Arena Well, I'd Rather Be Dead in Arizona Than Alive in Utah (NHL Discussion, Playoffs and Relocation)

Oh, I didn't realize it was special. I assumed that happened in all Caps games.

 

Me, too.

lol @ the Caps

 

Detroit is about to break the home winning streak record (21 games). This is madness.

 

That streak will end on Sunday.

 

If it was in fact only 4 games out of 21 that's still damn impressive. Also take into account the amount of traveling Detroit does being the easternmost Western Conference team.

Honestly, I don't get the point of arguing stuff like, "WELL THEY DID IT IN THIS ERA WHERE SO AND SO WAS NOTHING LIKE SO AND SO BACK IN THE OLD DAYS". I mean I could say there should be an asterisk given to the previous teams because the goaltending back then was nowhere near the level it is today or something like that.

 

What traveling? The streak is for home game wins. They do have away losses mixed in there. If anything that should make it easier for the Wings as the west coast teams that come to Detroit are sometimes playing two or three hours earlier than they are used to.

 

I mean in terms of traveling back and forth between away and home. For example, it's not uncommon for teams to go on a big West coast trip, return home and not have their legs ready to go for their first game back.

 

Selanne is still really great at his age. He played a great game for the Ducks tonight.

 

Yeah, gotta give Selanne credit for his goal. It was a nice move.

 

Yesterday, the Pens scored on a 3 on 5 for the first time since 1988.


James Neal got himself a contract extension, too. It's through 2017-18...haven't seen any financial details yet, but I like it. He didn't have the goals to show for it last year, but he's a hard worker. Glad that he hit the 30 goal plateau and got his new deal.

 

Watched the Leafs/Canucks game last night.

Painful.

The Leafs now have some offence, but no goaltending nor defence. And I mean none. Watching Burrows teeing up on the hapless Reimer was nasty. This unfortunate kid looked as green as grass and is being ruined by being in the bigs before he should be.

The Toronto press are obsessing about making the playoffs. It's worthless if you make it in the bottom 6-9 anyway, don't they know that?

And what's the point of Rick Nash, if you need defence and goaltending?

(Apparently the teams he will accept are Boston, L.A., NYR, Chicago, Toronto and Vancouver.)

None of them can afford him, really. Vancouver is not going to make him the best paid guy on the team by $2 Million. Philly might do it, but he has to consent.

 

It's the coach. He needs to go immediately.

 

Burke is stubborn. That's his downside. Also he never got a decent goalie for the Canucks when he was their GM. (Nonis did, though, so I don't really understand this.) Cory Schneider spent something like five years in the minors before he even got to be backup. I can see Reimer has talent, but they are going to ruin his chances permenantly if they don't stop this. Goalies are delicate. He looked like a deer in the headlights there. Luongo has problems against certain teams in certain places, for instance. The Canucks brass have given up on trying to coax him out of it. They just play Schneider instead. (The places he doesn't do well are Boston, Chicago and Minnesota). Schneider won all the games he played against those teams.

Toronto has all the money in the world, why not hire Barry Trotz?

I'll tell you why. Because Burke is never going to hire a coach he can't fire. (ie. a coach that will be more popular than he is).

 

So tonight the Canucks played the Oilers. The Oilers have better goaltending than the Leafs, but like them, a crop of good young forwards, and you can see they will be barnburners in about 3 years with proper management. But right now the defence has problems. The result was 5-2. The Oilers fell behind in the first and came back and played really well until the Canucks scored two more goals in the second.

I see that the rest of the players in the league voted the Canucks as the 'most overrated' team. I hope they believe it and forgo any practice or effort before games with the Canuckleheads. They won't even need to try, obviously; the 'Nucks are that bad.

From the White Towel blog:

"Ron MacLean was on his best behaviour and didn?t insult Alex Burrows tonight. He did however reportedly try and have Burrows run over by a car after the game. Luckily Burrows skills at diving saved his life. Ron did not appreciate the irony."

Hee!

 

The real question is if the Rangers are going to be stupid and go for Nash. I'm pretty sure the coach would veto it, if he has veto power.

 

Why would he veto it?

 

The Rangers--in the pre-cap days--used to bite for overpriced, overage talent every trading deadline, and it nearly always backfired. Since the cap, they have exhibited considerable discipline, drafted well, kept talent in the system, etc. If they go for Nash, they will have to let prospects and draft choices go, and upset the chemistry of the team. All for a guy with zero playoff experience, with no ability to determine how he will fit in with your team, and if he will, and little time to integrate him. People say that he has had nobody to play with in Columbus, which is true; the other side of the coin is that he doesn't make other players better, like some stars do.

Vide LA and Columbus who traded for Carter and whatshisname from Philly. Both are busts.

 

He isn't going to help Toronto, especially as they want that really good young defenceman they have. Burke is not that stupid, but he'll keep you in suspense, by way of distracting the press and the fans from the goaltending.

 

None of this really answers my question has to why the coach would veto a trade other than the point of messing the chemistry. It's not the coach's problem to worry about drafting or salary cap issues. Secondly, they haven't stopped overpaying players (i.e. Gaborik, Richards). Finally, Columbus made the playoffs in 2009 so he does have playoff experience albeit only four games.

 

That's not playoff experience. Playoff experience is when you are dragging yourself on the ice with half a dozen small injuries and praying you win the next game. He's never won a playoff game, period.

The coach has veto power if he's popular enough with the press and the fans, and has the ear of the GM. I don't know if he does.

 

The Nash trade should have a "buyer beware" sign written all over it for anyone. Personally, this should be a trade that the Leafs should not, and probably will not, make. Columbus' demands of a four piece package including Jake Gardnier in Toronto's case, is too high for them because if you make this deal it depletes the rest of their line-up for a winger when it is painfully obvious that they need help everywhere in their line up.

The Leafs should stay the course, and develop those younger players further. Missing the playoffs or being beaten in the first round does not help in the long run. With the cap going down next year, and it will with the CBA coming up this summer, every team should think twice about over loading their cap space with a 7+ million a year contract for several more years.

Of course if teams like the Rangers and Flyers are comfortable with burying money and players in the minors by all means then, do it. Would Rangers really give up Del Zotto though? Would the Flyers give up the previously mentioned package of Schenn, Bobrovsky, and Coutourie? Because that is what it will take to get Nash and it would too much and too depleting to any teams line up to do so IMO.