NHL 16-17 Season Official Thread <3 - Page 63 - Sporting Events and Fantasy Sports

it would be interesting anyway
has anyone experimented with no offsides in soccer recently?

i imagine endurance would become even more of a factor
would be fairly end-to-end, with huge amounts of space in the midfield
bad teams would just drop super deep and bunker down though
would be way more grate sweeper keeper plays too

i guess the thing that some people don't realize is the number of scoring chances and goals that come from failed offside trap plays in soccer, and how it can be easier to score vs that than a bunkered down 11

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02-17-2017 , 06:16 PM

#1552

Henrik Sedin

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http://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to...-is-1.10056644

Quote:

Donald Trump wasn’t the only person to have a terrifying interaction with the media on Thursday. [...] Jim Benning’s interview on TSN 1040 also raises questions about whether he is a competent leader.

The moment in the interview that left me flabbergasted comes at 8:38. Blake Price asks Benning, “Would you agree that it is still a seller’s market?”

There is a long awkward pause, then Benning says, “Well, the problem is there’s not a lot of teams selling right now.”

Yes, Jim. That is the definition of a seller’s market.

Jim Benning, the General Manager of an NHL franchise worth an estimated $700 million, apparently doesn’t know what a seller’s market is.

You have the supply, meager though it may be. The other teams in the NHL, the ones that are actually good and in the playoffs or at least in the hunt, they have the demand. With so few teams selling, there’s more demand than there is supply. It’s a seller’s market! This isn’t complicated!

It’s almost as if a team that was aware of this could take advantage of it and drive up the price of their tradeable assets. But that’s crazy talk: why should the General Manager of a hockey team be aware of the basic principle of supply and demand?

and hilariously, it's a ban-worthy offense on some forums to question or mock Benning's intelligence. almost certain it is on HF, maybe reddit too, and i would assume on canucksdotcom. pretty sure i've seen that it more than one place, but i think it's a totally legitimate question given that he looks and sounds like a mentally ******ed person. like seriously, what the hell is wrong with him? that boy ain't right

Quote:

It’s a moment full of Curb Your Enthusiasm-level cringe, but it’s not the only moment in the interview that left me shaking my head.

According to Benning, the Canucks are going to be using every game possible to evaluate where they’re at:

“Including tonight’s game we’ve got five more games before the trade deadline, so I think we still have some time. We want to see where we’re at going into the deadline and then, like I’ve said all year, we’ll talk to players and find out what their thoughts are and go from there.”

First of all, that’s not what you’ve said all year. What you said earlier this season was that you wouldn’t trade players with no-trade clauses. Not even that you wouldn’t ask them to waive them or discuss it with the players and let them make the decision, but that you simply wouldn’t trade them.

Sure, you’ve backtracked on that since, but don’t pretend like you’ve been saying the same thing all year.

Second of all, do you really need those five games to evaluate where the Canucks are at? You've had 58 games to evaluate this team! Guess what? They're not very good! Even if the Canucks made up ground in the playoff race heading into the trade deadline, that wouldn't change the fact that they're not very good. The Canucks could win their next four games and it wouldn't change the fact that they're not very good.

Are the Canucks seriously going to make the choice of whether to be a seller at the trade deadline based on five games? Have they seen this team? They're not making the playoffs and even if they do by some miracle, they'll get slaughtered in the first round. This is readily apparent to even the most optimistic homer.

all completely standard

there is no real long-term plan here, just some uberdonks yoloing their asses off

Quote:

Next, Price asks a question about the expansion draft and whether there’s market out there for players that are eligible to be exposed, using Matt Bartkowski signing with the Calgary Flames as an example. Benning responded:

“We’re covered, all of our players have played the games to meet the criteria for the expansion process. We haven’t gone through it too much with the other teams. That’s an exercise that we’ll do at the end of the year going into the expansion draft, where I think you’ll see a lot of trades being made for those specific reasons. But we’re more concentrated on the trade deadline and just trying to figure out if there’s teams that might have a surplus of wingers and maybe we have some depth on defence that it’s a match, so we can improve our team here for the long term.”

First off, the Canucks concerns when it comes to the expansion draft shouldn’t have anything to do with being “covered.” It’s about who they’re going to have to expose. They’re not going to be able to protect Brandon Sutter, Jannik Hansen, Sven Baertschi, and Markus Granlund.

That speaks to the second issue: they have to be thinking about this now, heading into the trade deadline. It is inexcusable to wait until the end of the season to worry about the expansion draft, when that may be too late. If they determine that they need to trade Jannik Hansen or risk losing him to Las Vegas, they’ll likely get significantly better value in a trade now, as teams load up for the playoffs, than in the off-season.

But this has been a constant refrain of this management group: an inability to focus on more than one thing at a time.

Next, Benning was asked if he’d talked to any of the Canucks about the trade deadline. He hasn’t.

standard

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The interview eventually gets on safer ground for Benning: scouting. Benning went to Europe on a scouting trip and as soon as he starts talking about prospects he immediately sounds more confident and self-assured. It’s almost like he should be a scout or possibly in charge of scouting instead of the GM.

something i've been saying forever

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02-17-2017 , 06:20 PM

#1553

sylar

Ivan Drago's homeslice

Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 20,307

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henrik Sedin

http://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to...-is-1.10056644

and hilariously, it's a ban-worthy offense on some forums to question or mock Benning's intelligence. almost certain it is on HF, maybe reddit too, and i would assume on canucksdotcom. pretty sure i've seen that it more than one place, but i think it's a totally legitimate question given that he looks and sounds like a mentally ******ed person. like seriously, what the hell is wrong with him? that boy ain't right

all completely standard

there is no real long-term plan here, just some uberdonks yoloing their asses off

standard

something i've been saying forever

I definitely blame Canada for trump

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02-17-2017 , 06:35 PM

#1554

tchaz

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Henrik Sedin

probably POG

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02-17-2017 , 06:46 PM

#1555

royalblue

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I watched some Bruins 2011 highlights recently and at some point the camera went to the front office box with the commentator going like "what a great job these guys are doing... Peter Chiarelli, Cam Neely, Jim Benning...". Five years later and they're all ruining their own NHL franchise. Bruins fans should consider themselves lucky that these clowns somehow kept a good team together for several years before actively destroying it

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02-18-2017 , 04:40 AM

#1556

NhlNut

KANGZ

Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 18,235

Fla gets 2 top forwards back and look like a real team. In a crap division, where they might not face a good team until the 3rd round of the playoffs. Cap space to make a move or 2 at the deadline.
Odds to win the East

Spoiler:

To win Cup

Spoiler:

youneverknow

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02-18-2017 , 02:52 PM

#1557

forssell

old hand

Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,864

I´d be happy to get some of that.

Haha lmao at the few sellers, wtg Benning.

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02-18-2017 , 03:27 PM

#1558

rafiki

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Quote:

Originally Posted by NhlNut

Spoiler:

To win Cup

Spoiler:

youneverknow

Real tough schedule though. But yeah they look good.

Quote

02-18-2017 , 04:16 PM

#1559

housenuts

1st Quartiled the 500

Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 51,683

jesus beaulieu you hack

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02-18-2017 , 04:51 PM

#1560

Everlastrr

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Why is Bob Cole doing all Habs games at the end of his career? Did the Leafs steal Danny Gallivan at the end of his career? I don't think so. How about you take Paul Romanuk (aka Mr Spengler) for a while? tyvm

Also this shows the Chief obv drummed up a plan to smoke out Therrien.

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02-18-2017 , 05:08 PM

#1561

El Rata

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has julien lost the room?

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02-18-2017 , 05:15 PM

#1562

Hammerhands

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 5,402

The radio guy here is calling your player "Boy Lou".

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02-18-2017 , 05:18 PM

#1563

72off

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Quote:

Originally Posted by El Rata

has julien lost the room?

maybe the Habs just aren't good

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02-18-2017 , 05:27 PM

#1564

housenuts

1st Quartiled the 500

Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 51,683

Maybe no teams are after the stupid reading break

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02-18-2017 , 05:49 PM

#1565

72off

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ya well that dum narrative is countered by "teams who fired their coach are unbeatable"

so mebbe the Habs just aren't good

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02-18-2017 , 08:52 PM

#1566

forssell

old hand

Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,864

Dear lord no idea how the Oilers escaped that period, total domination by Chicago.

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02-18-2017 , 09:20 PM

#1567

72off

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Quote:

Originally Posted by forssell

Dear lord no idea how the Oilers escaped that period, total domination by Chicago.

EVERYTHING COMING UP BENNING!!!

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02-18-2017 , 11:35 PM

#1568

BMOL33

adept

Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 722

Quote:

Originally Posted by NhlNut

Spoiler:

To win Cup

Spoiler:

youneverknow

That division just is awful. Right now if you're Columbus or the Rangers you really shouldn't be all that heartbroken if you get that 2nd wilcard. That changes fast though if somehow Tampa or Florida or even both manage to get in. I wouldn't be scared of Boston Ottawa or Montreal this year but those other two if they are playing after April 10th are likely going in on fire and their rosters IMO are better than those other three in that division. Regardless, whoever comes out of that other division really has to hope Pittsburgh and Washington beat each other up badly in the semis. I don't even think one going out in round 1 is good because the other may make it to the ECF relatively fresh in that case.

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02-19-2017 , 04:57 AM

#1569

NhlNut

KANGZ

Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 18,235

Noticed that some places have odds to win the Atlantic division posted. See Fla anywhere from 12/1 to 20/1. Getting Barkov and Huberdeau back is just huge for them.

Quote

02-19-2017 , 06:04 AM

#1570

Kclclclclfhg

grinder

Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 670

Barkov will have won >2 Selkes and a Lady Byng by the time he retires

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02-19-2017 , 09:34 PM

#1571

Everlastrr

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Don't think it's quite unbelievable, but it's probably good.

Last edited by Everlastrr; 02-19-2017 at 09:39 PM.

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02-20-2017 , 07:00 AM

#1572

rafiki

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I love how winning the Atlantic is now the worst thing you can do for your 1st round matchup. Kind of funny.

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02-20-2017 , 09:28 AM

#1573

mosdef

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Quote:

Originally Posted by rafiki

I love how winning the Atlantic is now the worst thing you can do for your 1st round matchup. Kind of funny.

This kind of thing is inevitable when you have a convoluted playoff qualification system. You can't avoid it unless you're willing to do something like put all the teams in each conference in one division, and the 8 teams with the most points make the playoffs with the obvious match-ups 1-8, 2-7, etc.