OT: 2021 NHL Regular Season Thread
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Laf looks pretty lost out there. He had an even tougher adjustment than usual because he hadn’t played in a live game since last March then had no real preseason.
And don't forget the expansion draft. No way Lou gets the blame for the JT debacle. They went as far as to make sure there were approvals in place to get started with the new arena as part of the pitch. They offered him the max but I don't think Tavares was straight with them about his desire to play for his hometown team at the trade deadline that year. With the benefit of hindsight they should have traded him then.
With regard to Wilde and a second for Palms that sounds about right for a rental of his ability. Naturally I would like it to be cheaper but Wilde has been a little slow developing at Bridgeport and Bolduc is probably considered the better D prospect at this time. They have two seconds in the next two drafts due the Toews trade.
If most fans think Lafreniere shouldn't be in the NHL this year, then most fans aren't as well-versed as they think they are. He isn't eligible for the AHL, the only places he can play are with the Rangers or to continue playing in the QMJHL which obviously isn't challenging him at all considering he put up more than two points a game last year. He even put up more than a point per game in that league as a 16-year old! You don't get better by continuing to play against kids that you've already been dominating for three years. If anything, it's counterproductive.
There is no law against Canadian kids attending school and playing NCAA hockey.
Well you seem to be saying the Rangers should have handled it differently, but that decision would have had to come from Lafreniere himself, and he would have had to make that decision way back in 2017 before he even signed with Rimouski because you can't go from the CHL to NCAA. That would have been a disastrous decision for him to make though because he was only 16, so for him to end up in the NCAA he first would have had to play a few years in probably the USHL, so again we run into a scenario where his development is halted because he'd be putting up video game numbers against non-challenging competition. No QMJHL 1st overall pick is ever going to turn down that opportunity to instead play in a weaker junior league just so he can go to college so that he can delay his NHL rookie year. Even though he hasn't looked good this year, none of the alternatives are better than how he and the Rangers have handled things.
This year was a mess anyway because you couldn’t know much in advance which leagues would even play and when, and as you said Laf is a special case because of his last two years in juniors.
That doesn’t change the overall point that if there are options, it should be a rare case that kids go right to the NHL post draft instead of being an automatic for the top picks like it is starting to become.
Buffalo is playing much better and they are actually above .500 this year with Ullmark playing.
That's fair, the problem is that for the occasional teenager who is too good for junior but perhaps not ready for the NHL, there just aren't any other options.
In hindsight, I probably would have had Lafreniere go to the WJC, even (and maybe partially because) he didn’t have anything to prove their either, just to get his conditioning and confidence up before the NHL season since it had been so long since live games were happening.
It wasn't just the goal and two assists, he was showing off all parts of his game last night. I was thankful Pierre McGuire wasn't doing the game.
Let’s discuss the options here, it’s a very good and interesting question.
Europeans inferior men’s leagues where Kravtsov and now Lindkvist are playing on big ice...is it better than juniors or college ranks? Big ice is always a detriment imo.
Is college better than Juniors?
Devs Hughes played USA developmental with no real juniors or college.
I’d say high level college is better than 18
U developmental or juniors.
Obviously you can go straight to AHL, but like it or not, the expectations for first 5 picks are NHL ready
I don’t know about the SHL but, despite Michelletti saying the opposite over and over, Kravstov would already have experience playing on NHL size rinks because the KHL made a push towards that a while ago and only two teams in that league currently have larger rinks.
Where a kid should play post draft really matters a lot on what the kid has done already. In Hughes case, most of the players he was with in the UNDTP program went to the NCAA so he probably should have gone there. Playing with bigger 21-22 year olds would have been a good transition to playing with men in the NHL.
The USNDP does play against college teams, so Hughes and others in the program, did get some of that experience.
I'm not sure about Lafer as I don't watch the Rag's often, but Hughes despite the modest #'s looks very good. He still looks like a tiny little kid, so I understand the thought that more physical development would do him well, but I don't know if him crushing the college ranks is a real benefit. At least playing in the NHL he is gaining that experience, and in years 3 and 4 post draft I think that will prove to be a benefit.
A.J. Greer was a 2nd round pick of the Avs in 2015, played a bit for them, 37 games over parts of 3 years. The other guy, Mason Jobst, played in the USHL, then went to Ohio State, more of a career minor leaguer.
Agreed, I think a lot of people are looking at it short-term and evaluating these decisions based on how the players look in their first year or two. The goal is to have as good of a career as possible, not just a good rookie and sophomore year. At some point you have to jump into the deep end and just because you're not putting up big numbers right away doesn't necessarily mean it was too soon. It's also unrealistic to expect anyone who is being offered an NHL contract to tell the GM that they're going to hold off a few years and go play in college instead.
Wow. Great trade for the Isles. The only thing I don’t like is that Lou didn’t get the Devils to take Ladd’s horrendous contract off of his hands.
LGI!
LGI!
Devils now have the Isles 1st and 2nd round picks in this years draft. Devils are also paying 50% of Palms and Zajac's salary for the rest of this season. I like the deal for the Isles but would have preferred a FWD and a defenseman instead of two forwards. I assume Palms will step in with Barzal and Eberle. Not sure where Zajac will fit. Maybe on a line with Pageau and Walstrom. Given that the Devils are paying 50% of the two salaries I am not sure if the Isles have cap space for one more move.
The prospects just look like filler, the only thing worth a damn is the 1st rounder, but the market or Palms was last year so he alone wasn't going to get you that and Zajac would probably only fetch a 3rd, it works out. For Islanders too.
No surprise about Zajac, in short Lou loves him and has always thought he would be a great playoff performer.
Of course I would have loved better prospect(s) in the deal. I think it shows how coveted the Devils think that #1 pick will be. It also makes me sick to think about the deals they probably said no to last year. They better find a gem with that pick.
Of course I would have loved better prospect(s) in the deal. I think it shows how coveted the Devils think that #1 pick will be. It also makes me sick to think about the deals they probably said no to last year. They better find a gem with that pick.
I have to research prospects, but this hinges on who they draft or use the draft capital to acquire.
Those definitely were not the prospects I expected to be dealing to the Devs, especially with them taking 50% of salary on Palmeri & Zajac. No Bellows, no Beauvilier, no Wahlstrom, didn't even deal Dal Colle or *gasp* Ladd 🤣 They must have big plans on those draft markers.
Bellows isnt a top prospect either.
Wallstrom is and they wouldn't trade him.
I think Zajac will re-sign with NJ this summer, 1-yr
He will be very useful for the Islanders
The "prospects" probably will never play for the Devil's. This trade is a joke from the Devil's perspective. Mason Jobst is a 27 year old minor leaguer who is 5 ft. 8 in. tall.
What does TF do for an encore? Give Murray and Kulikov away for a bag of pucks? Unless he somehow turns this into chicken salad, he should be fired.
He has bad foresight. Palms needed to be traded last year. Last year maybe you get Wallstrom from Lou. Great trade for the Islanders. To quote TF, I hope the pick is 32. WTH- this would be outrageous in a fantasy league, imo.
What does TF do for an encore? Give Murray and Kulikov away for a bag of pucks? Unless he somehow turns this into chicken salad, he should be fired.
He has bad foresight. Palms needed to be traded last year. Last year maybe you get Wallstrom from Lou. Great trade for the Islanders. To quote TF, I hope the pick is 32. WTH- this would be outrageous in a fantasy league, imo.
Bellows appears to be a much better prospect than anything you got. Perhaps if you got him you only get a 2nd round pick. While a good short term move by the Isles it is difficult to see how they retain either past year end.
I suspect the market for Palms was a 2nd rounder.
Zajac was unlikely to waive his no trade clause for anyone but the Islanders...so adding Zajac likely bumped it to a 1st rounder and since it was unlikely Zajac would go elsewhere, Fitzgerald didn't have much leverage.
Everything else is clearly filler.
So end of the day, I think the Islanders did really well...but no reason we couldn't see Travis back in NJ on a one or two year deal this offseason and Palms was gone anyway since contract talks were far apart.
Let's see what Buffalo gets for Hall...that'll tell us how well Fitz did or did not do.
Devils have been "rebuilding" for six, seven years now. They've had the first overall pick in 2017 & 2019, the 7th overall last year and they still stink. They'll probably have their own top 5 pick this year plus a 25-30 from the Islanders. When will all this draft capital pay dividends ?
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Fitzgerald chose a #1 instead of Bellows and a 2nd
Lou is actively shopping Bellows
I'm a pretty optimistic guy, but I'm thinking we are getting close.
Hughes has struggled to put up points, but his ability to create chances is impressive. He's near dominant in most possession metrics(granted he get's the prime offensive minutes).
The other #1 you speak of has played 5 games.
Even with Hughes modest offensive production and Nico barely playing we are right at the top of the league in points by players 23 and younger, and our overall 5v5 metrics aren't bad. (We do stink on specials though and that is as big problem as any).
Smith looks great. Blackwood looks very good. Zacha showing real signs, Bratt, Sharangovic, Kuokkanen, the list is pretty long. Plus lots of recent picks including 3 1st rounders still waiting to enter the league. 2 more 1st rounders this year.
It's been a slog, wins and losses this year are disappointing, but the underlying #'s, both on ice metrics as well as recent picks, look good.
Meh, Bellows turns 23 in June and has yet to find his NHL groove, I know some guys take longer, but we have numerous players around that age, and many of them are actually producing.
Rather the 1st rounder.
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