Just about everyone was picking the Devils over my Canes, because missing 3 of top 6 forwards even though technically not true as Paciorety was out all year. Experts were saying not enough offense or a superstar, yet all the Canes do is get contributions up and down the line up and the defense. They scored 5, 6, 4, 6, and 3 not bad for a team lacking scoring. Anyone who doesn’t think that they are legitimate threat to win the cup are fooling themselves. I was at games 1 and 2, but decided not to go tonight. I will be there next round for sure though. What Brind’Amour has done with this team is remarkable.
Let us take this time to congratulate John Tavares for finally matching his Islanders playoff success with a whopping one series run. Well done, PJ.
This blows. Andrew Gross on Twitter: "#Isles Insider: All indications are president/GM Lou Lamoriello will be offered a new contract. And Lane Lambert will return as well. https://t.co/VwJ9sYZugT" / Twitter
The biggest problem is Lou has been unable to make meaningful trades or sign favorable contracts. He’s essentially overpaid everyone he has signed. Why will that change?
Those are probably the reasons why he hasn’t been able to make any favorable deals and has had to overpay.
It'll be interesting to see how the process ages. The 'Canes skate harder than any other team in the NHL and over time that causes wear and tear both physical and psychological. He's been there for 6 seasons now and that's about enough time to work through a generation of players.
How interesting that Carolina in the Northern most city left in the NHL playoffs. (Just a tad higher latitude than Vegas) I can honestly see any of the 4 teams left winning it all, but I do feel like the Canes may be the slight favorite at this point. They just very rarely ever get out worked by their opponent and it looks like Teravainen will be back for this series against Panthers.
I’m really curious to see if the Panthers can continue their success against the Canes. I suspect Canes in 5 or 6. Vegas vs Carolina will be a fantastic finals. I don’t think the Stars will win.
For the record, I think Connor McDavid is the best player in the NHL. It's these absurd comparisons to Wayne Gretzky that make him overrated.
Kyle Dubas out as Leafs GM. Chris Johnston on Twitter: "BREAKING: Kyle Dubas will not return as #leafs general manager, per sources. @NorthStarBet" / Twitter
Dubas’ big mistake was the Tavares signing. In the immortal words of Ian Malcolm — they “were so preoccupied with if they could, they didn’t stop to ask if they should.” They never needed Tavares and his contract not only hurt their ability to continue to build around the previous core 3 but now guarantees they will have to trade one of those three who are arguable better than Tavares because he has a NTC and the contract itself is untradeable. that being said, Dubas actually did a great job bringing in players who should have made the team better than they were despite his cap constraints, which leads back to either coaching not getting the most of them or the team simply being fundamentally flawed on the ice despite it looking good on paper, or both. Either way I think Dubas is a pretty good GM.
David Pagnotta on Twitter: "I’m told the NHL is going to host 2 Stadium Series games next season in February 2024 at MetLife Stadium on back-to-back days involving 4 teams: Devils/Flyers and Isles/Rangers" / Twitter
