Dabura

Don't forget Anaheim! If we get Ducks-Penguins in the SCF, there is no God. (Though, Randy Carlyle having more Cup rings than Mike Babcock would be kind of funny.)

I would say it's that + "parity." Like GMR said... The Capitals and Penguins had the two best records in the East. They are playing each other in the second round. Meanwhile, the other series in the East involves the teams with the 5th and 6th best records, in New York and Ottawa. The previous system -- 1-8, 2-7, etc. -- made it hard for lower seeds to go on a deep run. With the current system, they still have it tough -- but not as tough. And I suspect that's by design.

I really, really like Nick Suzuki. The esteemed Dr. Dangles validates muh feels with science: http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2017/4/13/15288602/dr-dangles-prospect-profiles-nick-suzuki-c-owen-sound-attack-37 YOU'LL BELIEVE A MAN KID WHO ISN'T PATRICK OR HISCHIER CAN FLY COULD BE BETTER THAN VILARDI.

There's a second time for everything.

Only four more days until it's only one day more day until the lottery. http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2017/4/20/15376972/whole-lotta-lottery #SquadGoals

I was tempted to make this thread earlier today.

Oilers advance. Marleau's and/or Thornton's last game with the Sharks? Probably not, but it's a possibility. (Calm down, Kenny.) The Western Conference's final four: Nashville, St. Louis, Anaheim, Edmonton. I don't think the Oilers are for real this season. The Sharks, despite being old and fatigued and injured, contained the Oilers' big guns and hit iron about 300,000 times. As for the other three...it's looking like the conference is basically up for grabs. I give the Preds the slight edge, though. It took a few years, but David Poile has finally given Peter Laviolette a roster that can play Laviolette hockey, which is similar to Penguins hockey under Mike Sullivan, which can be hugely effective if you have the right personnel. Subban, Josi, Ekholm, Ellis is about as good a top four as you're going to get in today's league and it's perfectly suited for Laviolette hockey. The forward group is on the shallow side, but their top line of Forsberg-Johansen-Arvidsson terrorized the Blackhawks' top talent, skating them into the ground. And if Rinne is in that mysterious "zone" where a goalie gets impossibly hot in the playoffs? This might just be Nashville's year. (Now watch the Oilers win the Cup. Because everything is stupid.)

I don't care that they've won Cups. Their best days are behind them, their combined cap hit is $21M for the next six years, we're up against the cap even without the COMBINED TWENTY ONE MILLION DOLLAR CAP HIT, and it's not like we have a bunch of really attractive pieces that would both interest Chicago and free up the cap space we'd need to add the COMBINED TWENTY ONE MILLION DOLLAR CAP HIT. Your argument basically boils down to "Kane and Toews are great and any team would love to have them." Which is true enough. However, this is a salary cap league. It's not as simple as saying "These guys are better than our guys, so we should do everything in our power to acquire them." We're a basement team and we're up against the cap. Getting younger and faster and slowly trimming our existing financial fat is our path forward. Adding the two biggest contracts in the league would be antithetical to that plan and could potentially kill our rebuild before it even begins.

Dear Habs,

Howard has two more years left on his deal. Kronwall has two more years left on his deal. Nielsen is $5.25M against the cap for the next five years. Abdelkader is $4.25M against the cap for the next six years. Nielsen's cap hit + Abdelkader's cap hit = $9.5M. Kane is $10.5M against the cap for the next six years. Toews is $10.5M against the cap for the next six years. Kane's cap hit + Toews' cap hit = $21M. For the next few years, the Wings should be focusing on drafting and developing a new Cup-worthy core and freeing up cap space when possible. The Wings should not be looking to add veteran players with $10.5M cap hits. I'm not saying Kane and Toews aren't great players. I'm saying the Wings should want no part of their contracts. Maybe if Chicago eats some salary I'm slightly more into the idea. ........But even then, no.

Hot take: the NHL put a team in Vegas for the sole purpose of giving the Blackhawks a deus ex machina pressure release valve.

That's a combined $21M against our cap for the next infinity years, and their best days are already behind them. F*** that.

Eat it, Suter. Eat it, Parise. Eat it, Suter's wife. Eat it, Suter's farm equipment. Eat it, so-called "State of Hockey."

lolz. Go away, Bruins. No one likes you. Not even NHL.com.

Organizations these days. No respect for The Process. Sad!

Stan Bowman's top priority should be getting out from under the Seabrook contract. 32-year-old middle-pairing defenseman in decline. $6.875M x 7 years. Very nope. Much woof. Poor doge.

Rangers fans vs. Tanner Glass. A saga for the ages.

I thought they'd destroy the Leafs! Shows what I know.

QUIT HARSHIN' MY BUZZ Y'ALL

Mike Sielski, for Philly.com: "In rebuilding the Flyers, Ron Hextall should consider all options, including trading Wayne Simmonds" And with that, I issue the customary bi-annual reminder that Wayne Simmonds grew up a fan of the Detroit Red Wings...

o rly??

Trying to appeal to a young demographic, methinks.

WOOOOOOOOOOO

Your troll game needs work.

This is a pretty good profile: http://thehockeywriters.com/the-next-ones-2017-nhl-draft-prospect-profile-timothy-liljegren/ For my money, he remains the most appealing defenseman in this draft class -- but Cale Makar isn't too far behind.