Hard to believe the Leafs went from "Same team as Rangers without Lundqvist" and in 4th place to lottery team over the course of this season.
Ugh, remember the endless arguments from those dunces? They're one of my most hated teams/fanbases and personally I'm glad they're toiling in mediocrity. What a pathetic franchise.
Hard to believe the Leafs went from "Same team as Rangers without Lundqvist" and in 4th place to lottery team over the course of this season.
You can say the same thing about the Sabres, who "has better defense" and "will finish higher than the Rangers." Looks like we finished exactly eight spots higher than them.
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"Trust me I'm an expert, I watched 13 rangers games on NHL center Ice this year through streaming." -Starburst
I don't think i've ever been more pumped for a non-Rangers playoff series than the upcoming Pens/Flyers series.
**** is going to be epic.
Amen to that!!! I hate the word epic anymore. it seems to be losing its meaning from being overused, but it is so fitting to describe this series. I sure hope it doesnt disappoint.
I just hope we dont have to listen to those ROOT Sports clowns For the entire series. Did anyone else notice when the Pens are on NBCSports, the network shows their home feed, but when we were playing WSH, we got an NBC guy and Micheletti? Dare i say another instance of PIT bias from the powers that be?
Edmonton doesn't need another forward. Edmonton needs an entire new team outside of their top 3 forwards. That team finished 29th overall for a reason. Another high profile winger isn't the answer. You win with goaltending. Defense. Centers.
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Tambellini said having another top-shelf talent in the mix will give the Oilers a better chance to attract top free agents. As much as Ryan Smyth and his family wanted to go back home, Smyth was eager to play with such good young players and the Oilers wanted Smyth as a veteran who could show the young players the way.
“Now we’re starting to get people on July 1 talking about, ‘My client would be interested in playing with Jordan Eberle or Taylor Hall,’ or ‘My winger would like to play with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins,’ ”Tambellini said. “Those are signs we’re on our way.”
The high profile free agents are going to flock to Edmonton,Alberta Canada. OK?
Its easy to stink and finish last. Tambellini has been GM for 4 years. In those 4 years,he has not shown any ability that he knows how to put a roster together.
Minnesota has $ to spend this summer. They are targeting Parise and/or Suter. Carolina is opening up the coffers to bring in a winger to play with Staal. Dallas wants to spend money with their new owner in place after being in bankruptcy for the last 3 years. Parise and Suter are on their list. They used to have the same agent. Neil Sheehy. Parise dumped Sheehy. He signed a bad contract with Jersey. Too long. Not enough money.
“It may be one of those years when winning the lottery maybe actually makes your life more difficult,” one NHL executive told me.
There is no denying Yakupov’s talent, but this exec wondered whether he is a player who might benefit from not having all of the pressure of being a No. 1 pick.
“He has the physical attributes to play in the NHL. But is he ready for the expectations? He might actually be better going to an established team,” he said.
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"It's not a great year to be first overall," said one amateur scout. "You want to get Crosby or Ovechkin. It doesn't look like those players are there."
The top of the draft is forward-heavy, which doesn't exactly help the Oilers either. They'd love to add a franchise defenseman to their impressive crop of young stars up front, but I don't know if you can take Ryan Murray with that first overall pick. Maybe this should be the year the Oilers trade out of that top spot.
I loathe the draft system that is in place now. Suck hard during the season, get a high draft pick, and there is nothing in place to prevent back-to-back-to-back 1st picks overall.
I'm all about Murray. He's a polished defenseman. He's not the biggest, strongest, or flashiest, but he plays the smartest, most efficient game of the top blueliners in this draft. I think he's a very safe pick in the sense that he's no bust. He's going to be a steady, reliable NHLer for a long time. I don't know if he'll ever be a legit #1 defenseman, but he could definitely be a #1B. He's a great second pairing defenseman at worst. I love his decision making, and I love his priorities on the ice. He doesn't take stupid risks. It's not going to take very long for him to be a guy that an NHL coach has no problem putting out on the ice in any situation.
Rielly, however, brings some of the same qualities with more talent. He's a guy I could see eclipsing Murray, but I'd take Murray over Dumba or Trouba. Dumba is a very talented and skilled player, but his mental approach to the game needs a lot of work.
I don't think Edmonton needs another scoring forward either. Whatever happened to building from the net out and being strong down the middle? The power play will be good again but that's about it.
And Parise and Suter are going to make a ton of money this summer. I don't remember a recent year where there were two star players named in almost every summer free agency rumor. It's like it's those two and then everybody else.
I don't think Edmonton needs another scoring forward either. Whatever happened to building from the net out and being strong down the middle? The power play will be good again but that's about it.
And Parise and Suter are going to make a ton of money this summer. I don't remember a recent year where there were two star players named in almost every summer free agency rumor. It's like it's those two and then everybody else.
I agree, BUT... This is Nail Yakupov we're talking about. He is seen as the next generational talent by some. You don't pass him up for a defenseman.
Drafting defenseman can wait, Yakupov is on the board.
I'm all about Murray. He's a polished defenseman. He's not the biggest, strongest, or flashiest, but he plays the smartest, most efficient game of the top blueliners in this draft. I think he's a very safe pick in the sense that he's no bust. He's going to be a steady, reliable NHLer for a long time. I don't know if he'll ever be a legit #1 defenseman, but he could definitely be a #1B. He's a great second pairing defenseman at worst. I love his decision making, and I love his priorities on the ice. He doesn't take stupid risks. It's not going to take very long for him to be a guy that an NHL coach has no problem putting out on the ice in any situation.
Rielly, however, brings some of the same qualities with more talent. He's a guy I could see eclipsing Murray, but I'd take Murray over Dumba or Trouba. Dumba is a very talented and skilled player, but his mental approach to the game needs a lot of work.
Dumba is one of the youngest players in the draft. He's played only 2 WHL years to Murray's 3 and is just as impressive as him. I like Dumba in the long run over Murray.
It'll be cheaper than the Garden, but don't expect tickets to be that cheap. Many people know of this match-up and realize that the potential for making money.
Does Ex-Ranger Coach Tom Renney get the opportunity to coach highly touted prospect Nail Yakupov or has he committed many of the same mistakes that lead to the end of his tenure in NY?
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Renney’s coaching staff still in limbo
Saturday’s game could be last time group is together with Oilers
Renney and his coaching staff ...don’t have contracts for next season, and Renney says he’s had no indication whether they’ll be back
“I got to February 22nd in New York and we were 10 games over .500 and we were having a little difficulty,” he said. “I don’t think I’m naive. I try to work hard, I try to be the good soldier that the organization requires of me. I try to let my body of work speak for itself.”
How does Renney judge himself as a coach?
“If I’m going to make an honest assessment... Bottom line: We’re an improved team.”
In 09-10 after taking over for Pat Quinn the Oilers finished in last place with 62pts. In 10-11 they finished in last place with 62 points. In 11-12 they finished in 2nd to last place with 74pts.
