NHL 2009/2010

tmlfan123 · 09-21-2009, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Sorry, folks, but this probably won't turn out well for the Leafs. I'm willing to be proven wrong, though. Hagman scored a beauty goal the other night and there's some decent young talent in the roster. Consistency might become a problem, however. We'll see.

When you root for the Leafs, one thing you have to have a lot of is faith

**Skeeter** · 09-22-2009, 10:52 AM

Not to cross-post, but just to make sure people are aware: there is a CGR fantasy hockey league set up. Right now, Rachael and I are the only people signed up, so if anyone else wants to join, check the other thread in this forum.

**Skeeter** · 09-28-2009, 02:43 PM

Predictions?

Hart: Evgeni Malkin - he's a beast and arguably deserved the Hart last year over Ovechkin. This season he'll leave no doubts.

Vezina: Roberto Luongo - a perennial runner-up for the Vezina, I think this is his year.

Norris: Mike Green - sure, he still doesn't technically know how to play defense, but he scores like he's an elite forward. That's got to be worth the nod, especially if he can improve his defensive play this season.

Calder: Jonas Gustavsson (or, possibly, Sergei Shirokov?) - the MONSTER has looked very, very good in preseason and Vesa Toskala has looked awful. I'm guessing that Gustavsson will steal the number one job from Toskala at some point this season. Shirokov is a darkhorse candidate; he could end up with the Sedins on the first powerplay unit, which will mean bucketloads of points. Of course, there's also John Tavares...

Lady Byng: Pavel Datsyuk - there's no way I would bet against Datsyuk winning the Byng at this point.

Selke: Mike Richards - he should have won this last year. He will win it this year.

Jack Adams: Pat Quinn - this award often goes to a coach who takes an unlikely team into the playoffs (though last year was an exception with Julien and the powerhouse Bruins) and I think Pat Quinn and the Oilers are the team most likely to surprise the NHL with how well they do. Khabibulin is a very good goaltender and there is a lot of young talent in Edmonton. Quinn has shown that he knows how to coach young talent, most recently in the World Juniors.

Masterton: I admit to not knowing who to nominate for this one...if Theo Fleury had made the Flames, he would have been my nominee, but otherwise it's difficult to predict who will be the comeback, feel-good story of the year...

President's Trophy: San Jose Sharks - the regular season champions will once again be the regular season champions. There's just too much power in their top-six forwards. The question remains, what will they do in the playoffs?

Art Ross: Evgeni Malkin - yep, I think he repeats.

Richard: Ilya Kovalchuk - a surprise pick, I'm sure, but Kovalchuk finally has a supporting cast in Atlanta and I honestly think he will score more goals than Ovechkin this year. Also in the running is Dany Heatley: if he clicks with Thornton, look out.

William J. Jennings: Tim Thomas - the Bruins have a stellar defense and Tim Thomas is an excellent goalie. Look for the Bruins to give up the fewest goals in the NHL. Nabokov and the Sharks could compete for this as well, but the Sharks have lost some depth on defense in the off-season.

Campbell: Vancouver Canucks - I may be a biased homer, but I'm also realistic; the Canucks have an improved team and will go to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Wales: Washington Capitals - the Caps have a plethora of talent that goes far beyond Ovechkin. Heck, at times he wasn't even the best Alexander on his team, that credit going to Semin. If Jose Theodore can step up as a legitimate number one goalie, the Caps are going to the finals. If he doesn't, the Caps still have Semyon Varlamov, who could potentially follow up his stellar playoff run last season with a Calder trophy regular season this year. Look for the Caps in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Stanley Cup: Vancouver Canucks - I honestly think they can do it this year. I definitely don't say that every year...

Conn Smythe: Roberto Luongo - the Canucks only win if Luongo carries them. Yes, they're a great team with a some potent offensive weapons and a mobile defense, but Luongo is the foundation of the team. Like I said, I think it's his year.

tmlfan123 · 09-28-2009, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Predictions?

Hart: Evgeni Malkin - he's a beast and arguably deserved the Hart last year over Ovechkin. This season he'll leave no doubts.

In my mind, Malkin is still No. 2 to Crosby. He put up a fantastic number of points last year because teams were checking Crosby. When teams start checking Malkin over Crosby, then and only then can you make the case that he is the Pittsburgh Penguins' MVP, regardless of whether he is the league's MVP. This is also why I didn't think he deserved the Conn Smythe, but his fantastic numbers won out over Crosby's leadership(and fantastic numbers).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Vezina: Roberto Luongo - a perennial runner-up for the Vezina, I think this is his year.

Agreed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Norris: Mike Green - sure, he still doesn't technically know how to play defense, but he scores like he's an elite forward. That's got to be worth the nod, especially if he can improve his defensive play this season.

I'm going to go with either Shea Weber or Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf had a miserable year last year that would be a career year for a lot of other D-men, and I think he'll be a monster again. Weber is also very young and if he continues to improve, it'll be hard to keep him off the podium.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Calder: Jonas Gustavsson (or, possibly, Sergei Shirokov?) - the MONSTER has looked very, very good in preseason and Vesa Toskala has looked awful. I'm guessing that Gustavsson will steal the number one job from Toskala at some point this season. Shirokov is a darkhorse candidate; he could end up with the Sedins on the first powerplay unit, which will mean bucketloads of points. Of course, there's also John Tavares...

The Monster has only played 3 periods, pre-season periods at that, at the NHL level. He may be great, yes, but it is WAY too early to tell. John Tavares is my bet, mainly because he'll get big-time minutes, especially on the PP.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Lady Byng: Pavel Datsyuk - there's no way I would bet against Datsyuk winning the Byng at this point.

Is it four years in a row now?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Selke: Mike Richards - he should have won this last year. He will win it this year.

Meh. Depends on his shoulders. If Ryan Kesler puts up a little better numbers, he's my bet. Another possibility is a bounce-back season from Mike Fisher.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Jack Adams: Pat Quinn - this award often goes to a coach who takes an unlikely team into the playoffs (though last year was an exception with Julien and the powerhouse Bruins) and I think Pat Quinn and the Oilers are the team most likely to surprise the NHL with how well they do. Khabibulin is a very good goaltender and there is a lot of young talent in Edmonton. Quinn has shown that he knows how to coach young talent, most recently in the World Juniors.

I really hope so. The Oilers are my favourite team in the NHL to watch(barring my Leafs, of course).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Masterton: I admit to not knowing who to nominate for this one...if Theo Fleury had made the Flames, he would have been my nominee, but otherwise it's difficult to predict who will be the comeback, feel-good story of the year...

Yeah I have no idea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

President's Trophy: San Jose Sharks - the regular season champions will once again be the regular season champions. There's just too much power in their top-six forwards. The question remains, what will they do in the playoffs?

They do look pretty tough to beat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Art Ross: Evgeni Malkin - yep, I think he repeats.

As long as Crosby stays healthy and Ovechkin doesn't go nuts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Richard: Ilya Kovalchuk - a surprise pick, I'm sure, but Kovalchuk finally has a supporting cast in Atlanta and I honestly think he will score more goals than Ovechkin this year. Also in the running is Dany Heatley: if he clicks with Thornton, look out.

YES. Ilya Kovalchuk with a supporting cast is just plain scary. He'll be neck and neck with Ovie all year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

William J. Jennings: Tim Thomas - the Bruins have a stellar defense and Tim Thomas is an excellent goalie. Look for the Bruins to give up the fewest goals in the NHL. Nabokov and the Sharks could compete for this as well, but the Sharks have lost some depth on defense in the off-season.

The Bruins are the logical pick here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Campbell: Vancouver Canucks - I may be a biased homer, but I'm also realistic; the Canucks have an improved team and will go to the Stanley Cup Finals.

I think the Sharks will finally pull it together.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Wales: Washington Capitals - the Caps have a plethora of talent that goes far beyond Ovechkin. Heck, at times he wasn't even the best Alexander on his team, that credit going to Semin. If Jose Theodore can step up as a legitimate number one goalie, the Caps are going to the finals. If he doesn't, the Caps still have Semyon Varlamov, who could potentially follow up his stellar playoff run last season with a Calder trophy regular season this year. Look for the Caps in the Stanley Cup Finals.

If they get the goaltending - a huge if.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Stanley Cup: Vancouver Canucks - I honestly think they can do it this year. I definitely don't say that every year...

I say the Sharks finally get it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Conn Smythe: Roberto Luongo - the Canucks only win if Luongo carries them. Yes, they're a great team with a some potent offensive weapons and a mobile defense, but Luongo is the foundation of the team. Like I said, I think it's his year.

I'll go with Thornton for the feel-good finish. He's an elite talent - he can't always choke horribly, can he?

**Skeeter** · 09-28-2009, 07:07 PM

Huzzah for discussion!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmlfan123

In my mind, Malkin is still No. 2 to Crosby. He put up a fantastic number of points last year because teams were checking Crosby. When teams start checking Malkin over Crosby, then and only then can you make the case that he is the Pittsburgh Penguins' MVP, regardless of whether he is the league's MVP. This is also why I didn't think he deserved the Conn Smythe, but his fantastic numbers won out over Crosby's leadership(and fantastic numbers).

I honestly think that Malkin is more talented than Crosby. Leadership-wise, Crosby's definitely the guy, but Malkin is a huge talent. He definitely benefits from playing on a team with Crosby, but Malkin has shown the capability to carry the team, such as when Crosby was injured for a large stretch last season. He was definitely the team's MVP last season and I see no reason why he won't be this season, even with a healthy Crosby.

Quote:

I'm going to go with either Shea Weber or Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf had a miserable year last year that would be a career year for a lot of other D-men, and I think he'll be a monster again. Weber is also very young and if he continues to improve, it'll be hard to keep him off the podium.

Personally, I think Phaneuf is the most overrated defenseman in the league. Second most overrated is Bouwmeester. So you can guess what I think of the Flames' chances this season.

Weber is fantastic, but I don't think he's quite there yet in terms of consistency. If it's not Green, I think it'll be Chara this season or, if he really clicks with the Flyers, Pronger.

Quote:

The Monster has only played 3 periods, pre-season periods at that, at the NHL level. He may be great, yes, but it is WAY too early to tell. John Tavares is my bet, mainly because he'll get big-time minutes, especially on the PP.

I'm taking a gamble on Gustavsson, I know, but I have zero faith in Toskala. None. So, I'm expecting a bit of a Steve Mason/Pekka Rinne situation. Also, since most of these trophies are built on reputation and what market they play in...well, he's already got a head start.

I think Tavares will stumble a bit out of the gate, similar to Stamkos last season. Yes, he'll get big minutes, but there's no telling if he'll actually be able to handle those minutes. He also won't have much of a supporting cast around him.

Quote:

Meh. Depends on his shoulders. If Ryan Kesler puts up a little better numbers, he's my bet. Another possibility is a bounce-back season from Mike Fisher.

I would love for Kesler to win it. He's definitely building up the reputation, which is especially important for Selke voting. I think it will come down to Richards, Kesler, or Datsyuk, just like last season.

Quote:

YES. Ilya Kovalchuk with a supporting cast is just plain scary. He'll be neck and neck with Ovie all year.

Exactly. Kovalchuk has been putting up huge numbers playing with nobodies. The preseason line of Kovalchuk, Antropov, and Bryan Little looks very good.

Quote:

I'll go with Thornton for the feel-good finish. He's an elite talent - he can't always choke horribly, can he?

How much do you want to bet he can?

***Art*** · 09-28-2009, 07:17 PM

Thornton might be wearing the C this year. I kind of hope so.

Thornton didn't choke in the most recent playoffs. He played well. Especially when on a line with Marleau. They ran into an incredibly hot goalie, and a very hot team.

I really wish I knew more about the league, as opposed to just the Sharks.

**Skeeter** · 09-28-2009, 07:24 PM

For the record, I like Joe Thornton a lot and I certainly don't blame him for the Sharks' lack of playoff success.

**earlessdog** · 10-02-2009, 12:49 PM

Crap, the Bruins lost the season opener against the Capitols, 4-1.
I hate crappy starts.

***Art*** · 10-02-2009, 01:44 PM

And the Sharks lost 5-2. And the Canucks lost 4-2. It was an ugly night of hockey.

**Skeeter** · 10-02-2009, 05:04 PM

It was mainly just one period for the Canucks. The first period was one of the worst performances I've seen from them in a long time. They were better in the second period and much better in the third and actually managed to get back into the game and had a chance to tie it up until the Flames scored an empty net goal to seal the deal. It was actually 5-3.

Not worried though. That should be the wake-up call they need.

tmlfan123 · 10-02-2009, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art

And the Sharks lost 5-2. And the Canucks lost 4-2. It was an ugly night of hockey.

Except for when Matt Stajan scored two goals... I watched Stajan play for the OHL Belleville Bulls.

But then the Leafs lost 4-3 in OT. I guess I have to agree.

For the record, Toskala was very solid in goal and I really couldn't fault him on any of the goals. If Carey Price hadn't magically recaptured his rookie season form, the Leafs would have ran away with this one.

The Stajan-Blake-Stalberg line looked very good. Excellent pressure offensively, and good defensively as well.

***Art*** · 10-02-2009, 11:09 PM

Sharks @ Ducks tomorrow night. I'm pumped. I get to watch it even.

tmlfan123 · 10-03-2009, 01:33 PM

Leafs take on Washington tonight

Even if the Leafs lose, I should pick up some fantasy points from Ovechkin. But I'd take a Leafs shutout win any day.

**Skeeter** · 10-03-2009, 08:45 PM

Toskala got pulled for Gustavsson. It's starting...

The Canucks lost again. Not a great start to the season.

tmlfan123 · 10-03-2009, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Toskala got pulled for Gustavsson. It's starting...

What? He got pulled and then Gustavsson gave up three more goals. Honestly Toskala has not looked bad in either of the first two games, or at the very least he hasn't looked worse than Gustavsson. The defense, in particular our so-called "top three" of Kaberle, Komisarek, and Beauchemin, has been terrible. Komisarek has six minor penalties in two games, three of which led to powerplay goals. Beauchemin has spent the majority of the first two games attempting to make one-handed plays and watching opposing forwards go by. Kaberle has more giveaways than either of them. Only Ian White and Luke Schenn have looked anything resembling solid.

Toskala will start Tuesday against Ottawa unless Ron Wilson has truly let the media in Toronto get to his head. We gave up three breakaways in the first two periods. The freaking Belleville Bulls don't do that on the Olympic-sized ice here. Neither goalie can be blamed. This was a terrible defensive showing against one of the top offensive teams in the league.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

The Canucks lost again. Not a great start to the season.

You can say that again.