NHL 2016-17

[MutuelClerk]

Congrats to the Pens, Sid and Idiatone. Sorry Hoofed and CJ. Let's get on with Vegas, trades and the draft. A lot happening the next two weeks.

[MutuelClerk]

Also, congrats Phil Kessel. I'm glad you're gone. But congrats.

[Greyfox]

Not sure the better team and host city won, but Congratulations Pens!

[HoofedInTheChest]

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

You have to give them props, they did it with a bunch of second and third pairing D-men, who says you need first pairing D-men to win a Cup?

Thank god that’s over with, time to start acquiring!

[HoofedInTheChest]

Regulations Relating to Expansion Franchise

* The Las Vegas franchise must select one player from each presently existing club for a total of 30 players (not including additional players who may be acquired as the result of violations of the Expansion Draft rules).

* The Las Vegas franchise must select the following number of players at each position: 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders.

The mandated number adds up to 26 players. So there are four wildcard choices Vegas can make. They can, if they like, pick seven goalies, not just three. And while that’s not all that probable, they likely will take more than three.

* The Las Vegas franchise must select a minimum of 20 players who are under contract for the 2017-18 season.

The third rule means Vegas just can’t just load up on UFAs and RFAs by signing a lot of deals during their discussion window. They can only take 10 that way.

* The Las Vegas franchise must select players with an aggregate Expansion Draft value that is between 60-100% of the prior season's upper limit for the salary cap.

The fourth rule is the tricky one. Vegas might want to focus on youth, players still within RFA age and on cheaper contracts to build their team. They do have to meet the minimum total contract value, and they can’t go over the cap. So they have to hit between $43,800,000 and $73,000,000, and that likely means taking some higher paid players on purpose.

That lower value is not quite the cap floor for next year. Assuming the cap does not go up, the floor will be $54,000,000. Vegas needs to get to that number by the start of the season, and there’s lots of ways to do that. They’ve already made a start by signing Vadim Shipachyov.

* The Las Vegas franchise may not buy out any of the players selected in the Expansion Draft earlier than the summer following its first season.

[HoofedInTheChest]

The first round selections for the Entry Draft are set.

1 – New Jersey Devils
2 – Philadelphia Flyers
3 – Dallas Stars
4 – Colorado Avalanche
5 – Vancouver Canucks
6 – Las Vegas Golden Knights
7 – Phoenix Coyotes
8 – Buffalo Sabres
9 – Detroit Red Wings
10 – Florida Panthers
11 – LA Kings
12 – Carolina Hurricanes
13 – Winnipeg Jets
14 – Tampa Bay Lightning
15 – NY Islanders
16 – Calgary Flames
17 – Toronto Maple Leafs
18 – Boston Bruins
19 – San Jose Sharks
20 – St. Louis Blues
21 – NY Rangers
22 – Edmonton Oilers
23 – Phoenix Coyotes (from Minnesota Wild)
24 – Columbus Blue Jackets
25 – Montreal Canadiens
26 – Chicago Blackhawks
27 – St. Louis Blues (from Washington Capitals)
28 – Ottawa Senators
29 – Dallas Stars (from Anaheim Ducks)
30 – Nashville Predators
31 – Pittsburgh Penguins

[MutuelClerk]

First team in salary cap era to go back to back. Crosby had one helluva season considering the Championships before the NHL season began. Also read Pens first team to win the Cup without having a person receiving one vote for the Norris Trophy. Jimmy Rutherford is horribly underrated. He's probably their MVP.

[reckless]

Guys, I confess I'm not into the NHL for the whole season, but I do live and die during the playoffs. It's the only sport were the divisional No. 1 seeds are as vulnerable to lose the first round as any other team in the playoffs. At least that's how it seems to me over the years.

What I do not understand is how often teams look sensational and unbeatable in a game and the next game look like stifferoos. The Rangers, Ottawa, Anaheim, and the Preds all had such efforts in this year's playoff series at one time or another.

Is it the physicality of hockey playing a part? I don't know if there's an answer to this question of mine, but if there is, please educate me. Thanks.

Congrats to the repeat Penguins.

[oughtoh]

One thing is the home team gets the last change and that does make a difference in the playoffs. You can try and get the matchups you want when you are at home. My dad always said hockey was a game of inches. One night every pass is right on the other players stick and then the next night the passes are just barely missing someones stick or their shots hit the post. They can look really good one night and the next look as if they never played together. The playoffs are a whole different game then the regular season is.

[cj]

Originally Posted by MutuelClerk

Congrats to the Pens, Sid and Idiatone. Sorry Hoofed and CJ. Let's get on with Vegas, trades and the draft. A lot happening the next two weeks.

No need to apologize to me...once Caps are done, I don't much care who wins.

[ldiatone]

i like the new feature to post a video. now i can post all the cool videos about THE 2017 STANLEY CUP CHAMPS PITTSBURGH PENGINS

YouTube (Short URL)

[ldiatone]

and yes PA, you now have created a video monster for the STANLEY CUP CHAMPS

YouTube (Short URL)

[ldiatone]

i was viewing old draft picks by the pens. there was a player name rick Kessel back in 1969. any relation to Phil?

[HoofedInTheChest]

Originally Posted by reckless

Guys, I confess I'm not into the NHL for the whole season, but I do live and die during the playoffs. It's the only sport were the divisional No. 1 seeds are as vulnerable to lose the first round as any other team in the playoffs. At least that's how it seems to me over the years.

What I do not understand is how often teams look sensational and unbeatable in a game and the next game look like stifferoos. The Rangers, Ottawa, Anaheim, and the Preds all had such efforts in this year's playoff series at one time or another.

Is it the physicality of hockey playing a part? I don't know if there's an answer to this question of mine, but if there is, please educate me. Thanks.

Congrats to the repeat Penguins.

That is an excellent question, and one that i cannot answer with any certainty.

Hockey is a game of chaos and randomness, with momentum swings that can come and go like the weather, there really is no explanation as to why.

The human element is a big factor, as much as you want to bring your “A” game every night, your body has other plans. Whether it’s your legs, your drivetrain, your agility, your hockey smarts or whatever, it is very difficult to be consistent in this game. Some nights it’s effortless, while some nights it can be a challenge.

Home ice advantage... the hometown fans can induce some intensity into the players, and can intimidate the opposition as well. The home team has an advantage with the boards and glass, they understand the quirks and reflections and use that to their advantage. There was a time when the last change had a greater effect on the game, but you can circumvent the last change with short shifts. There was a time when the top 2 lines were your skating lines, and the bottom 2 lines were vulnerable, but those days are gone, everyone can skate in the contemporary NHL.

For whatever reason, some teams play better at home, and some teams play better on the road.

Ice conditions can play a part in the outcome of a game, some teams prefer a fast surface, whereas some teams might prefer a slower surface, it varies around the league. I noticed that the ice in Nashville was absolute garbage, the puck would never settle down throughout the game. This is common once you get into June, or you have a multi-use arena.

Looking back over the 2017 playoffs, the first three rounds of the playoffs were dominated by the visiting team, whereas in the final, it was the home team that had the advantage, very bizarre.

The one thing i found strange about the Finals was the scores. When you have the two best teams battling it out against each other, the games should be tight, but it was quite the opposite in 5 of the 6 games in the Finals.

Goaltending is everything, a hot goalie can mask the deficiencies of a team, but he can also look like a donkey when he has an off night. The same can be said about the Centreman on a given team, for example the Pens C-men compensated for their weak defense core through puck support.

A coach’s ability to make adjustments throughout a series is key, some have the expertise and some do not.

Puck luck and the hockey gods..... for whatever reason there are some nights you just get the bounces.

[reckless]

Originally Posted by HoofedInTheChest

That is an excellent question, and one that i cannot answer with any certainty.

Hockey is a game of chaos and randomness, with momentum swings that can come and go like the weather, there really is no explanation as to why.

The human element is a big factor, as much as you want to bring your “A” game every night, your body has other plans. Whether it’s your legs, your drivetrain, your agility, your hockey smarts or whatever, it is very difficult to be consistent in this game. Some nights it’s effortless, while some nights it can be a challenge.

Home ice advantage... the hometown fans can induce some intensity into the players, and can intimidate the opposition as well. The home team has an advantage with the boards and glass, they understand the quirks and reflections and use that to their advantage. There was a time when the last change had a greater effect on the game, but you can circumvent the last change with short shifts. There was a time when the top 2 lines were your skating lines, and the bottom 2 lines were vulnerable, but those days are gone, everyone can skate in the contemporary NHL.

For whatever reason, some teams play better at home, and some teams play better on the road.

Ice conditions can play a part in the outcome of a game, some teams prefer a fast surface, whereas some teams might prefer a slower surface, it varies around the league. I noticed that the ice in Nashville was absolute garbage, the puck would never settle down throughout the game. This is common once you get into June, or you have a multi-use arena.

Looking back over the 2017 playoffs, the first three rounds of the playoffs were dominated by the visiting team, whereas in the final, it was the home team that had the advantage, very bizarre.

The one thing i found strange about the Finals was the scores. When you have the two best teams battling it out against each other, the games should be tight, but it was quite the opposite in 5 of the 6 games in the Finals.

Goaltending is everything, a hot goalie can mask the deficiencies of a team, but he can also look like a donkey when he has an off night. The same can be said about the Centreman on a given team, for example the Pens C-men compensated for their weak defense core through puck support.

A coach’s ability to make adjustments throughout a series is key, some have the expertise and some do not.

Puck luck and the hockey gods..... for whatever reason there are some nights you just get the bounces.

Thank you, Hoofed,for taking the time to answer my questions. You make great and valid points and I appreciate it.