Around the NHL Summer 2019

[SABRES 0311]

6 hours ago, IKnowPhysics said:

There are lots and lots of Sabres fan transplants in SoCal; it'll be easy to find us.  The closest games to Pendleton will be Anaheim (Honda Center) and Los Angeles (Staples Center).  The Sabres fans usually pregame at JT Schmid's across the street from the Honda Center and in/around an area known as LA Live around Staples Center.  Note that all three west coast games (and sometimes PHX) are usually played in the same compacted road trip for the Sabres, so it's sometimes tricky to go catch them all.  LA and Anaheim are almost always played as a back-to-back with SJ played two or three days away from those games.

Depending on where you're living, don't discount taking the fam to an SD Gulls or Ontario Reign game.  If you or the wife like wine, there's no excuse not to do a weekend around Temecula.  If you're a science nerd, beyond all the museums and zoos in town in LA and SD, go check out the Palomar Observatory.

Thank you very much for the info. Specifically the back to back games. Depending on when that happens I might just have to put in for leave and take a trip. 

When we were last in Pendleton we went to the SD Zoo, good time. This was when the baby panda was expected to be born.

I’ll just be happy that games will be on at 4:00pm instead of 9:00am.

[Weave]

Getting this thread on topic.....

Found an interesting read that tries to explain the success of teams like Boston, especially in the playoffs.  It's written about the playoffs, but I didn't want to put it in the playoff thread because that seems to be mostly game conversation.

Anywho, the premise is, chippy play is a strategy not intended for intimidation, but to take advantage of special teams success.  Yes, taking penalties to win, because you're also getting your opponent to take penalties and if your special teams overall are better than your opponents you will win on the back of special teams goal differential.

Interesting to note that the author feels that this is Tampa's strategy as well.

Don't know how accuratte it is, but the premise is quite interesting.

http://faceoffcircle.ca/2019/04/15/how-teams-can-exploit-the-special-teams-social-construct-in-hockey/
 

Quote

 

you want to be a chippy team. You finish a couple of extra checks, you throw a few face washes in scrums, you try to get under the skin of the other team. Most importantly, you make sure the officials have to call something. You get the penalty box warm, you make it so both sides are doing the back and forth, knowing that your total efficiency will make it work out better for your team in the end. The goal isn’t powerplay share – it’s goal differential in an area of the game where goals come faster.

The Tampa Bay Lightning organization are a great example of how this works. Tampa was near the top of the NHL in both penalties drawn and penalties taken this year, and actually finished with a below 50% powerplay share. But because they were so good on both sides of special teams, the end result of being -5 in penalties was being +34 in goals. This is a strategy that they cultivated in Syracuse (who this year was -52 in powerplays and +9 in special teams goals) and brought up once it had been perfected. Colorado and Calgary are also examples of teams that, at an organization level, seem to be content with driving penalty pace. Interestingly, the NHL’s trends also seem to be tied into how often your team has success on special teams – perhaps suggesting that another reason for fewer total calls at the highest level is a look towards special team goal balance, rather than just opportunities.

 

 

[spndnchz]

Burke said it a few days ago. Pk and pp and a good goalie. NHL 2019

[dudacek]

4 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

It could be. Personally, I will lose hope if we do not come up big in free agency in some way. The slow build is a plan, but it will be sloooooowwww by just drafting.

I’m kinda hoping for a nondescript coach and a handful of low-key additions.

Remember the mood around Carolina and Long Island last summer?

[Brawndo]

14 hours ago, WildCard said:

 

Five years 25Million. 

Which is the same reported offering the Sabres made after the Kings were supposedly not going higher than 3.5 Million. 

 

[LTS]

13 hours ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Watch the kings tear it up and SS implodes as we call for Botterils head 

33% of this is already happening, isn't it?

[LGR4GM]

14 hours ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Watch the kings tear it up and SS implodes as we call for Botterils head 

So the Kings drafted well last year. They got Rasmus Kupari who even I had far too low on my board. Kid is good but the question will be how good. They also have Gabe Vilardi and Akil Thomas in their system. All 3 of those guys need to hit to replace their aging core. I don't know if next year that team will be drastically better but I would expect an improvement as some of these pieces get added in. I also think LA is a prime target to take Bowen Byram as they need some defense there. 

LA has some other good pieces in their pool and have drafted reasonably well the last couple of years. They have taken a lot of very good picks. Vilardi, Kupari, Dudas, and Thomas. The question is, how soon will those players be ready and how do they fix their cap situation? 

[Hoss]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

So the Kings drafted well last year.

Nobody knows this yet. And won’t for probably at least 3/4 more years.

[LGR4GM]

7 minutes ago, Hoss said:

Nobody knows this yet. And won’t for probably at least 3/4 more years.

Guess I will go out on a limb and say that Thomas and Kupari were good picks then. 

[shrader]

46 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Guess I will go out on a limb and say that Thomas and Kupari were good picks then. 

And if either of them goes out and gets hit by a bus tomorrow?  Crude, I know, but there's just way too much that can happen in the upcoming years before we can say anything.

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, shrader said:

And if either of them goes out and gets hit by a bus tomorrow?  Crude, I know, but there's just way too much that can happen in the upcoming years before we can say anything.

I mean... sure. But in a general sense, the 2018 draft involved LA getting 2 "potentially" good players. I guess I will qualify it but now we are arguing semantics. 

[Hoss]

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

I mean... sure. But in a general sense, the 2018 draft involved LA getting 2 "potentially" good players. I guess I will qualify it but now we are arguing semantics. 

Every team in the league that had multiple picks early, in the middle and/or late got two or more potentially good players

[Wyldnwoody44]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

So the Kings drafted well last year. They got Rasmus Kupari who even I had far too low on my board. Kid is good but the question will be how good. They also have Gabe Vilardi and Akil Thomas in their system. All 3 of those guys need to hit to replace their aging core. I don't know if next year that team will be drastically better but I would expect an improvement as some of these pieces get added in. I also think LA is a prime target to take Bowen Byram as they need some defense there. 

LA has some other good pieces in their pool and have drafted reasonably well the last couple of years. They have taken a lot of very good picks. Vilardi, Kupari, Dudas, and Thomas. The question is, how soon will those players be ready and how do they fix their cap situation? 

There was a big debate here on Todd McLellan, many wanted him, many said nay. 

I think this kings situation may be good when it comes to that. They don't have a great team (I Was mostly being facetious up thread) but if the kings "overachieve" with a new coach, and we don't do something drastically better than this season, this place may fully implode. 

I'm not 100% sure a coach can fully make or break your team, but a good one can be enough to get you into the show, and then from there, playoffs are unforgiving. 

As we've seen, a bad coach, can have an equal effect, thanks Phil. 

[LGR4GM]

5 minutes ago, Hoss said:

Every team in the league that had multiple picks early, in the middle and/or late got two or more potentially good players

I don't agree with this statement. The NYR for example drafted, just kinda ok compared to the Kings IMPO. 

I would rather have Kupari and Thomas, than Kravtsov, Miller and Lundkvist. 

Edited April 17, 2019 by LGR4GM

[LGR4GM]

I suppose though, that to each their own. 

[Hoss]

There's a lot of speculation that Phil Kessel will be the one to go in Pittsburgh and that the team wants to get a defenseman this offseason. Any interest?

He's 31 with three years left at $7M. Had 33 goals and 44 assists this season.

[dudacek]

29 minutes ago, Hoss said:

There's a lot of speculation that Phil Kessel will be the one to go in Pittsburgh and that the team wants to get a defenseman this offseason. Any interest?

He's 31 with three years left at $7M. Had 33 goals and 44 assists this season.

Depends on the price. Skill set would help., but his age bracket makes paying a big price a mistake

Would rather not trade Risto for him.

Interest gets a lot higher if Skinner walks.

Edited April 17, 2019 by dudacek

[#freejame]

I guess this belongs here...

ROR, Bergeron and Stone nominated for the Selke. 

[Hoss]

51 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Depends on the price. Skill set would help., but his age bracket makes paying a big price a mistake

Would rather not trade Risto for him.

Interest gets a lot higher if Skinner walks.

I'm curious what type of price it would take to land him. I imagine they'd insist on Risto if they like him. I know a lot has changed but they were one of the teams hot for Scandella when he was being shopped in Minnesota. Yes, I know you're not getting Kessel for Scandella but just noting the prior interest.

Maybe they look to attach a salary to him which might lower the price to McCabe or Scandella and a prospect/pick.

[In The Buff]

Given the lack of scoring from our forwards, we definitely need to resign Skinner, i mean he's one of the few guys we had that can score. But all things being equal, I'd much rather pay that kind of money to a player like Mark Stone, who will most likely command the same type of contract, but who has shown he can create & produce offense on his own. Whereas the bulk of Skinners offense came from being with Eichel.

Eichel is such a good playmaker, you could probably put Oloffoson on his wing next year & he'd be good for 20 goals easy. But you put Skinner on the 2nd line away from Jack & who knows how much he'd score. So is Skinner really worth $8-$9mil to your team? Or would that money be better spent on your 2C?

JBots has some difficult decisions this summer. I don't envy him thats for sure. It'd be a helluva lot easier if our supporting cast performed better. But when 50% of your forwards suck, you don't have much margin for error going forward. And you can't let players like Skinner walk without having a replacement for their production already lined up. We're pretty much stuck between a rock & a hard place imo, Skinner has all the leverage.

But like all you guys here i'm excited to see what happens this summer because regardless, changes are coming.

[thewookie1]

6 hours ago, Hoss said:

I'm curious what type of price it would take to land him. I imagine they'd insist on Risto if they like him. I know a lot has changed but they were one of the teams hot for Scandella when he was being shopped in Minnesota. Yes, I know you're not getting Kessel for Scandella but just noting the prior interest.

Maybe they look to attach a salary to him which might lower the price to McCabe or Scandella and a prospect/pick.

I don’t think Kessel will be worth a ton at this point. He’s 31 and making 7 mil for 3 years until he’s 34/35.

He’s a one trick pony who if he loses his scoring is a cap Hell scenario. I’d offer Scandella and a 4th and nothing more. They save money, I take a high risk reward player who’s on the wrong side of 30.

Edited April 18, 2019 by thewookie1

[Hoss]

4 hours ago, MillerVaive said:

Given the lack of scoring from our forwards, we definitely need to resign Skinner, i mean he's one of the few guys we had that can score. But all things being equal, I'd much rather pay that kind of money to a player like Mark Stone, who will most likely command the same type of contract, but who has shown he can create & produce offense on his own. Whereas the bulk of Skinners offense came from being with Eichel.

Eichel is such a good playmaker, you could probably put Oloffoson on his wing next year & he'd be good for 20 goals easy. But you put Skinner on the 2nd line away from Jack & who knows how much he'd score. So is Skinner really worth $8-$9mil to your team? Or would that money be better spent on your 2C?

JBots has some difficult decisions this summer. I don't envy him thats for sure. It'd be a helluva lot easier if our supporting cast performed better. But when 50% of your forwards suck, you don't have much margin for error going forward. And you can't let players like Skinner walk without having a replacement for their production already lined up. We're pretty much stuck between a rock & a hard place imo, Skinner has all the leverage.

But like all you guys here i'm excited to see what happens this summer because regardless, changes are coming.

Mark Stone already signed an 8-year deal in Vegas at $8.5M.

[#freejame]

5 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

I don’t think Kessel will be worth a ton at this point. He’s 31 and making 7 mil for 3 years until he’s 34/35.

He’s a one trick pony who if he loses his scoring is a cap Hell scenario. I’d offer Scandella and a 4th and nothing more. They save money, I take a high risk reward player who’s on the wrong side of 30.

Hey now, he’s got more than one trick. He can shoot and he’s lightning fast. 

[LTS]

30 minutes ago, #freejame said:

Hey now, he’s got more than one trick. He can shoot and he’s lightning fast. 

Especially if there are hot dogs waiting for him.

[WildCard]

Winning sells tickets, who woulda guessed