September NHL News Thread

RedOctober3829

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deep inside Guido territory
I’d probably tier the Atlantic:

Good: Tampa, Toronto, Boston, Florida
Year away: Buffalo
Bad: Detroit, Montreal
Tire fire: Ottawa

I wouldn’t sleep on Florida. They have some great players and were one of the best teams in the second half of last season. Added Hoffman to a very good forward group, and they also have a promising rookie in Borgstrom.

Buffalo has much improved depth. G is a concern, Hutton as a starter is unknown. I don’t think it is out of the realm of possibility they push for a playoff spot if Dahlin hits the ground as a #1 and a difference maker right off the bat, as well as Mittlestadt playing a capable #2 C role.
Has the Atlantic passed the Metro in terms of depth? They were better last year and I think it will continue. Washington/Pittsburgh are still real good, but are Philly and NJ one year wonders? Will Columbus rebound? The Rangers, Islanders, and Hurricanes are bad.
 

PedroSpecialK

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Funny how this sort of thing happens when he goes from making $7 million to $3.3 million (and then a million each in the followinf 3 years). He played 82 games each of the last 3 seasons.
It's apples to mangoes, but he also was playing golf with Whitney and the rest of that crew this summer right? Can't imagine that being recommended so shortly after being diagnosed a truly degenerative back condition...
 

veritas

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Has the Atlantic passed the Metro in terms of depth? They were better last year and I think it will continue. Washington/Pittsburgh are still real good, but are Philly and NJ one year wonders? Will Columbus rebound? The Rangers, Islanders, and Hurricanes are bad.
Depends on how you define depth. At the top end, definitely. But like I said, they might have the 4 worst teams in the league. Definitely all 4 are worse than the Hurricanes
 

RedOctober3829

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Depends on how you define depth. At the top end, definitely. But like I said, they might have the 4 worst teams in the league. Definitely all 4 are worse than the Hurricanes
I'm not sure Buffalo will be worse than Carolina this year. Montreal and Ottawa will be though. I also think the Rangers will take a nosedive after stripping down the team at the trade deadline.
 

veritas

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I'm not sure Buffalo will be worse than Carolina this year. Montreal and Ottawa will be though. I also think the Rangers will take a nosedive after stripping down the team at the trade deadline.
A lot of people are saying Buffalo will be much better but I haven’t heard any convincing arguments for that. They were the worst team in the league last year. They lost their best player. Let’s call Skinner for Kane a wash. Dahlin and Middlestadt are going to replace ROR *and* be worth another 10 wins? I don't see that happening at all
 

Maurice09

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I live in the Buffalo area and between the Leafs with the Tavares signing and the Sabres youth they both have the same thing in common . They don’t have goaltending. The Sabres are a year or 2 away . The Sabres have young raw talent but
it won’t be this year.
 
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cshea

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Reports out of Ottawa this morning that Mark Stone, predictably, wants out. He was a goner by the deadline for sure, wonder if this accelerated the process.
 

veritas

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I would love Stone on the Bruins, Ottawa doesn't seem to have any interest in trading inside the division though.

In other news, the Byfuglien summer training program only works if you're good at hockey:

 

LogansDad

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Before we moved to California, we used to drive the 8 hours to Pheonix every year to see the Bruins play. Up until last year, it was the only NHL arena I had been to, so I thought the unconscionably loud music was normal. I'm talking a 16 on a scale of 5, to where I couldn't even talk to my wife if one of the kids was between us, and the instant the whistle blew to end a play, like they were anticipating the stoppage. Then I moved out here and got to see the Bruins play in the much more professional environment of San Jose... and I'm convinced that Phoenix only did that because they knew I was there, and wanted really, really badly to be able to shout awful, mean (but family friendly, of course) things at Max Domi, until I hurt his feelings so much that he cried.

What a fucking shitheel that guy is.
 

PedroSpecialK

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Welcome to Montreal, Max Domi! Like father, like son!

Lol apparently, this nothing play at 0:38 set Domi off


Early prediction: Galchenyuk puts up 90 points, Domi's skating with Andrew Shaw by November, and the Habs get 4th in the lottery
 

cshea

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Suspended the rest of the preseason.

That’ll really teach him!! No money forfeited either!!! Taught him a lesson to be sure!!!

 

MiracleOfO2704

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This is the same organization that saw fit to leave Scott Walker alone after he broke Aaron Ward’s orbital bone with a sucker punch. Plus ça change...
 

JCizzle

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He's already fallen twice on the ice. I think I'm in love with this thing, the whole deal is awesome.
 

McDrew

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I feel the same way about gritty as I do about Everlast's cover of Folsom Prison Blues: . Its nothing like what you're expecting, while simultaneously being EXACTLY what you're expecting, and is in the uncanny valley of trash that makes it beautiful.
 

LogansDad

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In a fucking preseason game. God the NHL needs to do something to figure out how to get clowns like him out of the league.
 

McDrew

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I'm not seeing something and I'm looking to be corrected.

The guy has the puck and then shoots. A couple tenths of a second later (within the window for a legal check) Wilson hits the shooter's right shoulder with his left shoulder, and the shooter spins around, partially because of his momentum from shooting and partially because of Wilson's hit. His head was down because of the shooting motion, and when hit, his head snapped up because that's the only way it could go. Yes, I see that the hit was high, but from the two angles I saw, I can't conclusively say that the head was the principal contact or that it looked like he was aiming at it. Yes, this was a hard hit, and yes the guy got injured, but I'm having problems understanding exactly what the infraction is here.
 

RIFan

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Slow motion GIF. Wilson doesn’t leave the ice, but definitely rises up to deliberately hit high. Sundqvuist face was bloodied (most likely cut by his shield) so there was definitely heavy contact directly the head.

With his history this should be 20 to send him a strong message to cut this shit out of his game. He’s entering Cook / Torres territory. I’ll be surprised if he gets more than 5.
 

McDrew

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I've taken a second look based on what people have said.

What I see:
Wilson bracing and going from a skating to checking posture to initiate contact.
There is upward motion in the check, but it is minimal, and his skates do not leave the ice until after they contact each other.
Sundqvist's head is down because of his shooting motion. Immediately prior to the hit, because of his shot, his shoulders go from facing Wilson to being perpendicular, facing the goal. Wilson also makes a similar movement to brace for the check, moving his shoulders parallel to his motion. Absent either rotation, they would have run into each other chest-first. Instead, they run into each other shoulder-to-shoulder, with Sundqvist's head also quickly making contact because it is similarly forward (because of his shooting position).

5 and the gate was the right call on the ice. He's a serious repeat offender so that means that that could (and should) enhance any penalty he gets. I also want headshots eliminated from the game. Yet, I could also see an argument from Wilson that the rotation of the shoulders/bodies prior to the hit was the reason that the contact was into the head region happened instead of lower into Sundqvist's shoulder or chest. Is this just a situation where Wilson should not have tried anyways because of the angles of their skating prior to the hit?

I'm trying to see why this is as bad as you guys are saying (instead of just being bad) and your explanations help. Thanks.
 

McDrew

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Cool little mini-doc on the NHL on the removal of a band from the Stanley Cup.

The band covering champions from the 1953-54 season through 1964-65 will be removed for a fresh one containing only the 2017-2018 Capitals.

Names being permanently removed from the cup with the band being taken off include 12 Hall of Famers, including Howe, Lindsay, Richard, Plante, and Bobby Hull.
 

PedroSpecialK

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Canucks send Sam Gagner to Utica to make room for Tyler Motte.

In other news, Gagner's $3.15m AAV likely exceeds the GDP of Utica
 

RIFan

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I'm not seeing something and I'm looking to be corrected.

The guy has the puck and then shoots. A couple tenths of a second later (within the window for a legal check) Wilson hits the shooter's right shoulder with his left shoulder, and the shooter spins around, partially because of his momentum from shooting and partially because of Wilson's hit. His head was down because of the shooting motion, and when hit, his head snapped up because that's the only way it could go. Yes, I see that the hit was high, but from the two angles I saw, I can't conclusively say that the head was the principal contact or that it looked like he was aiming at it. Yes, this was a hard hit, and yes the guy got injured, but I'm having problems understanding exactly what the infraction is here.
Wilson had plenty of time to avoid the hit. His intent was clear just by looking at how he held his stick. He made no attempt to disrupt the shot which should have been his primary defensive responsibility. The rising up to deliver the hit is exactly what he did in the playoffs and broke Aston-Reese's jaw. An open ice "shoulder" check on a shooting player is almost always going to end up with head contact. Wilson doesn't deserve any benefit of the doubt on his intent. It was a predatory hit with the sole intent to knock Sunqvist senseless. The fact that it was a meaningless preseason game against a non conference team that he already has an odious history with makes it even worse. Garbage hit by a garbage player. If they want to protect players and minimize concussions they need to take hits like that out of the game.
 

McDrew

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Wilson had plenty of time to avoid the hit. His intent was clear just by looking at how he held his stick. He made no attempt to disrupt the shot which should have been his primary defensive responsibility. The rising up to deliver the hit is exactly what he did in the playoffs and broke Aston-Reese's jaw. An open ice "shoulder" check on a shooting player is almost always going to end up with head contact. Wilson doesn't deserve any benefit of the doubt on his intent. It was a predatory hit with the sole intent to knock Sunqvist senseless. The fact that it was a meaningless preseason game against a non conference team that he already has an odious history with makes it even worse. Garbage hit by a garbage player. If they want to protect players and minimize concussions they need to take hits like that out of the game.
To make sure my understanding is correct:

This is bad because his clear and sole intent (as given by his posture and how long he was in it) was to deliver a powerful check to a shooting player from a bad angle. Doing such has such a high chance of injury (because of the lowered head from the shooting motion), the the move is now illegal entirely. The fact that the point of contact was shoulderish and head vs pure head as the contact point and the rotation of the two bodies immediately prior to the hit is less of a concern than the angle of approach and the intent.

Am I right on that?

I think because I never played hockey growing up that I don't recognize some of the on-ice risks and dangers as much as people that have played, and so your(everyone who has responded) perspective is really important for me to understand. Thanks.

To ask a follow-up question:

What if Sundqvist hadn't shot and had been stickhandling when Wilson did that? Is the responsibility still to stick check over body checking. Is the clear intent to check from a bad angle still the most important thing?
 

veritas

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Andrew Berkshire released his list of the top 20 centers based on his statistical model:
Code:
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/definitive-ranking-nhls-top-20-centres-three-seasons/
No surprise McDavid is 1st. Bergeron is the top defensive center, and 6th overall, no surprises there. Krejci comes in at 19 which is higher than I expected.

edit: uhhhh, SoSH was embedding that as a video