This Makar guy ain't bad.

Winnipeg looks like the Blackhawks out there against the Avs.

Can't wait for the Avs and LVGK series to start

This Makar guy ain't bad.
- mohel

I think the best defenseman in hockey. Plays defense very well, is outstanding offensively and he’s physical.

I think the best defenseman in hockey. Plays defense very well, is outstanding offensively and he’s physical.
- paulr

Call me old school, but I want my defensemen to be good at defense and then bring the offense - if they have any. This is why Makar is light years ahead of Karlsson and any other “offensive” defenseman.

What’s the point of a Dman who is a dumpster fire in their own zone?

Winnipeg looks like the Blackhawks out there against the Avs.
- BetweenTheDots

Yeah, right? It’s arguably the biggest surprise of the 1st round. WPG looks pedestrian against COL.

VAN ties it with 8 seconds on the clock!

One hell of a comeback by Vancouver.

One hell of a comeback by Vancouver.
- Chunk

VAN wins it in OT! Total collapse by NSH. I always enjoy seeing a shocked NSH crowd go home with a loss.

While the Blackhawk goaltender duo at Rockford should use another season for development in the AHL, I am sort of expecting to see Nashville promote Askarov. He has toiled for two season in the AHL and the former first round selection probably is ready. Might his success be parallel to the same course Demko took? Demko may actually have played three seasons in Utica AHL

Saros and Nashville blew a third period lead in OT loss to Vancouver. Don’t know if Saris is to blame but the left glove Askarov could take his starting job or they share the workload. With inexpensive former Blackhawk as back up, Sarod could even be cut loose.

For those who are curious about the Icehogs opening game OT loss, two fairly evenly matched teams competed in what Icehog coach Sorensen called the ebb and flow. In OT Red Wing prospect Berggren beat Kaiser one -on - one then neatly deposited the puck through Stauber

None of the recent signed prospects were in the lineup. Reichel had a good game; set up Teply for first goal. Rockford blew a 2-0 advantage

You’re absolutely correct about the defence and about the structure of the team, you can add poor coaching too. However you have four guys making $10M plus each, who are dominant in the regular season and who have never brought it in the post season against better and worse teams. In this series, the regular season superstars, Matthews and Marner, are being outplayed by not only many Bruin players but they aren’t even the best Leaf players. And it’s beyond production, it’s effort, or a complete lack thereof. Matthews left his effort in the last game of the regular season chasing 70 goals. Marner has shown the last seven seasons he’s afraid in the post season. How is it possible for a 69 goal scorer to become so ineffective in the playoffs? On HNIC last night they showed a graph where Matthews had one shot from the slot, about 15 feet out. Nothing around the net and a few from the perimeter. Against Florida last year in the whole series he had six from the slot, all from well out. If these regular season superstars battled I’d blame everyone but them but the fact is they aren’t providing any effort. As Orville Tessier once said, the team, in this case the Leafs need to go to the Mayo clinic for 20 heart transplants, with Matthews and Marner at the front of the line!
- paulr

You could closed your post by saying how much you are enjoying this. I certainly am.

Call me old school, but I want my defensemen to be good at defense and then bring the offense - if they have any. This is why Makar is light years ahead of Karlsson and any other “offensive” defenseman.

What’s the point of a Dman who is a dumpster fire in their own zone?
- Chief4Feathers

Agree 100% on the bolded. Makar is on another planet, best all round defenseman in the league and it’s not close.

You could closed your post by saying how much you are enjoying this. I certainly am.
- RickJ

When it comes to the Loafs I prefer to be subtle.

When it comes to the Loafs I prefer to be subtle.
- paulr

Yeah, I noticed....

It is interesting on the Leaves thread how few posters are willing to suggests that they're best players bear a large part of the responsibility for the futility of the past 5+ years. It's the refs, or the league, or the coaches, or the front office, or the amorphous "Leafy" magic. It just can't be that their "best" (aka highest paid) players aren't good enough.

When it comes to the Loafs I prefer to be subtle.
- paulr

I bet with all the draft picks who are going to be incrementally filtering in to the Blackhawks line up, head coach R I c h a r d s o n will not tolerate players who lack effort compete. Players who are on and off with the compete will be press boxed and demoted to AHL. KD will be in agreement with his coach. Well not entirely sure how Misiak turns out but I make my point.

There will be an ever growing list of prospects and a greater number or increase in top line prospects. Even some of the players drafted are not merely fourth line fodder like Entwhistle and R Johnson. We will wait and see how a Ludwinski and Misiak develop.

KD has a model and he will keep to his word/model.

Yeah, I noticed....

It is interesting on the Leaves thread how few posters are willing to suggests that they're best players bear a large part of the responsibility for the futility of the past 5+ years. It's the refs, or the league, or the coaches, or the front office, or the amorphous "Leafy" magic. It just can't be that their "best" (aka highest paid) players aren't good enough.
- mohel

The GM is on record (b4 this series started) that there is a certain way a team has to play in order to win in the playoffs. I actually think he isn't surprised by whats happening.

He knows his team isn't able (or willing) to compete along on the walls vs the Bruins, that their goaltending is 2nd best and their D group is made up of a bunch of 4/5/6 level guys. So when their best offensive players get shut down its all over.

The results in the playoffs over the last 6-7 years tell the story - only 1 playoff series win. They never win playoff games on home ice. So those 'best' players just aren't good enough.

The coaching staff will be fired and deservedly so, Marner won't be offered an extension among other personnel changes. And most importantly they will find other unique excuses no other fan base would believe.

And there will be no mention of how bad the signings of free agents Klingberg and Ryan Reaves were.

You’re absolutely correct about the defence and about the structure of the team, you can add poor coaching too. However you have four guys making $10M plus each, who are dominant in the regular season and who have never brought it in the post season against better and worse teams. In this series, the regular season superstars, Matthews and Marner, are being outplayed by not only many Bruin players but they aren’t even the best Leaf players. And it’s beyond production, it’s effort, or a complete lack thereof. Matthews left his effort in the last game of the regular season chasing 70 goals. Marner has shown the last seven seasons he’s afraid in the post season. How is it possible for a 69 goal scorer to become so ineffective in the playoffs? On HNIC last night they showed a graph where Matthews had one shot from the slot, about 15 feet out. Nothing around the net and a few from the perimeter. Against Florida last year in the whole series he had six from the slot, all from well out. If these regular season superstars battled I’d blame everyone but them but the fact is they aren’t providing any effort. As Orville Tessier once said, the team, in this case the Leafs need to go to the Mayo clinic for 20 heart transplants, with Matthews and Marner at the front of the line!
- paulr

How can they possibly get into dangerous areas when they have zero transition game OR anyone who can rip a bomb from the point to keep the defenders honest?

Boston can collapse 5 guys in front of the paint and park the bus while double teaming Matthews and Marner every time because it's not like anyone is going to make them pay.

Nichushkin was able to tap in sitters today because Winnipeg can't just let Makar rip shots from the point or leave MacKinnon or Mikko by themselves. And Tampa looked like a different team with Sergachev. McDavid has a lot more space since Bouchard can't be left alone and Hyman is the king of the sitters.

With Matthews being the only threat on his line and Marner being the only one on his (gosh does Tavares look slow) Boston can double team them - not dissimilar to what teams did to Bedard - except its the playoffs and these guys are going at 100% instead of 75 and there is no outlet or any support to keep them honest and get these guys space.

There is plenty of effort but it's ineffective because of the roster reasons listed several times and certainly the coach that hasn't made any meaningful adjustments in game plan or approach to try to free these guys up or at a minimum lock down things in front of their own goal.

It took several iterations and coaches to get Ovi his cup. For as great as he is MacKinnon only has one. Eichel and O'Reilly were basket cases before they got theirs. Plenty of great hockey players have had issues getting over the hump until just the right circumstances presented themselves.

This Makar guy ain't bad.
- mohel

That end to end goal was magical

Ovechkin looked completely disinterested this whole series. I thought I heard the PBP guy say he had like five SOG the whole series.

Ovechkin looked completely disinterested this whole series. I thought I heard the PBP guy say he had like five SOG the whole series.
- bjphawkfan

He kind of looks like a 38 year old playing hockey in the NHL.

The first round of the playoffs is winding down and the discussion in the last page of this thread includes the failure of the Maple Leafs on ice as well as the management and coaching

I am bringing attention to one of their failure, which is the defense is unable to get the puck to the forwards. Not that the Leafs need a stud puck mover (Q Hughes, Maker, Fox) but the fact is they are weak as a group and each member of that blue line is not really above average in advancing the puck to the forwards from defense to offensive transition.

So now as a segue I address the Blackhawks blue line

I am not convinced that Kaiser is going to grade out as more than a third pair dman. Will he become a reliable defender - not too sure - but he had skill and attributes I like. Yet as a third pair. Now S Jones may be jettisoned after a couple years or when his salary and length is ni longer so cumbersome. So who is going to be our puck movers - Kk and Kaiser?

Well I like DelMastro and Allen BUT can one of them become a second pair and the other a third pair.

I am not fond of the criticism whereas DelMastro is said to have slow feet. His future is...well AHL All Sar as a rookie pro but when Bedard and company are ripe and in a playoff who is our puck movers on defense?

If we draft third or fourth and Eiserman is gone - I think I go after a good two way dman like D I c k I n s o n or Parehk

Our team may need one of those dmen in the playoffs

So I just learned that this Buium dman for Denver and highly regarded for round one in The Entry Draft, has a brother who played in the same team. The brother was drafted previously by Detroit in round two

Well P Kane leaves Motown but Edvisson will become a fixture on their blue line. Yzerman just signed Gibson, a 2nd round choice and assigned the dman to Grand Rapids

Buium, Gibson, Berggren, M Kasper, Danielson plus Edvinsson.....Yzerman done some good drafting

1-4-4-1-3
What will May 7 actually bring?

1-4-4-1-3
What will May 7 actually bring?
- 35Tony0

And
What is the odds that KD is able to trade up from the Tampa Pick to somewhere 9-12 overall? I would like to get a dman or forward with a higher second first round choice

So I just learned that this Buium dman for Denver and highly regarded for round one in The Entry Draft, has a brother who played in the same team. The brother was drafted previously by Detroit in round two

Well P Kane leaves Motown but Edvisson will become a fixture on their blue line. Yzerman just signed Gibson, a 2nd round choice and assigned the dman to Grand Rapids

Buium, Gibson, Berggren, M Kasper, Danielson plus Edvinsson.....Yzerman done some good drafting
- jhawk59