The Stanley Cup Playoffs 2023: Second Round GDT.

[klos1963]

4 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

When Marner signed his contract in 2019, He became the 3rd highest player in the league   Was this a good contract to give out? Was he anywhere near that level then? How about now ?

 They made Mathew’s the 2nd highest paid player in the league in 2019 and then signed Tavares who was slow at 28, knowing the back half of the contract would be an anchor 

Both Matthews and Marner were coming off their ELCs   
 Dahlin coming off his bridge  big difference 

they also will have paid 3 guys over $11million  

Sabres have yet to pay anyone that amount 

 

Not 11 million yet. Dahlin will be close. But it's still big dollar, long term contracts to players that haven't won anything. I don't see a huge difference between the 2 teams in that aspect.  Plus, the Leafs are a very solid team overall, they lost to 2 time Stanley cup champs Tampa the preview couple years, lost to last seasons presidents cup team that had their goalie play out of his mind. 

[CallawaySabres]

I have been waiting over 2 decades to have a team that fights as hard as Seattle does in this playoff series. I really hope that buffalo can build half the heart this team has.

[pastajoe]

23 minutes ago, Eleven said:

How is tomorrow's game a 10pm ET start?  Why does the NHL sabotage itself like this?  Like even if you live in Barrow, Mother's Day brunch is over by what, 4ET?  The league has the two biggest stars of the 2015 draft playing against one another, the US "darling" team (I hate to say it but it is) against supposedly the best player in hockey, and they start the game right before half of North America's bedtime?  So, so foolish.

ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball contractually takes precedence, the NHL game is on after.

[Zamboni]

Nice job Seattle! Well done.

[Eleven]

5 minutes ago, pastajoe said:

ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball contractually takes precedence, the NHL game is on after.

Minor league.  TBS, TNT, ABC, all available and all have shown playoff games.

[pastajoe]

21 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Minor league.  TBS, TNT, ABC, all available and all have shown playoff games.

I believe ESPN has the rights for this round and beyond, so TNT & TBS aren’t an option. ABC has American Idol live.

[spndnchz]

Great game 

[Eleven]

18 minutes ago, pastajoe said:

I believe ESPN has the rights for this round and beyond, so TNT & TBS aren’t an option. ABC has American Idol live.

I watched a game on TNT last night.  Tuesday's game, if necessary, is on TNT.  So no.  It's just more minor league nonsense from the NHL.

Edited May 14, 2023 by Eleven

[SDS]

20 minutes ago, Eleven said:

I watched a game on TNT last night.  Tuesday's game, if necessary, is on TNT.  So no.  It's just more minor league nonsense from the NHL.

Why are you mad at the NHL? If broadcasters wanted higher visibility, then they would pay for it and the NHL would gladly accept it.

[PerreaultForever]

I can't help it, but I find myself watching the Kraken and thinking this could and should have been the Sabres. 

Man have they got it right. 

[Wyldnwoody44]

I honestly didn't think Seattle would be this good, they didn't get the same name fare as Vegas but somehow they are rocking, and that arena is hopping too. 

 

Makes me sad thinking that a Vegas/Seattle WCF could be in the cards, while we toil in the abyss for eternity. 

[SDS]

[PerreaultForever]

1 hour ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

I honestly didn't think Seattle would be this good, they didn't get the same name fare as Vegas but somehow they are rocking, and that arena is hopping too. 

 

Makes me sad thinking that a Vegas/Seattle WCF could be in the cards, while we toil in the abyss for eternity. 

I've been watching them all year (on and off) and they never seem to quit. They are well led and give maximum effort every night. If they are drafting as well as they are choosing their free agents they will become a force sooner than later. 

[Crusader1969]

11 hours ago, klos1963 said:

Not 11 million yet. Dahlin will be close. But it's still big dollar, long term contracts to players that haven't won anything. I don't see a huge difference between the 2 teams in that aspect.  Plus, the Leafs are a very solid team overall, they lost to 2 time Stanley cup champs Tampa the preview couple years, lost to last seasons presidents cup team that had their goalie play out of his mind. 

Are you forgetting losing to Columbus and Montreal? 

[Pimlach]

11 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I can't help it, but I find myself watching the Kraken and thinking this could and should have been the Sabres. 

Man have they got it right. 

How could this have been the Sabres?  How were the Sabres ever going to get access to these players?  Most of whom would not be okay with going to Buffalo at the time. 

[DarthEbriate]

24 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

How could this have been the Sabres?  How were the Sabres ever going to get access to these players?  Most of whom would not be okay with going to Buffalo at the time. 

The Concept of Borgen! 😇

[mjd1001]

14 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

I have been waiting over 2 decades to have a team that fights as hard as Seattle does in this playoff series. I really hope that buffalo can build half the heart this team has.

Who is the harder working team....Seattle or Carolina?

[mjd1001]

13 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I can't help it, but I find myself watching the Kraken and thinking this could and should have been the Sabres. 

Man have they got it right. 

Ok, I am not saying the Sabres couldn't have had/shouldn't have had some guys like this and that is why Seattle is better. There are a LOT of small reasons added up why they are playing good.  But I think one is overlooked often:

Roster composition.  Specifically the age of players.  You don't need to have the 'best players' if the players you DO have are all in the prime of their career.

It is easier to do that with an expansion team now, harder with an existing team.  With an existing team that has been trying to win for a while, you have some guys in the prime of their career, but you also have some guys that WERE in the prime of their career when you signed them years ago and are now not as good as they were but are still taking up a large part of the cap.  You may also have some 'younger guys' working their way up through the system on that team who are playing (out of cap necessity) but aren't as good yet as they are going to be eventually.

Seatte may not have the high end talent of other teams, but what they DO have is a team full of guys talented enough to play in the NHL AND are mostly in the prime of their career.

I looked at the guys who were on the ice the most for them the entire year.  Their top 6 minute guys on Defense are aged 30, 26, 30, 26, 32, and 28.  No one 'over the hill' for a defensmen but all mature enough to know what they are doing. Top end talent? Maybe not, but you have no guys back there who are 'too old and hanging on' or 'too young and making mistakes'.

Much is the same with them up front. The only guy you have under 24 in their top 12 (minutes played) is Berniers, that is it. Gourde and Eberle are the oldest guys though at 32 and 31.  Almost everyone else is in their middle to late 20's.

Again, the most talented group? No, but no one is 'too old to keep up' and no one is 'too young/too inexeprienced'.  

[CallawaySabres]

1 hour ago, mjd1001 said:

Who is the harder working team....Seattle or Carolina?

It would be a good Cup matchup 

[Thorny]

Connor McPowerplay guarantees the Oilers best game tonight. We’ll see what the penalty breakdown looks like 

Edited May 14, 2023 by Thorny

[klos1963]

7 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

Are you forgetting losing to Columbus and Montreal? 

apparently

[PerreaultForever]

8 hours ago, Pimlach said:

How could this have been the Sabres?  How were the Sabres ever going to get access to these players?  Most of whom would not be okay with going to Buffalo at the time. 

I keep being told in other threads that the idea that free agents don't want to come here is a myth so..................given that idea, we could have acquired some of their additions. Or, take Bjorkstrand for example. Columbus had to ditch him for Johnny Hockey cap space. As a cap floor team who did we pick up? 

They tried to win now (and have succeeded) and we chose to develop for the future. 

Remember, this Kraken line up is only about 1/3 of what they got in the expansion draft. The rest were added as free agents, trades and draft picks. 

Of course the two situations are far from identical, but IF we'd added a few key FAs we could have been in the playoffs as well. 

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Ok, I am not saying the Sabres couldn't have had/shouldn't have had some guys like this and that is why Seattle is better. There are a LOT of small reasons added up why they are playing good.  But I think one is overlooked often:

Roster composition.  Specifically the age of players.  You don't need to have the 'best players' if the players you DO have are all in the prime of their career.

It is easier to do that with an expansion team now, harder with an existing team.  With an existing team that has been trying to win for a while, you have some guys in the prime of their career, but you also have some guys that WERE in the prime of their career when you signed them years ago and are now not as good as they were but are still taking up a large part of the cap.  You may also have some 'younger guys' working their way up through the system on that team who are playing (out of cap necessity) but aren't as good yet as they are going to be eventually.

Seatte may not have the high end talent of other teams, but what they DO have is a team full of guys talented enough to play in the NHL AND are mostly in the prime of their career.

I looked at the guys who were on the ice the most for them the entire year.  Their top 6 minute guys on Defense are aged 30, 26, 30, 26, 32, and 28.  No one 'over the hill' for a defensmen but all mature enough to know what they are doing. Top end talent? Maybe not, but you have no guys back there who are 'too old and hanging on' or 'too young and making mistakes'.

Much is the same with them up front. The only guy you have under 24 in their top 12 (minutes played) is Berniers, that is it. Gourde and Eberle are the oldest guys though at 32 and 31.  Almost everyone else is in their middle to late 20's.

Again, the most talented group? No, but no one is 'too old to keep up' and no one is 'too young/too inexeprienced'.  

Well ya, but isn't that just a long way of saying they made smart decisions and built the right way? 

When these 30ish year olds are getting too old their draft choices could be ready to step in. Isn't that the way you're supposed to stay competitive?

We tore down but the difference is we chose to build back up with almost entirely young players or picks and added little in free agency. As a cap floor team we could have spent a little more and been a little better (and we didn't need to be a lot better to make the playoffs).

[Dr. Who]

15 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Well ya, but isn't that just a long way of saying they made smart decisions and built the right way? 

When these 30ish year olds are getting too old their draft choices could be ready to step in. Isn't that the way you're supposed to stay competitive?

We tore down but the difference is we chose to build back up with almost entirely young players or picks and added little in free agency. As a cap floor team we could have spent a little more and been a little better (and we didn't need to be a lot better to make the playoffs).

I think everyone knows the post-tank rebuild was mishandled. KA came in with a strategy that is largely working so far as I can tell. He could have spent more on FA and obviously it seems it would not have taken much when you miss the playoffs by one point. Since you can't prove a counter-factual, no one can know for sure.

And I don't recall many folks telling you it is a myth that FAs wouldn't sign here, though I haven't read through all the threads with close attention. That was a problem.  Folks are telling you it shouldn't be a problem now, which is a different assertion.

[stinky finger]

52 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

I think everyone knows the post-tank rebuild was mishandled. KA came in with a strategy that is largely working so far as I can tell. He could have spent more on FA and obviously it seems it would not have taken much when you miss the playoffs by one point. Since you can't prove a counter-factual, no one can know for sure.

And I don't recall many folks telling you it is a myth that FAs wouldn't sign here, though I haven't read through all the threads with close attention. That was a problem.  Folks are telling you it shouldn't be a problem now, which is a different assertion.

Right here.