2024-25 NHL THREAD.

[STEVEHOLT]

Camps have started. Fake games are underway. Discuss away .

GO LEAFS GO
GO LEAFS GO

 

[Cusefan95]

Looking at the Stanley Cup betting favorites, the Devils are tied for 3rd (with Colorado & Dallas, behind Oilers and Panthers). Bettors are a lot higher on the Devils than any predictions I’ve seen - hopefully that’s a good sign. Everything that could go wrong last year did - maybe the Devils can catch a few breaks this time…although Luke Hughes getting hurt before the season even starts has us off to a bad beginning.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Looking at the Stanley Cup betting favorites, the Devils are tied for 3rd (with Colorado & Dallas, behind Oilers and Panthers). Bettors are a lot higher on the Devils than any predictions I’ve seen - hopefully that’s a good sign. Everything that could go wrong last year did - maybe the Devils can catch a few breaks this time…although Luke Hughes getting hurt before the season even starts has us off to a bad beginning.

Lot of weight to the goalie upgrade. Too much in my book

 

[STEVEHOLT]

 

[im4cuse]

Here’s the greatest modern goal scorer watching his young son play cross ice on Sunday ;-)

 

[sutomcat]

Rangers won 5-2 last night over the Bruins and are now 3-0 in the preseason.

Picked as the second best team in this article.

NHL Preseason Power Rankings: 2024-25 Edition - Empire Sports Media

The 2024-25 NHL season is just around the corner. With preseason just over a week away, teams around the league have spent their summers building up for a run

empiresportsmedia.com

 

[Cusefan95]

The Devils having a preseason game tonight with nothing but AHL/ECHL guys since the NHL team is in Europe is really stupid.

 

[kirbivore]

Opening night 10/9 vs the old AF Penguins

 

[STEVEHOLT]

The Devils having a preseason game tonight with nothing but AHL/ECHL guys since the NHL team is in Europe is really stupid.

What ? NHL doing something stupid ? No way

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Really excited for Utah Hockey Club.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Really excited for Utah Hockey Club.

I find it beyond stupid that they couldn’t come with a name in time for the season. They have to have 15 think tanks and a public referendum on it. We all know the more effort and longer they take , the absolutely more stupid it will be. Salt Lake City saints. There you go. Free of charge. Screw using Utah.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I find it beyond stupid that they couldn’t come with a name in time for the season. They have to have 15 think tanks and a public referendum on it. We all know the more effort and longer they take , the absolutely more stupid it will be. Salt Lake City saints. There you go. Free of charge. Screw using Utah.

It wasn't their choice. It has to do with NHL rules.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

It wasn't their choice. It has to do with NHL rules.

Whoever’s deciding it’s dumb dumb dumb

 

[tbonezone]

Whoever’s deciding it’s dumb dumb dumb

when the former Washington Redskins were finally badgered into changing their name i was all in favor of the Washington Wokes. but then i remembered Washington owned slaves...

 

[STEVEHOLT]

when the former Washington Redskins were finally badgered into changing their name i was all in favor of the Washington Wokes. but then i remembered Washington owned slaves...

The DC Lobbyists. Their logo could be that monopoly guy holding a graph displaying rising CO2 levels and temperatures

 

[Cusefan95]

I find it beyond stupid that they couldn’t come with a name in time for the season. They have to have 15 think tanks and a public referendum on it. We all know the more effort and longer they take , the absolutely more stupid it will be. Salt Lake City saints. There you go. Free of charge. Screw using Utah.

Lest we forget, a team known as the Tennessee Oilers played for two seasons in the NFL. Name changes often haven’t been immediate in any league - going with Utah Hockey Club for the first season (especially as it’s the first year of a new uniform supplier that likely wanted something easy for this transition year) is fine. It’s a lot better than Utah Coyotes.

 

[OburgOrange]

Camps have started. Fake games are underway. Discuss away .

GO LEAFS GO
GO LEAFS GO

 

[Cusefan95]

I hadn't seen this before, but the AHL mandated cut-resistant neckwear this year. I'd noticed a lot of guys started wearing towards the end of last year anyway, so I don't think this is that big of a deal - this is probably a first step to it being mandated in the NHL.

AHL to mandate cut-resistant neckwear for all players, officials

theahl.com

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Leafs appear to have 3 legit goalies. Although the intended starter can’t stay healthy

 

[Cusefan95]

Early thoughts: Capitals look really solid so far. I take my kids to a lot of Hershey bears games, and they loved the captain Dillon McIlrath, so I’ve liked seeing him getting ice time with the Caps this year.

Philadelphia overperformed for a lot of the season last year, then died at the end. They still look dead. Al Morganti seems to be trying to mask the fact he’s already given up on this team, his post-game commentaries have been perfunctory at best this year. Penguins look like they thought their window was still open well after it’d already closed - Pittsburgh might be headed for a long rebuild. It’ll be longer if they don’t figure out soon that it should have started two years ago, and needs to start NOW.

I was excited by the new defensive focus of the Devils after the first week of the season…it may just be that they played the terrible Sabres twice. They’ve looked like hot garbage against Detroit and the Islanders this week. As much as I love Jack Hughes offense - he is a massive defensive liability. He’s so small, bigger players can knock him out of position easily. I’m not sure it’s fixable.

It doesn’t really matter how Toronto is doing, since we all know they’ll crap the bed once they playoffs come along anyway.

Jets look great - would be cool if they win it this year after Paul Maurice said it was their turn (more or less…).

 

[jncuse]

Lest we forget, a team known as the Tennessee Oilers played for two seasons in the NFL. Name changes often haven’t been immediate in any league - going with Utah Hockey Club for the first season (especially as it’s the first year of a new uniform supplier that likely wanted something easy for this transition year) is fine. It’s a lot better than Utah Coyotes.

They probably would have went with the Coyotes to start, but were not allowed to bring some of the Arizona franchise intellectual property with them. The Arizona owner was left with a structured conditional path to bring the Coyotes back to Arizona within 5 years,,, which he has already failed.

 

[jncuse]

Saw a Senators TV commercial yesterday that was exclusively showing fights over the franchise history, and had Chris Neil as the narrator. What is this 2004? Sad to have a commercial like this to promote your franchise in 2024.

 

[jncuse]

A really bad call here. Montreal gets 2 minutes, Philly gets nothing. That being said Xhekaj's bad rep (that he more than earned with preseason stupidity) probably influenced the ref.
- Couturier puts a borderline hit on Dach (no penalty, which is fine)
- Xhekaj confronts Couturier him but nothing overly physical (referee calls that an "unsportsmanlike")
- Couturier drops his gloves first, then Xhekaj drops the glove (no penalty for either apparently)
- Seeler drops his gloves and jumps into the skirmish (no penalty)

 

[upperdeck]

that was a strange play watching it live.

 

[Cusefan95]

Marc-Andre Fleury getting a great homecoming reception from the Penguins fans last night was awesome. The fan sticking around, cheering and chanting his name at the end of the game (which the Wild won 5-3) when he was announced as the first star of the game…just amazing.