EPTFINALLY! - The 2013 NHL Season - Page 8
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Sub40APM
6336 Posts
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Thallis
United States314 Posts
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Essbee
Canada2371 Posts
F*ck yeah Brunner. | ||
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Ferrose
United States11378 Posts
On January 22 2013 13:01 Essbee wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o9mel_nAr4&feature=player_embedded F*ck yeah Brunner. Suck it, Ovie. God that was sick. I think I'm officially excited for the Red Wings now, even if they did only beat the Blue Jackets. | ||
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fLyiNgDroNe
Belgium3992 Posts
On January 22 2013 13:31 Ferrose wrote: Suck it, Ovie. God that was sick. I think I'm officially excited for the Red Wings now, even if they did only beat the Blue Jackets. Ovie was never good at shootouts, its a Dats'ish move. Really cool though indeed. | ||
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Funnytoss
Taiwan1471 Posts
On January 22 2013 14:39 fLyiNgDroNe wrote: Ovie was never good at shootouts, its a Dats'ish move. Really cool though indeed. Yeah, that was pretty much Datsyuk's shootout move, except done by a right-hander, and with a little less polish (he couldn't get the puck high enough). Despite that terrible season-opener loss to St. Louis, I am still excited to see what the young guns - Nyquist and Brunner can do this season. It will be nice to have Helm back as well. | ||
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QuanticHawk
United States32024 Posts
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StarStruck
25339 Posts
On January 22 2013 08:23 Sub40APM wrote: The Lupul deal is a typical Maple Leafs signing. 1 good statistical year, nothing really in the minors to get excited about and no trade bait to start a real rebuilding. This is just like the McCabe or the Finger signing. But hey, what else can they do to keep Kessel around? The Zajac signing is in a similar vein too. Sure he is a good secondary player but that much money for maybe 50 pts? It's odd that you speak out against this one yet you seem to like the Edler deal. I don't like either deal to be frank because of the health scares, the term and the money. If you ask me both got overpaid and both could have got even more on the free market. Lupul is on a contract year too and if he produced you bet your ass he would have gotten even more and then the Leafs talk about his intangibles as he is one of the most marketable guys on the team. Not Phaneuf; not Kessel. In the locker room they're great but to the media? Yeah you won't get shit from em'. This is not anything like the Finger or McCabe signing. The team's spent so much time undoing all the shit Ferguson did. Zajac falls in line of Lupul and Edler for getting more money than they should have yet I don't believe Zajac would have gotten nearly as much as Lupul or Edler on the free market. Which is a little ironic because I'd say Zajac has a healthier resume of the lot. On January 22 2013 11:08 Thallis wrote: Boy, Tarasenko is the real deal. I've been watching him for a few years and was absolutely ecstatic when the Blues Traded up to get him (I was very disappointed when we took Schwartz instead at #14). Every time I watch him I'm reminded of what a special player he is. It's incredibly rare for a player with that much skill to have that much passion and will towards playing the game. He's the type of player that makes you hold your breath when he gets the puck in the offensive zone, and he never ever gives up on a play. At the same time, he carries tremendous respect for those around him and just loves to play. I've found it very difficult to contain my enthusiasm for this kid. That kid is sick good. On January 22 2013 07:02 QuanticHawk wrote: Zajac, outside of that injury and his one shitty year, has been pretty consistent and is useful all over the ice. He's just not a genuine offensive stud. It was overpayment, but not a huge amount, and he's still an important part of a team that lost in the SCF last year. Lupul is injured more often than not, had a good year for the first time in ages, and is a cog on an awful team that doesn't seem to be getting better any time soon. They'd probably be better off moving him for kids or something and doing a full rebuild. I just don't see why one good year justifies a five year extension. You couldn't let the season play out a few weeks to see if he keeps it up?? (this goes for Zajac too) I don't think the Leafs are anywhere near as bad as people are saying especially when it comes to their d-men this year. Gunnarsson did get caught down low last night with no one covering him on the odd man break. We're really going to have to see the forwards and centers step up their defensive game and take notice to when the d is trying to keep it in. We have a lot of good puck carriers on the roster and they're definitely trying to get more involved with keeping the puck live, so you need a good rotation going. They don't need a full rebuild at all. We have so many good pieces that it would be stupid to even think that. | ||
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Sub40APM
6336 Posts
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QuanticHawk
United States32024 Posts
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StarStruck
25339 Posts
On January 23 2013 07:45 Sub40APM wrote: I am not sure how you can compare a guy like Edler, who is just under probably a top 15 d man, with Lupul, a guy who literally has one good year and one that was wholly thanks to playing with Kessel. I actually dont think he would have been paid more than 5 on the open market but I guarantee that Edler would have had 6/6.5 thrown at him. No that has nothing to do with it. Edler's back will never be the same. We're looking at how prone they are to injuries and the length of the contract as well as the dollar amount. All of them are getting overpaid and the scary thing is another team would overpay even more on the free market. We're not looking at what they did last year or the year before it or the year before that. It's contract year for both and if Lupul puts up a good half year you bet your butt he would have gotten more. Every other analyst has been saying the same thing too, which I find a bit shocking myself. They'd say Lupul would get 6 elsewhere as well which I find baffling. On January 23 2013 07:59 QuanticHawk wrote: Toronto was 10th in GF and 2nd to last in goals against last season. In what way has their blue line/goaltending situation improved at all?? That's the area the team would need to get better in to be a playoff contender 1. You no longer have to worry about Schenn or Komi as much. If you look at their current roster (they're going with 8 d-men) they're pretty solid throughout the lineup even though they're giving the bulk of the load so far to Phaneuf and Kostka who has been nothing short of stellar. 2. Wilson had them playing the rush; whereas, Carlyle preaches covering your own zone first especially considering you have so many frigging puck movers in the back-end. 3. Reimer's neck injury and concussion plagued him last season. Not only that but you had guys in the organization fighting with one another over Jacques Lemaire. The coaching staff would tell the goalies to do one thing and Lemaire would tell them another. I've never been a guy to go against what brought a goalie to the big dance to begin with and then you haves guys teaching them to play a certain way (the butterfly) as they did with a guy like Jonas Gustavsson. Reimer will be better in net and Scrivens is game. I say let the goalies sort it out between themselves. In the past the Leafs let Tuukka Rask slip through the cracks and Justin Pogge was left to rot. There have been a lot of kids who were never given a proper shot in Toronto because you had Cujo and Eddie doing their thing. It goes back to the old mandate of buying veterans on the decline and having them play here. As for the current goaltending situation? I say give them a fair shot and let them prove their worth. What we're going to have to focus on this year is the centers and wingers helping the d out because these guys LOVE to move the puck. We probably have one too many offensive minded d-men on the team as they really like to get involved in the play and that's why we need the Kadri's, Kessel's and co. to beware of when they pinch. | ||
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QuanticHawk
United States32024 Posts
Granted, Carlyle's system could cover up for a lot of those deficincies, but again, two games into the season, it's way too early to say whether or not that happens this season Reimer could be good, as he showed some potential two seasons ago, but that is on the defense to majorly improve this year. Dont know much about Scrivens, but honestly, it could be Hank out there and he'd still be getting shelled more often than not unless something has very drastically changed. | ||
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StarStruck
25339 Posts
On January 23 2013 09:23 QuanticHawk wrote: Kotska needs more than two games in the NHL to prove himself before he is anointed savior of the blueline.. Outside of that, the best guys are what, Phaneuf, JML, maybe Gardiner or Gunnerson? i don't know the latter two well enough to comment, but Phaneuf and JML aren't exactly renown for their prowess in their own end, and that's the issue. They're good offensively, and in Phaneuf's case, he hits stuff (often taking himself out of positon) Phaneuf's the only guy out of those who'd possibly be a top 2 guy on a playoff team. The rest probably wouldn't make the top 4 on any playoff team. They're rolling with 8 dmen because they're weak on the back line. Granted, Carlyle's system could cover up for a lot of those deficincies, but again, two games into the season, it's way too early to say whether or not that happens this season Reimer could be good, as he showed some potential two seasons ago, but that is on the defense to majorly improve this year. Dont know much about Scrivens, but honestly, it could be Hank out there and he'd still be getting shelled more often than not unless something has very drastically changed. I'm not just riding on the guys nuts after two games man. I've watched him in the AHL for two years with the Norfolk Admirals/Rochester Americans and I was ecstatic when he joined the Leafs. He's been doing his thing all year round too and he's very consistent. How he never made the Tampa Bay team I'll never know. The kid is good. No one is calling him a savior at all. He works well with anybody. You need to look closer at the Leafs defense: - Cody Franson: good two way game and puck mover - Mark Fraser: stay at home guy, consistent and has a lot of grit. He can fight too. We got him from the ducks and he's been playing with the Marlies where he's been solid. - Jake Gardiner: arguably their best guy. You should see the way this guy moves on the ice. All around great player. - Carl Gunnarsson: fairly consistent lots of other teams inquire about him. - Korbinian Holzer: stay at home, in his first year with the club - Mike Komisarek: everyone should know how I feel about this guy. Hasn't been a liability yet, but he is one of our slowest guys and other teams definitely can take advantage of him. - Michael Kostka: people call him a late bloomer and I think people will find his all-around game fairly surprising. The guy can do it all. - John Michael-Liles: very fast puck mover and has very good vision of the ice. - Dion Phaneuf: people call him overrated because of the media frenzy always surrounding this team. I don't think he's as bad as everyone thinks. There have only been a few plays he's made that made me go "Wow that was incredible," but other than that the guy is fairly consistent. That roster has a lot of potential to score points on the back-end. With regards to this year, they're running a 8 man rotation and the pairings are completely different from last year. Carlyle is bringing in a new system and preaching for the forwards and centers to give their d more support. The goals against Toronto won't rest nearly as much on the d this year. I think the defense is strong throughout even though Carlyle is already giving Phaneuf 25+ minutes a game and Kostka isn't too far behind with 23+. With that said there are a lot of new faces and we're about to get Gardiner back as well. I honestly have zero problems with our d atm. Wait until Morgan O'Reilly gets here too. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of good young talent when it comes to the blue line. I really don't think this team needs more. What the team really needs is a stud to play center more than anything else. P.S. I <3 Zach Parise. | ||
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QuanticHawk
United States32024 Posts
I mean even you were to be super optimistic, I think the best you can say is that they've got Phaneuf (who is still very good despite his liabilities in his own end occasionally and a top pairing guy), a bunch of guys who are somewhere between 2nd and 3rd pairing guys, and a few kids who could potentuially be good. Ultimately, the team is returning six guys who played significantly last year for a club that was 2nd to last in goals against (Komi probably falls to the 7th man, but still). I do agree that the blueline can definitely put up points, but that isn't the issue here. I also agree that the team could use a #1 C though. Even if it was a low end #1 who was good for like 60pts, it would just give them the ability to split up some of that talent up front so it's not all loaded onto the first line. | ||
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StarStruck
25339 Posts
On January 23 2013 10:28 QuanticHawk wrote: Yeah, but think of how many guys tear up the A, minors or college and are either underwhelming or just straight up busts? Even after they come out looking good? Good minor play + two games isn't enough to give a good judgement one way or the other. I would understand more optimism here if he did all that and he was a top draft pick. Obviously there's lots of mid round or undrafted guys who break out, but I think you have to temper those expectations for the moment. I mean even you were to be super optimistic, I think the best you can say is that they've got Phaneuf (who is still very good despite his liabilities in his own end occasionally and a top pairing guy), a bunch of guys who are somewhere between 2nd and 3rd pairing guys, and a few kids who could potentuially be good. Ultimately, the team is returning six guys who played significantly last year for a club that was 2nd to last in goals against (Komi probably falls to the 7th man, but still). I do agree that the blueline can definitely put up points, but that isn't the issue here. I also agree that the team could use a #1 C though. Even if it was a low end #1 who was good for like 60pts, it would just give them the ability to split up some of that talent up front so it's not all loaded onto the first line. Dude wasn't even drafted but if you watched him Norfolk/Marlies where he was playing in all situations as well then you'd probably change your mind about him. Surely not NHL level where you have less time and space but the kid's earned his shot. Definitely a guy who's been waiting a long time to play in the NHL. It was only a matter of time and Carlyle has Phaneuf playing his opposite side with Kostka let alone those minutes? Bizarre. He's definitely giving them the front load and that's something I question in the shortened season because the issue last year was giving some guys like Cody Franson enough minutes. Liles missed a lot of last year because of the shoulder and like I said Franson received no minutes. You have three new guys in Kostka, Fraser and Holzer. I'm going to be interested to see how it plays out for Liles and Franson especially this year because they're both very gifted individuals. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and everyone is on a clean slate. I already broke down the one goal Carlyle wouldn't be too pleased with and there are a number of things that went wrong on that play. I'm by no means super optimistic man lol. When you've followed the Leafs for anywhere near as long as I have yeah. You'd have to be blind. All I'm trying to say is the Leafs d are very underrated and I don't think they'll be as problematic as last year. If anything my concern is the centers and wing men getting back and not missing their assignments because our d can move the puck incredibly fast. Tape-to-tape passes boys! If there were two things on my wishlist for the Leafs it would be: - star center - star power forward As it stands we have way too many guys who can be pushed off the puck and we're technically a perimeter team. They hope JVR can fill that void. It's early and he needs time to gel. They had JVR playing on the third line and he didn't receive a lot of minutes. Tomorrow night we'll see him between Kulemin and Grabs on the second line so let's see what happens. X_X | ||
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crawlingchaos
Canada2025 Posts
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FabledIntegral
United States9232 Posts
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Kyhron
United States945 Posts
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Thallis
United States314 Posts
On January 23 2013 13:22 Kyhron wrote: This hot start by the Hawks has me confused. Part of me is happy because in this short season wins are going to be at a premium especially with how hyper competitive the Central division is and part of me is worried they're going to get a big lead in the standings then take their foot off the brake and slide at the end. The goals are coming in bunches and the power play looks way better then last year, but goal tending is still mediocre at best with Crawford. Best part has been how hot Kane Toews and Hossa have been and how much better they seem to be playing as a whole. I have high hopes going forward Don't worry, all they've done is beat a couple of winless teams and a team that went to a shootout on the road the night before. The Blues will be back to reclaim their rightful spot in the division soon.  Seriously though, Hossa usually starts off pretty hot, and the biggest worry for most teams is the condensed schedule. The back to backs and tired games are going to be huge in who wins each division | ||
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Kyhron
United States945 Posts
On January 23 2013 23:36 Thallis wrote: Don't worry, all they've done is beat a couple of winless teams and a team that went to a shootout on the road the night before. The Blues will be back to reclaim their rightful spot in the division soon. Seriously though, Hossa usually starts off pretty hot, and the biggest worry for most teams is the condensed schedule. The back to backs and tired games are going to be huge in who wins each division That's the funny thing though with the Hawks. In the past few years they have a better record in the second game of a back to back then the first. Along with the fact they've been rolling 4 lines so far gives me hope for a good run since last time they ran 4 lines that all worked like these ones are they won the cup. As weird as it sounds the lockout may have helped Hossa more than any other player since he had time to recover from the brutal hit he took in the playoffs plus extended rest after so many playoff years in a row. He's definitely way healthier then his ever been while he's been on the Hawks. Blues can take second in the Central and probably still end up with home ice first round and have more points then the pacific winner | ||
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