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trashcanimagine · 6 years

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Chapter 2

My first meeting with the Jets captain left me a bit weak in the knees. I'd never been one to get excited over people who were in the spotlight, or so called celebrities, but I'd never shaken hands with one of modern hockey's most legendary players until that day. Our conversation was brief and afterwards Paul was summoned to meet with the general manager. I made my way back to the medic offices, searching for a bathroom on my way. I got lost twice and ended up back in the dressing room. I couldn't cross my legs any tighter and snuck into one of the stalls. In typical twenty-first century fashion I pulled out my phone while my bladder did its thing. I had to tell someone about my encounter with Patrik Laine

Alex:

You'll never guess who I just met

I sent the message to my three older brothers.

John:

Who?

Simon:

The Queen?

Andrew:

Why are you texting me before noon? I thought we talked about this.

Alex:

Simon, where would I possibly meet the Queen in Winnipeg? Andy, it's 11:30am, close enough.

John:

Would you please tell us who you met, A?

Andrew:

Noon means noon guys. But tell me anyway, I don't like waiting.

Alex:

PL 29

Simon:

Is that some new text lingo? I can't keep up with you kids.

Andrew:

Does that mean Patrik Laine ?

Alex:

10 points to Andrew. Simon you're an idiot.

John:

Shit! How did you meet him? Did you tell him we're all Wild fans?

Alex:

Why would I tell him I'm a Wild fan? And I didn't want to tell you guys until everything was settled but I quit the gym and got a new job working for a hockey team.

Andrew:

Quit? Why?

Simon:

What kind of hockey team?

Alex:

Because I was sick of the bullshit. A well known hockey team. Their logo is some airplane

John:

You're working for the enemy?

Andrew:

Holy shit kid! Congratulations!

Simon:

Are you kidding right now?

*I heard someone come into the locker room.*

Alex:

Not kidding, not the enemy, it's a good job. Which I should go do instead of texting you losers. xo

Simon:

Give 'em hell kid!

Andrew:

Bring one home for Thanksgiving will ya. Well done Trix!

John:

Pictures ASAP. Lol. xo

I locked my phone, pulled up my pants and flushed the toilet. I made sure my zipper was zipped and took a deep breath. I washed my hands and double checked my appearance in the mirror, making sure there was no red lipstick on my teeth and my sleeves were pulled down. When I left the bathroom and turned the corner I came face to face with four men, all in various states of undress.

"Oh shit!" I cried covering my eyes with my hand. "I am so sorry. I couldn't find another bathroom and I didn't think anyone would be here until later." I sputtered, trying to heading towards the door.

"Don't worry about it." One of the men said in an amused tone, he had a thick accent that I recognized to be from Quebec. "You must be Alex?" He asked walking towards me. I kept my left hand covering my eyes and put out my right to shake his.

"I am." I replied smiling, still not looking at him. He shook my hand gently and I could hear the other men laughing.

"Mathieu" he said. "You can uncover your eyes Alex, Niki put his pants on."

I lowered my hand from my eyes and smiled at the men in front of me. I was educated enough in the world of professional hockey to know who they all were. Rookie Nikolaj Ehlers , goaltender Connor Hellebyuck , and forward Mathieu Perrault . I felt my cheeks getting hot and was about to formally introduce myself when the door flung open.

"Alex." Paul said walking towards me. "There you are. I thought you might have gotten lost." He smiled placing a firm hand on my shoulder. I smiled at him and watched more of the team, along with trainers and the other medics come into the room. I'd already met the other medics, four older men who had been polite, but didn't seem eager to talk to me during our first encounter.

Once the team, both players and staff, had arrived, Paul introduced me and suggested I say a few words.

"I'm Alexandra Johnson." I began. "But please feel comfortable calling me Alex. I was born and raised in Oshawa, Ontario, I graduated two years ago with my masters in Sports Medicine and I look forward to working with all of you, but hopefully not too often." I tried to remain calm and composed. I was generally okay talking to large groups but I was acutely aware that I was the only female in the room, and while I'd prepared myself for that reality it was going to take some getting used to.

We left Paul and the team to get ready for their practice and sat in the medical offices. The head doctor, Larry, was for more welcoming than the rest of the medical team and went over everything I'd need to know. He assured me that I'd get the hang of it quickly and in no time it would all become second nature. I would be training under him and a senior medic behind the bench. The teams version of first response. We spent the rest of the day going over procedures and protocols while the team practiced and by the time I got home my mind was full of information and my eyes were heavy with exhaustion. But, I couldn't sleep, I was too excited about what was to come

#patrik laine #mark scheifele #nikolaj ehlers #winnipeg jets #nhl imagines #nhl fanfiction #blake wheeler #nhl

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nicoleknows-nothing · 5 years

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20 Questions Tag

Rules: answer 20 questions and tags 20 people you want to know better. I was tagged by @imnotobsessed-youare

1. Nickname - Martie mostly. As a kid, I was called Coley or Cole (my dad didn’t like prouncing my full name sometimes lol) or Nickerbocker (blame my uncle for that last one lol)

2. Zodiac sign- Sagittarius

3. Hogwarts house- Slytherin

4. Height- 5′ 3"

5. Last thing I googled- Pictures of Nikolaj Ehlers :P

6. Favourite artists- Imagine Dragons, Drake, Kanye, Joji, Rynx, Galantis, There’s a bunch I can’t think of at the moment

7. Song stuck in my head at the moment- Sanctuary by Joji

8. Followers- 518

9. Following- 222

10. Do I get asks- Barely lol

11. Amount of sleep- I would say 6-8 hours

12. Lucky numbers- #81 I guess? I’ve used that number for sports since I was a kid

13. What am I wearing- plaid button-up and black jeans because I have to leave for work like... now lol

14. Dream Job- Anything but retail. Get me the fuck out of retail haha

15. Instruments- Played the trumpet for eight years.

16. Languages- English and I know some but very little Tagalog, Portuguese, and Spanish

7. Favourite song- The Middle by Maren Morris & Zedd

18. Random fact- Capybaras are related to Guinea Pigs

19. Aesthetic- Pale and Dark? idk lol

20. Dream trip- Japan, The Philippines, New England xD

I just got home and started this in the morning so i’ll tag everybody haha. If you want to do it, do it up :)

#martie gets tagged #tis me

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torontoarenas · 6 years

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Which teams could offer-sheet William Nylander?

The simplest and likely most realistic answer is “none of them.” Offer sheets are just not something that any team uses. They’re like those eccentric state laws you’d find in an Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader, you know, the ones like “in Utah, it’s illegal to ride a horse into a roundabout on a Sunday” or some shit. Laws that are technically enforceable by virtue of being written into the criminal code, but never come up in practice. No one in Utah rides horses into roundabouts on the Lord’s Day, and no one in the NHL uses offer sheets.

Well, not quite no one. Indeed, six active NHL players (Ryan Kesler, Thomas Vanek, David Backes, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Shea Weber, and Ryan O’Reilly) have signed offer sheets, but only three of them have done so since 2008, and none since February 2013. And the offer sheet that Weber signed in 2012 was for such a long term (14 years) that it would be outlawed under the current collective bargaining agreement, so it’s not applicable to the situation at hand. That’s not to say definitively that William Nylander won’t be offer-sheeted; it’s merely an extremely reasonable assumption that he (or any other player ever) won’t be.

But let’s ignore all that because I’m bored and getting slightly anxious that my good friend William hasn’t signed yet.

First, let’s state the obvious: there’s no point in tendering an offer sheet unless you’re reasonably certain the player would consider signing it. No one’s out there wasting precious supplies of office stationery to mail Nylander’s agent an offer sheet for a $3M AAV or whatever. It would be chucked straight in the trash. For Nylander to sign an offer sheet, the average annual value would have to exceed what the Leafs are currently offering him. While I have no inside information on the negotiating process, I would imagine that the Leafs aren’t offering significantly less than $6M*. But even if the Leafs are lowballing him right now, he probably wouldn’t sign an offer sheet for exactly $6M because the Leafs would happily match that amount and he wouldn’t able to negotiate higher than that.

But if some team offers him, say, $6.75M? Well, that might be worth considering. If the Leafs subsequently declined to match that offer, they’d be compensated a first, a second, and a third-round draft pick (the CBA-mandated compensation for an offer sheet with an AAV of between $6,088,981 and $8,118,641). But for that to be possible, the team signing the offer sheet must have all of those picks in the 2019 draft. Setting aside the possibility of a team reacquiring its own draft pick(s) in order to prepare an offer sheet (as Brian Burke famously did prior to trading for Phil Kessel), there are 15 other teams for which that is the case: Arizona, Boston, Carolina, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Vancouver, Vegas, and Washington.

Even still, not all of them could accomodate Nylander’s contract under the salary cap. After eliminating the teams on the above list with less than $6M of cap space, we’d be left with seven: Arizona, Carolina, Colorado, Montreal, Philadelphia, Vancouver, and Vegas. (I am conveniently ignoring the fact that teams are allowed to exceed the salary cap by 10% during the off-season. Any team dead-set on acquiring William Nylander would absolutely be willing to make additional trades to facilitate that, but I don’t want to complicate things any more than necessary.)

Of those teams, I wouldn’t be worried about Nylander signing with Vancouver. Money’s only a factor up to a certain point. I mean, you tell me--would you rather play on a team with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares, or a team with Brock Boeser and, uhh, Bo Horvat?? Same sorta deal with Montreal. Why would he leave a burgeoning Stanley Cup contender for an incompetently-run, directionless mess of a franchise without much in the way of supporting talent?

Arizona’s pretty bad and their prospect pool isn’t as good as you’d hope it would be for a team that’s been near the bottom of the league for as long as it has, but they might not be outright terrible this year, I guess. Carolina has struggled for most of a decade, but the pieces are there, assuming they can finally get some decent goaltending. Colorado barely made the playoffs on the back of an MVP-calibre performance by Nathan MacKinnon, but MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen alone might be enough of a draw. Philadelphia is a pretty good team, and Vegas is coming off a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final. All told, that’s only three or four teams that pose any threat at all to the Leafs’ ability to sign Nylander uncontested, and of those teams, my hunch is that only Vegas would be willing to hand out an offer sheet (on account of their relative lack of star power resulting from their newness to the league).

But even if one of those teams did offer-sheet Nylander, the Leafs would probably match it anyway, so it’s not something to worry about.

* A $6M AAV would give him a comparable salary to players like Nikolaj Ehlers, Filip Forsberg, Brandon Saad, and Dylan Larkin. Forsberg’s deal is, of course, an incredible bargain for the Predators, but Nylander is approximately as good as Ehlers and probably better than Saad and Larkin, so that’s the lowest amount of money I could envision him accepting.

#William Nylander #Toronto Maple Leafs

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highbuttonsports · 3 years

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THIS WEEK IN JETS HOCKEY….

Every Thursday at The High Button, we explore the events and stories of the Winnipeg Jets on and off the ice. The Jets had a couple slow outings against the Canadiens last week, but responded Monday night with a huge 4-0 win against the Canucks on the road. The Jets seem to be getting back on track, and have done an excellent job rebounding after losses this season. This week, we take a deeper look at the Jets long-term plans, and some thoughts on how the expansion draft will effect the Jets deadline plans:

DO THE JETS WANT A FORWARD?

I think Kevin Cheveldayoff would certainly tell you that any time you can make a move that makes your team better, you make it. While we already know their potential targets on the blue line as I covered a few weeks ago, but the important question needs to be asked: will the Jets bring in a forward at this years deadline?

The simple answer is yes. Kevin Cheveldayoff has brought in at least one rental forward in every single deadline where the Jets were in a spot to compete for a playoff spot. However, who that forward might be is the more complicated question.

While I do believe there’s a strong chance they bring someone in up-front, there’s a strong possibility that it’s going to be a twelfth forward. The Jets are very pleased with their top-nine group, and rightfully so. Having said that, it takes one injury to the wrong guy to throw off the rhythm.

While there is a plethora of guys who could fill that void, it becomes difficult to pinpoint names for a few reasons. Firstly, aside from maybe 5-6 teams, it’s hard to really declare anybody a seller at this stage because of a four-point divisional swing in each game. This year, you’re never really out of it until you are. Secondly, the border quarantine limits some options. I would love to believe that anybody who gets traded from a bottom-feeder to the (likely) playoff bound Jets would welcome this, I can’t guarantee that for every name.

A guy like Curtis Lazar would see like a fit from the Buffalo Sabres; two-way forward who works hard and can chip in some PK minutes. He also makes $800k for another year, which is enticing to have around as bait during the expansion draft. He’s a Cheveldayoff type, but he’s just one name in quite the fishbowl of guys.

SPEAKING OF THE EXPANSION DRAFT…

I’m also getting sick of talking about it, believe me. But we have to explore it a bit, and now seems like a good time considering it could impact what the Jets do at the trade deadline. Of course, the Seattle Kraken enter the league next season, and their expansion draft will follow the same rules as the Golden Knights did in 2017. We know now that these rules laid the groundwork for VGK to put together a pretty good team, for now and in the future (which I guess, is also now?)

So, a lot of teams, particularly the good one’s, should be kind of nervous about the expansion draft. I know what you’re thinking - “the Jets are pretty good? Should I be scared?”

The answer is only a little bit. I am here to be reassuring of course.

If you are unsure about the expansion draft rules, I can explain them fairly quickly. The Kraken are required to a player from every single NHL team except the Vegas Golden Knights. Of those 30 players, 20 of them need to be under contract for the 2021-2022 season. They are allowed to take 10 expiring contracts with hopes of signing those players, but I imagine there’s only a scenario or two where they’ll do that, and we’ll get back to that anyway. As for the non-Kraken teams, they are allowed to submit a list of protected or ineligible players in one of two ways:

a list of seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender

a list of eight skaters, and one goaltender

These teams can essentially protect whatever collection of their players that they want, but players who have a no-movement clause (NMC) or a no-trade clause (NTC) have to be protected.

So, there you go. You’re an expert as much as the rest of us now. I do have some thoughts as to what the Jets will do with their expansion protection list. If you asked me today, here’s what it looks like to me:

FORWARDS

Blake Wheeler (NMC), 2. Nikolaj Ehlers, 3. Mark Scheifele, 4. Pierre-Luc Dubois, 5. Kyle Connor, 6. Mason Appleton, 7. Andrew Copp (RFA)

DEFENSE

Josh Morrissey, 2. Neal Pionk (RFA), 3. Logan Stanley

GOALTENDER

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner

Of course, there are a few things to note here. First off, Blake Wheeler only needs to be protected because of his no-movement clause if he doesn’t want to waive. Now, in theory, the Jets could ask Wheeler to waive, and in theory, Wheeler could waive; they expose him, and we see what happens. However, I can almost guarantee the Jets won’t ask. Say what you will about Wheeler, but that isn’t happening. They love him, he loves it there, and has been the face of the team (for the most part) since 2011. He’s staying.

Now, the other obvious talking points are the two RFA’s. You might be asking “if the Jets are going to protect a players rights, why not find a way to get Adam Lowry on the list?” And that is a great question. Firstly, I think there is a strong chance the Jets reach an extension with Copp and Pionk prior to the expansion draft. Whether or not they put pen to paper ahead of time, I’m not sure. But I do think there will be an agreement in place. So while they may be RFA’s, that might just be a paper thing by that point. They are both very much in the Jets’ long-term plans.

Adam Lowry is an interesting discussion, but it ultimately ends with him not going very far. With Adam’s dad Dave now an assistant coach in Winnipeg, I would have to believe his interest rests with staying put. Of course, there is the discussion of financial desire, and the Jets don’t have money to burn. However, I do see Lowry being more of the “make it work” persuasion, a type there aren’t many of in the league.

The Kraken can take Lowry, and try to make it work. Then it doesn’t, and he goes to free agency, and comes back to Winnipeg. No matter what - I find it hard to believe he’s leaving the city of Winnipeg this summer and bringing all his stuff with him on a one-way ticket.

After all that, I imagine Logan Stanley is the only surprise name on here. That’s fair. It’s DeMelo or Stanley, take your pick. My preference is with the kid, for a couple simple reasons. The first is the potential factor. The second is the usage. I don’t think DeMelo is utilized in situations that makes him as effective as he could be. He’s an enticing option for the Kraken but he is very much a useful top-4 D. I wouldn’t fault either choice the Jets make, but it’s probably going to come down to one of those two.

Another key note about the expansion draft is Dominic Toninato, who looks poised to spend some time in the Jets lineup if he can stay healthy for now. If Toninato plays in four more games this season, he becomes eligible for the expansion, and helps the Jets’ meet their requirements. He is technically another player for the Kraken to select. That eligibility could be key this summer.

So what does this all mean? It’s important to recognize that acquiring a player with term could bump one of these players off the Jets protected list, OR that the newly acquired player is in danger of going to the Kraken. And I mean, in some cases that is perfectly fine. A potential trade for a Mattias Ekholm type would push some of these guys out of favour anyway. However, there are players out there where the question is “would it be worth losing so-and-so in the expansion draft,” and this is currently what they are working with.

I dunno. I still think David Savard, but I have no real basis for that other than my Spidey-sense seems to right on Cheveldayoff things every year. The deadline draws closer. We just have to wait and see.

- Tyler

#hockey #nhl news #sports #winnipeg jets #winnipeg

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ao3feed-hockey · 4 years

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Is it just my imagination or is this a scale?

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2ElUi9O

by Chocolatecandy56

Summary to come

Words: 296, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Men's Hockey RPF

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Winnipeg Jets Ensemble, Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Adam Lowry, Brandon Tanev, Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine

Relationships: Mark Scheifele/Blake Wheeler, Adam Lowry/Brandon Tanev

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Werewolves, Vampires, merman, Supernatural Elements, Still Hockey Players, Alternate Universe - Magic

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2ElUi9O

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #hockey rpf

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flauntpage · 6 years

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DGB Grab Bag: Shut Up, Hockey Pedant Man, Good Refs, and Malaise

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: These two Leafs fans – Anyone can wear the home team's gear. It might take some guts to represent the other team. But these two guys took it to the galaxy brain level: wearing referee uniforms. And, well, you can't say they're not dedicated to the bit. They even have props.

The second star: Nikolaj Ehlers isn't sure what you mean – It's fun to learn new words.

The first star: Brian Dumoulin's leg has betrayed him – "Not you, Lefty! You were supposed to be the trustworthy one!"

Outrage of the Week

The issue: The draft lottery is tomorrow, and this year the NHL isn't going to release all the results at once. Instead, they'll reveal the 12 teams that didn't win the lottery in the usual pregame countdown, but save the order of the three winning teams for the second intermission.

The outrage: Everyone seems to hate the idea.

Is it justified: No. What is wrong with you people?

Look, I realize that it's fun to complain about the NHL. I may have done it myself two or three times over the course of the season. But you also have to give credit where it's due: This is a good idea.

Basically, the NHL is going to tell us which three teams "won" the lottery, but make us wait to find out who gets the first overall pick. Some years, that wouldn't matter much. This year, with Rasmus Dahlin and then a steep drop off, the first pick is everything. It's a franchise-altering opportunity, especially with so many teams desperately needing an elite blueliner.

And that's what makes this so good. The suspense will be unbearable for those three teams. Imagine you're a fan in Buffalo, or Vancouver, or Arizona, and you see your team crack the top three. You've got a solid two hours to wonder if your team is about to get the kind of break you've been waiting a generation for. Maybe they will, and this is where it all turns around. Or maybe you're about to get your hopes crushed yet again. And instead of stewing over it during a commercial break, you have to sit through two periods.

Is that borderline cruel? Yes. Is it going to make for fantastic entertainment for the rest of us? Absolutely.

Just imagine some of the scenarios we could see. What if Chicago or New York cracks the final three, and everyone gets to shout conspiracy theories out their window for two hours? What if two division rivals both slip into the top three, and we're left waiting to see how the balance of power shifts? What if the Islanders are one of the final three using the Flames' pick, and we get to debate where the Travis Hamonic trade would rank among the worst of all-time if it ends up keeping Dahlin out of Calgary?

And best of all: What if the Oilers make the top three? The possibility of the Oilers winning the lottery has always been a tricky one. On the one hand, it would clearly be terrible. On the other, everyone would lose their minds, and the "root for maximum chaos" theory says we should want that. Now we can get the best of both worlds—a few hours of league-wide meltdown when the Oilers make the final round, followed by relief when they end up picking second instead.

All of that, in exchange for waiting a few extra hours for something we've already waited a month for? Honestly, I don't see a downside here.

It's a good idea. Is it a great one? No, because the league should take it even further. As long-time readers know, when I'm in charge we're going to draw the winning ping pong balls one at a time, revealing one before the game, one at each intermission, and the last one after the game. Imagine we'd done that in 2015, when the Leafs had the best odds of landing Connor McDavid on the final ball before the Oilers' number came up instead. You think Toronto fans were cranky on Wednesday night? They'd still be rioting if the league had taken the opportunity to torture them for an entire evening over the McDavid lottery.

But still, let's not let perfect be the enemy of pretty good. The league is trying something creative here, and it's an improvement over what we had before. Stop complaining and enjoy the chaos.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

The Bruins eliminated the Maple Leafs on Wednesday, marking the fourth time in history that the two franchises had met in a game seven. For today's obscure player, let's look back at the first player to get on the scoresheet the first time it happened, way back in 1941: Wilfred "Bucko" McDonald. Mainly, if we're being honest, because "Bucko" is just a cool name.

McDonald was a big defenseman who broke into the NHL in 1934 with the Red Wings, playing 15 games before settling into regular duty for the next three years. He didn't score much, just 11 goals in parts of five seasons in Detroit, but he was a solid presence in his own end. He was traded to the Maple Leafs midway through the 1938-39 season and remained with the team until he was sold to the Rangers in 1943. In all, he played 11 seasons, scoring 35 goals in 446 regular season games.

McDonald also added six playoff goals, including the opening marker in that Leafs/Bruins game seven showdown on April 3, 1941. That gave the Leafs an early lead, but the Bruins tied the game a minute later and went on to win 2-1. McDonald and the Leafs would rebound to win the Stanley Cup the following season, the third championship of his career.

While he had a long and successful NHL stint, McDonald is actually best known for two other contributions to the sports world. He was an excellent lacrosse player; McDonald was inducted into the Canadian lacrosse hall of fame in 1971, and the Ontario Lacrosse Association named its trophy for the highest-scoring player in his honor. And he also coached minor hockey in his later years, and used his NHL experience to help one particular 11-year-old convert to the blueline. That switch worked out pretty well, for both the kid and the Boston Bruins.

Debating the Issues

This week’s debate: The NHL has spent the last few weeks revealing all of the nominees for the various league awards. But are they getting them right?

In favor: I think they are. I mean, obviously I don't agree with each and every selection, and neither do you. But generally speaking, I haven't seen anything really outrageous.

Opposed: I don't know. I really thought Seth Jones deserved to be one of the Norris Trophy nominees, and instead P.K. Subban got the honor.

In favor: That's fair. But the Norris was always going to come down to Victor Hedman and Drew Doughty, so I'm not going to get too worked up over who should have ended up third.

Opposed: Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But what about the Vezina? The three nominees were basically just the guys with the most wins. Is that really the best way to judge a goaltender?

In favor: No, but remember, the Vezina is voted on by the GMs, so they're going to be focused on guys who play a lot of games. That helps explains why it always seems so weighted towards wins.

Opposed: True. How about Charlie McAvoy not being one of the Calder nominees?

In favor: Defensemen never seem to get enough credit when it comes to…. Wait, did you see that? Up there, in the sky. Why it's … it's …

Opposed: A bird! A plane!

In favor: No, it's…

(A man wearing a mask and a cape and a costume with a red pen as its logo lands with a thud.)

Hockey Pedant Man: IT IS I, HOCKEY PEDANT MAN!

Opposed: Oh lord.

In favor: Not this guy.

Hockey Pedant Man: Defender of terminology! Corrector of the incorrect! Interrupter of conversations!

Opposed: Bloody hell. What have we done to summon you today, Hockey Pedant Man?

Hockey Pedant Man: You keep referring to award nominees. But they're not nominees. They are (poses dramatically) finalists!

In favor: Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's basically the same thing.

Hockey Pedant Man: It most certainly is not. "Nominees" implies that there's an additional round of voting, when in fact all ballots for the awards you're discussing have already been received and counted. The original list of 31 names for the Masterton consisted of nominees, but for the other awards the league has simply revealed the three players who received the most votes.

Opposed: Fine.

Hockey Pedant Man: So you see, they're finalists. This is important.

In favor: I don't think it is. I mean, everyone knew what we meant.

Hockey Pedant Man: WORDS MATTER, PEON!

In favor: Do you want to just leave? This guy ruins everything.

Hockey Pedant Man: Would you like to hear about how it's "alternate" captain, not assistant?

Opposed: Yeah, let's go. I don't even remember what we were initially talking about.

In favor: Want to find somewhere to watch the NHL playoffs?

Hockey Pedant Man: It's actually the "Stanley Cup Playoffs."

Opposed: Stop it! Enough! Yes, maybe you're technically right, but literally nobody was confused by any of those terms. You're correcting people just for the sake of it while adding nothing to the conversation. It doesn't make you look smart. You just look like an insecure scold.

In favor: Yeah man, knock it off.

Hockey Pedant Man: Knock it… off?

In favor: Yes.

Hockey Pedant Man: You mean off as in… offside? Which is what the term is. Anyone who says "offsides" is wrong.

In favor: That's it. You're going down.

(Opposed and In Favor both drop their gloves and pummel Hockey Pedant Man to the ground, yanking his jersey over his head as they go.)

Hockey Pedant Man: (with last remaining ounce of strength) It's… it's actually a hockey sweater.

The final verdict: Please never be this guy.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

The Sabres hold the best odds in tomorrow's lottery. As history has shown, that means they're going to lose, and yet another last-place season will end with some other team drafting a future franchise player. And in that moment, despondent Buffalo fans may be tempted to seek out a way to alter the miserable reality of cheering for the Sabres. For example, drugs.

Don't do it, Sabres fans—drugs are bad. And we have some friends here to remind you of that.

(Thanks to reader Marty for suggesting this video.)

youtube

Yes, it's 1986, and the playoff-missing Buffalo Sabres have an important message for you kids out there. Our old pal Ed Kilgore is here, and he's making a very serious face as he introduces our clip.

OK, I know what you're thinking: Haven't we done this clip before? I thought so too, but no, that was a Buffalo Sabres anti-drug message from 1985, which we broke down a few years ago. Apparently this was kind of a thing for the mid-80s Sabres.

That 1985 video was, well, awkward. It featured the players actually singing, and one of them tried to dance. We've got a few of the same cast of characters back for round two, so let's see if they've learned anything.

Two things become clear immediately: First of all, this is going to be the perkiest, most up-tempo anti-drug ballad in history. And second, the players have mercifully decided to let a pro do most of the singing. That's a good call. Not so good: Starting the clip with various shots of the Sabres playing the Vancouver Canucks in their old bright yellow uniforms, which would encourage just about anyone to do drugs.

"He was in front of the net so I gave him the pass, but he never got the shot off, he was high on grass." I already love this song so much.

"When he broke in on the wing and he took the shot, he shot much straighter when he didn't smoke pot." Yep, this is my new favorite song. Sorry, whatever was played at my wedding, you've been replaced.

Our piano-playing singer is John Valby, a local musician. According to his Wikipedia page, he produced two albums with Sabres defenseman (and future donut-based insult comic) Jim Schoenfeld in the 1970s. Schoenfeld was also the coach of the 1985-86 Sabres until he was fired midway through the season. Was it because of this song? I don't know for sure, but yes it definitely was.

Meanwhile, that's team captain Gilbert Perreault sitting next to Valby and desperately trying to will this entire thing out of existence.

I'm not sure, but I think that may have been Perreault actually singing his line. I can't tell, because his attempt to lip sync is one of the worst I've ever seen. It's not even close. Are there any lip readers out there? Because I'm pretty sure Perreault is actually saying something like "Let me know when you start filming."

Also, he looks like he wants to cry. Other than that, nailed it.

We hit the chorus, which is accompanied by a highlight of the Sabres losing a faceoff and letting the Bruins clear the zone. The 1985-86 Sabres: Feel the excitement!

Mike Ramsey and his mustache are enjoying this.

Next up comes my favorite part of the entire video, as the Sabres break into two sides and start sing-chanting anti-drug slogans at each other. It's like the world's saddest community theater version of West Side Story.

We shift over to a few words about alcohol, and everyone seems to be enjoying the "Waste away if you do a lot" portion of the song just a little too much. How many of them do you think are drunk as they film this? I'm guessing "not zero."

For some reason, Lindy Ruff gets his own verse. Even for him, drugs are too tough. Also too tough: the NHL's skate-in-crease rules, although we wouldn't find that part out for another decade or so.

We get some strong work by a pair of returnees from the 1985 video, Mike Foligno and Dave Andreychuk. They would later reunite to help Glenn Anderson and the 1993 Maple Leafs record "The Leafs Are The Best," which is ironic because that's something that people only ever say when they're high.

Find someone who looks at you like Bill Hajt looks at Mike Ramsey.

Everyone seems to really enjoy the big "Oh Barrasso" crescendo but Tom Barrasso doesn't seem to actually be there, because he hated fun. Also, I realize he was the starter and I'm not trying to tell Valby how to write a song, but not working in a line with the word "Puppa" seems like a missed opportunity.

A closeup of Valby's disgustingly filthy keyboard gives way to a few more shots of Phil Housley's shades. Singing a song about winning the Stanley Cup while showing footage of another team is pretty much the most Buffalo Sabres thing ever.

Also, singing "All you losers can snort cocaine" and then almost immediately cutting to a shot of the Edmonton Oilers winning a championship is an, um, interesting choice.

And with that, we're done. I hope everyone learned something today. In case you're wondering, Valby is still touring to this day. According to Wikipedia, "(h)is songs and shows focus mainly on sex and racial slurs," so I'm sure they're a hot ticket. But if you happen to attend one, you know what to request.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at [email protected] .

DGB Grab Bag: Shut Up, Hockey Pedant Man, Good Refs, and Malaise published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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junker-town · 7 years

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Winnipeg Jets’ emerging offense a solid starting point for their future

Patrik Laine is only the beginning for Winnipeg.

It’s that time of the NHL season where a few fan bases start buying playoff tickets while the rest turn their attention to MLB spring training. Elimination is no fun. But it shouldn’t color your whole fandom with tears. Just most of it. Seventy percent of it.

This is the 30 percent: SB Nation NHL Silver Linings, where we send hockey’s eliminated teams into the offseason with five good things to remember from this season.

The 2016-17 season showed us just how dangerous the Winnipeg Jets can be as a franchise. Sure they were eliminated from the playoffs with a few weeks to go, but the league has been put on notice.

A year after falling to the second-last spot in the league, the Jets climbed to just within reach of batting .500. And hey, no one expected Winnipeg to contend this year, but right off the bat they were a fun team to watch.

Oh, and they might have the Calder Trophy by season’s end too. Imagine that.

Patrik Laine became the latest rookie wunderkind

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

That Calder Trophy we mentioned? Yeah, Laine’s likely going to win that. Maybe. It’s really more of a tossup. But still! Laine is tied for the NHL scoring lead with 61 points with Toronto’s rookie sensation, though Laine has done it in seven less games.

No one’s really sure now who will get the Calder, but it’s sure got to mean more to Laine in a year where the Jets are no longer contending. And even if he doesn’t win, Laine’s cemented himself as an offensive player to watch for years to come.

Plus, Laine was at the centerpiece of sparking a rivalry flame between two young, talented teams. Canada really bounced back this season, eh?

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The rest of Winnipeg’s offense announced themselves too

James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Get ready to hear the names of Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers for a long time. The pair emerged this season as an offensive threat worthy of mention. Scheifele especially, who has 76 points in 73 games to lead the Jets offense as a 23-year-old.

Their supporting cast is quite talented too, with the likes of Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien, Bryan Little, and Mathieu Perreault playing big parts in making the Jets offense the eighth deadliest in the NHL this season.

Add some college hockey standouts in Andrew Copp and Kyle Connor to the mix, and Winnipeg’s offense has never been deeper in this incarnation of the franchise.

Ondrej Pavelec’s days as a Jet are nearly over

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

And they almost were, as the Jets rolled with Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson for most of the season. Winnipeg’s goaltending was certainly their biggest weakness of the season, but head coach Paul Maurice finally seemed to realize that their goaltender of the future was not going to be Pavelec.

Hellebuyck has shown flashes of greatness, and stability, while Hutchinson can live as a capable backup. It’s not perfect, but Hellebuyck especially is young and still developing. Not everyone can have a Matt Murray at the outset of their goaltending careers.

They’ll be healthy again come next season

Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

Winnipeg could have been in a position to take a run at the Western Conference playoff standings, but their health deteriorated over the last few months. Eight players, including Laine and Byfuglien, have fallen prey to the injury bug.

Would the Jets have made the climb to the postseason even with their key players uninjured? Who knows. But no one likes losing almost double digits in players to injury, especially over a few weeks time. Just ask the Penguins.

All of their biggest names are signed through next season

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

With the offseason near, and Vegas throwing a wrench into the draft plans, most teams will likely be scrambling to sign and make deals to accommodate their biggest players. The Jets, however, will have just four unrestricted free agents to deal with and have a projected $6.3 million in cap space to deal with.

The only big named UFA coming off the books at the end of the season will be Pavelec, and with their cap space they’ll have plenty of room to get Marko Dano, Copp, Brandon Tanev, Ben Chiarot, and Hellebuyck under contract. Some smart management this offseason can set them up well for a bright future.

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thrashermaxey · 5 years

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Lining Up: Deep Playoff Pool Targets from Top Playoff Teams

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs just around the corner, you’re probably getting ready to assemble the ultimate roster for your playoff pool. Luckily for you, I’ve done a ‘quick’ lineup review for the top-8 qualifying teams. Stay tuned for next week’s article where we’ll cover the remaining eight playoff teams! Follow me on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza for line combinations and injury updates as they playoffs approach!

Western Conference

Winnipeg Jets (Most Frequent Line Combinations)

Line Combination

Goals

For

Goals

Against

CF%

TOI

Nikolaj Ehlers – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler

51.68

403:58

Kyle Connor – Kevin Hayes – Patrik Laine

44.87

37:54

Adam Lowry – Bryan Little – Brandon Tanev

41.70

145:07

Stats retrieved from NaturalStatTrick

Last year, the Winnipeg Jets put up an impressive 52-20-10 record, winning nine of their last ten regular season games. This season, their 46-29-4 record is much less impressive, and it isn’t reassuring to see that they’ve lost four of their last six games. One of the biggest differences between this season and last season for the Jets has been Connor Hellebuyck’s play. Last year he went 44-11-9, with a .924 SV% and 2.36 GAA – numbers which got him nominated for the Vezina. He hasn’t been nearly as good this season, with a rather pedestrian 33-23-2 record alongside a .913 SV% and 2.91 GAA. While Winnipeg’s lineup features many scoring threats, it’s hard to imagine the team makes a deep run into the playoffs without solid play from Hellebuyck.

While the line combinations I listed above feature Nikolaj Ehlers beside Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, it’s important to note that both Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor have also seen significant time beside Scheifele and Wheeler. However, when Connor is on the top line, they’ve been outscored 27 to 36 and when Laine is on the top line, they’ve been outscored 14 to 20.

St. Louis Blues (Most Frequent Line Combinations)

Line Combination

Goals

For

Goals

Against

CF%

TOI

Brayden Schenn – Ryan O’Reilly – Vladimir Tarasenko

54.01

283:27

Jaden Schwartz – Oskar Sundqvist – David Perron

51.57

86:43

Pat Maroon – Tyler Bozak – Robert Thomas

52.08

250:42

Stats retrieved from NaturalStatTrick

I don’t think we truly appreciate just how good the St. Louis Blues have been in the second half of the season. Since the beginning of 2019, the Blues have played 42 games and sport a 28-10-4 record. In that timeframe they’ve accumulated the most points (60) in the league – tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning who have an impressive 29-8-2 record in that span. Jordan Binnington has been integral in St. Louis’ turnaround, winning 22 of the 30 games he’s played while sporting a .928 SV% and 1.85 GAA. How many times have we seen a hot goalie take a team to the Stanley Cup Final? I mean Marc-Andre Fleury almost single-handedly won it all for Vegas last year! I mention all this so you can give the Blues the respect they deserve when it comes time for your playoff pool draft. If you underestimate St Louis, they’ll give you the Blues.

Calgary Flames (Most Frequent Line Combinations)

Line Combination

Goals

For

Goals

Against

CF%

TOI

Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Elias Lindholm

54.47

855:19

Matthew Tkachuk – Mikael Backlund – Michael Frolik

59.18

422:28

Sam Bennett – Mark Jankowski – James Neal

50.65

154:22

Stats retrieved from NaturalStatTrick

Calgary is one of a very few teams with two excellent forward lines that have been together for the duration of the season. The top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm has been in the conversation for one of the league’s best lines, as each member has the ability to take over a game. Lindholm has complemented Monahan and Gaudreau extremely well and the trio has established a level of chemistry that is rare to find between three players in the NHL. What’s even more impressive to me is the fact that the team’s second line has absolutely dominated opponents – outscoring them by a tally of 32 to 15! While James Neal has struggled to produce in his first year with the Flames, he does have 100 games of playoff experience. So, he might be someone you consider drafting in your playoff pool if you think Calgary is going to make a deep run this season. The team will likely face off against the Avalanche or Coyotes in round one of the playoffs and will be favoured to win in either matchup.

San Jose Sharks (Most Frequent Line Combinations)

Line Combination

Goals

For

Goals

Against

CF%

TOI

Tomas Hertl – Logan Couture – Timo Meier

55.07

243:39

Evander Kane – Joe Pavelski – Gustav Nyquist

Marcus Sorensen – Joe Thornton – Kevin Labanc

53:36

369:30

Stats retrieved from NaturalStatTrick

Since Gustav Nyquist arrived in San Jose, we haven’t had a chance to see where he fits into a fully healthy Sharks’ roster. Nyquist played his first game as a member of the Sharks on February 26th against the Bruins, a game in which Evander Kane suffered an injury. In the same game that Kane made his return (March 16th against the Predators), Joe Pavelski left with an injury and hasn’t played since. While we don’t know exactly what San Jose’s top two lines will look like come playoff time, it appears the third line is set in stone. Marcus Sorensen, Joe Thornton and Kevin Labanc have played very well together all season and provide an element of ‘depth-scoring’ that every Cup contender needs. Couture and Meier have also played most of the season on the same line and will probably be linemates when postseason action begins. While I personally want to see San Jose win a cup for Jumbo Joe, their goaltending has struggled all season and they have a difficult first round matchup against the Golden Knights. If you do believe the Sharks have what it takes to make a long run, they have a deep forward roster that you should be drafting in your playoff pool.

Eastern Conference

Washington Capitals (Most Frequent Line Combinations)

Line Combination

Goals

For

Goals

Against

CF%

TOI

Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson

52.50

328:28

Jakub Vrana – Nicklas Backstrom – T. J. Oshie

52.68

351:34

Carl Hagelin – Lars Eller – Brett Connolly

60.54

101:30

Stats retrieved from NaturalStatTrick

Did someone say back-to-back? The Washington Capitals will try to be the first team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups since the Pittsburgh Penguins, who did it all the way back in 2016 and 2017. At this point in time, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly which team the Caps will face in the first round of the playoffs. If they win the division, they can face any one of the Blue Jackets, Hurricanes or Canadiens. If they fall to second in the Metro and the Islanders win the division, we’ll be seeing a classic Sid vs. Ovi matchup as the Capitals will face off against the Penguins. In any case, Washington is capable of winning any one of those matchups. They also have the luxury of avoiding any potential matchup with the Lightning until the third round.

If you think Washington is going to make another run or the Cup this season, I recommend targeting their third line as you draft your playoff roster. Sure, you can go after the obvious names like Ovechkin, Kuznetsov and Backstrom, but depth scoring is so important for any team that hopes to win the Stanley Cup. Carl Hagelin, Lars Eller and Brett Connolly have played extremely well together since Hagelin arrived in Washington.

New York Islanders (Most Frequent Line Combinations)

Line Combination

Goals

For

Goals

Against

CF%

TOI

Anders Lee – Mathew Barzal – Jordan Eberle

57.72

187:58

Michael Dal Cole – Brock Nelson – Josh Bailey

55.88

44:24

Anthony Beauvillier – Leo Komarov – Tom Kuhnhackl

46.34

16:28

Stats retrieved from NaturalStatTrick

It’s hard to have a lot of faith in the Islanders making a deep run this postseason, but not many people had faith that New York would make the playoffs at all. Throughout this season, the team has received stellar goaltending from both Robin Lehner (2.18 GAA & .928 SV%) and Thomas Greiss (2.32 GAA & .926 SV%). We all know how impactful a strong goaltending performance can be during the playoffs, and they Isles have two guys capable of providing that. We haven’t seen a lot of playoff success from this roster in recent years, so it’s hard to pinpoint many guys that you should target in your playoff pool. Jordan Eberle has two points in 13 playoff games – all of which were played during Edmonton’s 2016-2017 postseason run. Brock Nelson has seven points in 18 playoff games with the Isles, Josh Bailey has 11 in 22 and Anders Lee has one point in five. Michael Dal Colle, Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier will be getting their first taste of NHL playoff action. I’d personally stay away from the Islanders in a playoff pool, but this team has a knack for exceeding our expectations.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Most Frequent Line Combinations)

Line Combination

Goals

For

Goals

Against

CF%

TOI

Nikita Kucherov – Brayden Point – Tyler Johnson

53.94

572:24

Ondrej Palat – Steven Stamkos – J.T. Miller

55.47

135:22

Alex Killorn – Anthony Cirelli – Mathieu Joseph

57.14

284:22

Adam Erne – Yanni Gourde – Cedric Paquette

50.00

46:42

Stats retrieved from NaturalStatTrick

Okay, I cheated a bit on this one and included Tampa’s ‘fourth’ line because of how deep this team is. I figured someone like Yanni Gourde might be valuable in a playoff pool if Tampa makes a deep run this year. I personally love the unpredictability of playoff hockey, so even though the Lightning have the best roster and have steamrolled through the league during the regular season, I’m not convinced they’re going to win the Cup. However, it’s hard to argue with how dominant each of their lines have been. While Tampa has experimented with alternate combinations recently, the ones listed above have been used frequently and successful when deployed. If you’re looking for a great under-the-radar player on Tampa, Anthony Cirelli fits the bill. To the average Joe, Cirelli’s 37 points in 79 games this season aren’t very impressive, but he’s been great lately with 13 points in his last 17 games.

Boston Bruins (Most Frequent Line Combinations)

Line Combination

Goals

For

Goals

Against

CF%

TOI

Brad Marchand – Partice Bergeron – David Pastrnak

57.94

472:16

Jake DeBrusk – David Krejci – Marcus Johansson

55.56

46:48

Danton Heinen – Charlie Coyle – Chris Wagner

35.62

44:04

Stats retrieved from NaturalStatTrick

If you think the Bruins are primed to make a run at the Stanley Cup this postseason, you should probably target Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci in your playoff draft. Boston will face off against Toronto in round one, a rematch of last season’s first-round matchup. You might remember how well DeBrusk played in that series, registering seven points in seven games as the Bruins defeated the Leafs. The duo of Krejci and DeBrusk has been excellent during the 2018-2019 regular season, as they’ve had a chance to build chemistry through over 700 minutes of ice-time together. They’ve outscored opponents 34-25 while controlling an impressive 56% of the shot-share. I included Marcus Johansson on their line in the combinations above, but he hasn’t really found his spot in the lineup since arriving in Boston and dealing with injury. Coach Bruce Cassidy might shuffle his lines as he tries to find a fit for Johansson, but ultimately, I think he ends up on the second line. By now, it’s common knowledge that the Bruins’ top line is one of the best in the league and they probably won’t be split up come playoff time.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/nhl-line-combinations/lining-up-deep-playoff-pool-targets-from-top-playoff-teams/

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othersportsnews-blog · 7 years

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Fantasy hockey - waiver wire pickups, players to drop

New Post has been published on https://othersportsnews.com/fantasy-hockey-waiver-wire-pickups-players-to-drop/

Fantasy hockey - waiver wire pickups, players to drop

Florida Panthers centre Vincent Trocheck is out there in almost half of all ESPN fantasy hockey leagues. Image by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Illustrations or photos

Each individual 7 days, we are going to mine the waiver wire for lesser-owned property to assistance your squad, whether or not you favor dynasty or the redraft format — and we are going to also toss in some tips for DFS players out there. Classified by situation, the players are ranked in descending order by ownership proportion in ESPN.com leagues. We will also consist of some former go-to fantasy property who might be overvalued — in the limited- or lengthy-phrase — for one particular purpose or a different.

Forwards

Vincent Trocheck, C, Florida Panthers Possession proportion: 53.5

Subbing in for an hurt Aleksander Barkov (reduce-system injuries) along with Jaromir Jagr on a Panthers leading line, the younger centre has scored in 3 straight (furthermore two assists) on thirteen shots. Whilst the odds of Trocheck remaining unclaimed in your redraft or keeper are slim, he is a ought to-begin in all formats. And give the 23-calendar year-aged further imagined in every day fantasy level of competition.

Sebastian Aho, LW/RW, Carolina Hurricanes Possession proportion: ten.

Capturing on internet with greater frequency, the 19-calendar year-aged Finn has loved a productive thirty day period, with 5 objectives and 5 assists in a dozen online games. Also well worth appreciating is Aho’s constant leading-6 and electricity-engage in part, along with Teuvo Teravainen and Lee Stempniak.

Zach Hyman, C/RW/LW, Toronto Maple Leafs Possession proportion: 7.1

Skating on an even-toughness line with Auston Matthews has it truly is perks, as illustrated by Hyman’s 7 assists in 7 latest online games. I like Connor Brown (ownership proportion: 7.6) for the very same positional purpose — with the included reward of Brown also looking at valuable minutes with the gentleman-advantage.

Sven Baertschi, LW, Vancouver Canucks Possession proportion: 6.three

Jelling very well with Bo Horvat at even toughness and competing with Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin on the electricity engage in, Baertschi is purple very hot with 3 objectives and two assists in 3 online games. He’s also well worth thing to consider as a every day fantasy asset Wednesday, compared to Arizona’s porous defense.

Kevin Labanc, LW/RW, San Jose Sharks Possession proportion: 1.4

The Sharks’ persistence in actively playing Labanc in a leading-6 part is having to pay out personal scoring dividends. Skating on a line with Logan Couture and Mikkel Boedker, the flexible winger has 3 objectives and two assists in his past 5 online games. The 21-calendar year-aged rookie — who averaged almost two factors per recreation with the OHL Barrie Colts in 2015-sixteen — also attained his 1st electricity-engage in level of his occupation this past 7 days, compared to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Justin Bailey, RW, Buffalo Sabres Possession proportion: .1

Possessing viewed this child shut up during his junior hockey times with the Kitchener Rangers, I’m not shocked to see him battle for the chance to produce in a outstanding part. Soon after a temporary NHL flavor very last period, Bailey is receiving the chance to strut his target-scoring things in a leading-6 place along with Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart. Give the 21-calendar year-aged rookie a lengthy, tricky seem in deep dynasty leagues.

Jordan Schroeder, C/RW, Minnesota Wild Possession proportion: .

With two objectives and two helpers in 5 online games, the 26-calendar year-aged AHL regular is earning the chance to skate on a Wild leading line with Zach Parise and Eric Staal. As this kind of, Schroeder might merit a whirl as a cheapie dim horse in every day fantasy engage in.

Defensemen

Nick Holden, New York Rangers Possession proportion: forty six.eight

If, perchance, Holden is still out there in your sizable redraft league, snag him ASAP. If not, goal the 29-calendar year-aged as a every day fantasy asset when the matchup feels favorable. Whilst the limited-phrase target-per-recreation speed (4 contests) is obviously unsustainable, the defender has completely settled in very well with his new squad in New York.

Mattias Ekholm, Nashville Predators Possession proportion: forty one.eight

As lengthy as P.K. Subban continues to be sidelined with an upper-system injuries (herniated disc?), Ekholm features greater fantasy price. It is no incident the 26-calendar year-aged has scored a target and 4 assists during the leading defender’s absence. And Subban is loosely projected to skip at the very least a different 7 days or so.

Jacob Trouba, Winnipeg Jets Possession proportion: 36.6

Frankly, the productive chill following this season’s early deal drama lasted lengthier than we anticipated. Even so, Trouba has given that cobbled his act collectively, gathering two objectives and 7 assists in ten online games. His part on a electricity engage in including Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers even more suggests the 22-calendar year-aged will not be lengthy for earning factors with the further skater both.

Take into account riding Dallas Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen when he is rolling very hot. Image by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire

Goaltenders

Kari Lehtonen, Dallas Stars Possession proportion: 22.4

With 3 straight wins and one particular blemish-no cost reduction visual appeal in spot of a floundering Antti Niemi, Lehtonen is on one particular of his favourable tears. Have interaction the veteran netminder in the format of your picking out prior to this constructive streak skids to an abrupt halt.

Michal Neuvirth, Philadelphia Flyers Possession proportion: 6.5

Maybe the multi-7 days absence (knee injuries) will assistance reset Neuvirth forward of the season’s 2nd half. Maybe not. But we’re not convinced Steve Mason — who has stuttered of late — has the structure to continue on shouldering the load for the Flyers both. Now that he is been activated off IR, Neuvirth merits monitoring in deeper leagues.

James Reimer, Florida Panthers Possession proportion: three.6

Whilst Roberto Luongo continues to be ranked Florida’s No. 1 netminder, Reimer has sparkled this past thirty day period, surrendering only 7 objectives in 4 commences, furthermore one particular fantastic — if temporary — reduction visual appeal. 4 factors shy of a postseason berth, the Panthers will not chorus from riding Reimer’s very hot hand, if vital.

Decreased anticipations

Jamie Benn, LW, Dallas Stars Possession proportion: 99.9

Suffering a insignificant foot injuries during Saturday’s tilt with the Panthers, Benn is slated to skip his 1st recreation (to injuries) in almost 4 several years. Without the need of “Mr. Tough” in the lineup, the Stars’ leading device of Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza and a recovered Patrick Sharp (concussion) projects most promisingly forward of Wednesday’s matchup with the Montreal Canadiens.

Pekka Rinne, G, Nashville Predators Possession proportion: 93.4

In admittedly noticeably less appearances in comparison with Rinne’s workload, backup Juuse Saros has been the far better goaltender in Nashville of late. Which is a stark truth. And when latest historical past supports an about confront from the Predators’ No. 1 goalie, ESPN’s Sean Allen suggests this kind of a turnaround is barely confirmed:

“… The calendar has flipped to a new thirty day period, so in concept, that usually means Rinne is about to go on a tear as the ideal goaltender in the NHL until eventually February. Right? Right?!? Whilst that is one particular way to seem at items – a different is that Rinne has experienced one particular fantastic thirty day period sandwiched in between two terrible kinds this period. Backup Juuse Saros appears to be like far better with each individual begin, which usually means owners of Rinne certainly have to handcuff him at this level.”

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ao3feed-hockey · 5 years

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Love Letter

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2G4hwhB

by ThoseDaysThatWill

An Alternate Universe imagining the boys working together in a sporting good store. (With soulmate elements.)

Words: 2290, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Men's Hockey RPF

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Adam Lowry, Ben Chiarot, Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler

Relationships: Adam Lowry/Brandon Tanev, Ben Chiarot/Sami Niku

Additional Tags: Winnipeg Jets, Alternate Universe - Retail, Alternate Universe - Soulmates

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2G4hwhB

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #hockey rpf

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retrocelly · 5 years

Note

Could you do one of Nikolaj Ehlers coming home angry about not scoring in the playoffs and taking he’s angry out on you in the bedroom

he’d have you doggy style, pounding into you and occasionally smacking your ass. when he gets closer, he’d pull out and flip you over. He’d have his hand tightly around your neck, thrusting slowly but roughly into you. He’d be dirty talking in danish. he’d also spit onto your clit as he fucked you, watching as his saliva dripped and spread over you. Even after you had both cum, he’d still be agitated, which would lead to him fucking your mouth until mascara was running onto your cheeks.

thirst night!

#nikolaj ehlers #nikolaj ehlers imagine #nikolaj ehlers smut

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junker-town · 7 years

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5 things to watch for on NHL’s opening night

The first night of the season brings us a Cup ceremony, Laine vs. Matthews, and more.

After a long offseason full of roster moves, Olympic curiosity, and reminders that somebody really needs to beat the Penguins, the 2017-18 NHL season begins Wednesday night. It’s a four-game slate highlighted by Pittsburgh’s season opener, which will start with the team’s latest banner-raising ceremony.

That’s not all to watch for on opening night, though, so let’s dig into what’ll make the first day of hockey worth tuning into. For the next eight months or so, it’s going to be a non-stop flow of dope goals and unreal saves as we enter a new, younger, faster era of the NHL.

The official first game of the season will be a good example of that as the Maple Leafs take on the Jets at 6 p.m. ET. Is Toronto ready to take its next step in the Eastern Conference? We’ll start answering that question Wednesday.

Here are five reasons to tune in for the first night of the NHL season. Let’s have some fun.

Laine vs. Matthews

The future of the NHL is ridiculously bright thanks to a new generation of young stars. What better way to get started this season than watching two of the best — Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine and Toronto’s Auston Matthews — in a game between two of the league’s top offensive teams?

The Maple Leafs and Jets finished fifth and sixth in goals for last season. Now that guys like Matthews, Laine, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Mark Scheifele, and Nikolaj Ehlers are a year older, these teams could score even more. Don’t be surprised if we start off with a 6-5 game at MTS Centre.

Matthews, one of the flashiest players in the league, began his NHL career with four goals on opening day a year ago. What’s up his sleeve next? This is an awesome way to open the season.

Penguins’ banner-raising ceremony

Yes, we got to see one of these a year ago in Pittsburgh, but that doesn’t make the celebration any less gleeful. The Penguins will raise their latest Stanley Cup banner Wednesday night before taking on the Blues in their season opener, which shall also be known as The Ryan Reaves Game. It’s set to start at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBCSN.

If you’re not a Penguins fan, this probably won’t be nearly as fun to watch, but you can sit back and imagine if it was your team. Or try to do some voodoo to make sure Pittsburgh doesn’t win again. Either way, one of the best parts of winning a championship is being able to celebrate the crap out of it.

Connor McDavid time!

This one doesn’t need much explanation. He’s the most electric player in hockey and could be even better a year after winning his first Hart Trophy. The Flames, meanwhile, have one of the league’s most impressive defensive top-fours with Dougie Hamilton, Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, and new addition Travis Hamonic, so they’ll be ready to try to keep McDavid in check. Last season, the Oilers center recorded four goals, including two game-winners, and seven points in four games against Calgary.

Will anyone kneel for the national anthem?

About a week ago, Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds said he was considering joining in the protests against police brutality and racial injustice that have gone on during the pregame national anthems in other sports. On Wednesday night, Philadelphia takes on San Jose in its first game of the season at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Simmonds, who is Canadian and one of the NHL’s few black players, may or may not kneel before the game, but as he noted recently, what’s more important is the issues being protested.

“All anyone wants to talk about right now is why they’re kneeling,” Simmonds said, via NBC Sports. “And if you’re disrespecting the Army or the national anthem or whatever it might be. People fail to see what the real issue is, or why Colin Kaepernick actually started this protest, and that he actually talked with an armed force member who was actually on CNN last night discussing all of these issues on a panel as to why he used the national anthem as a vehicle to get this out.”

Joel Ward, who also recently spoke up about a possible protest during the anthem, tweeted recently that he would not kneel, but gave a lengthy explanation of where he’s coming from. Ward will likely be in the lineup for the Sharks on Wednesday night.

Nolan Patrick makes his NHL debut

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft will be in the lineup for the Flyers against the Sharks on Wednesday night. He’s expected to be the second-line center between wingers Simmonds and Jordan Weal, so there should be lots of playing time to go around.

Patrick may not be as exciting as guys like Laine, Matthews, and Nico Hischier — the other top-two picks of the past two years — but he’s a well-rounded center who should have a good rookie year in Philadelphia. Last season, he put up 46 points in 33 games during an injury-shortened year with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings.

It may take him 82 games, but 46 points in the NHL this season seems like a doable proposition.

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