2022-23 NHL Thread

CarltonTheBear · February 01, 2023, 02:21:18 PM

https://twitter.com/markjburns88/status/1620596541739372544

Is this good?

Nik · February 01, 2023, 02:57:24 PM

I don't think too many conclusions should be reached about any one year-to-year shift in ratings but I don't think anyone could deny that the League has some real issues right now.

Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate · February 01, 2023, 04:13:52 PM

They need a new commissioner. New thinking. Talk about a guy way past his expiry date.

Nik · February 01, 2023, 05:26:08 PM

Quote from: Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate on February 01, 2023, 04:13:52 PMThey need a new commissioner. New thinking. Talk about a guy way past his expiry date.

Any new guy "they" get will just represent "their" interests. "They" are the problem.

Dappleganger · February 01, 2023, 05:53:19 PM

I have lost interest in watching regular season games because, at the all-star break, I already know who the Leafs will face in the first round of the playoffs.

Obviously there are 1st round matchups that are preferable. Going into the final week of the season under the old format, those matchups could be jostled. There was incentive to win (or lose) to secure a matchup.

What a difference it was last year with the Raptors not knowing if they'd play the Bucks, Celtics, or Philadelphia or slide into the play-in round. The games actually mattered. What a novel concept!

Significantly Insignificant · February 01, 2023, 07:10:42 PM

Quote from: Dappleganger on February 01, 2023, 05:53:19 PMI have lost interest in watching regular season games because, at the all-star break, I already know who the Leafs will face in the first round of the playoffs.

Obviously there are 1st round matchups that are preferable. Going into the final week of the season under the old format, those matchups could be jostled. There was incentive to win (or lose) to secure a matchup.

What a difference it was last year with the Raptors not knowing if they'd play the Bucks, Celtics, or Philadelphia or slide into the play-in round. The games actually mattered. What a novel concept!

The league has sacrificed everything that makes sport interesting for cost control.

Nik · February 01, 2023, 07:22:28 PM

I've said it before but to me the biggest issue remains that there's just no reason to ever watch an out of market game. All the teams are basically as good as each other except for the teams that are legitimately bad and the teams that are good, at least record wise, tend to do it with unsustainable goaltending or things like team defense. Even as good as someone like McDavid is A) once you've seen him a few times you get the picture and B) he's still only playing a third of the game.

What made the NHL great was two things. Great teams and rivalries. The cap has killed both of them, the first with parity and the second with roster turnover.

Bill_Berg_is_sad · February 01, 2023, 07:27:37 PM

Don't forget the unpredictable reffing!

Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate · February 01, 2023, 07:40:13 PM

Quote from: Nik on February 01, 2023, 05:26:08 PM
Quote from: Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate on February 01, 2023, 04:13:52 PMThey need a new commissioner. New thinking. Talk about a guy way past his expiry date.

Any new guy "they" get will just represent "their" interests. "They" are the problem.

True.

Nonetheless, even a fresh corporate guy would be an improvement.

Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate · February 01, 2023, 07:42:06 PM

Quote from: Nik on February 01, 2023, 07:22:28 PMI've said it before but to me the biggest issue remains that there's just no reason to ever watch an out of market game. All the teams are basically as good as each other except for the teams that are legitimately bad and the teams that are good, at least record wise, tend to do it with unsustainable goaltending or things like team defense. Even as good as someone like McDavid is A) once you've seen him a few times you get the picture and B) he's still only playing a third of the game.

What made the NHL great was two things. Great teams and rivalries. The cap has killed both of them, the first with parity and the second with roster turnover.

That and there are about 12 teams too many, so the product is diluted.

Nik · February 01, 2023, 08:07:26 PM

Quote from: Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate on February 01, 2023, 07:40:13 PMTrue.

Nonetheless, even a fresh corporate guy would be an improvement.

I 100% do not think that is true. I thought that was true in Baseball with Bud Selig and we got Rob Manfred. I thought that with the NFL with Tagliabue and we got Roger Goodell. The modern brand of dead-souled capitalist lackeys are so much worse than the old school.

Nik · February 01, 2023, 08:23:17 PM

Quote from: Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate on February 01, 2023, 07:42:06 PMThat and there are about 12 teams too many, so the product is diluted.

Yeah, I also don't agree with this so much. I think the growth of the US and European talent base probably means that there's roughly the same % of good and great players available as there always was. Sure if you eliminated teams there'd be stronger teams but so long as the cap is in place the teams still won't have separation from each other.

OldTimeHockey · February 02, 2023, 09:16:13 AM

Quote from: Nik on February 01, 2023, 08:23:17 PM
Quote from: Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate on February 01, 2023, 07:42:06 PMThat and there are about 12 teams too many, so the product is diluted.

Yeah, I also don't agree with this so much. I think the growth of the US and European talent base probably means that there's roughly the same % of good and great players available as there always was. Sure if you eliminated teams there'd be stronger teams but so long as the cap is in place the teams still won't have separation from each other.

I agree with this. We just have to go back to days when there were only 24 teams. Watch some of the players on that roster. You'll be scratching your head as to how they were NHL players. Yes it's all relevant to the times, but there's always been players in the NHL that aren't "up to par".

L K · February 02, 2023, 10:14:30 AM

I don't think the number of teams is the problem so much as the desire to either be abysmal to tank for the 1st overall pick, or be really good but mediocre.

Tampa stick out as such a huge outlier in how good they have been for so long, but even there I think you have to partially look at how taxes and local cost of living have a bit of an impact on relative salary cap circumvention.

The Leafs have a decent chance of losing Nylander due to cap constraints. That's just stupid.

OldTimeHockey · February 02, 2023, 11:52:49 AM

Quote from: L K on February 02, 2023, 10:14:30 AMThe Leafs have a decent chance of losing Nylander due to cap constraints. That's just stupid.

Sure is. The system rewards teams that have 1 or 2 "superstars", 1 or 2 pretty good players, a bunch of middle of the road players and an excellent goalie.

While I don't get down on the Leafs too much anymore (don't have the time), one thing I'll agree with is that this team is not constructed to succeed in the NHL today. I don't think that's the fault of anyone really. Other than Tavares. Though we've talked about that numerous times so I don't think there's a reason to revisit our thoughts on the signing.