AROUND THE LEAGUE - 25-26

[Cornuck]

Ouch.

Ouch indeed - watching it on a loop doesn't make it any easier.

[Picker of Cherries]

Quick trade Sherwood for Jack-eye after he slipped and “lost” one fight and Sherwood has maximum value and no business being resigned by the Canucks at his maximum value.

[Megaterio Llamas]

The Bruins have placed c John Beecher on waivers. https://puckpedia.com/

[Madcombinepilot]

The Bruins have placed c John Beecher on waivers. https://puckpedia.com/

Who??!?

[Cornuck]

The Bruins have placed c John Beecher on waivers. https://puckpedia.com/

Who??!?

Another warm body with 130+ games as a center, and a low cap hit (900k)

[Cornuck]

Interesting thing I saw looking at the league-wide stats...

Longest current streaks (W or L) are COL (6W) and DAL (5W)

Every other team has a streak of 2 or less. 24 teams with a streak of 1 - 6 teams with a streak of 2

Is the condensed schedule affecting teams' abilities to go on a run?

Parity? The mushy middle™ has us at 26th place, yet only 5 points out of fifth overall. Yes, it's only 1/4 of the way through the season, games in hand, etc - but this season is a LONG way from over. I can see a really tight playoff race this year.

[Ronning's Ghost]

The mushy middle™ has us at 26th place, yet only 5 points out of fifth overall. Yes, it's only 1/4 of the way through the season, games in hand, etc - but this season is a LONG way from over. I can see a really tight playoff race this year.

Except that the Canucks have played 21 games, and don't really have games in hand on anyone. There might be a tight playoff race this year, but I don't see how the Canucks are in it.

I think your rose-coloured glass is 3/4 full, but as long as there's no hope for a re-build, it's more fun if we imagine ways that the Canucks can be competitive with their current strategy. What do you see as the ways the Canucks can get better this season?

[Carl Yagro]

It really is interesting, Corn. Glad you brought it up. It's something I've been scratching my head over trying to figure out this team.

On paper, even without all these injuries, it's honestly extremely Mushy In The Middle™.

I rack my brains at how they're doing it with some of these AHLers and NHL rejects... banking points while getting pulverized by shots while barely mustering any shots, yet almost scoring a goal every three shots in the last few games (<- yes, that's slightly exaggerated).

So, why the lack of long winning streaks or extended runs across the league?

Maybe it's the schedule? But I can't believe that there suddenly is league parity at a level never seen before. The quality of some teams are far beyond what we have and yet, like you said, a bottom-tier team can be 5 point out of being the worst or one of the elites.

This has got to be some anomaly. It has to normalize at some point in the season and good teams will begin to separate themselves from the bottom-feeders.

Either way, there's no doubt the games seem more exciting so far.

[JelloPuddingPop]

This has got to be some anomaly. It has to normalize at some point in the season and good teams will begin to separate themselves from the bottom-feeders.

I read a stat, that over a series of regular seasons, January 19th is the date of certainty with few exceptions.

If your team is in the playoffs on that date, its pretty much bank they will make it in with few exeptions.

So a couple of months to go!

[Cornuck]

When the season started, I think pretty much everyone agreed that if a few things went our way, the team could do well enough to make playoffs.

Stay Somewhat Healthy
Healthy Demko
Healthy Hughes
Petey gets his Alien-Mojo back.

This would be a different team with Chytil, Blueger, Hoglander, and Forbert around.

[Cornuck]

The Bruins have placed c John Beecher on waivers. https://puckpedia.com/

Flames grabbed him

[Ronning's Ghost]

When the season started, I think pretty much everyone agreed that if a few things went our way, the team could do well enough to make playoffs.

Yeah, but I think we also knew that none of those were better than 50/50 (maybe 60/40) propositions. It's not looking good for some important ones.

Healthy Demko

Speaking as someone who has nursed a few beater cars through their last cost-effective years, it looks to me like Demko is pretty nearly done.

He was a great value at his draft position, the Canucks got multiple excellent seasons out him, and I think his gamble that in 10 years his NHL earnings will pay for high-quality prosthetic hips that will see him into his 9th decade seems likely to pay out. But I don't think he'll ever play 40 games in an NHL season again, or last more than 10 consecutive playoff games.

I guess that could still be enough to be a big help to the Canucks this season, if he can reach even that level.

Stay Somewhat Healthy

This would be a different team with Chytil... around.

I don't think it would be wise for Chytil to come back, and I'm not sure it would be responsible of the Canucks to let him try. Still, it's a different management team from the one that didn't want to let Malhotra take a chance, and the moral balance between Care and Autonomy is not clear cut.

But this is my attempt to temper expectations, not argue. I asked for reasons to hope, and you offered them. Thank you.

[Meds]

The Bruins have placed c John Beecher on waivers. https://puckpedia.com/

Flames grabbed him

I sure hope he doesn’t end up being Kampf’s Normandy.

[Megaterio Llamas]

The Bruins have placed c John Beecher on waivers. https://puckpedia.com/

Flames grabbed him

I sure hope he doesn’t end up being Kampf’s Normandy.

He's actually kind of an interesting lower-tier player, a big body checking center who was a late first-round pick for the Bruins a few years ago.

[donlever]

When the season started, I think pretty much everyone agreed that if a few things went our way, the team could do well enough to make playoffs.

Yeah, but I think we also knew that none of those were better than 50/50 (maybe 60/40) propositions. It's not looking good for some important ones.

Personally I did not see a playoff team. I know that's what I voted for in the prognostication thread, I can not recall what I said in there if anything.

I do recall thinking a number of our group were staring wide eyed at Jim Jones whilst reading some of the comments/reviewing the vote stats.

But that's just me.

Healthy Demko

Stay Somewhat Healthy

This would be a different team with Chytil... around.

I don't think it would be wise for Chytil to come back, and I'm not sure it would be responsible of the Canucks to let him try. Still, it's a different management team from the one that didn't want to let Malhotra take a chance, and the moral balance between Care and Autonomy is not clear cut.

I read somewhere today that Chytil is several weeks if not months away.

Grain of salt but those were the words on the page.

Irrespective of that I agree with your comments. Were I close to him I'd be on his ass to shut it down.

Are you comparing Demko to a DeLorean?