PetrSykora

Only in the broken NHL would you see several legitimately bad teams drop to make room for a playoff quality team that hasn't even been determined yet to select first overall. Sorry but everything about this seems sketchy. The process wasn't televised and having a round robin team (or whatever they're calling it) win does nothing but add intrigue for the next process of hockey when it starts up again. Whatever I guess. Welcome to Anaheim generic defensively responsible Swede with limited offensive upside. At least we didn't put up a historically woeful season only to end up getting thrown out the top 3 altogether. I actually feel bad for Detroit and that's not an easy feat.

If any bored Canadians happen to be browsing this thread at the moment, Sportsnet is showing our game 5 classic against the Blackhawks from 2015 in its entirety right now. Even with the way it ended for us I really do think it was the best playoff series of the decade. People remember the Blackhawks-Kings one from 2014 because of how it went down to the wire but the first 5 1/2 games didn't have nearly as much drama. That 2015 series on the other hand was a two week long heart palpitation. Craziest rollercoaster of hockey up until the foundations collapsed at the end.

IIRC it was something crazy like 5 total losses against the 4 teams with the highest win% following the All Star break that year. It's not like they were breezing through the 2012 Coyotes and Devils on their way to a title. I always go back and forth whenever these greatest of all time discussions come up in any sport. Take this bracket for example. On one hand, the 1983 Islanders are likely better than the 2007 Ducks if you keep everything relative to the era and the competition they faced. It gets iffy when you imagine an alternate reality where these teams can somehow actually play each other though. I have a hard time picturing any team from before the dead puck era competing with modern teams. It's not a level playing field. I'm saying this as someone who believes wholeheartedly that Mario Lemieux was the GOAT and the 1977 Canadiens were the best to ever lace them up. The game doesn't get to evolve to where it is now without those teams from the past but today's players have the benefit of better equipment, training, nutrition, coaching, etc. to the point where an average player could probably tear up those past eras. Realistically to me this bracket would come down to the 2010 Blackhawks vs. the 2007 Ducks but even just thinking that seems blasphemous.

Nice to see Josi is still the biggest chicken**** in the league. Best thing I can say about him is how this is the first time he's crosschecked someone in the head without immediately skating behind a linesman or Shea Weber.

Sorry minor league zamboni drivers but this is the best thing to happen this season

So if Dallas goes out and gets Palmieri from New Jersey.. do we cheer for the Stars? I still feel dirty thinking about it but at least nobody on that current roster will try gouging my eyes out over it. Seriously though, Cogliano deserves a Cupliano.

When your backup goalie situation is so bad you allow yourself to add Kyle Clifford to your roster in an effort to secure a deal for one

It's not even the first time he's gone after McDavid and yet somehow he's still "not that type of player!"

I think I would much rather have Gallant behind the bench over Eakins but that's not going to happen. His name sounds French so watch Montréal fire Julien for him.

Ah good times. Gotta give credit to Detroit for riding the momentum from that comeback victory straight to a 12 game winless streak!

Detroit and Ottawa played the funniest 3 on 3 overtime period ever last night. It literally looked like those toddlers who come out to play hockey during the first intermission at some arenas. Belly flopping, whiffing on shots, everyone chasing the puck, missing wide open nets, it was wonderful. I know they won the game in a shootout but nobody is going to catch the Red Wings. 12 wins at this point of the season is a legitimate marvel.

Nah it's been part of their culture as an organization since Trotz ran the show. Remember Ribeiro, Tootoo, Erat, and a bunch of other guys whose names are escaping me at the moment cause they were literally the most boring hockey team on the planet a decade ago? I bet it manages to get even worse now considering the players they call their leaders.

Where have I seen that hit before? oh yeah

So many coaches losing their jobs over questionable behaviour in the last couple of weeks it's almost surprising when one gets canned for actual hockey reasons (lol sharts)

NHL: we must reduce enforcers and fighting to protect our image and our bottom line! also the NHL: petty goon behaviours that are just as likely to injure someone and make our sport look like it's for barbarians? Keep em coming!

Cup or bust for the 19/20 Leafs. This is looking like the strongest roster (on paper at least) that they've had in my entire lifetime. I think everyone in this city will forgive how hilariously mangled the cap situation now is if they can end the drought. Their defence is going to be an absolute mess following this season though. No way they'll be able to keep Barrie and Muzzin.

I hope he ends up out east in Toronto with a legit shot at another championship. He's still getting paid either way so signing short-term for below his actual value to end up on a winning team is a possibility. Of course with his injuries it would also be a smart move to maximize his value by going somewhere that can offer him more money in the long run. I can see him suiting up for the Panthers next season. So long as it's not Calgary or some other pesky western conference contender. I'm never going to hate Perry but I'd prefer for him to go to a team where we don't have to face his antics several times a year.

The Ducks nominated Eaves as their candidate for the Masterton trophy today. I don't have a problem with that considering everything he's been through in his career but I think Kesler easily deserves the award outright. Regardless of how you feel about how he performed, grinding through 60 games and playing those insane Carlyle matchup minutes in his awful condition was an incredible feat for Kesler. If setting a goal of 1000 games and doing everything in his power to reach it in spite of his increasingly broken body doesn't embody "perseverance, sportsmanship & dedication to hockey", nothing else will.

No SOG for Crosby is one way to spin it positively but let's be honest, that wasn't a good game for Kesler at all. Crosby picked that line apart and was placing the puck in dangerous areas for his linemates 30 seconds into the game. The Penguins broadcast had a compilation of Kesler following him around the rink and it showed how effectively Crosby was able to shield the puck and use his passing to exploit the space created by having one player chase him around all night. If it wasn't for Gibson standing on his head, Crosby could have had 4+ points on the night. It's not entirely fair to point a finger at Kesler for tonight's debacle, especially when the fourth line collectively had one of the most woeful games we've seen from an overall unit this season, and with how Larsson, Montour and Mason's errors basically handed the Penguins the game on a platter. That said, it also doesn't feel right to pat him on the back when Crosby basically still dominated the game.

I still say nah. It would be hilarious for ~the almighty~ Gretzky's record to get broken by a sasquach who will never make it to the eastern conference finals though.

I don't think he'll top Gretzky's numbers but I do think the record for highest scoring Russian is his for the taking now that Kovalchuk is gone. He might even challenge Selanne and Jagr for most goals by a European if he stays in North America. The NHL would be a lot more boring without him, that's for sure.