Iron Crotch

Bogo stopped getting power play time his last year and a half with the Jets. So, his scoring dropped. Unlike Pysysk, Bogo actually shoots the puck. He just shoots it a couple of feet wide, unfortunately. I'd like to see Murray make one more "blockbuster" trade. But, if he doesn't go that route before the trade deadline, he can sell off all of the UFAs, acquire a bunch of picks, then package picks/prospects for someone this summer.

I pretty much agree about Bettman. He is closing in on being the longest serving commissioner in the history of professional sports. At this point he is taking the game where he wants it to go and pretty much ignoring the fans who I conjecture want a game that favors skill and scoring over interference and shot blocking. The way I see it, going to 3-on-3 for overtime is a grand admission that the game is boring and nobody can score. Making the all-star game 3-on-3 is the same. It is no longer a game, but a glorified skills competition. I agree that flying into town for the game is a waste of money. I was offered my regular season ticket seats for the all-star game weekend at a jacked up price. Had to buy both Saturday (skills competition) and Sunday (ASG). I did so because I figured it was a once in a lifetime chance to attend an All-Star weekend. But, I really only want to see the skills competition on Saturday. They have a whole bunch of NHL-related crap going on at the convention center across the street from Bridgestone Arena all weekend long. Cost is $15 for season ticket holders, $20 for everyone else. I'm curious, so I might check it out one of the days.

Pysyk is 24 and still isn't a full-time NHL defenseman. He'll give you maybe 15-20 points in a full season. We have Risto and Bogo on the right side already. Both are bigger and more physical and bring more on the offensive end. I personally don't see why folks think it'd be such a tragedy to move him (for the right return, of course).

Excellent reference.

I'd bet the farm that Pysyk is being held out because he is the subject of a potential trade (most of which eventually fall through). Personally, I think folks around here overvalue Pysyk. He is a nice player. Very smooth. But, he doesn't bring much on the offensive end. I'd trade him for the right return. We have the pieces to then try to swing another trade for a better two-way defenseman. Definitely Tyson Barrie, but I'm not sure the Avs will part with him. I'd go after Matt Dumba. He is great with the puck and can shoot. Dumba for Ennis and some picks/prospects or something like that.

Yeah. That was a hella-boring game decided by a seeing eye point shot.

Not aimed at you, but I think folks don't realize just how much scoring has come down over the last decade or so. Only 15 players scored 30 goals or more last year. Only 3 scored more than 40 goals. Johansen was 16th in the NHL in scoring last year at age 22. He was 34th the year before at age 21 (scored 33 goals). In my book, that is "elite" already, or pretty close. Columbus kept benching him so his ice time dipped there this season, but he has 6 points in his first 4 games with the Preds so far. He and James Neal look deadly as linemates.

Cover of today's NY Daily News... pretty amusing in my opinion...

We need some gold helmets. Go Sabres.

Pekka looks bad again tonight. He just let in a weak wrap-around goal. He is a big reason the Preds are free falling in the standings.

Pekka is having a terrible year. He's been overplaying the puck and taking himself out of position often.

Fixed it for ya. 19 year old Kevin Fiala got called up from Milwaukee to take CoHo's place in the Preds lineup. Fiala immediately was put on the 1st line along with James Neal and Ryan Johansen. Fiala is small, but he has a ton of skill. I'm looking forward to seeing him play. And, I'm looking forward to NOT seeing Hodgson play. Edit: Fiala scored on his first shift. Sending CoHo down has already paid dividends!

I'd do that move. We'll have Auston Matthews next year, so that makes Samson expendable. :D

Barrie is the Avs best defenseman and he is on a scoring streak. I don't see the Avs letting him walk without a very strong return. Young 60-point defensemen are hard to come by. That said, he has the same agent as Ryan O'Reilly, which obviously works against the Avs.

Lehner and Chad with the Sabres and Linus goes down to Rochester. It is only temporary since Chad is a UFA and will be sold to the highest bidder at the deadline.

I really like Dumba. He's in the wrong system in Minnesota. Kid needs to be allowed to freelance offensively a bit.

Werd.

What? Thanks you, Jesus! He is the worst g.d. player on the Preds by far. I can't take watching the guy any more. I don't ever want to see that guy in the NHL again. http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nhl/predators/2016/01/13/predators-place-cody-hodgson-on-waivers/78734106/

At the bottom of Garth's blog he notes which guys are likely to be on the block and which are likely to stay: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/GARTHS-CORNER/Murrency/6/73974 McGinn is on the "stay" list. I'm fine with everyone on the "go" list other than I'm one of the few on here who still likes Ennis when healthy. I think he has puck skills that are useful on the power play.

A friend sent me DVDs of Strange Brew, Slapshot, and Goon for Christmas. Awesome. :D

I was watching that game live. It was pretty awesome to get an "old school" bench clearing affair after the game. Mostly pushing and shoving, although Luongo reached over the boards from the bench are started whacking guys with his goalie stick. A teammate saw that and took the stick from him. It was amusing.

While I'm at it... Last year, every single team in the league other than Arizona had a winning record when scoring first in a game (including the hapless Sabres). This year every team has a winning record when scoring first other than Vancouver (.500 when scoring first). Conversely, every team in the league has a losing record when the other team scores first except Dallas (.500) and the Kings (.500). The recipe for most teams seems to be to score first then pack it in defensively the rest of the way. I think that's exactly what we saw last night. Does this make for an exciting brand of NHL hockey? All a matter of opinion, I guess. I'll go to games and watch on TV regardless.

Almost every game. A sea of one goal games decided by a lucky deflection (e.g., Risto's point shot last night that found its way through). Every team in the league basically plays .500 hockey, with a few exceptions like Washington and Dallas and Columbus. If you get the bounces you win, if not you lose. The only factors that seem to really matter are quality of goaltending (a "bad" goal is a killer in today's game) and special teams play (this is where offensive skill can win out). Otherwise, the 5-on-5 game is a game is pretty much a stalemate.

Yeah, they were all about keeping every team in the playoff race deep into the season. I get it, but I just think it gets to a point where luck is more deterministic than skill, which is what I don't like to see.