Official 2013 NHL Regular Season Thread

[Primis]

Next year things will get even tougher for Toronto. They keep the Bruins, Habs, and Sens in the new division, and add DET in the 8-team division. And who knows, maybe this offseason BUF finally gets stuff right. This season would be a good time to go for it. It might be a while again before they're back in otherwise.

[Manimal]

I just had a look at the injury lists and the Flyers have NINE defensemen injured right now!

[Loosie]

Next year things will get even tougher for Toronto. They keep the Bruins, Habs, and Sens in the new division, and add DET in the 8-team division. And who knows, maybe this offseason BUF finally gets stuff right. This season would be a good time to go for it. It might be a while again before they're back in otherwise.

You mean the Detroit team that is in danger of missing the playoffs? Detroit doesn't scare me anymore, Detroit of 5-10 years ago? Yeah that would scare me. Current Detroit doesn't scare me as much.

Also Jared Staal has been recalled by Carolina and will make his NHL debut tonight...against the Rangers, too bad Marc is injured.

[Manimal]

Also Jared Staal has been recalled by Carolina and will make his NHL debut tonight...against the Rangers, too bad Marc is injured.

Publicity stunt.
He is nowhere near being a NHLer

[Loosie]

Also Jared Staal has been recalled by Carolina and will make his NHL debut tonight...against the Rangers, too bad Marc is injured.

Publicity stunt.
He is nowhere near being a NHLer

I do not disagree. I still think it's a nice move by the Canes, they are out, this is their last game at home, they have two of the other 3 and they are playing against the 4ths teams (even if he is injured). Hey who knows, maybe this game will light a fire under his ass and get him working on his game this summer.

[philou21]

Was he drafted by the Hurricanes I don't remember? I don't think this one will never be a regular player in the NHL, he seems to barely do something in the AHL. Back in the days people were saying he was the most talented of the four before getting draft LOL

[batdad]

And who cares...Marc is not exactly going to be playing. So still only three on one team. Sutters have that beat by a mile.

Now as for Leafs, Habs, Bruins--They all suck just as bad as the North West Division. It does not matter. GO ISLANDERS!!!! Frans Nielsen getting all the TV ratings...lol

[Loosie]

Was he drafted by the Hurricanes I don't remember? I don't think this one will never be a regular player in the NHL, he seems to barely do something in the AHL. Back in the days people were saying he was the most talented of the four before getting draft LOL

No he was drafted by Phoneix in the 2nd round, and then later (two years later I think?) traded to Carolina for a 5th. He was 'supposed' to be the most talented, but I think his work ethic lacked after seeing his 3 older brothers get drafted in the first half of the first round.

[philou21]

Bad work ethic or not, he barely have 7 pts in the AHL. If he had some talent he would still score more IMO.

[Primis]

You mean the Detroit team that is in danger of missing the playoffs? Detroit doesn't scare me anymore, Detroit of 5-10 years ago? Yeah that would scare me. Current Detroit doesn't scare me as much.

DET's problem this year, oddly enough, has been youth. They have younger guys that have now moved up, a whole lot with more on the way. DET may not be a Cup contender next year but they very likely will be a safe playoff team, better than this year's shortened-seaosn version. Combine that with BUF willing to spend still and maybe they finally get the right people in charge there, and who knows... it doesn't long to turn the ship around in the current NHL (unless you're Edmonton, because LOL Edmonton!).

It's going to be a tough division, probably the toughest of the 4 new ones with the other Eastern one a close second. Especially when you consider the two Eastern ones have 8 teams each vying for playoff spots as opposed to 7 each in the west.

[philou21]

I wanted the Jackets in the playoffs dammit!

[Primis]

I wanted the Jackets in the playoffs dammit!

You and everyone else.

I think many wanted to see Suter and Parise suffer.

[philou21]

Yeah that was them or the Wings I wanted out.

[philou21]

No big surprises here Sacco is fired and Nieuwendyk too.

[Primis]

No big surprises here Sacco is fired and Nieuwendyk too.

Sacco was the least of Colorado's problems. Not saying he was great, but he's also not why they missed the playoffs. There are other issues within the org and this comes off as a bit of a smokescreen to save someone else's (Sherman's) job.

Still surprised with Nieuwendyk. DAL has had trouble forging an identity and I don't know if that's entirely his fault. I bet he GM's again in the league. If Jim Nill does go from DET to DAL I'll be very interested to see what happens there. For eons Nill has gotten tons and tons of credit for drafting and such, now we'll finally find out if he really was a key or just another cog.

[batdad]

Sacco was a big issue. Players did not respect him at all. Random scratches of some of the harder working players on the team since day one. O'Reilly is pandered to by Sacco. Other players do not like O'Reilly. Systems decisions...Milan Hejduk having C taken away. Team quit on him 3 years running. Do you do this on purpose Primis?

Cause Sacco is far from the least of the problems. He is the top problem. Rewards floaters and staples hard workers. Sherman is a close 2nd. Very close. Like minuscule difference. It is getting so hard to see your hockey posts as legitimate. Sacco is a guy who has been hated and quit on by the players almost since the day he became coach. I kept wondering what he had on Avs management.

Now that is not to say GM is safe. He is not, and he has been horrible as well. And the owners are definitely looking at losing him too. This was just Sherman attempt to save his job, but was decidedly needed. Sacco is a horrible coach.

Great guy replaces great guy in Dallas. Jim Nill will go there. Both awesome people. I have met both.
But..with Jim's experience in Detoilet he will be a much better GM than Joe n

[philou21]

Joe made some really bad decisions this year. Trading Ryder, Jarg and Roy was really weird especially since the team was fighting for a playoffs spot. I still don't get it.

Tons of bad decisions ruin the Avs over the past few years. That dumb trade with Stewart and Shattenkirk was a big part of it IMO. That was just plain stupid. Can't say much about Sacco though, don't know him really. When batdad is saying that other players don't like O'Reilly this isn't something that surprise me at all. His little crybaby scene at the beginning of the season was just stupid. You can't make friends by doing this and he probably don't get along very well with Gabriel since he wanted to be the captain. This team need chemistry and maybe a new coach/GM could help. At least I hope.

[Primis]

Sacco was a big issue. Players did not respect him at all. Random scratches of some of the harder working players on the team since day one. O'Reilly is pandered to by Sacco. Other players do not like O'Reilly. Systems decisions...Milan Hejduk having C taken away. Team quit on him 3 years running. Do you do this on purpose Primis?

Cause Sacco is far from the least of the problems. He is the top problem. Rewards floaters and staples hard workers.

That's the point though: he doesn't HAVE any other guys to reward because the org has brought in and drafted just a bunch of those guys you talk about, the floaters.

Colorado has a lot of raw skill in various areas. They lack some consistency certainly, and the big thing I've noticed in the past couple of seasons is that they really, really lack heart and will. They don't have any cold-blooded assassins in that group, and nobody that can really engage Beast Mode. There's nobody to "push" them through the wall when it comes up. Maybe that's a bit harsh-sounding. The point is, they have no "other" gear to engage in a good chunk of their core players, they just are what they are. You can see them deflate when things start to go wrong. I'm not saying it's 100% of the guys there, but it's way more than there should be. That's not really coach-controlled.

I was completely unsurprised at Giguere's comments about having thrown in the towel and guys worrying about their Vegas trips. That really seems to fit the team makeup's M.O. right now, and I am not the hugest Giguere fan in the world but I do believe that would probably drive him nuts, because for all my dislike of him I don't think he's a floater or a guy that doesn't feel overly-competitive.

I just think the finger should point at who put the players there, not the guy trying to then make those poorly-fit players work. I don't know that any coach out there could have coaxed much of anything more out of them.

[Primis]

Joe made some really bad decisions this year. Trading Ryder, Jarg and Roy was really weird especially since the team was fighting for a playoffs spot. I still don't get it.

Tons of bad decisions ruin the Avs over the past few years. That dumb trade with Stewart and Shattenkirk was a big part of it IMO. That was just plain stupid. Can't say much about Sacco though, don't know him really. When batdad is saying that other players don't like O'Reilly this isn't something that surprise me at all. His little crybaby scene at the beginning of the season was just stupid. You can't make friends by doing this and he probably don't get along very well with Gabriel since he wanted to be the captain. This team need chemistry and maybe a new coach/GM could help. At least I hope.

Re: Dallas... they almost made the playoffs anyways. I was fairly impressed with that. I wonder what sort of mandates from above Joe Nieuwendyk had to endure and then took the fall anyways.

Re: Colorado... I forgot about Landeskog. That's an interesting wrinkle in all this. He probably shouldn't be wearing the "C". That's probably contributing to COL's problems, not having a strong, veteran leader to sit them down and ream them out. Then again, I don't know that Hejduk could have don that either. COL probably needs that veteran, fiery leader in the room though.

[philou21]

Re: Dallas... they almost made the playoffs anyways. I was fairly impressed with that. I wonder what sort of mandates from above Joe Nieuwendyk had to endure and then took the fall anyways.

That's the problem they could have be 7th or 8th easily with those 3 still in their line-up. Joe sunk them with those trades.

[CeeBee]

So maybe they make the playoffs but get knocked out early... this way they didn't make the playoffs but they strengthen the system for the future. Not sure how much of the trading is on Joe or upper management so there's always that consideration too. Even if they make the playoffs but exit early he may have been gone anyway?

[philou21]

Not sure how much of the trading is on Joe or upper management so there's always that consideration too.

Well why put him in the DG's chair if the upper floor wants to do the trades. They could kick out the 30 DGs if the owners wants it that way.

[CeeBee]

I don't mean upper management/ownership actually making the trades but you have to know that ownership certainly influences the budget and has on many occasions either strongly hinted or come right out and said to cut costs. Don't know if thats the case here but it wouldn't surprise me if it was.

[philou21]

Yeah I know. But that's just stupid to sign Jarg for 48 games and dump him after 30. Same goes from Roy he barely played there and the Stars were the ones who wanted him.

[philou21]

The Avs won the draft lottery! They could make good use of Jones, Drouin or Mackinnon. Though seeing their defense they should go with Jones.