#(the Pens lost to Tampa in the first round that year)

[icedbatik]

Summer 2011 ... the year Sid ended up at both the Kentucky Derby (above, with Mike Chiasson) and the Cannes Film Festival (below, with Paul Martin and Jordan Staal) within 10 days ...

artist Paul Robinson (upper left)

director Voula Wolf Duval (lower left)

#Sidney Crosby #Mike Chiasson #Paul Martin #Jordan Staal #Kentucky Derby #Cannes #May 6 - 2011 #May 16 - 2011 #(the Pens lost to Tampa in the first round that year) #(by April 27 they were out of the playoffs) #Voula Wolf Duval #Jamie-Lynn Sigler #Paul Robinson #Jennifer Tilly

[myhockeyworld87]

Not So Dangerous Liaison - Sidney Crosby - Part 8

Word: 2,747

POV: Sidney’s

Warnings: Language as always

Notes: Well after the loss of all my edits, I can’t promise that I didn’t miss something, but I did re-edit it, so hopefully it’s ok. I have to say this is one of my favorite stories so far. Hope you guys like it as well. Happy Reading!

Not So Dangerous Liaison Masterlist

Over the next couple of weeks, (Y/N) maintained a safe distance from you and the rest of the guys. She was still her smiley bubbly self; she just avoided any, one on one interactions, especially with you. It wasn’t really noticeable unless you were watching her every move, which you kind of were. Since the first round of playoffs, only took you to New York, it wasn’t as if you had a lot of free time. The games were close together, so when you were in the city, you were all focused on hockey, including (Y/N). Her primary concern was everyone on the team’s well-being, and it seemed the guys were really getting used to relying on her.

 Things went so well that the first round against the Rangers was done in five games. The only problem with that, was that it put you back in Washington. You wondered how (Y/N) would handle going back there. You noticed that everyone had the same rooms from the last time you were here and you were half tempted to go check on her as the night went on, though you resisted. You noticed pretty much everyone stuck to the hotel the first couple nights, but when the team lost the first game in overtime; it was mandatory everyone stay in after that.

 It was around midnight the night before game two, and you couldn’t sleep. You were totally hyped up for the game but also concerned about (Y/N). You headed down to the gym, thinking you could get a quick half-hour run in, hopefully using some of that excess energy. The hotel didn’t normally allow public access to the equipment this time of night, but (Y/N) had made sure that the team would be able to use it at all hours. It still startled you though, when you saw a female figure running on the treadmill when you opened the door. You didn’t have to see her face to know that it was (Y/N), you’d memorized her every curve since your time in the elevator together. She had her airpods in and didn’t notice you, so you took a moment to just drink in the sight of her all alone. She had on a tight pair of leggings with one of those sports bras that had multiple straps in the back, while her hair was in a ponytail; in your opinion, she looked like a goddess at that moment.

 You cleared your throat, partly to let her know that you were there, but also because your mouth was literally dry from staring at (Y/N). She still didn’t notice you standing there, so you coughed a little louder in hopes of not startling her. She jumped, breaking her stride; quickly hitting the machine to stop. “Oh my god, you scared the hell out me.”

 “Sorry,” you whispered sheepishly.

 She took her earbuds out then. “No, it’s my fault. I probably shouldn’t be here. Let me just wipe this down and I’ll get out of your way.” That was the last thing you wanted.

 “Don’t,” well that came out a little bit harsh. “I mean…you don’t have to. It would be nice to have someone to talk to.” She nodded but didn’t say anything, and instead just got back on the treadmill, starting off at a slower pace. “Can’t sleep?”

 “Not really, you?”

 “Same, I’m a little too keyed up for the game tomorrow.” You started a slow jog beside her, not quite the exhausting pace that you wanted to run, but you wanted to spend some time talking to (Y/N).

 She smiled over at you then. “You know you’ll be great Sid. You always are.”

 “Thanks,” It was an automatic reply, but then you decided to reveal a bit more about yourself, after all, she’d exposed a vulnerable part of herself the last time it was the two of you. “It’s a lot though. You know...the pressure to always be…well great.”

 She looked over at you, a genuine sincerity to in her eyes and voice. “I can’t imagine.”

 “I’m just always afraid I’ll be letting the team and everyone down.” If you were being completely honest, you would’ve told her that you also feared letting yourself down as well.

 “Sid, you could never let anyone down. You’re the hardest working person on this team and everyone knows that. I know you’re under a tremendous amount of pressure, but go out there and just have fun.” She paused as if collecting her thoughts, then stopped the treadmill; you did as well. “I shouldn’t admit this, but I’ve seen you out there on the ice when no one else is around. There’s just so much joy on your face. It’s kind of contagious; you know. You look so at home there…and well that’s what you need to do; go out there and just play. Play like it doesn’t matter what happens, but because you love to do it; because I know you do.”

 God, she was right. You wanted so badly to kiss her at that moment. You put so much pressure on yourself, that you forgot how much fun hockey was. “You remember that night a couple weeks ago when you told me I was good with the pep talks.” She nodded. “Well, you’re not so bad yourself.” A pretty pink blush crept up to her cheeks then, that had nothing to do with the exercising she’d been doing. “I’m just going to go out there and do what I love.”

 “Good,” she returned back with that beautiful smile of hers.

 “And if we ever need motivation in the locker room; I’m coming to get you.”

 “I’ll hold you to that.” She glanced at the clock on the wall then. “It’s late. I think I’m going to head up.”

 You didn’t really want your time alone with her to end, but she was right; you both needed sleep. “I’ll walk up with you if you don’t mind?"

 “Not at all.” The two of you ended up in the same elevator you’d been trapped in only weeks ago. Part of you was hoping fate would step in and trap you again, but as the doors opened up onto your floor; you had no such luck.

 “Thanks again.” You told her, wishing that you could do more than just say the words, thank you to her.

 “Just part of the job.” She commented off-hand.

 “It’s not, but it means more than you know.” She reached over and wrapped you in a hug then. Your arms instinctively tightening around her. Breathing deeply, you inhaled her scent; trying to engrain it into your memory. All too quickly she released you, and while you wanted to frown from the loss of contact; you found yourself smiling back at her.

 “Goodnight, Sid.”

 “Night (Y/N).” She turned and started in the direction of her room, which was opposite yours. For a moment you stood there, just staring at her form. “Hey (Y/N),” at the sound of your voice she turned back around. “I’m glad you decided to stay.”

 That smile had you rooted to your spot in the hallway. “Me too,” she breathed out, then disappeared into her room. You headed to your room, where you slept like a baby; dreams of (Y/N) filling your mind.

 The following night, you couldn’t say that you had the best game of your life, but you did have fun, and that energy and enthusiasm transferred to everyone on the team. The Pens ended up winning that night as well as the next two games and they finished off the series in six games.

 You wished you could say that the series in Tampa Bay went as easily. After a game five loss in Pittsburgh, the whole team was on edge and feeling a bit down. You had no idea that (Y/N) had approached Coach Sullivan with an idea to lighten the mood until you were told to meet on the bus for a workout session; everyone was to wear shorts and bring sunglasses. This didn’t sound like an ordinary practice. The bus trip took about forty-five minutes all of which (Y/N) was nowhere to be found. It finally ended at a remote beach location, hardly anyone was around, but there was (Y/N). She had a makeshift course made with cones, and ropes along with a beach volleyball court set up. There were towels, sunscreen, and coolers all set up as well, but what you noticed most, was the cute little jean shorts and crop top (Y/N) had on.

 As you all headed over to where she was with a couple of the trainers, it was Coach Sullivan who explained what was going on. “So, it was brought to my attention,” he looked over and nodded to (Y/N). “That maybe you guys needed to blow off a little steam, but just because our location is different, doesn’t mean we’re not going to work out. So, with that, I’m turning this over to the trainers for the next hours. But for godsakes, put some sunscreen on first. I don’t need anyone whining of a sunburn.”

 Over the course of the next hour, the trainers had you running sprints in the sand, doing lateral shuffles, along with some intervals; all of which, you did happily in the sunshine. As soon as the workout was over, (Y/N) had drinks set up as well as protein bars and fruit. “So, lunch will be here in an hour.” She declared to the group. “I’ve been told you’re free to enjoy yourself until then. There’s volleyball, footballs, frisbees, all kinds of things around; oh, and there’s always the water. Have fun guys.”

 Marc-Andre grabbed her arm before she could run away. “Where do you think you’re going? You’ve gotta join the volleyball game.”

 “But lunch?” She protested.

 “Is being prepared by someone, which means you’re free,” Kunitz told her dragging her onto the court. She threw her flip-flips off and gave into to everyone’s demands. She was on the same side of the court as you and you heard Chris casually answer. “Are you any good?”

 “I haven’t played in a couple years, so don’t kill me if I suck.” Thank god it was just a friendly little game, and there were enough of the team around to cover up for any mistakes she might make.

 She was standing beside you waiting for the first volley, when you heard her mutter, more to herself than you. “What have I gotten myself into?” You just sort of chuckled to yourself, as Horny sent the ball flying over the net toward your team with the first serve. Rusty was the first to hit it, and send it to the front line where Colesy smacked it down on the other side. There were a few more volleys back and forth before Geno served one over directly in front of (Y/N). She bump-set the ball up to the front line setting you up for a spike. It was a nice set from her, and everyone gave her a high five. However, it was a few serves later that she really impressed you.

 Rusty returned the ball, but instead of heading toward the net; it went straight in the air. (Y/N) yelled that she had it and then proceeded to back set the ball to Dumo, who from the look on his face couldn’t believe how perfectly the ball was set up to him. You weren’t sure who was more stunned your team or the guys on the other side of the net. Instead of high fives this time, Kuny picked her up and twirled her around. You cursed that it was Chris and not you that got to hold her in his arms, though you knew he was only doing it in celebration.

 When he finally set her back on the beach, you found yourself saying. “So were you just hiding this talent or what, eh?”

 “I may have played a bit in high school, but it’s not like I’m a professional athlete like you guys.”

 “We’re hockey players. We’re not good at every sport, especially ones that are played on a beach.” Rusty told her.

 “Alright, now that your secret weapons out, let’s get back to the game,” Horny yelled over. The rest of the game (Y/N) played setter. Needless to say, you won, the first match. As you went to switch sides, she tossed her loose half-shirt off to the side, as you now had her working up a sweat. It wasn’t a big deal, because she had a bikini top underneath, but you had to say that your mouth got a little dry just drinking in the sight of her body and you wondered how many of the other guys were thinking the same thing. Suddenly, you wanted to grab her top and put it back on, or better yet, throw your shirt on her, then you would have her scent on two pieces of your clothing.  

 The game continued on, and you were thankful at times that you had good reflexes since you’d been staring a time or two at (Y/N) as she moved through the sand. The curves of her body called to you and longed to drag her off to some secluded place on this damn beach. The second match went even quicker than the first and you weren’t sure if that’s because (Y/N) was playing to her full potential or the fact that you were daydreaming about all the wicked things you wanted to do to her.

 As soon as the match was over, she ran down the beach to check on lunch, while you all grabbed some water. It wasn’t five minutes later that she was gathering the team and taking them down to eat. There were several tables and benches set up on the hard ground, for you to all eat. She had all kinds of fresh fish, different kinds of pasta, and burgers as well. After the late lunch, no one was in the mood to continue volleyball, so everyone spent the rest of the time lounging on the beach.

 You had decided to hit the water, and cool off a bit; though it didn’t really help, for as soon as you got out, you saw (Y/N) laying out reading a book. Grabbing a towel, you dried off a bit before plopping down on the sand beside her. “Whatcha reading?”

 “Lies My Teacher Told Me, have you read it?”

 “Can’t say I have. Is it any good?”

 “Yes, it actually is. I can pass it on to you when I’m done.” You’d rather read it together with her, but apparently, she wasn’t offering that as an option.

 “Yeah, that would be great. By the way, thanks for today, we all really needed it.”

 She marked her page then closed the book and turned her attention towards you. “I hope it helps. Everyone seemed a little down after the last game.”

 “Yeah, we kind of were, but this definitely helped blow off some steam.” It was truly something the team needed and so much better than staying in the hotel room and playing video games. “I think it’s really gonna help all of us tomorrow night. You’re really amazing; you know that?”

 Her smile was as bright as the sun that shone above, and the cute shade of red she turned had nothing to do with the heat. “It was nothing, really.” You knew that it wasn’t and that she always downplayed anything that she did for the team. You wanted to tell her again how much she meant to both you and everyone here, but Coach Sullivan had other plans as he had you get ready to leave. (Y/N) stayed behind to make sure everything got cleaned up.

 The following night, the whole team played better. You had an assist in the first and a goal in the second, but with five goals total the points were spread throughout the team. The win led you to a due or die game back home in Pittsburgh. It was Rusty who came in clutch in the second, scoring the first goal and putting the team on the board. It was short-lived as the lightning scored next, but Bryan was able to score another one about a minute later. The team was able to hold them off in the third and you walked away knowing you were going to The Stanley Cup Championships.

 Here’s the link to the video for the beach/volleyball scene that was my inspo.

#Not So Dangerous Liaison Series #sidney crosby #sidney crosby imagine #Sidney Crosby Imagines #Pittsburgh Penguins fanfiction #Pittsburgh Penguins imagine #Pittsburgh Penguins imagines #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl fanfic #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #hockey fanfiction

[sidneycrosbyisawitch]

I'm having so many angsty feelings this season about VGK and the Pens and you express things so well that I wanted to see what you thought. We have masculine, father figure Flower who is thriving because he's working and leading. Back in the old kingdom, masculine father figure Geno watches over the boy king they both helped raise in the old kingdom. The boy king being feminine-coded Sid who has steadily lost beloved, paternal men from his ranks due to trades or health problems, with Flower

being a specially hard loss. Recently Sid gushed a little frantically in interviews about how much they (he) need Geno as a leader on the team. Does it feel like he must be thinking “please don’t take him too”? He was given that crown so young and even said he wasn’t ready when they first offered it. Geno and Flower were huge pillars of reminding Sid and the team that he deserved to rule. Ugh. It’s so much.

sidney is crowned Queen at just nineteen.

the Q is barely sewn onto his jersey before the media starts burning. “pittsburgh needs a King.” “five Queenship team disasters you should remember.” “the penguins wasted a first overall pick: why leadership matters.”

sidney spends the long summer at home after being crowned. “we wouldn’t have chosen you if we weren’t sure,” mario had said after the press conference, gently squeezing his shoulder. “you’re what’s right for this team. end of story.” he squeezed again to punctuate his sentence. 

he wouldn’t have accepted if he didn’t believe in himself, but he still took a second to swallow down the anxious doubt, suppress the part of his brain shouting that a Queenship team hasn’t won the cup in well over a decade. 

“thank you,” sidney said, finally. “we’ll make you proud.”

mario laughed, throaty and eyes crinkling. “we know you will, sid.”

and sidney spends the summer training until he can’t find fault in himself, and then he trains some more. 

– 

when management calls the meeting to offer geno the K, sid’s heart soars and sinks all at once. one tumultuous moment twisting in his chest. geno is an incredible leader, and he deserves to be King. sid swells with pride. but he only just got the Q… was it really that easy to give up on him? sid feels himself flush with shame and tries to sit up straighter. he’ll pass the crown with grace if it kills him. 

geno looks confused, even turning to his agent as if he needs a translation. “but,” his brow furrows, “sid Queen. why we need King?”

“to be clear,” shero gestures with his hands, “we aren’t proposing a change in leadership here. we still are very much dedicated to sidney’s Queenship and plan to be longterm.”

something inside sid bursts, and he resists reaching up to rub his eyes. relief floods through him. 

“what we’d like to see is a complete leadership duo,” shero continues. “geno, the guys already look to you as a King-figure, and all the coaching staff has noted that you compliment sidney well.”

crowning a king would take some of the pressure off, sid knows. it might mean the media backs off, placated with a more traditional structure. it also might mean they write off his Queenship and decide the King is really running the show. 

“you guys know more than anyone, the ideal is a Queen and King duo,” mario adds, shoulders looking impossibly wide and regal in his suit jacket. “it makes for better leadership, more stable and more well-rounded.”

“i…” geno starts and stops. he frowns, looking frustrated, searching for words like he used to early last year.

he seeks out sid’s eyes across the table. it feels like time holds its breath for a moment.

“sid’s Queen.” geno says, firm. 

“we understand if you want to think about it,” one of the agents suggests, but sidney barely hears him. 

“we’d like you to be King, geno,” shero, or maybe mario, says. 

geno keeps his gaze like a tether. 

“No.”

sidney’s never loved anyone like he loves geno in that moment. 

–

it takes winning the cup (god, the first Queenship team to win it in so long); it takes the mix of miller lite and cristal and grey goose on their tongues; it takes being soaked with sweat and alcohol and exhausted, elated tears.

it takes kissing geno, desperate and overjoyed and champions, to say it. 

sidney fists geno’s t-shirt, lips buzzing and golden. breathless. “be my King.”

geno grins down at him, smug and incredible.

“Yes.”

–

3 cups and so many years later, flower is in vegas. kuni is in tampa. duper. talbo. army. 

too many to name who fought for this Queenship, and sidney feels each of their absences. some sharp and achingly fresh, some dull and well-worn. 

but he skates on the ice with a Q on his chest, knowing that geno is right behind him with a K on his own. 

they’ve got this. 

#I'M SORRY THIS WENT OFF THE RAILS YOU DEVASTATED ME #y'all i've had this au in my brain for 3 years........ #teams appoint queens and kings like captains #being a queen or a king depends on leadership style #the STRONGEST teams have a king and a queen #but most teams are a kingship #NOT THE GODDAMN PITTSBURGH PENGUINS THEY'RE A QUEENSHIP AND SIDNEY REIGNS SUPREME #also can someone LINK ME to the sid interview where he talks about geno's leadership??? #i..... have a mighty need #asks #Anonymous #kings and queens #snippets

[samwellwaffles]

Thank You, Pittsburgh

by Marc-Andre Fleury

It started in Nashville, 14 years ago.

Kind of ironic right now.

The 2003 Draft was at the Bridgestone Arena. As a young 18-year-old from Quebec, all I was hoping for was to hear my name. Pittsburgh had the third pick overall, but at the last minute, they made a trade with Florida to pick first. I had heard rumors that I might get picked by one of the first few teams, but didn’t believe it until I heard Craig Patrick call my name.

Pittsburgh. I would have been happy anywhere, but I got drafted by Pittsburgh. What a blessing. I would, maybe, get to play with Mario Lemieux. I would, hopefully, get to play for the team that had won back-to-back Stanley Cups in ’91-92. I would have a shot at playing in the NHL.

The next 14 years were beyond my wildest dreams.

Saying that the last few weeks have been bittersweet would be an understatement. As we reached the Stanley Cup finals, I knew very well that my time as a Penguin was nearing its end. I love to play. I love the game, and everything about it. Putting the mask on, diving around, stopping the puck, feeling the intensity of the game, feeling useful. I wish I could have been in net for my last game as a Penguin. But we raised the Cup, again, and it made all the sacrifices worthy. I felt proud — proud of my teammates for battling through injuries, for showing a lot of character, and for winning two years in a row. I am grateful that I had the chance to contribute to our success through the first rounds. And I feel very fortunate that the last time I have skated with a Penguins jersey, it will have been with the Stanley Cup in my hands. Not that it wasn’t an emotional moment.

Fourteen years. Nearly half of my life. I remember my first training camp, in September 2003, like it was yesterday. I was so nervous. There are so many expectations on a first-round pick, and I didn’t want to let anybody down. I just tried to do my best, and wanted to leave a good impression. But when you face Mario Lemieux in training camp, it can be quite intimidating, to say the least.

Everyone knows him as Le Magnifique, a hockey legend. I always loved watching him growing up. I remember the first time I stopped Mario in practice. It was a simple warmup shot. But you better believe that I kept that puck — and still have it at home. Mario is a great role model for me — his loyalty to the team, his contributions to the community, how he handles himself and how he and Nathalie raised four great, humble kids. I’ll always be thankful for their support throughout the years.

My first home game was against the Kings at the Igloo on Oct. 10, 2003. My dream was becoming a reality. Maybe the excitement was a little high. So high, that, well … I forgot something. As everybody was getting ready to head out of the locker room, I made my way towards the ice, fist bumped a few guys (including Marc Bergevin and Mario) and then I realized that I had forgotten my stick. It was a pretty funny walk of shame past all my teammates to go grab my stick.  As I was walking back, Mario cracked a little smile and said “You’re going to need that tonight, kid.”

I guess he was right. First shot of the game, first shot I faced in the NHL, and it goes in. That wasn’t part of my dream. But then, thankfully, it got better. I stopped Ziggy Palffy — a guy I watched growing up — on a breakaway. Then I stopped a penalty shot and finished the game with 46 saves on 48 shots. We lost that game, but that one will remain one of my best memories in Pittsburgh.

It was a pretty funny walk of shame past all my teammates to go grab my stick.

Even that first night, the fans were chanting Fleu-ry, Fleu-ry. They were holding up signs that said Welcome Home. I honestly couldn’t believe it. The rush from that, to tell you the truth, I can’t even describe it. It is just unbelievable. And it never gets old, trust me. The fans in Pittsburgh have been tremendous with me since the very beginning.

For a hockey player to get to play nearly 14 years in one city is a blessing. It wasn’t all fun and games, though. It was obviously difficult losing so much in the first few seasons. But then we got Geno. And then Sid. And then Staal (to name just a few). We started winning, and the Igloo was booming. It was a success built from figuring things out together, as a group. The loss to Detroit in the 2008 finals was one of the toughest experiences of my career. Being so close to reaching that Cup and then having to watch the Wings celebrate their win … it was brutal, but we needed it. I believe that, in the end, that loss helped prepare us for what was to come.

Game 7 of the 2009 finals in Detroit is without a doubt one of my favorite moments as a Penguin. Seeing my good friend Max Talbot score two huge goals for us was incredible. And then, of course, making that save against Lidstrom in the last seconds was something I will never forget. I proudly sported a deep bruise on my ribs from that save for weeks following that game. I’ll always remember my teammates jumping on the ice, racing toward me with the biggest smiles. The feeling of winning the Stanley Cup that night is indescribable.

Over the years, I probably don’t have to tell you, it’s been ups and downs. But one thing I will carry with me, long after I leave Pittsburgh — honestly, long after my playing career is over — is how amazing and strong the support was that I received from the fans.  

One of my best memories is from earlier this season, actually. We had just been on a road trip and it was our first game back home against Tampa Bay. I had been struggling a bit. I couldn’t buy a save, and I wasn’t feeling great about it. Everybody was getting ready for the anthem, and the crowd started chanting my name. It made no sense. I wasn’t playing well. The game hadn’t even started yet. But they were behind me anyway.

Fleu-ry, Fleu-ry.

Maybe they could sense that I was feeling a little down, and I needed it. We ended up winning the game, things turned around for me, and I ended up having a great season. That moment was the turning point, and it was because of our fans.

So thank you, fans. I wish I could put into words how much of an impact your support has made on me and my family. We have become Pittsburghers. My wife graduated from Robert Morris University, my daughters were born at Magee-Womens Hospital (sorry our commercial has been blasting on your TVs for more than a year), and our first house was in Moon. Pittsburgh and its people will forever be in our hearts.

Thank you to the Penguins ownership: to Mario and Ron, for their support and for striving to be the best organization by providing the team with the best people and the best facilities.  

Thank you to the organization: from the great GMs to the coaches who believed in me. Thank you to Gilles Meloche and Mike Bales, my goalie coaches, whom I’ve spent most of my career with, for always being there for me. Thank you to the medical, front office and equipment staff for all the good times and friendships.  

Thank you to my teammates. My friends. I am not good with the emotional stuff, and this is not easy. Over the years I have seen a lot of good people come and go. It is definitely one of the toughest parts of the business — making good friends and having to say goodbye. I have played with a lot of good dudes in Pittsburgh, and made so many good friends.  

Thanks, Sid, for all the years. We spent a lot of time together, always sat next to each other on the plane, behind one another on the bus, plus all the dinners before every game on the road. Thanks for helping me get through tough times and for being a good friend. It’s tough to say goodbye. I know we were both trying to avoid it. You’re the best. Next time we face each other, make sure you keep your head up. The poke check will be coming, like that one time in Rimouski.

Duper, Tanger, Geno, Kuni — it’s been an honor to go through all of this together. I couldn’t have picked better teammates and friends.  

And I guess I will stop there. Not because I have run out of people to thank or things to say — when it comes to my time as a Penguin, I think I could just go on forever.  

But thank you, everyone, for the support in the last week. All the calls, messages, pictures, the nice articles and videos. It has meant so much to me and my family as we are getting ready to begin a new chapter in our lives. It seems like just yesterday that I was a kid in this blue suit that my agent bought me for the draft, wearing this tie that I didn’t even know how to tie. (I later got fined a few times for coming to the games with it inappropriately tied.)  

And now here I am. I have a wife, two kids, and three Cups. I’m talking about my memories and saying my goodbyes. It might be an adjustment for my girls. They love waving the Terrible Towel and chanting, “Let’s Go Pens.”

Actually, when they see the Pens logo they say, “Go Papa Go!”

But I think we will tell them that moving somewhere new at a young age — yes it might be scary, but we just have to hang in there. We’re going to figure things out, and we’re going to find our way. And then we’ll blink, and suddenly that strange and new place … It won’t seem strange, or new, at all. It might even feel like home.

I still have a lot to wrap my mind around. I am honored that the Golden Knights picked me and I am looking forward to continuing to play the game I love. I don’t know how it will feel when I set foot in the PPG Paints Arena in February as the Vegas goaltender. Truthfully, right now I can’t even think about it. But what I do know is that I will be thrilled to see you all again.

Thanks, Pittsburgh. I will miss you.

(x)

#irl hockey #marc andre fleury #pens #knights #long post #my sunshine #flower

[redhood5092]

Summer Offseason Thoughts

Let’s start with the Steelers.

Leveon Bell vs. The Steelers: One of the biggest stories of the off-season is Leveon Bell and his contract extension(or lack thereof). Supposedly, the Steelers offered Bell a contract that would pay Bell, on average, $12 million per year (including $30 million over the first two years). Bell turned down that contract because he feels he is worth both RB1 money and WR2 money. He’s not going to get that.       It’s no secret that the Steelers want Bell at training camp, but that was never more apparent than with the most recent PR maneuver by Steelers’ brass.  Let’s break it down: 

 -First, it gets "leaked" that Bell's agent agreed to the contract the Steelers sent, but that it was Bell who said no. Don't agents work for players? And it wasn't leaked, it was released by the Steelers.

 -Next, James Connor bulldozes his way (mostly vs. the 3rd and 4th stringers) to 98 total yards. He was on the field for 90% of the Steelers' offensive snaps. That's unheard for a pre-season game. So now we're getting the very predictable yinzer reactions:

-"Bell is selfish!"

-"Conner makes a lot less than Bell and LOOK HOW GOOD HE IS.” 

-”Just cut Bell and start Connor."

This was all a PR stunt to make Bell look like the bad guy and it worked brilliantly. Connor's ceiling is a goal-line/short yardage specialist and a decent back-up. Bell's ceiling is what he is now, the best running back in the NFL (at absolute worst he’s 3rd). Do I wish Bell would have signed his contract? Sure. But he can, and will get more money. Just relax.  It's like when people were clamoring for Charlie Batch to start over Ben. Just because he has a better story and seems like a nicer guy doesn't mean he's a better football player. 

Bryant is back: Martavis (not Martavious you heathens) Bryant is back and practicing with the Steelers. The guy is an athletic freak and, if not for his off the field concerns (which culminated in a full year suspension), he would have been a first round pick. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he has the potential to be a better WR than Antonio Brown. What makes AB so good is his work ethic and commitment to football, something Bryant has room to grow in. Do I think Bryant will eventually be better than Brown? Probably not. But Bryant is the perfect compliment to AB with is straight line speed and jump-ball ability. Assuming we get Bryant for the full 16 games (and Ben for that matter), it’s not unrealistic to predict both AB and Bryant topping 1100 yards and 6 touchdowns. 

How about those back-to-back champs? Mass Exodus: The Penguins have lost a lot. Last year was an aberration for a Stanley Cup champ. The Penguins needed only to replace Ben Lovejoy on their Stanley Cup winning roster. That proved to be the winning formula as the Penguins were the first team to repeat since the 1997-98 Detroit Redwings. This year’s roster overhaul was much greater. The Penguins lost: Fleury(Exp Draft-Vegas), Bonino (FA-Nashville), Cullen (FA-Minnesota), Kunitz ( FA- Tampa Bay), Hainsey ( FA- Toronto), and Daley ( FA- Detroit). The biggest pieces lost are Flower (basically stole the Capitals series for the Penguins) and the centers. The biggest reason the Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators was their vastly superior depth at center. Bonino consistently delivered in the play-offs and Cullen was an excellent face-off man and penalty killer. Won’t be easily replaced. 

Search for a 3C: As mentioned above, the 3rd-line center duties are up for grabs. It’s been reported that, if the season started today, Jake Guentzel would be the 3rd line center. I am NOT a fan of that idea. That takes Guentzel off of Sid’s line and puts him in a role where he’s be matching up with the other teams best centers. I think the most likely option is GMJR trading for center help. A few names have been linked to potential trades. Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche would by far be the most talent 3rd line center the Penguins could have, but his price is surely too high. Bringing Jordan Staal back would actually be a perfect fit. He can take key face-offs, kill penalties, and matches up well vs. the other team’s top forwards. The biggest issue with a Staal reunion is his contract. He would cost $6 million till 2023. That’s far too much for far too long for the Pens. They would need Carolina to hold onto some of that salary and that’s unlikely, given Carolina’s financial concerns. If I had to predict, I’d bet GMJR ends up trading for someone no one saw coming (much like Bonino). Stay tuned for the Pittsburgh Steelers 2017-18 season prediction soon and the Pittsburgh Penguins 2017-18 season prediction soon after that.  

#pittsburgh steelers #pittsburgh penguins #leveon bell #martavis bryant

[truesportsfan]

5 NHL teams that improved their Stanley Cup odds at the deadline

With the NHL trade deadline now passed, it’s time to take a look at which teams made the moves that could potentially put them over the top… or at least aid them on their quest for the Stanley Cup.

Fears of disrupting chemistry be damned. Often times at the NHL trade deadline, general managers, coaches and players will speak of not trying to disturb the rhythm of their roster.

This was the justification Julien BriseBois used last year when asked why he and the Lightning decided not to make any deadline additions. It makes sense, not wanting to ruffle the feathers of guys on the team by shipping out one of their buddies to bring in a new toy. However, when things go south, like they did for the Lightning in their first round matchup vs Columbus last year, the question can always be asked: “why didn’t we do more?”

This year’s deadline saw many teams throw caution to the wind and choose to buy, buy, buy. Because while your team may be good, it can always get better. That appears to be the mindset of these clubs as we examine the five teams that improved their Stanley Cup odds at the deadline.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Tampa Bay Lightning

Notable Additions: F Blake Coleman, F Barclay Goodrow and D Zach Bogosian (via Free-Agent Signing)

The Lightning got an early jump on the deadline, sending former first-round pick Nolan Foote and a 2020 second-rounder to the New Jersey Devils for Blake Coleman early last week. A lone bright spot in the Devils season, Coleman — or “Pickles” as he’s affectionately known among the New Jersey faithful due to his affinity for drinking pickle juice — brings some offensive punch and responsible two-way play to the Lightning lineup.

Prior to joining the Lightning, Coleman racked up 21 goals, just one shy of the career-high 22 he scored last season. While he won’t be looked upon as a contributor on the power play — just one of his 21 goals have been scored on the man-advantage —  he can be counted upon for his play at the other end of the special teams battle. Coleman averages 2:45 on the penalty kill per game this season and has three shorthanded goals as an added bonus.

The Lightning further bolstered the bottom of their lineup with the addition of Barclay Goodrow from the Sharks. While the price was quite steep, sending away a first-round pick in the package, Goodrow adds a stabilizing presence to Tampa’s fourth line. He won’t score as much as Coleman, but he has a playoff Game Seven overtime goal under his belt and sports a 52.2 Corsi For percentage this season, according to Hockey Reference, which is a tremendous 2.8 percent higher relative to the rest of his former team.

The Lightning also signed defenseman Zach Bogosian to a one-year contract. It can be argued how much Bogosian can add to the Bolts’ back end, as he’s played in just 19 games this season for Buffalo, recording one goal and four assists. However, throughout his career, Bogosian has been a minute-muncher on defense, averaging 21:43 per game. While the Lightning would be wise not to utilize him to that extent, he does give them an extra body on the blue line come the playoffs.

For a team that decided to stand pat at the deadline last season, general manager BriseBois took a different approach this time. Might have something to do with last year’s first round debacle — just a hunch.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Pittsburgh Penguins

Notable Additions: F Jason Zucker, F Patrick Marleau, F Evan Rodrigues and F Conor Sheary

The Penguins dove in to the trade deadline head first this year and emerged with one of the league’s most consistent scoring wingers, as well as a brand new third line. The line to help Jim Rutherford just keeps on growing.

By acquiring Zucker from the Minnesota Wild, the Penguins seem to have answered the age-old question of “what could Sidney Crosby do with a bonafide top-line winger?” The answer: directly combine for five goals in the first seven games they’ve played together.

We’ve watched Crosby drag nearly 40-year-old Bill Guerin to his second Cup in 2008-09, morph Chris Kunitz into an Olympic gold medalist, aid Sheary in his first and only 20-goal season (more on you later), officiate my parents’ wedding and mitigate their subsequent divorce, etc, etc.

Sure, there was a brief love-affair with Phil “the thrill” Kessel, but Crosby has never had a partner like this riding shotgun. The chemistry they’ve already displayed is staggering and it’s likely to get better.

The Penguins have added a plethora of new depth players. Pittsburgh sent promising young forward Dominik Kahun to Buffalo for Rodrigues and old friend Sheary. Rodrigues has flown under-the-radar the last few seasons in Buffalo, but brings some jump and play driving ability to the Pens bottom-six. It’s been well documented what Sheary has done with Pittsburgh (see above), and it’s not hard to think he’ll have an easy transition plugging right back in wherever the Penguins slot him into their lineup.

On top of that, Marleau, one of the most prolific scorers of the last 20 years, now slots in as a middle-six forward for the Pens. The depth on this team is absurd and may even give Tampa a run for their money scoring-wise. Through all the injury troubles they’ve dealt with this year, the Penguins have developed a “plug and play” mentality that has paid dividends. With the addition of four new forwards, Pittsburgh once again looks like a team primed to win a Stanley Cup.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Edmonton Oilers

Notable Additions: F Andreas Athanasiou, F Tyler Ennis and D Mike Green

The Oilers made a pair of trades with the ailing Detroit Red Wings, acquiring the speedy Athanasiou and veteran defenseman Green. It’s easy to love the Athanasiou move, as it gives the Oilers more depth at center, as well as the addition of a player that can not only keep up with the speed of its roster, but potentially outpace much of it.

We’ve seen flashes of what Athanasiou can do, topping 15 goals in his first two full seasons and netting 30 last year. Now he may be utilized in a lineup that is built upon his greatest asset — speed. Whether or not he gets a shot to skate alongside Connor McDavid or winds up centering the Oilers third line, Athanasiou is a move that seems too perfect not to work out.

The Green deal, however, is much more of a question mark. Long gone are the days of Green potting an outrageous 30 goals from the back end. He hasn’t scored double digit goals since 2016-17 and only has three to his name this season.

Yet, Green can still work a man-advantage if needed, as he averaged 2:25 minutes worth of power play time per game this season, and chewed up a healthy 21:39 of ice-time per night during his tenure in Detroit. For a team whose major flaw is often seen as the defense, it can’t hurt to have a veteran like Green to rely on for bottom pair minutes, instead of stop gaps like Joel Persson and noted good-guy Brandon Manning.

Ennis, despite his age and diminutive size, has remained an effective forward the last few seasons. Sporting 14 goals and 33 points this season, Ennis adds some depth scoring to a roster that is often seen as top-heavy.

After failing to reach the playoffs in three of the first four seasons of McDavid’s career, Edmonton went all-in at the this year’s trade deadline to assure that the fifth season won’t go to waste.

Washington Capitals

Notable Additions: D Brenden Dillon and F Ilya Kovalchuk

During the height of his career, the case could have been made that Kovalchuk was the most well rounded player of his time. Consistent 40-plus goal scorer, elite playmaker, shorthanded specialist and power play quarterback. Before his foray into Russia, Kovalchuk was a Swiss army knife (Swiss hockey stick?) of a player.

Today, that’s not the case. However, Kovalchuk’s play has surprised many during the second-half of the season following his tumultuous departure from the Kings organization. After the Canadiens took a flyer on him for a league-minimum deal, the Russian winger has recorded six goals and seven assists in 22 games. This was enough to convince the Caps to acquire him for a third-round pick in 2020.

Kovalchuk, a good friend of Alex Ovechkin, has seen his best days come and go. Yet, he should be able to add some scoring punch and special teams production to the Capitals roster. Also, how great would the post-Cup shenanigans be between Kovy and Ovi?

Dillon, while lacking the instant name recognition of some of his peers, has been a model of defensive proficiency during his nine-year career. He can’t be counted on for anything in the offensive zone, but he can chew up tough minutes and provide a steadying force to the penalty kill. Besides that, Dillon is a heart and soul player who will endear himself to his new teammates in short order and establish a strong voice in the locker room.

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Carolina Hurricanes

Notable Additions: F Vincent Trocheck, D Sami Vatanen and D Brady Skjei

This one might be more aptly titled an “honorable mention” if we’re being honest. There’s little doubt that following these three moves, the Carolina Hurricanes roster is now better than the one that finished out that wild game in Toronto last week. Considering the team lost Brett Pesce and both of its NHL goalies in that game, that isn’t tough to believe.

While Sami Vatanen and Brady Skjei are solid NHL defensemen that will keep the Hurricanes alive in their push for the postseason, it’s just not reasonable to believe they can totally fill the holes in the roster left by Pesce and Dougie Hamilton — who was on a Norris Trophy candidate pace.

Also, the Canes surprisingly did not pursue any options in goal, despite Robin Lehner, Louis Domingue and Michael Hutchinson being available. For now, it seems as though the plan in net is to roll with the unproven Anton Forsberg and rookie Alex Nedeljkovic. Not necessarily a recipe for success.

Vincent Trocheck is a tremendous addition that will help the Canes offense in short order. Though it came at the cost of Erik Haula — a great player in his own right — Trocheck is a bit like a Barkov-Lite player. He’s got tremendous offensive instincts, a wicked release and a sound two-way game. Plus, he’s got term left on his contract and appears to fit right in with the Hurricanes plans for the future. But does it do enough to put this team over the top?

While the Canes were active on deadline day, it’s tough to say how much more of a contender they’ve become given their injury woes. However, if there’s a team that’s used to shirking the expectations and traditions of the hockey world, it’s this bunch of jerks.

Next: Grading every NHL team’s 2020 trade deadline

Follow FanSided NHL for more news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage about hockey in all forms throughout the entire 2019-20 NHL season and beyond.

source https://truesportsfan.com/sport-today/5-nhl-teams-that-improved-their-stanley-cup-odds-at-the-deadline/

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Thoughts on Murray, Jones, Marner, Byfuglien, Ehlers, some post-mortems and more (Apr 22)

Ramblings: Thoughts on Murray, Jones, Marner, Byfuglien, Ehlers, some post-mortems and more (Apr 22)

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Four teams were eliminated last week. Here are my thoughts on those teams, the players, and what the future holds…

Winnipeg Jets

First, kudos to Dustin Byfuglien, who reached deep down and pulled out some extra career mojo. He struggled with injuries all year and as a 34-year-old it has to be concerning. But production-wise, he’s been right there. His 0.74 points/gp this year was his best in seven seasons. He had eight points in six playoff games and was Winnipeg’s top player. His production next year will still be stellar, though I would not count on more than 65 games.

Disappointment of the first round for the Jets has to be Nik Ehlers, who went pointless. He actually has zero goals in 21 career playoff games. The entire campaign for Ehlers – his fourth, by the way – was a write-off thanks to a shoulder injury. I consider him a buy-low this summer and consider next year his true (potential) breakout season. Although I would stay away from him in next year’s playoff pool.

Was also disappointed in Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey – just one assist each in the six games. It’s as if they can’t thrive at the same time as Big Buff. If the Jets ever get all three of them going and divide the PP time evenly, the team would be hard to stop.

As a Patrik Laine owner in one of my leagues, I was happy to see him regain his mojo in the postseason. He still wasn’t quite the game-breaker he could be on a nightly basis, but definitely the one game he was massive. It’s enough to set my mind at ease that he’ll be fine. He has to be disgusted with his 50-point season and early playoff exit. If that doesn’t motivate him to push hard this summer, nothing will.

Of the eliminated teams, Winnipeg is in the best cap shape, looking at over $25 million in cap space, depending on where the cap is set. That’s a lot of flexibility even if they do have to fill a dozen roster spots with it.

I think we knew in our bones that this wouldn’t be Winnipeg’s year. We just didn’t have the confidence in this team that we had a year ago. All season long there were problems with consistency and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck never really found his mojo. But I believe in this team – the depth, the cap situation, and the goaltender. I think this season was just a learning experience and I am bullish on the Jets for 2019-20.

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Calgary Flames

I was disappointed in the way Elias Lindholm had such a nosedive down the stretch and then in the postseason. He had nine points in the final 21 games of the campaign, giving him 11 points in the last 26 games that he played in all. This is a guy who finished with 78. On one hand, at 24 years of age he is still a player on the rise, not even at his prime yet. On the other hand, it’s as if opponents had him figured out. He was even removed from the big line later in the playoff series against St. Louis. I think his spot on that line is cemented, but I don’t believe he will repeat his 78-point season. I think he’ll get back there again in two or three years, but next year will be a small regression. And pay special attention to any signs of slowing down in the second half.

I was disappointed in the way Bill Peters switched things up when the playoffs started. The Flames went into the postseason on a roll and all of their lines were doing great. Auston Czarnik had 12 points in his last 25 games with minimal ice time. That’s great depth production, but he didn’t get a sniff of playoff time until Game 5 when he saw five minutes of action. I would have also had more patience with the 3M line and kept them together to the end. I understand swapping out Lindholm for Sam Bennett, who was their playoffs top scorer, but the 3M line to me needed another chance.

I like what I am seeing in rookie defenseman Rasmus Andersson. He had 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and he added two in five playoff games. His PP ice time was 2:39 per game in the postseason and I wonder if he will leapfrog TJ Brodie on the PP depth chart next season. At the very least he will take a step in that direction.

This summer the Flames will have about $12 million cap space depending on where the new cap will be. This will be needed to sign Matthew Tkachuk (at least $9 million, in my opinion, or close enough to it), Sam Bennett ($4 or $5?), Andrew Mangiapane ($2 million or more?). This team will need entry-level deals on the roster, meaning Juuso Valimaki will make the team, and likely Dillon Dube as well. Trading Czarnik and filling that spot with a minimum-salary earner would save another half million. A Czarnik trade to the right team would put him back on my radar. Trading Michael Frolik (one more year at $4.3 million) will help. But bottom line is they have to be kicking themselves over and over again for that James Neal signing – he has four more years at $5.75 million and he was scratched last game when they absolutely needed their best players in the game. Which means they don’t consider him one of their 23 best players.

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Pittsburgh Penguins

During the last game I started thinking long and hard about the following. Is it time to do a mini-retool? The Pens can keep pushing with the Sidney Crosby – Evgeni Malkin duo and over the next three years perhaps they can win one more Cup with some lucky match-ups and timely hot streaks. Or they could trade Malkin, who will be 33 in the fall, and free up $9.5 million in cap space each of the next three years and likely bring in a tidy return. Instead of having a decent chance for the next three years, perhaps this would mean having one tough year, and then four or five years of competing. The Penguins have zero cap space this summer, unless the cap rises by a couple million bucks. But how on earth can they re-sign Zach Aston-Reese and Marcus Pettersson? A lot of ugly contracts on the books right now (Erik Gudbranson $4 million next two years, Jack Johnson $3.25 million next four years, and even Patric Hornqvist at $5.3 million next four years – he’s 32 years old). A full-blown rebuild will happen in two years if they don’t do a minor re-tool this summer, and I think a re-tool would need to involve a Malkin trade. But they’d have to be creative.

The Penguins were beat by a hot goalie and a sound system. Unlike with Tampa (below), I don’t put as much onus on the players. We can’t let them completely off the hook – Crosby and Jake Guentzel getting just one point is inexcusable, but in a four-game sweep against a red-hot goaltender this stuff happens. The real concern for Pittsburgh fans is that it’s a key season lost, when they are running out of key seasons (“key season” defined here as prime Malkin – Crosby years).

The Pens made an interesting signing on the weekend. Teams only get 50 contracts so using one on an undrafted European always catches my attention. And with the cap crunch this is especially true because they need as many minimum-salaried players as possible. Oula Palve is a 27-year-old from Finland who led his TPS team in scoring with 51 points in 53 games and he finished seventh in Liiga scoring. He is on Team Finland at the Worlds, but has not gotten into a game yet.

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Tampa Bay Lightning

I think the most common explanation for this shocker is the right one – TBL coasted over the final month of the season and without that desperation game in March or April, they had trouble finding that fortitude when it was needed. Yes, preparation is on the coach, but these are professional players and they shouldn’t be left off the hook. That being said, while they did lose to a team that they beat by 30 points in the regular season, Columbus was not 30 points worse than them. From mid-March onward, their actual playoff roster started to mesh. The Blue Jackets added Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, but as I noted last week they also added a player who has been much better than Dzingel over the past two months: Oliver Bjorkstrand. Last week I pointed out that Bjorkstrand scored at a 36-goal pace over his last 40 regular season and playoff games, and since he scored last game that actually gives him 19 goals in his last 41 games (so a 38-goal pace, after half a season).

What let the team down was the lack of leadership, desperation and clutch play of the forwards. With no exceptions. Erik Cernak, a rookie defenseman who wasn’t even in the league to start the season, led this team in playoff scoring with three points! Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Braden Point, JT Miller and the so-called playoff-clutch player Tyler Johnson all combined for two goals. They combined for 169 in the regular season. This team has a good, deep organization with what looks to be maybe $8 million in cap space this summer. Braden Point should get at least $10 million this summer (it would be far more, but since Kucherov recently signed for $9.5 I can’t see Point going too much higher). As of today, this team doesn’t have near the cap room. And with four UFA defensemen to sign or replace, and a couple of depth forwards to sign, that’s probably $5 or $6 million used up right there. The Lightning will probably move Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat or JT Miller – and likely two of those four. This would just mean an expanded role for Anthony Cirelli, Yanni Gourde and Mathieu Joseph, with a couple of kids moving up into the vacated depth roles. The conveyor belt that Steve Yzerman left behind can run successfully through this difficult summer – but won’t be able to sustain things if this happens again.

Alex Barre-Boulet is my pick to make the jump next year, joining a long list of smaller players (5-10, 170) that TB has brought along slowly, such as Tyler Johnson, Jonathan Marchessault and Yanni Gourde.

***

I heard on FAN590’s Ben Ennis show, JD Bunkis (I think it was him) said that Tampa Bay could not be excused for having two injured defensemen because “Columbus was without their best defenseman – Ryan Murray”. I normally wouldn’t choose this forum to argue that point, but then he was so insistent on this as fact that he repeated it four or five different times during the segment. And since I can’t raise an argument with a guy talking through my car speaker, I’ll do it here… because I can. It is a fact that Murray has had an amazing rebound season and let’s be honest it could be considered the first and only “good” season of his career. But Seth Jones is by far and away the best and most important defenseman on this team. Even if Murray could play 80 games, which he can’t – so why count on him as your “best” – he isn’t as strong as Jones in, well, most categories. Look at the player comparison tool of the two players here. Hits, BLKS, points, IPP, SOG are no contest, and even PKTOI is similar.

Anyway, Murray is a great No.4 or even a No.3 defenseman and good for 60 games per year, and as long as you don’t expect more than that, I think any team would be very happy with him. But Columbus is quite familiar with playing Murray-less games, certainly more familiar than Tampa Bay is in playing Hedman-less or Stralman-less games. So yes indeed Tampa Bay can use these blue-line injuries as a third explanation (read: excuse) on top of the two I already provided.

*

Tough to be a hockey fan in Canada as we watch our best Stanley Cup Playoffs representation in years go down the tubes in an awful hurry. Not in terms of bulk (i.e. just three teams made it), but in terms of true Cup contention. The Flames looked great and were my pick to come out of the West. The Jets have a bright future and if they could put it all together they would have done damage. The Leafs have a chance to deep now that Tampa Bay is out of the mix, but just when they have Boston on the ropes they let them crawl back.

I really liked Morgan Rielly’s game, both Friday and Sunday. It was a high-risk style but very entertaining. It cost the Leafs in giving the Bruins several huge chances, but I think it created more for the Leafs than it hurt and I’ll take that trade. He seemed to really take control, almost as if he felt responsible for Toronto’s entire offense.

Speaking of “entire offense”, how about Brad Marchand? Nine points in six games leads the Bruins. He’s had two three-point games in the last three, both were Boston wins. The Leafs are doing a fine job of shutting down David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron (four points in six games is probably the best you’re gonna do with those guys), but stifling Marchand will be key for Game 7 Tuesday. Also, the sky is blue and grass is green.

Mitch Marner had two points in Game 1 and looked as though he and John Tavares will just run rampant over the Bruins from that point onward. But Marner has just two points in five games since then as the Bruins have been effective in shutting him down. He has just one SOG in the last three games combined. The last time he was held to one shot over a three-game span was November 16-20, 2017.

*

Nothing to say about the Vegas – San Jose game as only three goals were scored and it went to double-overtime. I watched it, but nothing jumped out at me other than the surprise of a shorthanded goal being the game winner. It was the first time in NHL history that a multi-OT game was decided by a shorthanded goal.

With a 2OT game it’s always fun to look through the TOI totals of the players. Vegas managed to still keep their fourth line at 12 minutes of ice time, while William Karlsson was the only forward to reach 30 minutes at 30:25.

The Sharks kept things a little more balanced, with their fourth line hovering around 16 minutes (including Gustav Nyquist a forwards-low 15:38). Brent Burns led all players with 42:32 of ice time, as you would expect. The Sharks were outshot 59-29 so of course they were going to win the game, that always seems to be the way. And I trash on Martin Jones so much in this space that it’s only fair that I give him his props this week. An amazing performance that makes me wonder why he doesn’t do that more often.

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*

See you next Monday.

    from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-thoughts-on-murray-jones-marner-byfuglien-ehlers-some-post-mortems-and-more-apr-22/

[dailyonionsite-blog]

2017-18 NHL Season Recap

It's been a little over a month since the 2017-18 NHL season ended, and it was definitely one for the record books. This was a year that saw many firsts, and sadly, many lasts. Let’s take a look at everything that transpired this past year. Starting with the firsts? Obviously expansion was the biggest story this season, as the 30 team National Hockey League became 31, with the Vegas Golden Knights joining the league, becoming the first expansion team in the NHL since the Columbus Bluejackets and the Minnesota Wild at the start the 2000-01 season. However, before it was all said and done, the Knights would go to do things the Jackets and the Wild (and pretty much any expansion team before it) could only dream of doing in their first NHL seasons. But more on that in a few... Continuing with a first (of sorts), for the first time since 1994 the NHL did not participate in the Winter Olympics, with the league announcing this towards the end of the previous season. Several players vowed that they would participate anyway, however this would not come to fruition as the NHL and International Ice Hockey Federation established a blacklist prior to the season that forbid national teams from offering invitations to NHL players that were currently under contract. The regular season began on October 4th with the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, opening up at home against the St. Louis Blues. The Blues would upset the Pens in OT, to spoil the fun on a night Pittsburgh raised their 5th Stanley Cup banner in from of their home town fans, and the 2017-18 NHL season was off and running. The aforementioned Vegas Golden Knights established early on that they were not your typical expansion team, coming out of the gate with an 8-3-0 record in the season's first month, including a 6-1-0 record at home. In fact, they were so dominant at home, that it would not be until the middle of February before they lost more than 1 home game in a month. The Knights would go on to have the strongest debut season for any expansion team in North American Profession sports history, and becoming the first NHL team since the 1926-27 New York Rangers to win their division in their inaugural season, not counting the Western Division in the 1967 NHL expansion, which consisted of all expansion teams. This would be just one of many highlights in a historic season for the first year club. As the NHL season rolled along, other highlights would include 3 outdoor games, continuing what has become both a tradition, and a big money maker for the league. The first of these (continuing the league's year long celebration of the NHL's 100th anniversary) was the NHL 100 Classic, which was held on December 16, 2017 at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, as the home town Senators defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-0. The outdoor festivities continued on New Year's Day at the annual Winter Classic, as the New York Rangers defeated the Buffalo Sabres in overtime 3-2, on a goal by JT Miller. This game was held at Citi Field in Flushing, NY, home of the New York Mets, and despite being billed as an "away" game (for tax exempt purposes), the Rangers played to a packed house full of mostly diehard blueshirt fans. The outdoor games concluded on March 3, 2018 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, in Annapolis, Maryland, as the home town Washington Capitals defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. In between the various outdoor games was the annual NHL All Star Game, held on January 28th, at Amalie Arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning. In a format established two seasons earlier of 2 separate games featuring division vs division from each conference first, eventually the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division faced the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, with the Pacific prevailing 5-2 in the final game. Rookie Forward, Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks was named All-Star Game MVP. In series of lasts, sadly the end of an era came for 2 future Hall Of Famers, as the Sedin Twins, Daniel and Henrik, announced their retirement, having played their entire careers together with the Vancouver Canucks, and having mirroring careers, both playing in over 1,300 games, both amassing over 1,000 points, and both winning the Art Ross and King Clancy Trophies. Also announcing their retirements were Nashville Center, Mike Fisher, long time Chicago Blackhawk Winger, Patrick Sharp, and veteran Forward, Radam Vrbata of the Florida Panthers. As the NHL regular season wound down, it became clear that the NHL playoffs would feature numerous teams that had not made the postseason in several seasons, and a few perennial playoff teams that would fail to qualify for the first time in many years. The New York Rangers saw their streak of 7 straight playoff seasons (and 11 out of the last 12) end, as did the Chicago Blackhawks streak of 9 straight seasons, and the St. Louis Blues streak of 6. Teams returning to the playoffs included the New Jersey Devils for the first time in 5 seasons, the Colorado Avalanche for the first time in 3 seasons, and the Winnipeg Jets for first the time in 2 seasons, and of course, the Vegas Golden Knights for the first time ever. They were joined by perennial playoff mainstays the Washington Capitals, The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning in the East, and the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and the Nashville Predators in the West. It has long been said that the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in all of professional sports, and that can never be understated. The NHL playoffs in general are the most grueling of all the 4 major sports, featuring 16 teams and four rounds of grueling 7 game series that takes around two months to complete. This year's playoffs were no exception, as 4 of the 8 first round series went at least 6 games, with one of them going the full 7 games. The 2nd round was even tougher as 3 of the 4 rounds went to at least 6 games, and one going to 7. In the East, there were 3 compelling stories. The first was whether or not the Pittsburgh Penguins could become the first team since the New York Islanders in the 1980's to win 3 consecutive Stanley Cups. The second was if Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals could finally get over the hump after many years of high expectations, and just get past the 2nd round. And the third was if the #1 seeded Tampa Bay Lightning, who were referred to as the "New York Rangers South" after having acquired JT Miller and Rangers Captain Ryan McDonagh at the trade deadline to add a team that already featured former Blueshirts defensemen, Dan Giradi, Anton Stralman, and former Captain Ryan Callahan, could fulfill their designation as the odds on favorite to win the Cup. All 3 teams answered the bell right away, winning their first round series' against the Flyers, Columbus and New Jersey, respectively. Boston defeated Toronto in 7 games, and the 2nd round was set. In the West the story, of course, was the Vegas Golden Knights. The team that had shocked the world in the regular season with an expansion team record of 109 points faced off against the Los Angeles Kings in a first round match up. The Knights trumped the Kings in 4 straight, making short work of a team that 4 seasons earlier had won their 2nd Stanley Cup in 3 years. San Jose also swept the Anaheim Ducks, and powerhouses Winnipeg and Nashville prevailed in their series against the Wild and the Avalanche, setting the stage for the always grueling second round, which is probably the toughest round in the playoffs to win. The Washington Capitals are perennial second round losers. I mean, what else do you call a team that hadn’t gotten out of the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals since 1998, when they went to the Stanley Cup Finals, and routinely lost in the middle round to both the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins (6 of the last 9 times in fact), dating back the 2008-09 playoffs? Well, this was the year they finally got over the hump. And what better team to get over it against than the aforementioned Penguins, who had almost been as much a thorn in the Caps sides as the Rangers? It took 6 games, but Washington finally took out the defending Cup Champions, setting up an Eastern Conference Finals showdown against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who made short work of the Boston Bruins in 5 games. Out in the West, the power struggle between the top 2 point getters in the entire NHL went the full 7 games, with Winnipeg Jets prevailing against the defending Western Conference Champion Nashville Predators. In the meantime, the Western Conference version of the Capitals, a.k.a. the San Jose Sharks fell to the freight train that was the Golden Knights in 6, setting up two conference finals match ups that would, at the very least, guarantee a team would win the Stanley Cup that hadn’t done so in 14 years, but making even more likely the chance that we would actually see a team that had never won before, get a chance to hoist Lord Stanley. Who would it be? As previously mentioned, the second round of the NHL playoffs is probably the most difficult to win, but the Eastern Conference finals is the one that gets more of the spotlight, simply because that’s the round that decides who actually gets to play for the 35.25 inch, 34.5 lb fabled chalice known as the Stanley Cup. Out in the West, Vegas once again proved that not only do expansions rules not apply to them, but they are disregarded with relative ease. Sure the Jets gave them a wake-up call with a Game 1 victory in a packed Bell MTS Place full of Winnipeg fans all decked out in white…but after that, the Golden Knights won 4 straight games ensuring themselves a full week’s rest before they had to worry about another game. Meanwhile over in the Eastern Conference, you had the Washington Capitals, finally getting past the second round after years of playoff letdowns, and the Tampa Bay Lightning, appearing in their second Eastern Conference Final in 4 years, also with the pressure of being the team everyone felt was the odds on favorite to win it all. Who would prevail? Well, it was my thinking that once the Capitals got past the Penguins, there was no stopping them, and I was right. But it wasn’t easy, as it took 7 games, with the Capitals shutting out the Lightning 4-0 in Tampa Bay. This set the stage for the Stanley Cup Finals, featuring 2 teams who had never won a championship before. The end result would either be a long time contender, and a hall of fame player in Ovechkin, finally fulfilling years of promise, or the biggest upset in the history of organized sports taking place. The Stanley Cup Finals are no different than any of the other final championship rounds or games in professional sports. Like the World Series, the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals, it is often dragged down by too much advertising, ridiculous start times, and celebrity and corporate sports “fans” who either want to be “seen”, or entertain clients. It’s annoying at times, and disheartening as a true sports fan, but it is what it is. The fact remains, this is what the players have fought, scratched and clawed for all season long, and after months of hard work, this is the round where a champion will finally be crowned. With more points than Washington in the regular season, The Vegas Golden Knights had home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Capitals, and immediately took advantage with a 6-4 victory in Game 1, but the Caps bounced back with a 3-2 win in Game 2, as the series shifted to Washington. This was where the Capitals put an end to the dream season for Vegas with a 3-1 victory in Game 3, and 6-2 trouncing in Game 4, setting the stage for the Capital to win the Stanley Cup back in Vegas for Game 5. After a scoreless 1st period, Washington took the lead early in the 2nd on a goal by Jakub Varna. The Knights would tie the game shortly after on a goal by Nate Schmidt, but Washington would regain the lead on a power play goal by Alex Ovechkin. However, Vegas would not go down without a fight as they rattled off 2 consecutive goals to take a 3-2 lead into the 3rd period. The Capitals would tie the game halfway through the third period on a goal by Devante Smith-Pelly, and less than 3 minutes later would take the lead for good on a goal by Lars Eller with 7:37 remaining. The Knights would pull goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury for the extra skater and make a final push, but it was to no avail as the Capitals hung on to win their first ever Stanley Cup, and set off a wild celebration in Sin City. Alexander Ovechkin, with 15 goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. As a long time Rangers fan, I was obviously disappointed that my team did not make the playoffs this past year...however, this was one of the more memorable NHL seasons I can recall in recent memory. From an expansion team shocking the world, to a memorable Winter Classic featuring my Rangers, to the retirement of 2 legendary players, to the fulfillment of a long time destiny by another, I already cannot wait for the 2018-19 season to start. Who knows what surprises lay ahead? Read the full article

#follow #followme #hockey #instagood #instagram #news #nhl #sports #thedailyonion

[flauntpage]

The Penguins Lost, Making the NHL Playoffs Great Again

I think the writing was on the wall after the Pens allowed the Flyers to steal two games in the first round and score nine goals at PPG Paints Arena.

It didn’t feel like the same Pittsburgh team that won the Stanley Cup two years in a row. I’m not sure Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel were themselves. Derick Brassard was whatever. I’m sure we’ll soon hear about the mystery injuries they were playing with this entire time. Braden Holtby was better than Matt Murray. The Capitals actually kept their composure and got the job done after losing three-straight second round playoff series.

So I woke up this morning feeling refreshed. It’s not a boorish “ha ha Pittsburgh lost” kind of thing, since I think it’s kind of corny to cheer for another team to lose. I’m just enjoying the new blood and new storylines that we’re seeing in the NHL playoffs.

For starters, the Western Conference is fascinating. One of Vegas, Winnipeg, or Nashville will be in the Stanley Cup finals. We’ve got an expansion team playing the winner of small-market Canada vs. small-market Bible Belt. The Preds forced a game seven last night, and I highly recommend tuning in because the series has been wonderful to watch. Each team has won twice on the road and game two was a double-overtime thriller. Set your DVR for Thursday at 8 p.m. Please. Just do it.

As for VGK, they’ve quietly been the most interesting story in all of American sports this year. Seriously. They are probably the most best expansion team, ever.

From Berry Tramel at NewsOK.com:

The National Hockey League expansion franchise posted a stunning record of 51-24-7, for 109 points, fifth-most in the NHL. And the Golden Knights got me to thinking. Is this the greatest expansion team of all time, any sport?

The answer is, absolutely.

No baseball expansion franchise ever so much as posted a winning record in Year 1, much less made the playoffs.

No NBA expansion franchise ever posted a winning record in Year 1, but the NBA post-season is bloated, so the 1967 Bulls made the playoffs despite a 33-48 record.

No NFL expansion franchise ever posted a winning record in Year 1 or made the playoffs.

Until Vegas, no NHL expansion franchise ever posted a winning record.

Crazy, isn’t it?

I remember an expansion Chicago Fire team winning the 1998 MLS Cup, but the league only 12 teams back then, so it’s nothing like what VGK is doing this season, cruising through a competitive Pacific division. They’re a chip-on-shoulder combination of expansion leftovers, draft picks, and trade block fodder. Put those types around a cup-winning goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury, and here we are.

I guarantee that Vegas vs. Nashville or Winnipeg will be an outstanding series. It might not seem flashy from a high-profile, somewhat ignorant east coast perspective, but I highly, highly suggest finding a way to watch the Western Conference finals. You’ve got rising stars like Patrik Laine and Bill Karlsson and Viktor Arvidsson performing like grizzled vets.

You also get stuff like this from guys who have been doing it all season long:

We're getting a Game 7!#Predators beat the #Jets 4-0, highlighted by this FILTHY Filip Forsberg goal. pic.twitter.com/OzcQJbS7j7

— Stadium (@WatchStadium) May 8, 2018

On the other side, we’ve got Tampa vs. Washington, two teams that I don’t mind at all. I mean, it’s not the Pens, Rangers, Bruins, or Devils, ya know? I don’t hate the Lightning. I love watching Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos play. And I don’t hate the Caps, either. I wouldn’t mind seeing Ovie lift the cup.

Enjoy the call:

KUZY'S GAME WINNER IN OT!! #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/HfYXfHMKYy

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 8, 2018

I think Tampa Bay is the better team, but it basically comes to down to which goaltender holds up the longest, or which defenseman’s legs fall off first. Victor Hedman, Matt Niskanen, and John Carlson are all top-12 in TOI per game this postseason. It will be a war of attrition. Last defenseman standing.

If nothing else, we’ve got a good chance to see something different this season, and that’s the biggest draw for me as a casual ice hockey observer.

I’ll leave you with this:

With Caps, Lightning, Golden Knights and either Predators or Jets as final four, NHL guaranteed to have new Cup champion in salary-cap era. TB is only team of five to win it, doing so in 2004.

— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) May 8, 2018

Prediction: Preds over Lightning in seven games. Peter Laviolette lifts Lord Stanley’s Cup. Let’s get some jam in the building.

  The Penguins Lost, Making the NHL Playoffs Great Again published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[kopicetic]

Hi. As a fellow kings fan I'm kinda concerned. You shouldn't care about old news like the hawks. Will they even make the playoffs? Who the fuck knows. Anyways, I focus my hatred towards actual threats within our division. Didn't we just slip down to 4th today? Holy shit dude. Like fuck the ducks and the flames. And we seem to be ignoring the knights, a team which we haven't beaten since preseason who's probably gonna knock us out the first round. Actively seeking hostile fans is not recommended

First off, I'm not trying to come off like a hostile fan when responding to this, Anon, so I'm sorry if I do. There is actually only one team I actively hate, and my hatred of them doesn't even have anything to do with the Kings or the Wings, lmao. If you're a Bruins fan, you probably can guess.I like reading opposing team blogs after they lose to one of my teams. It's entertaining to me. So of course after the Wings shutout the Hawks in Chicago, that was something I was dying to read and it did not disappoint. Hawks and Wings is one of those rivalries you never hear about, which is weird because in my biased opinion, it's the one I grew up with and therefore is the best and most exciting to me. Tampa Bay always owns the Wings; a lot of Wings fans disagree, but to me that is not a rivalry. That is just TBL owning the fuck out of us. It's not fun to watch because you just get the feeling that it's in their heads. And if you believe NBC, Toronto and Detroit are big rivals. Or if you believe Wednesday Night Rivalry, it's Detroit and the Sabres lmao. (Whereas my born and raised in Detroit parents who snuck into games at Olympia and both reminisce about the "good old days" when only the Original Six existed, Toronto was never a rivalry, they hated the Hawks and they hated the Habs.)As far as being concerned about the Kings, yeah, I'm always concerned about their standings also but having dealt many years with another team that had a similar mindset of "you only have to make the playoffs, it doesn't matter how" I've accepted that the Kings don't necessarily seem to care about winning the League or their division, they just want to win enough to make the playoffs and THEN it's game on. Frustrating as a fan, yeah, it sure af is. I don't want to always assume that they're going to lose divisional games like against ANA and SJS and VGK but they never really worry so I'm not particularly worried either. Annoyed, yeah, lmao, I hate seeing them lose to the other Cali teams. But even when they reverse swept SJS they were #NotBothered, in all of their interviews and pressers they were pretty much just like "We just have to win one game and go from there," the only glory they really care about is Lord Stanley. That same year was when Kopi was nominated for the Selke and he was just like "Yeah that's cool I guess BUT we gotta win a playoff game. I mean thanks for noticing I'm a 200ft player but it's a team game." (Thank fuck for Williams pointing out Kopi was ALREADY a great player before Gabby because he was going to give an actual answer lbr.)I'm never worried about the will and the drive, if I worry about the Kings, it's in the sense of "Okay so they're missing a piece, they have the core but now they need a *blank*" (whether that's a puck carrying experienced dman or another scorer, that is up for you to decide, LA Kings Insider folks are all divided up on that issue) and that's something management has to deal with.Basically, it actually takes ten seconds of my life to hate on random teams. That's why all of my posts were tagged with "this post will self destruct" because I'm going to go through and delete them all after this response because I'm over it now lmao. I'm not spending massive amounts of energy focused on the Hawks and ignoring everything else, I promise. The 2013 playoffs were devastating as a Wings fan okay. The season, beating the Fucks when no one thought they would, being 3-1 against the Hawks, that horrible penalty shot that deflated them, yeah, honestly the worst hockey feeling I've had since they lost in the Finals to Pittsburgh. The post game interviews where Kronner was basically crying about the deflection goal was gut wrenching. So when Hawks fans bring that shit up, it stings. A lot. And then I get hella feely. Especially since we obviously disagree a lot on the various shenanigans.Yes. The Kings have dropped to fourth in the division and to the second wild card. Hypothetically, we should actually be more worried about Minnesota knocking them out of that second wild card spot, except Minny doesn't play any time soonish. That being said, Calgary will most likely not sustain. ANA has 2 less points but has also played two more games. I'm more curious to see how they come out, after dropping two important divisional match ups, against the Pens on the second half of a back-to-back. If they come out lacklustre then yeah, I'll join you in the worry club. That being said I feel like they always go through this weird slump where no one can score and no games are won, they did this last Winter Olympics too, and guess what they won THAT season. Pretty sure they're just in their yearly January weirdness lmao. The bye week also seemed to throw off a lot of teams.Anyway, this has turned into an actual fucking novel and I'm done trying to defend the fact that I can care about more than one thing at a time so I'm peacing out now. Again, I'm not trying to be a dbag here, hopefully I don't come off too much like one.

[timsim26]

Stanley Cup Playoffs - 5 Things We Learnt From Round 3

Any team has a chance in the NHL

We have seen it time and time again. Teams considered to have no hope winning the Cup, making a massive impact in the playoffs. 2012, LA finished 8th with 11 fewer wins than Vancouver and 95 points. That didn’t matter as they powered their way to their first Stanley Cup. Last season the Sharks finished with 98 points, 2 points above a wildcard position and also powered through to the Cup finals. This year is no exception. The Nashville Predators had a regular season that was well below expectations, especially with their list and the impressive playoffs they had last season. They finished with 94 points   points in regular season, the same as non-playoff teams Tampa Bay and The New York Islanders. Despite this, they have built with big wins, solid goaltending and timely goals. They are my pick to win the Cup. 

Penguins depth in net is unrivalled 

Entering the Conference Finals, Marc-Andre Fleury was arguably the best Pittsburgh Penguin. He made save after save against a tenacious Columbus Blue Jackets Squad, played very solidly against the Cup favourite Capitals and finally played an extremely solid game 1 and 2 of the Conference finals against the Senators including a shutout in game 2. These were Conn Smythe like performances right up until game 3 where he allowed 4 goals on 9 shots. That was the last we saw of his as Matt Murray has stepped up and never looked back. Murray currently holds 1.35 GAA and a 9.46 save percentage in the last 4 games of the series and will look to bring this stellar play and experience of last years Stanley Cup win. This is the best goaltending depth we have seen in a long time for a playoff team. 

Momentum definitely does not carry over from game to game

So far in the playoffs we have seen some absolutely massive wins by teams that have meant nothing come the follow up. It highlights just how important the first goal of every game is and the fact that any team can win entering a contest if they play the right way and back their ability. San Jose dismantled the Oilers in game 4 of the first round 7-0 only to lose a pivotal game 5, the Senators lost 7-0 to the Pens in game 5 to be put on the brink of elimination and responded with a huge win at home in game 6 and Edmonton smacked the Ducks 7-1 to avoid elimination and force game 7, only to lose 2-1 and be sent home. This was also seen consistently in the Washington v Pittsbiurgh series as both teams suffered big losses 6-2 and 5-2 in important games, however bounced back to win the next contest. It highlights how a big win does not change a series. Connor McDavid said it best, “They don't get two games winning 7-0.” 

Mike Sullivan has an insane ability to win

Mike Sullivan definitely knows how to win. He has won big games, important games and is currently undefeated in playoff series as the head coach of the Penguins. 7-0 in playoff series, 3-0 in game 7s, a winning record in playoff OT games and of course, the Stanley Cup win. He has a fantastic ability to get the most out of his playoffs, makes good choices when to make changes to his lineup and ultimately inspires his team to never give up. 

Nashville’s ability to play through injuries

Nashville just keep trucking along despite losing a number of key players consistently over the course of the playoffs. While the Penguins missed Crosby for 1 game, they have been relatively healthy and have gained players back. Despite this the Pens and Preds have used 23 players each through the course of the first 3 rounds. The injuries impacting the Preds however are far more devastating. Nashville have now lost their playoff leading scorer in Ryan Johansen, who providing great finishing and facilitation of the offense. Captain and fantastic two way center Mike Fisher has missed the last couple of games and is in doubt for the start of the finals. Finally Kevin Fiala who broke his leg horrifically at the beginning of the second round was playing some of the best hockey of his career. He was a driving factor both offensively and defensively for the Predators in their absolute dismantling of the Blackhawks. 

#predators #penguins #stanley cub playoffs #nhl #hockey #NHL playoffs #Stanley Cup Finals

[redhood5092]

Pens Second Round Recap

For the second straight season, I thought THIS was the year the Capitals finally vanquished their Penguin demons. With their starting goalie out for the series, with their best defenseman out for the series, with Sidney Crosby, the best player on the team and in the world, out for two games….this was it. The Capitals were too deep, too talented, too big for the Pens to overcome. Until they weren’t.

Tides of Momentum: This series was a roller coaster. A roller coaster for my nerves, my mood, and most importantly, momentum. The series started out as well as the Pens could have hoped. In any series that you do not have home-field advantage, your goal is to go 1-1 in the first two. The Pens took BOTH, which was astonishing looking at Fleury’s home and away splits. -Games 1 and 2: The Pens implemented a very conservative defensive shell for large portions of those games. In order to preserve the health of our players, specifically our defensemen, they care less about clean break outs, and more about reducing Washington’s zone time. While it appeared annoyingly like a penalty kill at full strength, it worked. The Pens won these games with patience and the ability to finish. They bided their time, blocked Washington’s shots, and never let them get any great looks vs. Fleury. The Pens would then counter punch. Washington’s defense, while deeper, was still slow. The Pens made them pay countless times with odd-man breaks. Holtby didn’t get a ton of action, but when he did, it was usually full of good chances for the Pens. Game 2 was especially successful, with the Capitals controlling much of the play in the first two periods, yet down 3-1 going into the third. After Trotz pulled Holtby, the Pens tacked on 3 more and cruised to a 6-2 Game 2 win and 2-0 series lead. Things looked great coming back to PPG Paints, where the Pens were decidedly better. -Games 3 and 4: The Pens had all the momentum in Game 3, only to lose it all with one brutal cross-check to the face of their captain by former Penguin Matt Niskanen. Wherever you said on the hit, it changed everything. The Pens were shell-shocked, leading to them going down 2-0 late in that game. Astonishingly, the Pens bounced back. Under Dan Bylsma, when things got bad, they tended to get much worse. Not under Sully. The Pens rebounded to tie the Capitals with the goalie pulled, but eventually lost. However, they rode that resiliency to a gutty Game 4 victory, WITHOUT SIDNEY CROSBY. Amazing. -Games 5 and 6: Game 5 started well, with the Pens taking a hard fought 2-1 lead into the 3rd period. That’s when things started to click for the Caps. Their stars shone. The period started with Holtby making 2 great saves to keep the game at 2-1. Then Kuznetsov, Backstrom, and Ovechkin each had great chances that they buried. Game 5 was a 4-2 Caps victory and the Pens had a chance to clinch at home, like last year. Last year went a bit better. Caps rode their 3rd period momentum to an utter destruction of the Pens in Game 6. It was a total team disaster. The defense couldn’t clear to save their lives. None of the forwards won any puck battles. 50-50 pucks seemed 90-10 Caps. The Penguins, the team with the highest average of shots on goal during the regular season, had 8 shots after two periods. Think about that. The Capitals were up 5-0 till the Pens scored 2 late goals to end Game 6 5-2. The Caps were rolling, and the Pens didn’t have an answer. -Game 7: Was this it? With all the momentum and Game 7 at home, were the Caps finally going to get over their Penguin nightmares? Nope. Not when Mike Sullivan is your coach. All day at practice, the day before Game 7, Sully was game planning. Teams don’t typically don’t spend a ton of time during the playoffs getting coached up, but Sullivan spent all practice on the whiteboard in front of the players. And they listened. The Pens trapped it up. This isn’t the New Jersey Devils style trap that bores you into submission, so you make a mistake. They ran a 1-2-2 trap with one constant forechecker. The Penguins positioned themselves in the neutral zone such that it forced all Capitals passing lanes to the boards. From there, the Pens had two players “trap” the puck handler, forcing him off the puck, and sending the puck into the Capitals’ zone. All of a sudden, the Washington break out, which had pinned the Pens in all series, was sputtering. After the initial surge in the 1st period, the Pens were controlling that game. While this is a more conservative style compared to what we saw in the regular season, it’s a more aggressive style of trap. It banks on the opponent forcing pucks, and subsequently turning it over. That’s exactly what happened on both of the Penguins goals. The man along the board pinched, got the puck, and sent it to a forward for the goal. Sullivan’s plan worked to perfect. Through strategy and mindset, Sullivan instilled a winning recipe and it was glorious.

Falling Stars: Alexander Ovechkin is the best goal-scorer of this generation. During this series, his prime looked a heck of a lot farther away than his retirement. His blast from the left circle is still there. It’s still dangerous. But a lot of what made him a freight train on skates, was not there this series. Whether it was the brutal hip check Kadri laid on him in the first round, or just father time, but Ovie did not look at his best. A lot of people following the boring “Lazy Russian” narrative. “He didn’t look engaged. He doesn’t care. He just wants to play for Russia at worlds.” Maybe that’s the case. But I don’t think so.     Backstrom is the new best player on the Washington Capitals. He was excellent most of the series. He scored big goals and largely dominated the face-off circle.  That was, until Game 7. Backstrom stayed with Sid most of the series, and that worked till it was an elimination game for both teams. Sid dominated Backstrom all Game 7. He won face-offs and completely controlled the neutral zone. There were a few times when he utterly undressed Backstrom on some 50-50 pucks. It was beautiful.

    The other top forwards were hit or miss for the Caps. Burakovsky was a monster most of the series. One of Trotz’s good coaching moves was moving Burakovsky to the 1st line with Backstrom and Oshie (and moved Ovie to the 3rd?!?). Burakovsky had 4 points in Games 5 and 6 to get the Caps back in the series and looked dangerous all game. Kuznetsov also had a great series. One of the biggest disappointments last year for Washington was Kuz disappearing, but this year he delivered. Kuz had 7 points (4 goals) and created a lot of good chances for the Caps. His contract is up this year and he’s going to get paid big time.

    What happened to Holtby? That’s the second Vezina winner in a row that the Penguins embarrassed. While he made some crucial saves later in the series (Game 5 he made some great saves in the 3

rd

period), overall he let in a few very savable goals. How many non-Penguin fans thought Holtby was going to get badly outplayed by Fleury? Not many I’m guessing.

ShattenKirk? More like ShattenArcher: Star Trek joke aside, Shattenkirk was a huge disappointment for the Capitals. He was this year’s big trade deadline acquisition. The Capitals gave up their 1st rounder, along with one of their top prospects for him. Shattenkirk, a powerplay specialist, saw the Capitals powerplay go cold most of the series. The Penguins defense was the bigger story. They were without Letang, a player who would be the #1 on most NHL teams. Rather than have a top pairing step up and play big minutes, like Tanger would, Sullie distributed the minutes evenly. While, at times, the defense looked very worn down, no one unit got so beaten down that they became a big liability. Maatta seemed to find that magic that made him, as a rookie, look well above his year. Schultz continues to add value in the offensive zone and especially the powerplay. Hainsey, for his first playoff, played relatively responsibly while adding a physical presence. Cole, for the first half of the series, was the Pens best defenseman. He pinched the boards when necessary, delivered punishing hits, and clogged up shooting lanes. He was the biggest reason the Pens’ “bend, not break” worked as well as it did. And Dumolin, what more can be said? He did a wonderful job not allowing Washington’s top lines to get any excellent scoring chances. He’s rarely caught out of position and always seems to poke his stick where the Capitals least want it. Not to mention that thunderous check on Ovechkin in Game 7, leading to the Pens first goal. Delightful. All in all, the defense was a team effort. And while it was a team effort out of necessity at first, it ended up being a strength for the Penguins. I thought the Capitals had the decided edge on defense, and individual talent-wise I still think so, but as a unit, the whole corps was certainly greater than the sum of its parts.  

Future Implications:

If you’re a Caps’ fan, this one was rough. I mean gut-wrenching, heart-stopping, utter dejection. You had your playoff nemesis on the ropes, with the path to the Stanley Cup clearer than it’s ever been (Ottawa is vastly inferior to the Tampa team last year). The Pens were without Kris Letang, minutes eater and best defensemen. The Pens were without Matt Murray, the stone cold goalie who beat you last year. The Pens were without Sidney Crosby for two games. You had the momentum, on home ice. And you blew it. What makes this loss for the Capitals even worse than it was last year, is this was their window. The roster will look vastly different next year. A lot of players are up for new contracts and they need raises. Shattenkirk and Oshie will be two of the biggest stars on the free agent market, both of which will command way overpriced contracts. If Caps management is feeling the need for a shake-up, perhaps Ovechkin is on the way out too (although I’d put money on him staying)? On the flip side, Fleury, despite this playoff run, is probably still traded. Flower’s, couples with the cap hits of Kunitz, Bonino, and others, will give the Pens plenty of cap space to work with. This Capitals teams is done, this Pens team is not. It’s a great time to be a fan of the Penguins.

#sidney crosby #alexander ovechkin #Evgeni Malkin #Marc Andre Fleury #braden holtby #tj oshie #evgeny kuznetsov #matt niskanen #ian cole #pittsburgh penguins #washington capitals #stanley cup playoffs

[junker-town]

Grades for every NHL team at the 2017 trade deadline

A lot of high marks to go around!

Well, the NHL trade deadline is gone. Behind us, like dust kicked up by tires driving madly toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But before we completely turn our attention to the NHL’s stretch run, let’s take a look back and hand out some grades for the 2017 trade dudline. I mean deadline. It was enthralling.

TIER 1

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Tampa Bay Lightning: A+

Added: F Stefan Fournier, D Erik Cernak, G Peter Budaj, F Greg McKegg, F Byron Froese, G Mike McKenna, D Mark Streit, 2017 6th round pick, 2017 7th round pick, 2018 4th round pick

Lost: D Mark Streit (lol), F Valtteri Filppula, G Ben Bishop, F Brian Boyle, F Jeremy Morin, G Adam Wilcox, 2017 4th round pick, 2017 5th round pick, 2017 7th round pick

Steve Yzerman is a wizard.

In the span of a week, the Lightning GM turned a disappointing situation (out of the hunt) into $15 million of free cap room to sign his top players this offseason and add another big piece (hello, Shattenkirk), too. He basically laundered the Flyers’ Mark Streit for the Penguins, playing the two rivals off each other for his own gain.

He might be planning to take over the world next, but we can’t wait to see how he does it!

Chicago Blackhawks: A

Added: F Tomas Jurco, D Johnny Oduya, F Kenton Helgesen, 2019 7th round pick

Lost: F Mark McNeill, F Spencer Abbott, F Sam Carrick, 2018 4th round pick

I loved what Stan Bowman did here. Tomas Jurco is an excellent buy-low, high-payoff candidate. He’ll get to play alongside his boyhood hero, Marian Hossa, and learn how to become a truly effective two-way winger. Talk about motivation. I like this move a lot more than recent deadline swings for Andrew Ladd.

And Johnny Oduya isn’t bad, either. Not the top-four guy he was before he left, but decent. Well done, Chicago.

Detroit Red Wings: A

Added: D Dylan McIlrath, two 2017 3rd round picks, conditional 2017 third round pick, 2018 2nd round pick, 2018 6th round pick

Lost: F Tomas Jurco, D Brendan Smith, F Steve Ott, F Thomas Vanek

So you’re telling me the Wings are new to this whole “selling” thing? Could’ve fooled me. GM Ken Holland turned a failing prospect, a fringe grinder, and a decent defenseman and winger on expiring contracts into four picks in the first three rounds.

Bravo, Mr. Holland. This is how you start a rebuild.

Washington Capitals: A

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Added: D Kevin Shattenkirk, G Phoenix Copley, D Cody Corbett

Lost: F Zach Sanford, F Brad Malone, G Joe Cannata, 2017 1st round pick

What else can we say? They got the big fish. Shattenkirk turns their power play into an event, separating the Capitals from everyone else in the Eastern Conference. It was a high price, but they needed to do something like this to finally win that Stanley Cup. Their roster has never been better.

Vancouver Canucks: A-

Added: F Jonathan Dahlen, F Nikolai Goldobin, 2017 4th round pick (conditional)

Lost: F Alexandre Burrows, F Jannik Hansen

Our opinion of Jim Benning as a GM couldn’t get much lower after he appeared to bungle his UFAs last season, but he totally redeemed himself this week. I don’t know how he convinced the Senators that Dahlen for Burrows was fair value. Dahlen is lighting up the Swedish league at 19 years old and could be a stud for years to come. Goldobin is also a quality prospect from within the Canucks’ own division.

I’m sorry for doubting you, Benning. This was great.

Minnesota Wild: A-

Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Added: F Martin Hanzal, F Ryan White, 2017 4th round pick

Lost: F Grayson Downing, F Teemu Pulkkinen, 2017 2nd round pick

Only one big splash for the Western Conference’s best team, and it was a good one. They got a center to round out their lineup who can kill penalties and make them tougher to play against, and they didn’t even give Arizona any of their top prospects for him.

This is good, and I’m thrilled to see what they do in the playoffs now. Find me a more well-rounded team in the Western Conference. I’ll wait.

Arizona Coyotes: A-

Added: F Grayson Downing, F Teemu Pulkkinen, F Joe Whitney, F Jeremy Morin, F Mitch Moroz, F Branden Troock, 2017 first round pick, 2017 second round pick, 2018 second round pick, 2019 third round pick

Lost: F Martin Hanzal, F Brendan Ranford, F Ryan White, F Stefan Fournier, D Michael Stone, F Henrik Samuelsson, D Justin Hache, G Justin Peters

I think John Chayka is good at his job. He squeezed max value out of Hanzal, a third-line center at best. He got something good for Michael Stone. The Coyotes are already flushed with talented forward prospects. Now Chayka and his scouts have an arsenal of quality draft picks to upgrade their blueline.

TIER 2

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Pittsburgh Penguins: B+

Added: D Ron Hainsey, D Mark Streit, D Frank Corrado

Lost: F Eric Fehr, D Steve Oleksy, F Danny Kristo, 2017 2nd round pick, 2017 4th round pick, 2017 4th round pick

Jim Rutherford stuck to the script that won his team a Stanley Cup last year: aggression on the market. With injuries depleting his blueline at the worst time, he swung big for two veterans who can make a difference and a promising young defenseman in need of playing time.

Like most moves he’s made in the last 14 months, expect them to pay off.

Calgary Flames: B+

Added: D Michael Stone, F Curtis Lazar, D Mike Kostka

Lost: D Jyrki Jokipakka, 2017 2nd rounder, 2017 3rd rounder, 2018 5th rounder (conditional)

They needed to do something on deadline day after the Kings made a handful of moves to chase them out of a wild card spot. I liked their Stone move, simply because I think he’s worth a chance to prove injuries are the only thing holding him back. Low-risk.

I also like pouncing on an opportunity with Curtis Lazar, a former first round pick (2013) who wanted out of Ottawa. His leadership skills aren’t in question, but his ability to contribute at an NHL level is. He’ll get that chance on a young team in Calgary, where Glen Gulutzan shows more trust in his younger players.

Toronto Maple Leafs: B+

Added: F Sergei Kalinin, F Brian Boyle, F Eric Fehr, D Steve Oleksy, two 2017 2nd round picks (conditional), 2017 4th round pick, 2017 7th round pick

Lost: G Jhonas Enroth, D Viktor Loov, F Byron Froese, D Frank Corrado, 2017 2nd round pick (conditional)

Hey, how do you A) show your young team you’re going for it and B) stick to the long-term development plan? You do what the Leafs did. By adding Boyle and Fehr, they infuse their inexperienced roster with two veterans with winning playoff experience without sacrificing many future assets.

In fact, they added two second round picks. Not bad at all.

St. Louis Blues: B

Added: F Zach Sanford, F Brad Malone, F Ty Rattie, 2017 1st round pick

Lost: D Kevin Shattenkirk, G Pheonix Copley

They traded an elite defenseman for less than his true value ... but that was due to pretty odd circumstances (free agency, the expansion draft) and they still got a prospect they really like (Sanford) and a first round pick out of it. GM Doug Armstrong could’ve done a lot worse here.

Anaheim Ducks: B

Added: F Patrick Eaves

Lost: 2017 4th round pick (conditional)

Eaves is fine, as good of a power play pickup on the market these days. Depending on which scouts you hear from, he’s either over-acheiving with his career highs or finally hitting his potential after injuries. But he’s a solid pick-up.

But I wish the Ducks had found a way to move one of their defensemen for ... something.

San Jose Sharks: B-

Added: F Jannik Hansen, F Buddy Robinson, F Zack Stortini, 2017 7th round pick

Lost: F Nikolay Goldobin, 2017 4th round pick (conditional)

Hansen is a servicable mid-six forward. But Goldobin seems like a lot to give up for him, especially to a division rival. I’m not sure about this one, but GM Doug Wilson has earned the benefit of the doubt.

Philadelphia Flyers: B-

Added: F Valtteri Filppula, 2017 4th round pick, 2017 7th round pick

Lost: D Mark Streit

This was a pretty meh grade for the Flyers until the final half-hour of the deadline. Flipping Streit for Filppula was smart, freeing cap room on their end while getting a controllable, decent center in return. And a few draft picks. It’s not going for it, but it’s smart.

What wasn’t smart was re-signing Michal Neuvirth.

New Jersey Devils: B-

Added: F Viktor Loov, D Dalton Prout, F Shane Harper, 2017 4th round pick, 2017 6th round pick

Lost: F Vernon Fiddler, F Sergei Kalinin, D Kyle Quincey, F P.A. Parenteau, D Reece Scarlett

Uninspiring, yet economical! And they did right by their veterans (Parenteau, Fiddler, Quincey), sending them into the thick of the playoff race. Well done, Ray Shero. This is the kind of deadline that pays off in free agency discussions down the road.

Montreal Canadiens: B-

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Added: D Jordie Benn, D Brandon Davidson, F Steve Ott, F Dwight King, F Andreas Martinsen, D Keegan Lowe

Lost: D Philip Sameulsson, D Greg Pateryn, F David Desharnais, F Sven Andrighetto, 2017 4th round pick, 2017 6th round pick, 2018 4th round pick (conditional), 2018 6th round pick

At some point Marc Bergevin must’ve realized he wasn’t getting a top scorer, because every move he made this week is going to offset that problem in a way. They got BIG. And tough. The Habs may not score goals with the Caps or Pens, but they’ll make it tougher to get scored on. There’s something to be said for that, I guess.

Also, Jordie Benn and Brandon Davidson? That blueline is much deeper than it was a week ago.

Florida Panthers: B-

Added: F Thomas Vanek, G Adam Wilcox, D Reece Scarlett

Lost: D Dylan McIlrath, G Mike McKenna, F Shane Harper, 2017 third round pick (conditional)

They didn’t expect to be buyers at the deadline two weeks ago, but they got what they could. And that was Thomas Vanek. Sure. He’s fine. Vanek played well in Detroit this year, and he’s exactly the kind of pickup you get if you’re not sure you can be a player in the stretch run or not. But they’re going to try!

Dallas Stars: B-

Added: G Justin Peters, D Justin Hache, D Greg Pateryn, F Mark McNeill, D Dillon Heatherington, 2017 4th round pick, 2018 4th round pick

Lost: D Johnny Oduya, D Jordie Benn, F Patrick Eaves, F Lauri Korpikoski, F Brendan Ranford, F Branden Troock

One one hand, good for Jim Nill to trade most of his expiring assets for picks AND prospects. Guys who could contribute sooner than anyone he drafts this summer. Guys who need second chances to meet expectations.

On the other, it hurt that he couldn’t move Patrick Sharp. And the odds that McNeill, Pateryn or Heatherington actually make a difference are pretty low.

The truth is that Oduya, Eaves and Sharp were brought in to win a Stanley Cup. Now they’re all (likely) gone two years later with nothing to show for it. A really downer of a week for Dallas.

Columbus Blue Jackets: B-

Added: D Kyle Quincey, F Lauri Korpikoski

Lost: D Dalton Prout, D Dillion Heatherington

Comparisons hurt here. While their Metropolitan bunkmates swung hard for the fences, the Blue Jackets waited until the last minute to add complimentary depth pieces. Which is fine, but leaves them out of the arms race.

Carolina Hurricanes: B-

Added: D Philip Samuelsson, 2017 2nd round pick, 2017 3rd round pick

Lost: D Keegan Lowe, D Ron Hainsey, F Viktor Stalberg

Kudos to Carolina for giving Ron Hainsey a shot at his first playoff series. Other than that, not much here ... for now. They have 11 picks in the 2017 draft after this week, including seven in the first three rounds.

I think they’re stockpiling for Matt Duchene.

TIER 3

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Los Angeles Kings: C+

Added: G Ben Bishop, F Jarome Iginla, 2017 5th round pick, 2018 4th round pick (conditional)

Lost: D Tom Gilbert, D Erik Cernak, G Peter Budaj, F Dwight King, 2017 7th round pick, 2018 4th round pick (conditional)

I get what they’re doing with Ben Bishop, and it makes a lot of sense to me. Not sure how much of an edge it gives them over the teams they’re fighting with in the wild card race. Same with Iginla. Two moves that are just ... they’re fine.

Buffalo Sabres: C+

Added: D Mat Bodie

Lost: F Daniel Catenacci

Their only real asset was Dmitry Kulikov, and his back issues killed whatever interest there was in him. Evander Kane played himself off the market, too, even as the team’s season collapsed last month. Gionta, Kulikov and others come off the books in July, so expect them to be more active in free agency.

New York Rangers: C+

Added: D Brendan Smith, F Dan Catenacci, F Taylor Beck

Lost: D Mat Bodie, F Justin Fontaine, 2017 3rd round pick

At first I gave them a B- for only getting Brendan Smith. Then I gave them a B for at least trying to get Kevin Shattenkirk. Then I gave them a B- again for missing out on him. Then I gave them a B for probably signing him this summer anyway.

Then I gave them a C+ for making my head hurt. Jerks.

Nashville Predators: C

Added: F Cody McLeod, F Vernon Fiddler, F P.A. Parenteau

Lost: F Felix Girard, 2017 4th round pick, 2017 6th round pick

They gave up a fourth-rounder for Vernon Fiddler. I have nothing to say.

Edmonton Oilers: C

Added: F David Desharnais, F Justin Fontaine, F Henrik Samuelsson

Lost: D Brandon Davidson, F Taylor Beck, F Mitch Moroz

This is all very uninteresting. I have very little opinion on these moves, other than I like Justin Fontaine. Connor McDavid receives no help at the deadline this year.

Boston Bruins: C

Added: F Drew Stafford

Lost: 2018 6th round pick (conditional)

Talk about a quiet deadline. If any pseudo-contender could get away with one, though, it’s the Bruins. Stafford is a nice pickup for that price and can slot in on the third line admirably and help their penalty kill. An inoffensive day for a team not near contending anyway.

Winnipeg Jets: C

Added: 2018 6th round pick (conditional)

Lost: F Drew Stafford

They were so uninvolved nobody noticed when they traded Stafford right at the deadline. We forgot they existed.

Colorado Avalanche: C-

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Added: D Mark Barberio, F Brendan Ranford, G Joe Cannata, F Sven Andrighetto, 2018 fourth round pick (conditional)

Lost: F Cody McLeod, F Joe Whitney, D Cody Corbett, F Jarome Iginla, F Andreas Martinsen

Almost tempted to give this a failing grade. Also tempted to mark it incomplete.

Sakic had plenty of UFA guys to ship off his terrible, listless team for something and didn’t. With any of them. Andrighetto is nice, I guess. The rest are fringe NHL players at best. Iginla’s conditional pick could even disappear altogether.

The good news is this all but guarantees a Duchene or Landeskog trade in the summer. Something has to give, to change with this core. He has to learn that at some point.

SHUNNED

Ottawa Senators: D+

Added: F Alexandre Burrows, F Viktor Stalberg, D Jyrki Jokipakka, 2017 2nd round pick

Lost: F Jonathan Dahlen, F Curtis Lazar, D Mike Kostka, 2017 3rd round pick, 2017 7th round pick

Their owner told them to go out and make moves to make the playoffs. They failed on that one count in two ways:

Burrows, Stalberg and Jokipakka are not difference-makers. C’mon.

Jonathan Dahlen and Curtis Lazar could be one day.

Awful, awful deadline debut for GM Pierre Dorion.

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New York Islanders: N/A

Added: None

Lost: None

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