The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

[IlliniM1ke]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

That's true, and the loss of Hossa hurts but I didn't think he had much of a game plan coming into this series.

You aren't wrong, Tippett definitely did out coach him this series and that can't even be debated.

Get rid of Kitchen, get an assistant that knows how to run a PP and I think this team is looking good next year. We have some really nice young players coming up who can supplement the core, we just need to add a couple key pieces in FA and we should finally make it past the first round again and we have money to do so (not talking a Suter or Parise type guy just good depth guys who fit what this team wants to do).

[Kobalt]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

*Issues hands off warning* /FM

Even if you didn't put the /fm at the end, I would have known what you were talking about. I'm addicted to that game right now lol.

You aren't wrong, Tippett definitely did out coach him this series and that can't even be debated.

Get rid of Kitchen, get an assistant that knows how to run a PP and I think this team is looking good next year. We have some really nice young players coming up who can supplement the core, we just need to add a couple key pieces in FA and we should finally make it past the first round again and we have money to do so (not talking a Suter or Parise type guy just good depth guys who fit what this team wants to do).

Getting rid of older guys like Bruno/Morrison and replacing them with young guys like Shaw and Saad would be good. I loved how Shaw was playing earlier in the series, reminded me of Galiardi couple years ago against SJ, who just keeps getting under the opponent's skin.

[IlliniM1ke]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Even if you didn't put the /fm at the end, I would have known what you were talking about. I'm addicted to that game right now lol.


Getting rid of older guys like Bruno and replacing them with young guys like Shaw and Saad would be good. I loved how Shaw was playing earlier in the series, reminded me of Galiardi couple years ago against SJ, who just keeps getting under the opponent's skin.

Yeah I hope they let Bruno, Morrison, and O'Donnell walk, they're shells of what they used to be (although I think Bruno can still play just needs to go to a team that plays a slower pace, he gets exposed in an up and down game like Chicago tries to play or at least when hes put on the lines Q is putting him on).

I really like our forwards going into next season should be looking at some combo of:

Stalberg - Toews - Sharp
Saad - Kane - Hossa
Bickell - Bolland - Shaw
Carcillo - Kruger - Hayes

Frolik in the healthy scratch/13th forward role (for as good as he looks in the playoffs he really struggles to find his niche in the regular season, can't explain why because he plays hard). Also wouldn't be opposed to seeing Jamal Mayers come back, he played pretty well for us this year but at the same time I'd rather go with our younger guys.

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Considering that Sean O'Donnell is older than me (!) and that at one point, Stan Bowman thought Brendan Morrison could be a 2nd line C on a contender (!), it's not exactly shocking that Chicago didn't make a deep run this year.

[IlliniM1ke]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Considering that Sean O'Donnell is older than me (!) and that at one point, Stan Bowman thought Brendan Morrison could be a 2nd line C on a contender (!), it's not exactly shocking that Chicago didn't make a deep run this year.

Can't disagree with that at all, the Blackhawks moves this offseason overall weren't very good. The Morrison trade with those expectations was ludicrous.

Our forwards are looking pretty good, the only way I really see to significantly bolster that group is to get a real 2nd line center so Kane can go back to wing, but 2nd line centers aren't cheap if they hit FA and they don't seem to hit FA often due to teams tend to hold onto them.

Definitely need to add 1 or 2 dmen (depending on if Montador is going to be ready to play next year, and with how his contract was front loaded he could be moved pretty easily if they decide he isn't a fit anymore).

Adding a goalie capable of stealing a game would be ideal, maybe the NHL will add an amnesty clause and we can pick Luongo up once the Canucks cut him loose.

I'm joking, but he seriously would be an upgrade on a reasonable contract.

Would love to inquire to Buffalo about Ryan Miller's availability, I want no part of that rumored Kane for Miller deal that was circulating around the deadline but with Enroth there I think it would be worth gauging their interest in picks and prospects.

[goh]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

I still don't trust the Cy-otes at all.
Preds in 6.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

The biggest missed opportunity ever. This Scranton-Wilkes-Barre weather report is interrupted by bears. This raises the question of why the home of the Penguins affiliate didn't invite Bryzgalov to guest as a weatherman before Game 6. He would have been rendered completely useless.

http://deadspin.com/5904543/tonights-weather-forecast-will-not-be-seen-because-our-set-has-been-invaded-by-bears

[BlueNGold]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Can't disagree with that at all, the Blackhawks moves this offseason overall weren't very good. The Morrison trade with those expectations was ludicrous.

Our forwards are looking pretty good, the only way I really see to significantly bolster that group is to get a real 2nd line center so Kane can go back to wing, but 2nd line centers aren't cheap if they hit FA and they don't seem to hit FA often due to teams tend to hold onto them.

Definitely need to add 1 or 2 dmen (depending on if Montador is going to be ready to play next year, and with how his contract was front loaded he could be moved pretty easily if they decide he isn't a fit anymore).

Adding a goalie capable of stealing a game would be ideal, maybe the NHL will add an amnesty clause and we can pick Luongo up once the Canucks cut him loose.

I'm joking, but he seriously would be an upgrade on a reasonable contract.

Would love to inquire to Buffalo about Ryan Miller's availability, I want no part of that rumored Kane for Miller deal that was circulating around the deadline but with Enroth there I think it would be worth gauging their interest in picks and prospects.

Not gonna happen.

As for 2nd line centers, you guys should totally sign Nik Antropov!

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Would love to inquire to Buffalo about Ryan Miller's availability, I want no part of that rumored Kane for Miller deal that was circulating around the deadline but with Enroth there I think it would be worth gauging their interest in picks and prospects.

Miller? Nah. I'm surprised you haven't thought about the obvious candidate to not only vastly upgrade your goaltending but troll the Canucks at the same time.

I'll give you a hint: this INDIVIDUAL plays on another team that begins with "B".

[Psyblast]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

The Blackhawks shouldn't be blown up because they lost to Phoenix.











They should be blown up because they're the Blackhawks.

[BlueNGold]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Miller? Nah. I'm surprised you haven't thought about the obvious candidate to not only vastly upgrade your goaltending but troll the Canucks at the same time.

I'll give you a hint: this INDIVIDUAL plays on another team that begins with "B".

I'm stumped.

Blues? Bruins? Buffalo Sabres?

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

The biggest missed opportunity ever. This Scranton-Wilkes-Barre weather report is interrupted by bears. This raises the question of why the home of the Penguins affiliate didn't invite Bryzgalov to guest as a weatherman before Game 6. He would have been rendered completely useless.

http://deadspin.com/5904543/tonights...vaded-by-bears

That's my local news station.

[pietasterp]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

Because like all teams that lose, the Blackhawks need to be "blown up"?

As a general point, not referring to any team in particular, I get what you are saying, and it's a point that's well-taken in general...but just because people over-react sometimes, doesn't mean it's always wrong to do a serious re-tool of a team (known in common parlance as the "blow-up", although what level of re-tooling amounts to a "blow-up" is debatable...). Sometimes it actually is a way forward, and in those cases there's nothing wrong with being bold if the opportunity presents itself.

Take Philadelphia, for example. After playing in the Stanley Cup finals in 2010 and then getting swept in the second round last year, one might have argued that a serious shake-up would have been an over-reaction to last year's result. Nevertheless, Paul Holmgren embarked on a serious re-tooling of the team - some might even say he "blew it up". He dumped two top forwards, (Jeff Carter and captain Mike Richards), signed top free-agent netminder Ilya Bryzgalov, and brought up / traded for multiple young players in the system. The Flyers started this Pens series with six rookies in their lineup, including Matt Read, Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn. That's a pretty drastic set of moves for a team that played in the Cup Finals, and while the jury is still out on the long-term success of those moves, I would say that it looks pretty good so far.

I realize there are counter-examples, and I'm not saying everyone that screams and shouts about blowing up their team is always right...but they aren't always wrong either. It is a case-by-case thing, but teams are like sharks - they have to keep moving forward or they die. Now, would I have been totally wrong about blowing-up the Red Wings after their unceremonious sweep at the hands of the Devils in the 1995 Cup Finals? Obviously. Which is why I'm not a GM. But just because I was wrong then, I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong now about the Wings needing a serious re-tool at this juncture. After all, what's the saying about repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting different results?....

[DrJones]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

As a general point, not referring to any team in particular, I get what you are saying, and it's a point that's well-taken in general...but just because people over-react sometimes, doesn't mean it's always wrong to do a serious re-tool of a team (known in common parlance as the "blow-up", although what level of re-tooling amounts to a "blow-up" is debatable...). Sometimes it actually is a way forward, and in those cases there's nothing wrong with being bold if the opportunity presents itself.

Take Philadelphia, for example. After playing in the Stanley Cup finals in 2010 and then getting swept in the second round last year, one might have argued that a serious shake-up would have been an over-reaction to last year's result. Nevertheless, Paul Holmgren embarked on a serious re-tooling of the team - some might even say he "blew it up". He dumped two top forwards, (Jeff Carter and captain Mike Richards), signed top free-agent netminder Ilya Bryzgalov, and brought up / traded for multiple young players in the system. The Flyers started this Pens series with six rookies in their lineup, including Matt Read, Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn. That's a pretty drastic set of moves for a team that played in the Cup Finals, and while the jury is still out on the long-term success of those moves, I would say that it looks pretty good so far.

I realize there are counter-examples, and I'm not saying everyone that screams and shouts about blowing up their team is always right...but they aren't always wrong either. It is a case-by-case thing, but teams are like sharks - they have to keep moving forward or they die. Now, would I have been totally wrong about blowing-up the Red Wings after their unceremonious sweep at the hands of the Devils in the 1995 Cup Finals? Obviously. Which is why I'm not a GM. But just because I was wrong then, I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong now about the Wings needing a serious re-tool at this juncture. After all, what's the saying about repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting different results?....

I'm not only making fun of fan overreaction, but also pointing out that many fans still think in pre-cap terms. Very, very difficult to remake teams that have a lot of big contracts, many of whom have NTC/NMC's. Most contenders are near the cap, most teams that aren't have budget issues. Free agency is a seller's market because there are so few good ones available. Doing what Holmgren did is fine, providing that you have a Claude Giroux and a lot of Grade-A prospects ready to take over. I can't think of a single team that has the depth to pull off what the Flyers did, except maybe Pittsburgh. Detroit doesn't. Vancouver doesn't.

[pietasterp]

Re: The Official 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

I'm not only making fun of fan overreaction, but also pointing out that many fans still think in pre-cap terms. Very, very difficult to remake teams that have a lot of big contracts, many of whom have NTC/NMC's. Most contenders are near the cap, most teams that aren't have budget issues. Free agency is a seller's market because there are so few good ones available. Doing what Holmgren did is fine, providing that you have a Claude Giroux and a lot of Grade-A prospects ready to take over. I can't think of a single team that has the depth to pull off what the Flyers did, except maybe Pittsburgh. Detroit doesn't. Vancouver doesn't.

Yes, the opportunity has to be there for sure. I just said that if it's there, you can't be afraid of making the moves for fear of being seen as reactionary. Philly didn't know it was going to work out by promoting the young guys (and dumping under-performing vets to make room), but they had the cajones to try. You make your own opportunities in some instances.

While Detroit may not have the minor league depth Philly does (although maybe they do - Teemu Pulkkinen, Gustav Nyquist, Calle Jarnkrok, Tomas Jurco are allegedly ready to roll in the bigs, but we'll have to see), they do have - for the first time in the cap era - significant cap space. To the tune of about $20-million+, and maybe more depending on what happens with the new CBA. That's enough for some serious maneuvering, even before you factor in retirements / other personnel decisions. I have no idea what Vancouver's opportunities are, but Detroit does have the ability to change their team at this point.