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Hey, and welcome to a new NHL season! Maybe you're excited. Maybe you're cautious or unsure. Maybe you're Ottawa. In any event, let's kill off the last few hours of the offseason and post about our dumb teams' rosters. Who's new? Who's exciting? Does your team have a rookie who's going to hopefully shine? Who did Ken Holland sign to too much contract and/or term and/or gave an NTC to? Columbus Blue Jackets Can't we just have one quiet summer? It couldn't be an offseason in Columbus without free agent drama, be it Nash, Johansen, Bobrovsky (remember that name), or Anderson. And hoo boy, has this been a jim-dandy of  . After two straight playoff appearances, two Russians control the destiny of this team being either a) potentially a legitimate contender, b) continuing the status quo of trying to win series, or c)  .Forwards (projected opening night roster) 77- Josh Anderson- He's a younger version of Scott Hartnell and was last year's holdout until the team won and he signed. Good for 15-20 a year and some punchman action. 13- Cam Atkinson- Perhaps the second-best forward on the team and the best forward who we know for sure will be around next year. He'll easily score 25, maybe more on a line with Panarin and Dubois. Not bad for a guy who was almost traded to the Rangers at the deadline in 2015. 28- Oliver Bjorkstrand- Here's a guy to watch if you like snipers. He's speedy and got a deadly release, seems due for a breakout year, and will slot in nicely on the second line. 17- Brandon Dubinsky- He lost his A last season and got to the point where he was sent home from a trip and was largely an afterthought, but word is he's in better shape and has come to play this season. If he can pot 10 goals as a fourth liner, the center depth doesn't look bad at all all of a sudden. 18- Pierre-Luc Dubois- People gasped when the Finnish GM didn't take the Finnish player in 2016 at the draft. After all, Jesse Puljujarvi was destined for Columbus and Le Habs would take the Francophone #4 as God intended, right? Bzzzt. CBJ went PLD and, in the first campaign, it paid off, with a rookie record of 18 goals, dethroning some guy who hosed off to New York years ago. He notched a hat trick against Calgary and might make us really forget Ryan Johansen was on the team. 91- Anthony Duclair- Here's an intriguing signing. The last time Jarmo went to the bargain bin, he plucked left-for-dead Sam Gagner, who paid off his prove-it deal with 50 points. Duke sounds like a bit of a reclamation project, but he had other offers and wanted to come here allegedly in no small part because Vincent Lecavalier told him Torts would make him a better player. If he can have a Gagner-esque season on the fourth line, holy CRAP. 71- Nick Foligno (C)- The captain's goal-scoring production teeter-totters, but if the trend continues, he's due for an up year, and that up year could mean 20-25 goals. Let's hope. 38- Boone Jenner (A)- BOOOOOOOOOONE has been all over the place in terms of production in his career. That 30 goal campaign seems like it might have been a fluke, but 15-20 doesn't seem unreasonable. 22- Sonny Milano- He has the name of a mafia hired gun and is starting to show he can shoot like one. Milano was starting to look like he might have fallen into "bust" status stuck in the AHL but he finally came on strong once he stuck in the bigs and potted 14 goals. Maybe Torts' loving care means he's in the show for good. 20- Ri 9- Artemi Panarin (A)- Ah, the elephant in the room. The CBJ finally have a game-breaking forward who will wreck your poo poo singlehandedly. He's a deadly weapon. So, naturally, instead of getting to be stoked about him, the fans' $16M question has become not "can he crack 90 points this season" but "will he be on the team at the end of this season". Breadman, by all accounts, likes everything about Columbus, both city and team. They love him so much they gave him an "A" at one point last year. and are willing to back a Brinks truck full of currency of his choice up to his apartment. The problem is, much like that one time you got dumped for a better guy/girl, "It's not you, it's me, really!"; in other words, Columbus, OH isn't a name-brand city like New York or Los Angeles. So he's refusing to negotiate a new deal "at this time" because there's the possibility that he'd rather play on a team that's going to hobble around 12th in the East in the near term because of the perceived prestige of playing for the Rangers or Islanders. There's also the possibility he and/or Dan Milstein are dicking the team around and are planning to sign anyway, but everyone seems to think the situation will result in his wishes of not being booed with the fury of 1,000 Suns upon his return to Nationwide in a different sweater probably not being honored. 45- Lukas Sedlak- Sedlak is a tweener who is good enough to play in the bottom six (and can play C and W), but will probably start the season as the 13th forward due to the depth ahead of him, which is a positive commentary on how strong the team could be. 10- Alexander Wennberg- Wenny looked to be the #1 center on the team until the emergence of PLD, which potentially gives the team a nice pair of Top 6 centers. He had a down year last season, but has demonstrated he's capable. Defense 4- Scott Harrington- Acquired from the Leafs for a disgruntled Kerby Rychel, he's a serviceable #7 and could contend for playing time with holes created by JMFJ and Cole leaving. 3- Seth Jones (A)- Arguably, the better half of what could potentially be one of the best D pairs in the NHL at some point, Seth Jones was once described on these here boards by a Leafs fan as "terrifying". He finished 4th in Norris voting last year, is a delight to watch, and is said to be future captain material if Foligno moves on at some point. 14- Dean Kukan- He's floated around the AHL in the last few years but, in NHL stints, hasn't looked bad. Expect him to be the #6 unless he blows it in camp. 27- Ryan Murray- Ah, Ryan Murray. The CBJ lost the Lottery in 2012 but it really didn't matter because they got their guy anyway. He hasn't exactly lived up to potential, but hasn't been awful. Second-pair guy who would be playing with Jones if not for Werenski, and that's a good thing. 65- Markus Nutivaara- Nutsack was on his way to Blackhawks devo camp when he found out he'd been drafted in the 7th round by the CBJ. He's been quietly efficient in his two seasons and seems to have been a steal in the draft. 58- David Savard- The senior-most defenseman amongst the CBJ's corps, Savard has been around for a while and, while not flashy, has been steady on the second or third pair. Had Ian Cole stayed, they'd have been a pair with a rockin' set of lumberjack beards. 8- Zach Werenski- The other half of the aforementioned "maybe someday best pair in the NHL", Werenski put up 16-21-37 last year which, while a drop from his rookie year (where he had the honor of being named Second Runner-Up to Auston Matthews' Calder Trophy), comes with a notable caveat; he put up most of those points with his arm in a sling-like apparatus under his gear because of a shoulder injury. He had it fixed over the summer; look out once he's turned loose. Goaltender 72- Sergei  Bobrovsky- Ah, here's the other cause for concern in what should be happy times in Ohio. Bob apparently has made his intentions known to the team as to his future, but those haven't been made public. There haven't been many negotiations and those haven't gone anywhere yet. The expectation is he wants Carey Price money for his two Vezinas and obscene-at-times career numbers. Those demands are more than fair, but does 5-14 with a 3.49GAA and .891SV% when it counts (Game 83 and beyond) earn one $10M+? Yes?70- Joonas Korpisalo- Here's the guy who could be in the catbird seat if fucks off. Korpi's numbers weren't thrilling last year in backup duty, but he's shown he can be solid over extended periods if given consistent starts. The feeling is, in the doomsday scenario where Bob leaves, the CBJ would bring in an established guy for a year to see how things play out, which could turn into a 1A and 1B with Korpi. Let's hope it doesn't wind up there.Bubble Boys 43- Vitaly Abramov (RW)- Perhaps the most highly-touted prospect in the system, there's a chance Abramov makes the team, but he'd have to prove himself AND beat some guys to get in. 32- Jonathan Davidsson (RW)- Davidsson is coming off a solid season in the SHL, so much so that he was brought to North America at the end of last year and some see him as a dark horse to get into the show this year. 24- Nathan Gerbe (C)- Repatriated to  last season from Switzerland when the CBJ were short on center, he's on a two-way deal and probably goes to Cleveland.37- Markus Hannikainen- Tweener who kills penalties and might have a shot at the show based on PK ability, but would have to win his way in. 55*- Mark Letestu (C)- The veteran center and two-time Jacket is on a PTO with the Panthers but, if he doesn't get a contract there, may cycle back to the CBJ on a two-way deal per Aaron Portzline. He's building a house in Columbus and playing in the AHL two hours up I-71 wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if it comes to that. 50- Eric Robinson (LW)- Robinson played four seasons at Princeton and won some awards and poo poo before signing out of college with Columbus. Made his debut against Nashville in last season's finale. 6- Adam Clendening (D)- Heh, I'd forgotten they signed him. Depth, two-way deal, sounds like he's destined for Cleveland. 35- Jean-Francois Berube (G)- Depth. Somebody tell me about him. Coaching/Front Office John Davidson/Jarmo Kekalainen/Bill Zito- All three were extended last month. Davidson was hired in 2012 to allow someone who actually knows about hockey to run hockey operations. It's worked like a dream. JD fired Scott Howson into the Sun in February 2013 and brought in Jarmo and the team charged toward just missing the playoffs. It's been pretty drat good since. Jarmo is a somewhat patient GM, but fully able to pull remarkable trades out his rear end ("Jarmo Specials"), with Jones and Panarin being the two biggest examples. When the CBJ play Game 48, Jarmo will be the longest-tenured GM in franchise history. Zito is a former agent who flipped to the team side of things and is now Associate GM, handling contract negotiations with other agents such as gently caress Dan Milstein. John Tortorella- "This might just be crazy enough to work" said one goon when the hiring was announced in 2015. I held my breath, but whichever goon said that was right. Torts has been the coach this franchise has always needed- somebody willing to light fires under asses while not, under directive of JD, pulling any stupidity off-ice. He and his whole staff has been re-upped, with the exception of Ian Clark, who went back to Vancouver and was replaced by Manny Legace as goaltending coach.
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Sep 16, 2018 19:56
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Toronto Maple Leafs Ahem. After tying the Washington Capitals in points last season: Roman Polak, Matt Martin and Leo Komarov all hosed off and John Tavares took their place. Automatic Cup Contenders.
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Sep 16, 2018 23:41
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Meet the Vancouver Canucks! Learn why Vancouver fans are really, really depressed! (Roster in no particular order) Forwards Sven Baertschi - Former first round pick from the Calgary Flames, acquired for a second round pick in 2015. Has been relatively productive in Vancouver with 122 points in 257 games, and counts as one of GM Jim Benning's better acqusitions. Should probably be on the second line, but will be playing on the first because the Canucks' depth on the left side is horrendous. Bo Horvat - Drafted in the first round of the 2013 Entry Draft, Bo Horvat has turned in to the Canucks' first line centre. The pick was acquired in trade from the New Jersey devils for Corey Schneider, a move that Canucks' fans hated but oddly enough, seems to have worked out pretty well for both sides. A quality, two-way player with good offensive instincts, Horvat figures to be a core piece going forward. Brock Boeser - A first round pick, 23rd overall, of the Canucks in 2015, Brock Boeser elected to play college hockey for two years before coming to the NHL. Before being shut down to injury concerns, Brock Boeser was a very productive winger, scoring 29 goals and 55 points in 62 games in his rookie season. Highly offensively skilled with a wicked shot and great "hockey IQ", capable of finding soft spots in the offensive zone. Very likely the best player on Vancouver's roster and a the top line right winger for the foreseeable future. Brendan Leipsic - Acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights for defenseman Philip Holm, Leipsic is an undersized, but fast and skilled forward. Played for head coach Travis Green on the WHL's Portland Winterhawks which likely factored greatly in to his acquisition, but has shown enough skill in limited playtime that he deserves a shot at making the roster. Probably best used on the third line but will likely end up on the second as Vancouver's depth at LW is bad. Sam Gagner - Former first round, sixth overall, pick of the Edmonton Oilers, signed as a free agent before the 2016-2017 season. Has some offensive skill, registering at least 30 points every season as an NHL player, but had a terrible season last year. Will likely end up as Vancouver's second line centre because Vancouver's centre depth also sucks. Elias Pettersson - First round, 5th overall, pick of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2017 entry draft. Highly offensively skilled winger, Pettersson finished first overall in scoring in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), outscoring his next closest rival by 15 points despite player 8 fewer games. Will likely start the season on the second line. Anton Roussel - "Feisty" (dirty) winger signed by Jim Benning to a 4 year deal in the 2018 offseason. Has a reputation as a bit of a cheapshot artist and a pest, with a little bit of skill. Why did Jim Benning sign him? Who loving knows. Managed to get his dumb rear end concussed in literally his first scrimmage so may not attend camp, or start the season on Vancouver's roster. Brandon Sutter - Former 2007 first round, 11th overall, pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, Brandon Sutter came to Vancouver in a trade that sent Nick Bonino, Adam Clendening and a 2016 2nd round pick to Pittsburgh in return. When asked about the trade, Jim Benning said Sutter had "high-end intangibles". Jim Benning is stupid. Sutter, however maligned, has been a decent third line centre when healthy, and that's where he'll start the season. Jake Virtanen - Vancouver's 1st round, sixth overall pick in 2015. Has mostly been bad with minor flashes of skill. Nobody expects him to do anything anytime soon. Tim Schaller - The very definition of a replacement-level player signed in the offseason. Who gives a gently caress. Jay Beagle - A 4th line centre who Jim Benning decided to give way too much money (3m/year) for way too long (4 years). If asked, Jim Benning would probably say something like "good locker room presence", "knows how to win", or "good intangibles". Jim Benning is stupid. Loui Eriksson - Was given a 36M, 6 year deal by Jim Benning three offseasons ago and has responded by being mostly awful, though his usage on the roster has been pretty questionable. If given decent ice time could probably produce, but who knows if that will happen. Markus Grandlund - Acquired from the Calgary Flames for Hunter Shinkaruk. Nobody really liked the trade at the time, but Granlund's been a steady enough checking forward and Shinkaruk still hasn't cracked the NHL. Will likely fight for a roster spot on the 3rd/4th line. Brendan Gaunce - Canucks' first round, 26th overall, pick in the 2012 draft. Decent defensive centre with pretty much zero offensive capability. Nobody expects much from him at this point. Adam Gaudette - Canucks 5th round, 149th overall, pick in the 2015 draft. Had three exceptional seasons at the college level, culminating in him winning the Hobey Baker award as best US Collegiate player in 2018. Will likely require some time to adjust to the pro game, but could also fight for a roster spot. May be best served playing lots of minutes in the AHL, though. Nikolay Goldobin - Former 1st round, 27th overall, pick acquired from the San Jose Sharks for Jannik Hansen. Has shown some offensive skill but no real consistency. Has a chance to become a regular roster player, especially on this crappy of a team. Defense Chris Tanev - An undrafted player signed after his freshman year at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Tanev has quietly become an elite, shot-suppressing defenseman who can handle the puck. Has been injured regularly over the last few years due to a combination of playing a ton of minutes and not really being good at avoiding bodychecks. One of the two Canucks remaining from the 2011 Stanley Cup run. Alexander Edler - Canucks former 3rd round, 91st overall, pick in the 2004 draft, Alexander Edler is the longest-tenured Canuck and the only other player remaining from the 2011 Stanley Cup run. While still considered a top-level defenseman by many, in reality he pretty much stopped giving a poo poo in 2012 and now spends most of his time as an anchor tied around the neck of his partner, Chris Tanev. In the rare instances when he actually decides to play, will reliably put up points and can handle the puck pretty well. Michael Del Zotto - Signed to a three year deal in the 2016-2017 offseason. Veteran D who can skate and handle the puck, but isn't the greatest in his own zone. Should likely be paired with a steady defensive partner, but the Canucks don't really have any of those and he ended up having a rough season. Could likely rebound with a lighter workload, but good loving luck with that. Ben Hutton - Former 5th round, 147th overall, pick in 2012. Decent defenseman, and would be suited for second line duties with a reliable partner. Again, the Canucks don't really have any of those and he really struggled last year. Still a solid enough player. For some reason the Canucks coaching staff really hates him and keeps pairing him with the worst defensemen on the team (Sbisa/Gudbranson) Troy Stecher - Undrafted player, signed by the Canucks out of college. Slightly undersized for a defenseman, but good with the puck and can skate. Really needs a good, reliable partner to play with, but, whelp. Erik Gudbranson - Acquired from the Florida Panthers for actual decent player Jared McCann. Gudbranson is a useless fat gently caress who can't skate, can't defend and handles the puck like a live grenade, so of course Jim Benning (who is stupid) signed him to a contract extension. Can be seen most nights wandering aimlessly around his own zone and letting opposing forwards skate right around him with basically no effort. I'd say he's the worst player on the team but he's got real competition this year. Easily stands as the worst acquisition by Jim Benning (who is stupid), and that's saying a lot. Derrik Pouliot - Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Audrey Pedan. Pedan is very bad, and Pouliot is generally bad but has some decent stretches. Should not, under any circumstances, be off the third pairing. Alex Biega - Not very good, and is generally the 7th D carried by the Canucks. Can play OK for stretches, but really shouldn't be in the lineup regularly. Goaltending Jacob Markstrom - Acquired as part of the trade that sent Roberto Luongo back to Florida. Jacob Markstrom has spent his entire career as a worse-than-average NHL goalie except for one seven game stint in 2011-2012. Somehow he's the starter. Anders Lindback - Signed in the 2016-2017 offseason to be Markstrom's backup. Totally inconsistent, tending to go from "ungodly bad", to "hey, pretty good" on a start-by-start basis. Could probably be a decent, average starter if the Canucks had a decent goalie coach. Thatcher Demko - Canucks' second round, 36th overall, pick in the 2014th entry draft. Demko has been touted as the Canucks' "goaltender of the future" for what seems like a decade at this point, even though he's only 22. Seems to be progressing well, and will challenge for a roster spot sooner rather than later. Administration Coach Travis Green - Formerly the coach of the WHL's Portland Winterhawks, Travis Green acquired a reputation as a someone who can develop young players. His first season on the job saw the team get off to a decent start, and then crash spectacularly when the goalies forgot how to play and everybody got hurt. Could probably be a decent coach. GM/President Jim Benning - Jim Benning is stupid. grack fucked around with this message at 07:12 on Sep 17, 2018 |
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Sep 17, 2018 01:12
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The Philadelphia Flyers Hockey Club FORWARDS OF NOTE Claude "Clod" Giroux - Was moved to wing in a strange experiment that seemed to come out of nowhere, and was wildly successful. Had a massive bounce-back year for 102 points. Still very much the heart and soul of this team. Jakub Voracek - Still terrifying on offense and.... well, can be dodgy in his own end. Still, fantastic on the wing. Sean Couturier - Finally a year or two ago someone wondered if Coots could be more than just a shutdown center who could log tough minutes and lock off an opponent's superstar. 76 points later, this also was proved to be a great experiment. Still only 24 when it feels like he's been on this team for like 6 years. Was easily the only player getting any results in last year's playoffs against a Penguins team that out-gunned them to a hilarious degree. Travis Konecny - Oh my god this kid. This fuckin kid. Fast as all hell, great touch, caught up to the speed of the game almost instantly. Granted it helped when he was paired up with like G and Voracek, but he's only 20 and should be a ton of fun as he gets more experience. Wayne Simmonds - Was hampered all year with injuries and still managed 46 points. Should be healthier this year and back to parking himself in front of the goal on the power play. This will be an interesting year for him as he's on the last year of his absolute steal of a contract. He's due to get hella paid on his next deal, but it will likely be on a term that nobody likes since he's turning 30. We'll see. Nolan Patrick - Tale of two seasons for him last year. He was coming off sports hernia surgery and buried/protected (depending on who you ask) on a pretty rough 3rd line for much of the first half of the year where he struggled to get up to the pace of the game. 2nd half, he found his rhythm and looked like the 2nd overall pick everyone expected him to be. He's fully healthy now and should look much stronger going into this season. James Van Riemsdyk - He's back!  Will likely pair up with Nolan Patrick on the 2nd line and provides a massive help in terms of forward depth, especially if Hextall doesn't elect to re-sign Wayne Simmonds. DEFENSE OF NOTE Shane "Ghost Bear" Gostisbehere - Had maybe his best year at 65 points. Still jumps up in the rush well and has a filthy one-timer often set up by Giroux on the power play. Has gotten much better defensively and doesn't get caught up in the rush as often. Ivan Provorov - Hooooly poo poo this kid. Stapled to Andrew MacDonald for much of the start, then as injuries piled up, he got an experimental run with Ghost Bear and could not have done much better. Logged 25+ minutes per night in the playoffs and over 30 in game 5. Had 10 blocks on his own when an injury-ravaged Flyers team somehow stole a 2-0 win in St. Louis. Fully expect him to stay on the top pairing with Ghost when the season starts. Tough as nails and hasn't missed a game yet. Radko Gudas - Should have a sword. Someone give him a sword. Andrew MacDonald - His contract sucks, no two ways about that, but honestly at this point the team seems to realize he should never be any higher than 2nd pairing. Injured in the preseason, making some availability for another of the kids to step up. By all accounts is actually a great mentor and teacher to some of the kids and was well-liked when he spent time in Lehigh Valley a couple years ago. Should probably stay there but whatcha gonna do? GOALTENDERS Hooooooo boy is this a logjam.  Brian Elliott - Honestly a pretty steady goalie, then he got hurt because the choices were either to grind him with starts, or give more starts to... Michal Neuvirth - Statistically, Neuvy had a pretty drat good year last year. The problem is the guy just cannot stay healthy for the life of him and has just the worst luck with getting hurt at the worst possible times. Anthony Stolarz - Was all set to be the Next Big Thing while the two guys above him covered for a couple years to ease him into things, then had a season-ending injury just before last season. Will likely get lost in the fold through no fault of his own because behind him is... Alex Lyon - Looked pretty good in limited time and has improved as he's gotten more experience with the Phantoms and some starts with the big club when Neuvy and Elliott died. Will likely be the starter within the next year or so, but will be challenged like all hell because behind HIM is... Carter Hart - An absolute destroyer of worlds in the WHL with the Silvertips. Finished last year with an obscene 1.60 GAA and .947 sv%. Is only 20 years old and Ron Hextall is being exceptionally patient with him as for the first time in legitimately over a decade, the Flyers seem to have an honest to god Goaltender Of The Future. Almost zero chance to make the big team out of camp, and will likely back up Lyon in Lehigh Valley as he gets some more experience. Will likely get at least a game or 2 with the big team this year if (when) injuries happen. COACHING STAFF Head Coach Dave Hakstol - Loves him some grindy vets but does sloooowly seem to be getting better using the kids. I think this is his last contract year and Hextall has been extremely patient with him. Got a shot across the bow from the GM by the hiring of: Assistant/PP Coach Kris Knoblauch - Former head coach of the OHL's Erie Otters. A great up-and-comer in the coaching world and ran an absurdly successful PP in Erie, converting nearly 31% in the 13-14 season. Flyers PP was about league-average last year, with a deadly first unit and completely impotent 2nd. Now that the roster has settled down and healed up, no reason to think this shouldn't be better. Assistant/PK Coach Ian Laperriere - aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GM Ron Hextall - Patient to a fault, but knows this is the point where the team should be turning the corner and while they may not yet be a cup contender, should roll at least 2 rounds deep. Has a ton of cap space to work with after shedding some awful deals, and signed James Van Reimsdyk, bringing an instant boost to the offense. DJExile fucked around with this message at 16:45 on Sep 17, 2018 |
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Sep 17, 2018 16:37
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