kipwinger

No need to worry, happens all the time. What could go wrong? Oh...

I agree with both of you guys. They aren't going to trade the pick away. A move like that is probably WAY too ballsy for your average, risk averse, GM. I was only suggesting that it wouldn't be crazy, or even counterproductive, to do so. By all accounts, Jack Eichel would go first in any other draft (since 2005) that didn't have Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby in it. So losing a guy like McDavid, to get a guy like Eichel (plus significant other pieces) would very likely make you better than you'd be just keeping McDavid.

I don't like the addition of Chelios. I mean, I love the guy and all. But I don't want to add an assistant coach with ZERO coaching experience to a head coach with no NHL coaching experience. Unless Chelios is going to replace Granato and Blash is going to get someone with some NHL powerplay experience, I don't want him.

I think I want Chicago to win as much for the Patrick Kane afterparty photos as I do for anything else. Those alone are worth rooting for the Blackhawks.

I'm not saying they should trade the 1st overall just to be trading it. I'm suggesting they take advantage of two things. 1. There is so much hype surrounding McDavid that people are more likely to do something irrational if he's involved (think Mike Babcock's hype and subsequent 50 million dollar contract). 2. McDavid isn't so much better than Eichel that losing one for the other leaves you in a bad spot. They're both future #1 centers. So I'd offer McDavid for Eichel (plus) and see if the hype makes Buffalo do something stupid. If they don't bite...fine. You still have Connor McDavid. If they do bite, even better. You got a future #1 center PLUS whatever else you can get (I'd ask for Reinhart and Ristolainen, but whatever), for a future #1 center of comparable skill.

I'd argue the best NCAA teams would dominate the best Junior teams. Not because they're more talented...they aren't. But they're more developed. I also agree about the Hobey Baker. I'm not suggesting that the NCAA gets the kinds of talent coming through it that the Canadian Junior Leagues do. I'm suggesting that, in general, it's always harder to play against 19-23 year olds than it is to play against 16-19 year olds. And given what Eichel did to college kids, I don't think it's a stretch to assume he'd do considerably more damage to a bunch of children...just like McDavid did. Guys dominate the Junior leagues all the time. That, in and of itself, doesn't really impress me that much. Every guy that scores a bunch in Juniors is the next Crosby, or Stamkos, or whomever. But that doesn't make it so. That's just good PR. I have no reason to believe that McDavid is soooooooo much better than Eichel or anybody else, based on his Junior career. I do think, however, that he's been hyped to the point that everybody thinks so. If I were the Oilers I'd call Buffalo right now. I'd offer them the first overall pick, for the second overall pick, Sam Reinhart, and Rasmus Ristolianen. See how much value the next Crosby actually has. If McDavid is the next Crosby, then why can't Eichel be the next Toews? And as good as Crosby is, would you rather have him or Toews plus two blue chip prospects?

I take it as a point of pride that I don't buy into the insane, and annual, hype that surrounds the 1st overall draft pick in all major professional sports. That's because I've seen too many of the bust, or underwhelm, for all sorts of reasons. I'd rather they show me what they've got. In lieu of that, I'd rather rely on more objectives things, like size, speed, stats, the degree of difficultly in their respective leagues, etc. The only thing I know absolutely, positively, 100% about Connor McDavid is that he's far and away the most POPULAR player in the draft. No denying that. But I still have to be convinced that he'll be the best NHL player to come from this draft. And here's one final thought. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that if Jack Eichel were A) Canadian, and B) playing in a weaker league against a bunch of teen age boys, that he'd be as dominant AND as heralded as Connor McDavid.

He'll probably be super duper good right? Like, Hart Trophy, 100 point seasons, Olympic Gold, type good? I mean, he'll probably be soooooooooooo good that people will anoint him the second coming of Gretzky. He'll have scoring titles and accolades for days and day. Nobody's been that good in a long, long time. Except for Crosby...and Ovechkin...and Stamkos...and Tavares. They've got a whopping 1 Stanley Cup between them. It's too bad they don't give Stanley Cups away for your Junior Hockey career and your pre-draft hype. These guys would be rolling in them. Connor would too. Sadly, we still do it the crappy old way where you have to earn it by winning NHL games. McDavid will be good. But lots of teams will win lots of Cups without Connor McDavid. So maybe everyone should temper their idolatry a little bit.

Didn't you hear? Holland's a senile old miser who's actively trying to destroy the Detroit Red Wings legacy through his own ignorance and inaction. Durrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Like George Malik, who scoffed at the idea when it was first brought up, then became increasingly neurotic as the end of the season drew near, and then stated he "saw it coming" when he signed with Toronto. George's "reporting" of the Babcock situation is the stuff of legends.

This reminds me of Luongo complaining that Tim Thomas didn't "pump his tires" a couple years ago in the finals. How entitled do you have to be? Is Jack Eichel bound by some sort of hockey law to kiss Connor McDavid's ass? Screw McDavid. I'd rather have a "cocky" kid like Eichel, who is confident and competitive, than the next Nail Yakupov. You can keep your hero worship. I like hockey players, not "saviors".

Lol. I kind of want it to happen just to see people lose their minds.

The offer sheet system is a catch-22. In order to get a player, you've got to overpay so much that a team isn't willing to match. But then you've got a player on your hands who's making dramatically more than they're worth. So you haven't helped yourself. Sure, you could get Hamilton. But you'd have to offer an obscene amount of money. And then you'd be stuck with it. It's just not a smart move, which is why nobody does it (except dummies like Paul Holmgren and Keven Lowe...of course).

Atta girl. It's important to have standards.

Is that a triple entendre or quadruple? I lost count lol.

Firstly, there isn't a single player available that would cost us Nyquist, Tatar, and Smith. Nobody traded in recent memory cost two 50+ point players, under the age of 25, who have flirted with 30 goals. None. Secondly, if we offer sheeted anyone. Then they'd do it back. And we've got several important RFAs to sign this year. Do you want to inflate the prices on your own guys? We'd end up gaining nothing, and wasting money we don't really need to. That's why most GMs don't offer sheet people. Not because they're "taboo".

The list of your hockey crushes is long and varied. Perhaps one day you should rank order them. Take heed, I'll be truly disappointed if ANY of your crushes wasn't a committed two way player. Just because you like their "flow" doesn't mean you're allowed to sacrifice defensive awareness.

Unless Zboril falls to 19th, I suspect Detroit trades back in an effort to get a second round pick. Edit: Also, Bob McKenzie ranks his top 75 prospects (with the help of Craig Button). http://www.tsn.ca/mcdavid-tops-mckenzie-s-final-draft-ranking-1.300634

We gotta make room in the top six for a 20+ goal scoring power forward, who's big, gritty, and plays in the hard areas. Once we get Abby out of there the only problem will be finding a guy like that. I'd trade half a dozen guys on this team rather than Abby. The NHL is a man's league, and Abby plays a big boy game. Trade Nyquist or Pulkkinen before you trade Abby. He's practically the only guy on our team who A) can score goals, and B) isn't a complete pantywaist. If anything we need more guys like him (Drew Stafford anyone?), not less.

8 straight seasons with 20+ goals. Not too shabby for a power forward.

Yeah! You tell em'! Pile up all your announcements and make them at one time! That way you reduce your exposure and keep your team, and the NHL in general, out of the headlines for the majority of the year. That'll show Bettman!

I was just looking over Mike Knuble's career stat line. That guy was damned impressive. He's probably the most underrated ex-Red Wing in history. Very quality career he put together.

Greg Brady ‏@bradyfan590 8h8 hours ago Two things: #NHL prefers it be announced on off-day between G3/G4 of Stanley Cup Final. Blashill has expressed some interest in.... Greg Brady ‏@bradyfan590 8h8 hours ago potentially retaining 1st-year assistant coach Mike Knuble w/ the big club. Knows the league, smart dude. Blashill was very impressed.

I'm so confused by what's going on here. This has got to be a prank of some sort, right?

I agree with you, but only to a point. Sure things might be a little different. But if the new coaches don't look at what our PP did successfully last year, with roughly the same personnel, (and try to recreate that success) then they're dangerously stupid and should immediately be fired. If you had the second best PP a year ago, and you had almost the exact same personnel, the largely the same system, most of the same coaches, and access to all the technical information and game footage a person could ask for, would you completely scrap everything and start from scratch? Neither would anybody else. Surely Blash is smart enough to build of past successes, and try to improve upon past failures. Reinventing the wheel would just be dumb. The powerplay was our biggest success last season. I wouldn't expect too much to change in that regard, unless of course, it begins to struggle.

And the bedroom, amiright?