2023-24 NHL Season Thread

[Cowtown]

Nothing is worse than NBA officiating

If I may be so bold ...

 

[BlazeOrange]

I’m more irritated at McDavid getting the Conn Smythe Trophy than the officiating. The trophy is in part a PR strategy by the league to create marketing opportunities for the team. The Oilers can’t credible use it in a marketing pitch since they lost and would be killed in the media if they did. You can’t get any media narrative (other than what a stupid decision it is) because McDavid is going to rightly blow off any questions about it. The optics of Bettman handing the trophy to himself is just awful…but I’m not sure the optics of a road player on the losing team getting booed while getting handed the trophy is better.

There might be some unique circumstance where a player on the losing team getting the Conn Smythe would make sense…last night was not one of those rare times (which I’m unsure exist in the real world anyway).

I see no need to award this on the ice at all. Everyone just wants to see the Cup. Giving it to a losing opposing player dampens it even more. He was probably halfway changed by the time they made the announcement. I assume they shut the audio down for no-no words from the crowd.

And ESPN did a crap job with the Cup celebration too. Missed the initial raising of the Cup and key players getting their lap while they stayed in boring interviews.

 

[Cowtown]

The NHL has nothing on the NBA; I’ve never seen anything as blatantly obviously one-sided as the Sacramento-LA Western Conference finals in 2002. I think the NBA has a clear agenda and has refs putting their thumbs on the scale all the time - it wasn’t working in 2002 and they switched to both hands on the scale to make sure they got the result they wanted.

At least in the NHL you know what “playoff hockey penalties” are, and it’s normally fairly evenly called. I didn’t see last night as some egregious exception to that.

Officials in the NBA are simply the mechanism by which the League management asserts and maintains their "Star System." Their only job is to ensure the stars get enough calls to continue as stars.

 

[Cowtown]

I’m more irritated at McDavid getting the Conn Smythe Trophy than the officiating. The trophy is in part a PR strategy by the league to create marketing opportunities for the team. The Oilers can’t credible use it in a marketing pitch since they lost and would be killed in the media if they did. You can’t get any media narrative (other than what a stupid decision it is) because McDavid is going to rightly blow off any questions about it. The optics of Bettman handing the trophy to himself is just awful…but I’m not sure the optics of a road player on the losing team getting booed while getting handed the trophy is better.

There might be some unique circumstance where a player on the losing team getting the Conn Smythe would make sense…last night was not one of those rare times (which I’m unsure exist in the real world anyway).

It should have been Bobrovsky. As it was last night, it's just a bone tossed to the fans who wanted to see a Canadian team win the cup.

 

[jncuse]

Lots of stuff happening the last few days.

Probably the most interesting one is in Tampa
- Tampa likely pissing off Stamkos with a low ball offer
- Tampa trading Sergachev (and Jeannot) to create cap space to probably sign Stamkos. Clears 11.5m of cap.
- Tampa trading a 3rd for negotiation rights of pending FA Guentzel... which likely signals that Stamkos is still pissed and might not sign. So this is the hedge move.

Some big buyouts like Skinner of Buffalo, Boqvist of Columbus (interesting buyout at $2.6M AAV for a 23 year old), Jack Campbell (Edmonton - obvious), Scmidt Winnipeg.

 

[Cowtown]

Guentzel traded to Lightning by Hurricanes for 3rd-round pick in 2025 Draft | NHL.com

Forward can become UFA on Monday, had 77 points this season

www.nhl.com

The chatter I'm hearing is Stamkos to Detroit. They apparently want Kane back also. Not exactly a youth movement.

 

[jncuse]

 

[jncuse]

The Lightning essentially chose the combo of Guentzel and Ryan McDonagh, over Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev. It's close short term - I know they felt they made a mistake in giving up McDonagh a few years back (as part of their constant cap crunch).

 

[jncuse]

Leafs sign Tanev to 6 years and OEL to 4 years. They should be good or ok for a couple of years, but looks like Robidas Island will have a few new visitors within 3 years.

 

[chugg21]

Hate being a Sabres fan so much.

 

[jncuse]

The Lightning essentially chose the combo of Guentzel and Ryan McDonagh, over Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev. It's close short term - I know they felt they made a mistake in giving up McDonagh a few years back (as part of their constant cap crunch).

Without looking at the "coldness" of the moves, and how off putting it was for their brand, I like the moves for Tampa in the short-term (2024/2025 only). And at this point their window is short, so that is their key consideration.


Looking at the 3 trades to get this done, in essence Tampa made the following trade. (Note, that I netted out 2 2nd's and 2 7th's that moved in/out).

Out
Stamkos
Sergachev
3rd
4th

In
McDonagh
Guentzel
Geekie
Moser

For 24/25, I would think Guentzel is more valuable than Stamkos. He is 30 when the season starts, compared to Stamkos who is nearly 35. Guentzel had 77 points in 67 games, Stamkos had 81 in 79 games. More importantly Guentzel scored 25 points in 17 games to close the season in Carolina (away from Crosby). I also think over the next 4 years they should get more value from Guentzel.

For 24/25 ONLY, McDonagh probably, but not certainly brings more to Tampa than Sergachev, as he is more competent overall. But he is also 35, so the drop can come at any time. Beyond 24/25 this is a clear loss for Tampa.

In terms of other parts. Moser for a 3rd is a wash - competent 6th D on a cheap contract is worth about that.

Connor Geekie was the 11th pick in 2022 - he is a nice trade chip this year if Tampa wants to push further in at the deadline. So after the deadline , he likely turns into another competent player for their push in 24/25.

 

[jncuse]

Senators = Total Incompetence in Moves since the start of the 2020/2021 season.

The Senators had a nice core of players as headed into the pandemic season of 2020/2021. Some good drafting, a great haul from the Erik Karlsson trade... it had players on the team or in the system: Tkachuk, Chabot, (Stutzle/Sanderson/Norris from the Karlsson trade), Batherson, Pinto.

And since then it has missed the playoffs every year and somehow significantly used up its asset base. It hasn't drafted anyone of note, and in fact moved a number of firsts. When you miss the playoffs, year after year, you should be able to add assets by flipping veterans or FA's, or build up first rounders. I'll compare the net movement to what the Canadiens have done since the 2021 season (in a later post), and the difference is massive. It's a shame because the Senators had such an awesome young core built by end of 2020 system (either on team or in system) and it has gone to total waste because of incompetence (largely Dorion). And the Habs were a mess in terms of what was left by Bergeron and they have at least accumulated stuff to bring the teams closer without nowhere near the star power to start.

Instead the Senators have added nothing to that really nice asset base it had accumulated at the end of the 2020 season. The team has no depth and is now capped out.

The following is a summary of the moves. If a player has come in from the start of the 20/21 season (via trade or Free Agency, or even waivers) and was then moved, I looked at the in/out.


Summary Trade (Netting All Trades, Netting Picks)

IN
Linus Ullmark
Travis Hamonic
Nick Jensen
3rd Round Pick
5th Round Pick
2 7th Round Picks
Fringe Prospect

OUT
1st - 7th Overall
1st - 13th Overall
2025 or 2026 Ist
Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Starting Goalie)
Two Second Round Picks
4th Round Pick
6th Round Pick


Summary (GROSS)

IN
Linus Ullmark
Travis Hamonic
Nick Jensen
2nd (x
3rd (x.x.x,x
4th (x.x.x
5th (x,x,x
7th (x,x,x,x
Fringe (x.x.x

OUT
1st - 7th Overall
1st - 13th Overall
2025 or 2026 Ist
Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Starting Goalie)
2nd (x,x,x
3rd (x.x.x
4th (x,x,x.x
5th (x.x
6th (x,
7th (x,x
Fringe (x,x


-----

Individual Players
Alex Debrincat (key asset acquired (24th overall) was flipped for Linus Ullmark)
In: Linus Ullmark, 4th, Fringe
Out: 7th Overall, 2nd, 4th


MATT Murray
IN : 7th round pick,
OUT : 2nd, 3rd, Fringe Prospect

EVGENI DAVYDOV
IN : 3rd
OUT : 2025 or 2026 Ist

Jacob Cychrun
In ; Matt Jensen, 3rd
Out : 1st (13th overall), 2nd, 4th

Travis Hamonic (Still with Team)
In : Travis Hamonic
Out: 3rd Round Pick

Mathieu Joseph (Gone)
In : 4th
Out : 3rd

Vlad Tarasenko (FA Signing then traded)
In : 4th, 3rd,
Out: N/A

Patrick Brown
In:
Out : 6th

Dylan Gambrell
In:
Out : 7th

Austin Watson
In :
Out : 4th

Cam Talbot:
In :
Out : Filip Gustavson

Tyler Motte:
In: 7th, Fringe Prospect
Out : N/A

Josh Brown
In: 5th, Fringe
Out: 4th, 7th

Tyler Ennis
In : 5th
Out: n/a

Zach Senyshyn
In: 5th
Out : 4th

Braydon Coburn (Helped Tampa with Cap)
In : 2nd, 7th
Out : Nothing

Eric Gudbranson:
In: 7th
Out : 5th

Derek Stepan
In: nil
Out: 2nd

Mike Reilly:
In: 3rd
Out: 5th, Fringe


Compensation Received for Players on 2020 Team that were Traded in 2021 or Beyond
Nick Paul - 4th (and Mathieu Joseph, see above)

 

[Cusefan95]

Senators = Total Incompetence in Moves since the start of the 2020/2021 season.

Thoughts on the Devils moves this offseason?

 

[OburgOrange]

Oof