NHL Thread: Season 2018-2019
 

Capitals have won the Cup and now we have to look forward to is the NHL Draft. Fun times ahead, if perhaps a bit dry.

Watching Ovechkin and the caps celebrate in crazy fashion just makes me want to see a Canadian cup win. Preferably the Leafs for me, but any of Canada's cities would go absolutely nuts.

Yikes. Trotz just resigned.

He said this was his least season in WSH during the handshake line from Round 1. Going out with a Stanley Cup is pretty good, IMO, if that's the way he's going.

Alternatively, from Pierre Lebrun:
Barry Trotz had a clause in his contract where if he won the Stanley Cup he could accept a two-year extension with a $300k bump in salary. Obviously since he was only making $1.5M, low by today's NHL coach's standards, a $1.8-million salary doesn't cut it. So Trotz stepped down.

So the Caps may not have wanted to pay him, he may want longer term, or he's simply retiring. :haha:

Looks like he's going into free agency. Other teams now have permission to talk to him. Could see the Islanders make a move for him as part of their shake-up

Free agency for the one and only job that's available? Hard to believe the Caps would let Trotz walk to a team in the same division.

Further, I can't see a single team that would dump their current coach for him. Especially not with the draft coming fast.

Caps don't have a choice anymore. If they couldn't come to an agreement he's on the open market.

Oilers 30th, McDavid 294pts.

Fixed.

Doug Wilson just made out like a bandit.

https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/...79959543955457

Taylor Hall!

Good on him. Idiot Oilers management.

It was close: 1,264 to 1,194 in the voting results (72 to 60 first place votes.)

Don't forget that the pick used to take Barzal originally belonged to Edmonton. . .

Double congratulations then.

The fun isn't over yet. Chiarelli is looking to move 10th overall for a quality defenseman. :haha:

This is on the same day they bought out Eric Gryba, which is interesting given that they could have buried him in the AHL for $0 but instead bought him out which will cost them $300K/season. They signed him a year ago.

Full of wisdom he is not.

Surprised no one is talking about their new draft pick(s).

If only you arm chair Oiler bashing Fuctards knew how cancerous he was in the dressing room....never mind the dressing room not being big enough for his head. I've heard insane stories right from Oilers mgmt what an asshole this guy was and that they had to make a choice - make it McDavids team or Hall's team.....it could never ever be both.....now go back rooting for whatever pathetic Eastern team you're a card carrying fan club member of......

I can't help but believe some of those stories in the Oilers dressing room are either manufactured or exaggerated thus justifying the mediocre return Edmonton received for Hall.

You gotta feel sorry for Oiler fans, and it's quite understandable that their fans would lash out angrily at others. They got a pretty good D prospect in Bouchard, but he's a few years away. Do the Oilers dare make another trade for a top 4 defenceman?

Speaking of teams with a poor D, the Canucks managed to land Quinn Hughes. Things aligned pretty good for the Canucks on draft day as after Dahlin was selected by Buffalo, no defencemen were taken until the Canucks turn came up, so they were able to select the guy they were most interested in.

Hughes is a gifted offensive defenseman so the Canucks should have one helluva a power play with Boeser on the left side, and Pettersson on the right, and Hughes quarterbacking.

He can play within two years. Was logging insane minutes per game on a mediocre London team. He's exactly what the Oilers need on the backend.

Who's your next ranked d-man after Dahlin?

Bouchard/Dobson/Boqvist were all pretty even. Oilers didn't need Boqvist as he's more of an offensive guy...they needed more of a guy who can play defense and move pucks. Both Bouchard and Dobson do that well.

Ok. Just curious what your opinion was. You seem to follow junior hockey. I thought you might have Quinn Hughes in there. At 18 years old he managed to crack the US team for WC. A good sign for somebody who might be criticized for being too small.

Hughes is just below that group, IMO. Smaller size, one of the best skaters you'll see at that age. Defensive play isn't as strong but he's going to help offensively. I like the idea of him playing on that Vancouver team in a few years.

Making the US WC team at 18 is a bit less impressive when you consider that they usually send a younger team. Theyre not afraid to send NCAA players to WC.

Dobson went to the NY Islanders as the 12th overall pick.

Summerside PEI is busting out in pride over him and Gerard Gallant (NHL Coach of the Year). :)

I asked for your opinion so thanks for you feedback. Hope you don't mind some counterpoints...

Doing a bit of research going back to 2011, most NCAA players named to IIHF team were 20 and older. I could only find 2 players going back to 2011, that were selected for the team at age 18. That was Jack Eichel and Dylan Larkin. The youngest defenceman selected for the team were 21 years old.

Looking at various draft rankings, Quinn Hughes is second D ranked the most times. http://www.mynhldraft.com/2018-draft...draft-rankings.

David Pagnotta
‏@TheFourthPeriod

BREAKING: Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has received and discussed an offer for the franchise. While rejected, talks are believed to be ongoing, per sources.

https://twitter.com/TheFourthPeriod/...27496484868096

As much as I'd love for the Sens to join the Habs in mediocrity for the foreseeable future, I hope Melnyk sells the team. It's bad for the game and fans don't deserve to be screwed over by an owner that can handicap the on-ice performance.

Might be too late to keep Karlsson though.

Since the Habs bought out Mason, do you think the Jets will sign Mason for cheap, or they’ll move to someone else? Their goaltending depth is very thin, and Comrie is not at a competent level that Mason is.

It’s gonna be weird for me seeing Armia in a Habs jersey. Dude’s a stud with the Jets. It’s a shame that he’ll won’t be playing in his native Finland in November. At least he has four other Finns in the lineup, along with prospect Kotkaniemi, who apparently grew up in the same town Armia did.

Some early Free Agent Frenzy speculation from TSN

- JVR to Philly 5yr/$35M
- Derek Ryan to Calgary 3yr / $?
- David Perron to St Louis

Free Agency 'officially' opens at noon today.

Vancouver signing Beagle to 4x3 and Roussel to 4x3.25 :haha: :haha:

Stastny leaving Winnipeg for Vegas. Rumours that Vegas are interested in Karlsson and are willing to take on Bobby Ryan...

This Tavares saga needs to end so I can stop checking my phone every 5 minutes.

As long as it's not Boston or Tampa.

Best Canada Day ever.

Years of insufferable Leafs fans claiming every hometown star has finally paid off.

Tavares to Toronto. Seven years, $11M average annual.

Staying off the internet and social media for ten years to avoid Leafs fans.

HF Boards server crashed lol

The Jays and TFC will be taking a backseat to this signing for about a month. :haha:

Also cue the bullshit media talk from bill simmons about how this will drive Matthews away. Can't wait.

Calling it now, Leafs are going tot he finals (barring major injuries)

You're much more optimistic than me then.

Defense hasn't gotten any better unless Dermott has some spectacular breakout season. There is something to be said for losing jvr and bozak and replacing them with young guys who are much more active in their own zone though.

Andersen had a spectacular season last year, apart from an awful October he would've been a more serious consideration for the vezina. The leafs would be heavily relying on him to carry a lacklustre defense to the finals ala Matt Murray and the pens.

Good for the Leafs, going to be a solid team... definitely had to shell out $$ though wow... for not even a top 10 center in the league ������

Not a top 10 center in the league? finished 16th in scoring out of all players last year.

If he's outside of the top 10 then you're ranking guys like Matthews, Scheifele, Getzlaf, and Toews above him.

Please don't post in the NHL thread anymore.

Crosby, Malkin, McDavid, Schieffle, Bergeron, Getzlaf, Barkov, Stamkos, Kopitar, Backstrom, McKinnon, Pavelski, Seguin, Giroux...

he’s not far off top 10... I didn’t say he’s terrible... just my perspective- don’t get to see him play much maybe that factors in?

I dunno seems like I’m the minority here I guess ...

And yeah, I might even say Matthews and Draisaitl are more comparable ? Or should I zip it:shrug:

Scheifele, Pavelski, Seguin, Giroux, Barkov, Backstrom, Getzlaf, MacKinnon are not better centres than Tavares. Next.

Tavares is an easy top 10C in the NHL. He's likely number four or five.

Meanwhile, a centre that's almost as good as Tavares (;)), Ryan O'Reilly, is heading to the Blues. Central division continues to be the thunderdome.

The O'Reilly trade shows the true beauty of signing Tavares. No assets lost for the Leafs, still have all their picks, didn't lose any prospects or players from the roster. Tavares comes with a bigger cap hit but then again he is also better.

Wow that's a fair bit of term that Calgary gave Neal.

Edit: I didn't realize he was only 30. That contract takes him until he's 35. Might hurt for the last year or so but I like that deal.

I like it too. The Flames have made some great moves already - way more depth up front than last season. I hope they dump Brouwer soon to free up some salary, though. After all, Chucky needs to get paid next season.

Neal's contract has no NMC / NTC, so the Flames could easily expose him in the expansion draft in 3-4 years if Seattle's franchise is ready by then.

I'm pretty positive he can't be signed by the Jets. It's circumventing the cap.