**** Official 2024-25 NHL Thread ****
 

PBJ

The Sphere is cool.

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<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:500px" data-embed-height="740"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/1dqzyfs/some_pics_from_the_draft_awesome_job_so_far_nhl/">Some pics from the draft. Awesome job so far NHL. </a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/majessa/">u/majessa</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/">hockey</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>

Why the Flyers don't just go all in for goalie is beyond me.

It’s the Leafs’ year.

Who were the best draft picks?

....and Lil Bronny is scoring 30 PPG

Interesting to watch the transition from the mid-late 90s dynasties being in it every year to a few completely random Finals, then to the Penguins/Blackhawks/Kings years, etc.

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This is just awful.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew have died in what the team called an &quot;unimaginable tragedy.&quot; <br><br>More: <a href="https://t.co/nJq6gw2vLd">https://t.co/nJq6gw2vLd</a> <a href="https://t.co/mjJ6TE4ieP">pic.twitter.com/mjJ6TE4ieP</a></p>&mdash; ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1829492891502170590?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Just saw that, damn.

Just devastating. Killed alongside his brother by a drunk driver on the weekend of their sisters wedding. Just a few years after losing their goalie in a fireworks accident. That locker room has got to be an emotional wreck.

Holy shit, that's awful.

Apparently the driver that him was drinking.

Just horrible.

Wow. That poor family. This is one of the most horrific stories you can read.looks like the wedding was supposed to be today. I can’t even imagine. :(

Damn, that's a prison love story come to life.

RIP Johnny Hockey.

Just devastating news....

Last night around 10 it started getting around Twitter that the local Medical examiner had texted to his group chat that he'd examined the bodies, etc...

The ME's notes were floating around. I woke up this morning and it hadn't been confirmed yet so you just kinda hope it's a bad hoax.

Sadly, not so. Rough story for sure.

Ugh - hit them while trying to pass a guy on the shoulder.

Cosby once had a skit where he essentially said "If Alcohol intensifies your personality...what if you're an asshole?"

Because man, if you're a drunk that's passing people on the shoulder when they try to make room for cyclists, A) It ain't your first time drunk behind the wheel and B) You were already a pretty monumental prick.

That sucks so bad for the family and the hockey community as it was such a preventable situation. They weren’t doing anything ridiculously dangerous or careless. They were just riding bikes in a bike lane/shoulder and because of someone drinking and driving despite the laws against it, two people lost their lives tragically on the week of their sister’s wedding.

As soon as I had kids, these stories hit differently.

I immediately imagine that being my boys. Makes you sick to your stomach.

Just awful.

I hate aggressive drivers that have no patience. You're going to lose your shit because you get to your destination 30 seconds later.

Police say 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, of Woodstown, New Jersey, was traveling north on County Route 551 in a Jeep Grand Cherokee when he allegedly attempted to pass a slower-moving sedan and SUV.

Police say Higgins entered the southbound lanes of the roadway and passed the sedan.

When he attempted to reenter the northbound lanes, police say the SUV in front of him moved into the middle of the roadway, splitting the north and south lanes in order to safely pass two bicyclists on the right side of the road.

Higgins then attempted to pass the SUV on the right and struck the Gaudreau brothers from behind, troopers said.

The Gaudreau brothers died from their injuries, according to state police.

According to the police affidavit, the trooper who arrived on the scene detected a "strong odor of alcohol," and Higgins allegedly told the trooper he had consumed "five to six beers" before the crash.

Higgins allegedly told investigators that he thought the driver of the SUV was trying to stop him from passing. Higgins told investigators that his consumption of alcohol contributed to his impatience and reckless driving, according to the criminal complaint.

The trooper also said Higgins then failed a field sobriety test.

Higgins has been charged with two counts of death by auto, state police said.

Bullet in the head

Being an asshole already is dumb. Being a drunk driver is moronic. It’s preventable. Hope the book gets thrown at Higgins.

Man, when I was a kid I had a great uncle who died because he went over a pothole and shattered his helmet which led to complications causing his death. I didn’t learn to bike until I was 10 (this was when I was 8) and very rarely bike now. I don’t really feel comfortable biking unless it’s in like a park or an area where there isn’t a chance for idiots to hit me. You can do everything right and still get the wrong result.

RIP Johnny Gaudreau. Every/most every Flames fan I know still loves him.

Same here. Makes this story many orders of magnitude worse. He had two young boys under two years old whose lives will never be the same.

Not to mention his wife, and his sister who was about to get married. My mind goes directly to his kids. Tragic.

I’ve lived in Calgary for 25 years and I’ve never experienced anything like the collective sadness that has fallen over this city in the last three days.

We have all lost a second (and third) son.

Johnny’s entire family became part of our community when he was here. We knew his parents, Guy and Jane, as well as we knew him. They were always coming to games and they were such a presence, even though they lived on the other side of the continent in another country.

The only thing I can think to compare it to in KC sports is the death of Derrick Thomas.

Don’t drink and drive, FFS.

Also, and I don't know why this even has to be said, DON'T PASS ON THE SHOULDER, MORONS.

Altitude TV is giving up the fight with Comcast it seems. They're launching a direct streaming service for all of the games that they carry (but not Avs games from national networks). In addition, they'll broadcast 20 games OTA. It's not perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than where we've been.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Altitude To Offer New Streaming App and Locally Broadcasted Games on <a href="https://twitter.com/9NEWS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@9NEWS</a> and KTVD20<br><br>➡️ <a href="https://t.co/0e4wsy2pc2">https://t.co/0e4wsy2pc2</a> <a href="https://t.co/FST8B0kkrF">pic.twitter.com/FST8B0kkrF</a></p>&mdash; AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/AltitudeTV/status/1839288830442222045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Unfortunately, broadcasting rights are always a mess with this, so the streaming service will be geographically restricted. Still, I THINK all of you who aren't local can still watch on ESPN+.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Unfortunately it looks as though you need to be within this territory. <br><br>Like you said though, a big win for local fans <a href="https://t.co/KoE9xVKZAk">pic.twitter.com/KoE9xVKZAk</a></p>&mdash; Jesse Montano (@jessemontano_) <a href="https://twitter.com/jessemontano_/status/1839292272401330199?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Blues win the NHL opener. Jordan Kyrou played liked his talent says he should

After MNF and the Royals, kind of forgot that was today, heh.

Weird being out on the Lake listening to a hockey game when it's 80 degrees out lol

Only the NHL would have its season opener in the middle of the afternoon on a week day

And Broberg scored his first as a Note (with an assist from Holloway).

Buch couldn't buy a goal and I'm more convinced each day that Parayko is just a white Bryce Salvador, but a win is a win. Nice little road victory to start the season.

It was technically last Friday/Saturday with the Global Series, which makes it even more confusing when every other team still has a few preseason games left to play (and their own app couldn't even differentiate between those games being regular season and others being preseason).

I honestly had no idea those Global Series games happened until you brought it up just now, which may also speak to an issue in itself in terms of marketing and fan awareness.

If a sports fan as big as me who has played hockey his entire life isn’t aware when your league is starting, that’s a problem.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">can’t wait for the leafs to win the presidents trophy, face an 89 point boston team in round one, and still lose in 7</p>&mdash; dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/domluszczyszyn/status/1843830415259513100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sounds prescient

Who could have guess the Knights would get dominated for over half a period and then luck into some shit bad angle shot.... I'm shocked.

Soooo to my Avs buddies in the house!!..wanna talk about what just happened in this game tonight? :evil:

BTW this is no surprise tbh because we're usually a nightmare to deal with on opening night. Especially in vegas. We've literally had a rebuild over the offseason with several coming in and many veterans leaving us so I am a little surprised by the performance. Marchy, Amadio, Stevenson, Carrier etc. Key guys who helped us win a championship. All gone. We signed some decent wingers in Olofsson (who bagged two tonight), Holtz, Pearson and Schwindt. So we're a younger team now and the scary thing is one of our elite center's (Karlsson) wasn't even playing tonight. So when he comes back our spine down the middle with Eichel, Hertl, Karlsson and Roy could be hell to deal with.

Got to clean a few things up defensively but all in all that was a statement win tonight imo. Our top two lines got six goals and eight assists. It was just too much for the Avs to handle but no doubt the Avs will be a tough team this year.

Yeah, looks like they really got their asses kicked after looking good for all of about 12 minutes.

At least we can all agree the Leafs losing is good for the world.

I like to post this every year just for reference:

Opening Odds to win 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Final

https://www.vegasinsider.com/nhl/odds/futures/

1. Florida Panthers +900
2. Carolina Hurricanes +950
3. Colorado Avalanche +950
4. Dallas Stars +1000
5. Edmonton Oilers +1000
6. Vegas Golden Knights +1100
7. New Jersey Devils +1300
8. New York Rangers +1300
9. Toronto Maple Leafs +1400
10. Los Angeles Kings +1800
11. Vancouver Canucks +1900
12. Tampa Bay Lightning +1900
13. Winnipeg Jets +2100
14. Boston Bruins +2300
15. Nashville Predators +3100
16. Minnesota Wild +3100
17. Ottawa Senators +3200
18. New York Islanders +4200
19. St. Louis Blues +4200
20. Pittsburgh Penguins +4300
21. Philadelphia Flyers +5500
22. Buffalo Sabres +5500
23. Detroit Red Wings +5500
24. Calgary Flames +6000
25. Seattle Kraken +8000
26. Utah Hockey Club +10000
27. Washington Capitals +17000
28. Montreal Canadiens +17000
29. Chicago Blackhawks +30000
30. Columbus Blue Jackets +30000
31. San Jose Sharks +30000
32. Anaheim Ducks +30000

We were clinical and tbh both of your goalies weren't good Bearcat. Still too early to make a real assessment though.

Feels like 5 teams plus maybe Boston (if the goalie goes unconscious) that are playing for the Cup this year.

Seems more top heavy than most seasons.

The Avalance have such huge question marks with Nichushkin and Landeskog... they have to account for both salaries since they expect Landy to be back fairly soon, but who the hell knows how all that plays out.

One hasn't played in two plus seasons and the other could take a hooker and fifth of bourbon back to his hotel room during the playoffs...

https://y.yarn.co/5d57c04b-454a-4190...42e5c_text.gif

I kindof assumed the 'lance had just written Nichuskin off altogether.

But I guess if you have to carry the salary either way, there's nothing hurt by hoping he returns.

As for Landeskog - man it's been awhile. And he's what, 32 now? He's approaching that veteran decline stage anyway and has so much rust. I think you maybe just hope to get flashes from him here and there. If you're lucky, you get it when they matter most.

But I think you have to look at both of those guys combined and figure that if they can get you 50 points this year between them, that's a win.

Yeah, they're both signed through 2029 and AFAIK there isn't shit the Avalanche can do about Nichushkin's contract unless I'm guessing he gets kicked out of the league.. or unless some team really wants him while the Avalanche retain half his salary.

Sucks to think what may have been with both in the lineup the past couple seasons.


(and kudos on the 'lance, heh)

Agree on Landy. Nichushkin should be a solid contributor if he can actually keep from getting suspended, though. Neither situation is ideal, but we'll see how it plays out. Much like the Chiefs, the question is who they'll have in the playoffs - not October.

Oh wow - you have 5 years left on Landeskog? I knew you had Nichuskin for quite awhile still but I figured there were maybe 2 years tops left on Landeskog.

Yeah, that's what, $15 million/season on the cap for another 5 seasons?

Fortunately for Colorado, the league's coming out of the flat cap era so that won't be as crippling as it could've been. Makar's contract still provides some surplus value. MacKinnon is at market but odds are good he'll play to that figure. Rantanen is a FA this offseason though - you might feel those deals then. He's probably looking at a 6 year deal in excess of $12 million/season. And then THAT deal starts to run into Makar's free agency.

And I don't even know who their goalie is long-term. I can't imagine they'll break in a young guy when they're in the middle of cup window. If you sign Mikko you'll almost have to trade for a goalie and that's probably going to be a guy making in the $6-8 million/season range, no? I almost wonder if they won't at least make a call on Binnington at that point.

Hell, at that point, do you have enough space to actually ice a complete roster? I wonder if they have any choice but run Annunen out there more this season and hope he runs with the job. So then they can pay HIM the following season.

Yeah - you guys are fine now, but in a couple seasons that's gonna create some headaches isn't it?

It depends on what happens with them. If Landy can actually play but isn't very good, you're right that it would be pretty painful. If he just can't play through the injury (which is still a possibility) and just stays on LTIR every year or retires, he gets the cash but doesn't count against the cap.

Same deal with Nichushkin (kind of). If he can't stay clean, he won't be on the roster and won't count against the cap. If he can, then presumably he should be as good as we thought he would be (unless it was something like painkillers helping him to play better).

So in short, they'll cost Kroenke a lot of money either way, but the cap issue shouldn't be so bad unless they CAN play but play POORLY.

One of the more bizarre things one could be known for.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ivan Ivan&#39;s officially into the history books books! ���� <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLFaceOff?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLFaceOff</a> <a href="https://t.co/VUArauP2Vg">pic.twitter.com/VUArauP2Vg</a></p>&mdash; NHL (@NHL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1844202641770893581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

For what it's worth, his name is technically pronounced EE-vahn EE-vahn, but he likes the "nickname" EYE-vun EYE-vun. So weird.

And I feel like Landeskog would retire before he spends significant time playing at a 4th line or worse level.

Nichushkin is probably a far bigger risk of playing like ass (or being suspended again) and not being able to move him (not that I expect him to play like ass).

Random note on interesting names... I wish Kaapo Kakko was on the Avalanche so I could yell his name when he scores a goal... because it's just fun to yell Kaapo Kakko!!

Avs were missing 3 of their top 6 forwards, so....

"We have Kaapo Kakko at home..."


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We have claimed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. <a href="https://t.co/Bei2wynxCn">pic.twitter.com/Bei2wynxCn</a></p>&mdash; Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) <a href="https://twitter.com/Avalanche/status/1844807677244784661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

At this point, .900 would be nice.

So far this season, the Avs goalies are a combined .629. Yikes.

If you're gonna FAFO, might want to double check if there are any former NHL players around...

https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/fo...ale-restaurant

<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:500px" data-embed-height="740"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/sports/comments/1h0jr4l/paul_bissonette_explains_his_side_of_the_brawl/">Paul Bissonette explains his side of the brawl</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Firecracker048/">u/Firecracker048</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/sports/">sports</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>

<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:500px" data-embed-height="740"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/hockeymemes/comments/1hp5gns/he_already_knows_what_its_like_to_be_a_leafs_fan/">He already knows what it’s like to be a Leafs fan… </a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Grizzly-Berry/">u/Grizzly-Berry</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/hockeymemes/">hockeymemes</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>

Now they need to show a baby receiving a Sabres and Canucks jersey.

Well shit. I didn't see this coming at all.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyFaceoff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DailyFaceoff</a> that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoAvsGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoAvsGo</a> are in the process of trading Mikko Rantanen to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canes?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canes</a>.<br><br>Sounds like this is a complex three-way deal and I believe Taylor Hall is also involved in the deal going to Carolina from Chicago.</p>— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) <a href="https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1882960100199194880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wow, guess the story is he wasn't ****ing around wanting $14mm/yr and the Avalanche said no.... didn't see that coming.

Wow...

Knew it was a possibility after the season if Mikko didn't budge a bit on the numbers, but wow. Sure didn't see a midseason trade coming. Kind of an end to an era.

Canada is coming for that Four Nations title.

US/Canada with 3 fights in the first 10 seconds LMAO

Old time freaking hockey, love it!! That was wild, like a scene out of Slap Shot!

Better save some of these for the final next week

Why didn't the Chiefs play with this much passion last week?

Mcdavid is ridiculous

Championship fatigue per unnamed coach

Binnington definitely shouldn’t be starting for this team

<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:500px" data-embed-height="582"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/hockeymemes/comments/1ipeopy/alexa_play_freebird/">Alexa, play Freebird</a><br> by<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/grehgunner/">u/grehgunner</a> in<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/hockeymemes/">hockeymemes</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>

Great game so far. I try to imagine another country in the world someday being better at football than the USA is. That's what Canada has been feeling and is only going to feel more of as years go on unfortunately for them. World Juniors You could argue the USA has passed them

Better comparison would be the world closing the gap on the USA in basketball (which has happened significantly in the past few decades)

Literally only two countries in the world play American football and one is tiny in compared to the others, so the USA will never lose ground on that

This game is fantastic.

Sure. I was just making a point of what it would feel like, not what could happen. Basketball is a fair comparison even though it's not the heart and soul anymore. It definitely is embarrassing when USA basketball loses.

The NHL owners refusing to greenlight games like this for almost a decade was so incredibly stupid and shortsighted

Are the Avs good? Tell me about them. I wish to buy an Avalanche hat and watch a few games a year. That and I like going to Denver.

Nah. You wouldn't like it.

Binnington better not be starting another game

That was a nice snipe by Larkin, but I can see why you're frustrated with Binnington.