The NHL Thread

[DanH]

And on his first game back after missing 14....Auston Mathews counts 2 and a helper.

Guys good.

Ridiculously so. Just wait until he gets his running mate back in the next few days.

[Demographic Shift]

Ridiculously so. Just wait until he gets his running mate back in the next few days.

Yeah..hope he signs longer term and that the cap grows a bit.
Think he is back to game form by New Years.
A great great winter in Toronto sports this year.

[DanH]

Yeah..hope he signs longer term and that the cap grows a bit.
Think he is back to game form by New Years.
A great great winter in Toronto sports this year.

Yeah, ideally he signs longer term, but I'd be fine with a bridge too as it would help out in next year's crunch. Just so long as he signs.

[Demographic Shift]

Yeah, ideally he signs longer term, but I'd be fine with a bridge too as it would help out in next year's crunch. Just so long as he signs.

Well he is signed longer term...Good for Nylander and good for the Leafs. The Leafs may have been able to get some additional good fortune with the cap as the byproduct of signing the deal later in the year somewhat front loads a portion of the AAV to this fiscal year and spreads the remaining contaract at lower cap rate over the next 5. Since the cap is predicted to rise a bit out of the Board of Governors meeting this is a good thing... because

Looming on the horizon is Mathews and Marner.

Mathews is going to want McDavid money and well he should. Marner is making his case to be paid Kane like money. He should get it if he keeps up what he has been doing so far this year.

There are winners and losers in the Nylander signing....

Winning .. The fans. Nylander. Mathews. Marner.
Losing.. Jake Gardiner.. who may have to be put on the alter if the cap doesn't rise high enough to accommodate the M&Ms. Pray that Dermott and Liljegren are ready to go in much larger roles next year.

[DanH]

Well he is signed longer term...Good for Nylander and good for the Leafs. The Leafs may have been able to get some additional good fortune with the cap as the byproduct of signing the deal later in the year somewhat front loads a portion of the AAV to this fiscal year and spreads the remaining contaract at lower cap rate over the next 5. Since the cap is predicted to rise a bit out of the Board of Governors meeting this is a good thing... because

Looming on the horizon is Mathews and Marner.

Mathews is going to want McDavid money and well he should. Marner is making his case to be paid Kane like money. He should get it if he keeps up what he has been doing so far this year.

There are winners and losers in the Nylander signing....

Winning .. The fans. Nylander. Mathews. Marner.
Losing.. Jake Gardiner.. who may have to be put on the alter if the cap doesn't rise high enough to accommodate the M&Ms. Pray that Dermott and Liljegren are ready to go in much larger roles next year.

Nah, the Leafs got no benefit from signing the contract late. They were classy and made Nylander whole with a signing bonus, so the cap hit is identical to if they'd guaranteed him the same amount of money in July.

Gardiner was likely to be gone anyway, with Dermott a cheaper option on the left side, but they may be able to shed a different salary (say, Zaitsev, or Marleau, though neither seems likely) and be able to re-sign him as well.

[Demographic Shift]

If the Leafs want to make a long run in the playoffs they are going to have to be able to handle what remains of the physical side of the game. The Bruins really frustrated the Leafs the other night. There didn't seem to be any one who was going to step up and push back a little on Bostons constant physical pressure. It was a night they couldn't or didn't outskate a pretty average because of injury Bruins team.

Khadri got into a scrap and by default so did 37 year old Ron Hainsey after someone took a run at Reilly. It takes courage to step up and drop them and no shitting on Naz or Hainsey but these two can't be the only couple of guys who are pushing back.

That guy isn't on the roster right now... So collectively... From Mathews and Tavares all the way down to the 4th line...the Leafs are going to have to find some element of the physical side of the game to go along with all the speed and skill.

[Superjudge]

If the Leafs want to make a long run in the playoffs they are going to have to be able to handle what remains of the physical side of the game. The Bruins really frustrated the Leafs the other night. There didn't seem to be any one who was going to step up and push back a little on Bostons constant physical pressure. It was a night they couldn't or didn't outskate a pretty average because of injury Bruins team.

Khadri got into a scrap and by default so did 37 year old Ron Hainsey after someone took a run at Reilly. It takes courage to step up and drop them and no shitting on Naz or Hainsey but these two can't be the only couple of guys who are pushing back.

That guy isn't on the roster right now... So collectively... From Mathews and Tavares all the way down to the 4th line...the Leafs are going to have to find some element of the physical side of the game to go along with all the speed and skill.

Nah, Toronto is just going through a few line up pains with Willy coming back in. Both Nylander and Matthews are out of shape.... once they are rolling again, the leafs are a trade line pick up from sweeping the Bruins should they meet in April.

[Demographic Shift]

Nah, Toronto is just going through a few line up pains with Willy coming back in. Both Nylander and Matthews are out of shape.... once they are rolling again, the leafs are a trade line pick up from sweeping the Bruins should they meet in April.

Theres merit in that... Nylander moved into a pretty solid lineup that was doing well .. For sure there are going to be some adjustments when that happens no matter how good the guy coming in is.... as lines and guys are moving around.

Still believie that the depth piece they pick up is a forward or defenseman with some sandpaper.... The playoffs are a different animal....

[Demographic Shift]

I wonder how much longer the Sens can last with Eugene Melynk at the helm.....He makes Donald Sterling look like the Rooney family in Pittsburg....

Quebec City anyone ?

[DanH]

Love the Muzzin pickup.

[Superjudge]

Me too.
Starting however to doubt my earlier assesment of Willy Nylander.... he had better figure it out soon.

[DanH]

Me too.
Starting however to doubt my earlier assesment of Willy Nylander.... he had better figure it out soon.

Willy's got the best on-ice shot share on the team, the best on-ice unblocked shot attempt share on the team outside of Travis Dermott, and the best on-ice shot attempt share on the team outside of Travis Dermott and a small sample of Trevor Moore.

Mind you, I do think it would help if he got more than a few games at a time on any given line, ideally the top line where he belongs.

[Superjudge]

I don't like his allergy to contact.
I don't think he competes very hard.
He shoots nice. And maybe in time, will score nice. I just don't think he's a playoff player. Last year he was a ghost, never even heard his name much in the games.

Time will tell.... but I actually think Moore is a better player for the Playoffs.

[Demographic Shift]

Hope the Leafs add one more forward with some sandpaper in his game as his calling card. They are not going to be able to get this player for futures as the first is already gone (well spent) along with a couple of ok to good prospects. One of the many talented skill forwards is likely to go in this deal if its there and the target is a rental or not.

Muzzin brings grit but another player who excels in the physical aspects of the game is needed to get by Boston and if they are lucky enough to get by Tampa any one of Columbus/Caps/Penguins play a physical style. Auston Mathews is 6'3" 215 and he will have to play like it come April. Can be a guy on the periphery of the game in the playoffs.

Still liking Winnipeg with San Jose and Nashville not far behind out west...
In the East.. Its Tampa / Boston / Toronto / Columbus and Pittsbugh if they can get it going again... Its going to be tough to beat the Lightning this year.

Cup Finals Tampa vs Winnipeg ? I'd be good with that.

[DanH]

Meh, don't really want an addition up front. The 4th line will be reduced in impact and minutes come the playoffs, and with any luck Johnsson will move up the roster and provide a little of that edge (and skill) to one of the top three lines.

If anything, try to find a landing place for Zaitsev and someone functional to take his spot on the right side, just a third pair RD of NHL quality would do. That guy can be a bruiser if you want, but I like the speed and talent up front, and there's a few guys (Hyman, Kadri, Johnsson) who are pesky enough to deal with a physical game.