Around the NHL: 2024-2025 Season

[PerreaultForever]

This is why it's been over for a long time though. We are winning a lot of games and still 11 points out (1 game in hand). You just don't make up ground all that fast at this time of year. It just doesn't happen. Too many teams and only a couple of them have to go on a run to stay far ahead.

[thewookie1]

4 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

Bruins make playoffs for 100 years in a row, tank for one year and will draft their future #1 center.

must be nice to have a an organization that operates like a well oiled machine.

The latter part is luck

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

Ya, they won the first 2 games after the deadline and both guys looked fast (everything's relative) and Bruins fans went what is this madness? Are they good? 

Reality has set in and now they are saying do not sign or keep. Mixed on Jokiharju maybe but Mittelstadt is being hated on along with his game completely falling apart. Constant give aways. Worse than Cozens the other day. 

Their tank is strong. 

The question is are they tanking just for this year or is this a continued tank for McKenna too? The current roster is certainly capable of dead last next year. 

Well either Pittsburgh or Boston will get McKenna. 

Pittsburgh will transition from Crosby to him

Boston will draft McKenna and sign Eichel to some outrageous contract and bounce back.

 

Because in the end regardless of what we do, we can't ever rely on getting any good luck falling our way and for it not to endlessly boost our peerage.  

[LGR4GM]

 

 

[sabremike]

This is a disgruntled Isles STH who after expressing dissatisfaction with the team was called by the minority owner. Could you even imagine the Sabres doing ANYTHING like that? 

[LGR4GM]

40 minutes ago, sabremike said:

This is a disgruntled Isles STH who after expressing dissatisfaction with the team was called by the minority owner. Could you even imagine the Sabres doing ANYTHING like that? 

No because Adams is a weak leader and Pegula only cares when he feels like it. 

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

He's always been an effective 5-on-5 player [edit: scorer, not defender, obviously]. Not so great on the powerplay.

I'm guessing that his numbers were also good with the Sabres (if you remove the games he played while Krueger was coach and trying to make Skinner into a non-scoring bottom 6 grinder).

The question that arises is out of this: what if Skinner hadn't been bought out and one of NAK or Lafferty isn't signed as a UFA. And then Quinn's slow start leads him to be the 13th forward instead of a PP1 and top-6 minutes regular. Does it make a difference?

Edited April 4 by DarthEbriate

[CallawaySabres]

9 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

The latter part is luck

They traded away their top talent at the deadline, along with many other moves, dropped like a stone after realizing a miraculous run to 8th was not worth it (and probably was not going to happen.) I don't see how that is luck, it's an organization pulling the plug at the exact right time. 

[dudacek]

5 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

They traded away their top talent at the deadline, along with many other moves, dropped like a stone after realizing a miraculous run to 8th was not worth it (and probably was not going to happen.) I don't see how that is luck, it's an organization pulling the plug at the exact right time. 

I'm actually kinda fascinated about this.

They are largely bereft of both prospects and young players with upside.

H. Lindholm, McAvoy, Zadorov, Pastrnak, Zacha, and E Lindholm are all good NHL players; do they add around them or use them to fuel a reset? How?

On paper, it's easier to see this roster bottoming out than climbing back into contention.

But the Bruins mystique has taught us to believe they wont be down for long.

Really curious to see if the mystique is real or just a factor of the enduring power of the 2011 core.

[Thorny]

The bruins usually aren’t down for long because no one is usually down for long 

only 8 teams besides buffalo have missed more than 3 seasons 

Edited April 4 by Thorner

[Thorny]

It’s 3 seasons usually (at most) and you are back. SOMETIMES 4. Then there are a handful of outliers. Then there’s the buffalo sabres 

Even a little extra “Boston mystique” and it’s 1/2 years instead of 3.
 

We are most thoroughly influenced by our experiences 

Sabres are the clock moving really fast in space. Our time is way slowed down 

[dudacek]

3 minutes ago, Thorner said:

The bruins usually aren’t down for long because no one is usually down for long 

only 8 teams besides buffalo have missed more than 3 seasons 

Not sure how you are defining this, but I’m looking at it as “extended periods of mostly missing the playoffs.”

And in terms of that definition Boston has been an outlier. In our division alone:

• Florida: missed 16 of 18 prior to 2019
• Toronto: 9 of 10 prior to 2016
• Montreal: 6 of the past 9 (though they did have a COVID miracle run in there)
• Ottawa: about to change after 7 straight misses
• Detroit: 8 seasons and counting
• Tampa 5 of 6 prior to 2014

The last time the Bruins missed more the twice in a row was the early ‘60s.

[Thorny]

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Not sure how you are defining this, but I’m looking at it as “extended periods of mostly missing the playoffs.”

And in terms of that definition Boston has been an outlier. In our division alone:

• Florida: missed 16 of 18 prior to 2019
• Toronto: 9 of 10 prior to 2016
• Montreal: 6 of the past 9 (though they did have a COVID miracle run in there)
• Ottawa: about to change after 7 straight misses
• Detroit: 8 seasons and counting
• Tampa 5 of 6 prior to 2014

The last time the Bruins missed more the twice in a row was the early ‘60s.

I just quoted the numbers 

- - - 

“9 of 10 prior to 2016”

“6 of past 9”

These are all random qualifiers assigned to each team, whichever makes them look worst

14 *straight*

Edited April 4 by Thorner

[Thorny]

Anything any team does is miraculous relative to us with the exception of Detroit 

Who we are still way beyond 

[dudacek]

5 minutes ago, Thorner said:

I just quoted the numbers 

9 of 10 prior to 2016

6 of past 9

These are all random qualifiers assigned to each team, whichever makes them look worst

14 *straight*

I’m not talking about the pathetic current run of the Buffalo Sabres. Never brought them up.

I’m talking about the Boston Bruins and their ability in my lifetime to avoid the types of down periods that have afflicted most other franchises.

Edited April 4 by dudacek

[PerreaultForever]

17 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

Well either Pittsburgh or Boston will get McKenna. 

Pittsburgh will transition from Crosby to him

Boston will draft McKenna and sign Eichel to some outrageous contract and bounce back.

 

Because in the end regardless of what we do, we can't ever rely on getting any good luck falling our way and for it not to endlessly boost our peerage.  

Eichel to Boston in another year is a thing that could happen. Now all homeboys go home though. They said Hannifin was going to sign in Boston too and he went Vegas all the way. Eichel could easily stay in Vegas. 

However this does bring in the question of whether they are planning a one year (this year) tank or a two year tank for McKenna and then maybe signing Eichel and a rapid rebuild. What they do this off season might be interesting to watch. They've certainly pulled a rapid about face that's for sure. 

[Wyldnwoody44]

Ovie with the record tie.... Hat trick for the record... Would be sweet @home 

Edited April 5 by Wyldnwoody44

[JustOutsideChicago]

Minnesota’s season has become very Sabresy.

Edited April 5 by JustOutsideChicago

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

On 4/2/2025 at 4:06 PM, matter2003 said:

Blues on a heater winning 11 straight games and 17 of their last 20

Hey, that Montgomery guy is a good coach. The Bruins should think about hiring him to reverse their fortunes oh wait.

[DarthEbriate]

On 4/4/2025 at 4:19 PM, PerreaultForever said:

Eichel to Boston in another year is a thing that could happen. Now all homeboys go home though. They said Hannifin was going to sign in Boston too and he went Vegas all the way. Eichel could easily stay in Vegas. 

However this does bring in the question of whether they are planning a one year (this year) tank or a two year tank for McKenna and then maybe signing Eichel and a rapid rebuild. What they do this off season might be interesting to watch. They've certainly pulled a rapid about face that's for sure. 

With Eichel, he may want to stay and be a winner in Vegas rather than go home to be a savior again for the Bruins rebuild. It’s easy to trust Vegas with the cap space increasing.

[LGR4GM]

 

 

[Thorny]

Habs down 1 early 

[Ducky]

Canucks score 5 in 3rd period and win in OT!

[Crusader1969]

2 hours ago, Ducky said:

Canucks score 5 in 3rd period and win in OT!

3 in the last minute.  Sabres have lost in a lot of crazy ways but never 3 in the last minute.   
 

[PerreaultForever]

On 4/3/2025 at 10:47 PM, thewookie1 said:

Well either Pittsburgh or Boston will get McKenna. 

Maybe but do you really think Chicago is positioned to make a move up next year? Or San Jose? I like some of the San Jose moves but they are still far away. Either of those teams could easily get a top pick yet again.