2021-2022 Official NHL thread

[K Douglas]

Season starts in 3 days and counting. Time for some predictions

1) Division winners - Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, Pacific
2) Hart Trophy winner
3) Norris Trophy winner
4) Vezina Trophy winner
5) Calder Trophy winner

Mine:
1) Panthers, Hurricanes, Avalanche, Golden Knights
2) Nathan MacKinnon COL
3) Quinn Hughes VAN
4) Andrei Vasilevskiy TB
5) Trevor Zegras ANA

Let's hear yours

 

[Fun For All]

Season starts in 3 days and counting. Time for some predictions

1) Division winners - Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, Pacific
2) Hart Trophy winner
3) Norris Trophy winner
4) Vezina Trophy winner
5) Calder Trophy winner

Mine:
1) Panthers, Hurricanes, Avalanche, Golden Knights
2) Nathan MacKinnon COL
3) Quinn Hughes VAN
4) Andrei Vasilevskiy TB
5) Trevor Zegras ANA

Let's hear yours

Predictions are fine and I’d say yours have a shot...except...Quinn Hughes for the Norris, No...

 

[glamphotographer]

I predict Jack Eichel will end up in Seattle.

 

[K Douglas]

Predictions are fine and I’d say yours have a shot...except...Quinn Hughes for the Norris, No...

Yep a bit of a dark horse pick. I see Vancouver tremendously improved this year.

 

[K Douglas]

I predict Jack Eichel will end up in Seattle.

He needs some sort of surgery so will likely be out the majority of this season. Seattle would be smart to avoid him. Great talent but a cancer in the dressing room. Sorta like Evander Kane.

 

[Fun For All]

He needs some sort of surgery so will likely be out the majority of this season. Seattle would be smart to avoid him. Great talent but a cancer in the dressing room. Sorta like Evander Kane.

I don't know about the cancer comment, I've never heard a teammate or coach call Eichel out for anything...playing on a team that will make the playoffs is what he wants, can't blame him for wanting out.

 

[Darts]

Ok, I'll wade in here.

1) Quinn Hughes has amazing skills but he is an undersize defenseman. When the Canucks played the Habs, the bigger Hab players constantly targeted him and soon he would just throw the puck away. (Same with Marner in the playoffs when he threw the puck into the stands.)

2) Not a prediction. I hope Cole Caufield wins the Calder.
"Cole Caufield still can win the Calder Memorial trophy as best rookie in the NHL. To qualify to win the Calder trophy a player must be considered a rookie. A player must not have played in more than 25 NHL games in any preceding seasons, nor in six or more NHL games in each of any two preceding seasons."

 

[bazokajoe]

All I know is my Flyers will probably suck again and I can't even go see them play in Buffalo due to border restrictions. And going to Toronto to see them is just way to costly.

 

[K Douglas]

All I know is my Flyers will probably suck again and I can't even go see them play in Buffalo due to border restrictions. And going to Toronto to see them is just way to costly.

I think the Flyers made some good moves in the off season. They picked up Ryan Ellis from Nashville, Rasmus Ristolainen from Buffalo and Cam Atkinson from Columbus. Getting Keith Yandle from the Panthers may boost their PP. I think Oscar Lindblom will be much better a year removed from his serious blood disorder. Kevin Hayes is hurt which is a bummer. But in the end it comes down to whether Carter Hart bounces back from an awful season.

 

[K Douglas]

Ok, I'll wade in here.

1) Quinn Hughes has amazing skills but he is an undersize defenseman. When the Canucks played the Habs, the bigger Hab players constantly targeted him and soon he would just throw the puck away. (Same with Marner in the playoffs when he threw the puck into the stands.)

2) Not a prediction. I hope Cole Caufield wins the Calder.
"Cole Caufield still can win the Calder Memorial trophy as best rookie in the NHL. To qualify to win the Calder trophy a player must be considered a rookie. A player must not have played in more than 25 NHL games in any preceding seasons, nor in six or more NHL games in each of any two preceding seasons."

I think Caufield is the betting favorite. He's in a position to succeed no question. Since I hate the Habs with every core of my being I hope that he doesn't.

 

[maurice93]

What I think hurts Caufield a bit is the Canadiens have 8 quality wingers and real lack of Center depth. Typical Bergevin stupidity roster construction.

Caufield
Toffoli
Hoffman
Drouin
anderson
Gallagher
Armia
Lehkonen

It is most likely the most deep wing corps in the league. Problem is lack of centres. If Caufield struggled at all, other quality wingers could get promoted to Suzuki and Dvorak lines and he is relegated to play with stuff in the middle.

Danault was overpaid at 5.5 million. But that would have been much wiser money spent than spending 4.5 million on Hoffman. Is Hoffman better.. sure. But you are now relegating quality wingers out of the top 6 and have replacement level centres on the 3rd and 4th line.

You don’t built your forward group like that. Of course you would expect Bergevin to do something like that however.

 

[Darts]

New guy Christian Dvorak is a centre. He replaced Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

 

[maurice93]

New guy Christian Dvorak is a centre. He replaced Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

And who replaced Danault.

Instead of overpaying him slightly, you now have about 16million committed to your bottom 6 wingers and no third line centre.

 

[K Douglas]

What I think hurts Caufield a bit is the Canadiens have 8 quality wingers and real lack of Center depth. Typical Bergevin stupidity roster construction.

Caufield
Toffoli
Hoffman
Drouin
anderson
Gallagher
Armia
Lehkonen

It is most likely the most deep wing corps in the league. Problem is lack of centres. If Caufield struggled at all, other quality wingers could get promoted to Suzuki and Dvorak lines and he is relegated to play with stuff in the middle.

Danault was overpaid at 5.5 million. But that would have been much wiser money spent than spending 4.5 million on Hoffman. Is Hoffman better.. sure. But you are now relegating quality wingers out of the top 6 and have replacement level centres on the 3rd and 4th line.

You don’t built your forward group like that. Of course you would expect Bergevin to do something like that however.

Caufield will really to have struggle to get relegated from the top 6. If that happens of course he'd have no shot at ROY, even if the Habs had depth at centre.

 

[Darts]

Caufield will really to have struggle to get relegated from the top 6. If that happens of course he'd have no shot at ROY, even if the Habs had depth at centre.

For what its worth, here is one opinion piece on Calder Trophy.
Top 10 Early Candidates for the 2022 Calder Trophy - Toronto Ontario - its All About Toronto Ontario (toronto-ontario.com)

 

[Darts]

Since I hate the Habs with every core of my being

The Montreal-Toronto rivalry is probably the most intense (and longest) in the NHL. They have met 16 times in the playoffs. So, a Canadien- Maple Leaf game always draw a lot of attention. Let's see how this season unfolds. P.S. I see your Avs are one of the Cup favourites.

Canadiens–Maple Leafs rivalry - Wikipedia

 

[SecretAdmirer]

I am going with Shane Pinto to win the Calder. He keeps improving at each level. Will be playing 2nd line minutes, a lot of opportunity as a rookie.

 

[Indiana]

Nylander wins the Rocket Richard.

 

[chuckertmg]

With a fine delivered to Calgary’s Andersson for a deliberate head butt to Yamamoto’s face, it’s taken the department of player safety exactly five days to demonstrate once again that they’re a clueless band of clowns who’s calls are based on the extent of the injury and NOT the seriousness of the actual attempt to injure.

I hate these guys, they’re beyond incompetent and they continue to have zero consistency in decisions.

Head injuries will never cease to be a problem in hockey unless you penalize deliberate attempts to induce head injuries.

 

[chuckertmg]

.....on a separate note though, and as a casual observer, it's remarkable how the Calgary Flames have managed to assemble an entire roster of complete arseholes.

I'd imagine that's not an easy thing to accomplish.