NHL 15-16: wife-beaters, adulterers, cokeheads, rapists, pill-poppers, AND METHODISTS

[The_Admiral]

tomtucker, do you ever feel bad about the fact that you'll never be a good poster?

[2001mark]

#Panthers is trending & it's not Carolina.

[monkeypower]

Kind of a boring game, but at least I was able to see a game and a Ducks win.

The league is probably going to take a look at Wideman.

[Sodboy13]

Kevin Weekes on NHL Network can't talk enough about how Shane Doan is one of the greatest statesmen and examples of leadership in the game today. A petulant with a knack for dirty play whose crowning achievements before tonight came courtesy of longevity and inertia - that's who the face of the NHL should be.

Meanwhile, PK Subban gives $10 million to a children's hospital while excelling at his position and having an actual personality, but his game's just a little too... oh, you know.

[The_Admiral]

Shane Doan had an actual hat trick, as opposed to a "Shane Doan hat trick," which is when you have a goal, an elbowing penalty, and threaten to retire if you can't play in Phoenix. But hey, he tied Ducky for most Winniphoenix franchise goals, and it only took him 708 more games.

[Sport]

The Blue Jackets beat the Stars.

[chcarlson23]

The Blue Jackets beat the Stars.

The Stars have some of the weirdest losses... Twice to the leafs, and now to the Blue Jackets?

[Morgan33]

Only 3 games for Marchand...

[Crabcake]

This just isn't fair:

http://video.capitals.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=2015020552-447-h

[Sodboy13]

Ice at SAP Center is complete garbage tonight for Sharks-Flyers, because the Barracuda played a classic AHL Wednesday afternooner beforehand.

Totally unrelated: The Sharks are 4-10 at home this season.

[Kramerica Industries]

Glad to report that the Lightning are still terrible, underachieving, and in-opportunistic. I could tolerate a "2015 Kings" season better if they had won two more games last season before-hand.

[DaRadniz29]

Ice at SAP Center is complete garbage tonight for Sharks-Flyers, because the Barracuda played a classic AHL Wednesday afternooner beforehand.

Totally unrelated: The Sharks are 4-10 at home this season.

Well, as a Sharks fan it’s the Sharks organization’s own fault for letting their AHL team play in the same arena. Besides, the ice at the Tank has never been great.

Team Teal did get the win tonight 4-2. The Big Pavelski with two great goals.

[The_Admiral]

"Letting" them play there? They insisted upon it to the detriment of the entire league!

[monkeypower]

What about the Moose and the Jets? I haven't heard anything about how they are doing.

[rmackman]

Call me crazy (and I know some of you will), but the Florida Panthers rise to first place is no fluke. In fact, this team is basically 1 or 2 elite players away from being a bona fide Stanley Cup Championship contender. Granted their window of opportunity may not be that big unless they find a young goaltender to groom in order to eventually replace Roberto Luongo (who is playing like he's 25 years old at the moment), and Jagr has been great since he's been down here. However, Dale Tallon is building this team in a similar image to what he did in Chicago. If you add one top line scorer (this whole team is a bunch of 10-20 goal scorers, which is great to have that kind of balance, but you need a good 30+ guy in there somewhere) like a Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jamie Benn, etc. then this team is absolutely elite. Unfortunately, legit scorers like that don't just grow on trees. So, we'll see what Florida does in Free Agency (I could see Florida going after Jakub Voracek who is from the same city as Jagr, and can do what Jagr is currently doing IF Jagr decides to retire) to keep the momentum going. As a season ticket holder (yes, there are some) and former Panthers employee, man am I stoked!

[The_Admiral]

They've drafted first overall (Ekblad), second overall (Barkov), third overall (Huberdeau), and third overall again (Gudbranson) in the last six years. That's Oilers/Penguins top-heavy drafting; I should hope it's not a fluke. And yet with those four guys plus Kulikov (14th overall) plus Bjugstad (19th), their best player in 2015-2016 is still goddamn Jaromir Jagr.

[DDR]

"1 or 2 elite players away" is not that close to a Stanley Cup Contender.

[2001mark]

I see Brad Marchand (on my fantasy roster) is suspended including the Winter Classic. That'll learn him. Even assuming he played in the Fenway game, that has to scuk to miss out on the WC vs Montreal.

[The_Admiral]

"1 or 2 elite players away" is not that close to a Stanley Cup Contender.

Haha, true, but sometimes the gap isn't all that hard to bridge: look at the Kings and Stars, who were cannon fodder until each one got a pair of top-six forwards for nothing. Come to think of it, Dallas wasn't made to give up all that much for Spezza, either, what with the way he Keslered the Senators into sending him there.

[rmackman]

"1 or 2 elite players away" is not that close to a Stanley Cup Contender.

Haha, true, but sometimes the gap isn't all that hard to bridge: look at the Kings and Stars, who were cannon fodder until each one got a pair of top-six forwards for nothing. Come to think of it, Dallas wasn't made to give up all that much for Spezza, either, what with the way he Keslered the Senators into sending him there.

It isn't always hard to bridge. Just depends entirely on circumstance. For instance, Steven Stamkos may not re-sign in Tampa Bay. Now, because Tampa Bay and Florida are in the same division, this is unlikely. However, if you get a team about to lose a star player for nothing, Florida would have a chance to give up just a little to get a lot (although Stamkos isn't the same player he was two years ago). There are other factors that go into it, obviously, but the point is that an elite player can be acquired. I just don't think there is one this year that will be a prolific scorer available.

As far as UFAs this offseason, Anze Kopitar will probably re-sign in LA (and he's really only ever been an excellent, balanced 20+ guy), Stamkos's situation is up in the air, but if he's not the same guy since his injury then he's not what Florida will want, and then there's Eric Staal who is exactly what the Panthers would have needed...if he were in 2008 form. However, I would guess Staal would still be the best fit out of what is available, and that would at least put the Panthers "in the conversation" as far as Stanley Cup contenders.