_/ Official 2018-19 NHL Regular Season Discussion Thread: Ovechkin's Bender Act II \_

[vornoff]

gudbranson is so bad.

pearson has lost some of the luster he had in LA but we have no reliable wingers beyond boeser, so worth a shot i guess. my hope is best case scenario he can duplicate what baertschi did before his career was put in jeopardy. worst case scenario, he's another overpaid, underperforming forward. nothing new.

 

[HuskerTornado]

Rutherford needs to be put into a home....

Jack Johnson signing in the offseason and now trading for Gudbranson....what a moron. Vancouver probably couldn't make that trade fast enough. He still has term beyond this season.....signed at $4M/per thru 2020-21. What in the world is he doing? Between him and Johnson, 7.25M of cap wasteland that is likely untradeable.

Several names floating out there, would have been upgrades....but he decides to make the team even worse. How? Why?

Essentially everyone got better around them, he sees this, and does that...I'm in disbelief.

 

[HuskerTornado]

It was a real nice run the Penguins had.

Thought they had another 3-4 year window. That seems firmly closed at the moment.

What blows my mind is he was trying to re-acquire Hagelin last week, even though that isn't allowed due to them retaining when they traded him to LA. The old man finally lost it. It's like he forgot how he rebuilt the team in 2016, it's really bizarre.

 

[Doom67]

Sorry had to post it.

Actually I'm not that into the Pens making bad trades, I like it when they are in the playoffs and are good cause it means there will be a series worth watching, even if I'm rooting against them.

It will be odd if they're the one in the top 9 to fall out....but I'm still not comfortable with the Caps positioning in the standings so I'll just have to worry about that for now.

 

[Doom67]

I feel for Sen fans....

 

[phantompenguin.]

Rutherford got pissy that Pens fans were being mean to Jack Johnson for being a goddamned liability every time he's on the ice...so he fixes that by going after one of maybe two worse defenders in the league to deflect.

Perfect logic.

 

[UncleBen59]

I don't hate the two moves the Bruins made (getting Coyle and MoJo) but I'm kinda disappointed we didn't go after Simmons if that was the price he was traded for.

I'm kinda happy we didn't part with our 1st though.

 

[Doom67]

Crosby is going to carry the Penguins into the playoffs whether their defense likes it or not.

 

[UncleBen59]

Isnt that how it usually is /s

 

[HuskerTornado]

Early returns, but I may owe Jim Rutherford an apology for the Gudbranson trade reaction. Bizarrely, he and Marcus Pettersson paired together has been really, really good.

 

[UncleBen59]

I think people owe Morgan Reilly an apology

 

[Doom67]

Yeah I got home last night and saw the aftermath and then the posts from Leaf fans about the "rag it! rag it! rag it!" and listened a few times and realized they were right. Though I can't lie, just reading their theory about rag it seemed so unlikely. Poor Reilly. I saw a post on reddit saying he's actually been an active supporter of You Can Play. Internet witch hunts got out of control years ago and its only getting worse.

 

[phantompenguin.]

Early returns, but I may owe Jim Rutherford an apology for the Gudbranson trade reaction. Bizarrely, he and Marcus Pettersson paired together has been really, really good.

I've seen Ron Hainsey play on the first unit of a championship team, so I'll never rule anything out ever again...but Gudbranson looking like a completely different player was not a bet I'd have made. I doubt he'll play this well consistently, but I legitimately didn't even know he was capable of this level of competency. At least he's showing he's capable of earning that cap hit.

I can see a scenario in which this baffling Penguins defensive unit works and the Pens go deeper than expected...and I can see a scenario in which half of the defense is cold at once and we see something akin to that 2012 Flyers series again.

 

[tmg.exe]

Hey, look who’s leading the whole league in plus/minus right now.

Why it’s Ron Hainsey!

 

[UncleBen59]

BAW GAWD, THAT"S RON HAINSEY'S MUSIC

 

[Doom67]

Caps and Lightning are going to play for this first time all season this weekend. Mini playoffs prep for both teams but Washington has seeding on the line, while Tampa has the revenge/playoff prep motivation, the other two games are on the 20th and the 30th.

This used to be a thing every year with the Caps/Pens having like 4 of 5 meetings post all-stars, I guess even the NHL schedule maker feels the spring matchup between the two teams got over saturated and traded the Pens for the Bolts.

 

[HuskerTornado]

well, this sucks.

 

[UncleBen59]

I'm okay with this

 

[HuskerTornado]

Rutherford absolutely fleeced Florida in that Brassard/Sheahan for McCann/Bjugstad deal. Wow.

 

[denkaas]

Our first match up is locked in: Sharks/ Knights.

Two teams struggling at the end of the season.

 

[tmg.exe]

lol. Toronto-Boston has been standing at 99.7 - 99.8% likely for like weeks now but Toronto hasn’t been able to officially shut the door because they keep losing to bottom feeders.

 

[Doom67]

At least we don't have to play the Panthers in the playoffs.

 

[tmg.exe]

Toronto Boston in the first round is now finally official. Seeding isn’t locked yet but they’ll be 2 and 3 in some order.

 

[andrew342678]

RADULOV

4 GAME GOAL STREAK

 

[Deleted member 4121907]

Vegas/Sharks and Leafs/Bruins are two great series already

whatever the 2 vs 3 seed in the central ends up being should be great too

 

[Doom67]

I mean the only series that looks like it will not be a great series is whoever Tampa plays (unless it ends up being Pittsburgh somehow). I feel like they're just too good, maybe if Columbus gets the goaltending it never got in the past. I can't see Montreal or Carolina being able to make a series of it against Tampa and I don't think either of them play a brand that is exciting enough to make the games a big draw even as they lose, which I think Colorado can do against the Flames.

 

[Doom67]

So many teams are just left playing for seeding in the CF/SCF. I dunno if teams even think of things like that too much though and just focus on maybe preparing/resting up for playoffs. Right now CGY basically is completely locked in seeding for everything EXCEPT in a potential finals matchup against the Bruins.

 

[HuskerTornado]

Crosby's 100th point set up Guentzel's 40th goal to push OT and secure 3rd in the metro.

Pens finish with the 6th most points in the league and barely make the playoffs. lol

 

[jmenjes]

Bob Boughner relieved of duties as the Panthers coach.

 

[phantompenguin.]

I'm going to laugh my ass off if that 4th rounder was just traded again.

For those with intense wonderment about the fate of a single fourth round draft pick: It was traded yet again at the draft. Ultimately Columbus took Eric Hjorth with the 104th pick (from Minnesota via Arizona via Pittsburgh via Dallas via Pittsburgh and Florida).