The Kings have acquired a lot of prospects during the last 3 years of their rebuild. This year they seemed to have returned back to being a playoff team but as we all witnessed they are still not quite ready to compete with the top teams.
Their main problem in recent years has been scoring. I can’t tell you how many times I saw Jonathan Quick let in only one goal and end up losing the game 2-0 after the other team pops in an empty-netter. With about $20 million in cap space it was expected that GM Rob Blake would go after a top scorer this summer. Fiala was a possibility as well as Forsberg in Nashville.
I’m happy with the move and I suspect that they might try to sign another quality Free Agent during the off-season.
I suppose the 2022 to 2023 NHL Season thread will be at hand in a few weeks after the new schedule is released.
It feels like forever that we have not had a season start and finish on time!
I see that the opening night is 11 October.
I don't like it already and feel that the start should be earlier like 1 October.
Did they forget about that looming threat of COVID already again!? It does not take much for everything to be screwed up again after a breakout, and it takes time to fix those delays.
I don't like my Stanley Cup Finals dragging into late June or later in the summer like in 2021.
By 10 June, that's enough already after the regular season wraps up around late March!
I agree. I remember as a kid in the 80s the Stanley Cup Final would always wrap up around the Victoria Long Weekend (around May 24).
Now we are wrapping up in late June. It just doesn’t feel right after we’ve already had a month of hot weather and CFL football.
Plus the longer the off-season the more the excitement and anticipation for the next season. I think it’s fair to say that most of us are hockey fatigued by the end of the Finals.
Expect they factor in some minimum time off for the teams with decent playoff runs … also … there are many US-based teams that like to avoid as much of football season as possible … I agree the SC final seems very late to me … but it is not as simple an equation as we would hope.
It looks like Ric Bowness will be the new coach of the Jets. As a Jets fan I am happy about that. If we couldn’t land Trotz, I consider him to be the second best of the coaches available and one of the five best coaches in the league. He has a knack for getting his teams to overachieve and both played and coached in Winnipeg in the past. He is certainly an improvement over Maurice.(Jets, Bowness finalizing agreement to become team's new head coach Rick Bowness Winnipeg Jets - TSN.ca)
18 years as an NHL head/associateHC … 2 Finals … 2 third rounds … 2 second rounds … 4 first round … 8 out of play-offs … I fear he is another safe, comfortable, old-boys-network retread.
Whether he is that or not, he is still an excellent coach whom players love. He just took Dallas to the Stanley Cup final, which was a minor miracle and something no one expected. Like Maurice he is a player’s coach, but unlike Maurice he has a track record of elevating teams. I remember him working minor miracles in the past in both Winnipeg and Ottawa, in addition to Dallas. I will take him over anyone that was available, except for Trotz, who it turns out wasn’t available after all. I also didn’t know until recently that he has been behind the bench as a head or assistant coach for more games than any coach in NHL history, so he checks the experience box as well. Being familiar with Winnipeg helps immensely as well. We are a smaller version of Montreal or Toronto, with intense daily media and fan scrutiny. Bowness hasn’t faced that for awhile and Trotz never has.
Yes but he’s a solid coach who seems to be able to bring out the best in guys. When you look at what he did in the playoffs this year - 4th place team came very close to upsetting first in the division.
I also remember the new Sharks GM when he played for the Oilers. Well done Mike Grier!
There are many young Russian players in the NHL,
Could/will create a huge problem.
I seriously doubt in the NHL draft tommorow will have any Russian players taken in the 1st or 2nd rounds.
13 days ago as you know I posted about Kuzmenko being signed by the Canucks because it was news that was non-news that way it ought to be for sport.
But it’s not the NHL or any Western country that has messed this up too yet again!
But then again if at some point fake documents were used by Russian players, well then of course that is going to get one in trouble with Mother Russia!
The NHL shouldn't draft any Russians until Russia gets out of Ukraine. The league should put all Russian players in a supplementary draft to be held at a later date. The NHL should protect itself from players being held like the WNBA player Grenier
I disagree on the making of any decision based on mere nationality of individuals as opposed to actual conduct in the event of wrongdoing or support for the invasion.
Now for businesses based in Russia, it's a different matter sure, but individuals no.
Americans are not Trump, Russians are not Putin, Chinese are not Xi, et cetera.
It’s a tough call and I generally agree with you, but I think exceptions can and should be made for players like Ovechkin who openly support and promote the Russian regime and the attack on Ukraine. It will be interesting to see what impact these latest Russian shenanigans will have on the drafting of Russian players. The draft starts tonite doesn’t it, or is it tomorrow?
The draft is underway. I’m not going to watch it but just checked on line and Montreal took Skafkovsky first overall instead of Wright. Which some speculated might be the case. New Jersey didn’t take him 2nd either, which is a bit more surprising. Lots of player movement in the league as well today with Debrincat going to Ottawa for the seventh overall pick. Fleury also signed and is staying in Minnesota to end his career it would seem.
I’m interested to hear what Hab fans think of Montreal’s choice.
