draftpicks. They should be a solid team for quite awhile. This whole Vegas thing has really turned me off from hockey. At least the NHL.
   I can now watch the Regina Pats play their 2nd game of the Memorial Cup.

I say go ahead and  give the same draft rules to them.   If the new expansion teams GN can do what GMGM did, more power to then, ok fact it would be funny to see em try.


Yes, their expansion draft allowed a bigger pool than any before.  But the owners, GMs, and NHLPA agreed to it.  The other GMs had the time and data to make GMGMs job all but impossible.  But, they thought that “it’s an expansion draft, will keep our popular, NMC, and our “best players”, and pick or scrub and take en with you to the desert.


And GMGM  took them ALL to school.  He scouted drafted IQ, character, and contracts, to make an unconventional team that dominates them all.

A team with no superstars, no captain but six alternates, running a defensive system with liittke to no flash/dangling/toe drags. players that say “we” anytime they speak, and the players not only buy in, but demand this of each other.

So maybe this isn’t as much of a black-spot, but a black-eye this league needed to remind them there isnt just one way to build a winning team. Now watch as teams start modeling the way they build their rosters after VGK, and watch Gary, the NHLPA, and their agents go nuts over it. 

So, sure give the next expansion team the same thinng.  Hell, give em an extra 5-6mil on thier cap to, doesn’t matter because they’re not gonna do it better than Vegas did.

[DC_1908]

    The team is coached very well. They play a good team game but they have good talent. Very good talent. And they have a lot of depth. We have 3rd line players that coulkdnt crack that lineup. The future also looks good for this team. I'm disgusted that an expansion team gets to the cup final and could very well win it.

And GMBetaMale protected two of of them (Bura and Eller) in the expansion draft.

[alta]

Well this is great, may as well just present the Cup to Vegas now cuz the brooms will be out enmas against whom ever survives in the east.


I still don't know why this is surprise to anyone, the best championship teams ever don't have any superstars on the team, just a bunch of slightly above average players that bonded well and were coached well. If Herb was still alive he'd tell you the same thing.

[Maacoshark]

And GMBetaMale protected two of of them (Bura and Eller) in the expansion draft.

   Yes I agree with that. Which is why I would have protected 4 dmen and left those guys exposed. If we did that we may have lost Wilson though. BTW we are not the only team in this situation. Intact I believe the other 30 teams have guys that couldn't make the Knights lineup. Because of the rules of the expansion draft I honestly believe they have the most depth in the NHL. Which is one of the reason they have been so successful.
   Look at the bottom 6 and bottom pairings on most teams and you will see a lot of guys that should be playing in the AHL. We probably have 5 guys in our lineup that are not NHL calibre players.

[Maacoshark]

I say go ahead and  give the same draft rules to them.   If the new expansion teams GN can do what GMGM did, more power to then, ok fact it would be funny to see em try.


Yes, their expansion draft allowed a bigger pool than any before.  But the owners, GMs, and NHLPA agreed to it.  The other GMs had the time and data to make GMGMs job all but impossible.  But, they thought that “it’s an expansion draft, will keep our popular, NMC, and our “best players”, and pick or scrub and take en with you to the desert.


And GMGM  took them ALL to school.  He scouted drafted IQ, character, and contracts, to make an unconventional team that dominates them all.

A team with no superstars, no captain but six alternates, running a defensive system with liittke to no flash/dangling/toe drags. players that say “we” anytime they speak, and the players not only buy in, but demand this of each other.

So maybe this isn’t as much of a black-spot, but a black-eye this league needed to remind them there isnt just one way to build a winning team. Now watch as teams start modeling the way they build their rosters after VGK, and watch Gary, the NHLPA, and their agents go nuts over it. 

So, sure give the next expansion team the same thinng.  Hell, give em an extra 5-6mil on thier cap to, doesn’t matter because they’re not gonna do it better than Vegas did.

   Vegas did a good job building this team but I still think the rules helped then immensely. I'm not convinced the rules will be the identical in the next expansion.
   I think the other teams will look at this and make wiser decisions.
  There was a lot of good talent available in this draft. There was a lot that Vegas left out there. They drafted a combination of youth and experience. They got 3 or 4 guys that were already proven goal scorers. They picked up some highly touted prospects that hadn't yet made a name for themselves. They end up getting a guy like Alex Tuch. The guy us 6'4 and 220lbs and has some skill. He was a first round pick for a reason. Another good young player they got was Shea Theodore. He was also a first around draft pick. Both those guys are only 22 years old. This team looks goods for the future too.
   You know this team has depth when they bring over Vadim Shipachyov , a star in Russia and he can't make the lineup.
   They also benefitted from teams making bonehead decisions. Florida probably being the worst. They kept 4 dmen and 4 forwards instead of 3 and 7. Why the FUCK would they keep Yandle over Marchessault. Yandle is an aging one dimensional defence man with a high Cap hit. Vegas wasnt likely to select him so why protect him and expose a young 30 goal scorer.
   Caps fans made me laugh thinking Vegas was going to take Grubauer. There was too many goalies available. I wished they did take Grubauer.
    Sorry for ranting. This whole Vegas thing has turned me off of hockey. I'm not even sure if I want the Caps to get to the finals. I'd rather lose to Tampa than Bettmans own personal team.

[waynerivers]

   Vegas did a good job building this team but I still think the rules helped then immensely. I'm not convinced the rules will be the identical in the next expansion.
   I think the other teams will look at this and make wiser decisions.
  There was a lot of good talent available in this draft. There was a lot that Vegas left out there. They drafted a combination of youth and experience. They got 3 or 4 guys that were already proven goal scorers. They picked up some highly touted prospects that hadn't yet made a name for themselves. They end up getting a guy like Alex Tuch. The guy us 6'4 and 220lbs and has some skill. He was a first round pick for a reason. Another good young player they got was Shea Theodore. He was also a first around draft pick. Both those guys are only 22 years old. This team looks goods for the future too.
   You know this team has depth when they bring over Vadim Shipachyov , a star in Russia and he can't make the lineup.
   They also benefitted from teams making bonehead decisions. Florida probably being the worst. They kept 4 dmen and 4 forwards instead of 3 and 7. Why the FUCK would they keep Yandle over Marchessault. Yandle is an aging one dimensional defence man with a high Cap hit. Vegas wasnt likely to select him so why protect him and expose a young 30 goal scorer.
   Caps fans made me laugh thinking Vegas was going to take Grubauer. There was too many goalies available. I wished they did take Grubauer.
    Sorry for ranting. This whole Vegas thing has turned me off of hockey. I'm not even sure if I want the Caps to get to the finals. I'd rather lose to Tampa than Bettmans own personal team.

Vegas is good because they made very shrewd picks.  Outside of James Neal, none of the guys they picked up front had had impressive stats before.  I made an earlier post on this.  It was similar on defense.  They picked guys who were steady and skilled rather than flashy.  The flashiest guy they got back there was Schmidt who never, ever should have been available to begin with.  You don't protect a 31 year old Niskanen on the downside over a 26 year old Schmidt coming into his own.  Good for Schmidty, though.  I'm sure he was glad to escape DC.

[DC_1908]

   Vegas did a good job building this team but I still think the rules helped then immensely. I'm not convinced the rules will be the identical in the next expansion.
   I think the other teams will look at this and make wiser decisions.
  There was a lot of good talent available in this draft. There was a lot that Vegas left out there. They drafted a combination of youth and experience. They got 3 or 4 guys that were already proven goal scorers. They picked up some highly touted prospects that hadn't yet made a name for themselves. They end up getting a guy like Alex Tuch. The guy us 6'4 and 220lbs and has some skill. He was a first round pick for a reason. Another good young player they got was Shea Theodore. He was also a first around draft pick. Both those guys are only 22 years old. This team looks goods for the future too.
   You know this team has depth when they bring over Vadim Shipachyov , a star in Russia and he can't make the lineup.
   They also benefitted from teams making bonehead decisions. Florida probably being the worst. They kept 4 dmen and 4 forwards instead of 3 and 7. Why the FUCK would they keep Yandle over Marchessault. Yandle is an aging one dimensional defence man with a high Cap hit. Vegas wasnt likely to select him so why protect him and expose a young 30 goal scorer.
   Caps fans made me laugh thinking Vegas was going to take Grubauer. There was too many goalies available. I wished they did take Grubauer.
    Sorry for ranting. This whole Vegas thing has turned me off of hockey. I'm not even sure if I want the Caps to get to the finals. I'd rather lose to Tampa than Bettmans own personal team.

Oh and Fla also sent them Riley Smith for a 4th round pick at the draft . . . a 4th round


Also CBJ BJd it to, Karrlson a first and 2nd . . . to dump a contract.


Like I said earlier, this the wake-up call the NHL needed.   It's clear the GMs thought and took for granted that GMGM would build VGK like any other team, particularly expanding in a non-traditional environment.  Tradition would say that players the like of Iginla, Stall. Gabronick, Doan, Campbell, Jack Johnson, Patrick Sharp, Nick Kronwall, Bobby Ryan and Mike Fisher would be picked up by a team with 100% free cap space.  They may be overpaid, they may be declining, but they are popular and can be put on billboards and sell jerseys which is what an expansion team needs, or so one would think.


But, GMGM knew this, knew what the other GMs wanted him to do, then laughed and did what they didnt expect, or would think could win . . .and built a team of depth players with good contracts and the closest thing to a star being the goalie. 


Ultimately, GMGM and VGK knew their opponents, and their oppents underestimated them.

[waynerivers]

Oh and Fla also sent them Riley Smith for a 4th round pick at the draft . . . a 4th round


Also CBJ BJd it to, Karrlson a first and 2nd . . . to dump a contract.


Like I said earlier, this the wake-up call the NHL needed.   It's clear the GMs thought and took for granted that GMGM would build VGK like any other team, particularly expanding in a non-traditional environment.  Tradition would say that players the like of Iginla, Stall. Gabronick, Doan, Campbell, Jack Johnson, Patrick Sharp, Nick Kronwall, Bobby Ryan and Mike Fisher would be picked up by a team with 100% free cap space.  They may be overpaid, they may be declining, but they are popular and can be put on billboards and sell jerseys which is what an expansion team needs, or so one would think.


But, GMGM knew this, knew what the other GMs wanted him to do, then laughed and did what they didnt expect, or would think could win . . .and built a team of depth players with good contracts and the closest thing to a star being the goalie. 


Ultimately, GMGM and VGK knew their opponents, and their oppents underestimated them.

Right. Yet he couldn't do it in DC.   Maybe making DC hockey the Ovechkin show wasn't such a great idea.

[DC_1908]

Vegas is good because they made very shrewd picks.  Outside of James Neal, none of the guys they picked up front had had impressive stats before.  I made an earlier post on this.  It was similar on defense.  They picked guys who were steady and skilled rather than flashy.  The flashiest guy they got back there was Schmidt who never, ever should have been available to begin with.  You don't protect a 31 year old Niskanen on the downside over a 26 year old Schmidt coming into his own.  Good for Schmidty, though.  I'm sure he was glad to escape DC.

or Brayden McnNabb over Marion Gaborik or Jerome Iginla?
or Shelmco over Joe Thornton, only to trade him for a pick the next day

And yes GMBetaMale utterly fucked this expansion draft up.  Yeah, NMC provided, leave Nisky and Schmidt, and if your just gonna extend Bura, and Eller during the season, why not do so before the draft so the cap hits tougher. ..
Most of all, how GMBetaMale wouldn't know or figure out what his former boss would do, is simply inexcusable

[Maacoshark]

or Brayden McnNabb over Marion Gaborik or Jerome Iginla?
or Shelmco over Joe Thornton, only to trade him for a pick the next day

And yes GMBetaMale utterly fucked this expansion draft up.  Yeah, NMC provided, leave Nisky and Schmidt, and if your just gonna extend Bura, and Eller during the season, why not do so before the draft so the cap hits tougher. ..
Most of all, how GMBetaMale wouldn't know or figure out what his former boss would do, is simply inexcusable

   Vegas had so many options it was pretty hard to screw it up. Then you add all the deals teams made to protect Vegas from selecting certain players and Vegas ended up with a ton if draft pick as well. I'm sure Vegas had three 1st round picks and two 2 and round picks. Yes this team has overachieved but if Mcphee failed with these expansion rules he should be out as  GM forever. This was a no lose scenario because the options were so many.
   And yes our GM failed with our protected list. He could have gone 4 dmen and 4 forwards and left 3 of these 4 available, Wilson, Burakovsky, Eller or Johansson. Not sure which oibe if them would have been protected. Our GM is an idiot so he likely would have protected Burakovsky. I would have protected Wilson. We could have gone that route. We were only going to lose one of them and a forward is easier to replace than a dman. We ended up losing Johansson anyway. So why protect him.
  We went with the other option 3 dmen and 7 forwards which moist teams did. Which is fine but like DC said why keep a 31 year old with a high cap hit for a 26 year old that was coming into his own. If Niskanen was left unprotected there ius no guarantee Vegas would have taken him because of the cap hit. I'm not even a big Nate Schmidt fan but you could see last year, especially in the playoffs that he was going to be a good dman.
    Anyway the point is that pretty much every team lost a decent player in that expansion draft. It was way too easy.
   Other expansion drafts had fewer options to choose from for several reasons. First reason being the protected lists were smaller than other years. 2nd reason there are now more teams in the league giving the expansion franchise more to choose from. 3rd some expansion drafts had more than one team entering the league that same season. There are probably other reasons too.
    The rules made it pretty easy for Vegas to build a pretty decent team.

[Beaglefan2]

I have set aside my bias against McPhee and have really loved watching Vegas - mostly because they have Schmidt.  When we lost him, I said congratulations to him because he escaped from our quagmire and had a better chance to win a Cup in Vegas.  I certainly didn't think it would be this year though!


If we manage to make it to the Finals, it will be bittersweet to watch Schmidt play against us.  He is a special player and will be for a long time.  I think our fanbase will then realize what a massive screwup it was to let him go.