chaps80

Las Vegas Golden Knights isn't a long enough name. Call it Las Vegas World Famous Gold and Silver Pawn Stars. Use Chumlee's face for the logo.

THIS. The team is a huge mess in every area except for goaltending. And goaltending alone will not win you games. Well, not every night. Holland is a lazy f*** who rests on his laurels, and has assembled such a clusterf*** of a roster and seems determined to sticking with it, even though nothings working out. I hope they end up with a top 4 pick this year. Not only cause they desperately need it, but it will start the ice cracking under Holland and Blashill's feet. Holland won't be fired after this season if there's no playoffs, he'll get a couple seasons before that, but it's gonna be a move in that direction. Blashill is on much thinner ice though..he will get one more year maybe, but that should be it if there's no improvement. After Holland fires him, he should fire himself.

I dunno what the hell is going on anymore. It is what it is. If Jimmy is being showcased, that's good. I doubt they don't have confidence in Mrazek though. No matter who has played, it's been a loss. This team is in trouble..second last in the Conference. I sure as hell didn't think the Wings would be looking up at Toronto in the standings at any point this season..horrific. Oh well, looking good for a lottery pick so far at least.

Was thinking, if Calgary does want Howard, trade for Elliott. $2.5 million cap hit, and is UFA after this season. Calgary could fit Howard's extra $2.8 million under their cap after that I think with LTIR left, but it would be close

Kinda looks like a white jersey was washed with a new red sweatshirt.

Exactly. These suck, but the SS ones last season were horrid. The front crest was fine, but it all fell apart after that. They should just keep using the ones from the Winter Classic the time they played Toronto...those are amazing. I still need to get one. Or those ones they used during the NHL 75th Anniversary.

I'm glad he's back. No points yesterday, but hopefully he gets rollin again.

Winnipeg is a perfect example why a city that couldn't support a team previously should get a team again. Things are better than ever there, and they're a team on the rise with a huge loyal fanbase. Quebec City has a new arena, and they've been trying to get an NHL team back for years. Just because a team failed there once, doesn't mean it will again. Most of the pieces were already in place for a cup run in Quebec and things were looking up finally, fans were excited, then all of a sudden the owner had to sell the team due to being unable to build a new arena, the CAN/US exchange rate, and the league not having a salary cap. The franchise was sold, and Nords fans had to watch their former team win a cup the spring after they were moved as the Avalanche. Now two of those three challenges to keeping the team there have since been rectified. Vegas will end up as the Arizona franchise is..it's a non-hockey market that will need to be bailed out, while Quebec is a huge market that will be supported.

He's also on a low scoring team with guys who can't finish. He was doing pretty good with Vanek earlier this season.

He's out long term again? Not good...

Quebec City should get a team before anyone else. They should have before Vegas. That city losing their Nordiques who became the Avalanche and won a cup two years after the move with the roster mostly already in place when they left (Roy was arguably the final piece) still stings i'm sure.

Why not? He can skate and pass, he just can't shoot. lol

i don't think there's that much to the Calgary rumour. but maybe. They traded for Elliott in the summer to be their guy, and he has a low cap hit. He isn't doing well there though (3-8-0, 3.36 GAA, .882 SV%) while he was solid in STL, but that may have had alot to do with the team in front of him. Now that he's on a lesser team, he's been struggling. Maybe they are kicking tires looking elsewhere...

Nice!

I thought he made at least $6 million. My bad. Also, by high end I didn't know you meant elite and not just a step above middle level.

It is a joke. I've heard others bring up accountability. It seems as if Howard has never had to be accountable for his bad play, other than being benched for a bit of time here and there. He'd always get his job back even if he didn't earn it, just because he's Jimmy Howard I guess? Then when the team finally decides enough is enough and he gets demoted he finally decides to play the best he has in years. Should be a "Too little, too late. The team has moved on" situation, not a "Here Jimmy, have some more starts cause your not sucking this year..yayyy!!" situation. And those who are talking about not coddling players, Howard stayed in the AHL until he was forced to move up because he was out of exemptions at 25. They didn't want to "rush his development". Mrazek was in the NHL full time at 23 by reaching out and taking the spot with his play. Couldn't deny him. I was a huge Howard fan at one point, still a fan, but i'm just callin it like I see it now. Time for him to move on.

Either way, I hope they aren't within grasping distance of a playoff spot. Last season I was in the "Keep the streak alive" camp. But after getting the boot in 5 games in yet another first round loss, I realized right now a playoff berth is useless and a top 14 pick (top 4 would be nice, but this team isn't that bad yet) would help out much more. They should use this season to get Mantha, AA, Bertuzzi, Sproul, Oulette, Mrazek lots of playing time. Maybe even get Coreau in a few games, since he's most likely going to be the backup in Detroit next season. As long as it's not a full out tank job, missing is fine. I know Holland and Illitch will never see it that way though. That would be cool to see Bishop 2.0 sometime this season.

Yeah I know he's not a high end center,but he's paid like one. His highest point total was in the mid-50's.

Dallas wanted Helm? Imagine his speed on a line with someone like Benn or Seguin. Too bad there's no one like that for him to play with in Detroit.

But that Nielson guy Holland locked up for 6 years at $6 million per...I thought he was supposed to be one of those high-end centers? When you look at this team it's just a hodge podge of promising rookies and second year guys, some who aren't quite ready for what's asked of them, middle level vets, lower level vets, and once star calibre vets way past their prime. It's like no real thought was put into it at all, which makes for some weird lines that suffocate otherwise productive players. Nielson had 52 points last season with NYI. I highly doubt he gets anything close to that this season in Detroit. Damn, that's a sad thing to say...

Yeah that's a good way to go about it IF you haven't just resigned an RFA goalie and told him that he's your starter going forward. Howard ideally should have been gone before the season started so there wouldn't end up being some battle between him and Mrazek for playing time, but Holland couldn't get any team to touch his contract. Probably still can't. Mrazek was playing just fine, and all of a sudden Blash throws Howard in a game he had no reason to other than he typically played well against NYR. Howard had a great game, and all of a sudden the chatter starts up, Howard gets more starts, etc. Howard had 100 chances to keep his starter job over the past 2-3 years and screwed them all up. Now all of a sudden that he's finally lost it for good he decides to play like we all knew he was capable of, and he gets rewarded with more starts? What a joke.

I was going to post the same thing. Price wasn't near the goalie he is now when Halak was on the team. Halak outplayed him, but it was Halak who was traded. I remember Habs fans making a HUGE uproar about it. They wanted Price gone. That decision to keep Price didn't pay off right away, he had ups and downs while he learned the ropes, but look at him now. They have arguably the best goalie in the world who is the backbone of their franchise.

This is EXACTLY what I was trying to say earlier in this thread. Howard getting starts he never should have. If you designate a #1, you play him as your #1 unless he is struggling badly, and even then,you play your backup for a game or two, then get your starter right back in there. This whole playing the "hot hand" backup is bad coaching. Jimmy Howard needs to be moved. This situation kinda reminds me of the Cujo/Hasek debacle. Not as bad, but along those lines. Mrazek needs to have complete control of the crease so he can deal with his highs and lows and figure them out for himself with the coaching staff standing behind him 100%. Not have the goalie he replaced getting played in his place when he does have have a bad couple games. You can say "oh these guys aren't kids, deal with it". But it's not all that simple. This team isn't winning a cup soon anyway. It's the perfect time to let Mrazek learn whatever he needs to without blocking his way. He'll be much better from it.

I had to stop watching in the 2nd because I had to go out, but looking at the score, it was a 4-3 loss. Seems like it could have went either way, so I dunno why there's all this doom and gloom in this thread. Was the team that bad? I see that the winning goal was scored with a minute left though. That sucks missing out on at least a point.

LUKEEEE!!! Who woulda thought?