Taro T

Yes, moving the puck quickly will help. But they can't just move the puck, they need to move themselves too. Their PP tends to be very static once they finally set up and the D get into the passing/shooting lanes leaving them just moving the puck around the perimeter hoping either Tage gets lost somehow and actually gets the shooting lane or Tuch can get a deflection on a shot from Dahlin.

Like that they've put Mittelstadt on the top PP. But he should be the bumper. You're suggestion of moving Dahlin to the right boards is interesting. And it could work. Would love to have Skinner off that unit and have been advocating for it for a long time. Rarely call for it anymore because there is no way Granato pulls him off that unit. But if he were off it, would put Cozens down low in his spot. Tuch is the obvious choice to be there, but he doesn't ever seem to set a screen when he's rotated to that spot. Greenway would be another possibility but not sure his hands are good enough to clean up the rebounds that they'd hopefully be generating. Also, not sure that they should have both of their F's from the top PK unit getting 1st line PP minutes too. If going with the traditional set up w/ Dahlin up top, would have Peterka on the 1/2 wall opposite Thompson. Going with your idea of Dahlin there, would put Power at the top of the unit. Johnson could run the 2nd unit. That could have Tuch, Skinner, Peterka, and if they're in the lineup one of Benson or Savoie at the bumper rounding out that 2nd unit.

They didn't "rush" him last year; he was out a long time. But he definitely wasn't the same when he came back from injury that he'd been before the injury nor what he was at the very end of the season. Hoping they learned from last year's experience and make sure he's healthy before they bring him back.

TWO YEARS and 70 GAMES FROM NOW is when he can become a UFA. Both he and the team can elect arbitration before then. There is no reason at all to EXPECT him to hold out. Again, 1st impressions are very hard to overcome.

Could be. The vast majority of these 30 entities are privately held. Organizations lie Sportico and Forbes try to make reasonable estimates of the values of these privately held entities. But they don't really know. A fair amount of the info that goes into their estimates are guestimates. It isn't Carl Sagan "guestimate of how many extraterrestrial civilizations are out there in the galaxy" level of guestimation. (There literally is NOTHING that is more guesswork than that - every single # in his equation is a guess.) But it isn't exactly exact either. The Otters having been sold in the last year is the one team that the valuation is quite accurate. And the new estimate is ONLY 45% higher than their last estimate prior to the sale. So, while it is fun seeing what people think these are worth, there is a reason that teams ALWAYS sell for significantly different prices than these studies estimate they'll actually sell for. The underlying #'s, for the most part aren't publicly available. (And that's even with a lot of the gross HRR numbers actually indirectly available because that is the basis of the salary cap and the calculations that result in the salary cap are publicly available.)

Vaclav Varada agrees with this post. 😉

TIL.

Too early to say on the SJ season, but there have been some truly horrific NHL & NFL teams in the NHL's "modern" era and the NFL's "post-merger" era. The mid-70's give us the '74-'75 Capitals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in '76 & '77 that went 2-26 over the franchise's 1st 2 seasons. Those squads get this vote. More recently, in the NFL, the '08 Lions went 0-16 and followed that with a 2-14 year and the '17 Browns followed up the '16 Browns 1 win season with a 0-16 season. The Losipeg Jets had an absolutely brutal 2nd season going 9-57-14. The Otters and Snarks had some truly brutal teams in the '90s.

If any of the other parties want to have a candidate receive votes, they really should run candidates. And not simply the exact same candidate that one (or both) major parties are running. And, considering that yours truly lives in a state that at the state level in essentially a 1 party state and also at the local level essentially a 1 party town, ALWAYS vote in the primaries. For the most part, it's the only way to get one's "voice" heard.

Just in time for him to try to check Savoie through the boards like he unsuccessfully tried to do to Benson. 😒

Not for anyone that was running unopposed. (Figure the only way that person can lose is if even he/she doesn't vote for themself; so the only way this kid's vote could POSSIBLY matter is by not voting and hoping that individual forgets to vote or decides they really don't want the office.) The electronic ballots FINALLY don't seem to want to take issue with that. For several years got the response from the person running the machine "uh, you didn't vote in all the elections;" "yes, that's correct;" "uhhhhhhhhhhh." All the while that person has the classic "deer in the headlights" look on their face like they're pretty sure that isn't allowed but they're not quite sure what to do about it.

Yes. But with the decision to not play Savoie in Carolina and the injuries to Quinn, Cozens, Benson, and Biro; which of the other 3 lines do you mess up to try to make that line not useless?

Or both.

Cozens seems to be a guy that, for goal scoring at least, can get into his own head. But, he has also shown in the past that he can get out of it quickly and can go on a tear once he does. Really am not too worried about his goal scoring. That will click again at some point. Am more interested in how the rest of his game is going. He's still only 22 and far from a finished product.

Yes, that is a given. (One can say it's speculation because it hasn't happened yet, but it's actually a given.) Just don't see 1. any way Mittelstadt gets moved this season unless Adams goes COMPLETELY off the board and goes against his oft-stated plan and makes a blockbuster trade; and 2. don't see any realistic way based upon the way Adams prefers to build a team that a Mittelstadt trade gets made for something that is a true hockey trade of a top 6 C for either a 1G or a top 4D. Though the board is slowly coming around on Mittelstadt, Adams and Granato have been high on him for a long time. He isn't eligible to become a UFA for another 2-1/2 seasons. He doesn't even qualify to become a UFA after next season. It literally is 2-1/2 years away. There is no rush AT ALL to trade him away now 'before he loses value.' Actually, the way he's played the past 2-3 months of RS play, his value is only going to go up or remain constant with time.

Good question. Don't know if it's release point or skates location. Guessing they'd count as above the goal line attempts, but don't know that for certain. But behind the net is at 10% according to their shot map. That can only be flipping the puck over the net, bouncing a puck off a D-man, or the Michigan.

Considering shots from below the goal line have actual success rates (5%-10%), it has to be from where the shot originates.

Personally, don't see a point to trading Bryson at present. With his contract, can't see anybody claiming him should he be waived if they in fact are at a point where they would waive him. He'll bring back nothing in a trade. And, if the Sabres end up having an '06 level injury barrage, he's a better 10th choice than Davies or Prow. (Probably a better 10th choice than Cecconi or the 2 Russians as well at this time.)

When you talk Ken Holland into making that offer, will consider it. Until then, it remains in fantasy hockeyland and the original comment stands.

With the exception of the Otters who just were sold and their value is well established, pretty much all of the valuations are made up. The only exceptions would be for the teams that are held by publicly traded companies like the Rags. And even their valuations are estimates to a degree.

4 years after this current deal expires after next season. He'll be 27 on June 30, 2029 and he'll be eligible for UFA as of July 1, 2029. (Presuming he doesn't have a contract eating some (many?) of those UFA years.)

Per Puckpedia, Johnson's UFA year is 2029. For age related FA, the key date is June 30 of the calendar year (last day of the current league year). Players that are 27 by that date and have no contract are UFAs. Johnson's B-day is in early July.

Will agree to disagree. (Almost) no NHLer is going to pull himself less than 30 seconds into a shift. And no NHLer that is getting top line type minutes will do so. 10 seconds later, you probably have a case. But when it happened, they were going back on the attack. And it nearly worked.

Again, that clear of the zone happened less than 30 seconds into the OT. They don't come off the ice THAT quickly. Don't agree that the team chose differently in the past, not a regular basis at any rate.

Initially it is. But remember, for a movement of the puck to be considered to be a shot it needs to be headed towards the goal with enough force to enter the goal and either actually get into the goal or get stopped by the goalie. A D-man blocking a shot doesn't count as a shot on net. So, a "shot" from below the goal line needs to deflect off someone / something in order to be heading towards the net. So, viewed from that light, it almost seems that a 5% success rate is a bit low because an attempt to bounce it in off the goalie that misses the goalie entirely ISN'T considered to be a shot. And just hitting the goalie or a D-man without the puck changing direction towards the net opening won't be a shot either.