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2023-24 NHL Misc. Thread

I'm surprised that Puljujarvi is trying to get back into the NHL this way. I would have thought he would go back to Finland, get comfortable and productive there, and then, assuming he shows he can still play in Finland, he can try to come back to the NHL if he still wants to.

Trying to get back to the NHL via NHL and AHL PTOs seems a tougher way to go. He needs some positive play on tape and for his confidence. He isn't getting that this way.
 
Yeah. I'm also surprised and was also assuming that Puljujarvi would return to Finland to play. Maybe this is his last grasp at the NHL and he's willing to just do whatever for another season.
 
jeffbear said:
Yeah. I'm also surprised and was also assuming that Puljujarvi would return to Finland to play.
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I traded emails with a client in Helsinki yesterday and he was complaining that it was -6 Fahrenheit there. Perhaps that had something to do with it?!
 
HeyKurtz said:
I traded emails with a client in Helsinki yesterday and he was complaining that it was -6 Fahrenheit there. Perhaps that had something to do with it?!
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Wilkes-Barre Scranton is no picnic, but it ain’t -6 all the time either.
 
Well, it starts with incompetent, uneven officiating and just gets worse from there. There are no simple fixes either although it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a commissioner that was slightly less of a puppet

Speaking of officiating ... has anyone noticed the absolute master class in clowning that the refs at the World Juniors have been laying down? Chef's kiss, guys. Epic ineptitude.
 
Blackhawks put Connor Bedard on IR with a broken jaw after taking a hit from Brendan Smith. They also put Nick Foligno on IR with a broken finger. That’s 9 Blackhawks on IR.

www.espn.com

Blackhawks put Bedard on IR with fractured jaw

The Blackhawks have placed rookie forward Connor Bedard on injured reserve with a fractured jaw.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
Another example of why the NHL can't have nice things ... and why the refs feel compelled to protect actual star players.
It's just the kind of league where no-name schmutzes like Brendan Smith feel like it's a good idea to hit guys in the face, because that's how clowns like Smith stick around and continue to get paychecks. Not that there was anything particularly dirty about the hit ... it's the principal of the thing that bothers me.
 
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Dreger says the Leafs are closing in on a 8 year/$92 million extension for William Nylander. It’s the biggest contract in Leafs history in terms of total dollars, but the AAV is lower than Matthews current contract and the extension that kicks in next year.
 
polarbare said:
They're gonna have more than half their money tied up in 4 guys and no goalie. :ROFLMAO:
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Yep, $46.653 million tied up in Matthews, Nylander, Tavares and Marner against a $87.5 million cap. Add in Morgan Rielly’$7.5 million and that’s 62% of the cap tied up in 5 guys. They have 4 goalies signed for next season, only Joseph Woll isn’t on his entry level contract. Dennis Hildeby is the current backup, 1 is in the ECHL, the other is playing in the KHL.
 
Didn't Vegas just win a Cup with some random goalie they got off the scrap pile? St Louis won their Cup with a guy who was about 5th on the depth chart. Expecting goalie play to sort of spontaneously appear IS a way to go.
 
Goaltending is an issue for the Leafs, but so is the other 13 forwards and dmen.

The Leafs get absolutely nothing in terms of goalscoring from their blue line. Reilly has 4 goals, the rest of the Dmen have 4 combined. Their forwards beyond the big 4 are inconsistent.

It's an interesting situation with the hard cap and so many high paid superstars. Nylander is the one who shows up in the playoffs. Not paying him was really not an option. But the "Leafs Tax" seems to be a real thing, they pay premiums for their stars.
 
Nylander’s contract has a full NMC and NTC. Per Friedman, of the $82 million total, $69 million is in signing bonuses and $27 million will be paid in the first 2 years.
 
cmaleski2 said:
Goaltending is an issue for the Leafs, but so is the other 13 forwards and dmen.

The Leafs get absolutely nothing in terms of goalscoring from their blue line. Reilly has 4 goals, the rest of the Dmen have 4 combined. Their forwards beyond the big 4 are inconsistent.

It's an interesting situation with the hard cap and so many high paid superstars. Nylander is the one who shows up in the playoffs. Not paying him was really not an option. But the "Leafs Tax" seems to be a real thing, they pay premiums for their stars.
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Until Tavares and that cap hit is gone it's fugly in Toronto. I still think the imbalance in cap spending amongst the forwards could be easily fixed if they shipped off Marner for a bonafide top pair defenseman moving forward. I agree with CMal that not paying Willie was not really an option. Marner is the guy that disappears in the playoffs far too much for that salary...
 
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