2018 NHL Off-Season Thread

[SaintAngerBH]

They will still suck.

[wonko80]

Coach Schnoz will probably do fine there.

[ScubaSteve]

https://frntofficesport.com/why-the-nhl ... n-the-ice/

More ads on the ice starting next year.

[SaintAngerBH]

Pretty soon, there won't be any white left at all. Just ads upon ads crammed together.

Next will be the jerseys.

[Troy McClure]

The NBA started putting small sponsor logos on their jerseys. I barely notice them because they are tastefully done, but I'm sure they will look like euro jerseys ten years from now.

[Knives Out]

So in addition to adding Brind'Amour as coach, Dundon has finally found his puppet GM in Don Waddell, the man responsible for the abysmal tenure of the Atlanta Thrashers. Rick Dudley (the man who took over from Waddell for the Thrashers' final season) is also a VP with the Hurricanes LOL.

So many steps back this off-season despite the young promising roster.

[#JTONTFJTGM]

[ToddM]

So in addition to adding Brind'Amour as coach, Dundon has finally found his puppet GM in Don Waddell, the man responsible for the abysmal tenure of the Atlanta Thrashers. Rick Dudley (the man who took over from Waddell for the Thrashers' final season) is also a VP with the Hurricanes LOL.

So many steps back this off-season despite the young promising roster.

Maybe he could find some poor people to pay HIM to be the GM! And at just 29% interest!

[Knives Out]

Pretty funny. I wonder who it could be?

NHL prospect career in jeopardy over video game addiction

Marek and Friedman were chatting about their own kids and the inevitable introduction of video games, when Marek shared this tidbit:

“On video games – and I’m not going to say the player’s name,” began Marek. “I really doubt he’s going to make it to the NHL and it’s because of a video game addiction. To the point where his junior general manager told me that they’ve had him go to counseling over it because he’ll play until all hours of the night and into the morning and then he’ll have no energy the next day. He’ll be a write-off. And it is that bad. He has this compulsion for playing video games until all hours.

“I swore that I wouldn’t say the player’s name. But it’s unfortunate. He’s a recent first-round draft pick for a very, very prominent NHL team – will probably never play in the NHL because of a video game addiction.”

“One thing I do know,” Friedman noted, “Is I know there are teams who will say, ‘After a certain point in the season, we don’t want those things on the road,’ and stuff like that. It’s sort of like MLB teams and golf clubs. Was there a point in the season where you told your players, ‘Okay, no more golf clubs on the road.’ And I do know of teams that have done that.

“But an addiction being the reason they haven’t made the NHL? Boy, that’ll be a heck of a story when somebody tries to do it.”

“And hopefully,” said Marek, ”And again, this is information that’s six months old. Actually, you might say a year old now. But it’s a terrible story because this guy is a good junior hockey player. This guy is a good player and was a high pick – and I’m probably saying too much right there – but there’s a good chance he’s not going to make it to the NHL and his general manager said, ‘Yeah, video game addiction is bad. It’s bad with this kid.’ “

EDIT: The sleuths over at HF have determined that it is most likely Olli Juolevi (drafted 5th by VAN in 2016).

[SaintAngerBH]

That must be why all our prospects blow chards.

[ScubaSteve]

Video games are more lucrative than hockey these days, anyway.

[ToddM]

That's bullshit. Greg Maddux (allegedly) used to rent a game the night before a start, and would not stop playing it until he beat it, even if it meant he was up all night til 30 mins before an afternoon game time. And he *fargin'* ruled.

Of course he only had to show up once every five games, but still...

[cdanew]

Niemi re-signs with Montreal on a 1 year, 1 way deal for $950,000.

https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/news/canadiens-re-sign-antti-niemi/c-298736054

[SaintAngerBH]

I guess they expect Carey Price to play 82 games next year.

[slaps]

Niemi beat us. He didn't play too awful for them.

So was Niemi bad, or are the Stars bad at player development and coaching?

[ScubaSteve]

Niemi re-signs with Montreal on a 1 year, 1 way deal for $950,000.

https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/news/canadiens-re-sign-antti-niemi/c-298736054

Plus we are still paying him for one more year too, I believe.

[cdanew]

Niemi beat us. He didn't play too awful for them.

So was Niemi bad, or are the Stars bad at player development and coaching?

It isn't necessarily an either/or. Niemi was bad for the Stars - no question. He was also bad for Pittsburgh and for Florida. Did the Stars do him any favors with what they put in front of him or how they coached him (or didn't - at that age some goalies may be less receptive to changing their ways than others).

[SaintAngerBH]

True. He has won a cup. Something nobody on our roster can say.

[wonko80]

Didn't Seguin win a Cup?

[#JTONTFJTGM]

Didn't Seguin win a Cup?

Yes, but he was a healthy scratch for all 11 games in the Bruins' first and second round series wins in 2011 and was a healthy scratch in their 8-1 win over the Canucks in Game 3 of the Final.

[ScubaSteve]

Still way more Cups than Jamie.

[SaintAngerBH]

Didn't Seguin win a Cup?

Holy *poo poo*, I forgot he was there for that. lol

[B Kat]

Didn't Seguin win a Cup?

Yes, but he was a healthy scratch for all 11 games in the Bruins' first and second round series wins in 2011 and was a healthy scratch in their 8-1 win over the Canucks in Game 3 of the Final.

When Julien finally put him in, he had a goal and an assist in his first game. His second game, two goals and two assists, team record tying, most points in a single period of playoff hockey.

In the rest of his playoff games, 11, he had one assist. He played 13 playoff games that season, as a rookie and had 22 points in 74 games of the regular season.

[slaps]

Well, in all fairness, Seguin didn't fit in with the Bruin's culture.

[Jason]

[B Kat]

Oh my.

[slaps]

That seems like an overpayment.

[atticus ross]

That does to be a lot of money to throw at a player who has only cracked 50 points in a season once in his NIL career. But he did score 14 points in 17 regular season games with San Jose so that does appear to be a big enough sample size. For them anyhow. Their problem now. I'm glad we never got the chance to consider pursuing him.

[ScubaSteve]

Look at the top 50ish scorers from last season. 50 points is the new 80 points.

[atticus ross]

I was wrong, Kane also had 54 points last year.