NHL 2014-2015 regular season running thread

Chris, I'm beginning to think it will be either the Ducks or Blues out of the West. Both added forward scoring depth last offseason and we're seeing the results. Of course, Crabby's teams are usually crappy in the playoffs and St. Louis seems to regularly lack mental toughness and grit once it reaches postseason.

In reference to Kane, I've read much of that criticism, too, but the guy is talented and tough. Perhaps he just needs a new address.

 

Boudreau will not be able to shed the black marks on his record until his team wins 2 or 3 rounds in the playoffs. The stigma is there and it's not gong away.

 

Same with the Blues under Hitchcock. Whether it's the players getting tired of the grind of playing under him, the lack of mental toughness that Liut referred to, or just plain the lack of consistent scoring once buttholes start to pucker in the postseason, they need to get a couple of playoff series wins before they can be viewed as legit.

They are better than they were the last two seasons, but I guess we'll see what that means in April.

 

Yeah, but it sucks for those who are losing their franchises.

Also: Lundqvist out for a month. This after hurting his neck, staying in the game, then playing in another game. Brilliant.

 

Some of those organIzations are swapping their AHL team with their ECHL teams.

Also, I was in Vegas this week and a story in the LV R-J was about the big-money guy wanting to name the proposed expansion team "Nevada" rather than "Las Vegas" to encompass the whole state. Scorpions was a possible nickname. He was going to let the fans have a voice in the decision.
Well, that lasted a day. Apparently fan backlash on a radio station forced him to change his mind.

Fans keep ‘Nevada’ out of NHL team name | Las Vegas Review-Journal

 

Oh yeah, and you can see the beginning of the arena construction at the Tropicana exit from the 15. It's behind New York New York. Some of the steel girders are in place and a couple of cranes on-site.

 

In old news, Winnipeg traded Kane to Buffalo a couple of days ago. Ho-hum. Crickets...........................................................................

 

Yesterday, the experts on NHL Network said Buffalo won the deal. Half hour later, the experts on NBCSN said Winnipeg won the deal. One thing was consistent, they all said it hinges on Kane's attitude: badass vs. teamguy.
And then there are those who saw the headline and thought Patrick Kane was going home to Buffalo.

 

Buffalo did very, very well. Great trade for them.

 

I started wondering this morning - is this the worst Toronto Maple Leafs team in the post-1967 expansion era? Or ever? I recall things got really bad when Imlach blew up the team in the early 1980s and periods of drama during Ballard's ownership but has the franchise ever been in this horrendous a state? It doesn't look like there's going to be a quick turnaround, either.

Prior to the season, NHL Network analyst Dave Reid predicted Detroit would miss the playoffs for the first time in, what, 23 or 24 years? I agreed with Reid and, to his credit, he reminded his audience of the prediction about a month ago. Watching the Red Wings in Chicago last night reminded me Detroit not only has the best coach, but may be the best run organization in the NHL.

 

The five-team AHL Pacific Division is now set. The Ducks announced yesterday their team in San Diego will be named Gulls, the standard for San Diego hockey.
Just wondering: among NHL, MLB, NBA (NFL doesn't have minor league teams), has there ever been a franchise which had a minor league team in a better city than its major league team?
Of course, "better city" is subjective, but there is no argument that San Diego is better than Anaheim, and possibly every other city in Orange County.

 

First of all, thanks for bringing the thread back to life, Chris. Ah, the Gulls. Willie O'Ree, Bill Goldthorpe. Cool memories.

Just off the top of my head, Nashville-Milwaukee are even. I'm fond of both cities.