sharkman Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 The first round looks like it could be pretty entertaining. I'm going to be watching on a 108" screen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyser Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 First round is always the best, most exciting, hardest hitting, a leave it all on the ice kind of games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 Oh and how about that nice Yakupov bridge contract? Far cry from the $6 million or else to the KHL line you were peddling.. Yakupov is actually earning over $1 million less per year in his big new contract than he earned in each of his first three years. He is officially trade bait. Play better Yak and we'll move you....... Somebody will bite, and the Oilers and Yakupov both save face. And he had to have a contract right now to play on the Russian team at the World Cahpionships which start soon- if he makes the team in a tryout. Showcasing. #1 overall pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argus Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 I do, because increased US popularity means increased revenue to CDN teams, and that helps ensure the viability of small markets. Oh yeah, how has that been working out in the Bettman era? When was the last time a Canadian team took the cup? Canada has a disproportionate share of those in the overall market for pro hockey. Canadian teams are doing fine, and would do even better if we didn't have to share the major source of league revenue, which is Canadian TV, with all the American teams in the league. One huge factor on the expense side is the salary cap. Big market teams from either country cannot outspend small market teams. On what planet can they not outspend small market teams? Not this one. You have a seriously myopic way of looking at things. It's like you think the population numbers are all that matters in a market area. Metro Las Vegas has a population of about 1.4 million. Metro Moncton has a metro population of about 140,000. Is that a reason? Moncton probably has more people interested in seeing hockey than Vegas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrimeNumber Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 Here's my first round predictions; Minny over St. Louis in 6 Chicago over Nashville in 6 Calgary over Van in 7 Winnipeg over Anaheim in 6 Ottawa over Montreal in 6 Tampa over Detroit in 5 NYR over Pittsburgh in 4 Washington over NYI in 5 Should be a great playoffs definitely one of the more exciting first rounds in the last few years. I'm even more happy that Boston and LA are out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 Winnipeg over Anaheim in 6 Man I wish I shared your optimism. I love my Jets, but I'll be genuinely shocked if we win more than one game in that series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrimeNumber Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) Man I wish I shared your optimism. I love my Jets, but I'll be genuinely shocked if we win more than one game in that series. I prefer this matchup to any possible matchup we had. It will be a hard fought battle, call me a little biased but I think Anaheim is going to have a tough time taking on this Jets team over the course of at least 8 days. We may not be overly gifted but we have a punishing fore and backcheck. I don't know if Anaheim has enough to keep up. Mind you we've been in Playoff mode for about a month or more now, I'm not sure if we have another gear after this, Anaheim has been coasting a bit. If they turn it on they may be able to match us. It's a hard call so I'm calling it as I see it for now. Edited April 15, 2015 by PrimeNumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkman Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 It's too bad so many Canadian teams are playing each other, this always seems to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 Yakupov is actually earning over $1 million less per year in his big new contract than he earned in each of his first three years. He is officially trade bait. Play better Yak and we'll move you....... Somebody will bite, and the Oilers and Yakupov both save face. And yet the verbal coming out of the front office is Yak has taken a step forward and is regarded as a key piece moving forward. Your hat eis blinding you. And he had to have a contract right now to play on the Russian team at the World Cahpionships which start soon- if he makes the team in a tryout. Showcasing. #1 overall pick. Tinfoil hat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrimeNumber Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 YAK took a huge step forward towards the end of the season 21 points in his last 31 games. An actual smart move by the Oilers to bridge him on a pretty good contract, if they can improve on their goaltending and find a solid defensive quarterback by next season they may be able to improve to being a bubble team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty AC Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 YAK took a huge step forward towards the end of the season 21 points in his last 31 games. An actual smart move by the Oilers to bridge him on a pretty good contract, if they can improve on their goaltending and find a solid defensive quarterback by next season they may be able to improve to being a bubble team. It would be great if they can sign Derek Roy, at a decent rate, for a couple of years as well. Those two worked well together and even seem to have bonded off the ice. I couldn't stand Roy in Kitchener or Buffalo, but he was fairly impressive during his stint in Edmonton. If he can help Yak reach his potential then that's a huge bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) Tinfoil hat. Please try and keep up with the adults. The info about his new contract, and need for insurance, trying out for the Russian WC team comes from.... Yakupov himself. etc via Edmonton Journal Yakupov needed a new Oilers contract before he was going to the Russian world championship audition in Moscow, to cover himself in case he got hurt. There are no guarantees he’ll make the Russian team, but he’ll play an exhibition against the Czechs in two weeks. “I don’t think I would have gone without one (contract), it’s very dangerous, but I really want to play for my national team, with the professional men, for the first time,” he said. And yet the verbal coming out of the front office is Yak has taken a step forward and is regarded as a key piece moving forward. Your hat eis blinding you. What else would they say, the truth ? Not likely. The truth is that he is playing far, far worse than expected and is clearly the worst #1 overall pick in a generation. The double bonus of his offensive improvement at the end of the season and a cheap, 2 year deal means that he is at least now trade bait. MacTavish now might even get a second round pick for the Oilers, or a third line mutt. For a #1 overall pick. Yakupov finished the year with a +/- of -35, which placed him at dead last out of all 882 NHL players. He edged out a couple of Leafs- Kessel and Bozak- for that honour. eta: I think that is the second year in a row the defensively clueless Yakupov has won the NHL +/- derby. Edited April 15, 2015 by overthere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 It would be great if they can sign Derek Roy, at a decent rate, for a couple of years as well. They can get Roy for cheap and should sign him for a year. He'll take it, his options are limited in the NHL. He got through waivers with the Predators, so nobody wanted him last year. He was swapped for another midget forward Marc Arcobello that nobody wanted either. The reason they should sign Roy is that he is better than anybody other centers in their system, another sad and damning fact about the quality of OIlers management. Dreisatl is their second line center of the future, but he is not ready for prime time yet. This could all change with the draft. If they get McJesus, there is no home for Roy as they'll go with RNH, McDavid, Lander and Gordon up the middle. If the Oilers get Eichel, they'll foolishly move him or Dreisatl into 2nd line centre too early . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrimeNumber Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) They can get Roy for cheap and should sign him for a year. He'll take it, his options are limited in the NHL. He got through waivers with the Predators, so nobody wanted him last year. He was swapped for another midget forward Marc Arcobello that nobody wanted either. The reason they should sign Roy is that he is better than anybody other centers in their system, another sad and damning fact about the quality of OIlers management. Dreisatl is their second line center of the future, but he is not ready for prime time yet. This could all change with the draft. If they get McJesus, there is no home for Roy as they'll go with RNH, McDavid, Lander and Gordon up the middle. If the Oilers get Eichel, they'll foolishly move him or Dreisatl into 2nd line centre too early . There is absolutely no possible way the oilers can get Eichel. McDavid yes but they won't touch Eichel unless they can trade up to at least 2nd in the draft. I guarantee you no one is passing on Eichel as the 2nd overall pick. He will absolutely end up in either Buffalo or Arizona. Edited April 15, 2015 by PrimeNumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 There is absolutely no possible way the oilers can get Eichel. McDavid yes but they won't touch Eichel unless they can trade up to at least 2nd in the draft. which is not impossible. The oilers have lots of picks this year, including two in the first round. Oh yeah, how has that been working out in the Bettman era? When was the last time a Canadian team took the cup? The revenue? It's worked out absolutely fantastic for Canadian teams in the Bettman era. All the teams are surviving, most are thriving financially. That was certainly not the case before him. You're talking like a fan if you think winning the Cup is somehow the only or main measure of success for the league or its teams. For the owners and their employee Bettman the measure is profit. And Bettman has made that happen. On what planet can they not outspend small market teams? Not this one. You have a seriously myopic way of looking at things. It's like you think the population numbers are all that matters in a market area. On this planet. Please Google 'salary cap NHL' for a simple explanation of why big market teams cannot outspend small market teams for players, which is by far their largest expense item.. Some of the words are more than one syllable. Good luck. The cap has turned the profit equation on its head for many teams, including Canadian teams as already discussed. I guess you missed that too. Moncton probably has more people interested in seeing hockey than Vegas. Yes, Moncton clearly has a population base capable of building a half billion dollar arena and 18,000 people willing and able to spend $4000 to $10000 per year every year for a season ticket. They have supported all those other local pro teams forever, why not NHL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 Please try and keep up with the adults. The info about his new contract, and need for insurance, trying out for the Russian WC team comes from.... Yakupov himself. etc via Edmonton Journal The tinfoil hat refers to the "showcasing" comment. What else would they say, the truth ? Not likely. The truth is that he is playing far, far worse than expected and is clearly the worst #1 overall pick in a generation. The double bonus of his offensive improvement at the end of the season and a cheap, 2 year deal means that he is at least now trade bait. MacTavish now might even get a second round pick for the Oilers, or a third line mutt. For a #1 overall pick. Yakupov finished the year with a +/- of -35, which placed him at dead last out of all 882 NHL players. He edged out a couple of Leafs- Kessel and Bozak- for that honour. eta: I think that is the second year in a row the defensively clueless Yakupov has won the NHL +/- derby. We've been through all this before. You're blind hate for this player and monomaniacal focus on draft position and the useless +/- stat is always amusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 Yes, Moncton clearly has a population base capable of building a half billion dollar arena and 18,000 people willing and able to spend $4000 to $10000 per year every year for a season ticket. They have supported all those other local pro teams forever, why not NHL? Moncton is a terrible example, but Ontario alone could certainly support another NHL team, perhaps two. Quebec City could manage. Hell, you could probably plunk one down in Saskatoon and it would do no worse than most of the southern U.S. teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrimeNumber Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 Moncton is a terrible example, but Ontario alone could certainly support another NHL team, perhaps two. Quebec City could manage. Hell, you could probably plunk one down in Saskatoon and it would do no worse than most of the southern U.S. teams. I think a team could do very well in Saskatoon. There is more than enough corporate support with Mosaic, Yara, Brandt, Sasktel, Potash Corp, etc. I'd be tempted to by season tickets. A two hour trip there and back wouldn't hurt. The St. Louis blues almost moved to saskatoon in the 80's. It's to bad it didn't happen to Saskatoon Blues has a nice ring to it, especilly given the cities music history, particularly the Blues and Jazz Festivals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrimeNumber Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 which is not impossible. The oilers have lots of picks this year, including two in the first round. I promise you that Buffalo and Arizona will not trade down in this years draft. That would be a mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 PrimeNumber is correct: it's impossible for the Oilers to get Eichel through the lottery unless they win the lottery and pass up McDavid. Their other first round pick is not a lottery pick since the Pens made the playoffs. They're picking first, third or fourth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argus Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 It's too bad so many Canadian teams are playing each other, this always seems to happen. By design, I suspect. Bettman likes to have as few Canadian teams in the playoffs as possible, and for them to go out as early as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argus Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 The revenue? It's worked out absolutely fantastic for Canadian teams in the Bettman era. All the teams are surviving, most are thriving financially. That was certainly not the case before him. You're talking like a fan if you think winning the Cup is somehow the only or main measure of success for the league or its teams. For the owners and their employee Bettman the measure is profit. And Bettman has made that happen. No, the new scramble for content on television has made that happen though most of the money goes to US teams despite most of the money coming from Canadian networks. On this planet. Please Google 'salary cap NHL' for a simple explanation of why big market teams cannot outspend small market teams for players, which is by far their largest expense item.. I think if I google salary cap I'll find that some of the teams can afford to spend millions more than other teams. Some of the words are more than one syllable. Good luck. Why would you think anyone would need luck with that? Does your tiny pea brain have difficulties with multiple syllables? Yes, Moncton clearly has a population base capable of building a half billion dollar arena and 18,000 people willing and able to spend $4000 to $10000 per year every year for a season ticket. American teams don't have to actually pay for their own arenas, it's true, but there is no likelihood of an NHL team surviving in Las Vegas, which, outside the strip, is a crappy, fourth rate city in the desert. They have supported all those other local pro teams forever, why not NHL? Could you give me a list of all those massively successful Las Vegas pro teams to convince me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 I think if I google salary cap I'll find that some of the teams can afford to spend millions more than other teams. But you will not finds the situation that used to exist, where teams like the Wings and Rangers outbid everybody else. or the good old days when asswipes like Ballard and Wirtz dumped players that cost more than $1.49. Max and min salary caps fixed that, and provided financial certainty that has stabilized and enriched many more owners/teams than pre-Bettman. Oh, and despite the resounding lack of Cups in the last two decades, how many CDN teams are suffering from a lack of attendance in a gate-driven league? The correct answer is 'zero'. American teams don't have to actually pay for their own arenas, it's true, but there is no likelihood of an NHL team surviving in Las Vegas, which, outside the strip, is a crappy, fourth rate city in the desert. Hey let's have a contest. Link us to stories about the arena being built in Moncton, and the backing of fantastically cash rich New Brunswick corporations, and season ticket drives colecting cash. Here, I'll kick it off here is a story about all of that and the privately funded arena going up right now http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/nhl-to-las-vegas-looking-more-like-a-done-deal/article23471555/ Your turn. Take your time. The biggest debate in Las Vegas is whether it will be a relocation, like Winnipeg, or a new franchise with much higher fees. After Vegas, the NHL will break some more Moncton hearts and look hard at Seattle.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyser Posted April 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 By design, I suspect. Bettman likes to have as few Canadian teams in the playoffs as possible, and for them to go out as early as possible.How so? How does Bettman manage the points system to ensure these so called 'Bettman CDN team matchups' ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 If that is true, Bettman will be fired tomorrow since 5 out of 7 Canadian teams made the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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