Mike Works
Member
this thread has hit 5000 posts!
so has latendresse lol oh i'm on a roll, i feel some mario tremblay jokes coming on
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Official NHL Offseason Thread of LOL Leafs and other loser teams in memory of Manics
- Thread starter R_GILL
- Start date
- Status
ForzaItalia
Banned
1. Washington. The Capitals play in the leagues weakest division. They improved a dangerous forward unit with the off-season additions of Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison. Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin and Nicklas Backstrom havent yet reached their career zeniths. I dont care how tentative their goalie situation is this group very well could be this seasons Penguins (only without the coaching change).
2. Boston. The fact the Bruins believe they can succeed without the contributions of Phil Kessel demonstrates just how deep this organization has become under GM Peter Chiarelli and his crack team of scouts. True, they wont be able to sneak up on anyone anymore, but coach Claude Juliens consistent demands on his best players means they wont have to.
3. Philadelphia. Philly was THNs collective pick to win the Stanley Cup this season. Theyre also my personal pick to win it all. But virtually everything needs to go right with Ray Emery and in league disciplinarian Colin Campbells office, to name two areas for them to rise above the other power players in the East during the regular season. In the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division, I dont see that happening for any team.
4. Pittsburgh. Can the Penguins push past an exhausting Cup run to stay in the upper echelons of the East? Will their blueline melt into mush after the departures of Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi? Should they be runaway favorites to repeat as champions? Might this paragraph end with only questions and a complete absence of answers? Yes, no, no and no.
5. Carolina. The can-do Canes benefited from a bounce-back year from Cam Ward and a breakout campaign from Tuomo Ruutu last season. Both will need both to perform just as well this year and if Aaron Ward, Tom Kostopoulos and Andrew Alberts can add some saltiness to the wounds Carolina inflicts on their opponents, the Hurricanes represent the best challenge to Washingtons Southeast Division supremacy.
6. New Jersey. The Devils suffered far more departures (John Madden, Brian Gionta, and Scott Clemmensen, among others) than additions (Yann Danis and ummm ), leaving them open to predictions of backwards steps in the standings. But now that Jacques Lemaire the Frank Sinatra of the defense-first coaching community is back in New Jersey the Sands Hotel Copa Room of defense-first NHL cities theres little reason to suspect the Devils wont qualify for post-season play for the 13th consecutive season.
7. Buffalo. Say what you may about the Sabres so-so defense corps and underachieving forwards, but the fact of the matter is they missed the playoffs by the equivalent of three stinking shootout losses last season. A fully healthy Ryan Miller, and the absence of on-ice flotsam and jetsam such as Maxim Afinogenov, ought to turn around Buffalos fortunes in a hurry this year.
8. Tampa Bay. Yes, yours truly picked the Lightning to make the playoffs last year. Yes, this is now an enduring point of shame for me. And yes, Im a glutton for punishment, because I think the Bolts have got a more-than-decent shot at post-season play this year. Brian Lawtons impressive re-casting of his defense group made my decision a whole lot easier.
9. Ottawa. Some snickered when I slotted the Sens in to finish ninth in the East in 2008-09. However, the day the season ended (with Ottawa in 11th place) was the day that laughter died. Dumping Dany Heatley relieves them of one distraction, but given the arrival of Alex Kovalevs helter-skelter persona and the immediate and weighty expectations placed on Pascal Leclaire, Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo, its fair to assume another distraction wont be far off.
10. Toronto. The old adage that defense wins championships should be laid to rest this season by a Maple Leafs team that (a) is stacked at the back end to a degree that would send Sir Mix-A-Lot into fits of glee; and (b) employs a group of forwards who might score less than heroin chic models in Sir Mix-A-Lots bedroom. Ron Wilson worked wonders in his first season as Torontos coach, but even if he uses a flamethrower from behind the bench, he cant light enough lamps to prod the Leafs into the playoffs.
11. Montreal. In 2007-08, Ottawa freefell through the standings in the second half of the year and hung on to barely qualify for the post-season, then missed the playoffs the following campaign. (I suspect the smarter among you know where Im going with this.) If Carey Price cant shoulder the load for the Habs, they have the potential to drop even further down the standings than Im rating them.
12. New York Rangers. The season hadnt started for the Blueshirts in Manhattan and already they were dealing with a flare-up from Marian Gaboriks wonky groin, a restricted free agent holdout in Brandon Dubinsky, and John Tortorella and Sean Avery in general. Theres no doubt Henrik Lundqvist remains one of the NHLs elite goalies, but theres also no doubt the lineup in front of him is anything but elite.
13. Florida. The Panthers are the Sharks of the East, minus, of course, San Joses usual regular season successes. Steve Reinprecht their highest-profile addition at forward is unlikely to help them improve on the leagues 17th-best offense; and Jordan Leopold is extremely unlikely to replace the talents of Jay Bouwmeester. The Panthers will enjoy stretches where they look like a playoff contender, yet Im confident theyll go on a bed-soiling rampage in the spring. They always do.
14. Atlanta. Despite all the bluster about Ilya Kovalchuk signing a contract extension with Atlanta, it hasnt happened yet. And thats because the Russian superstar has seen this organization stink for too long to take management at its word that things will be different this year. This situation has Jay-Bouwmeester-playing-out-the-string-in-Florida written all over it. Enjoy Kovy while you can, Thrasher fans.
15. New York Islanders. For the most part, I honestly like what Garth Snow has done since taking over as Isles GM. And I understand an NHL-high 582 man-games lost to injury led to many of the problems that made this organization the leagues second-worst goal-scoring crew and third-worst goal-preventing group last season. Unfortunately, the Islanders still are paying for too many past mistakes made by previous management to dream about a post-season berth, let alone climbing out of the Atlantic Division basement.
2. Boston. The fact the Bruins believe they can succeed without the contributions of Phil Kessel demonstrates just how deep this organization has become under GM Peter Chiarelli and his crack team of scouts. True, they wont be able to sneak up on anyone anymore, but coach Claude Juliens consistent demands on his best players means they wont have to.
3. Philadelphia. Philly was THNs collective pick to win the Stanley Cup this season. Theyre also my personal pick to win it all. But virtually everything needs to go right with Ray Emery and in league disciplinarian Colin Campbells office, to name two areas for them to rise above the other power players in the East during the regular season. In the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division, I dont see that happening for any team.
4. Pittsburgh. Can the Penguins push past an exhausting Cup run to stay in the upper echelons of the East? Will their blueline melt into mush after the departures of Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi? Should they be runaway favorites to repeat as champions? Might this paragraph end with only questions and a complete absence of answers? Yes, no, no and no.
5. Carolina. The can-do Canes benefited from a bounce-back year from Cam Ward and a breakout campaign from Tuomo Ruutu last season. Both will need both to perform just as well this year and if Aaron Ward, Tom Kostopoulos and Andrew Alberts can add some saltiness to the wounds Carolina inflicts on their opponents, the Hurricanes represent the best challenge to Washingtons Southeast Division supremacy.
6. New Jersey. The Devils suffered far more departures (John Madden, Brian Gionta, and Scott Clemmensen, among others) than additions (Yann Danis and ummm ), leaving them open to predictions of backwards steps in the standings. But now that Jacques Lemaire the Frank Sinatra of the defense-first coaching community is back in New Jersey the Sands Hotel Copa Room of defense-first NHL cities theres little reason to suspect the Devils wont qualify for post-season play for the 13th consecutive season.
7. Buffalo. Say what you may about the Sabres so-so defense corps and underachieving forwards, but the fact of the matter is they missed the playoffs by the equivalent of three stinking shootout losses last season. A fully healthy Ryan Miller, and the absence of on-ice flotsam and jetsam such as Maxim Afinogenov, ought to turn around Buffalos fortunes in a hurry this year.
8. Tampa Bay. Yes, yours truly picked the Lightning to make the playoffs last year. Yes, this is now an enduring point of shame for me. And yes, Im a glutton for punishment, because I think the Bolts have got a more-than-decent shot at post-season play this year. Brian Lawtons impressive re-casting of his defense group made my decision a whole lot easier.
9. Ottawa. Some snickered when I slotted the Sens in to finish ninth in the East in 2008-09. However, the day the season ended (with Ottawa in 11th place) was the day that laughter died. Dumping Dany Heatley relieves them of one distraction, but given the arrival of Alex Kovalevs helter-skelter persona and the immediate and weighty expectations placed on Pascal Leclaire, Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo, its fair to assume another distraction wont be far off.
10. Toronto. The old adage that defense wins championships should be laid to rest this season by a Maple Leafs team that (a) is stacked at the back end to a degree that would send Sir Mix-A-Lot into fits of glee; and (b) employs a group of forwards who might score less than heroin chic models in Sir Mix-A-Lots bedroom. Ron Wilson worked wonders in his first season as Torontos coach, but even if he uses a flamethrower from behind the bench, he cant light enough lamps to prod the Leafs into the playoffs.
11. Montreal. In 2007-08, Ottawa freefell through the standings in the second half of the year and hung on to barely qualify for the post-season, then missed the playoffs the following campaign. (I suspect the smarter among you know where Im going with this.) If Carey Price cant shoulder the load for the Habs, they have the potential to drop even further down the standings than Im rating them.
12. New York Rangers. The season hadnt started for the Blueshirts in Manhattan and already they were dealing with a flare-up from Marian Gaboriks wonky groin, a restricted free agent holdout in Brandon Dubinsky, and John Tortorella and Sean Avery in general. Theres no doubt Henrik Lundqvist remains one of the NHLs elite goalies, but theres also no doubt the lineup in front of him is anything but elite.
13. Florida. The Panthers are the Sharks of the East, minus, of course, San Joses usual regular season successes. Steve Reinprecht their highest-profile addition at forward is unlikely to help them improve on the leagues 17th-best offense; and Jordan Leopold is extremely unlikely to replace the talents of Jay Bouwmeester. The Panthers will enjoy stretches where they look like a playoff contender, yet Im confident theyll go on a bed-soiling rampage in the spring. They always do.
14. Atlanta. Despite all the bluster about Ilya Kovalchuk signing a contract extension with Atlanta, it hasnt happened yet. And thats because the Russian superstar has seen this organization stink for too long to take management at its word that things will be different this year. This situation has Jay-Bouwmeester-playing-out-the-string-in-Florida written all over it. Enjoy Kovy while you can, Thrasher fans.
15. New York Islanders. For the most part, I honestly like what Garth Snow has done since taking over as Isles GM. And I understand an NHL-high 582 man-games lost to injury led to many of the problems that made this organization the leagues second-worst goal-scoring crew and third-worst goal-preventing group last season. Unfortunately, the Islanders still are paying for too many past mistakes made by previous management to dream about a post-season berth, let alone climbing out of the Atlantic Division basement.
Mike Works
Member
have they put up their west predictions yet?
Mike Works said:
1. Calgary. With the Central Divisions many solid teams likely to cut into each others point totals, the door is open for either the Flames or Canucks in the Northwest to take advantage of their divisional patsies and slink through the ranks to the Wests top slot. I like Calgary over Vancouver ultimately because I like the Flames best defensemen, forwards and their coach more than I like those on the Canucks. And because Flames GM Darryl Sutter has the potential to go Travis Bickle on his roster (even the immediate family members) if anything less than a superlative season takes place.
2. San Jose. Regular season, shmegular season. The Sharks could rack up 164 points in the standings and their fans still would be simultaneously devastated and incensed if they dont make it out of the first round of the playoffs and far beyond. You can say the pressure is on one of Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton, Evgeni Nabokov or Patrick Marleau in particular, but that wouldnt be true. Fact is, the entire roster has a lot to prove and atone for. But not until April.
3. Detroit. In the same way many now refuse to believe in the Sharks as a bona fide Stanley Cup threat until they prove themselves worthy of that belief, I also wont assume Detroit will take a huge step back in the standings until it actually happens. Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom remain too spectacularly talented for me to see the Red Wings any other way.
4. Vancouver. The Canucks surprised many including me last year by surviving a tepid start to the year and a brutal 2-10 record in January to win the Northwest Division and take Chicago to the limit in the second round of the playoffs. GM Mike Gillis has done well to increase the depth of a defense corps that was stellar to begin with; now the question becomes whether or not the Sedins and Roberto Luongo can justify their lucrative new contracts and whether Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler can at least replicate their breakout seasons.
5. Chicago. After decades of Bill Wirtzs ownership of their beloved team, Blackhawks fans had to know the non-stop good news parade from last season couldnt go on forever. Sure enough, it ended with a few notable thuds this summer: clerical office errors led to unforeseen, potentially cumbersome raises; Dale Tallon became the first GM in recent memory to be fired after steering his team to a Conference final appearance; and Marian Hossa signed a contract that will pay him approximately half the value of the Phoenix Coyotes over the course of approximately 4,380 days. This is still a very good team, but you need all hands on deck to thrive in the West and there are too many question marks to assume the Hawks can do that.
6. Anaheim. There are many ways the Ducks can miss the post-season if their Prongerless, thinner defense corps loses Scott Niedermayer or Ryan Whitney for any extended stretch, or if a potential platoon between J-S Giguere and Jonas Hiller turns poisonous but if theyre as together and focused as they were entering last seasons playoffs, they could give San Jose a run for their money as Pacific Division champs. Oh, and that giant sigh of relief you hear (in English and French) is coming from Saku Koivu. After so many years of loyal service in Montreal, even Habs fans should be happy to see him have a little peace and quiet. And sun.
7. Columbus. You think Im picking Rick Nash, Steve Mason, Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek, Nikita Filatov and Ken Hitchcock to miss the playoffs after what Ive been through? What am I, new? Move your eyes along to the next prediction already.
8. Edmonton. Im going out on a bit of a limb here, but Ive got a hunch the acquisition of Nikolai Khabibulin and installation of Pat Quinn and Tom Renney behind the bench might just be enough to nudge the Oilers who finished the 08-09 regular season on a 3-8-0 skid (the worst in the league other than Tampa Bay, the Islanders and Colorado) back into the post-season. Are they going to seriously compete for a Cup? Not if Shawn Horcoff and Dustin Penner remain their No. 1 center and left winger.
9. St. Louis. If my Oilers hunch goes into the dumper, the Blues are my first choice for a playoff prediction mulligan. A full season from Erik Johnson and T.J. Oshie will make life easier on coach Andy Murray, as will continued progress from David Backes, Patrik Berglund and David Perron. However, their defense unit is one of the least experienced in the West and unless Chris Mason stands on his head for a second straight year, that could be their fatal flaw.
10. Los Angeles. I hate for you to think Im underestimating the Kings, because Im not. The job Terry Murray did behind L.A.s bench last year was phenomenal, their blueline has the potential to be one of the leagues best and individual talents such as Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty are only getting better. But you, me, and even casual Kings followers know how much pressure is on these guys to do something of real merit this year. And in the tougher of the NHLs two conferences, they may need something to go wrong for other teams just as much as they need a lot to go right for themselves.
11. Minnesota. Let me start by saying that, like the Blues and Kings before them, the Wild, Stars and Predators all could make the playoffs without shocking a lot of people. And the Wilds holdovers from the Doug Risebrough/Jacques Lemaire era have to feel as if the shackles are off now that Chuck Fletcher and Todd Richards are holding the reins. But is the arrival of Martin Havlat and (2009 playoff healthy scratch) Petr Sykora enough to keep up with the Western Conference Joneses especially when Minnesotas group of defensemen cant hold a candle to those on clear-cut conference contenders? I suspect not, but this transition year has at least lowered the pressure on them to wow people right away and that may relax them enough to stay in contention for a post-season slot.
12. Dallas. From a healthy Brenden Morrow to Mike Ribeiro to James Neal to Loui Eriksson and many more, theres much to like about the Stars collection of forwards. Nevertheless, the void created by veteran star Sergei Zubovs departure makes Dallas defense corps all the more inexperienced and Marty Turco will need a complete reversal of form (from well below average last season to well above it this year) if the Stars have any hope of squeezing into one of the final playoff berths.
13. Nashville. How do you pick a franchise that has one of the best young defense corps in the game to finish out of the playoffs? Well, after you look at a forward unit that hasnt made any off-season additions of consequence, a No. 1 goalie (Pekka Rinne) entering his sophomore season and a division that features four very tough opposing teams, its certainly easier to do. Id love to see what Barry Trotz and David Poile could do if they were employed by owners able and willing to spend to the salary cap maximum, but Id also love a month-long date with Katy Perry and three free swings at Glenn Beck. Life is indeed unfair.
14. Colorado. When Say It Aint Snow Joe Sakic retired this summer, any pretenses the Avalanche may have had toward playoff contention dissolved into the Denver air. New GM Greg Sherman and coach Joe Sacco will bring fresh perspectives and the track record of president Pierre Lacroix, combined with great building blocks such as Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene, suggests Colorados turnaround may take place sooner than later. But if their supporters are thinking sooner means this season, the month of October when the Avs play Detroit and San Jose twice, and when 10 of their 14 games are on the road ought to soundly disabuse them of that notion.
http://thehockeynews.com/articles/28076-Screen-Shots-Western-Conference-predictions.html2. San Jose. Regular season, shmegular season. The Sharks could rack up 164 points in the standings and their fans still would be simultaneously devastated and incensed if they dont make it out of the first round of the playoffs and far beyond. You can say the pressure is on one of Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton, Evgeni Nabokov or Patrick Marleau in particular, but that wouldnt be true. Fact is, the entire roster has a lot to prove and atone for. But not until April.
3. Detroit. In the same way many now refuse to believe in the Sharks as a bona fide Stanley Cup threat until they prove themselves worthy of that belief, I also wont assume Detroit will take a huge step back in the standings until it actually happens. Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom remain too spectacularly talented for me to see the Red Wings any other way.
4. Vancouver. The Canucks surprised many including me last year by surviving a tepid start to the year and a brutal 2-10 record in January to win the Northwest Division and take Chicago to the limit in the second round of the playoffs. GM Mike Gillis has done well to increase the depth of a defense corps that was stellar to begin with; now the question becomes whether or not the Sedins and Roberto Luongo can justify their lucrative new contracts and whether Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler can at least replicate their breakout seasons.
5. Chicago. After decades of Bill Wirtzs ownership of their beloved team, Blackhawks fans had to know the non-stop good news parade from last season couldnt go on forever. Sure enough, it ended with a few notable thuds this summer: clerical office errors led to unforeseen, potentially cumbersome raises; Dale Tallon became the first GM in recent memory to be fired after steering his team to a Conference final appearance; and Marian Hossa signed a contract that will pay him approximately half the value of the Phoenix Coyotes over the course of approximately 4,380 days. This is still a very good team, but you need all hands on deck to thrive in the West and there are too many question marks to assume the Hawks can do that.
6. Anaheim. There are many ways the Ducks can miss the post-season if their Prongerless, thinner defense corps loses Scott Niedermayer or Ryan Whitney for any extended stretch, or if a potential platoon between J-S Giguere and Jonas Hiller turns poisonous but if theyre as together and focused as they were entering last seasons playoffs, they could give San Jose a run for their money as Pacific Division champs. Oh, and that giant sigh of relief you hear (in English and French) is coming from Saku Koivu. After so many years of loyal service in Montreal, even Habs fans should be happy to see him have a little peace and quiet. And sun.
7. Columbus. You think Im picking Rick Nash, Steve Mason, Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek, Nikita Filatov and Ken Hitchcock to miss the playoffs after what Ive been through? What am I, new? Move your eyes along to the next prediction already.
8. Edmonton. Im going out on a bit of a limb here, but Ive got a hunch the acquisition of Nikolai Khabibulin and installation of Pat Quinn and Tom Renney behind the bench might just be enough to nudge the Oilers who finished the 08-09 regular season on a 3-8-0 skid (the worst in the league other than Tampa Bay, the Islanders and Colorado) back into the post-season. Are they going to seriously compete for a Cup? Not if Shawn Horcoff and Dustin Penner remain their No. 1 center and left winger.
9. St. Louis. If my Oilers hunch goes into the dumper, the Blues are my first choice for a playoff prediction mulligan. A full season from Erik Johnson and T.J. Oshie will make life easier on coach Andy Murray, as will continued progress from David Backes, Patrik Berglund and David Perron. However, their defense unit is one of the least experienced in the West and unless Chris Mason stands on his head for a second straight year, that could be their fatal flaw.
10. Los Angeles. I hate for you to think Im underestimating the Kings, because Im not. The job Terry Murray did behind L.A.s bench last year was phenomenal, their blueline has the potential to be one of the leagues best and individual talents such as Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty are only getting better. But you, me, and even casual Kings followers know how much pressure is on these guys to do something of real merit this year. And in the tougher of the NHLs two conferences, they may need something to go wrong for other teams just as much as they need a lot to go right for themselves.
11. Minnesota. Let me start by saying that, like the Blues and Kings before them, the Wild, Stars and Predators all could make the playoffs without shocking a lot of people. And the Wilds holdovers from the Doug Risebrough/Jacques Lemaire era have to feel as if the shackles are off now that Chuck Fletcher and Todd Richards are holding the reins. But is the arrival of Martin Havlat and (2009 playoff healthy scratch) Petr Sykora enough to keep up with the Western Conference Joneses especially when Minnesotas group of defensemen cant hold a candle to those on clear-cut conference contenders? I suspect not, but this transition year has at least lowered the pressure on them to wow people right away and that may relax them enough to stay in contention for a post-season slot.
12. Dallas. From a healthy Brenden Morrow to Mike Ribeiro to James Neal to Loui Eriksson and many more, theres much to like about the Stars collection of forwards. Nevertheless, the void created by veteran star Sergei Zubovs departure makes Dallas defense corps all the more inexperienced and Marty Turco will need a complete reversal of form (from well below average last season to well above it this year) if the Stars have any hope of squeezing into one of the final playoff berths.
13. Nashville. How do you pick a franchise that has one of the best young defense corps in the game to finish out of the playoffs? Well, after you look at a forward unit that hasnt made any off-season additions of consequence, a No. 1 goalie (Pekka Rinne) entering his sophomore season and a division that features four very tough opposing teams, its certainly easier to do. Id love to see what Barry Trotz and David Poile could do if they were employed by owners able and willing to spend to the salary cap maximum, but Id also love a month-long date with Katy Perry and three free swings at Glenn Beck. Life is indeed unfair.
14. Colorado. When Say It Aint Snow Joe Sakic retired this summer, any pretenses the Avalanche may have had toward playoff contention dissolved into the Denver air. New GM Greg Sherman and coach Joe Sacco will bring fresh perspectives and the track record of president Pierre Lacroix, combined with great building blocks such as Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene, suggests Colorados turnaround may take place sooner than later. But if their supporters are thinking sooner means this season, the month of October when the Avs play Detroit and San Jose twice, and when 10 of their 14 games are on the road ought to soundly disabuse them of that notion.
ForzaItalia
Banned
The MSG crew was commenting on his added size and six pack the other night. Hope it doesn't hamper his game.
lordoftherink
Member
The hell? Their predictions in their annual Yearbook had Calgary fifth. I think it went:BorkBork said:
1. San Jose
2. Chicago
3. Vancouver
4. Detroit
5. Calgary
...that's all I remember off the top of my head. Could have sworn that list was posted earlier in this thread, too.
BigJonsson
Member
aidan said:
Doesn't the GAF league hav 16 teams?
Yea, you might want to pick a goalie early before you end up with a backup as your 2nd goalie =/
Dastardly Jerks
Banned
Acid08 said:
Considering, I'd say not bad indeed
This really does set the mood for the rivalry when the regular season kicks off..
Love how the mainstream press still doesn't believe in the Leafs this season. They acknowledge the beefed up D but still ask "who's gonna score goals???" even though the Leafs have proven time and again they could score. Their problem last season wasn't scoring, it was keeping the puck out. Now that Double-B has addressed that issue, Leafs are going to be the "cinderella team" this season -- at least to everyone who hasn't yet realized just how good this squad truly is. Next season nobody will be surprised and it'll be expected that the Leafs are a top team in the east.
1. Healthy Toskala = more wins
2. Monster as backup = more wins
3. Beefed up D = more wins
4. Frosh players = more speed and scoring
5. Kessel = legitimate star
Manics is happy, and all the Leaf haters are in for a LONG season. You're not afraid now, but you will be. You will be.
1. Healthy Toskala = more wins
2. Monster as backup = more wins
3. Beefed up D = more wins
4. Frosh players = more speed and scoring
5. Kessel = legitimate star
Manics is happy, and all the Leaf haters are in for a LONG season. You're not afraid now, but you will be. You will be.
ForzaItalia
Banned
ForzaItalia
Banned
Why is Wallin staying ahead of Bozak? I haven't seen many preseason games so someone enlighten me....
ForzaItalia
Banned
Interesting...
ForzaItalia said:
Think it's Wilson's intention to make a true checking line and Wallin is better suited to that role than Bozak. It's more of a numbers game right now, Double-B needs to move a body or two to open up space for a guy like Bozak. Try to unload a PotOCoffee or Stempniak to make room for Bozak on one of the top two lines. It stinks really, cause Bozak should be ahead of Stemp for sure at this point. Stalberg has scored so often he has to stick and he'll play on one of the top 2.
Dr.Guru of Peru
played the long game
To be fair, Colaiacovo did have a pretty good season in St. Louis.ForzaItalia said:
Rapping Granny
Banned
any open spots for that gaf league yet?
Hey guys,
the season starts in FIVE DAYS. Can you believe it? Thursday, October 1st is incredibly near, and awesomeness is coming with it.
Of course, Friday, October 2nd is the first REAL day of the new season, for that is the day the Pens will raise their Stanley Cup banner.
*hopes to God the Pens don't crap it this season*
the season starts in FIVE DAYS. Can you believe it? Thursday, October 1st is incredibly near, and awesomeness is coming with it.
Of course, Friday, October 2nd is the first REAL day of the new season, for that is the day the Pens will raise their Stanley Cup banner.
*hopes to God the Pens don't crap it this season*
Rapping Granny
Banned
God damn Thomas is a beast. Vesna repeat.
Buba Big Guns
Banned
Pretty excited for the season, even though I have no idea how Ottawa will do. Spezza's been playing like a man possessed and Leclaire has been very good this preseason too. We'll see how things work out.
Apparently he loves playing at SBP because of the lighting.Rapping Granny said:
CrazedArabMan
Member
Futureman said:
lol
BigJonsson
Member
Anyone have any idea what time pre-game on-ice stuff starts @ the ACC on Thursday?
What do the Leafs usually do before kicking off the season?
What do the Leafs usually do before kicking off the season?
BigJonsson
Member
DopeyFish said:
Yea I know about the bagpipes
I figure I'll get to the ACC at 6:30 after getting a beer/food at a bar earlier
Going with 2 friends, we are all sitting in different sections :lol
CrazedArabMan
Member
on number 3
- Status