2023-24 NHL discussion thread

[Peter Puck]

2 hours ago, dlbalr said:

 

They have Jacques Martin as a consultant now while assistants Jack Capuano and Davis Payne have NHL head coaching experience.  In terms of internal options, I'd suggest they have more options than a lot of teams do.

Well read dlbair.

 

[hockeyrealist]

Man what terrible optics.

Sens bring in Martin as a “consultant” or whatever and everyone speculated thatthe next move would be replacing Smith with Martin. Smith, ever the soldier, gives the admirable responses about welcoming the experience, etc.

Now we are what 1-2 weeks later and they pull this move?  What an embarrassment of an organization to treat your long-tenured coach(es) like that.  New owner, same old clown show in Ottawa.

Sens have too many solo artists looking out for their own stats, contracts, Brady has not been a good leader this year, they have someone cherry picking for offense all game long, Smith was not the issue but I get and expect that a new voice will kick off some positive response and wins.

Glad I am no Sens fan, go to a lot of games in Ottawa and man it is a relatively poor fan experience compared to the other pro rinks I’ve seen games at. Complete junk franchise, would be better of in Quebec City.

[GHT120]

1 hour ago, GHT120 said:

Wonder which of Martin's buddies is brought on board as an assistant to replace Payne?

Nobody from amongst his coaching buddies ... missed that Daniel Alfredsson has been added ... they may be "buddies" from the nine years JM coached DA.

[tomh009]

48 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

I’m curious how Martin handles the young team. He has to be in his mid 70s by now.

Only 71! A spring chicken, at least when compared to Scotty Bowman ...

[GHT120]

3 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Only 71! A spring chicken, at least when compared to Scotty Bowman ...

Although Scotty retired 68.

[Commandant]

6 hours ago, hockeyrealist said:

Man what terrible optics.

Sens bring in Martin as a “consultant” or whatever and everyone speculated thatthe next move would be replacing Smith with Martin. Smith, ever the soldier, gives the admirable responses about welcoming the experience, etc.

Now we are what 1-2 weeks later and they pull this move?  What an embarrassment of an organization to treat your long-tenured coach(es) like that.  New owner, same old clown show in Ottawa.

Sens have too many solo artists looking out for their own stats, contracts, Brady has not been a good leader this year, they have someone cherry picking for offense all game long, Smith was not the issue but I get and expect that a new voice will kick off some positive response and wins.

Glad I am no Sens fan, go to a lot of games in Ottawa and man it is a relatively poor fan experience compared to the other pro rinks I’ve seen games at. Complete junk franchise, would be better of in Quebec City.

 

I think this is a bit overboard considering that the Sens are vastly underperforming expectations this year.  When that happens, its usually the coach who pays.

 

As for a GM or President or Owner saying that they arent considering replacing the coach, thats always what they say until they fire the guy.  And often its the kiss of death for the coach.  This isnt unique to ottawa.  It happens throughout pro sports.  When the media is asking questions about the coach's job security, its cause the team isnt playing well and he is on the hot seat.  Owners/execs just dont admit it til they do it.

 

I dont see this as hurting the Sens reputation.  They hurt it enough in other ways over the years.

[GHT120]

1 hour ago, hockeyrealist said:

... What an embarrassment of an organization to treat your long-tenured coach(es) like that.  New owner, same old clown show in Ottawa ...

I-M-O it would be more of an embarrassment to do nothing and have the fans have to watch another season waste away with no attempt to turn things around.

[DON]

As a Habs fan, dont give Sens mgmt alot of thought,  i just hope they are bad enough and lose to the Habs every time they meet.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

3 hours ago, tomh009 said:

Only 71! A spring chicken, at least when compared to Scotty Bowman ...

Hmmmm 10 years younger than the president of America!

 

Surely just a stop gap until the offseason anyway 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

4 hours ago, Commandant said:

 

I think this is a bit overboard considering that the Sens are vastly underperforming expectations this year.  When that happens, its usually the coach who plays.

 

As for a GM or President or Owner saying that they arent considering replacing the coach, thats always what they say until they fire the guy.  And often its the kiss of death for the coach.  This isnt unique to ottawa.  It happens throughout pro sports.  When the media is asking questions about the coach's job security, its cause the team isnt playing well and he is on the hot seat.  Owners/execs just dont admit it til they do it.

 

I dont see this as hurting the Sens reputation.  They hurt it enough in other days.

 

Well said, the Sens were badly underperforming and getting rid of the coach is usually the first/easiest move to make. I guess we will find out now if the coach was the issue. The Sens will probably get the new coach bounce but the real test will be what happens after that. 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

Is the Buffalo coach next?  Giving up 9 goals at home to Columbus is not a good look. Maybe they need a goalie?

[GHT120]

11 hours ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

Is the Buffalo coach next?  Giving up 9 goals at home to Columbus is not a good look. Maybe they need a goalie?

GM Kevyn Adams inherited Ralph Krueger when he was hired after the 2019-20 season, and then replaced him with Tony Granato towards the end of the 2020-21 season ... so Granato has had two full seasons before this year ... but he also got an extension through 2025-26, so is management willing to eat that contract.

 

I-M-O they do NEED a goalie ... as much to let Devon Levi develop in the AHL as to "win now".

 

I think the problem in Buffalo may well be owner Terry Pegula ... he bought the team in 2011 and is now on his fourth GM and seventh head coach ... his lack of patience has never allowed anyone to execute a true rebuild, which takes more than just high draft picks.

[GHT120]

This is neither a trade rumour nor a specific trade proposal, so I am posting here rather than in those threads ... the east wild card race is tight but I-M-O it is not a realistic outcome for the Habs given their losing record at home and their -17 goals differential; nor is it a necessity at this point of the rebuild ... but there are a lot of POTENTIAL trade opportunities coming out of the Christmas freeze.

 

The 5 teams ahead of Montreal in the east wildcard race all " HAVE " to make the playoffs ... NJD and 'Canes face high expectations from their fans ... the Washington & Pittsburgh face expectations and have stars who are of a "win now" age (TBL is close to the same situation) ... AND ... the Laffs, Panthers, Islanders and Flyers are all within two points of slipping down into the wildcard race.

 

in the west, Edmonton is desperate for a serious Cup challenge and there are "wildcard" teams in need some positivity:

• Nashville - 6 yrs since they made the 2nd round,
• Arizona - DESPERATE for any positive publicity, 11 years with only 1 first round loss, 10 years missed playoffs
• Minnesota -8 years since they made the 2nd round
• Calgary -since losing to the TBL in 2003-04 Finals - 18 years - they have missed the playoffs 9 times, lost in the first round 7 times and lost in the 2nd round twice

Seems like an opportunity for HuGo to try to exploit, sooner than later ... I-M-O the trade deadline is of greatest potential benefit to teams in the playoffs (wildcard or otherwise) ... much less so for those chasing a wild card spot, and there are far fewer teams in that mix at that point ... not looking to just "get rid of" veterans (unless someone wants Armia, maybe Dvorak) but HuGo need to stoke the paranoia of other GMs to see if they can get a good return.

 

 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

1 hour ago, GHT120 said:

This is neither a trade rumour nor a specific trade proposal, so I am posting here rather than in those threads ... the east wild card race is tight but I-M-O it is not a realistic outcome for the Habs given their losing record at home and their -17 goals differential; nor is it a necessity at this point of the rebuild ... but there are a lot of POTENTIAL trade opportunities coming out of the Christmas freeze.

 

The 5 teams ahead of Montreal in the east wildcard race all " HAVE " to make the playoffs ... NJD and 'Canes face high expectations from their fans ... the Washington & Pittsburgh face expectations and have stars who are of a "win now" age (TBL is close to the same situation) ... AND ... the Laffs, Panthers, Islanders and Flyers are all within two points of slipping down into the wildcard race.

 

in the west, Edmonton is desperate for a serious Cup challenge and there are "wildcard" teams in need some positivity:

• Nashville - 6 yrs since they made the 2nd round,
• Arizona - DESPERATE for any positive publicity, 11 years with only 1 first round loss, 10 years missed playoffs
• Minnesota -8 years since they made the 2nd round
• Calgary -since losing to the TBL in 2003-04 Finals - 18 years - they have missed the playoffs 9 times, lost in the first round 7 times and lost in the 2nd round twice

Seems like an opportunity for HuGo to try to exploit, sooner than later ... I-M-O the trade deadline is of greatest potential benefit to teams in the playoffs (wildcard or otherwise) ... much less so for those chasing a wild card spot, and there are far fewer teams in that mix at that point ... not looking to just "get rid of" veterans (unless someone wants Armia, maybe Dvorak) but HuGo need to stoke the paranoia of other GMs to see if they can get a good return.

 

 

 

It’s a shame that Anderson has had such a disastrous season. I’m pretty sure that Anderson in his usual mode would be sorely tempting to some of these teams IF they could make the cap space work. 🤷‍♂️ A big “if,” I concede. But no one is taking him now.

[tomh009]

2 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

It’s a shame that Anderson has had such a disastrous season. (...) But no one is taking him now.

Maybe not at full value, but recent games have shown that he can still be effective. I think GMs are, in general, less focused on recent short-term results than fans are.

[GHT120]

8 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Maybe not at full value, but recent games have shown that he can still be effective. I think GMs are, in general, less focused on recent short-term results than fans are.

I tend to agree ... of course, in this case it is his last 4 games that may make him tradeable ... his first 29 were less than impressive.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

10 hours ago, GHT120 said:

The 5 teams ahead of Montreal in the east wildcard race all " HAVE " to make the playoffs ... NJD and 'Canes face high expectations from their fans ... the Washington & Pittsburgh face expectations and have stars who are of a "win now" age (TBL is close to the same situation) ... AND ... the Laffs, Panthers, Islanders and Flyers are all within two points of slipping down into the wildcard race.

 

in the west, Edmonton is desperate for a serious Cup challenge and there are "wildcard" teams in need some positivity:

• Nashville - 6 yrs since they made the 2nd round,
• Arizona - DESPERATE for any positive publicity, 11 years with only 1 first round loss, 10 years missed playoffs
• Minnesota -8 years since they made the 2nd round
• Calgary -since losing to the TBL in 2003-04 Finals - 18 years - they have missed the playoffs 9 times, lost in the first round 7 times and lost in the 2nd round twice

Seems like an opportunity for HuGo to try to exploit, sooner than later ... I-M-O the trade deadline is of greatest potential benefit to teams in the playoffs (wildcard or otherwise) ... much less so for those chasing a wild card spot, and there are far fewer teams in that mix at that point ... not looking to just "get rid of" veterans (unless someone wants Armia, maybe Dvorak) but HuGo need to stoke the paranoia of other GMs to see if they can get a good return.

 

 

 

I think that's pretty good analysis and the vast majority of the teams you mentioned "have" to make the playoffs and there is a deal to be made. I think Hughes is being patient and waiting for the right deal to come along. Sometimes all it takes is an injury to key player (ie. Doug Hamilton) to force teams to step up and make an offer Huges can't turn down.

 

I think Calgary will be patient as they realize that their team is just not good enough to make a splash in the playoffs, the Huberdeau contract is looking just awful right now and they may go into rebuild mode.  Arizona might continue to be patient BUT they have made significant improvements, have cap space and a lot of extra picks to dangle, they might just be in buy mode. That would be a nice change. 

[DON]

Quite something to see all 3-Hughes listed, with rookie Luke on all the writers american rosters.

 

Projecting the U.S. 2025 hockey roster: How do Matthews, Tkachuk and Co. stack up for best-on-best? - The Athletic

[JoeLassister]

This is a PowerHouse  !

 

[hab29RETIRED]

19 hours ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

I think that's pretty good analysis and the vast majority of the teams you mentioned "have" to make the playoffs and there is a deal to be made. I think Hughes is being patient and waiting for the right deal to come along. Sometimes all it takes is an injury to key player (ie. Doug Hamilton) to force teams to step up and make an offer Huges can't turn down.

 

I think Calgary will be patient as they realize that their team is just not good enough to make a splash in the playoffs, the Huberdeau contract is looking just awful right now and they may go into rebuild mode.  Arizona might continue to be patient BUT they have made significant improvements, have cap space and a lot of extra picks to dangle, they might just be in buy mode. That would be a nice change. 

They are also getting minimal revenue, so not sure if they want to spend yet? Still a cheap owner. Just move them already!!! Just not to QC!

[GHT120]

56 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

They are also getting minimal revenue, so not sure if they want to spend yet? Still a cheap owner. Just move them already!!! Just not to QC!

They need the positive publicity to try and get approval for a new arena ... whether or not that is a good idea.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

14 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

They need the positive publicity to try and get approval for a new arena ... whether or not that is a good idea.

 

Certainly to make the playoffs would be great publicity for the franchise. I just don't think they are good enough yet to hold off the Oilers, Minnesota, St. Louis etc. for a wild card spot but they might surprise. Habs29retired is right in that they have always been a cheap franchise without much money to spend so if I was a betting man I would bet they just stay the course with what they have. 

[DON]

Another deep projected team.

 

Projecting Canada’s 2025 hockey roster: How do McDavid, Makar, Bedard and Co. stack up for best-on-best? - The Athletic

[tomh009]

Quite amazing that Dom is picking Hart over, say, Hill. But goaltending doesn't look to be a strength anyway.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

7 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Quite amazing that Dom is picking Hart over, say, Hill. But goaltending doesn't look to be a strength anyway.

 

US goaltending rips ours to shreds.