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andrebearakovsky · 3 years

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Folks, I promised you an essay with all my thoughts and feelings, and I'm giving you an essay with all my thoughts and feelings. Buckle your seatbelts because we are going on a bumpy ride. My essay, directed to GMBM.

I'm going to start off with: this trade makes absolutely no fucking sense. PARTS of it, maybe, but as a whole? No fucking way. The Caps sent a HUGE package to the Wings. They sent off Vrana, Panik, a 2021 1st, AND a 2022 2nd. For just Mantha. I don't know about you, but that seems EXTREMELY lopsided. Like Mantha's good I guess, but not enough to command ALL that. And he's signed for three more years beyond this, which like as face value demands a little bit more in return, but once again, not ALL that!!!

I'm gonna be honest I could not tell you much of anything about Mantha and how good he is. I see highlights of him sometimes, which means he's got some talent, but like he's still a big question mark. And he's a big power forward, which like on the one hand fits the model of the Caps, but on the other hand you ALREADY have SO MANY dudes on your roster who do exactly what he does. Vrana gave you speed and skill which you didn't have with just about anyone else on the roster, and now you have barely any of that which concerns me.

I have some serious concerns about the direction the team is going with this move. This team is OLD and SLOW. There's something to be said for experience but uhhhhh. The ENTIRE roster can't be old that's not a good move. And by trading Vrana you get rid of someone who is the opposite of both of those things, which was adding balance to your roster. And like Mantha's not old, he's 26, but that's still older than Vrana, who is 25. You're not helping yourself here. AND getting rid of this year's first when your roster is old as dirt is REALLY concerning to me. AND you're gonna be slower, did I mention that? Which also concerns a LOT. The only one here with any speed at all now is Carl Hagelin. Which is like. Alarming. I see teams like the Rangers skate around them and make them look like fools and this is not going to help.

So I guess my main point here on the logic side is that I don't understand the point? How are you improving? You're not getting anything new; everything he brings is something you already have. The fact that they traded Vrana is not exactly surprising, given his diminished ice time and recent scratches, but what they traded him for doesn't make sense.

And like I'm not SUPER upset Richard Panik is gone, he wasn't adding a whole lot to the lineup, but I am gonna be sad about the fucking destruction of the Czechoslovakian Mafia. You took away their leader (Vrana) and destroyed it in one fell swoop. I know all the Czechs and Slovaks were all friends so that aspect in them being gone makes me sad.

NOW it's time for my feelings. FIRST of all, how DARE you!!! How D A R E you!!!!!! I love that sweet boy!!! No thoughts head empty!!! An absolute delight!!!!!! His facial expressions so good, his interviews so funny, and I just!!! Seeing him always made me smile!!!!! And now I am ANGRY and HURT and UPSET and DEPRESSED!!!!! How DARE you take this joy away from me!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK YOU. I have so many good memories of him during the Cup run and now I think of them and want to cry. I get no more Jakub memories now. And you, personally, ruined this.

More hurt feelings: Vitek Vanecek and Jakub Vrana have been very close buddies since they were drafted in the same draft in 2014. They're both Czech, and they both came up in the system together. Joined at the hip in the minors. There was one prospect camp where Jakub fuckin translated everything for Vitek because Vitek like hardly knew any English at that point (there's even a sweet moment in this video when Jakub asks also-a-tiny-prospect-at-that-point Pheonix Copley to make sure Vitek gets to all the right goalie stuff). Jakub made it to the NHL much earlier, but when Vitek finally, finally, FINALLY got his break and made it to the NHL, Jakub was SOOOO happy for him!! And they were finally going to be able to live out the dream and play in the NHL together on the same team and you RIPPED THAT AWAY YOU FUCKING BASTARD.

My feelings are big hurt. You can't just trade Madison Bowey and then Christian Djoos and then Jakub Vrana on THREE CONSECUTIVE TRADE DEADLINES that's just illegal to my feelings. And a hate crime. I remember this article about all three of them coming up together in 2017-18 and now I'm extremely upset again. The ONLY silver lining here is that Christian Djoos is also in Detroit so he and Vrana will get to be reunited (unfortunately they missed Bowey by just a hair; the Wings didn't sign him over the offseason, so he went to Chicago and then today just got traded to Caps West in Vancouver).

You know I really thought the Raffl trade was the trade I was going to get Big Mad over today, but I literally didn't even get a chance to be mad about that. That one's fine I guess, a nothing move really. He's Austrian, and the Caps do love to collect their different nationalities. However I am still concerned about the age; the Caps trade two of their youngest players in Vrana and Siegenthaler for two players in Mantha and Raffle who are older. Mantha's not MUCH older but it's still older and a little bit concerning.

Also, Mantha is signed for SO MANY MORE YEARS. And like ugh I don't know if I want that. I know nothing about him but three more years sounds UGH right now. I don't want it. Go away. I get the feeling I'm gonna feel about him like I feel about Nick Jensen: you were traded for and replaced a sweet boy that I loved, so now you are my enemy. It's no fault of your own, but you're my enemy. I at least hope you're better at hockey than Nick Jensen.

Oh, and one more thing: the deadline came and went, you made all these moves and STILL DIDN'T GET A FUCKING DEPTH CENTER. You got TWO WINGERS. GMBM did you not see the circus that was the "everyone is hurt and we're resorting to having TJ Oshie play center" part of the season? If there was going to be ONE thing I would have asked for at the deadline, it would have been a depth center. Because currently on your roster you have literally no money to call anyone up, and if any one of the four centers go down it's big trouble, and TJ should NOT be playing center again!!!!!! Dear god!!! You failed on your one (1) task!!! Neither of these guys you got are centers!!!! What are you doing!!!!!!!

GMBM…blockbuster moves at the deadline have never been your forte. Remember the disaster that was the Kevin Shattenkirk trade? Stop doing this shit. You know what works? Supplemental moves that don't disrupt the balance of the whole team. Stick to the Brenden Dillon and Carl Hagelin level trades. You know what your gold mine of a deadline trade was? The Michal Kempny trade. Which was, surprise, a supplemental move and not a blockbuster one. And I'm gonna tell you that outright: you're never going to strike oil like that again. Not ever again. A Michal Kempny only happens once. Please stop trying to force something magic to happen by doing something crazy and stupid. You can't just go LOOKING for a Michal Kempny on purpose, and the big trades where you ship off an important, beloved top 6 member of your team is certainly not where you're going to find it. I'm just…stop.

Frankly, GMBM, I'm getting tired of you. You've tested my patience. You emotionally destroyed me to my core with the Marcus Johansson trade (which I STILL have not forgiven you for, and never will), and banishing Vrana to Detroit of all places might be the last straw. I'm gonna say the same thing I always do when trades like this happen: prove me wrong. I fuckin DARE you to prove me wrong. I for one am VERY displeased with this move in every possible way, both in my feelings and my logical hockey brain. Show me that I am wrong, otherwise it's going to be bad news for you in the future. I really think you made the wrong, wrong move here.

#i'm so upset #but mainly angry #enjoy my essay #i worked real hard #jakub vrana #washington capitals #original post

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thornescratch · 4 years

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GUYS GUYS GUYS APPARENTLY CHRISTIAN DJOOS REALLY DID GET “GIN AND JUICE” FOR HIS GOAL SONG, AND VEE HASN’T GOTTEN HIS PERSONAL GOAL SONG PICK APPROVED YET BECAUSE HE KEEPS GETTING REJECTED FOR PICKING NSFW LYRICS

So, without any further ado, here is the Caps’ official goal song list for 2019-20, featuring explanations from players who’ve picked their own:

Nicklas Backstrom: “Here I Go Again ’87” by Whitesnake

Travis Boyd: “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince

John Carlson: “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry

Christian Djoos: “Gin & Juice” by Snoop Dogg (instrumental)

Nic Dowd: “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon

“My wife’s family played it a lot when we were up at the cabin,” he said, adding that the tune played as he and his wife were introduced at their wedding reception. “They liked it. I had heard it before but I didn’t know who the artist was. But after that, I just liked it and we kept playing it over the summers. It’s a nice summer song. It feels good to hear it (after goals). Everyone’s song makes them think of something, otherwise they wouldn’t have picked it.”

Lars Eller: “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor

“Yeah, it’s a pretty cool thing that’s gotten to be like a thing now,” said Eller, who was kind of the O.G. of the whole goal song movement. As Caps fans know, his nickname in the room is Tiger and the team began playing “Eye of the Tiger” following his goals during the 2017-18 season.

Radko Gudas: “It’s a Long Way to the Top” by AC/DC

“I like it. I’m a big AC/DC fan. So I thought that might be a pretty good one to get people involved. I listen to it on the way to games sometimes, too. So it’s perfect. Also, I wanted to do something different than everybody else.”

Carl Hagelin: “Red Lights” by Tiesto

Garnet Hathaway: “What is Love” by Haddaway

“I just thought it would be a fun, uplifting song,” he said. “And, you know, Haddaway, Hathaway, that was the kicker.”

Nick Jensen: “Nick of Time” by AC/DC

Michal Kempny: “Mic Check” by Rage Against the Machine

Evgeny Kuznetsov: “How Low” by Ludacris (instrumental)

“It was song that was come to my head first,” he said, adding that he really wants a song from his homeland but has thus far been unable to get one approved. “The songs that I like, they are all Russian language. I would love to have Russian song, for sure. Yeah, that will get me going, for sure. If people will sing those songs, they would probably be happy, too. I wish one day it could be Russian song.”

Brendan Leipsic: “Levels” by Avicii

“I just fired one off, right off the top of my head,” he said. “I like Avicii and a lot of house music. The one that I picked is one of the classics, one that everyone knows.”

Dmitry Orlov: “Oh, Yeah” by Yello

T.J. Oshie: “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver

“Anytime the team gets together or anytime we get together with friends, I like to crank the music and play songs that everyone can sing along to,” he explained. “‘Country Roads’ is a fun singalong. Almost everyone knows it. And if you don’t, you can pick up on it.”

Alex Ovechkin: “Shake, Rattle and Roll” by Joe Turner [apparently a recent change and now considering going back to his original song: “Still D.R.E.”]

Richard Panik: “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” by Panic! at the Disco

Jonas Siegenthaler: “My Name is Jonas” by Weezer

Jakub Vrana: “Slither” by Velvet Revolver

Vrana says he’s still in the process of choosing a personalized song. His first couple were rejected due to NSFW language.

Tom Wilson: “Whip It” by Devo

“I’m good with it,” Wilson said of song, which was picked for him and is, of course, a tip of the cap to “Whip,” his nickname in the room. “I have other things to worry about,” he added, laughing. “Like scoring. I have to worry about that first. Whatever happens after, it’s all good.”

Asked what he would choose as his goal song, Reirden did not hesitate.

“Welcome to D.C.” by Mambo Sauce, he said.

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seven-for-president · 7 years

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RFA (+V and Saeran) and their first kiss with MC <3

I know that so many people did this already but I wanted to soooo badly >_< also in this HC let´s pretend they didn´t kiss okay?

_Yoosung_

° he invited you over for a round of LOLOL

° you were together for over a month now and it pissed you off that all you ever did was playing games ｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡

° sure, you loved playing together with him but….

° all in all it felt more like a good friendship than a romantic relationship

° and you didn´t like that （；¬＿¬)

° so you made up a plan and today would be the day

° the day of your first kiss with your boyfreind Yoosung

° that meant you had to be extra pretty tonight o(^▽^)o

° when he opened the door for you he was shocked

° but of course in a good way XD

° “Woah, MC you look so pretty. Is something important Happening today?”

° oh you sweet, clueless boy……

° here MC´s masterplan began

° “Does that mean I´m usual not pretty?”

° yeah, it was this exact strategy

° “No you always look pretty MC!”

° “So you want to say I look as always? Yoosung you treat me as a friend and not a girlfriend. I sometimes think you don´t even love me!”

° you took acting lessons from Zen so you even managed to cry a little

° “But MC of course I love you !!! I just don´t want to rush things.”

° now he cried too…

° “No, you don´t. You didn´t even kissed me yet.”＼| ￣ヘ￣|／

° so that was the reaseon you were so unhappy …..

° no Yooosung u serious??? what a brain..

° he never knew that you felt this way and he was ashamed

° so he did as asked, kinda….

° it was mostly crushing his nose against yours

° soooo embarassing (*ﾟｰﾟ)ゞ

° but hey, you had reached your Goal (he kissing you first) and now you kissed him

° but the right way, as often as you could <3</p>

_Jaehee_

° we don´t have to pretend much here…only that they´re together

° you were frustrated

° why woulden´t she kiss you ??

° you always brushed your teeth, didn´t look that bad and never ate garlic when you met with her..

° so why?

° you then did the last thing you could think of…..

° asking the one person who knew everything……….Seven (ﾉ^∇^)ﾉﾟ

° you spoke with him over the phone and agreed to meet up

° his house was messy as always and there were Ph. Pepper cans all over the floor ⁽(◍˃̵͈̑ᴗ˂̵͈̑)⁽

° “Hey Seven, thanks for helping me out.”

° “No Problem MC, you helped the RFA so much why shoulden´t I help you?”

° something was fishy with how he spoke but he was alwys a bit weird

° “So MC, you told me there was something you can´t tell her directly regarding your relationship.”

° you didn´t told him everything, in case Jaehee came back or was eavesdropping

° what she would never do

° “That´s right. You know I really appreciate waht she does for me and she´s alws nice and stuff but-”

° you heard something, or someone fall over and hit the floor

° your first thought was that Saeran tripped beacuse who else should be at Seven´s house?? (・_・ヾ

° but nooo, it was Jaehee ????「(°ヘ°)

° “Jaehee, what are you doing here??!”

° “Seven tolde me you wanted to talk with him about me. And I thought you were going to break up!”

° now you were confused, why would she think that?

° you loved her with all your heart so why would want to break up?

° “ Jaehee why would I want to break up?”

° “You know MC, it really sounded a bit like that..”

° thank you very much Seven

° then she kissed you, out of the blue

° “MC don´t break up with me I love you!!”

° “Jaehee, I won´t break up with you. I just wanted to ask Seven why you woulden´t kiss me. I thought you wanted to break up.”

° and then there was a super cute confessing-scene which almost landed online thanks to Seven

° but Saeran nicely convinced him otherwise… ( ° ʖ °)

_Zen_

° this one will be quick XD

° we all know he will get to the thing as soon as he can ( ° ʖ °)

° but you were a little shy regarding this matter

° since Zen´s praying that all men are beasts he understands and protects you from the beast

° but every patience comes to an end, even Zen´s

° so he worked out a masterplan, as he called it

° doing stuff a couple would do in the publich was off-limit for you

° you didn´t want for Zen to be in a scandal or hurt his carreer

° and Jaehee would probably kill you

° so it had to be at home, where no one saw what you did and you had all the privacy you wanted (ノ^∇^)

° he only could hold back so long because you agreed to move in with him

° moving in without even kissing MC??? SRLY???

° you were away Shopping and he had one of his rare free days

° meaning it was the perfect chance for him to fullfil said plan

° when you came back home you didn´t expect to see Zen in the livingroom

° a livingroom full of roses and chocolate

° “Zen, what happend to the living room ?”

° don´t get me wrong, you loved what you saw and were really happy but you didn´t quite undertstand why he did that..

° and then you sneezed, loud and then again and again

° allergies suck, right?

° “Zen I-achoo!, really appreciate what you did but plea-achoo, please put them out I have allergies.”

° okay, maybe his plan didn´t go that well

° he hurried and put all of the flowers away, so his last hope was the chocolate

° “I´m sorry MC, I didn´t knew that. But I also have some chocolate for you.” (｡♥‿♥｡)

° felt bad for Zen so you took a bite

° buuuuut it had nuts in there.....

° did I mention how allergies suck?

° it ended with Zen calling the ambulance because of your allergies

° guess the masterplan wasn´t that much of a succes?

° “I´m so sorry princess. I guess you wanna break up now?”

° “No. why should I? It´s been a long time since someone did sucha nice thing for me. But why did you do that in the first place?”

° “Just forget it MC. Nothing important in the end.” sigh

° poor Zenny

° “Well, whatever, I still think your the sweetest boyfriend walking on earth.” <3

° and because the best boyfriend only deserved the best, you kissed him

° RIP Zen ( ≧Д≦)

° no, srly you almost had to call the doctor because of the bloodloss through his nose XD

° maybe the plan failed but in the end he got what he wanted now hide yourself from the beast MC

_Jumin_

° I don´t count the kiss infront of Sarah as a real couple-kiss

° so after you moved in with him permanently he still was a bit hesistant

° he already forced himself on you and didn´t want to do it again

° after all he was raised to be a gentelman XD

° you could kind of sense that but in return you didn´t want to push him and express his Feelings

° you knew it was all new and a bit difficult for him

° but the result was that you both were Holding back for each others sake

° that means both of you were frustrated

° and when Jumin Han was frustrated he got pissed.... like really pissed

° and that means more work for poor Jaehee (⌣_⌣”)

° so she called you to ask if everything is alright betwee you two

° “MC, Mr. Han is very.... tense for a while now. Do you have any idea why that is so?”

° you did, kind of..

° “I think I have an idea why, I will talk to him today, I´m sorry if he caused you trouble.”

° you knew you had to do the second-first-step

° it shouldn´t be that hard right?

° hahaha

° this evening he came home even later than usual

° you made dinner for yuo two and played some nice music in the background

° “Hi Jumin,, Jaehee said you´re stressed lately. Is something wrong?”

° “No, what should be wrong?”

° whenever he was bound short he was stressed or annoyed

° “But you´re bringing home more work than usual these days.”

° “MC, please. I am just busier than normally. It has nothing to do with anything.”

° so he was stressed

° “Hey Juimin, I know what to do when you´re stressed and worn out.”

° he looked up, probably to hear what you had to say or say something himself

° but you were a lot quicker

° you gave him a kiss

° “MC, I think you Need to take responsibility for what you have done.”

° he got up and walked towards you, till you hit the door leading to the bedroom

° I think you can guees what happend next ( ° ʖ °)

_Saeyoung/Seven_

° after you became a couple he mostly spend his time at the Hospital with Saeran

° so no time for you :(

° but you understood, if it was your brother you´d likely do the same

° but nevertheless it hurt that he left you alone like that

° he started to build his walls again and left you out

° nooo, don´t go back there （；へ：）

° you treid you best to help and do all the cleaning Vanderwood once did

° but it didn´t help much

° you decided it was the best to go back to your house for now

° so when Seven came back home he expected you to be on the Couch or wherever in the house

° and you were somewhere, but not somewhere in the house

° so he checked the security cameras, maybe you went Shopping?

° you did leave, but together with all of your belongings

° he panicked

° why did you leave?

° was it because he was busy with ihs brother? Because you had to clean all the time?

° but the most important question: were you planning to come back?

° who knows?

° he wanted you to come back

° being in panik-mode he did the first thing that came to his mind

° hacking into your landlord´s computer andthrowing you out of your flat

° nice ting to do Seven....

° and then, he waited

° the phone rang

° “Hi MC, whats up?”

° “Hey Saeyoung, my landlord threw me out. I don´t know why and I don´t know what to do.”

° you were crying

° “Keep calm. First you catch your stuff and come back here. I´ll make something to eat and then we can discuss what to do next.”

° “Thanks Seven you´re the best. See you in 10.”

° did he overdo it? probably...

° you arrived at his house and when you stepped inside you could already smellsomething burnt

° “Seven, is your house in fire??”

° “Nah, it´s just the pancake.”

° he looked like he was in a dough-explosion ɾ⚈▿⚈ɹ

° you laughed, he looked a bit hurt

° “You always know how to cheer me up. I love you Saeyoung!” (｡♥‿♥｡)

° you kissed him and he decided to spin you around after picking you up

° so cuuuuteeeeee

° it was the best time of your life......until he told you about what he did XD

_V_

° it clearly didn´t lack any intention from his side...

° the first time he “wanted to see which eye colour you have”

° but instead of letting him get Close to your face you told him

° MC, please read the mood, would you?

° the second time he accedantly bumped his forhead against yours

° but you told him it was okay and went into the kitchen

° the third time he became desperate he grabbed you by your shoulders and stared at you (he wanted your ok at least)

° but you started to feel embarássed and excused youself to the bathroom

° it wasn´t like you don´t want him to kiss you

° it was more like you being to shy and afraid you were not good enough

° you saw that he was sad whenever you rejected him like that

° so you made up your mind and decided to not back away next time

° unfortunately that time didn´t come (︶︹︺)

° he was sad, yes, but he respected you and your privacy, so he stopped tryind to push you

° that meant that you had to take the step, next time there was a chance

° that time came around on your next date

° you went to the aquarium and then fetched some dinner in an italian restaurant

° why? because why not!?

° when he had a piece of pizza left on the corner of his mouth, you saw your chance

° “You have something on your face, mind if I wipe it away?”

° “Yes, that would be very nice of you.”

° imagine the shocked look on his face when you wiped it awya with your tounge XD

° but before he could say anything you shut him up with your lips on his <3

° what a lovely date (♥ω♥*)

_Saeran_

° he wasn´t that good with emotions

° still you showerd him with affection

° it took him almost a month to get used to hugging, so kissing was a far away dream to you

° it made you sad but hey, you still had the rest of your life right?

° Saeran often wondered how he deserved you...

° he was afraid of loosing you

° especially after his idiot brother told him that you would if he didn´t kiss you

° shock of his life ( ⚆ _ ⚆ )

° “MC, do you want to leave me?”

° “No, why should I?”

° you were confused, did Seven tell him some bullshit again?

° he did that nonstop so it wouldn´t suprise you

° “Saeyoung said you would if I don´t kiss you.”

° you spitted out your drink （｀〇Д〇）

° “He said what!!?”

° yes, you could take this chance and force him to kiss you

° but where was the point in that ?

° “Don´t listen to him. I won´t leave because of that and we can kiss if you fel you can manage it, okay?”

° you were just to nice to him

° he knew you only meant it good but he also saw the sadness in your eyes

° so he went to his last backup-plan

° “Saeyoung, I need your help. I want to kiss MC but I don´t know how to do it.”

° “If you want I can practise with you.”

° “Ok, bye.”(҂⌣̀_⌣́)

° “NOOOO!! Wait!”

° then things happend that I don´t want to explain

° “Hey Saeran do you know wher I left my-”

° you walked in as Seven kissed his brother, Saeran tried to punch him but failed

° “Ooookay... I´m comming back later then.”¯\_(ツ)_/¯

° “No, MC WAIT!!”

° he punched his brother so satisfying and ran after you

° of course you weren´t mad at him if you were then at Seven

° “MC, please don´t be angry at me, it was his fault.”

° he sounded like a kid who´s ice cream got eaten by his brother XD

° I think if someone would do that he would be dead in 3 seconds

° “Saeran, I´m not mad at you that you kissed your brother before me.”

° yes, you were playing with him feeling guilty

° he was afraid

° “No, MC don´t leave me, I´ll do anything ...”

° by anything he was referring to kissing and that he did

° result: he felt good kissing you so he didn´t stop you know what follows XD

° but still you punched Seven for kissing your boyfriend

Why did this turn out so long? I have no idea....¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sorry for taking so long though, exams kept me busy so I had not too much time on my Hand

Anyway, I hope you liked it and if you did, leave a like, comment or a repost, which would make me very happy (*^▽^*)

Also if you have any requests or questions just send them nad I´ll do my best ( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/

#mystic messenger #mystic messenger headcanon #mystic messenger zen #mystic messenger v #saeyoung choi #saeran choi #jaehee kang #jumin han #yoosung

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thrashermaxey · 5 years

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Capped: Cap Situations for all 31 NHL Teams

Hopefully everyone had a fun Halloween. It was a little disappointing only having one NHL game on the slate though, so let’s make up for it with a record long Capped article. Over 3500 words coming right at you!

A month into the season, we have enough of a sample size to start drawing conclusions about what kind of scenarios may play out this season. The cap makes things tougher on teams, but it also lends itself to a lot of patterns and predictability if you’re looking in the right places. Here’s a starting point for each NHL team.

Anaheim Ducks

The biggest storyline in the cap world of the Anaheim Ducks is how they build/rebuild around John Gibson. Gibson is the early Vezina leader, but the rest of the team has struggled to produce much at all. With youngsters Troy Terry, Sam Steel and Maxime Comtois stepping up, the window is anything but shut, however, there are a few bigger contracts to be sorted out. One of Ryan Kesler or Corey Perry will have to be moved out if the younger players are to grow. With Carlyle and some older contracts around, the growth will continue to be stifled.

Next year’s roster has a Cap hit of $75 million, with only 15 player contracts accounted for. Something’s going to give, and a change of scenery may help Perry.

Arizona Coyotes

Arizona has managed their cap fairly well, but be ready for another sell off come trade deadline time. Richard Panik and Jordan Oesterle could be useful depth pieces for contenders, but a trade would likely mean pushing them even farther down the lineup (bad for their fantasy value).

The Coyotes are also at the max 50 contracts on the books, so a couple minor league trades may occur before that point to give them a little more flexibility come deadline day.

Boston Bruins

Off the top of your head, who is the Bruins’ highest-paid forward? It’s not Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand or David Pastrnak; David Krejci holds the honour, and is signed for another three seasons. The Bruins need that depth scoring to pick up, otherwise they aren’t going to keep up in a surprisingly upstart Atlantic division. Your best fantasy bets are Jake DeBrusk and Ryan Donato, both on very friendly contracts, and good positive regression candidates.

Buffalo Sabres

With approximately $10 million coming off the books between Matt Moulson and Jason Pominville this offseason, Buffalo could take a run at one of the 2019 free-agent defencemen. As we know, that worked so well for them last time, using an amnesty buyout on Christian Erhoff.

Whatever the direction may be, they are also going to have to keep in mind that they want to show Jeff Skinner why he should be sticking around. Otherwise he may turn into one of the biggest prizes of the 2019 UFA class. He will continue to be given the best linemates.

Calgary Flames

Matthew Tkachuk is an RFA, and he is going to take a decent payday to get re-signed, but it will get done.

The big storyline for the rest of the year is what happens in net moving forward. Mike Smith has the contract, but is playing poorly. David Rittich is the backup for now, but is playing better than Smith. Jon Gillies is the goalie of the future, and has a one-way contract starting next season making him the odds on favourite to be the starter at that point. Smith likely gets let go at the end of the year, and if he is going to be gone anyways, we could see the starts favour Rittich after the All-Star break.

Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina has the lowest cap hit in the league this season, and may actually be a buyer at the trade deadline for the first time in a while. They have the space to make a push for a Mark Stone or an Artemi Panarin, so keep an eye on those forward line combos, as things may shake up as the season moves on. This means we may see some of their rookies get pushed down the lineup.

Bold move: The Hurricanes have the capital and the cap space to acquire both Sergei Bobrovsky and Panarin, and they swing for the fences trying to bring the Stanley Cup to Carolina for the first time since 2006.

Chicago Blackhawks

Predictably with Chicago, the narrative covers the core five. They have rebounded nicely with a winning record thus far. However, Chicago has not been able to keep higher salaried players around because of these contracts before. This year will be no different, especially with Brandon Saad’s contract looking immoveable too. Look for a new wave of rookies to come up next year, and maybe see if you can get in ahead, before guys like Victor Ejdsell, Dylan Sikura, and Matthew Highmore are on the common sleepers lists next summer.

Colorado Avalanche

Does it matter what is happening with the salary cap when the top line trio is as hot as they are? Well, yes it does, especially since Mikko Rantanen needs a new contract. My contract model has him right now with an eight digit AAV, which goes to show how great he has been playing. That being said, he won’t get that much. There’s no benefit from a bridge deal either, so something similar to what David Pastrnak got from Boston may be a good comparison (adjusted for inflation of course). Nathan MacKinnon took a little less money, and Colorado isn’t going to let Rantanen greatly usurp his contract number.

Columbus Blue Jackets

As covered a little in the Carolina section, Columbus is either going to have to seriously contend this year, or take a hard look in the mirror and move out Panarin and Bobrovsky. They need to learn from the Islanders. My bet is that at least Panarin gets moved, which is unfortunate for his linemates, but will also open up a hole for Boone Jenner to step up to the top line.

Dallas Stars

With Jason Spezza and Mark Methot coming off the books, and no large extensions upcoming (Tyler Seguin already re-signed), this team may be able to build up their forward depth, and contend a little more seriously next season. Bishop would be a good goalie target for those looking ahead and not wanting to pay for a top of the line starter.

Detroit Red Wings

The team with the highest cap hit is also sitting at the bottom of the standings. Dylan Larkin and all of their impressive rookie defencemen will still not be enough to save them. Gustav Nyqvist, Jimmy Howard, and Niklas Kronwall should all be gone by next summer, and that will kick start the rebuild. In the meantime, just stay away from anyone not named Larkin or Dennis Cholowski (dude is a stud).

Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton is going to turn themselves into the 2015 Chicago Blackhawks before they even have a chance to win a cup, let alone the three the Blackhawks had by that point in the cap era. What did we learn from Chicago? Well that Alex DeBrincat is the most valuable piece coming through among a sea of overpaid players. What does that mean for Edmonton? Well it means that one of Jesse Puljujarvi or Kailer Yamamoto should get the opportunity to turn into a big scorer. Now is the buy low moment for Yamamoto.

Florida Panthers

An older tweet from James Mirtle shows a relevant topic four years later. The 39-year-old Roberto Luongo has four years left on his contract, and when he retires has a large impact on both the Florida Panthers and the Vancouver Canucks. Both teams will have to make sure they have the cap space to manage the possible penalties. The Panthers have done a good job of managing their cap situation, and with no one of importance up for free-agency, it looks to be status quo with them.

That is until management has had enough of losing, and decides to really shake things up with a blockbuster trade.

Los Angeles Kings

This team needs a rebuild (that was evident even before news broke that Jonathan Quick would be out for 3-6 weeks). That’s an unfortunate thing to need with $138 million due to Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty over a combined 13 years, starting next year. I’m not sure who is in worse shape, LA or Anaheim. The Kings have 18 players signed for next season, and are already at $77.5 million. Tanner Pearson may become the casualty to a lucky team that puts him in a position to succeed.

Minnesota Wild

Think Minnesota wants a do-over on the Zach Parise/Ryan Suter contracts? I sure would. After this season, there is still six years and over $45 million left on both contracts. Plus, Minnesota has their best cap bargain (Eric Staal at $3.5 million) expiring as a UFA. Let’s hope new GM Paul Fenton can make some maneuvers out from under the collapsing situation Chuck Fletcher left him. Otherwise the Wild will see themselves quickly surpassed in the Central division.

Montreal Canadiens

Carey Price’s new $10.5 million AAV contract has kicked in, and it doesn’t look like a disaster. If Shea Weber can come back healthy for the second half, this may actually be a bubble playoff team. Artturi Lehkonen will need a new contract (likely a bridge signing), and the Karl Alzner deal needs to disappear, but there are some solid fantasy contracts to be found here. Especially one of my personal favourites, Brendan Gallagher.

Nashville Predators

Still the model of contract gold, there is a new set of key RFAs looking for a fresh contract this summer. Colton Sissons and Ryan Hartman have arbitration rights, while Kevin Fiala doesn’t. Don’t expect either of Hartman or Sissons to actually hit arbitration. David Poile will get them locked up like he did with Calle Jarnkrok, Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson. Meanwhile Kevin Fiala will get a one or two-year bridge deal to bring him to arbitration. This will be less than most people are expecting him to receive, before he breaks out and gets paid on his future deal.

New Jersey Devils

Keith Kinkaid can be a starter in this league, and will likely move on in search of a starting job elsewhere. The native of Long Island may look to the Islanders first, but between Robin Lehner playing well, and Tomas Greiss succeeding on top of having one more year on his contract, the timing may not be right. Instead, Kinkaid may look a touch West of his current home, filling a spot we will discuss a little later.

Back to the Devils, the other big name due an extension is Will Butcher. He may not get quite the same amount of coin, but he reminds me a little of Tyson Barrie with the Avalanche, who got a bigger contract than expected despite being mainly an offensive catalyst. Don’t be caught unaware expecting a bridge deal.

New York Islanders

After losing John Tavares, Lou Lamoriello tried to replace quality with quantity. Unsurprisingly it’s not having quite the desired effect. The Isles’ brass will have to work hard to make sure it doesn’t repeat mistakes of last year, this time with Anders Lee. Currently on a bargain contract, the team captain Lee deserves a big raise, and is going to get it. The Isles are primed to overpay Lee just to get him to stay, and they have the cap space to do it too. Winger Jordan Eberle may be allowed to walk, as he is probably going to be looking to win something other than the 2009 World Juniors (that is never going to get old).

New York Rangers

The Rangers are “rebuilding” in their own special way, but that doesn’t mask the fact that Mika Zibanejad is one of the best cap bargains that no one talks about. Already at nine points through 11 games, Zibs could keep up a 70-point pace through the season with the top minutes he’s getting for the Rangers. What they decide to with him and his contract though is another story. If the Rangers truly want to bottom out, they would have plenty of suitors lining up hefty packages in return for the 25-year-old. In the meantime, names such as Kevin Hayes, Ryan Spooner, and Mats Zuccarello will remain on the trade block. All three could benefit from a change in scenery.

Ottawa Senators

With two key free-agents this summer, things could (and will) look a lot different in Ottawa next year. However, until ownership changes, they will be bogged down by the same problems, and things won’t really change. Maybe they can exceed Eugene Melnyk’s expectations next year and ice a full 23-man roster of rookies, minus Craig Anderson. Lots of good opportunities to get in here with some cheap ELC production.

Philadelphia Flyers

With both goalies having contracts that expire in July, plus the brass wanting to bring along Carter Hart extra slowly, the door opens for Keith Kinkaid. Between him and Hart, the goalie carousel may finally be coming to an end in the short term. Expect Wayne Simmonds to walk straight into free-agency with Brian Elliott and Michael Neuvirth.

On top of that, Ivan Provorov needs a new contract, and he may top what Matt Dumba got from Minnesota. Aaron Ekblad’s $7.5 million AAV could be closer to what he’s asking for right away. He deserves it too.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Someday Daniel Sprong will arrive. In the meantime, Sidney Crosby will continue to buoy players like Brian Rust into earning their livelihood on one contract. As another option, with Derrick Brassard, Carl Hagelin, and other contracts coming off the books, the Penguins could dip into a winger-rich free agent pool next summer, coming out with a player such as Stone, Panarin, or Skinner. The goalies and defence are pretty much set, so why not beef up the forward group even further.

San Jose Sharks

With only 10 skaters signed past this year, and many needing raises (including Erik Karlsson and Joe Pavelski), this team is going to look very different next season. As a result, their window is as open right now as it is likely to be in the next number of years, but they are also right up against the salary cap. They may make a few smaller moves for this year, but the real fun will start once they are eliminated from the playoffs (or win it all). Joe Thornton can’t keep coming back forever, can he?

Seattle

Didn’t see this one coming did you? Well Seattle remains on track to join the league for the start of the 2020-2021 season, and if we’re looking ahead, you can’t discount the impact another expansion franchise will have. The team will bring more skaters, more points, more revenue, more games, and more decisions for general managers. With having had Vegas join the league back in 2017, we can be better prepared this time around. In the cap era, a team can do a lot of damage if they bring together solid parts without being weighed down by anchor contracts. If Seattle is to succeed, that will be the key. Don’t expect them to make the finals in their first year, but there will be some fantasy gems to be mined.

St. Louis Blues

Jake Allen has gone from what was supposed to be one of the best goalie contracts in the league, to one of the poorest performers this season. The Blues have the depth at forward and on defence to be real contenders, but if their goalie keeps letting them down, they are in danger of narrowly missing the playoffs again this year. Unfortunately for them, they don’t have the cap space to bring in someone to help. Either their AHL starter Ville Husso is going to grab the reigns and channel his inner Matt Murray to a deep playoff run, or we are going to see the tailspin continue until Mike Yeo is let go. A coaching change is probably the only thing that saves Allen’s value at this point.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning only have three defensemen signed past this season, but good thing for them it’s their top three. What this means is that we could see a prospect or two jump to the third pairing next season. Former first rounder Cal Foote has a good chance, as do Erik Cernak and Dominik Masin. These prospects, have an even better shot if the Tampa brass can’t get rid of Ryan Callahan, and still wants to re-sign recent breakout forwards Yanni Gourde and Brayden Point. Gourde has been one of the best fantasy bargains not on an entry level deal, while Point has been producing well before most expected him to. Both will be due a significant raise similar to Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson re-upping in 2017. With cap inflation, expect the two new deals to be closer to $6 million than $5 million.

Toronto Maple Leafs

William Nylander still needs a contract, plus Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will need new deals soon too. This will possibly define Kyle Dubas’ career.

My thoughts on Nylander are here, and you can find my thoughts on Matthews and Marner here. All points regarding those three still stand.

Vancouver Canucks

See the Florida Pathers write up, plus they signed a bunch of bad free-agent contracts, and are even farther away from the playoffs.

If they can us their abundant cap space to get Brock Boeser signed long term, then between the trio of Boeser, Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson, there is a core to build around. A few years avoiding free-agent frenzy, and not having $25 million on the IR will go a long way to moving the Canucks slowly up the standings. In the meantime, there won’t be much fantasy growth outside of the aforementioned top trio.

Vegas Golden Knights

After showing the hockey world how great you can be without an anchor contract or two, Vegas is slowly joining the pack. The seven-year, $4.75 million AAV contract to Alex Tuch could very well turn out to be a good one, but the six-year, $5.95 million AAV deal to Nate Schmidt is very much above market value, and doesn’t leave as much room to either re-sign Pacioretty or look for some other depth scoring. Vegas has $72.2 million locked up in 14 players going into next season, so they may not be able to bring in another piece to bump them back into that top tier in the Western conference.

Washington Capitals

Contracts due to RFAs Andre Burakovsky, Chandler Stephenson, Jakub Vrana, and others, will be very telling towards who has a shot at taking the top line gig during Tom Wilson’s next suspension of a full season. All of the core players are signed for at least another year, and most for longer. This team is going to consistently be a fantasy haven, where you get what you pay for, plus a high powerplay point bonus.

Winnipeg Jets

Last but not least, there are a couple Jets that need gassing up before taking off next season. Patrick Laine and Kyle Connor are going to get similar money to that discussed for Matthews and Marner (the Jets’ duo is also featured in the same article as the Leafs’ pair – again, linked here).

The real fun storyline in the middle of nowhere, will be between the Jets and Jacob Trouba. Trouba is going to take a look at the recent contracts to Matt Dumba, Ryan Ellis, and Cam Fowler, saying he deserves at least that. He may have a point, but that doesn’t mean Winnipeg can oblige. The Jets have a whole set of other key players on larger contracts, and plenty of young defensive talent in the pipeline. A trade would make the most sense, likely for a similar skater who will take on a smaller cap hit to play with a contending team in Winnipeg. As a top pairing defenceman elsewhere, Trouba’s value would take a big jump – not up to the top tier, but possibly inside the top 10-15.

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If you read the whole article, cheers! If you just skimmed some and skipped to your favourite team, that’s fine too. Let me know in the comments if you agree with what was said about them, or if you think there was something missed.

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Previous Capped articles:

Early Point-Per-Dollar Disappointments

Early Point-Per-Dollar Leaders

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Last plug in the articles, get the enormous fantasy resource that is the DobberHockey 2018-2019 Fantasy guide. Keep your eyes open for the mid-season guide too. We won’t let you miss it.

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All cap related info is courtesy of Capfriendly. All player data was pulled from FrozenTools.

That caps off this week’s record article, thanks for reading. As always, you can find me on twitter @alexdmaclean.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/capped/capped-cap-situations-for-all-31-nhl-teams/

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junker-town · 7 years

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These 58 MLB players won't have a nickname on their jerseys because they hate fun

These players didn’t show the minimum effort for coming up with a nickname.

Not every player in MLB decided to wear a nickname on the back of their jersey the weekend of August 25. Don’t worry, though, as we’re here to point out the nicknameless, team by team, so we can collectively wonder why they are like this.

To save you from having to count: 58 players skipped nicknames for Players Weekend. Well, maybe 59. That one is a judgment call.

Red Sox: Everyone has a nickname, you’re off the hook, Boston

Yankees: Brett Gardner went with “Gardner” which, you know, is what is usually on his jersey during road games.

Rays: Corey Dickerson, I get it, your nickname using “Dick” probably was rejected by MLB. I don’t know what Austin Pruitt and Taylor Featherston’s excuses are.

Orioles: Seth Smith, what are you doing, your last name is literally “Smith.” Ruben Tejada will look like a real rube with his real name on his jersey. Wade Miley, Dylan Bundy, Richard Bleier, Donnie Hart, Miguel Castro, and Mark Trumbo: who hurt you?

Blue Jays: Only Steve Pearce stuck with his actual name. We’re disappointed, but maybe you haven’t fully shed your true Orioles’ nature yet.

Indians: Jose Ramirez went with “Ramirez” so I’m not even going to bother coming up with a joke.

Royals: Ian Kennedy and Mike Minor are disappointments here, but at least two Kansas City players made it so their jerseys combine to say “Sledge Hammer.”

Twins: You knew Joe Mauer wouldn’t have a nickname: nicknames are too flashy for him. Ryan Pressly missed an opportunity to make sure no one confuses him with Alex Presly. If the jerseys had been presented differently, we would have gotten a “Buddy Rogers” combo, so I’m docking points for that missed opportunity.

Tigers: Congrats to the Tigers on being the second team all nicknamed up, and to Alex Presly for differentiating himself from Ryan Pressly.

White Sox: And the White Sox make it three teams we’re not mad at.

Astros: You just knew the Captain of the Fun Police, Brian McCann, wouldn’t have a nickname. Maybe he’s been a bad influence on George Springer and Dallas Keuchel.

Mariners: Ben Gamel definitely should have had a nickname, because I assumed he was Mat Gamel. Mike Zunino, you’ve got a Z in your name, like, Z Man is right there if you’re lazy as heck. Just pretend!

Angels: I was afraid Mike Trout would lack a nickname, but he’s got one, so the Angels are in the clear.

Rangers: Nicknames all around.

Athletics: Whether the A’s all have nicknames or not depends on how you feel about Jed Lowrie changing the back of his jersey to “Jed.”

Nationals: The number of players without nicknames on the Nats and the number of times they’ve advanced past the NLDS is the same number.

Marlins: The Marlins all rose to the challenge and have nicknames.

Braves: See previous joke about not getting a dick-based nickname through MLB for R.A. Dickey. What? There are 30 teams and more than one dick. Luke Jackson somehow didn’t come up with a nickname on a team that has “King Krol” on it, so that decisions looks even worse in retrospect.

Mets: The Mets all have nicknames, and management didn’t even force them to all make said nickname “Tebow” for merchandising purposes, either.

Phillies: Aaron Nola, Daniel Nava, Nick Pivetta, and Cameron Perkins... you are all disappointments to me.

Cubs: Jon Lester developed some power since coming to the Cubs, but apparently not a sense of humor. Tommy La Stella is also guilty of this, but it’s almost made up for by Carl Edwards Jr. going by “Carl’s Jr.”

Brewers: The Brewers not only have nicknames, but Eric Thames went with a Korean one, “Sang Namja.”

Cardinals: Paul DeJong, Carson Kelly, Matthew Bowman, Greg Garcia, Lance Lynn, Jedd Gyorko, Zach Duke, and Brett Cecil: congratulations on tying the Orioles for the most players without a nickname.

Pirates: For a bunch of sea-based outlaws, the Pirates did a good job following the rules.

Reds: Bronson Arroyo has “Free Love” on his jersey, which is not a nickname so much as an advertisement that’s giving me a twitch. Otherwise everything here is on the up and up.

Dodgers: Corey Seager, how are you going to have no nickname when Kyle Seager put “Corey’s Brother” on his jersey? Scott Kazmir was similarly boring, as was Josh Fields.

Diamondbacks: Zack Greinke should have used an old World of Warcraft character name of his or something.

Rockies: Greg Holland gave us nothing, which is extra disappointing for a closer. Maybe Pat Neshek getting traded at the deadline held up jersey production for him. Pat Valaika, smh.

Padres: They could all be nicknames as far as you know, but I’ve double-checked. Wil Myers, Carlos Asuaje, Matt Szczur, Hector Sanchez, Miguel Diaz, Clayton Richard, and Jarred Cosart are the disappointments in San Diego. One shy of tying the Cards and O’s for the most.

Giants: Joe Panik, Josh Osich, Conor Gillaspie, Corey Gearrin, and Brandon Belt should all be shamed for their lack of nicknames.

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Ramblings: Thoughts on Erik Karlsson, Draisaitl, Saad, Wilson and more (Dec 7)

My big pickup for this week was Tom Wilson, which has worked out better than I could have imagined. The power forward is enjoying his time on the top line with Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin. He put up a four-point night along with four PIM, three SOG, two hits and two blocked shots. I scooped up Wilson for the peripheral value and potential for a point or two with that top line exposure, but he has provided five points in two games. It’ll likely be back to the waiver wire after Friday’s action as the Capitals have the weekend off, but he may have done enough to earn a longer look.

A lot will depend on how my squad is performing, but I am also monitoring the injury situations of Andre Burakovsky and TJ Oshie. Both could potentially return on Friday. Those two would soak up the top-six opportunities and push Wilson back down the depth chart.

Also benefitting from the absence of these top wingers is Brett Connolly with goals in three straight games. He has skated in Oshie’s spot on the top power play unit the past two games. He isn’t skating much otherwise, so he is a pure PP specialist, and scheduled to lose that gig at some point.

Backstrom put an end to a 21-game goalless drought. We never rely on the playmaking centerman for many goals, but the career 12.0% shooter is sitting at just 8.3%, so he should see an uptick. That being said, remember that assist-heavy players are more heavily subject to swings in performance because a blip in shooting will show up more significantly in a smaller sample of shots. They are also heavily reliant on strong shooting from their teammates.

Can you keep up with the line shuffling in Chicago? I’ve barely been able to. Here’s what they rolled out last night:

#1 20.9% ANISIMOV,ARTEM – KANE,PATRICK – SAAD,BRANDON

#2 18.2% HARTMAN,RYAN – HAYDEN,JOHN – TOEWS,JONATHAN

#3 15.1% BOUMA,LANCE – DEBRINCAT,ALEX – SCHMALTZ,NICK

#4 10.2% PANIK,RICHARD – SHARP,PATRICK – WINGELS,TOMMY

Seemingly a good spot for Brandon Saad, but this team is dog tired. Saad’s statistical profile screams buy low skating 18:42 with top unit PP time, a history of elite 5-on-5 production, a woefully underperforming IPP at 54% (he has notched points on over 70% of goals the past three seasons), and tremendous shot volume (on pace for 249 SOG).

That sort of profile screams 60+, but that’s out of reach after a slow start. I still see his usual 50-55 points as within reach. Everyone would take 35-40 points over the final 54 games, but no one would blame you for pulling the pin.

I also wonder if they reach a point where they stop rolling Saad out on the power play. For all the minutes he is seeing in this phase, he has not produced. The Blackhawk PP is drowning at 29th in efficiency (16.1%). Considering this is a top-10 offense, they would be running over folks with an improved power play.

Alex DeBrincat is begging for top unit usage, which would vault the rookie into relevance in all formats.

Richard Panik is ice cold and skating on the fourth line. Just one point in the last nine for the forward. Losing that net-front gig to Artem Anisimov sank his hot start.

Points in three straight games for Jonathan Toews, who can still shimmy:

{source} <blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It was too little too late but Jonathan Toews showed off some silky hands on this breakaway goal. <a href="https://t.co/toYfTTETY1">pic.twitter.com/toYfTTETY1</a></p>— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/938616846462238723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>

Finally, an updated timeline for Corey Crawford:

{source} <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Coach Joel Quenneville said Corey Crawford (lower body) is skating back in Chicago right now. Unlikely he plays vs. Buffalo on Friday. Some likelihood he plays Sunday vs. Arizona.</p>— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomGulittiNHL/status/938461010586931200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>

Since being promoted to the top line it has been biscuits and gravy for Wayne Simmonds with two goals and three points in two games. Small sample, but the Giroux/Couturier halo seems to be helping.

More importantly for the Flyers, shuffling Jakub Voracek to the second line has resulted in some depth scoring. Voracek has four assists through to games, while Michael Raffl has two goals and three points, and Valtteri Filppula has one goal and three points.

The person of interest here is likely Raffl who we have seen go on some hot streaks before. Raffl is up to four goals and six points in the last seven games. This is a deep option for sure, but someone to keep an eye on, especially after he went the first 21 games of the season without recording a point.

Kudos to those still riding the Brian Elliott rollercoaster, he is back on a high.

Jesse Puljujarvi lasted maybe five periods on Connor McDavid’s wing. By the third period of last night’s contest Leon Draisaitl was back up with McDavid.

After three games without a point Draisaitl bagged a short-handed goal courtesy of McDavid. Draisaitl owners are surely looking for more consistency, especially in time alongside McDavid, but he is still on pace for 65 points despite getting bounced around the lineup, after missing four games and having failed to record a single PPP.

Indeed, after bagging 26 PPP Draisaitl has a goose egg in that category. Some of this is the result of being bumped from the top PP unit at times, but this is a chicken and egg scenario, where poor production begets reduced playing time. Draisaitl should be a factor in this phase so there may be more meat on the bone here.

Matthew Tkachuk did another dumb thing:

{source} <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Should Matthew Tkachuk be suspended for spearing from the bench? The Hockey Central crew debates. <a href="https://t.co/7ucgBOVw6a">https://t.co/7ucgBOVw6a</a> <a href="https://t.co/7apglkY3cQ">pic.twitter.com/7apglkY3cQ</a></p>— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/938604499207204865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>

There really wasn’t much to the play, but that almost makes it worse. What was he thinking? You simply cannot get involved from the bench. That line is very clear. Seems like a lock for a fine, but this is the sort of behaviour that has gotten him suspended. At some point the sophomore is going to learn how to better walk the line, but he may always be a great PIM option.

No Jaromir Jagr for the Flames last night as he is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Big-time 47-save performance by Frederik Andersen, securing a shootout win. The goaltender has been one of the most consistent over the past month rolling off a .910 save percentage or higher in 11 straight starts. With the league average save percentage at .907 that makes all of those appearances quality starts.

Leaguewide save percentage has sat at about .907 for over a month now so I am prepared to recalibrate to this as the new normal. Lower your expectations for save percentage from goalies until we see things trending upward.

Tyler Bozak skated over 16 minutes in his return to the lineup from illness. No points, but four SOG for the centerman. Despite his top PP usage and exposure to quality linemates Bozak is waiver fodder. I need a hot streak before jumping back onboard.

We are up to 10 straight games without a point for Erik Karlsson. You owe it to yourself to make an offer if you don’t own him.

Hell, put on the full-court press. Make a strong offer. Leave the owner a voicemail. Spam him with text messages. Send off some awkward snapchats. Cook up a batch of Swedish meatballs! Don’t take no for an answer.

The Adam Henrique tenure in Anaheim is off to a roaring start with points in all four outings. He has five points in four games total and is skating all the minutes he can handle with Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell on his wings. Great spot for the time being. Ride him while he remains their top centerman.

Awesome handle on Ondrej Kase:

{source} <blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">KASE, THIS IS GORGEOUS! DUCKS UP 2-0! <a href="https://t.co/CM2rlLhOmy">pic.twitter.com/CM2rlLhOmy</a></p>— NHL Daily 365 (@NHLDaily365) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLDaily365/status/938628463476527104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>

Kase isn’t overly relevant, but has two points in four games since returning from injury, and should have some deep league relevance all season.

If the Ducks survive their injuries to make the playoffs they can’t thank Ryan Miller’s superb play. In six starts the veteran backup has boasted a .919 save percentage or higher, earning the Ducks a point in each outing. Indeed, his numbers are off the charts with a .945 save percentage. He’s no threat to John Gibson, but could go on a nice run if Gibson gets hurt again.

Ben Bishop is out for at least one game with a sore back. The injury isn’t expected to be major, so he should get back into action by the weekend, but I have been skeptical of Bishop because of his track record with injuries. Should this prove to becoming a nagging injury Kari Lehtonen is of mild interest because any goalie can go on a run, but it’s been YEARS since Lehtonen was a reliable option so tread carefully if venturing down that path.

After a hot run in the AHL Joel Eriksson Ek has been recalled to the Wild. Set the bar low for his potential impact though. In 35 NHL games he has 10 points, averaging about 11:40 per game. If that deployment continues, he won’t be a regular contributor. He is a very good prospect, however.

Paul Martin should be back in the Sharks’ lineup tonight. Martin has no fantasy value himself, but may impact Brent Burns, who has struggled to produce offense. Having his regular defense partner back in the rotation could free up Burns to take more chances and get into more dangerous shooting locations.

Of course, even if this theory proves correct, it still won’t resolve the deeper issue that is San Jose’s sinking power play. They went into last night’s action tied for 26th in efficiency at just 16.7% overall, which is the exact same success rate they had last season.

The Sharks did add Dave Barr to the coaching staff in an attempt to help their PP, but Barr’s track record as an assistant isn’t great, most recently running Florida’s bunk PP last season. Of course, that team sucks again this season. For a power play to succeed there is a need for both talent and structure. There is also a certain element of randomness as well.

Bottom line: Burns should be better. He’s too talented, shooting too many pucks and playing too many minutes to not produce. The Sharks are averaging exactly three power plays per game, just as they did last season and are clicking on the exact same percentage. Yet this time around Burns is on pace for just 13 PPP after putting up 25 the year prior. I’ll go down with the ship forecasting a turnaround. Whether it’s improved coaching, a better defense partner, or sheer randomness I expect improved results.

Hockey Canada released the list of players who will vie for position on their World Junior Hockey Championship roster. Most countries have done the same over the past couple of days. Now marks the time where folks in keeper leagues should engage in the Jeff Angus strategy of scooping up prospects who will star at the upcoming tournament and receive a sizeable boost to their profile and fantasy stock.

Sometimes, you land prospects worth hanging onto for the long haul, but more often the move is to grab these prospects and exchange them for players who can help you win now. I basically cannot use this strategy any more because folks in my keeper leagues read these ramblings and know this strategy all too well, but today I’ll skim the top prospects who should be at or near universally owned. If any of these guys are unowned in your keeper league, jump on them. (Links to their DobberProspects profiles)

Lias Andersson

Erik Brannstrom

Logan Brown

Filip Chytil

Cody Glass

Carter Hart

Miro Heiskanen

Olli Juolevi

Klim Kostin

Timothy Liljegren

Cale Makar

Casey Mittelstadt

Alex Nylander

Jake Oettinger

Elias Pettersson

Nick Suzuki

Eeli Tolvanen

Kailer Yamamoto

I’ll sprinkle in a couple of deeper names to seek out at some point in the next couple of weeks, but in the mean time do check out the work from the DobberProspects gang, as this is their bread and butter. Peter Harlings’ latest prospect ramblings touch on the Finnish and US WJC squads.

Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @SteveLaidlaw.

from All About Sports http://www.dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-thoughts-on-erik-karlsson-draisaitl-saad-wilson-and-more-dec-7/

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