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Offthepost (Generation II)
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saskhab
'03-'04 Goalie Profiles Coming Soon!
Joined: 17 Oct 2007
Posts: 3417
Location: Saskatoon!
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 Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 3:37 pm Post subject: The not so magnificent seven |
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http://mirtle.blogspot.com/2008/04/ending-drought.html
There are 7 teams that haven't made the playoffs once post-lockout:
Chicago
Columbus
Florida
Los Angeles
Phoenix
St. Louis
Toronto
Although it's early, how do you rate these team's chances of ending their droughts for next year?
I'd go like this:
1. Chicago
2. Florida (somewhat by virtue of their division)
3. Los Angeles
4. Columbus
5. Phoenix
6. Toronto
7. St. Louis
I don't like the Blues' chances very much at all. Toronto... stranger stuff has happened. Phoenix got career years out of a lot of guys and didn't make it, I expect growth next year in the key areas but regression from guys like Vrbata holding them back. Columbus... boy, they're a real wild card because they might lose a lot of key elements this summer like Hainsey, Hejda, and Peca. They need to keep at least Hainsey and Hejda and add more scoring to have a shot. LA needs to fire Crawford and hope that Ersberg or Bernier can handle big NHL minutes next year, while Labarbera stays healthy and somewhat productive. They have a lot of talent that is improving and next year could be the breakthrough. Florida should've broken through by now, but general incompetetence has stifled them. The Blackhawks finally got their shit together and made a good push this past year... they appear the most likely to make the breakthrough into the 94+ point club.
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"Oh my God. There she is. Lovely Sally Slater. I should speak to her. But what the hell can I say? Anything that doesn't mention that I masturbate over her memory is probably a good idea."
- Mark Corrigan, Peep Show |
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Bosc Ulrich II
OTP Resident Historian
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
Posts: 3222
Location: Sweetest lid in the league
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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Year to year, I've always expected some sort of push to finally have Florida make the playoffs. They just simply never do.
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Bring back the old OTP!
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Av-merican
Un-Tenured Professor of Hockey
Joined: 17 Oct 2007
Posts: 1994
Location: Denver
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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1. Chicago
2. St. Louis
3. Phoenix
4. Toronto
5. Los Angeles
6. Florida
7. Columbus
Sorry, I have way more faith in St. Loo and way less in Columbus than you do. Columbus may have started to climb out of the muck, but they're still a complete mess, and I'm not sure Nash is the right type of franchise player. Don't get me wrong he's got tons of talent but his work ethic and commitment to defense, even with Hitch barking in his ear, are questionable. And while this might incur the wrath of Razz, the gigantic draft busts known as Brule and Zherdev are going to haunt this team for quite some time. This team will have to overachieve in order to make the postseason, and NO Hitch-coached team has ever and will ever do that.
The Blues have a glimmer of hope IMO, even in a division as tough as theirs. I still think McKee will redeem himself eventually, and Kariya will come back somewhat strong next season. The problem the Blues have right now is that they don't have the right type of D for Murray's system. That guy (and Tippett too) worked wonders with guys like Schneider, Boucher, Modry, and Visnovsky. I think they're close...at least to making the playoffs, if not dominating them yet.
Florida always finds a way to fuck it all up. Doesn't matter how low the bar gets in the Southeast, they find a way to get under it. Cohen might not be the worst owner in the NHL, but he's clearly the dumbest. |
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saskhab
'03-'04 Goalie Profiles Coming Soon!
Joined: 17 Oct 2007
Posts: 3417
Location: Saskatoon!
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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Murray lost the team this year. And no, McKee is doomed to suckdom for the rest of his career. He was overrated before his big contract, and now injuries have taken their toll.
You question Columbus' star player being the guy to build around, but St. Louis has nothing to build around. A good scorer and a 19 year old blueliner. That's it.
Zherdev didn't bust. Did you watch him this season?
_________________
"Oh my God. There she is. Lovely Sally Slater. I should speak to her. But what the hell can I say? Anything that doesn't mention that I masturbate over her memory is probably a good idea."
- Mark Corrigan, Peep Show |
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Av-merican
Un-Tenured Professor of Hockey
Joined: 17 Oct 2007
Posts: 1994
Location: Denver
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:36 pm Post subject: |
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| saskhab wrote: |
Murray lost the team this year. And no, McKee is doomed to suckdom for the rest of his career. He was overrated before his big contract, and now injuries have taken their toll.
You question Columbus' star player being the guy to build around, but St. Louis has nothing to build around. A good scorer and a 19 year old blueliner. That's it.
Zherdev didn't bust. Did you watch him this season? |
I guess not but nonetheless I still fault him for his sophomore season while he suffered from "The Suck" because of off-ice issues. And again, suspect work ethic just like Nash. And I don't like their coach, it's only a matter of time before they tune him out completely as well.
Isn't Schwarz still a viable prospect? To me St. Loo has a nucleus of solid, if unspectacular talent to build around rather than just one player. Perron, Boyes, MacDonald, and Johnson are good. Boyes will probably never be better than a 20-25 goal scorer but Perron could be a lot more, as might EJ. And MacDonald has proven his worth when he gets the right linemates.
Florida and Columbus to me are situations where the ownership is so inept there's just no way either will ever be any good no matter how much money they spend or who they put in charge...which is a shame because Columbus had a very dedicated fanbase. The Panthros should just be contracted. |
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