EHM The Blue Line

CJ wrote:Filppula traded to Philly for Streit.
I think Philly won that trade easily..

I don't really think Filppula is that good anymore but I hope I'm wrong. I'm not 100% sure if the Flyers will have to protect him in the expansion draft or if they will be able to choose whether or not to honor the NMC.

(By the way, Streit was pretty much immediately dealt away to the Pens for a 4th round pick)

Montreal acquired way too many depth players. What the hell are they even thinking? They got luke 2 4th line now and two third pair of defensemen. I think he had some trades in mind that did not come through.

What a truly abysmal trade deadline.

Raise thine head, Gary Bettman, and gaze upon what thou and thine Salary Cap have wrought...

It's the most boring one in a while. While the salary cap is playing a part in this, the GM are to blame too since alot of players seems to having been overhyped and the price was high.

philou21 wrote:It's the most boring one in a while. While the salary cap is playing a part in this, the GM are to blame too since alot of players seems to having been overhyped and the price was high.

I think the prices were low because while a lot of teams are in the playoff mix, almost no teams feel they're actually contending for a Cup or going anywhere in the playoffs. So mediocrity reigns. Teams might be willing to add a cheap piece for the playoffs, but not actually "go for it" or "go all in".

So while you had only a handful of teams "selling" you might expect that they had the power in dictating prices.... the opposite happened, because on the other side the teams that should have been "buying" also were a smaller number than normal. And if you have almost no teams buying, your market prices quickly go down... no bidding wars, and a lot less calls.

So what you saw is the main deadline currency of previous years (2nd rounders), got downgraded this year to 3rd rounders. And when you're using 3rd rounders as the starting point, all the other prices will then be pretty bad.

The expansion had the biggest part in this trade deadline.

Yeah CJ there's that too.

CJ wrote:The expansion had the biggest part in this trade deadline.

How so?

The players moved at the deadline are usually UFA's-to-be. Teams wouldn't/shouldn't be considering rentals or UFA's-to-be to have any part in their expansion draft plans.

Mtl stack up alot of depth players. They needed size yeah but they aquired too much players. So I guess Bergevin did that on purpose because of the expansion draft.

I know that some of you appreciate the stuff I write and/or translate. Here you have another good article in the "hockey family" mold, even if it's not really family-related, but still a good read. Talking with Kirill Kaprizov's first coach.
http://thehockeywriters.com/talking-wit ... rst-coach/
Have a good read!

The Flames are on fire right now! No pun intended.

Why does Franson use a cage with his helmet?

Lack got injured in OT vs Detroit on the game winning goal. Great sportmanship by the Wings who stayed on the ice until Lack got out.

Yay! we're finally close to the playoffs!
I watched a lot of the 2016 playoffs last summer (the games were on YouTube); I've tried watching hockey this year but I've just not been interested (I rarely last more than a couple/few minutes)

I don't have cable and even when I did I refused to pay for the "extra channels" (where Rogers put almost every game when they got the TV contract with the NHL), so the only available hockey is what CBC shows online (as the national broadcaster it's "free" - meaning taxpayer funded). The problem is pretty much every game at 5 PM on Saturday (the single night each week it's on) is a Leafs game (Rogers owns the Leafs), and I am absolutely not a Leafs fan

I really hope the Leafs don't make the playoffs, as I don't want to have to watch them (based on past experience we'll still hear about them, even as late as the 3rd round/semis as the commentators frequently talk about the Leafs and what they'll do in the off-season instead of the hockey still being played! even when they're a non-playoff team!)



The Oilers are in the playoffs for the first time since 2006; I'm not an Oilers fan, but it was fun back in 2006 when seemingly the whole city (including my wife and daughters!) followed along closely and really got into it...I think significant success for the Oilers is unlikely, but "who knows"

I've become one of those fans that only really cares if the local team is in the playoffs and doing well! HaHa
I didn't think such fans were "real fans" when I was young...and now I've become one! HaHa

I'm glad to finally have the Oilers back but like you I don't they'll last long and it's understandable. They have no experience, average defense and goalies. They still have work to do.

As for the Leafs I finally wish they make the playoffs. I think they have an exciting team with Matthews and Marner. I'm glad this team turned around.

I think the player got an assist for that. First time I'm seeing such a weird assist. https://www.facebook.com/TVASports/vide ... 060364680/

philou21 wrote:I think the player got an assist for that. First time I'm seeing such a weird assist. https://www.facebook.com/TVASports/vide ... 060364680/

Hahahahaa Unique one indeed!

philou21 wrote:I think the player got an assist for that. First time I'm seeing such a weird assist. https://www.facebook.com/TVASports/vide ... 060364680/

I wonder if they checked to see if Panarin's shot was actually in/over the line on his first attempt (the one that hit Panik, resulting in Panik getting the assist)

It was definitely unique in that Panik was actually in the net, but "just obliviously getting hit by the puck" while in front of the net/in the crease and as a result getting an assist or even a goal is certainly not unique

They didn't check if the first shot was in.

NBCSN booth was also wondering about this but apparently the fact that a goal was scored just after did not need any more bothering ^^

The NHL officially announced that they will not participate in the next Olympics. That's going to be interesting to see the players reaction...

philou21 wrote:The NHL officially announced that they will not participate in the next Olympics. That's going to be interesting to see the players reaction...

I really would like to see all those NHL players that think the Olympics are so important retire from the NHL, play in Europe/Russia (KHL?) and take part in the Olympics (now guys like Ovechkin, Voráček, and others have the perfect opportunity to put their "money where their mouth is" in terms of the importance of playing internationally - honestly, I do like the fact that "their bluff has been called")

I hope the European/Russians do (in mass); it'd make the Elite Leagues worldwide better and make international competition better too IMO (like it was back in the 70s/80s), and maybe we'd get further away from the homogenized style of hockey that IMO exists worldwide now


I think anything less than the majority of top Europeans/Russians retiring from the NHL after this current season would be a disappointment (alas I suspect the majority are as greedy/greedier than any NA owner or the NHL - I am glad that the player's bluff has been called...now they can prove it's just not "talk" that international play is more important than the NHL/Stanley Cup/making money)

Yeah it's going to be interesting. It's probably going to be more a war of words I think than people actually doing it.

All about the money, unfortunately.

CJ wrote:All about the money, unfortunately.

Yeah. Some people are also saying that the NHL think the place is "more dangerous" than other places the Olympics took place but that's bull. It's only an excuse. Still, I'm sure some players will want to represant their nation, stars or not. So it's going to be interesting to see if some just go ahead and decide to go there. What would be awesome is that some owners let some of their players go despite what the NHL said but I must take my pink glasses off it's never going to happen.

CJ wrote:All about the money, unfortunately.

As I said above, I am glad that the player's bluff has been called...now they can prove it's just not "talk" that international play is more important than the NHL/Stanley Cup/making money

If I was a European/Russian fan I'd be really disappointed in the older star players (because they're already multimillionaires) if they didn't retire from the NHL at the end of this season to allow themselves to play in the Olympics.....for example, Lundqvist spoke out on social media about his disappointment/the value of the Olympics, so I seriously would expect him to forego the $29 million the NYR are scheduled to pay him over the next four years and play in the a League like the SHL or KHL for a tiny fraction of that, so he can play in the Olympics

Same with the outspoken players like Ovechkin and Voracek.....to maintain any integrity at all I think they have to retire from the NHL - unless they're just as in it for the money as all who get attacked by many (whether the NHL, IOC, IIHF, etc)

The pay cut will be huge though, as if I understand correctly the KHL is by far the highest paying League after the NHL, and only the top 7-8 players make more than the average NHL salary & the top 400+ NHLers make as much or more than the 30th best salary in the KHL (factoring in a 45% increase in KHL salaries to account for no taxes paid).....but they'll still be rich! It's not as if they'd be poor if they didn't get NA money



As a guy who grew up on Canada Cups, and Olympic hockey being less relevant than the Worlds, it doesn't really bother me.....I'd suspect (and hope/pray!) that the NHL will drop the U23 Team and Team Europe idea from the World Cup, and that'll become a more regular event and we'll still have a best-on-best

If European/Russian fans don't like that, I hope they start supporting their local Elite Leagues.....if the KHL can manage to increase their salaries paid by 300-400 percent maybe players wouldn't be flocking to the NHL (but alas the KHL's actually contracting teams/reducing salaries) - if it really is "all about the money" then the money European/Russian fans won't or can't pay is probably the biggest factor IMO



I don't think there's a top soccer/football League in the world that would act any differently than the NHL if they had essentially no competition for players (and no significant culture of international play), with all players coming to them; soccer/football has multiple competing Elite Leagues of high quality, and that's what hockey needs IMO

It'd be better for the sport as a whole, international play would be better IMO, and it'd hopefully help reduce the homogenized, boring play that I think is modern hockey

And there's no culture of nationalism in sports in NA.....nobody playing one of the top sports in NA grows up caring about international play, and the huge numbers that watch are just watching because they're on/it's something to do (peak Olympic viewing in the last Olympics was less than a TV show like American Idol got at its peak....they're big numbers, but they don't "matter" and people will easily watch something else if Olympic hockey isn't on.....NA culture doesn't passionately follow the exploits of players overseas because "they're from the home country" - when NA players played overseas during the lockout there was no coverage! maybe 30 seconds or less mention on the occasional newscast, no highlights, no games...people just did something else with their available freetime)