The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

[BlueNGold]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

Only Montreal could do this without anyone batting an eye.

Montreal taking out Montreal was unbelievable!

The one time I don't actually read through my post and I go and do that.

[Perceptor]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

If Luongo's in goal tonight, this should be entertaining. I still think Luongo's a good goalie, but he's either really good or really ****ty. There's no middle ground with him. That contract is already an albatross because of the NTC. Yikes

[IlliniM1ke]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

Chicago was 10 points behind Nashville and Detroit a little while ago and now will close to within 2 points of each tonight. I don't know if I'd like the Hawks to move up in the standings. However, in the playoffs you're going to have to beat the good teams anyways so I'm not too worried about their position.

Yeah in all honesty I'd rather end up in 6th and play the winner of the Pacific than have to duke it out with Detroit or Nashville, either of those would make for a very draining series with how tight the division has been all year those would be some very intense games.

Although Hawks probably has the 6th seed wrapped up(or not since Nashville and Detroit is struggling) I would love them to fall to the 7th seed and face Vancouver. That's just me though

Yeah I've kind of gotten used to playing Vancouver every year in the postseason, would love to see it again although it would take a collapse and we get 7th or make a run to meet them in the conference finals.

Speaking about Vancouver-Chicago. It's on tonight.

I wouldn't mind seeing them duke it out in the playoffs. It's always fun.

Can't wait for it! We're playing really good hockey right now, hopefully we can keep it rolling, beating the Canucks would be a big one for building confidence for sure.

Watch Columbus not even get the 1st pick.

Sounds about right lol

Luongo is in goal tonight.

Always more fun this way

If Luongo's in goal tonight, this should be entertaining. I still think Luongo's a good goalie, but he's either really good or really ****ty. There's no middle ground with him. That contract is already an albatross because of the NTC. Yikes

Yeah and kind of off topic but I wonder with the CBA expiring if the NHL will try to bring in an amnesty rule like the NBA did, if they do you have to wonder if the Canucks would amnesty Luongo (permitting he doesn't lead them to a cup this year of course), could keep Schneider cheaper and with the money saved from Luongo could add another weapon.

[Kobalt]

Honestly if Hawks get 6th seed and say face LA from pacific, I see LA winning the series easily. I still believe LA can go far.

Now I'll change my tune if it's other teams from pacific.

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[IlliniM1ke]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

Honestly if Hawks get 6th seed and say face LA from pacific, I see LA winning the series easily. I still believe LA can go far.

Now I'll change my tune if it's other teams from pacific.

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Depending which Hawks team shows up I could see any of them beating us and sweeping us even. When we play bad we play awful, when we're playing well we can hang with anyone. Our defense and goaltending rarely have a middle ground, they're good or terrible.

If Toews is back and our defense plays well and our goalies play well enough to keep us in the games I could see this team going back to the Cup, I could just as easily see them getting swept in the first round though.

Blackhawks have been a frustrating bunch this year.

[SidVish]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

That's the beauty of the NHL playoffs. Nobody has any idea what will happen.

[Psyblast]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

Yep. Remember Montreal taking out Washington and Pittsburgh? Edmonton taking out Detroit? There are no easy opponents in the playoffs.

**** you!

[Bdubb]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

Poor Lucic.

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

Vancouver fans' thoughts on that:

You would've been amazed at the number of Canucks fans who "wanted" Chicago in the first round. I was not among them. These are the same fans who will abandon the team once its title window closes. And who don't understand what a "title window" means, for that matter.

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

Poor Lucic.

The best part is Thornton in the background: "Marchand better not pull that **** on me!"

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

What are the chances Brian Burke gets the boot if the Leafs keep spiraling further down (as if they haven't spiraled far enough)?

I'm guessing the chances are slim with his seat being extremely hot going into next season, but personally I don't think Burke deserves a lot of the criticism being thrown his way. That's not to say he should be free from any criticism. It's just that the Leafs were a mess when Burke was first hired to rebuild the team, and sure, you could argue they still are a mess, but at least they're a mess with some sort of direction. Remember how bare the cupboard was before Burke took over? Now they actually have assets and a good pool of young players developing.

The Kessel trade is obviously going to be the defining moment of the Brian Burke era in Toronto. Here's the thing though: Kessel has been one of the better players in the league this season. As bad as it was to lose out on a possible franchise player like Tyler Seguin, that trade could have been a hell of a lot worse had Kessel not been producing the way he has, so it wasn't a complete bust of a deal IMO. After all, Kessel is in the top 5 for both goals and points.

Anyways, as much as it sucks for Leafs fans, players, and the organization to miss out on the playoffs again, I think it'd be a huge mistake to cut ties with Burke any time soon. Unless of course next season is just a complete Columbus-style disaster.

While I agree with a lot of what you say, I have zero sympathy for Burke. He's brought so much of this on himself: "I don't believe in rebuilding", "I'm going to acquire John Tavares at the entry draft", "Ron Wilson is my coach", "I believe in building from the goalie out", "Phaneuf is my captain because he plays loud music in the dressing room", "I'm going to sign Colton Orr to a 4-year deal, then blame the media when I cut him", "I'd make that Kessel deal 100 times over", "we're not playing well because of the media/trade deadline/solar flares", "Don Cherry is picking on me"...

Burke is a fairly shrewd trader; unfortunately, the cap era doesn't play to his strengths. He's too loyal to the wrong people; he's awful at evaluating goalies and free agents. Yes, JFJ's rank incompetence has put Burke in a near-impossible situation, but if you insist on being a blowhard and a bully and treat the media as your enemy, you better deliver results.

[l3ulvl]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

Looks like Conklin cleared waivers, I half expected someone to make a claim just to screw with Detroit.

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

Yeah and kind of off topic but I wonder with the CBA expiring if the NHL will try to bring in an amnesty rule like the NBA did, if they do you have to wonder if the Canucks would amnesty Luongo (permitting he doesn't lead them to a cup this year of course), could keep Schneider cheaper and with the money saved from Luongo could add another weapon.

Problem is, the Canucks have to make a decision regarding Schneider by July 1, and the current CBA expires September 15. Gillis might attempt to talk Schneider into taking a 1-year-deal (he'll be eligible to be a UFA after 2012/13), and see what happens with the new CBA.

[Psyblast]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

You would've been amazed at the number of Canucks fans who "wanted" Chicago in the first round. I was not among them. These are the same fans who will abandon the team once its title window closes. And who don't understand what a "title window" means, for that matter.

Example: Detroit's title window is very close to being slammed shut (and this is not based on the last two weeks of lame hockey from them).

[Psyblast]

Re: The Official 2011-12 Regular Season Talk Thread

While I agree with a lot of what you say, I have zero sympathy for Burke. He's brought so much of this on himself: "I don't believe in rebuilding", "I'm going to acquire John Tavares at the entry draft", "Ron Wilson is my coach", "I believe in building from the goalie out", "Phaneuf is my captain because he plays loud music in the dressing room", "I'm going to sign Colton Orr to a 4-year deal, then blame the media when I cut him", "I'd make that Kessel deal 100 times over", "we're not playing well because of the media/trade deadline/solar flares", "Don Cherry is picking on me"...

Burke is a fairly shrewd trader; unfortunately, the cap era doesn't play to his strengths. He's too loyal to the wrong people; he's awful at evaluating goalies and free agents. Yes, JFJ's rank incompetence has put Burke in a near-impossible situation, but if you insist on being a blowhard and a bully and treat the media as your enemy, you better deliver results.

Burke created the festering plague in Anaheim that is still exporting its terror throughout the league even now. He should be thrown down a mineshaft Palpatine style.