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NHL 2016 - The Kids Are Alright


Jabronius Maximus

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On 7/1/2016 at 6:23 PM, Joe Pesci said:

I would've sworn that Gretzky was coming back to Edmonton with the way the guys on the nhl network were talking about the Lucic signing today. All I could do was shake my head...

Eh, he more than doubled his salary from last year. For a 32 year old that's really only an average d-man at best, I think he did alright. I read somewhere last week that he would net around $3 million a season on the market, which is pretty close to what he got. He does seem like the kind of guy who would take less to go to a comfortable situation, which he will have with so many familiar faces in NJ. 

Plus, Beau Bennett will need a pal to drive him around when he gets injured next week...

Ha.  True.  I really had high hopes for Bennet.....  Shame he's made of glass.

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On 3.7.2016 at 11:00 PM, Ser Reptitious said:

Long-suffering (aren't we all?) Oilers fan here.

 

I actually really like the moves that Chiarelli has made so far. Of course it's a gamble and only the future will tell whether his instincts were right. But that is true for any trade. 

 

The bottom line is that the Oilers were absolutely the worst of the worst for the past decade, despite having a pretty decent line-up on paper the past few years. Yes, their defence (and before this past year their goaltending) was very suspect on paper, but they were supposed to be at least exciting to watch, winning or losing games 5-4 or 6-5. 

 

Instead, they often failed to score more than two goals! Yet now, tons of Oilers fans are howling that on paper this trade looks absolutely atrocious. And yes, on paper they are right. But smart GMs look past paper and consider intangibles such as team chemistry, current needs, future development, and even psychology. 

 

Let's start with psychology, something that is far too often overlooked in sports. Players are only human after all. Hall, Eberle, and Nuge have all gotten far too used to losing over the past few years. As a result, despite their paper talent, the Oilers are very soft to play against. Get a lead of 2+ goals against them and more likely than not they will give up, especially if you tighten up defensively. If the Oilers are to become a contender, that mindset needs to change. Realistically the only way that will happen is by getting rid of the current "leaders" and bring in new ones. Trading Hall and bringing in a proven winner in Lucic is a good start. Eberle and Nuge will also likely have to go, though. 

 

Additionally (and this also goes towards team chemistry), Hall was supposed to be the new face of the franchise when he was drafted. Do we really think that he will have no problem abdicating that role to McDavid? Even if he tries his best to be a good sportsman about it, it's inevitable that this will bug him internally. It's the same as a first-born being suddenly subplanted by a younger sibling that now everyone dotes upon. It's going to sting on some level. 

 

So for the good of everyone, Hall had to go. So what do we trade him for? Another forward doesn't make sense, really. Goaltending we're also okay at (more or less) for the moment. Defence? Yup! Especially a right-handed defenseman is a well-known need for the Oilers. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of good right-handed defensemen available at the moment. And since everyone in the league was well aware of the Oilers needs and their desperate need to move up in the standings this year (new arena and alll), the Oilers were always bound to end up overpaying for whatever trade they ultimately made.

 

But is Larsson really such a bad return? Again, only time will tell, but he certainly was solid this past year, he seems calm under pressure, is big, and is still quite young. I can't help but think back to the time when St. Louis traded Brendan Shanahan straight up for Chris Pronger. At the time a lot of people were just as shell-shocked, and just like now the argument was that while Pronger had a lot of potential, St. Louis at the very least should have also gotten a draft pick or two in addition. St. Louis fans hated the trade so much that they relentlessly booed Pronger every time he touched the puck in home games (I think, and certainly hope, that Oilers fans will be classier than that!). But how many people nowadays would still say that this was a lopsided trade in favour of Hardford? Probably not many, and any who do would probably be laughed at. 

 

 

Sorry, in all seriousness. Chiarelli traded one of the best LW in the league (there really are not that many who are better apart from Ovechkin), who is also just 24 years old for Larsson? Larsson is just one year younger than Hall, and there are probably more than a dozen better defensemen in the league (at the very least). Yes Edmonton needed an upgrade on the defense, but trading away an All Star winger for a clearly not All Star Defenseman will not solve that problem. And you also did not really save that much on Cap Space. You are still somewhat 3 top 4 d-men short of a good team imo. And Shero should have at least thrown in a few picks. 

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2 hours ago, Nictarion said:

@Jabronius Maximus

Who the hell is Luke Gazdic? Just saw the Devils signed him. Friend of Hall's or something? 

Well, he's not much of a hockey player, can throw down with probably anyone in the league, but that's about all he's good for. He's spent most of his time here in the AHL. So, you know, not being able to crack the oilers line up on most nights, I'm guessing NJ is just looking to toughen up their farm team.

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On 2016-07-02 at 0:41 AM, l2 0 5 5 said:

Okposo to the Sabres. Could be a pretty decent young squad in the seasons to come.

Their forwards are really good and they have Ristolainen on defence, however I'm not sure about Lehner and Nilsson in net.

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3 minutes ago, McBiter said:

Their forwards are really good and they have Ristolainen on defence, however I'm not sure about Lehner and Nilsson in net.

They also got Kulikov from Florida who is a solid defender. They have a decent defense, especially if it stays healthy. their offense can be really good as well. Lehner if healthy with a decent d in front of him could do well. Should be an interesting season for them.

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Ray Shero continues to impress me this offseason. Devils signed Kyle Palmieri to a 5yr/4.6per contract. Seems like a bargain for a 25 year old coming off a 30 goal season. Nice to have their core offensive players (Hall, Henrique, Palmieri) locked up for the near future. 

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On September 14, 2016 at 7:32 PM, kairparavel said:

So, what's with Team North America and Team Europe? I almost get Europe. Almost. 

Team North America seems to be a way to get the young fellas who'd be left out for either USA or Canada on the ice. I like the idea because it's a good way to showcase up and coming stars like McDavid, Eichel, Gaudreau, etc...

As for Europe, it's just another way to get some of the stars from non-hockey-power countries like Slovakia, Switz, and Slovenia (Umm just Kopitar??) on the ice.  If there was just a Team Slovakia or Team Switz they'd get demolished due to lack of depth so might as well combine the best stars from all other countries (that aren't Sweden, Finland, Russia, Czech) on the same team.

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