R2 - Series Thread - Golden Knights (P1) vs Sharks (P3)

[Red]

Originally Posted by transplant99

I remember it differently(not unusual these days) but you may be entirely correct..i just dont think its fair to say a "goalie no one would trade for".

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/...de-go-calgary/

My point is that a top 5 goalie doesn't get lost in an expansion draft. Pittsburgh had options and losing him to Vegas was their best bet. They are probably kicking themselves now, but at the time MAF didnt have a lot of backers.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by spetch

Just saw something interesting on the US Sportscentre. This should of been actually easy to see coming as it happens every 50 years.

1917-18 Toronto Arenas first year - Won Stanley Cup

1967-68 St Louis Blues first year - Lost Stanley Cup

2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights - ???

Put down $1000 on whatever the expansion team is in 2067.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by dino7c

This idea that Vegas has no top end talent is beyond ridiculous. They have a top five goalie and a 40+ goal scorer. They also have a ton of veteran players. Sometimes I wonder what some of you are watching.

Ok but is that 40+ goal scorer a flash in the pan?

No one in their right mind would have considered Karlsson a top end talent when they built this team. MAF was being outpaced by Murray in Pitts, plus he missed a huge chunk of the regular season this year. It's not ridiculous to have predicted Vegas failure and be down right shocked at their success.

Vegas has had many things go unexpectedly right, and you cannot deny that.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by jammies

Vegas winning the Cup might finally break down the old boys' network that has dominated the NHL since, so far I know, inception. Who cares about "paying your dues" or "intangibles" or "veteran presence", I want to see hockey played at high speed by guys who are smart and hungry, not a game run at a comfortable pace by entitled retreads.

Teams building like Vegas did, with the emphasis on guys who play at pace at all times, can only be good for the entertainment value. I say let them go all the way and shake the league up, it's needed shaking for a long, long, long time.

I'd be rather curious to know how a Vegas team GMed by a hockey lifer and coached by a hockey lifer would "break down the old boys' network" if they won.

Moreover, given teams like Winnipeg and Nashville also play a high speed style, why would either of them winning not achieve the same thing?

It's not like Vegas invented a new way to play.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

I'd be rather curious to know how a Vegas team GMed by a hockey lifer and coached by a hockey lifer would "break down the old boys' network" if they won.

Moreover, given teams like Winnipeg and Nashville also play a high speed style, why would either of them winning not achieve the same thing?

It's not like Vegas invented a new way to play.

The old boys network kicked Gallant to the curb!

[Red]

New boys or old boys, don't matter. There is no "right" template to build a winner. It changes every other year.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Stacking the deck? Common, don't be a revisionist. Everyone thought Vegas was going to suck this year before the season started, including you



If you want sour grapes, then get them from Florida and Columbus for massively failing their own internal talent scouting

lol, what does that prove?

Nothing except I was wrong. Me and about a million other people.

The deck was obviously stacked or they wouldn't have put up 109 points and secured a spot in the western conference final. They won 51 games this year! The last (and ONLY) time the Flames won 50+ was 1989 FFS!

The team is too good, obviously.
The rules were too loose, obviously.

They poached too many good players from teams that worked hard to acquire those players and are now reaping the benefits, and it's a joke.

[Ashasx]

What are peoples' expectations for Vegas next year? Has this season been lightning in a bottle, or will it continue?

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

This is hilarious.

Crapping all over the Knights because our team sucks?

I know this sounds harsh, but you guys all deserve to live in Edmonton.

I said as much in a different thread that it's been hard to take all the whining here for the last few months. The Flames had a bad season boo-hoo for us. I think it's great to see the dinosaurs running the league get a wake up call that there's more than one way to build and run a team.

A lot of luck was involved with this success but the owners deserve credit for hiring the right guy in McPhee who deserves a lot of credit for hiring the right coach as he could have easily picked the next Eakins/Gulutzan and picking the right players as he could have taken a bunch of goaltenders other than Fleury. They also have to thank the Florida Panthers for being the Florida Panthers as well as a few other teams that mismanaged their assets. It's highly doubtful we will ever see another expansion team have this amount of success seeing how many things fell into place for the Golden Knights organization as it's hard enough to find the right GM or head coach separately but to get them in one take and then have a bunch of teams mishandle their assets is simply something that's not going to be very repeatable.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

What are peoples' expectations for Vegas next year? Has this season been lightning in a bottle, or will it continue?

They are a good team, but one should not underestimate the huge impact that the Vegas shooting had on galvanizing that group of players and the effect it had on how enthusiastically the Knights were adopted by LV residents.

I expect that the Knights will again be a playoff team, but will be surprised to see them once again in the conversation for the Division. They will not have the same circumstantial rallying point to start their season, and will likely also feel the effects of a long playoff run.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

What are peoples' expectations for Vegas next year? Has this season been lightning in a bottle, or will it continue?

No reason to think it can't continue although there's a good chance that things will change once players attempt to parlay their good seasons into more money and they are burdened with high expectations. They did run into some adversity with the goaltender injury situation but outside of that they really haven't had to deal with an extended losing streak or prolonged rough stretch of play and no teams are immune to that so I wouldn't expect a 109 point season but I wouldn't be surprised if they were in the 90+ point range. Professional sports is a year to year thing so I wouldn't be completely shocked if they ended up a lottery team as well. They will definitely be an interesting storyline next season.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I said as much in a different thread that it's been hard to take all the whining here for the last few months. The Flames had a bad season boo-hoo for us. I think it's great to see the dinosaurs running the league get a wake up call that there's more than one way to build and run a team...

Is this what has happened?

I don't see how McPhee did anything differently than any of the "old boys club" would have when drafting his team. He picked the best players available—something that is universally agreed to be the best approach to building a hockey team. He has constructed his team on premises of the importance of speed and puck-possession—something else that is widely agreed upon by most long serving NHL executives.

It is easy to construct these overly simplistic black/white, upwards/downwards, forwards/back sorts of narratives to explain complex outcomes, but they are seldom—if ever—accurate.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

They are a good team, but one should not underestimate the huge impact that the Vegas shooting had on galvanizing that group of players and the effect it had on how enthusiastically the Knights were adopted by LV residents.

I expect that the Knights will again be a playoff team, but will be surprised to see them once again in the conversation for the Division. They will not have the same circumstantial rallying point to start their season, and will likely also feel the effects of a long playoff run.

Plus, is Karlsson a perennial 40+ goal scorer? I have my doubts.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

The old boys network kicked Gallant to the curb!

The old boys network fires other members of the old boys network 20 times a year.

[Corral]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

They are a good team, but one should not underestimate the huge impact that the Vegas shooting had on galvanizing that group of players and the effect it had on how enthusiastically the Knights were adopted by LV residents.

I expect that the Knights will again be a playoff team, but will be surprised to see them once again in the conversation for the Division. They will not have the same circumstantial rallying point to start their season, and will likely also feel the effects of a long playoff run.

While the media and the team's PR like to say this is still having an impact now, the team is beating its opponents with skill and precision and top notch goaltending. If there is an intangible at work here - it is because they a group of guys who have a chip on their shoulder as castoffs from the rest of the league (players and coach). i didn't watch much of Vegas this season, but from what i've seen in the playoffs - the Flames had better up their game substantially if they expect to compete for 1st in the pacific next year.

[Zach]

Speed kills. Knights vs Jets will be a great series.

[the2bears]

What does the Knights' contract/cap situation look like next year. Are they able to keep most of the team together?

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by the2bears

What does the Knights' contract/cap situation look like next year. Are they able to keep most of the team together?

https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/goldenknights

Only 19 players signed, 25 million in space.

Will be interesting to see if they run out and sign a pile of free agents or stick with what they have, and sign guys like Perron, Sbisa and Neal long term.

[iggy_oi]

Has anyone seen any reports on how much revenue the Golden knights franchise has generated compared to the rest of the league so far this year?

[Northendzone]

^ i would think that data would be as closely guarded as the receipie for coca-cola