2006/2007 Hockey Season Thread

[grind your soul]

I think that either Toronto needs better defense(I didn't think they were that terrible, just very slow), or a #1 that can handle making the big saves.

Yeah, I know, 37 wins 37 wins!!! He played 72 games because there is no back up in toronto, IIRC you traded that opportunity away in Rask. But he essentially went 37-34 (37-25-9), which as a #1 really isn't #1 numbers in my opinion. While things in Montreal wern't much better, Raycroft also had a 2.99 GAA which compared to the other goalies who played 70+ games puts him way at the back of that pack with the closest being Mikka at 2.46. While only a half goal per game, over 70 games, that starts to add up in close games. A .894 save percentage isn't that spectacular either. Again out of the goalies that played 70+ games he's at the back of the pack as the only one under .900. But then again those goalies were Mikka, Miller, Luongo, Brodeur and Lundqvist. And I don't think that Raycroft is really at that level to be competing with them. If you compare him to the league, at 2.99 GAA that's 32nd out of 44 goalies who played at least 25 games. For a team who leans on their goalie for 72 games, there's going to be high expectations, and numbers like that don't cut it. His Save %age would put him 37/44. So statistically he's a very meh goalie.

Then again, he also had to play 72 games and he wasn't able to do so. I think toronto either needs a solid #1 or another good goalie who can split the load with Raycroft so he's only playing 40 games or so.

[Toe]

Just saw an interview with Ferguson Jr. on the Score, and it sounded like he does not want to move either Kubina or McCabe. I also found out through that interview that Kubina also has a no-trade clause. Almost half the team has one of those stupid things!

Tuuka Rask was deemed expendable because of Justin Pogge. Pogge had a rough year last season on a Marlies team that was pretty shitty, but near the end of the season was looking better and better. Depending on who the Leafs bring in to back-up / replace Raycroft, Pogge could have a shot out of training camp to steal the back-up job.

[Clawson]

POGGE POGGE POGGE!!!

[SeanDMan]

Michael Lansberg jokingly suggested that Kubina should be sent to the Marlies. It seems silly, but it would take him off the books for this year (his last contract year?) which would give the Leafs lots of room to get a backup goalie, another good defensemen, and a second line winger. Everyone wants to play for Toronto but Toronto doesn't really have the space. If you sent down Kubina, though, you'd get his contract space and that would be a great thing. Plus, the Marlies sucked, and could really use some help on the blue line anyway. Win win for everyone. Except Kubina.

[Clawson]

Hes got three years left and fuck I wish people would stop raging on Kubina. Sure he was overpaid but almost all UFAs are and he wasn't that bad, it's just the media needs a foreign defencemen to rag on and Kabby is too damn good to be the one.

[Toe]

Kubina was injured a lot. When he was playing, he looked good defensively for the most part and he was very strong. Of course, being paired with Kaberle at the end of the season allowed Kubina to start showing his offensive abilities as well.

[SeanDMan]

I had no idea Kubina had such a long deal, but then I don't follow Toronto as closely as the teams I don't actively despise. I also didn't really say I thought it was a good idea, but it's not one without merit; no matter how good Kubina is he'll never have the defensive stopping power of Hal Gill, Bryan McCabes offensive talents, or Tomas Kaberle's whatever it is that people love. He'll always be a number two defensemen at everything he does, and the Leafs could save a ton of cap room bringing up a Wozniewski or Harrison to come in and play on their third defense pair.

[Toe]

Keenan getting new job?

It sounds like Calgary may be signing Mike Keenan on as their head coach now.

[oldskool]

Wasn't JS Aubin the one Toronto nearly rode into the playoffs in 06? Why the Aubin hate all of a sudden?

[Toe]

Aubin was very shakey and inconsistent last season, which is why Andrew Raycroft was leaned upon to play more then 70 games in a season.

[oldskool]

You could argue he was shaky because he was only playing what, 10 games (less because Tellqvist played one before getting traded)?

[Toe]

In training camp and early in the season, Aubin never showed coach Paul Maurice anything that would persuade him to give him more playing time. Not getting into enough games is not an excuse - the players practice for a reason.

[oldskool]

Practice can't accurately simulate real-game settings. You need to play regularly to get that, and getting in about 1/8 of your team's games would make anybody play off their game.

[Toe]

Practice can't accurately simulate real-game settings. You need to play regularly to get that, and getting in about 1/8 of your team's games would make anybody play off their game.

[Gabriel]

In regards to Mike Keenan in Calgary... it was inevitable that Playfair would be gone from behind the bench. He did fine, but fine isn't going to win a Stanley Cup. Mike Keenan coaches a style of hockey tailor-made for what the Calgary Flames bring to the ice, and I think that this should be a hell of a season for us Flames fans coming up.

Edited June 14, 2007 by Gabriel Byrne

[SeanDMan]

If every coach who doesn't win a Stanley Cup would get fired after his first year...

[Gabriel]

If every coach who doesn't win a Stanley Cup would get fired after his first year...

[Toe]

From day one though, even with Sutter out of the coaching position, it was still Sutter's team. Will that work with Mike Keenan? I don't see him just rolling over and doing whatever Sutter wants, and I am unsure whether Keenan would stick with the same defensive scheme.

[Gabriel]

From day one though, even with Sutter out of the coaching position, it was still Sutter's team. Will that work with Mike Keenan? I don't see him just rolling over and doing whatever Sutter wants, and I am unsure whether Keenan would stick with the same defensive scheme.

[Toe]

The Blue Jackets finally named someone to become the GM of the team just a week before the NHL draft. Scott Howson will be filling the hole made when the team fired Doug MacLean, who had been the teams original general manager. Howson, if I remember correctly, was an assistant general manager with the Edmonton Oilers.

The Montreal Canadiens resigned Chris Higgins and Mike Komisarek to two year deals each.