Post-Draft Thoughts and Reflections

by Redwing77

The 2015 NHL draft is over and with it, lots of news from highly drafted players from BU to highly baffling decisions by Boston.  Intriguing to be sure.

UND had four players drafted in Boeser, Tomek, Wolanin, and Wilkie.  Honestly, if you read a lot about the surprise about Wolanin's draft, be so.  He was unranked on the rankings and was slated to be undrafted yet went in the 4th round.

This isn't unheard of for UND freshmen.  Remember:  Brett Bruneteau was drafted in the 4th round by Washington and he wasn't on anyone's boards.

This doesn't mean much.  Going from what Sirius Radio analysts opine, those taken in the 4th round or later are various project picks designated boom or bust in various levels of perceived values (in other words, a project pick taken in the 4th round is seen to have more of a possibility or upside than one taken in the 7th round).  Pretty straight forward, not out on the limb type stuff.

In other news, former UND commit turned flake Ryan Gropp got drafted in the second round.  Good for him.  I'm sure he'll light it up at...wherever.

To me, the biggest winners from the NHL Draft:

1.  The QMJHL.  It seems like every other pick came from the Q.
2.  Michigan U.  The Wolverines led the NCAA in NHL draft picks with 7
3.  China.  Their first ever NHL draft pick came in this year's draft.  I didn't know Yao Ming could skate (ha ha ha.. no really, this kid, Song is his last name, seems to be a pretty decent skater)
4.  BU and BC had great representation in the first two rounds
5.  Team USA:  MANY drafted
6.  Buffalo and Edmonton.  Edmonton drafted and traded well, but I think Buffalo was the best overall in every respect on draft day.

Losers:

1.  Boston Bruins.  Sorry Goon.  First, they trade for Martin Jones.  Why?  I guess that's a strong endorsement for Malcolm Subban's development?  They couldn't keep Svedberg (who Siriux/XM said Boston had soured over but I didn't think he was all that bad) but really...  Sean McIndoe (@DownGoesBrown) tweeted:  Martin Jones: I hate being stuck behind an all-star on a long term deal. Agent: You just got traded. Jones: Awesome! Where to? Agent: Um...

And the three picks.  Ok, the two picks.  The #13 pick was fine.  The other two?  Sorry.  There were FAR FAR FAR better players on the board.  In fact, the #15 pick, Senyshyn, wasn't on anyone's draft board before the Boston's 4th pick, #39 in the second round so they could have chosen someone like UMich commit Kyle Connor or Matthew Barzal.

I know Goon's a big B's fan and will probably disagree with me but this is NOT a good debut for Don Sweeney.  Sadly, a snarky commentby Sean McIndoe (@DownGoesBrown) stated "$100 to Chiarelli if he goes up there for this pick and leads off with "Miss me yet, Boston?"

Hindsight might prove me wrong.  Senyshyn may be a great pick.  Debrusk might be a great pick.  But only hindsight will change most people's minds.

For the record, however, I think trading Lucic was a good idea.  Sometimes you have to let a guy you love go.  I remember when my Wings let Federov go.  Now, that wasn't as amicable a parting as Lucic's situation, but still... I loved Federov.  As for Hamilton, I think money was the issue, sure, but there is NO WAY.. NO ING WAY Calgary's offer was the best out there, even if Boston didn't want to trade him to Edmonton.  NO WAY.

2.  Vancouver Canucks:  Another awesome snarky comment on Twitter:  Fear The Fin ‏@fearthefin Jun 27

Five years ago the Canucks had Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider and Eddie Lack. Now they have no cash, no jobs and no goaltending.

Ok, I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with "no" goaltending.  Ryan Miller is a good goaltender, but sadly he's no longer great.  And Jacob Markstromm is actually looking to be solid.  I've seen him play on TV a few times and he looked inconsistent but solid.  In other words, a Swedish Marc Andre Fleury.

3.  Pittsburgh Penguins:  They did nothing.  Nothing at all.  Well, they were talked about a lot in the Kessel sweepstakes.  They were mentioned in acquiring Jeff Skinner from Carolina.... but Pierre McGuire couldn't even make the Penguins relevant in this year's draft.  They need cap relief and the Pens didn't seem to care to do it this way, whereas many other teams did.

4.  Peter Chiarelli - Former B's GM and current Edmonton GM called Florida a city.  Good for you Peter. 

5.  Pierre McGuire - Just because he's got no excuse for being as ill-informed as he always seems to be.  If it isn't related to Crosby, he doesn't know.  Time for TSN to assign a "minder" to McGuire to stop him from sticking his foot in his mouth.  Oh, and if he's going to be between the benches, he needs to wear a helmet.  He's been hit a few too many times.

Phil Kessel Would Accept Trade to Bruins and Wild

I just got back from the hunting shack and found this beauty. Apparently, former Boston Bruins forward Phil Kessel would accept a trade to eight teams. This is what Pension Plan Puppets had to say about the matter. 

Scott Wheeler, Pension Plan Puppets -- The list, which was submitted prior to the deadline, is believed to include the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference as well as the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference, according to the report.

Looking at this list, Boston has no cap room, plus I can't see the Bruins being all that excited about taking Kessel back. Ditto with the Minnesota Wild. Both teams are extremely strapped for cash, I don't see how they could make a move like this happen. 

Seriously, I can't see Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol wanting a one dimensional player like Kessel on his team. You have to be able to play in all three zones of the ice. The more I think about it, Kessel would be a perfect Hab. 

Finally, does anyone think Kessel would be a good fit with L.A. Kings head coach like Daryl Sutter? I am being serious. 

Redwing77's Bracket

by Redwing77

Redwing77's Stanley Cup Bracket

Goon posted his Bracket Challenge and I'm going to post mine.  I admit to being a bit homer with my Wings and I did post a major upset in the first round.  Sorry Habs fans.  Carey Price seems to actually be a good goaltender and he has chilled from his early career chumpiness.  However, the Habs have had abysmal luck against Ottawa this year.  And, quite honestly, I'd like to throw out a small bone to former Bowling Green State University goaltender, Andrew Hammond.

All in all, however, I think the entire bracket is irrelevant because I truly believe the Rangers are simply going to steamroll anyone they meet and take it all.  I put Chicago in the Finals because Crawford seems to actually play like an elite goaltender when he gets into the playoffs....sometimes anyways.  I believe Dubnyk's insane run ends vs. Oshie and the Blues.  Halak's stumbling continues in the playoffs.  Fleury sieves hardcore before the buzzsaw known as the Rangers.  Honestly, whoever wins the Detroit vs. Tampa series will face the Rangers in the EC Finals.

If my bracket holds together (which any betting man would bet against it), the series to watch will be the Blues vs. Wild, Chicago vs. Nashville (goaltending vs. offense really), and ALL of the Rangers games.  I think the entire Anaheim subbracket is the most boring bracket.

Original Six wins again.

This Would Be Good News

As I noted on radio, I'm getting the impression that UND sophomore defenseman Paul LaDue will remain with the Sioux for his junior year...
— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) April 10, 2015

This would appear to be some very good news. I can't imagine that Paul LaDue is ready to step in and play at the NHL level just yet, but he's definitely improved over the last few seasons and can only get better playing in the NCHC. When I interviewed him earlier in the season, I got the impression that he likes playing for the hometown team.

...LaDue probably wasn't seen as much of a threat to sign w/ LA as Brodzinski. He's happy at UND; LAK comfortable w/ development there.
— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) April 10, 2015

Darryl Sutter, 'We never really had the lead'

#450724504 / gettyimages.com

I love listening to Darryl Sutter's post-game press conferences. Personally, I love these old school hockey coaches. Sutter kind of reminds me of another head coach. Here's a sample. s/t L.A. Kings Insider.

On how he’d describe the 6-5 shootout loss to Anaheim:
How’d I describe it? Lost in a shootout.

On how “intense” the game was:
It was very little, quite honest. It was just kind of a pond hockey game. It looked like one of our preseason games. [Reporter: Seriously?] Very seriously. You want me to say ‘not seriously?’ [Reporter: Are you talking about just from your team’s end, that you weren’t happy with letting this thing get away, or no?] No, I don’t think we let it ‘get away.’ We never really had the lead. [Reporter: A couple of two-goal leads?] I know you define it by goals having a lead, but we really never had the lead. If it wasn’t for Jonathan, it wasn’t even close. They’re a much better team that we are. They proved it last year and they did again tonight. [Reporter: So what was lacking, do you think tonight? For the most part?] I don’t think we had much energy, much focus, much execution. We used a short bench. Too bad actually we lost the shootout, because then Jonathan feels tough, right? He stood on his head to get us a point

Some of the Kings with the Stanley Cup

Lord Stanley's Cup has been real busy this summer. The Cup has been making the rounds with the Stanley Cup Champion the L.A. Kings. On August 12th, 2014, the Stanley Cup will be in Grand Forks, ND with Matt Greene...

Jarret Stoll of the @LAKings has a cooler ball marker than you do. http://t.co/MZXsbKYxvP pic.twitter.com/4CSpTFeheq
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigestMag) August 5, 2014

Awesome night on Lake of the Woods with the Stanley Cup with the champ @MRichie_10 !!!! pic.twitter.com/CPdrUQmUrb
— Jeff Gustafson (@GussyOutdoors) August 2, 2014

The #StanleyCup looks good wearing a #LoganStrong hat #FcukCancer #BecauseItsTheCup #BecauseImGoingToBeatCancer 💪 pic.twitter.com/9v4jKLOmY6
— Logan Nobriga (@LoNo1107) July 26, 2014

"@keeperofthecup: Gaborik at Hermosa beach @HockeyHallFame @KellyHockeyHall @LAKings #stanleycup pic.twitter.com/kvRxZLh3sJ" @WheresTheCup
— Janet Mie Takenaka (@jmtakenaka) June 17, 2014

Bonfire with Stanley. @keeperofthecup @Summerskates pic.twitter.com/v2CrpqlKsH
— dustin brown (@DustinBrown23) July 7, 2014

Alyn McCauley with the Cup

Los Angeles Kings pro scout Alyn McCauley with the Cup in Gananoque, Ontario. That looks like a good pace.

2014 NHL Season: That's a wrap

What a season of hockey. The L.A. Kings win the 2014 Stanley Cup Final on a goal by a former Miami University defenseman Alec Martinez at the 14:43 mark of the second over time to give the Kings their second Stanley Cup in three years. Martinez scored the game-winning goal in game seven of the Western Conference Finals as well.

L.A. Kings D-Man Matt Greene Interviewed After The Game, Milbury Gives Him Props

Former Fighting Sioux and current L.A. Kings D-man Matt Greene is the epitome of a hockey warrior. Greene’s eye has about eight different colors, at least, if not more. With Greene in the lineup, the Kings have an 11-7 (.611) record and a 3-3 record without him in the lineup. Coincidence, I don’t know?

Stanley Cup Humor, 0-3

pic.twitter.com/4Cx2yrpDpH
— NHL Humor (@TheNHLHumor) June 10, 2014

This one was pretty good. It's funny if you're a L.A. Kings fan and not if your cheer for the New York Rangers.

Marc Staal Hi-sticking Penalty, Alec Martinez Embellishment

,st

First off, I want to be clear, this is a penalty. New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal hits L.A. Kings defenseman Alec Martinez with a high stick, that we can't denie. However, they teach must teach acting classes at Miami University, because this was a ridiculous head snap by Martinez. I would say that this display is worthy of an Academy Award. Even Ryan Kesler would blush at this one.

Stanley Cup Final Preview

Well, if you would have asked me what the cup final would have been, I'd bet my life that I wouldn't have picked LA against the New York Rangers. It's 'The King" vs. the Kings. Broadway vs. Hollywood.

Lets take a look at how these two teams got to the cup final, first starting with LA. The Kings were close to being out after four games against San Jose in the first round, but would become only the fourth team in NHL history to rally from down 3-0 to win the series and stun San Jose and their hungry fan base. .Goaltender Jonathan Quick would have a very slow start to the series, but would catch his 2012 form by series end, putting the entire NHL on alert that the Kings were coming.

The second round had them facing the other in state rival, the Anaheim Ducks. In another series where they would have to go the distance, the Kings would have to win game 7 on the road once again to have a date with the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Finals. They would do just that in another grinding series against another division, and in state rival.

Finally, for the Western Conference Final. This rematch from last year against the defending champs, Chicago. Chicago would get themselves in a hole early, and this time it would be LA who would have the commanding series lead going up 3-1. However, it looked as if Chicago would get the momentum advantage by rolling off two straight wins to force a game 7 at home. It had looked as if LA's season was about to come to an end, but with roughly seven minutes left in regulation, Marian Gaborik would put a rebound into the back of the net and tie the game. The Kings would get their third road game 7 win of this playoffs, the first team in NHL history to do that, and they became four wins away from hoisting Lord Stanley once again.

Now for the Eastern Conference Champions, the New York Rangers. This is another team with a world class goalie that almost nobody picked to make it out of round two, or even round one. This is a team driven

by a couple of individual players stories, Dominic Moore on ESPN E:60 and Marty St. Louis losing his mother right before Mother's Day. Winning the first round against Philly in seven games, the Rangers knew they would have their word cut out for them if they could get by Pittsburgh in round two.

Round two saw the Blue Shirts playing Sid the Kid and an inconsistent goalie they call Flower. This series would turn out to be a great match-up and played pretty evenly throughout, even though the Rangers would find themselves in a 3-1 hole going into game five in Pittsburgh. The King would start to play like The King and New York found themselves in a spot they haven't been in in quite some time, the Eastern Conference Finals.

In an original six match-up, the Rangers would find themselves with home ice for the first time in the playoffs. Their opponent? The Montreal Canadiens. Montreal was Canada's only hope in these playoffs to win the cup this season, and Canada hasn't seen a cup champ since Montreal won it in 1993. New York would have something to say about that and would send the Habs packing. It would be New York's first trip to the cup final since 1994. I wonder what happened that year?

As for what I'd expect out of this series, speed and physicality. The Rangers will bring a lot of speed to the series, much more than the Kings saw in the entire playoffs so far. As for the physicality, LA will bring it with their big defensive core.

Who to watch:
For LA, they have many weapons who can put the puck in the net, but pay close attention to Marian Gaborik, the playoffs leading goal scorer, and that 70's line (Carter, Toffoli, and Pearson). This line has been on fire and will need to be kept in check.

For the Rangers, one must always watch the speedy Carl Hagelin. With his quick feet and quick release of the puck, he is always a threat. There are also the likely suspects in Brad Richards, Derek Stepan, Rick Nash, and Derek Brassard. Even though Nash hasn't done much in these playoffs, he will always be a threat when he is on the ice.

Finally, for who will win the Cup. It's simple. It comes down to what goalie is playing better in the series. You have two of the top three goaltenders in the world going head to head, Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Quick, and the one that breaks first will likely mean the series. Here's the thing though, even if one of them breaks, both teams still have very reliable back-ups as well.

My pick is the New York Rangers in six games. The cup gets hoisted in the most famous arena in the entire world, and the Blue Shirts come home with their first cup in 20 years.

The Postseason rulebook (followup)/A wrapup of the final four NHL teams/Finals Preview (RW77)

#495445273 / gettyimages.com

The PostSeason Rulebook

Much has been said (and ignored) by the NHL about the postseason rulebook... and sadly most of the issues in round 1 went away in the subsequent rounds.  Why sadly?  Because it gives ammo to the NHL to simply dust it under the rug and ignore what is painfully obvious:

The Rulebook is wrongfully applied in the postseason...or is it the regular season?  Either way the rulebook used during the regular season has been replaced by a new rulebook that allows spearing, embellishment, roughing, boarding, slashing, and randomly allows/disallows interference and tripping.

Diving is a huge problem in professional sports.  HUGE.  It's on the rise in the NHL and NFL, it's pretty entrenched in the NBA, and it's an absolute PLAGUE on soccer/football.

Semifinal Reviews:

Montreal Canadiens

They weren't outplayed by New York.  They fell victim to two things:  Bad luck and Karma.  It was bad luck that Price got injured (for many reasons).  It was bad luck that Dustin Tokarski came in and played very well except for one game and will STILL be remembered as the guy who couldn't pull a Carey Price.  Montreal will be more known for their diving and embellishing than they will for the skill they put on the ice.

Carey Price played out of his mind.  I STILL do not believe that this is the norm.  Price STILL isn't an elite goaltender.  He's VERY good, don't get me wrong.  He had an EPIC postseason this year.  But in the end, PK Subban and Tomas Plekanec (among others) placed BAD KARMA on the Canadiens by flopping like fish when they were touched.

PK Subban is a GREAT fit for Vancouver because, like the Vancouver Candivers, he's EXCEPTIONALLY talented.  He's one of the best puck moving defensemen in the NHL... but he can't let his gameplay do the talking.  He has to showboat and dive.  The guy is the most visible minority hockey player in the NHL right now.  Sure, there are others (Wayne Simmonds, Johnny Oduya, Jerome Iginla, among others) but PK is the most visible.  And he's representing himself POORLY.  He reminds me a lot of Robbie Earl while he was with Wisconsin.  Robbie had a TON of talent.  He was fast, a great stick handler, a finisher... but you breathe on him wrong and he falls to the ice like he's been shot.  And, like Earl, the team representatives defend him (I still remember hearing UW blowhards talk about how Earl skates on the balls of his feet which causes him to be unstable on his skates... whatever...  when it suits him nothing knocks him off of his skates).

Anyways, ethical behavior amongst players in sports is almost dead anyways.

NY Rangers

Have they beaten any opponent outright?  Have they laid the smackdown at all this post season?  The answer is no.  They "got by" every opponent they faced.  Does it matter?  No.  Because, do you know what's the worst thing that could happen to the Rangers if they get by the Kings?  Nothing because they'd still be hoisting the Cup.  The truth is, the fact that they've had to fight through EVERY opponent they've  faced and dominated in the areas of goaltending and capitolizing on the other guys mistakes (they've done little to create their own victories really) means that they will once again have to slog their way through the LA Kings in the finals.  Good thing is that Lundqvist is a beast...well except for that one game where he looked epically awful.

Chicago Blackhawks

Tons of talent and no depth.  Oh, and Corey Crawford joins Marc Andre Fleury in proving that it doesn't take elite goaltending to win the Stanley Cup.  Crawford was singularly AWFUL for most of the series.  Game 7 was astounding to me.  Quick gives up a horrendous softie to Patrick Sharp and they can't win despite it?  If Chicago was all that great wouldn't 4 goals be enough to win a game?

Not with the Hawk D and Corey Sieve Crawford.  He looked SO MUCH like Cristobal Huet that I could've SWORE the French Sieve kidnapped the real Corey Crawford and undermined the Hawks.

Nick Leddy, I know you botched a block which resulted in the game winner for the Kings in Game 7, but don't feel bad.  In all likelihood the next shot the Kings would have made would have beaten Crawford anyways.

In the end, the Hawks focus on depth this offseason but they should focus on shut down D, a 2nd line Center, and training Crawford's replacement.

LA Kings

They outlasted the Hawks.  It is evident that they will be the favorites to win the Cup and I hope they do win, but they have a team eerily similar to the NY Rangers.  Good D, Great Goaltending, and mediocre Offense.  It's strange that the Kings boast a 4th line in Pearson/Taffoli/Carter that outscores their first line... or at least the commentators call that line the Kings' 4th line.  It's kindof like calling the Toews line the Hawks checking line.  Call it what you will but we all know that the first line that does almost no scoring isn't the first line and the fourth line that does most of the scoring is usually called the first line.  Whatever.

Prediction:  If LA is going to win it, they'll need to NOT see Game 7.  If Game 7 comes around, Quick's streak ends and the Rangers hoist the Cup.  My prediction:  Kings in 6.

NHL Records That Will Never be Broken

NHL Records That May Never Be Broken http://t.co/xVYpHGaH7c 3). 76 goals in a rookie season pic.twitter.com/CtWFAe4YHw
— Goalie Humor (@GoalieHumor) June 3, 2014

I don't seen anyone breaking this record. "The Finnish Flash" Teemu Selanne was a special player.

L.A. Kings: Interesting Stat alert

Now that's an interesting stat. The L.A. Kings are the first team to win three game sevens on the road in one post season.

(Video) Chicago Blackhawks: Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane ice the Kings - game six

Think about this for a minute, in the last two games, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane has scored (2g-5a—7pts) and been an absolute beast against the L.A. Kings. Coming into game five, Kane had scored 1 assist, in the other four games of the series. This has been a very good hockey series and it's only fitting that this series is going to a game seven.

11:34 CHI Duncan Keith (4) Wrist shot - ASST: Patrick Kane (10), Andrew Shaw (5) 3 - 3 Tie
16:15 CHI Patrick Kane (8) Wrist shot - ASST: Brandon Saad (9) 4 - 3 CHI

(Video) Drew Doughty and Alec Martinez score 2:06 apart to take the lead - game 6

The Kings would take the lead back from the Chicago Blackhawks as Kings Defensemen Drew Doughty and Alec Martinez score 2:06 apart. That lead would evaporate quickly as the Blackhawks would get two goals in just under five minutes to take the lead.

05:32 LAK Drew Doughty (4) Wrist shot - ASST: Dustin Brown (6), Mike Richards (6) 2 - 2 Tie
07:38 LAK PPG - Alec Martinez (3) Wrist shot - ASST: Drew Doughty (12) 3 - 2 LAK

(Video) Andrew Shaw and Jonathan Quick mix it up, Crawford and Quick butt heads

Exciting end of the second period of game six. First, it looks like Andrew Shaw is helped into L.A. Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. It was obvious that Quick was still fuming from that incident, butts heads with Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford on the way off of the ice. Checking the box score, there were no penalty assessed.

(Video) Chicago Blackhawks: Michal Handzus scores the game-winning goal - game 5

That's the first ever overtime game-winning goal that Chicago Blackhawks forward Michal Handzus has scored and I guess he picked a good time to score it. Patrick Kane assisted on four-of-five Blackhawks goals. So, we will have hockey on Friday night in L.A.. I still think that the KIngs will this series. Nonetheless, this was a great hockey game.

Well that was one amazing hockey game. #LAKings return home to finish this up Friday night.
— LA Kings (@LAKings) May 29, 2014

(Video) Jonathan Toews scores a nice goal against Jonathan Quick

Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews knows how to get to the blue paint, this is a perfect example of this. Toews scored two goals in the first period of game three of the Western Conference Finals, but this one was a thing of beauty.

Toews pic.twitter.com/6dNEfKzfgy
— Tumblr Hockey (@TumblrHockey_) May 25, 2014