It's Here! The 2006-2007 NHL Season Thread

[Travis]

To touch on a few areas about the Oilers.

The Smyth situation. I think Smyth went into negotiations figuring there was no way that Lowe doesn't sign him. Yes, probably could have done the extention last season, that is where a mistake was made if one was. But if you look at the negotiations that went on, Smyth wanted 5.8 or something very close to that for 5 years. Oilers would have given him 5.5 to 5.75 (I think) without hesitation if it were for 3 years.

In the end, yes, they were a hundred grand apart, but Smyth buying that luxury box doesn't help the Oilers when it comes to the cap. Lowe went far above where he wanted to draw the line to get Smyth to stay in an Oilers uniform, but in the end, I really believe the Smyth camp thought Lowe would blink, and well, he didn't. After seeing Nilsson play so far, not only am I happy that they did (because I think 5.5 per for 5 years would have crippled us in 3-4 years) for monetary reasons, but Nilsson appears like he could give us a very skilled playmaker on a team desperate for some (we have exactly 0 NHL level play makers on the team after Hemsky. Nilsson and Pouliot both look like they could grow into that sort of role).

As for the playoffs last year, I'd say 20% MacT, 30% guys playing for contracts the next (this) year, 50% guys stepping up their game in the playoffs. Last years team had enough talent to have home ice advantage in the first round, but MacT has shown again and again that he can't get his players to perform on a consistent basis (on top of retarding the growth of skill players). You had a guy come out of nowhere (Pisani) to tear it up, Peca remembering that he needed a new contract once the year was done play far beyond anything he had done in the regular season, as well as guys like Torres play night in and night out in the playoffs the way they should all season.

MacT even made the statement that he had figured out how to motivate Torres during the Cup Finals last year, oddly enough, hasn't worked very well at all this season. When you can trot out Pronger, Spacek, Smith and Staios as your top 4 defensemen, there's a lot of ice team eaten up. My biggest problem with MacT is that he fits his players into roles in his system, he doesn't find a system to fit his players. Add that to an inability to motivate his players (and yes, I do think most of that should be up to the players, but the Oilers have a bigger problem in this department that almost any other team in the league), and you see the results.

As for the Bergeron deal, again, Lowe's hands were tied. Bergeron was in the coaches doghouse, had become the fans new whipping boy, and was being used in a role he was not yet prepared for. Right now he's best suited as the 2nd offensive option/2nd pairing guy and needs to be with a very good defensive defenseman. He has all the tools, but the coaching staff had been unable to make the mental side of the game click for him to make the step to first pairing/top flight offensive defenseman.

Which is too bad because he's still relatively young for a nhl defenseman. Nice part for us is that we have quite a few up and coming offensive D types and will likely trade for one this offseason.

And to touch on Hemsky's contract, it's not that bad for the player he is/will be and was very important to the city to see our up and coming marquee player sign long term after the fiasco that was Pronger (and the subsequent Spacek fallout).

[Draft Dodger]

thanks for the read. can't say I agree with everything, but it's nice to get perspective from someone closer to the team than I am.

[Scholes]

After watching the Wild/Blues game tonight I just wanted to say that I love watching Gaborik and Demitra play together. The more time they skate together, the more dazzling they get. It's like they're playing pond hockey out there, saucers, behind the back, one touch passes, etc. They've been working on - during games - a play where Demitra flips the puck over the defensemen's head from the neutral zone and Gaborik races to get it. It's almost worked at least three times in the last month or so.

Anyway, definitely a big improvement from the slow, unskilled Wild from the beginning of their existence.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by Tyrith

I recall Eddie won a Stanley Cup for us a few years back.... :P

yes, but was a playoff goat for MANY years before finally getting it right. See: Turco, Marty.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Well, Todd Bertuzzi's debut was kind of quiet. He showed some flashes, but there was a lot of rust there. Things will change once Zetterberg gets back, but I don't think Holmstrom and Bertuzzi work together on a line.

I must admit, while I was disappointed in the Wings' play, I was happy to see Fedorov score the shoot-out winning goal last night. I will never get over the fact that the "fans" boo him every time he touches the puck. I hate it. I like Fedorov. I always have. I named my old dog after him. He was a great performer on three Stanley Cup winning teams. I am glad he was able to stick it to all of those obnoxious fucks.

The Wings have scored 1 goal in each of the last three games, all by Pavel Datsyuk. This is an alarming trend. For most of the year, the Wings have relied on one line to do the majority of the scoring over a certain stretch of time. For a while it was Lang-Cleary-Samuelsson. Then Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Zetterberg caught fire, then it was Lang-Hulder-Calder. Now it appears that it's just Datsyuk.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I must admit, while I was disappointed in the Wings' play, I was happy to see Fedorov score the shoot-out winning goal last night. I will never get over the fact that the "fans" boo him every time he touches the puck. I hate it. I like Fedorov. I always have. I named my old dog after him. He was a great performer on three Stanley Cup winning teams. I am glad he was able to stick it to all of those obnoxious fucks.

If it makes you feel any better, the same thing happens in Pittsburgh with Jagr.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

If it makes you feel any better, the same thing happens in Pittsburgh with Jagr.

Thanks, but it really doesn't.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Suburban Rhythm

If it makes you feel any better, the same thing happens in Pittsburgh with Jagr.

That's because he is a pussy

[JonInMiddleGA]

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sp...imsurgery.html

Thrashers forward Jon Sim will be undergoing surgery Friday afternoon to repair a fractured orbital bone suffered during a fight with San Jose's Mark Bell on Thursday night.

Doctors told coach Bob Hartley that the injury didn't necessarily mean Sim would miss the rest of the season, but a timetable for his return is still unclear.

"We're going to know more tomorrow," Hartley said after Friday's morning practice.

Pascal Dupuis will replace Sim on Ilya Kovalchuk and Keith Tkachuk's line during Saturday's game in Pittsburgh.

Sim is fifth on the team with 17 goals this season in 75 games.

[Dr. Sak]

Biron expected to sign with the Flyers tomorrow. Two years, 3.4 mil per.

[MrIllini]

Originally Posted by bsak16

That's because he is a pussy

pussy FTW

[Suburban Rhythm]

If Jordan Staal scores once in the final 6 games, the Penguins will make a new addition to the NHL record books.

Only team in history with players, all under the age of 21, to each score at least 30.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

The Wings have scored 1 goal in each of the last three games, all by Pavel Datsyuk. This is an alarming trend. For most of the year, the Wings have relied on one line to do the majority of the scoring over a certain stretch of time. For a while it was Lang-Cleary-Samuelsson. Then Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Zetterberg caught fire, then it was Lang-Hulder-Calder. Now it appears that it's just Datsyuk.

Update: The Wings have scored 1 goal in four out of the last five games. In each of those four games, Pavel Datsyuk scored the only goal.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Update: The Wings have scored 1 goal in four out of the last five games. In each of those four games, Pavel Datsyuk scored the only goal.

Update to HB's update: Lilja dorpped the gloves and got his ass beat, but he tried. It's sad the Wing whos best fared in a fight this year is Lebda.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

Update to HB's update: Lilja dorpped the gloves and got his ass beat, but he tried. It's sad the Wing whos best fared in a fight this year is Lebda.

He didn't channel his twin brother Peter Worrell obviously.

[Suburban Rhythm]

I hardly ever go to ESPN anymore...and even more rarely into the NHL page.
But somebody else sent me this link which I found pretty good.

Tough to get NHL draft coverage as deep as NFL coverage.

I think this guy does a decent job giving a current player comparison.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2791312

[MrIllini]

I bet the Blues will draft the Sutter kid...I bet

[johnnyshaka]

MacT and Simpson should be let go. Neither of them have any positive effect on any game the Oilers play.

MacT envisions every player being exactly like him...a 3rd line checker and figures that with a team full of those guys you can't lose. Well, that is obviously not the case and I don't know what it's going to take for him to realize that. Last year's run to the Cup was the result of great goaltending, solid play from our DEFENSEMEN, and few missed oppurtunities by our forwards. No where during our run were critics praising the defensive zone coverage by our forwards.

Simpson has no business being behind any NHL bench. He is supposedly there to be the offensive genius in MacT's system but he's a guy who Gretzky and Messier bouced pucks off of during the good ol' days...how does that qualify him as an offensive genius? Watching the Oilers' powerplay over the last 5 years or so has been PAINFUL. Sure, last year they had some success with Pronger on the point, but that has nothing to do with Simpson and everything to do with Pronger. Get somebody in there who knows how to run a powerplay and know how to adjust when teams have adjusted to what you're doing...something Simpson has no idea how to do.

As a side note, it's great to see Bergeron and Smyth playing well (each of them averaging a point a game since their respective trades) in Long Island...definitely shows some of the deficiencies in the way the Oilers evaluate talent and especially how they use it.

As for the Friday night game against the Avs...there is no way the Oilers deserved to win that game. Roloson stood on his head while the Avalanche tore through the Oilers all night long and fell on hard luck when the Oilers capitalized on a few slipups. And for godsakes, my uncle and I were beside ourselves when we saw Reasoner step out there in the shootout...MARTY "FRICKING" REASONER!!! Are you kidding me?? He and I both said that he would end it because that was the kind of night it had been...bizarre.

[MrIllini]

I can't decide if it's a good or bad thing the amount of ex-Blues that are on the Oilers' roster

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by MrIllini

I can't decide if it's a good or bad thing the amount of ex-Blues that are on the Oilers' roster

Is it as bad as having just as many ex-Oilers on the Blues' roster??

[MrIllini]

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

Is it as bad as having just as many ex-Oilers on the Blues' roster??

Depends on which team you are a fan of.

[Travis]

I'll take Reasoner over Pisani and/or Petersen in the shootout. Guessing MacT was looking to put Toby out there but Marty was in the way and got the tap by accident.

As it is, we as Oiler fans can only hope that Hemsky will be able to help groom the upcoming skill talent (Pouliot, Nilsson, Schremp, maybe Mikhnov, etc) because the odds of having a coach or top tier skill player brought in to do so is next to zero unless we can unload contracts like Horcoff and Pisani's.

Our PP has a chance to get better just because of the talent coming up, but if we ever did get a true coaching staff, it sure would make things easier.

Too bad the first guy likely to go (Moores) is the only one that should stay if we were to really clean house.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by MrIllini

Depends on which team you are a fan of.

Right now...I'd rather watch the Blues!! I still miss Doug Weight. Imagine he and Hemsky passing the puck back and forth all night...that would be something to watch...like Nash and Pistol Pete playing together!!!!

[johnnyshaka]

Reasoner = Pisani = Peterson = Horcoff = Torres = Moreau and so on...

Very annoying to continue to see these guys get more and more icetime each and every year.

[Travis]

Well, I guess I just have a bit of a soft spot for Marty, but I do think he has more offensive game than Petersen, Horcoff, Pisani and Moreau, at least in the sense of self created plays. Horcoff and Pisani can both bang home rebounds and seem to be able to float to good spots to capitalize on rebounds, but Marty routinely sets guys up and makes some very good one on one plays, but usually is on the fourth line with less than sniper level wingers who fail to convert on said opportunities.

That said, the biggest bonus to Marty is that we have him under contract for a few more seasons meaning the need to bring back Toby (UFA after this season) *should* be next to nothing. I really hope Lowe doesn't give in to MacT and bring him back. Should be a perfect 4th line checking center who can play on the PK and contribute a few shorties while also being able to slide up to the 3rd or 2nd spot to cover for injuries without a huge drop off in line production.

As for Torres, well, he's maybe the second most skill talented guy on the team after Hemsky, when he wants to be, which unfortunately, is very, very rarely. If he ever made up his mind to dominate play for more than a shift a game he'd be coming up on a big payday even as a RFA after this season.

[johnnyshaka]

Marty has been stiffled since being here...he used to be a very good offensive threat in St. Louis/Worchester before being brainwashed by MacT. Really too bad.

[MrIllini]

Marty wouldn't be wearing a helmet if some idiots had their way.

[klayman]

Hockey is dead to me

[Suburban Rhythm]

What the...

Lou Lamoriello is back behind the bench in New Jersey.

The playoff-bound Devils have fired head coach Claude Julien with less than a week to go in the regular season with the veteran GM Lamoriello taking over for the second straight season.

Lamoriello also stepped behind the bench last season after Larry Robinson stepped down as coach in December.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=202500&hubname=

[Draft Dodger]

there are no words.

[DeToxRox]

Lou is turning into Big Stein.

[Dr. Sak]

Wow Eklund was right...for once

[Pyser]

either something went down between julien and lou...or...what i think, is earlier this year, i really felt this devils team could win it all. i was only worried about buffalo in the east.

but in the past month or so (not so coincidentally when our top players started getting hurt), i havent felt it with the devs. im thinking lou really believes in this team, and is trying to give it the last push he can. since we are stuffed to the cap, we couldnt add any players, so we're adding a coach.

i dont know if i agree, but ive learned a long time ago to stop questioning lou.

i doubt he woke up today and though, hey, lets fire the coach!

feel bad for julien though.

[Chubby]

Hahaha 2nd in the East isn't good enough?

Bye bye Devils, I was worried about you but not anymore.

[Ksyrup]

Bizarre.

[Pyser]

the more i think about this move the more i like it. the devils are not playoff ready. i feel better about our chances today than i did yesterday.

[Pumpy Tudors]

It's got to be hard for anyone to take that job for the Devils. I mean, you know that you're getting an opportunity to coach a loyal, talented group of players. On the flip side, you've got to expect to be on a very short leash.

Seriously, how comfortable can a potential coach be when he remembers that Lou Lamoriello has fired one coach who had his team at 95 points late in the year (Robbie Ftorek), another who had led his team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances including one win (Larry Robinson), and now a coach who had his team in second place in the conference in the final week of the season?

This has me wondering how much longer Pat Burns would have lasted if he hadn't stepped down. Clearly, no head coach is safe behind that New Jersey bench. Lou did a great job leading the Devils on that amazing win streak at the end of last season. The playoffs were nothing to speak of, though. They swept a completely uninterested Rangers team (anybody could've beated New York in last year's playoffs), and then they fell apart in the Carolina series.

Maybe Lou should try coaching the team himself during the season, and then he can bring in a real coach for the playoffs. The Devils might be better off that way.

[Pyser]

big deal. we change coaches a lot. so what? there are only 30 head coaches in the game, someone would kill for the opportunity.

besides, we've had like 7 coaches in 10 years (counts: lemaire, robinson, ftorek, burns, julien, constantine, lamoirello - two of them twice), and how much has our system really changed?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Lou Lamoirello is an interesting person.

[Maple Leafs]

This is definitely something I'm going to need to consider when I buy the Leafs, fire JFJ and hire Lou as GM at triple his current salary.

[ISiddiqui]

I think Lou has managed to think a biiit much of himself with this move. Yeah, it worked in 2000, but you had Larry Robinson to take over.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I liked this, it made me laugh:

http://tsn.ca/tsn_talent/columnists/james_duthie/

There are a few things all hockey parents desire for their kids:

1. That they have fun.
2. That they learn about character and teamwork.
3. That they go in the first round, get max entry-level money, and buy their folks a retirement cottage in the Muskokas. (Relax silly, you know I'm kidding. The Hamptons would be fine too.)

And most important of all…

4. That they don't want to play goalie.

The most painful part of my brief two-season career as a hockey parent has been, without question, Goalie Week.


For the non-puckheads out there, house league teams in the younger age groups usually rotate the goalie each game, so every kid on the team gets a crack. I believe the L.A Kings did the same thing this year.
Some kids love it and beg for the blocker and trapper for their birthday. Others will wish they had signed up for that crafts class at the library where you make caterpillars out of egg cartons.

Like my boy. This is his second year of hockey. He likes it, but still spends half his shifts trying to get the puck, and the other half counting the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. You know, kind of like Yashin.

But when I told him it was his Goalie Week, he looked like he'd just found out Scooby-Doo had been killed off in the season-finale (probably got into Shaggy's stash and OD'd).

The kid was stressed. You see, his inaugural goalie week last year didn't go so well.

First, he could barely move in the equipment. Strapping pads to a 3-foot 7-inch, 48-pound frame is like putting steel-toed boots on a pigeon.
When he went down, there was no getting up. Some goalies play the butterfly. My boy played the possum.

Plus, he didn't exactly have Pronger and Niedermayer in front of him. His team's Goals Against Average was 1.83. Oops, sorry, misplaced the decimal. I meant 18.3. They did lead the league in one category. Snow angels.

I think it ended 21-6 for the Red Team over our Blue Team (The Red team really loaded up at the deadline). His save percentage was roughly .247, which I believe puts him just ahead of Jose Theodore.

There were a few moments of greatness. The possum technique can be effective on five-year olds who can't raise the puck. And most Edmonton Oilers.

For months after that game, he had war vet-type flashbacks, waking up in the night screaming: "Help!! Black rubber coming from all directions! Make it stop! Mommmmmmmyyyyy!!!!"

So when his number came up this year, he immediately lay down in the corner in the fetal position and wept. Okay, that was me. But he wasn't happy either.

Now, if this was one of those heartwarming ABC After School Specials, my boy would overcomes his fears, make the game-saving stop in the final second, proudly declare that he now wants to be a goalie, and teach us all a valuable about perseverance.

Ah…sorry. This time they lost 17-12, and as he walked past me coming off the ice, he made one of the most poignant, determined statements I'd ever heard him utter.

"Never again."

Is it wrong for me to say I hope he's right?

I now have the greatest admiration (or pity…it's a fine line) for parents of full-time goalies. And I thank the Lord (Stanley) above it will never be me.

Goalies have the most pressure, and get the least exercise. And when they do succeed, they gets jumped on by 15 other kids, and end up with a broken collarbone.

Plus, the equipment bag is roughly the size of the Grinch's sack after he cleans out Whoville. Seriously, this should be an event in the World's Strongest Man. Forget pulling the truck boys, try getting from the parking lot to the dressing room with that sucker over your shoulder.
Goalie Week, I have concluded, is the hockey parent's equivalent of hazing. Trust me, when it's over, you feel like you've been shaved, tarred, feathered, and taped to the net naked.

The other day, I bought him some hockey cards and he somehow got Brodeur and Luongo in the same pack with a bunch of no-name forwards. Pretty cool.

He kept the forwards. And gave the goalies to his little sister.

[Maple Leafs]

Random hockey humor:

During Sunday's Leafs/Rangers game, they showed a replay of Colton Orr skating into the Leafs zone and delivering a hit. As play resumed, there was a slight pause. Then Glenn Healey chimes in: "Um, can I ask a question? What do we have, a thousand cameras on this game? How do we have an iso on Colton Orr? Guys, the director said 68, not 28!"

[Draft Dodger]

Avs win a big one tonight to stay alive in the West, if by a thread. The still need to win the next 2 and hope that Calgary grabs no more than a point, which would set up a final day of the season showdown for the final spot.

I certainly won't be easy - Avs face Vancouver and Nashville, while Flames have San Joe and Edmonton.

[ISiddiqui]

Way to go Brodeur . 47 wins to tie Parent's single season record.

[NoSkillz]

Sabres clinch the regular season Eastern Conference crown with a decisive 4-1 victory over the Pens.

No celebration whatsoever. Anything less than a cup is a disappointment now.

In other news, Tim Connolly is supposedly going to suit up by the weekend for the first time all year. Max Afinogenov is right behind him.

Pretty scary that this team could actually get better before the playoffs. It's been another fun year for Sabres fans.

[Wolfpack]

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes folded up shop on their Stanley Cup defense by quickly gagging away a 2-1 lead early in the third period against the Lightning. A very disappointing season. I wasn't expecting a back-to-back run, but in a league where over half the members make the playoffs, the prior year's champion should be a no-brainer to make the postseason. Just too poor defensively and Ward proved that one Stanley Cup run does not a great goaltender make (though oddly, they'd have been worse with Gerber). The golden touch this team had last year was nowhere to be found. No nine-game winning streaks, no swagger that any third-period deficit could be overcome, no shootout wins (that still blows my mind) and a team that overachieved last year underachieved this year (aside from Brind'Amour).

It's hard to say what they'll need to do this offseason. Looking over their free agents, there's a lot of potential turnover coming. My big concern is that Karmanos went out and laid out the cash for this roster (payroll jumped from $28 mill to $40 mill) and now that it proved to be a bust, he may tighten up fiscally again, so I do not expect the Hurricanes to be making any humongous signings this offseason.

[gstelmack]

I think the 'Canes need some sort of drastic change. Rutherford may be considered a good GM, but this team has has precisely 2 good years since coming to Raleigh (making the Stanley Cup finals both times, winning once). Every other year has either been a choke job when they had a shot at making the playoffs (including the most embarassing loss I can remember, dropping one to the hapless Bruins who had a hurt goalie and had just traded away their star player so he could get a Cup) or just an embarassing season all around.

You have the much of the same team that played well BEFORE their trade deadline rentals last year, and yet you finish 3rd and your division and lose key winnable games down the stretch to choke away the playoffs? This is just a team that consistently plays inconsistently, and seems to have a lack of effort on a regular basis (I remember another game after the last Cup run where they played Montreal, and it consisted of dumping the puck into the Montreal end, scrumming around the net, puck squirting out, and 2 Canadiens racing down the ice with one Hurricane trying to catch up and failing).

They've got some good players, but they need to do something to get them to play to their potential more than every other year or so.

[Maple Leafs]

Bryan McCabe -- well, I guess if you're going to make $5M a year and only have one actual above-average skill, you might as well show it in OT of the biggest game of the year.

[Draft Dodger]

so, Tim Gleason wasn't the answer in Carolina?