As a Habs fan I'm certainly looking forward to the season, just as Arizona fans must be. With the recent trade I will be paying much closer attention to the Yotes season. Myself as well as many other Habs fans are wondering how Galchenyuk will perform as a full time center. I think thirty goals and sixty points is a reasonable expectation. He is a streaky player tho. Seems to lose interest at times. I heard Bergevin say Domi will be used primarily as a winger, which he seems best suited for. Should be an interesting draft also. Lets hope this deal was just the beginning

AHL success doesn’t mean a god damn thing Jimmy. Look at the list of AHL mvp’s and all stars over the years and there is a whole lot of nhl nobodies.

James I love your dedication to Phoenix but the last trade with Montreal was an exchange of losers. Both players have talent but both players can not play defence. They lack consistent effort and appear happy to take their money and mail in their work effort with the odd spark when they get the puck. On today’s comment Strome is not a second line center at this point in time and is another disappointment so far in his career. Just look at Marner on Toronto and compare points, play time and effort

I doubt you could handle it!
- james_tanner1

Dude, you just watered down all your comments and you're still way off. You need much more than a good 42 game stretch to be one of the best goalies in the league, I mean come on. "One of the best bluelines in the league" is not what you call the 10th best (if that) best blueline.

Having said that, I can appreciate your biased, way over the top commitment to your team. I'm like that too sometimes.

I’m being a bit Penguin-centric, but Cole would be a good get for them.
- Rinosaur

At least get your facts right! #factchecking

PS. In the last 41 games of the year, Raanta was 8th in SP and 9th in GAA. Not enough to be one of the best goalies in the league. Surprised you didn't check... prob should have!

here's a "click" for your pocket book and the new furniture.

Buddy, it's all about context. I was responding to a post saying he had only a few points in however many games. I was just pointing out that he did have success at the end of the year. I wasn't telling you how much to weight it.
- james_tanner1

Sure it's about context. And you responded to someone mentioning Strome's 9 pts in 21 games by saying, "Oh but he got 8 of those in his last 10! So he's gonna be a superstar!"

Players go on stretches of good and bad play. That is why you look at the whole picture, which you as a stats guy that loves larger sample sizes, should understand. That good and bad play evens out over a full season. Which you yourself have pointed out to others on multiple occasions. I especially remember you saying things like this when talking about hot goalies.

It's possible he just totally figured things out during that last 10 games, but it's also possible he was just in a groove and getting the bounces and his actual play is somewhere in the middle (between that great stretch and the games before).

As a Leafs fan that has to constantly listen to broadcasters that seem to hate my team, I do admit to admiring your enthusiasm for the team you are writing about. Hopefully Strome really does turn into a star.

At least get your facts right! #factchecking

PS. In the last 41 games of the year, Raanta was 8th in SP and 9th in GAA. Not enough to be one of the best goalies in the league. Surprised you didn't check... prob should have!
- Steve32

Um... did you respond to the wrong post? lol

I doubt you could handle it!
- james_tanner1

1) Hjarmalsson + Chycrun do NOT equal Subban + Josi. This is a silly comparison.

2) Raanta is NOT one of the best goalies in the league.

3) Had the Coyotes played 82 games the way they did the last 41, they would have had 94 points NOT 96 points and would NOT have made the playoffs

4) The Yotes do NOT have one of the best bluelines in hockey. What a ridiculous thing to say.

5) The Yotes are NOT a secret contender. Lol omg.

6) What are you SMOKING because I would love some!
- Steve32

Raanta is one of the best goalies (top 10) in the league. Rangers didn't have the balls to trade away Lunqvist instead of him, but it's simply true.

Raanta is one of the best goalies (top 10) in the league. Rangers didn't have the balls to trade away Lunqvist instead of him, but it's simply true.
- DutchSenators

- MikeBabcock

We can have a discussion again after this year. But most of the people here can only respond with emoticons

Raanta is one of the best goalies (top 10) in the league. Rangers didn't have the balls to trade away Lunqvist instead of him, but it's simply true.
- DutchSenators

More like; Lundqvist didn't have the balls to waive his NMC...

I doubt you could handle it!
- james_tanner1

What do you mean exactly with "Where an expansion team almost won the cup"? Im honestly curious. Does it mean that the league have big parity? That the expansion was heavily favoured?

If someone told me that a MLB expansion team (a sport/league i know absolutely nothing about) almost won the cup their first season, my first thought would be that the league sucks.

James Tanner: Coyotes Not Rebuilding Anymore (Secretly Contenders)
- james_tanner1

After reading this dudes posts and replies it seems to me that EK has a troll on staff.. not a very good one.. but a troll all the same

Galchenyuk a center ? 3 thing you need to have to be a good center

1. Good positioning... Galchy suck

2. Be good in Faceoffs...Galchy suck

3. have a descent defence...Galchy suck

really good hands and quickness but soft on the board, no heart and problems out of the ice...

if you guys think MB trade him just for trading... he have good reasons to do so... wish him the best in Arizona... still a young player and have room to improve but after 6 full years in NHL it was time to move on for MTL...

Domi is not a perfect player i know that but he's a hard worker and only play 3 years in NHL, have sign back for 2 years at 3.15M cap hit and after RFA, Galchy 4.9 for 2 years and UFA after... MTL loose skillz but they will get some back with the draft

i don'T think it's a bad trade for us like almost everyone is thinking

Time will tell
- Zo0by

It's a bad trade. Montreal needs centers, they traded one away. Montreal needs scoring, they traded the better scorer away.

Goals last three years
Domi - 36
Galchenyuk - 66

Click-bait troll blog

ya, 'slowest d in the league' , terrible contract for Oshie, etc.. etc...
the sky was falling in Oct.
- Liger4

Well, to be totally honest, the Oshie contract does suck, based solely on the term.

Now, losing 20 games is terrible, but it's also not something you could do if you tried. It's a complete fluke in that no team is THAT bad.
- james_tanner1

Then every team was terrible last year because they all lost more than 20 games.

Now, losing 20 games in a row would be terrible, but luckily, no team lost 20 games in a row last year. The longest losing streak in NHL history was 17 set by the 74/75 Capitals and 92/93 Sharks.

So I agree, it's not something you could do if you tried, much like Buffalo did a few years back.

James Tanner: Coyotes Not Rebuilding Anymore (Secretly Contenders)
- james_tanner1

Yeah Alex Galchensuk really put them over Vegas, L.A. and San Jose.

What do you mean exactly with "Where an expansion team almost won the cup"? Im honestly curious. Does it mean that the league have big parity? That the expansion was heavily favoured?

If someone told me that a MLB expansion team (a sport/league i know absolutely nothing about) almost won the cup their first season, my first thought would be that the league sucks.
- Cloud

Parity. The Predators, Jets, Leafs, Penguins and maybe Columbus and Boston are all pretty much locks for the Playoffs. Ottawa and Detroit will be terrible. You can flip a coin for pretty much every other team in the league to make the playoffs (and at least two of the favorites will miss the playoffs too). The NHL's salary cap and points system makes it coin flip league. So my overall point was that the Coyotes, playing as a borderline playoff team for half a season, are in good position. You can compare the roster to the Knights and I'd take the Coyotes.

After reading this dudes posts and replies it seems to me that EK has a troll on staff.. not a very good one.. but a troll all the same
- Kaden

I love the idea that anyone who thinks things through and comes to a conclusion different than what the straight-down-the-middle-afraid-to-have-an-opinion mainstream hockey press is a "troll."

Parity. The Predators, Jets, Leafs, Penguins and maybe Columbus and Boston are all pretty much locks for the Playoffs. Ottawa and Detroit will be terrible. You can flip a coin for pretty much every other team in the league to make the playoffs (and at least two of the favorites will miss the playoffs too). The NHL's salary cap and points system makes it coin flip league. So my overall point was that the Coyotes, playing as a borderline playoff team for half a season, are in good position. You can compare the roster to the Knights and I'd take the Coyotes.
- james_tanner1

Oh great, probably a top 10 pick now.

LOL - bet money if you think they are contenders