The Official 2024-25 Season Talk Thread

[Psyblast]

Why have refs if they're so blind they can't see obvious calls right in front of them?

Why have video review if it feels like 90% of calls that could be properly legislated via video review aren't eligible for video review because...the rules say so??

Dallas should have had a PP. They didn't, and the Oilers scored twice in 30 seconds.

The refs decided to "make it up" to them by calling a highstick on Edmonton when it was plainly obvious IN REAL TIME that Rantanen's own stick hit him in the face.

This is Mickey Mouse league type nonsense.

[Majingir]

Last 6 eastern winners:

Panthers

Panthers

Panthers

Lightning

Lightning

Lightning

NHL: We don't have a problem with lower state taxes giving teams an advantage

[Psyblast]

Last 6 eastern winners:

Panthers

Panthers

Panthers

Lightning

Lightning

Lightning

NHL: We don't have a problem with lower state taxes giving teams an advantage

Really not understanding this argument. Before 2023 the Panthers were almost without exception one of the biggest laughingstocks in the league. They were a ****ty team with bad players, no fans, and no vision. During all of those years, the state of Florida still had no state income tax. This thought that they have an unfair advantage because their players don't lose as much of their salary through taxes never occurred to a single person on the face of the earth until they actually became a good team.

Good players want to play for healthy organizations with competent people leading the way that compete for championships.

[Psyblast]

Beware, the rematch.

*lights cigarette, stares off into the distance*

[Kobalt]

The conference finals were absolutely garbage

[Majingir]

If the Panthers win, I believe it would be the first SCF with the exact same result since the Habs beat the Blues right after the O6 era ended.

[Psyblast]

So, uh...Deboer is getting fired, right?

He just brained Jake Oettinger to the entire media after the game.

[Majingir]

A cool fact uncovered

Gretzky's SC debut: Loss vs Islanders
Next year: Won the cup vs Islanders

Crosby's SC debut: Loss vs Red Wings
Next year: Won cup vs Red Wings

McDavids SC debut: Loss vs Panthers
Next year: ___ vs Panthers


How does the league only have a single game on a weekend for the entire series?

[DrJones]

Really not understanding this argument. Before 2023 the Panthers were almost without exception one of the biggest laughingstocks in the league. They were a ****ty team with bad players, no fans, and no vision. During all of those years, the state of Florida still had no state income tax. This thought that they have an unfair advantage because their players don't lose as much of their salary through taxes never occurred to a single person on the face of the earth until they actually became a good team.

Good players want to play for healthy organizations with competent people leading the way that compete for championships.

...where they can also play golf during the winter, not have to deal with toxic fandom/media, and yes, pay less in taxes. It's not all one thing.

Having a healthy organization with competent people in charge gives more of an advantage to Florida or Vegas than it does Winnipeg.

This doesn't excuse the incompetence of many Canadian and/or small market teams, but yes, there's an added degree of difficulty.

[Psyblast]

...where they can also play golf during the winter, not have to deal with toxic fandom/media, and yes, pay less in taxes. It's not all one thing.

Having a healthy organization with competent people in charge gives more of an advantage to Florida or Vegas than it does Winnipeg.

This doesn't excuse the incompetence of many Canadian and/or small market teams, but yes, there's an added degree of difficulty.

In this discussion it absolutely is that one thing. Nobody's pondering about passing rules to to increase the number of golf courses in Ontario, or passing a law necessitating the dosing of water in Toronto and Montreal with Valium to mellow out the fans.

The only "advantage" being talked about as if it has to be corrected via league legislation is the lack of income tax in a few US states.

[Psyblast]

On a lighter note...

How do Canadians feel when a Canadian team makes the Finals? This largely worthless meme about Canada going 30+ years now without a Cup never made much sense to me. Were Toronto fans cheering for Montreal when they got to the Covid Final vs. Tampa? Are Calgary fans cheering for Edmonton? Were Oiler and Flame fans cheering for Vancouver in 2011??

That sounds like nonsense to me, but seeing how SEC football fans behave, is it possible this is truer than I imagine?

[DrJones]

In this discussion it absolutely is that one thing. Nobody's pondering about passing rules to to increase the number of golf courses in Ontario, or passing a law necessitating the dosing of water in Toronto and Montreal with Valium to mellow out the fans.

The only "advantage" being talked about as if it has to be corrected via league legislation is the lack of income tax in a few US states.

I'm not proposing a rule change. Personally, I think the steep cap jump over the next few years will mostly solve the "problem" anyway.
But do I think players consider tax rates (among many other factors) when it comes to where they want to play? Yup, absolutely.

[DrJones]

On a lighter note...

How do Canadians feel when a Canadian team makes the Finals? This largely worthless meme about Canada going 30+ years now without a Cup never made much sense to me. Were Toronto fans cheering for Montreal when they got to the Covid Final vs. Tampa? Are Calgary fans cheering for Edmonton? Were Oiler and Flame fans cheering for Vancouver in 2011??

That sounds like nonsense to me, but seeing how SEC football fans behave, is it possible this is truer than I imagine?

Here's the situation in Vancouver.

I'd say a solid majority of casual fans are cheering for the Oilers. The Canadian media has been pounding the "we must cheer for Canadian teams" drum for decades now, and that has had an effect. There are definitely people here rooting for Edmonton because of US/Canada politics - I'd ask those people, "Wait, have you ever actually spent any time in Alberta??" - but whatever. I watched Game 4 of Oilers/Stars at a local sports bar, and it was overwhelmingly pro-Oilers, to the point of sirens and red lights when Edmonton scored. Disgusting.

Older, hardcore Canucks fans tend to be anti-Oilers (nobody is pro-Panthers). Most of my fellow Gen X'ers would rather American teams win for the next 100 years than watch the Leafs, Oilers, or Flames skate around with the Cup. (I'd say Toronto is the most hated team around here.) I'm not as militant as they are - unless the Canucks are involved, I tend to root for the underdog and/or whichever team has the better story. Let's break it down.

Reasons to root for the Oilers:

- They haven't won for 35 years
- Connor McDavid: like Ovi before him, am I really gonna begrudge this guy one Cup? Or Draisaitl, for that matter?
- Jeff Skinner, I guess?
- Love the Oilers or hate them, they play exciting, high-event hockey
- Kill the stupid narratives regarding Canadian teams already!

Reasons to root against the Oilers:

- Their fans and media will be insufferable if they win (Edmonton media is the worst in Canada, even most Oilers fans think so)
- Yes, they were a**holes during the 2011 playoffs; one of their newspaper hacks, Terry Jones, wrote a brutal screed against Vancouver (the city and its people, not just the Canucks) the day after Game 7 that still pisses me off
- Stan Bowman, Corey Perry, Evander Kane, things of that nature

Reasons to root for the Panthers:

- I have nothing against Barkov or Sgt. Bobrovsky
- Uh... Luongo?

Reasons to root against the Panthers:

- They won last year!
- Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Seth Jones, Aaron Ekblad
- They play effective but reprehensible Bruins-style hockey (and like those Bruins, are protected from up high)
- Anyone who utters the words "51st state"
- BRAD MARCHAND

And that overrules all other considerations. I was fine with the Panthers winning last year, but I draw the line at Marchand. Unless he's wearing a red maple leaf on his chest, I am rooting against whatever team he plays for, from here until Armageddon. I don't care how good a guy he is off the ice, I'm not watching that scumbag skate around with the Stanley Cup again, no f***ing way.

There are plenty of teams I'd prefer over Edmonton: most other Canadian teams, Buffalo, Minnesota, Columbus, San Jose. But this Florida team? No. If I could stomach "cheering" for the Blackhawks in 2013, I can do the same for the Oilers here. Beat these dirty motherf***ers, and let us never speak of this again.

[Majingir]

On a lighter note...

How do Canadians feel when a Canadian team makes the Finals? This largely worthless meme about Canada going 30+ years now without a Cup never made much sense to me. Were Toronto fans cheering for Montreal when they got to the Covid Final vs. Tampa? Are Calgary fans cheering for Edmonton? Were Oiler and Flame fans cheering for Vancouver in 2011??

That sounds like nonsense to me, but seeing how SEC football fans behave, is it possible this is truer than I imagine?

If it's an east team, I'm not cheering for them because they're Canadian. If anything I'm rooting more for them to lose because they're rivals.

If it's a west team, I'll be happy for them since I don't have anything against those teams, and the fans especially it'd be nice seeing them getting their moment since winning a cup would mean way more to a fan in an Edmonton or Winnipeg than a Carolina or Florida.

I'm not proposing a rule change. Personally, I think the steep cap jump over the next few years will mostly solve the "problem" anyway.
But do I think players consider tax rates (among many other factors) when it comes to where they want to play? Yup, absolutely.

There's obviously lots of factors in their decision, but let's say a player has 10 key points in their decision.

Team A meets 8 of those 10 points and offers 8m a year, with the tax rate it would be more like 5.1m.

Team B meets 9 of those 10 points and offers 8.5m a year, with the tax rate it would be more like 4.5m.

The final decision isn't just because of money. But the agent will then go to Team B and be like "my client wants to play for your team, but they have an offer that'll make them 5.1m a year after taxes. Your deal has them only making 4.5m so if you want to be in the ballpark, your offer needs to be at least 9.6m to even things out"

So the final decision isn't "I'll go with A over B because of the money", but Team B is at a disadvantage because of the taxes which leads to them now paying around 9.6m under a hard cap system for a guy when Team A would've only been on the hook for 8m of it.

Look at the current SCF matchup.

Panthers roster is at 99.8m thanks to cap circumvention. After taxes that's 63m.

Oilers roster is at 94.3m. After taxes that's 49.1m.

14m in actual after tax salary is a HUGE difference. That's two top 2 line players or a starting goalie + top line player difference!

[Psyblast]

I am absolutely beside myself that the Cup is on the ice for the pregame of Game 1.

This is one of the most egregious breaches of protocol and decorum I've ever seen.

Is nothing sacred?