Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

I just find it pretty inexcusable to not find a way to get a deal done to save him. I know GMs covet high picks but I'd say a round one in 2018 + a quality prospect/Grubauer to save Schmidt is a no brainer. Most GMs probably wouldn't agree though.

It's just that now we're looking at Orpik logging ~15 minutes a night now. That's a scary thought.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

I've never cried during an NHL awards show.

Already wept twice tonight.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Glad the Flyers kept Raffl. Would have sucked to change my avatar and tag line thing

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

You guys know WAY more than I do...how bad are the Golden Knights gonna be? Not bad, pretty ok, pretty bad, fucking awful, or FUCKING awful?

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

For an expansion team they'll probably be pretty ok. Not like playoff good (probably not anyway) but they'll be the best first year franchise yet most likely.

Their GM was given a ton of leverage to build a reasonably competitive team in year one.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Was not prepared to see MAF in the VGK jersey. Man, this is painful to watch. So much worse than a favorite player retiring.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Pens gave up a 2nd in 2020, you have to think they could've gotten something done if they really wanted to save him, price was probably too steep.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Sweet. I'm going to go to at least a few games this year. I'm excited.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Tomorrow morning is going to be the deal breaker in terms of how good Vegas is going to be. Apparently they have up to 12 deals already in place that can't be announced until tomorrow morning.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Sucks that fucking vegas took TVR in the draft. I know it was a solid choice but I am still annoyed. Bastards. I hate expansion teams who always poach players from real teams!!

Sorry MAF is gone too though his legacy in Pittsburgh is well earned and deserved!

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

I can't give this enough thumbs up

I'll 100% be at the first Knights game in Pittsburgh

Won't be a dry eye in the building

Thank you MAF, for everything you've done for the penguins, the city of Pittsburgh and me personally. He is, and forever will be, a Pittsburgh sports legend. And that's alllllll the people need to know.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Pens twitter doing a great job honoring him. Even added a flower emoji next to their name.

I'd be lying if I said I haven't been choked up multiple times tonight.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Def stinks....

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Teaser: The handing out of awards - at least for our Thread - is not over yet.

#tomorrow

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

I just feel like, with the losses of Alzner and Sharts, keeping Schmidt was a must-do. He should've been bending over backwards for McPhee.

And maybe he was.

Let's not forget it was McPhee who originally signed Nate as an undrafted free agent in college. Plus I'm sure George didn't squirm too hard about sticking it to the Caps a little. I wonder if was just truly a lost cause for MacLellan.

Oh boy!

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Snow was able to get the Knights to take Berube with that 1st round pick and Grabovski. Really can't believe that.

And oilers lost Reinhart in expansion draft. Snow getting a first and second round pick from Edm for him was robbery. Snow drafted 2 potential top 6 forwards in barzal and beauvilier with those picks.

Can't wait for what happens today with all these deals potentially in place.

Congrats on Travis Hamonic winning the NHL humanitarian award. Love that guy and will suck if he goes for a forward.

Sorry Pens guys on losing Fleury. I can imagine how you feel.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

I am as excited as you are whenever anyone mentions Foote

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Crazy night last night. Rangers lost Lindberg, but I guess that is not as bad as what the Pens and Caps went through.

I am pretty excited for the Ants awards though!

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

They should be one of the most competitive expansion teams that's for sure. Also have a future though with all the picks they've acquired or will. I mean MAF, Neal, Smith, Eakin, Marchessault, is better than I ever remember seeing in NSH, CBJ, MN or ATL. This needed to happen though, the way they set it up for them. Mess talking on NHL Network was like they are a partner in the league now and you have to help make them competitive as soon as possible. A non hockey market sucking for years would be awful. Vegas getting the new rules, being the only expansion team and having an experienced GM like that is the perfect storm. We'll see if it works out but it's set up to work.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

This was the first post I read this morning. I felt bad for you, man.

Ugh. We all knew it was coming, but man, it was weird to see. Marc-Andre was so great in Pittsburgh. We will always have him making the save at the end of Game 7 against Detroit and stopping Ovie on the breakaway.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Could have been worse if you believed some of the ridiculous articles and talk radio BS

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/...-20170621.html




EDIT: Speaking of talk radio BS, Tim Benz jokingly (at least I think he was joking) said yesterday what if Murray goes down next year a week before the Deadline does MAF come back in a trade? I :lol ed

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Las Vegas is a real team too. Sometimes your superiority complex is annoying to read in this thread, dude. Amazing how six good seasons changes someone after years of a city not giving a shit about a team.

*waits for 2010 references*:rolleyes

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Bummed the Flyers lost Bellemare. Really liked him as a third/fourth line center and seemed like one of the few who was actually good at killing penalties.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

glad it's been established that chicago is a REAL team, but vegas is not real

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Vegas should be better than a lot of recent expansion teams, so that is a good thing.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

I'm sure it's just because I'm not in Pittsburgh, but I loved seeing the reception he got last night. What an awesome opportunity for him. He deserves to be the unequivocal starter somewhere, and I'm glad he's getting that chance with VGK.

Pretty solid duo of MAF and Pickard in net. Barring some crazy trades, Vegas will have trouble scoring goals. But their goaltending sitch is at least looking solid.
Really interested to see if Duchene is a member of your team by Saturday!
So... pretty raging chubby right now?
Gotta win some Cups first to be a real team!

I'll be honest guys, I'm just trying to get us to a new page here so I can post the awards up top.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Tim Benz! :lol :lol

As the Golden Knights are on the real NHL schedule against other real NHL teams, I guess that makes them an actual real team in reality.

Seriously, though, you can debate the merits of having another expansion team, but it won't do the league any good to have a team that utterly fails to be competitive for a decade. See Coyotes, Phoenix/Arizona, and Thrashers, Atlanta. The expansion draft affected every team, and the more stocked teams like Chicago and Washington could only protect so many.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

This is kind of where I fall on it too. It was bittersweet because he's a stand up guy but touching to see the cheers he got.

I think I get where the "real team" comment came from. Yes they Vegas is a real team but they don't have the hockey tradition associated with an original six, or class of '67, or even the likes of Edmonton, NJ, or NYI.

I can't speak for Sulla but that's how I took it. Similar to the way we all complained about how awful and boring a Ducks-Sens final would have been. They just aren't "sexy" like a Hawk-Pens or Kings-Rangers or Wings-Pens, etc.

You find it in other sports too. Back in '03 who really wanted to see the Marlins beat the Cubs and lose the prospect of a Cubs-Yanks or Cub-Sox WS. Or, in football, who in their right mind would choose a super bowl matchup of AZ-JAX over something like Packers-Steelers, Cowboys-Pats, or something like that?

There will always be a certain "sexiness" that the blue blood teams have that the new ones don't.



EDIT: That doesn't mean that tradition and "sexiness" can't come with time. I have no doubt that if CBJ or the Preds sustain this level of success that the attractiveness and popularity of those franchises will grow. The Pens were once an expansion team and the Pats in the NFL for years were garbage until Bledsoe and then Brady came along.

Re: The NHL Thread (Penns are garage league champs)
 

Have to say, I hate NHL expansion and have argued for eliminating teams in the past. That said, I can't help but be a little excited about a team in Las Vegas. So much potential for crazy times there. First pro team in the city, a place that so many visit and the best sport there is. I can't wait to see how it plays out.

Also, at some point I am going to find myself drunk in Vegas attending a game that I have money riding on. What could possibly go wrong....