Tavares out for the season
- Thread starter Deebo
- Start date
proteus2000
New member
At least it will improve their positioning in the draft. Oh wait...
GhostofPotvin29
New member
proteus2000 said:
Well they can still use this year's pick. It just sets up an interesting dilemma. Do you use the pick this year if you have a high pick and risk giving up on a chance for McDavid next year? If they're bottom 3, I'd probably use it. Take the known over the unknown.
Potvin29 said:
They're almost certainly going to be bottom-5, and with Tavares hurt and Vanek maybe traded then bottom-3 post-lottery shouldn't be a problem. I think they have to use this pick and go all out in the offseason to try and avoid another lottery-type finish next season.
Their line-up really isn't that awful, especially since Strome will likely be able to take the 2nd line centre spot next season. They'll have to replace or re-sign Vanek, but if that happens their forward group is pretty good. They need a starting goalie and a top-4 defenceman and I think they can get out of the basement next season. Not exactly an easy task, but there will be some good goalies available this summer. The defence market isn't as good though.
bustaheims
Active member
Potvin29 said:
With a healthy Tavares and a few improvements in key areas (*cough* goaltending *cough* *cough*), I think they're good enough to avoid giving up a pick that has good odds of being the 1st overall pick next season.
bustaheims
Active member
Derk said:Yeah, just heard this on the FAN. Sucks for the Isles and their fans - he was probably the only thing left worth watching this season. They are already last in the conference.
No, no, they're ahead of Buffalo and Florida . . . for now.
bustaheims said:Derk said:Yeah, just heard this on the FAN. Sucks for the Isles and their fans - he was probably the only thing left worth watching this season. They are already last in the conference.
No, no, they're ahead of Buffalo and Florida . . . for now.
Buffalo is a special kind of bad this season, 38 points. 14 behind the Isles. They are even 9 points behind the Oilers, they do have 3 games in hand on both though.
GhostofPotvin29
New member
Hopefully NHLers continue to participate in the Olympics.
Potvin29 said:
Aside from the amateur prerequisite thing, there is the issue of teams investment in players, a fans investment in season tickets (I'm not happy if I'm an islanders fan right now) and also the men's hockey tourney kinda takes over the Winter Olympics. Statement like, "the only medal that matters is the men's hockey gold". It take away from the spirit of the event.
It makes good stock footage for Canadian tire commercials, however.
GhostofPotvin29
New member
I don't really care. I'd be upset, but I'd be just as upset if a player on the team I followed was hurt in an NHL game or hurt himself at home. The end result is the same no matter where they are injured. Owners are insured against these injuries monetarily as well I'm sure. I accept that injuries are a possibility, the NHL, the NHLPA and the owners have accepted that injuries are a possibility, and think it is worth it.
I love watching this elite level of hockey, why would I want it to stop?
I love watching this elite level of hockey, why would I want it to stop?
bustaheims
Active member
Potvin29 said:
Exactly. The whole "amateur" thing is really overblown. A lot of the participants in other sports are making their living through the sports they compete in. What the Olympics is really about now is having the best athletes face each other on the world stage. If that means professionals, then so be it.
bustaheims said:
And just because the NHL isn't going doesn't mean the tournament would only consist of amateurs. It really only hurts Canada and the US. European leagues would still let professional players go. And certain NHL European players will just sign one-year deals in the KHL if they can in order to play, kinda like what Komarov did.
bustaheims
Active member
CarltonTheBear said:
That's still not having the best in the world face the best in the world. Taking away the NHL takes away just about every country's best players.
J
Jalili
Guest
Potvin29 said:
With Tavares out the chances of them not deferring the pick to 2015 are slim.
People are supposedly saying that draft is a lot stronger than this one, but even so, GM's rarely operate under the mindset that they'll be finishing at the bottom again next season.
But they do have the option of not having to announce their decision until they're on the clock to pick, which might make for an interesting draft day storyline.
bustaheims said:
Agreed. I am in favour of best-on-best. What I was just trying to say is that taking away NHL players doesn't make the Olympics an amateur event, like some people want. It just takes out 1st rate professional players. But I would imagine 90%+ of the players involved would still be professional hockey players playing in the AHL/KHL/SEL and the other European leagues.
bustaheims
Active member
CarltonTheBear said:
Absolutely. Unless the IOC or IIHF cracked down on it, the Olympic hockey tournament would be almost entirely professional players regardless of NHL participation. What only taking the NHL out of the equation would really do is give the Russians a huge advantage, like they had before the NHL started participating.