2017-2018 NHL Thread

[herman]

I'm also very here for this: Math AND Shade

https://theathletic.com/222746/2018/01/26/dellow-point-of-no-return-all-star-edition/

Dellow looks at the point projections and the way teams are trending at the break. which ones have passed the playoff lock trend line, and which ones have fallen under the point of no return.

The Panthers have managed to keep themselves above the line [of no return] with a bit of a run but the end is coming. It's strange how quiet Florida's terrible season has been ? last year, people couldn't wait to tee off on the decision making that they believed responsible for Florida's struggles. This year, you wouldn't even know the Panthers are still in the NHL. If an NHL team struggles without a Computer Boy, did it really happen? Apparently not.

 

[bustaheims]

Edmonton got an OT winner called back because McDavid's skate clipped the goalie's stick on his way past as Lucic was popping in the rebound.

Another not great call, but at least this one I can understand. The goalie's stick getting caught up with McDavid legitimate pulls him slightly out of position a little. Not enough that it likely would have mattered, but at least I can see an reasonable argument there. Not enough to negate a goal, as far as I'm concerned, but, at least the contact actually influenced the play.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

What's funny is that almost the exact same play happened in the MIN-PIT game yesterday as well:

https://twitter.com/CMS_74_/status/956701249403056128

In this case, I think it's a lot more obvious. Koivu kicks the goaies stick from out of the five-hole area, and the puck goes in five-hole almost immediately after. I agree with this one, but I don't like the Edmonton call. I do wonder though if the league sort of felt pressured to call Strome's goalie interference because this one happened earlier in the night.

 

[cabber24]

https://twitter.com/dcmahiban/status/956584643708399617

Just in case there was any doubt that Cherry is a racist, xenophobic POS.

A hockey racists towards non-Canadian hockey players. I don't disagree with him that a rich kid gets to buy an opportunity at the expense of Canadian kid. We are talking about hockey not immigration. We are talking about the development of Canadian hockey.

 

[Guilt Trip]

https://twitter.com/dcmahiban/status/956584643708399617

Just in case there was any doubt that Cherry is a racist, xenophobic POS.

A hockey racists towards non-Canadian hockey players. I don't disagree with him that a rich kid gets to buy an opportunity at the expense of Canadian kid. We are talking about hockey not immigration. We are talking about the development of Canadian hockey.

Agree...He's pro canadian hockey in the development ranks of minor hockey.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

https://twitter.com/dcmahiban/status/956584643708399617

Just in case there was any doubt that Cherry is a racist, xenophobic POS.

I have zero interest in Cherry and will always turn off or fast forward through Coach's Corner.  That said, to go a little devil's advocate and spark discussion, I'd ask what the limits on imports should be, then.  I know CHL teams are allowed a maximum of two imports per team.  If it's wrong to prevent any imports, I'm not sure why it's automatically right to allow them but also limit them to two per team.  The limit that exists is clearly for the purpose of maximizing the opportunity for North American players.  If one is for maximizing the opportunity for North American players to as much as all but two roster spots on a team, I'm not sure how that's all that different than maximizing the opportunity for North American players to all of the roster spots on a team.  It is still a system that by design strongly favours North American players to the exclusion of imports.

You could make the case in principle that if you don't ban all imports, you shouldn't restrict them at all either.  Otherwise, it's just more limited discrimination.

 

[Kin]

I have zero interest in Cherry and will always turn off or fast forward through Coach's Corner.  That said, to go a little devil's advocate and spark discussion, I'd ask what the limits on imports should be, then.  I know CHL teams are allowed a maximum of two imports per team.  If it's wrong to prevent any imports, I'm not sure why it's automatically right to allow them but also limit them to two per team.  The limit that exists is clearly for the purpose of maximizing the opportunity for North American players.  If one is for maximizing the opportunity for North American players to as much as all but two roster spots on a team, I'm not sure how that's all that different than maximizing the opportunity for North American players to all of the roster spots on a team.  It is still a system that by design strongly favours North American players to the exclusion of imports.

You could make the case in principle that if you don't ban all imports, you shouldn't restrict them at all either.  Otherwise, it's just more limited discrimination.

I mean, not to put too fine a point on it but the subtle distinction you make between what Cherry said about "Canadian" players and your "North American" seems to be a pretty significant one. Cherry isn't really complaining about any non-Canadian kid playing in the CHL, just the European ones. Americans are fine. I'm not sure what the logic is that says competition for development spots should be limited to countries where the league has franchises.

And without being the most knowledgeable guy in the world when it comes to minor hockey, I'd really question whether or not the thinking behind a limit on European players really is just about maximizing opportunities for North American ones as opposed to also being about trying to limit larger, wealthier junior programs from gaining a competitive advantage by means of importing talented players. I don't know what the realities of it are but I remember there being whispers of under the table payments to lure NCAA players to various junior teams and I imagine that some European players might be more inclined to come and play in London or Vancouver or Seattle than they would in Sudbury or Moose Jaw.

With that said though what would be the worst case scenario for a lack of restrictions on imported players? Maybe five or six European players per team? I could see having some weird protectionist attitude about that if Junior B and the NCAA weren't also pretty good development paths. Lots of good hockey players didn't spend a day in the CHL.

Moreover if you really wanted to grow the game specifically to Canadians what you could do if the CHL was free of import restrictions is create a national development program similar to what the US does with their junior program and actually have that exist as a separate franchise within the CHL. You could probably have one for each league in the CHL, Hockey Canada has the money for it, and that could be the catch-all for Canadian players who would have otherwise been in a import-restricted CHL.

But all of that still doesn't address the point busta makes which seems a pretty basic one. If we're really looking to develop young Canadian hockey players are we talking about the best of the best or the guys on the end of a Junior team roster? Because the best of the best will make it regardless and they'll be better served playing a mix of the best Canadians, Americans and Europeans than they would the Canadians/Americans who just barely made a team and are unlikely to progress beyond Junior.

 

[herman]

Brian Boyle repping New Jersey in place of Taylor Hall at the All Star game in Tampa Bay is an inspired choice.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Brian Boyle repping New Jersey in place of Taylor Hall at the All Star game in Tampa Bay is an inspired choice.

Oh cool when's all-star weekend?

 

[Kin]

Brian Boyle repping New Jersey in place of Taylor Hall at the All Star game in Tampa Bay is an inspired choice.

I don't know, wasn't it a couple years ago that not choosing all-stars by skill level was going to end western civilization?

 

[princedpw]

Brian Boyle repping New Jersey in place of Taylor Hall at the All Star game in Tampa Bay is an inspired choice.

I don't know, wasn't it a couple years ago that not choosing all-stars by skill level was going to end western civilization?

Have you been paying attention to US democracy?  I dont think western civilization will be with us for much longer.

 

[Kin]

Brian Boyle repping New Jersey in place of Taylor Hall at the All Star game in Tampa Bay is an inspired choice.

I don't know, wasn't it a couple years ago that not choosing all-stars by skill level was going to end western civilization?

Have you been paying attention to US democracy?  I dont think western civilization will be with us for much longer.

Sure but I figure John Scott is to blame for, at best, 50% of that.

 

[Hobbes]

It looks like father time has finally caught up with Jagr as the Flames are putting him on unconditional wavers. I'd think it's unlikely any other team will pick him up and apparently they'll mutually agree to terminate the contract so he can go play in Europe. It's a sad end to what has been one of the most remarkable careers in NHL history. He's a guy who ought to be in the same conversation as Gretzky, Lemieux and Howe as the best forwards to ever lace them up.

 

[hockeyfan1]

The beauty of the All-Star Game is that it's the one game where Crosby & Ovechkin play on the same line.

[tweet]957736944192155648[/tweet]

 

[hockeyfan1]

Matthews and Eichel have a point...

[tweet]957746488897097728[/tweet]

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Last season 8 players scored at a point-per-game rate or higher. This season that number has exploded to 28 (minimum 25 GP).

Marchand, Kucherov, and MacKinnon are all on pace to score 100+ points as well. And Stamkos is close to that too. 100 points has only been cracked 3 times in the 5 previous seasons.

 

[L K]

Last season 8 players scored at a point-per-game rate or higher. This season that number has exploded to 28 (minimum 25 GP).

Marchand, Kucherov, and MacKinnon are all on pace to score 100+ points as well. And Stamkos is close to that too. 100 points has only been cracked 3 times in the 5 previous seasons.

What's the thought for this happening?  The slashing rule changes?  I would imagine that this has cut down not just the slashes to player hands but probably has cut down the hooks that players would get away with on the hands trying to limit shots too.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

What's the thought for this happening?  The slashing rule changes?  I would imagine that this has cut down not just the slashes to player hands but probably has cut down the hooks that players would get away with on the hands trying to limit shots too.

I think that definitely plays a role, yeah.

Another interesting thing is that league-wide save percentage is still pretty normal. It's a .913, and it's been between .912-.915 the past 8 seasons. The last time goals per game were this high was coming out of the full-lockout year and save percentage around those seasons was between .905-.909.

 

[Bender]

Maybe more shots per game?

 

[Kin]

I wonder if maybe generally scoring goes up in expansion years.