2023-2024 Offseason Thread: RIP Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau

[trucuschenn]

Leafs have ruined my ability to enjoy hockey

this quote is from the other thread but I don't want to poison the playoff thread with my Leafs bullshit.

I don't actually feel this way but the last 4-5 years I have been massively decreasing my consumption of sports media, despite still watching basically every Leafs game, because while I'm as disappointed as anyone at the playoff losses it seems like every Leafs fan/media person is more pessimistic/whiny/fatalistic than they ever were when the team was objectively awful and had a front office that was proud of being dumb. I refuse to be a guy who 20 years from now waxes poetic about how Auston Matthews is the greatest goal scorer of all time but the entire time he was in the league just pissed and moaned about every single game and was miserable. I refuse to forget the Bad Old Days, if the Leafs did anything but win the cup the attitude would be equally negative, I can't imagine how pissed off everyone would be if they lost in the finals.

[trucuschenn]

I can't wait for the Leafs to make an insanely bad deal for Marner. Everyone knows you are in the best bargaining position when:
1. The Player has a NMC
2. Deals where a star is traded for a bunch of stuff always work out better for the team that receives the star
3. Having 1 year left on the deal
4. You have told everyone you are desperate to trade the player

[trucuschenn]

There is an 80% chance that if the Leafs do trade him every Leafs media person is talking about what a horrible deal it is one year from now

[Alexei Ca$hin]

Q draft is tonight. A bunch of kids my son played with/against/tried out against since he was like 8 are slated to be picked, so I've been watching the rankings with a lot of interest.

A lot of strange/shady/totally corrupt stuff goes on in Junior hockey. That's about all I've learned.

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Talk more about the shady/corrupt shit. Payoffs to get drafted?

[Cacophony]

[Cacophony]

Wow this is extremely fucked up news

[nick]

I don’t get this from the Caps’ POV

[nick]

I mean, other than to shut down a free resource people used which may be exactly why?

[Grand Moff Larkin]

I can only assume a replacement will surface. Wasn’t there something else before Capfriendly?

[Cacophony]

I can only assume a replacement will surface. Wasn’t there something else before Capfriendly?

Capgeek?

Anyways apparently PuckPedia is next in line.

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Stuff I've picked up on from combine reports:

- Chicago's been at a ton of Michigan State games this year and had dinner with Levshunov at the combine. Granted, it's not like they can watch Silayev or Demidov in person (and they weren't at the combine), but that's the nudge I wanted to feel confident that they'll go with him at 2.
- Pronman caught some shit from readers when he ranked Demidov eighth, but Chris Peters reported that teams aren't as enthusiastic about him as Prospect Knowers / the public. I'm picturing a scenario in which he's available at 5 and the Habs go for one of Catton / Iginla / Sennecke instead.
- The question is then "How far does Demidov fall?" and I'm curious if the SNES would take him. I think #10 is the floor, because the Devils would either take him or trade the pick for increased value to someone who really wants him.
- Supposedly Cayden Lindstom has a clean bill of health and is back in the top-five-ish range, but he also couldn't do all of the tests. Who knows! I think Columbus takes him and makes Montreal's decision harder.
- Aside from Zeev Buium measuring at 6', there isn't any new differentiation between Yakemchuk, Buium, Parekh, and Dickinson.
- Stolberg had a good combine, I think he's picked by either Minnesota or SJ.
- EJ Emery crushed the physical testing, if he makes it to Toronto they take him.
- 22 teams interviewed Trevor Connelly. Eight said they wouldn't take him. Really hope Yzerman's part of the eight.

[Alexei Ca$hin]

hmmm getting an error trying to reply in this thread

Somebody doesn't want me spilling the beans on the Q draft, lol

[Alexei Ca$hin]

I guess the big thing is that players who have leverage get to pick their own destination (e.g. I am not going to play in small town rural Quebec). Families with money have more leverage. Nothing surprising here. But I've heard about some big payoffs to get a kid (lets say the best goalie in M18AAA) to report to a small town (lets say Rimouski) for when they host the Mem Cup (next year).

[practice]

Leafs have ruined my ability to enjoy hockey

this quote is from the other thread but I don't want to poison the playoff thread with my Leafs bullshit.

I don't actually feel this way but the last 4-5 years I have been massively decreasing my consumption of sports media, despite still watching basically every Leafs game, because while I'm as disappointed as anyone at the playoff losses it seems like every Leafs fan/media person is more pessimistic/whiny/fatalistic than they ever were when the team was objectively awful and had a front office that was proud of being dumb. I refuse to be a guy who 20 years from now waxes poetic about how Auston Matthews is the greatest goal scorer of all time but the entire time he was in the league just pissed and moaned about every single game and was miserable. I refuse to forget the Bad Old Days, if the Leafs did anything but win the cup the attitude would be equally negative, I can't imagine how pissed off everyone would be if they lost in the finals.

agree with all of this as you might expect. the ruining my ability to enjoy hockey is mostly about thinking the Leafs are better than the Oilers, as well as lots of the other teams that they never get further than in the playoffs

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Sennecke measured 6’2.75”

If Lindstrom is gone I think the Habs take him

[sutterfamily]

I'm wondering if the SNES would take Iginla if he's available and their preferred D guy is gone (I legitimately have no idea which one they should draft, anyway).

[Grand Moff Larkin]

I could see that happening, but I also have no idea which d-man they (or any team after Chicago) would pick. Like RHD makes sense in terms of their depth chart, so Parekh or Yakemchuk, but I personally like Buium the most after Levshunov and I’d just take the best one.

Shruggie emoji

[sutterfamily]

Yep, drafting for handedness makes sense if you think they're about the same upside player but if you're not tie-breaking then eff it, BPA

[Grand Moff Larkin]

Laine and the Beej are working on a trade, at 8.7 the acquisition cost should be pretty low I'd imagine.