Around the NHL 2025-26 Season

[Rasmus_]

After taking a year off from watching hockey, I've been enjoying just watching in general.  The St Louis v Calgary game has been fun.  I love the Flames play style for sure.  

[Pimlach]

Just watched Caps beat the Bolts in OT.  It was intense playoff like hockey already.  Man, the Caps are a heavy team.  

[DarthEbriate]

Don't see it in the thread...

Lane Hutson signed an extension 8x$8.850 (signing bonuses bulked up in the first three years). It will kick in for his age 22 season. Dobson signed with MTL for $9.5M in his age 25 season.

Dobson had a fantastic age 24 season with 70 points. But thus far, that is his outlier season by 19 points. (51, 49, 39).

Hutson's rookie season was 66 points. Why is Hutson taking so little cash with the cap rising? Does he think his rookie season will be his peak?

[#freejame]

17 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Don't see it in the thread...

Lane Hutson signed an extension 8x$8.850 (signing bonuses bulked up in the first three years). It will kick in for his age 22 season. Dobson signed with MTL for $9.5M in his age 25 season.

Dobson had a fantastic age 24 season with 70 points. But thus far, that is his outlier season by 19 points. (51, 49, 39).

Hutson's rookie season was 66 points. Why is Hutson taking so little cash with the cap rising? Does he think his rookie season will be his peak?

It comes down to UFA years purchased. 

[Night Train]

Rangers beat us then cannot score at home in 3 games.

 

We are the plague !  

[Pimlach]

15 hours ago, Night Train said:

Rangers beat us then cannot score at home in 3 games.

 

We are the plague !  

I would like to play the Rangers again soon.  They have a goalie and the rest is over rated

[Porous Five Hole]

Saw a Peterka highlight from the other night and learned the Utah Mammoth have ripped off the Sabres goal horn. 

[rickshaw]

On 10/9/2025 at 10:07 PM, PerreaultForever said:

The good news - Detroit looks like crap. 

The bad news - Montreal and to a lesser extent Ottawa both look like they are the same if not better than last year. 

Tampa has a Rempe. Where are all these 6'9" guys coming from? 

Detroit is 3-1 and tied for first. Wish we were that crappy. Montreal also 3-1.

Ottawa 1-3 last place. 
 

 

[Jorcus]

1 hour ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Saw a Peterka highlight from the other night and learned the Utah Mammoth have ripped off the Sabres goal horn. 

 

And they ripped this guy off the Banana Splits.

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, rickshaw said:

Detroit is 3-1 and tied for first. Wish we were that crappy. Montreal also 3-1.

Ottawa 1-3 last place. 
 

 

I haven't watched Detroit yet but Montreal looks pretty good. They have improved from last year. The extensions to upper management have been earned there. 

[Jorcus]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

I haven't watched Detroit yet but Montreal looks pretty good. They have improved from last year. The extensions to upper management have been earned there. 

Caulfield scores with 19 seconds in the game to tie and 2 seconds left in OT to win for the Habs. As I posted in another thread I think they have a good chance to win the division. They have a lot of firepower.

Edited 19 hours ago by Jorcus

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Jorcus said:

Caulfield scores with 19 seconds in the game to tie and 2 seconds left in OT to win for the Habs. As I posted in another thread I think they have a good chance to win the division. They have a lot of firepower.

I don't know about winning the division but I hate to admit I like how they have rebuilt. It is the sort of balanced roster I've talked about here. They can play numerous styles of game and have toughness and grit to go with their offensive weapons. They have a good GM.

[PerreaultForever]

Watched Seattle Ottawa tonight. What a difference a goalie makes. 

[Jorcus]

8 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I don't know about winning the division but I hate to admit I like how they have rebuilt. It is the sort of balanced roster I've talked about here. They can play numerous styles of game and have toughness and grit to go with their offensive weapons. They have a good GM.

I would not say that Montreal is a gritty team. They are what we strived to be. very fast, very skilled and deep with scoring talent. They are also very young. Only one player on the top 3 lines is over 25 years old. The D is as also young with 4 out of the 6 25 or under. In theory they are weaker on the blueline than we are. Watching them torment the Preds playing 3 on 3 it was only luck and Saros that did not end that game sooner. Preds could have won that game in regulation but Marchessault made a bad play shooting the puck into Hutson's chest trying for the empty net. Of our 2 next games I think we have a better chance against Florida than we do against the Habs.   

[That Aud Smell]

7 minutes ago, Jorcus said:

Of our 2 next games I think we have a better chance against Florida than we do against the Habs.   

even without two (or more?) of their star players, the Panthers will almost certainly sh1t pump the Sabres with their trademark relentless and heavy style of play.

[Demoted]

2 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

even without two (or more?) of their star players, the Panthers will almost certainly sh1t pump the Sabres with their trademark relentless and heavy style of play.

The Sabres usually win 1 of the games they play against the Panthers. Maybe this will be the one.

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, Jorcus said:

I would not say that Montreal is a gritty team. They are what we strived to be. very fast, very skilled and deep with scoring talent. They are also very young. Only one player on the top 3 lines is over 25 years old. The D is as also young with 4 out of the 6 25 or under. In theory they are weaker on the blueline than we are. Watching them torment the Preds playing 3 on 3 it was only luck and Saros that did not end that game sooner. Preds could have won that game in regulation but Marchessault made a bad play shooting the puck into Hutson's chest trying for the empty net. Of our 2 next games I think we have a better chance against Florida than we do against the Habs.   

Not a gritty team compared to say Florida but more grit than the Sabres. More guys who will drag you into the fight and stand up for each other. Pests and scrappers. They can at least survive that sort of game if not thrive off of it. Tenacity is the word that comes to mind most for me after watching them a couple times this year. 

Benson/Doan are steps in that direction for us but they stand out so much relative to the passivity of most of the rest of them. We need more of that and we need it to become infectious.