Race for the President's Trophy.

[Caged Great]

This is a thread I never thought I'd have the opportunity to even consider making in lieu of a magic number thread. Realistically, none of the teams behind Calgary have a chance at #1. It'll be either Tampa or the Flames. Crazy.

There are three tiers of teams. The elite, the middle and lottery pick chasers. The Elite are teams 1-13, only because the Pens are only 2 points out of 8th and are 13th. The middle are 14-23 because between Buffalo and Edmonton, is 5 points top to bottom. 24-31 are the loser brigade.

Anyway, Lets have a breakdown of what each team has to face each month.

Jan/February

Tampa

Pittsburgh - 13th
NY Islanders - 5th
NY Rangers - 22nd
Vegas - T-6th
St. Louis - 25th
Pittsburgh - 13th
Florida - 24th
Calgary - 2nd
Dallas - T-16th
Montreal - T-10th
Columbus - T-10th
Philadelphia - T-28th
Buffalo - 14th
Los Angeles - T-28th
NY Rangers - 22nd
Boston- T-10th

8 Vs Elites - 3 vs Middles - 5 Vs Poor

Calgary

Washington - T-8th
Carolina - T-17th
San Jose - 3rd
Vancouver - T-17th
Tampa - 1st
Florida - 24th
Pittsburgh - 13th
Arizona - 21st
NY Islanders - 5th
Anaheim - 20th
Ottawa - T-30th
NY Islanders - 5th
New Jersey - T-30th

6 Vs Elites - 4 Vs Middle - 3 vs Poor

Tampa plays 16 games in 30 days, so they're going to be tired. The Flames will play 3 fewer games overall, two fewer against both the good and the bad, with 1 more vs the middle.

March/April

Tampa

Ottawa - T-30th
Winnipeg - T-4th
Minnesota - 15th
Detroit - T-26th
Toronto - T-8th
Detroit - T-26th
Washington - T-8th
Arizona - 21st
Washington - T-8th
Carolina - T-16th
St. Louis - 25th
Boston - T-10th
Washington - T-8th
Ottawa - T-30th
Montreal - T-10th
Toronto - T-8th
Boston - T-10th

9 Vs Elites 3 Vs Middle 5 Vs Poor

Calgary

Minnesota - 15th
Toronto - T-8th
Vegas - T-6th
Arizona - 21st
Vegas - T-6th
New Jersey - T-30th
NY Rangers - T-22nd
Winnipeg - 4th
Columbus - T-10th
Ottawa - T-30th
Vancouver - T-16th
Los Angeles - T-28th
Dallas - T-16th
Anaheim - 20th
Los Angeles - T-28th
Anaheim - 20th
Edmonton - T-22nd

5 Vs Elites 8 Vs Middle 4 Vs Poor

17 of Tampa's 33 games are against the Elites, and 16 vs the rest of the field. 11 of the Flames 31 games are against the Elites, 12 vs the middle of the pack and 8 vs the poorer teams.

With only 5 points separating the teams, them having 6 games against elite teams fewer, will and likely should erase most of the gap.

[joejoe3]

No, because I want us to win game 6 at home

[Textcritic]

The Flames play their last game v. SJ on 31 March. It is missing from your list.

[_Q_]

I think you need to include at least Winnipeg in the President's trophy race. Sure, they're 7 points behind the Flames, but they have 3 games in hand.

[Bunk]

I really don't care about the President's trophy.

Being first seed in the west? Bonus. Being first seed in the Pacific? Definitely.

[metroneck]

Thanks for the write up, but I view the Pres the same way as having a bunch of players at the all star game, and personal stat trophies.

Better to have them working on things (it’s a process!)/ ice time management, that may cost them a few points in the standings, in preparation for a long playoff run.

[troutman]

http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NHL/Eastern.html

Tampa 85.4%

http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NHL/Western.html

Calgary 11.2%

[troutman]

The Presidents Trophy should be celebrated more. It is a big accomplishment.

In club soccer, various trophies are competed for each year, with varying prestige attached to each.

[Igottago]

I value the presidents trophy to an extent. Why? It shows that the team understands how to win consistently better than any other team over a long period of time. It doesn't guarantee playoff success but I'm sure its sets some level of confidence. Remember the Flames won the cup when the won the Presidents trophy.

The idea that it somehow distracts from playoff focus doesn't make sense.

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by troutman

The Presidents Trophy should be celebrated more. It is a big accomplishment.


In club soccer, various trophies are competed for each year, with varying prestige attached to each.

I agree with you.

However, in other sports (club soccer) the Cup competitions and the league competitions are self contained in their own right.

In the NHL, the season is the means by which you make it to the Cup competition. So you strategise accordingly. God help any GM or Head Coach who takes risks with players potentially affecting their health in the post season in a run to win the President’s Trophy.

The race to win the league is there to be sacrificed if necessary for the Cup that everybody wants.

But it’s still a heck of an achievement but unfortunately falls in to the nice to have category.

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by Igottago

I value the presidents trophy to an extent. Why? It shows that the team understands how to win consistently better than any other team over a long period of time. It doesn't guarantee playoff success but I'm sure its sets some level of confidence. Remember the Flames won the cup when the won the Presidents trophy.

The idea that it somehow distracts from playoff focus doesn't make sense.

I was out of the country and didn’t have anything like the access to hockey I have now.

My understanding was that the President’s Trophy wasn’t a thing back then.

Is that right?

[djsFlames]

But we'd get a banner for that, right?

We'd be the envy of the province.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

But we'd get a banner for that, right?

We'd be the envy of the province.

But the Oilers have a “we won an internet fan vote” banner. A presidents trophy banner can’t compete with that.

[EldrickOnIce]

Tampa would have to fall off a cliff to be caught.

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Tampa would have to fall off a cliff to be caught.

True, but the amount of insane losing streaks that come out of nowhere this season has been incredible.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by joejoe3

No, because I want us to win game 6 at home

FU Kerry Fraser!!!

[Igottago]

Quote didn't work for some reason. Response to Barnet Flame.

It was a thing. They've got the banner hanging up in the Dome.

[sa226]

I wonder if this latest stretch has been the "plateau" despite the wins. They really haven't played that great.

It would take a more dedicated man than I to track playoff teams' season performance and how it correlates into playoff performance.

Can you peak too early?
Is the adversity Toronto is facing going to help them down the road?
The Caps won it all in the same season people thought their window was starting to close
Is Nashville's mid season injury issues going to help them in time for the playoffs? Is Winnipegs?

Or does it all just not really matter that much, and the story lines are created with the benefit of hindsight.

It makes my head spin.

I kinda liked Conroy's point that they don't really know what they might need in terms of additions because they haven't seen much playoff hockey from this group. So lets stick with what has been so successful thus far.

Which kind of makes me wonder, are the Flames overachieving? Or have individual players developed to the point that this is just a really good hockey team.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by Igottago

Quote didn't work for some reason. Response to Barnet Flame.

It was a thing. They've got the banner hanging up in the Dome.

Thanks.

You’d think I’d have noticed something like that!

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Barnet Flame

I agree with you.

However, in other sports (club soccer) the Cup competitions and the league competitions are self contained in their own right.

In the NHL, the season is the means by which you make it to the Cup competition. So you strategise accordingly. God help any GM or Head Coach who takes risks with players potentially affecting their health in the post season in a run to win the President’s Trophy.

The race to win the league is there to be sacrificed if necessary for the Cup that everybody wants.

But it’s still a heck of an achievement but unfortunately falls in to the nice to have category.

I have actually wished for a while that they'd move to a system where they basically just have two seasons, the regular season and the cup season after that. So essentially the same as now, but everybody "makes the playoffs", and the presidents trophy would be a legit championship trophy.

Would work well with a 32 team league. That makes for a nice playoff bracket, and in the regular season you could play every team home and away plus your division rivals two more times. That's a 76 game season. Then add 4-7 playoff games and everyone gets at least 80-83 games per season even if they don't win playoff rounds.

So because everyone gets playoffs games, you could also easily shorten the regular season.

If you used the regular season for cup seeding, that would also give a real for all teams to play until the end, because every position would count.

It would also give the fans something to look forward to, even if their team is already dropping out of competition for division, conference or league championship: there's always another season. Upset even one team in the playoffs and you'd feel a lot better about your season overall.