The official NHL thread

[Mazerati]

This is cool. The Blackhawks placed a full page ad in a Boston newspaper, thanking them for their hospitality during the finals.

http://www.boston.com/news/source/paper.jpg

Classy move.

2014 Odds. As of now, I'm thinking about Maple Leafs, Rangers and Islanders. Those odds look longer than they should be. Columbus seems like the obvious long shot.

Pittsburgh Penguins 13-2
Chicago Blackhawks 15-2
Boston Bruins 9-1
St. Louis Blues 12-1
Los Angeles Kings 14-1
Vancouver Canucks 14-1
Detroit Red Wings 16-1
New York Rangers 16-1
San Jose Sharks 16-1
Anaheim Ducks 20-1
Toronto Maple Leafs 25-1
Washington Capitals 25-1
Montreal Canadiens 28-1
Carolina Hurricanes 33-1
Edmonton Oilers 33-1
Minnesota Wild 33-1
New York Islanders 33-1
Ottawa Senators 33-1
Philadelphia Flyers 33-1
Colorado Avalanche 40-1
Columbus Blue Jackets 40-1
Nashville Predators 40-1
New Jersey Devils 40-1
Tampa Bay Lightning 40-1
Winnipeg Jets 40-1
Buffalo Sabres 50-1
Calgary Flames 50-1
Dallas Stars 50-1
Phoenix Coyotes 50-1
Florida Panthers 100-1

i took a chance andi bet Columbus to win the Stanley Cup when there was 3 weeks left in the season at some big odds...they just missed getting in the playoffs but man they played great the 2nd half of the season

[Anne_Thrax]

OK not cool. I was at Michigan and Randolph starting at about 8:30am. It was packed with Hawks fans. We all waited about 2 hours. Then, the busses come by no joke, at about 30 mph. Took about 30 seconds. I couldn't even tell which players were which, but I briefly saw the cup, that was cool.

We went back to my buddy's place in River North to watch the rally. It was hilarious to hear the Governor get booed and of course Crawford being wasted on national TV:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... eOW5pSw0Sc

[WOLF]

OK not cool. I was at Michigan and Randolph starting at about 8:30am. It was packed with Hawks fans. We all waited about 2 hours. Then, the busses come by no joke, at about 30 mph. Took about 30 seconds. I couldn't even tell which players were which, but I briefly saw the cup, that was cool.

We went back to my buddy's place in River North to watch the rally. It was hilarious to hear the Governor get booed and of course Crawford being wasted on national TV:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... eOW5pSw0Sc

Awesome!

He's from around here. You can take the boy out of Chateuguay, but you can't take Chateuguay out of the boy!

[ArielPlath]

^^^ Awesome!

[That-guy]

The Cup made an appearance at the Rush show tonight. The crowd went apeshit!

[johnk5150]

That's what being 30 feet from the Cup looks like. You should have come over to Columbus. They weren't going that fast.

[johnk5150]

Hossa! Ho-ho-ho-ho-Hossa!

[That-guy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P_rRHZPai8

[Anne_Thrax]

They should have had the Fratellis perform at the end of the rally. That would have been so perfect.

[John Simon Ritchie]

They should have had the Fratellis perform at the end of the rally. That would have been so perfect.

[Lardbucket]

They should have had the Fratellis perform at the end of the rally. That would have been so perfect.

AGREED! I hate that song.

[Facedown]

Bruins listening to trade offers for Seguin.
Horton is going to go to free agency after saying he would take a discount to stay.
Bergeron deal expcted soon around 8yrs/52ml.

[Lardbucket]

And the buyouts begin.
http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/blog/eye-o ... lecavalier

[WOLF]

Bruins listening to trade offers for Seguin.

I get that Horton is a luxury they can't afford, particularly with his injury history, and that they need to pay Bergeron and Rask big time, and that the cap is coming down. However, I don't get shopping Seguin, unless he's a problem behind the scenes.

A good rookie year, a step back in the sophmore season, but that happens. The kid has sick potential, so I don't get it. I guess the B's have an embarassment of riches, and Chiarelli sees that 1-2 years from now they are going to be in trouble, cap-wise.

[Facedown]

I guess they are just listening.
They are said to be asking for a top 10 pick and a veteran scorer.
Not sure many teams would even consider that.

[NeverSurrender]

[EatTheGlass]

And the buyouts begin.
http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/blog/eye-o ... lecavalier

You mean they began 3 days ago? Dumbass....

[Lardbucket]

And the buyouts begin.
http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/blog/eye-o ... lecavalier

You mean they began 3 days ago? Dumbass....

Nobody had posted it in three days, so it's still news here.

[WOLF]

They were probably measuring a Isles home game, where the Habs were visiting, and the Habs fans snapped up the 10,000 seats not bought by Islander fans.

[NeverSurrender]

Nah, i've been to a Rags - Isles game and isles habs game. The Habs game was full of buses full of children. The Rags fans were loud because they can actually afford tickets on Long island unlike msg.

Anybody who watched that Pens- Isles playoff series knows how loud the Coli was again.

Not to mention this was a poll, nothing was measured.

[pieceofme]

Vancouver have been robbed.

[feds]

nope......he's 27, never been a bonafide starter and has a problem with groin injuries.....we needed to make room under the cap and Bo Horvat could be Toews-like.....don't need a superstar goalie to win anymore. That said, I liked him, and wouldn't be surprised to see Luongo moved too and go with a couple young goalies.

[WOLF]

nope......he's 27, never been a bonafide starter and has a problem with groin injuries.....we needed to make room under the cap and Bo Horvat could be Toews-like.....don't need a superstar goalie to win anymore. That said, I liked him, and wouldn't be surprised to see Luongo moved too and go with a couple young goalies.

The Canucks didn't get robbed, but they probably could have gotten more for Schneider. I think the move is brilliant for NJ, as Brodeur will soon retire and they know what they're getting in Schneider, whereas a draft pick is always a crap shoot - especially outside the top 3 or so.

As for who they go with next year, Luongo might not want to be there, and the kids they have in the minors are not ready IMO. They can go out and get someone, but that might immediately put them back in the goalie whirlwind controversy.

This is turning into a soap opera in Vancouver.

Also - if they don't give up on Cody Hogdson too quickly, do they make this deal today?

[pieceofme]

nope......he's 27, never been a bonafide starter and has a problem with groin injuries.....we needed to make room under the cap and Bo Horvat could be Toews-like.....don't need a superstar goalie to win anymore. That said, I liked him, and wouldn't be surprised to see Luongo moved too and go with a couple young goalies.

Move Luongo? You mean buy him out. You've been trying to get trade him for a year. Now you have a disgruntled goaltender stuck to a huge contract. And you get 1 draft pick for an established NHL goaltender.

[pieceofme]

New Jersey Devils just got Broduer! That was nice.

[Kid-Wicked]

fully expected to see dudeness losing his shit over this trade. lol

i'm ok with the deal. maybe should have got a prospect too.

rumor is that edmonton offered a way better package but no first rounder.

where was philly in this? they're the real loser here. so is schnieder i guess, having to play behind a legend again.

so now the canucks have 16 players under contract and just over 4 million to play with.

not enough. trade edler now.

[pieceofme]

fully expected to see dudeness losing his shit over this trade. lol

i'm ok with the deal. maybe should have got a prospect too.

rumor is that edmonton offered a way better package but no first rounder.

where was philly in this? they're the real loser here. so is schnieder i guess, having to play behind a legend again.

so now the canucks have 16 players under contract and just over 4 million to play with.

not enough. trade edler now.

A lot of people in Vancouver did lose their shit.

Yeah Edmonton supposedly did offer quite a bit more, but them being division rivals played against them.

I concur about Philly.

Good luck getting rid of Edler!

[chungasrevenge]

This is cool. The Blackhawks placed a full page ad in a Boston newspaper, thanking them for their hospitality during the finals.

http://www.boston.com/news/source/paper.jpg

Classy move.

2014 Odds. As of now, I'm thinking about Maple Leafs, Rangers and Islanders. Those odds look longer than they should be. Columbus seems like the obvious long shot.

Pittsburgh Penguins 13-2
Chicago Blackhawks 15-2
Boston Bruins 9-1
St. Louis Blues 12-1
Los Angeles Kings 14-1
Vancouver Canucks 14-1
Detroit Red Wings 16-1
New York Rangers 16-1
San Jose Sharks 16-1
Anaheim Ducks 20-1
Toronto Maple Leafs 25-1
Washington Capitals 25-1
Montreal Canadiens 28-1
Carolina Hurricanes 33-1
Edmonton Oilers 33-1
Minnesota Wild 33-1
New York Islanders 33-1
Ottawa Senators 33-1
Philadelphia Flyers 33-1
Colorado Avalanche 40-1
Columbus Blue Jackets 40-1
Nashville Predators 40-1
New Jersey Devils 40-1
Tampa Bay Lightning 40-1
Winnipeg Jets 40-1
Buffalo Sabres 50-1
Calgary Flames 50-1
Dallas Stars 50-1
Phoenix Coyotes 50-1
Florida Panthers 100-1

i took a chance andi bet Columbus to win the Stanley Cup when there was 3 weeks left in the season at some big odds...they just missed getting in the playoffs but man they played great the 2nd half of the season

I had the Islanders, Blues and Bruins. Close, but not to be.

Chiarelli continues to kick ass. He leaked the Seguin trade stuff to motivate Seguin and see if there was a ridiculous offer. Why not? There wasn't really an intention of trading him. Supposedly Tampa and Calgary offered their first round picks as starting points.

Tim Thomas is available and might be ready to leave the bunker. He'll probably end up a Flyer.

[WOLF]

fully expected to see dudeness losing his shit over this trade. lol

i'm ok with the deal. maybe should have got a prospect too.

rumor is that edmonton offered a way better package but no first rounder.

where was philly in this? they're the real loser here. so is schnieder i guess, having to play behind a legend again.

so now the canucks have 16 players under contract and just over 4 million to play with.

not enough. trade edler now.

I'm curious if Gillis spoke to Luongo first, or just mad the deal? TSN said Schneider was surprised. As for playing behind a legend, Brodeur will surely make this his last year.

Regarding Edler, he's a great talent, but the year he had last year is going to make him a tough sell. The Canucks will have a bevy of team lining up to make them low-ball offers, but that's about it. Gotta trade when the asset is at a high, not a low.

I'm really starting to question Gillis' leadership. What led to the Habs fall from grace was not the fact that they traded key pieces, but the fact that they never got enough for them, and the cubboard was eventually left bare. I see the 'Nucks going the same way.

[Royal Dudeness]

fully expected to see dudeness losing his shit over this trade. lol

i'm ok with the deal. maybe should have got a prospect too.

rumor is that edmonton offered a way better package but no first rounder.

where was philly in this? they're the real loser here. so is schnieder i guess, having to play behind a legend again.

so now the canucks have 16 players under contract and just over 4 million to play with.

not enough. trade edler now.

I'm curious if Gillis spoke to Luongo first, or just mad the deal? TSN said Schneider was surprised. As for playing behind a legend, Brodeur will surely make this his last year.

Regarding Edler, he's a great talent, but the year he had last year is going to make him a tough sell. The Canucks will have a bevy of team lining up to make them low-ball offers, but that's about it. Gotta trade when the asset is at a high, not a low.

I'm really starting to question Gillis' leadership. What led to the Habs fall from grace was not the fact that they traded key pieces, but the fact that they never got enough for them, and the cubboard was eventually left bare. I see the 'Nucks going the same way.

KW, yesterday was hilarious. I was asleep until about 1pm after coming back from a friend's wedding party, and when I wake up, I check my phone to see a text from a friend telling me what went down. I couldn't believe that's all the Canucks got, so of course, I go on Facebook where about 10 people had statuses wondering when I was going to post my rant. Christ, ranting about Canucks may as well end up on my next resume.

Anyway, Gillis put himself in this situation. The guy is a fucking bonehead if you look at his history. Sure, the team got to the finals, but as I always mention, all that would never have happened if Sundin took that 2 year 20 million dollar contract. Gillis should praise Allah that Sundin thought twice.

What really bugs me is that the Canucks window of opportunity is just slightly open if it's not already closed. In a few years time, this team is going to suck HARD. Our prospect pool is a league wide joke, and our stars are already showing signs of fizzling, not to mention they never play well in the playoffs.

This year and next are the last chances they have until may 10 years from now. They need to do more like you said KW, a LOT more if they're going to contend next year. Apparently Aquilini has no interest in buying out contracts which pretty much digs their grave for them. You have to buy out one of Booth or Ballard. Those are your only two buyout options since Lu has way too much money left on the table.

As for Edler, they should have traded him to Philly. His stock was still high even with a terrible playoffs and last part of the regular season. Ah well, they fucked up again. Consider me not surprised.

And then there's Lu. Why the hell would this guy even want to come back to this team? They have treated him like utter dog shit and if I'm him I want nothing to do with this organization.

And one other thing, how the hell do you not make that deal with Edmonton? Too worried that it will come bite you in the ass? If any team should be used to things biting them in the ass, it's the Canucks. You'd think they were immune to it by now.

I've ranted enough. The only thing I'm looking forward to next season is Tortorella's rants. That's it, because I have zero faith in this team.