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thesportssoundoff · 4 years

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“An intriguing PPV with two title fights and then ???” UFC 248 Preview

Joey

March 2nd, 2020

The UFC returns to Vegas and to PPV with a card that is pretty solid but was way more attractive about a month ago before injuries and card shuffling took hold. What was expected to be a show featuring two title fights, two really good MW back up fights and a superb featherweight clash between Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar. What remains is a pretty solid card featuring two title fights, some intriguing stuff at welterweight, the return of some decent prospects and not much else of note. The main event is a bit of a placate fest as the UFC throws Israel Adesanya a bone after a hectic 2018 and 2019 vs Yoel Romero while the co-main is a stupendous title fight with some bad blood mixed in as Joanna Jędrzejczyk takes on Zhang Weili for the UFC's strawweight title. Long story short? It's not a bad card and fight fans will probably leave pretty satisfied.

2020 Stat-O-Matic:

Debuting Fighters (6-7): Jamall Emmers Main Event Exemption:

Short Notice Fighters (6-6): Main Event Exemption:

Second Fight (5-8): Giga Chikadze, Danaa Batgerel, Mark Madsen, Rodolfo Vieira Main Event Exemption (0-1): Vs Debutantes (0-1): Giga Chikadze

Cage Corrosion (Fighters who have not fought within a year of the date of the fight) (6-3): Sean O'Malley, Neil Magny Main Event Exemption (1-0):

Undefeated Fighters (3-6): Israel Adesanya, Sean O'Malley, Mark O. Madsen, Rodolfo Viera Main Event Exemption (0-1):

Fighters with at least four fights in the UFC with 0 wins over competition still in the organization (3-4): Guido Cannetti, Jose Quinones Main Event Exemption ():

Weight Class Jumpers (Fighters competing outside of the weight class of their last fight even if they’re returning BACK to their “normal weight class”) (2-4): Polyana Viana, Saparbek Safarov Main Event Exemption ():

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- If you know me then you know I'm a pretty big Yoel Romero fanatic. I don't think he's ever lost a fight ever. That said, this fight with Israel Adesanya is entirely about doing a favor for a champion who the UFC feels did them a solid. Yoel enters this fight on a two fight losing streak, he's fought three times since the start of 2018 (I think Adesanya has fought like eleventy times), he's missed weight for two title fights in a row and he's stylistically not a guy I expect Adesanya to have a ton of issues with. He's also AT SOME POINT going to age. I know Romero has been alive for 100 years per his own calculations but at some point the common rules of aging and human biology will win out. This fight for a lot of people is being sold on Yoel Romero being a wrestler but Romero isn't a wrestler anymore than Madison Bumgarner is a strikeout pitcher. Yeah he used to be and maybe sometimes he still can but he's older and has to rely on other means because it's just not there anymore. The last time Romero tried to employ a wrestling heavy approach he gassed out vs Robert Whittaker and that was in 2017. 2017 is twenty years ago in MMA time. Romero is now a patient purveyor of chaos; a wild man who chooses when he wants to work hard and when he'd rather just patiently eat 1,000 punches and kicks to get to the point where he can just unleash years worth of pent up anger on you. Yoel Romero fights like a dude who has pains in real life that do not compare to what getting punched and kicked feels like and so he just chooses when he wants to go Waterboy on you while being confident that nothing will hurt more than whatever he felt growing up in Cuba. The point of all this is to say that Adesanya is getting a guy who isn't going to try to overwhelm with him with lunging shots from the outside backed with the benefit of leg kicks (as Robert Whittaker tried) or brawl 'n clinch the way Gastelum did. He's going to get a guy who will choose when he wants to fight, opening the door for Adesanya to probably calmly break him down by virtue of his tremendous offensive reads and top flight fight IQ and vision. This doesn't mean that Romero can't win because MMA etc etc, it just means that this is a really tough fight for him and one that's more about allowing Israel Adesanya to fatten up his resume a bit more on the way up to potential ATG status. We had 3-4 other qualified middleweights who could've fought for the title but Adesanya requested Romero and here we be.

2- One of the more underrated aspects of Adesanya's game (and I spoke about this with the Korean Zombie as well) is his vision in the cage which when combined with a high level processor allows him to read and react and initiate better than any other fighter I've seen since pretty much Jon Jones during his prime. Can you read and prepare for the madness that is Yoel Romero human instrument of chaos? How much of Adesanya's game is going to be read and react vs "You better throw it now because he's coming" style offense?

3- Is Zhang Weili vs Joanna the best women's title fight since the Joanna vs Rose rematch of 2018? Is it better than the Claudia vs Joanna II fight on paper? It's hard to think of a title fight with this much

4- Often times you hear "She's never fought anyone like me" and it's a bit of a scoff and a shrug comment but there's truth here. I don't think Joanna has faced someone with the strength of Zhang, the output she can put on and the flexibility she has to be offensive from pretty much any avenue granted to her. Valentina has SOME of those qualities and is a better fighter overall but Valentina Shevchenko is not trying to work too hard when she doesn't have to whereas Zhang Weili is offensive from the start and maintains a similar pace throughout. Conversely I don't think Zhang has ever fought a woman who is as offensively versatile as Joanna is. Joanna's reputation was built on being this hyperactive hyper intelligent striker with superb takedown defense and I think even if repetitive weight cuts have hurt her cardio or taken the pop off of her shots, she's still got great takedown defense and a tremendous pacing as a striker. The 4th and 5th rounds are going to be REALLY interesting going forward.

5- Going to be interesting to see these two clinch up. Joanna is the poster child for "Make em pay in the clinch for bad takedowns" whereas Zhang's knees are superb in tight. REALLY think this fight has the potential to be amazing throughout.

6- Totally forgot Neil Magny is still in the UFC but him vs Li Jingliang should be fun. Li Jingliang passed a big test for me when he finished Elizeu Zaleski his last time out and Magny is sort of the guy you gotta beat to start title talk conversations. Li Jingliang could be a Magny +1 away from sneaking on the back end of this Masvidal, Covington, Woodley, Edwards lineup for the title shot.

7- Sean O'Malley being gone for a few years sort of helps cover up the fact that O'Malley was VERY VERY RAW prior to his PED suspension and time away. O'Malley is the sort of fighter the DWCS collects; athletic guys who finish fights and have a lot of sizzle but maybe still have very apparent holes in their game. If you fight at 185 lbs or above, it's easier to skate by and have minimal close calls but when you're a guy fighting outside of that safety zone, every flaw is potentially a fatal one. O'Malley survived a close call vs Terrion Ware who was probably his best opponent to date and he looked pretty good vs Andre Soukhamtath prior to a bad injury that should've cost him the fight (But didn't). Now the UFC has gotten him back in the cage against Jose Quinones who is a competent yet safe challenge. Quinones is the sort of guy who just kind of wins his fights but lacks anything remarkable enough to give you cause for pause. He has a lot of O'Malley traits but at a lower level. That said we have no idea what the hell O'Malley has done for two years now so....who knows dudes. He could've been smoking weed and training once a week for all we know.

8- Cowboy Oliveira vs Max Griffin HAS to be a violenceweight quarterfinals bout.

9- Jamall Emmers vs Giga Chikadze is SUCH an LFA headliner.

10- If there's a bit of a theme on the undercard, it's that there's quite a few "international prospects" on it who are specialists in a set field. For instance Rodolfo Vieira is a ridiculous grappler with all the gold medals and trophies you can shake a stick at; attempting to carve his niche in the UFC as a middleweight. Mark O. Madsen is an insane wrestler with an Olympic silver medal in his back pocket, attempting to make it in the UFC's lightweight class. Then you have Deron Winn who is a freakish anomaly of a man trying to rebound from his first pro loss vs Darren Stewart and Polyana Viana who has gone from a pretty intriguing Brazilian flyweight to a slumping fighter changing weight classes looking for the special sauce. Throw in the return of O'Malley plus European "prospect" kickboxer Giga Chikadze trying to figure stuff out in MMA.

11- Kudos to Jamall Emmers who has been grinding away on the regional scene plus had a failed stint on DWCS before finally making it to the UFC. He's one of those guys every company needs; a tough veteran who can challenge prospects/skidding veterans and put on good fights.

12- So....do we have a single back up for either Romero or Joanna?

#MMA #UFC #Romero #Adesanya #joanna jedrzejczyk #zhang #fights #Li Jingliang #Neil Magny #Sean O'Malley

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jadorehale · 6 years

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just dudes being bros

I found this deeeeep within my computer folders. I remember writing it in 2016 while the anime was airing and then not liking it but I just did a quick read and ehh it's not the worst thing I've ever written {ao3}

Figure Skating News: Five-time world champion coach, Victor Nikiforov, and protégée, Katsuki Yuuri, share friendly congratulations peck at Cup of China.

The Daily Mail: 7 Things You Need to Know About Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki’s Gold Medal Friendship!

People Magazine: Spotted: Victor Nikiforov & Yuuri Katsuki snuggling closely on ‘bros date’ at Barcelona’s most romantic restaurant!

ESPN: Yuuri Katsuki chimes in on why relationship with world-famous coach, Victor Nikiforov, has been a success! “Victor and I make love multiple times a day,” the figure skater says. These two seem to be the best of friends!

❄

“How come it doesn’t bother you that the international media is still portraying our relationship as platonic? Do you even care?”

“No. Not really.”

“But they’re refusing to take our relationship seriously!”

“So?”

“And all those weird pictures they print of us making out, they keep calling them ‘friendly embraces.’”

“Well, our mouths are great friends at this point.”

“Victor!” Yuuri whined with a pout.

“Yuuuuuri!” Victor sang back, grinning.

While it was true that Yuuri was most adorable when he was angry and riled up, Victor sure wished that Yuuri would put all that fire into preparing for his competition instead of looking up pointless crap to get upset about on his phone. Today was the day of Grand Prix Final free skate and no one knew more than Victor how badly Yuuri wanted that gold medal. As his coach, Victor’s sole focus was on making sure Yuuri’s body was one-hundred percent ready for his program. Which was why he really needed Yuuri to focus on stretching and warming up.

However, as a boyfriend, it really irritated Victor to see Yuuri concerning himself with the silly tabloids that were being written about them. Victor had no idea what Yuuri wanted him to say about the issue or if he was just seeking out validation for his indignation. In truth, Victor didn’t give a crap. If you’d asked him a year ago if he’d ever imagined him and Yuuri becoming an item, he would’ve said no. He’d never dreamed he could be so lucky to be in a relationship with Yuuri, who he’d been head over heels for since the night they first met. So, it was quite difficult for him to care about any negative things people had to say.

“But aren’t you the one who loves attention?” Yuuri stressed. “If the press caught wind of how it really is between the two of us, it would be a media frenzy!”

“Well, short of Phichit Chulanont, the paparazzi are the second best photographers in the world.”

He grabbed the phone from Yuuri’s hand and scrolled through the article until he stopped on a photo of the two of them leaving their hotel, fingers laced together as they shielded their eyes from the sea of flashing cameras.

He held the photo out to Yuuri and said, “Look, how cute! We should have it framed!”

Since he was about to skate, Yuuri didn’t have his glasses on and had to squint to view the photo clearly. When he finally did see the shot that Victor had been raving about, his face fell and he sent Victor a flat look. “Victor, you’re the only one that looks good in this picture.”

“Exactly!” Victor beamed. Someone should’ve told Yuuri that he had a big, fat booger hanging from his nose and spinach in his teeth before he’d been photographed. That person probably should’ve been Victor. But Victor always managed to look like a model in candids, flashing the crowd his signature wink as he casually flipped his hair. “Who knew there’d be such talent in a group of professional camera-holding stalkers.”

Along with his now ritualistic pre-game cry and cuddle session, Yuuri had developed an unhealthy habit of googling nasty things being said about him on the internet to get revved up. For anyone else, this action would seem conceited and egotistical. But for Yuuri, seeing how much people hated him and were attacking him for stealing Victor from the sport online made him even more determined to succeed and show the world that only he could satisfy Victor. It was ridiculous, and absurd, and Victor would be putting an end to it once the Grand Prix Finals were over. However, he wasn’t about to halt anything that could potentially help Yuuri in his fight for gold. But, Yuuri had read enough offensive, anonymous, cyber-bullying comments for one day.

Victor tossed the phone over his shoulder without bothering to see where it landed and ignored Yuuri’s outraged cries. He got a firm grip of Yuuri’s knees and drew them down toward his chest, stretching out his hamstrings.

“My phone screen had better not be cracked!”

“Uspokoit'sya! Don’t worry. You have an Otterbox case. They’re indestructible.” Victor glanced back and saw that a crowd of people were now trampling over the phone, kicking it along as they went but felt no dire urge to chase after it. “No more news headlines,” he told Yuuri sternly. “We need you in the zone for your free skate. Now, give me fifty sit-ups.”

Groaning loudly, Yuuri did as he was told, exercising his abdominal muscles as Victor anchored his feet. It was amazing how far Yuuri had come under his tutelage. Not that Yuuri needed Victor in the first place. He had more than enough potential and talent to do this all on his own. For Victor, it was an honor to watch Yuuri flourish into such an impressive skater. This was the most fun Victor had ever had in his career. Far more enthralling than his own successes. He lived to surprise the masses, and if there was anyone that could shock the world with such a strong comeback after placing dead last the previous year, it was Katsuki Yuuri.

“Twenty more, little piggy,” Victor instructed, proud when Yuuri continued without complaining.

On his last one, he leaned forward and crashed his lips against Victor’s which was a very welcomed surprised. Victor hummed when the kiss turned bold, parting his lips as Yuuri’s tongue licked obscenely into his mouth. Positive reinforcement was important to Victor as a coach and Yuuri deserved a reward for his good behavior.

He’d almost forgotten they were in public until he heard, “Look mommy! Those boys are in love!”

Pulling away, Victor turned and saw a little girl gawking at them with wide eyes and pointing a chubby little finger in their direction. She couldn’t have been more than four-years-old and was so darn cute that Victor was seriously contemplating kidnapping her. She tugged on her mom’s skirt, demanding her attention, and pointed again for her mother to see when Victor closed the distance and placed a soft kiss on Yuuri’s cheek.

“Honey! Haven’t I told you it’s so rude to point!” Her mother quickly swatted her hand down, blushing from severe embarrassment as she began to explain, “They’re not in love. It’s just a good luck kiss between coach and skater. It happens all the time. No way notorious playboy Victor Nikiforov is off the market.”

Victor didn’t need to see Yuuri’s face to know that his expression had darkened. He already knew Yuuri wouldn’t take kindly to that sort of remark and that he’d be furious. The media was always spreading falsehoods. Victor was not a notorious playboy. He was very much the monogamous sort.

The woman looked over at them, cheeks a bright red as she waved. “We’re rooting for you, Katsuki Yuuri! Longtime fan, Mr. Nikiforov. Can I just say that you’re so much sexier in person! Hope to see you back next season!”

She fluttered her lashes seductively and blew him a kiss before flouncing off with her daughter, not at all aware of the damage she’d just wrought. The little girl was still wide-eyed as she was dragged away. It seemed like she hadn’t believed a word her mother had said. Smart girl. Her young curiosity made him smile, reminding him of how he once was as a child. All those long, long, long, long years ago...

With a deep sigh, he turned back to Yuuri, already flinching as he caught the hard set of Yuuri’s jaw and the burning rage behind his eyes. He failed to hide his amused smirk and earned himself an impressive lethal glare.

“Jealous?” he asked.

“You know damn well I am!” Yuuri scowled and hopped up onto his feet.

He turned his back to Victor and continued warming up, running back and forth. His shoulders were tense as he jogged and he was muttering to himself bitterly. Victor moved closer to listen, trying to decipher just what was being said.

“So, it’s not just news reporters, then,” Yuuri was grumbling to himself. “It’s the general public as well. Is it that hard for people to believe that Victor and I are in love? That Victor would want to be in a relationship with me? I need to remember that the outside world only gets to see his good looks and it is I who gets to see the true beauty of his heart. It’s his love shining through that has helped me improve the most. We have something special and amazing and if people can’t see our love then I’ll just have to make them feel it by winning the gold medal!”

“Awwwwwww!!” Victor gushed. Yuuri was seriously the cutest. He just had to hop on top of him and squeeze and hug him tight. “What an adorable internal monologue. Tell me, is this how you always talk in your head?”

“Get. Off. Me!” Yuuri picked himself up from the floor and brushed himself off.

Victor frowned, pressing a lip to his finger as he tried to figure out how to get back into Yuuri’s good graces. No one would think from just looking at him that Yuuri was such a high-maintenance partner. A part of him loved that Yuuri was a huge drama queen, quick to get jealous over Victor and feel the need to stake his claim. But another part of him couldn’t stand the thought of Yuuri being upset or insecure.

The petulant glower on Yuuri’s face didn’t look like it would be going away anytime soon, which wasn’t ideal in this specific circumstance. The judges definitely wouldn’t find it as cute as Victor did. He was preparing to get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness when Yuuri grabbed him by his very expensive tie and yanked him down to his level.

For a moment, Victor thought Yuuri had only pulled him this close so he could clobber him, but like always, Yuuri took the unexpected route. Which naturally made it impossible for Victor to predict what he was thinking as he began sucking a large bruise on the side of Victor’s neck.

Just as abruptly as Yuuri had grabbed him and reeled him in, he curtly let him go. His face flushed as he avoided Victor’s eyes and stammered, “T—There. That way no one else will be throwing themselves at you. They’ll know you’re mine.”

Victor couldn’t help being extremely delighted by this display and his brain quickly devised a plan. “Hmm, I really don’t think just one will do…You should put one over here too.”

Feigning innocence, he pointed at another spot on his neck, arching so Yuuri could mark there.

“How about here! And here! Oh, there’s good too! Also, here! Da, there too

“Jesus Christ, Victor!” A voice cried. A voice whose owner was just so happened to be flamboyantly Swiss.

“What’s happened to your neck?! Don’t tell me this is some kind of career-ending injury,” Chris gasped. “I don’t think I can make it through another competition season without you.”

“They’re love bites!” Victor presented proudly, showing off the fresh marks littered across his skin. “From my Yuuri.”

He noticed Yuuri trying to slink away and flee the scene of the crime. But before he could go far, Victor locked an arm around his waist and hauled him back to his side. That way Yuuri would have to own up to his work. What he’d done to Victor’s neck was nothing short of a masterpiece. He’d truly left his signature.

Victor turned back to Chris, elaborating, “See, my Yuuri’s very upset that the media isn’t taking our romance seriously.”

“Ah, yes! I’m afraid they’ve done the same thing with my bisexual Bernese Mountain dog, Hans,” Chris commiserated, pulling out his phone and showing them an article on his pooch written by The Inquisitor. “Completely erased his sexuality to fit into some toxic heteronormative box. I showed him a picture of Maccachin and he was absolutely smitten! We should get them together and see if they hit it off. That way, we can be…”

“IN-LAWS!!” Victor shrieked at the same time Chris did.

They squealed excitedly, jumping up and down as they chattered away about wedding plans. They discussed where Hans and Maccachin would vacation on their honeymoon. Victor had heard Fiji was lovely this time of year and Maccachin, the groom-to-be just adored laying out on the beach. He was a real beach bum with expensive tastes and only enjoyed the finest cuisines. He was a lot like his owner in that way.

In the midst of his conversation with Chris, Victor noticed Yuuri from the corner of his eye, slumping and staring down at the floor.

“Oh, Yuuri, don’t think too much into the media thing,” Chris said, reaching out and pinching Yuuri’s left butt cheek. A trick that was very effective in removing that sad, dejected expression from Yuuri’s face, replacing it with scandalized one. “News reporters can be so oblivious sometimes. Only seeing what they want to see. Every skater here knows how in love the two of you are. You’ve got tons of teenage girls on social media ‘shipping’ you. They’ve named you…Victuuri!”

“Victuuri? Eh!! Why does Victor’s name get to go first?!”

“Because I’m the one that fell in love first!”

“Please, not that again,” Yuuri sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t start that argument here before I have to skate. I already told you, I’m sorry I didn’t remember that night!”

“You completely wounded my pride!” Victor harrumphed. “I can’t believe you don’t remember our dancing!”

Chris snickered then declared, “Maybe it’s good that the media doesn’t take you guys seriously. The world already hates you for hogging Victor as your coach. Men and women everywhere will hate you even more if they find out you’ve stolen his heart as well. You’re a very selfish man, Katsuki Yuuri. Adieu!”

With one last ‘good luck’ pinch to Yuuri’s exquisite rump, Chris sauntered off, rejoining his coach and the rest of his entourage. Which left Victor and Yuuri to return to stringently readying Yuuri to take the ice. Sure, it might seem like they were going a little overboard but they were both aware of how important it was for Yuuri to nail every jump in his routine and execute his presentation perfectly.

On the outside, Victor exuded nothing but positive energy and optimism, but on the inside, he was a nervous wreck. He worried that Yakov might be right. That he wouldn’t be able to pull off this massive victory his first time as a coach. It would kill him if, for some unfortunate reason, they missed the podium. Victor didn’t want to lose the opportunity to pair skate with Yuuri at his gala exhibition. And poor Yuuri; what would become of his spirit if he failed? Obviously, Victor wasn’t going to let that happen, but what if it did. He refused to let Yuuri take any of the blame. He’d take full responsibility as his coach.

Victor watched Yuuri silently lacing up his skates, not liking how solemn and morose he was so close to his free skate. It was often difficult for Victor to get into Yuuri’s head and figure out what was going on with him. Which was a telling sign that he was a terrible coach. After all, this was it! Potentially Yuuri’s last performance before he retired from figure-skating. Though, if Victor had his way, Yuuri would never retire. Still, it made sense that Yuuri would be in such a mood being on the brink of making history.

“Have I really stolen your heart?”

Victor’s head snapped up sharply. “…What does that mean?”

One day in the future, Victor hoped Yuuri would stop asking him such provoking questions. Even though they both spoke fluent English—their best common language—Victor planned on purchasing Rosetta Stone. That way he could learn Japanese and finally understand Yuuri. It was evident that he wasn’t speaking English well enough. Not with the way Yuuri was constantly doubting his love.

Yuuri’s voice was barely a whisper as he fiddled with his thumbs, not looking up. “I mean, will I get to keep it forever?”

“Of course.”

Victor wasn’t remotely surprised when Yuuri huffed and rolled his eyes. “How do you know?”

Victor shrugged. “I just do.”

“But how?!”

Exasperated, Victor placed a hand on his hip. “What’s gotten into you? Why the sudden mood swing? Is it the news outlets? Because them not acknowledging that we’re together doesn’t mean anything. Listen to me and not them! I refuse to live without you. I won’t stand for it.”

“But what if after I retire, I let myself go and gain a ton of weight? Or what if we lose our romantic spark and you get bored of me? There’s nothing exciting to keep you here. What if in a couple of years, you wake up and realize this was a huge mistake? I’m a terrible nag and at the same time a giant hypocrite. I’m messy and horrible at cleaning up after myself. What if all we do is fight and bicker and you start to hate me? I majorly lack self-confidence. What if that starts to annoy you too? Me always doubting myself can be a hassle. Hell, I’m doubting myself right now!”

Victor opened and closed his mouth a few times, gaping like a fish. Yuuri had some nerve trying to convince him to stop loving him. He stepped forward and leaned his forehead against Yuuri’s, cupping his cheek. “I think you already know nothing you come up with will change how I feel about you. Am I right?”

“But—” Yuuri protested.

“Nothing,” Victor repeated firmly.

Yuuri peered into his eyes for a moment longer, eventually giving up and sagging his shoulders. “I believe you.”

Yuuri inched closer, his long lashes fluttering closed as he went to give Victor a kiss. But before their lips could meet, Victor stopped and asked, “What about me?”

“Hmm?” Yuuri blinked multiple times when he opened his eyes.

“Will you always love me?”

“Of course!” Yuuri snorted, waving it off as an unserious question then tried to kiss Victor again.

Victor evaded his lips. “Even when all my hair turns gray?”

“Er…um…” Yuuri squirmed uncomfortably, distress in his eyes as he fumbled for the right words. “How— How do I say this? All your hair is already…um…gray...er…silver…?”

“What?!?” Victor cried, his mouth falling open as he reached up and tentatively touched his hair like he was noticing this for the first time. He kept the act up for a couple of seconds before throwing his head back and laughed at how scared Yuuri looked, then dodged a punch to the arm when Yuuri realized he was being insincere.

“I’m just kidding,” Victor snickered, “And my hair is platinum, not gray. But on the subject of getting older, my mother’s side is prone to male pattern baldness. What if the thin spot on the top of my head gets bigger and all my hair falls out? Or what if I don’t age as well as I’m expected to and forget to use under eye cream at night and develop crow’s feet? What if I have to get Botox, or worse, a full facial reconstruction! Will you love me with a new face? What about my fashion sense? What if I lose that too and start walking around in mix-matched patterns and socks with sandals? Will you still love me if I walked around in socks and sandals? What if, Yuuri!!”

“Wow,” Yuuri commented as Victor panted, needing a minute to catch his breath after his rant. “All your concerns are very superficial.”

“Comfort me, Yuuri!” Victor wailed and threw himself into Yuuri’s arms, sighing contently as they immediately wrapped him up securely. Victor buried his face into the side of Yuuri’s neck, feeling at home with the first inhale of Yuuri’s fruity cologne. Never had he felt so safe from the dangers that were inevitable aging.

Yuuri chuckled, pressing a light kiss to Victor’s temple and whispered, “You’ve changed my whole life, Victor. Of course, I’ll be here till the end with you.”

“D’awwwwwww!”

A chorus of cooing echoed from all around them. Victor and Yuuri both jumped at the racket and discovered that not only was everybody leering at them, they were also shamelessly eavesdropping.

“Our wedding vows are going to be so much better than theirs, right babe?” JJ boasted, slinging an arm over his fiancé’s shoulder.

With the exception of JJ and an absent Yurio, the rest of the crowd was in tears. In fact, if Victor hadn’t known any better, he would’ve thought this was a funeral. A box of tissues was being passed around as people sobbed and blubbered, some even crying their mascara off. Most notably amongst the mourners was Otabek Altin. He was the last person Victor would’ve expected to be moved by such an overt demonstration of eternal love. Mainly, because he was Yurio’s new friend and to apply for the job, one must already have their cold dead heart locked in a steel volt in the Himalayas and be committed to hating everything.

Naturally, JJ saw this as an opportunity to plug his new project. “The ghostwriter who wrote my book, Ice Jewel—which comes out January 20th, so stop by your nearest Chapters to pick up a copy or pre-order online—will come up with something a lot less cliché and contrived. Right babe?”

“Shh!!” His fiancé slapped a hand over his mouth, “That was the most romantic thing I’ve ever witnessed. I want to die!”

Victor quickly stepped back from Yuuri and tried to laugh the moment off but was sweating too profusely to be convincing. Yuuri’s face was getting redder by the second and looked like it was about to combust. This was not how they wanted their competitors to see them. They were supposed to be exhibiting that they were at the top of their game, ready to take the world by storm and crush everything in sight. Or at least that’s what Yakov had always taught him to do.

“It’s almost time for you to skate, little piggy. So, get back to work,” Victor decreed. “This is a direct order from your coach. Not your handsome doting lover who spoils you rotten. I won’t have any slackers!”

Who was he kidding? He never acted like a real coach before, so why start now?

Yuuri grimaced. “It’s so embarrassing when you say that word.”

“What word?” Victor asked then scoffed, “Lover? How else would you like me to describe it? No wonder the media doesn’t think we’re together. This world is way too sexually repressed!”

"Yeah, yeah,” Yuuri said, no longer paying him any mind. “Now, just where did you throw my phone?”

So maybe it was a little mean of Victor to let Yuuri search for his phone all on his own knowing that Yuuri wasn’t wearing his glasses. But it was just so funny watching Yuuri bumbling around, eyes scrunched up as they uselessly inspected the floor. Eventually, Yuuri located the phone after two failed attempts, picking up a discarded coke can and an empty water bottle at first. It was impressive that even though the phone had traveled long and far there wasn’t a single ounce of damage, thanks to the case. Victor should totally see if he could get Yuuri an Otterbox sponsorship. After all, sex sells and he knew Yuuri would be able to sell a ton of phone cases with an evocative television ad.

A wild idea suddenly sparked in his mind. One he knew Yuuri definitely wasn’t going to like. Still, this idea had Victor pulling out his own phone and opening his camera app. He snapped a picture with a flash just as Yuuri was bending down to pick something up.

“Eh?! Victor” Yuuri swiveled around and rushed back over to him. “W-What are you doing?!”

“Posting a picture of your juicy bottom on my Instagram.”

“Why?!”

“Because I’d like the world to see how nice and juicy it is.”

“Victor!” Yuuri whined and made a grab for the phone.

“Yuuuuuri!” Victor sang back and kept it out of reach. “Look, I’ve written a risqué caption full of Eros! Maybe the media will see this picture and a news story will break about our insatiable lust for one another?”

“Give it to me right now!” Yuuri grounded out through his teeth and held out his hand.

Thinking it wasn’t worth the spat, Victor handed it over. He expected Yuuri to take the phone and delete the picture immediately, but instead, Yuuri’s fingers began tapping quickly on the screen as his face burned up.

He thrusted the phone back into Victor’s hand and averted his eyes. Victor glanced at it and saw that not only had Yuuri posted the picture, he’d written an even sexier caption that almost blew Victor off his feet and made his nose bleed.

“It’s such a shame that no one would believe me if I told them how you lord over me in bed.” Victor shook his head in amazement. “Bossy, confident, sex torturer, Katsuki Yuuri? Not with how innocent you act in public. No one will believe how mean to me you really are.”

A glint flashed in Yuuri’s eyes as his gaze trailed him up and down. “Oh, you have it so wrong. I think I’m very, very nice to you in bed. Especially when I—”

Once again, it felt like the whole world was listening in, and sure enough, when they looked up they saw everyone staring like they were tuning into a television show. They were rather shameless about it too. Didn’t even have the decency to look remorseful or pretend like they hadn’t been invading people’s very private moments.

It was lucky that they’d caught themselves before they got any more explicit. With Yurio present in the audience, things had to be kept PG-13. He was looking between them now with his big, innocent blue eyes, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“When you what?” he asked Yuuri who was turning very, very red. “Eat pork cutlet bowls?”

Everyone around them who knew better nodded in affirmative, but JJ, of course, had never really been too bright. “I think he meant—”

Thankfully, his fiancée was there to jab an elbow into his gut and cut him off before he could go into detail. Realizing his mistake, he nodded his head along with everyone else and that seemed to satisfy Yurio who just shrugged and walked away with Otabek.

When he was gone, Yuuri groaned and thumped his head against Victor’s chest, his face still hot with shame. “That was unbelievably embarrassing,” he said. “Let’s focus on the competition now and the celebration later. And let’s stop giving these vultures something to eavesdrop on.”

“Da,” Victor chuckled as Yuuri glared at all in their vicinity.

It was time anyway for Yuuri’s skate. They were as prepared as they could be and now was Yuuri’s chance to show his stuff. He pressed a kiss to Yuuri’s cheek and lead him towards the rink. Yuuri’s grip on his hand was like a vice. He was obviously nervous. Victor knew by now that nothing he said could make Yuuri lose those nerves, but he hoped Yuuri would be strong and wouldn’t let them overtake him.

“Even if I don’t win—” Yuuri started, but Victor wasn’t going to let him go any farther with that statement.

“You will win.”

“No, just let me finish.” Yuuri laughed, shaking his head. “Even if I don’t win, thank you for always taking care of me.”

Victor melted into a smile and opened his arms to wrap Yuuri up in a tight hug. He held on for as many squeezes as he could before Yuuri was asked to take the ice then clasped his hand with Yuuri’s and kissed his ring, wishing him luck.

“Well, go on. Show them how much I love you,” Victor said and Yuuri nodded with determination.

He knew something amazing was going to happen today. He just knew. Whether it be Yuuri winning the gold or breaking a world record or even… saying yes to spending the rest of his life with Victor, it was going to be a historical day.

Victor fiddled with the secret velvet box hidden deep within his pocket. His heart thundered in his chest as the music began to play; the happiness and pride overwhelming as he watched Yuuri wield his magic over the crowd.

❄

Morooka: Welcome back, everyone. We just witnessed a beautiful performance by Katsuki Yuuri. One that is bound to make him a top contender in today’s competition and displayed an excellent comeback after his loss last season.

Stéphane: Yes, it was simply magnifique! A perfect performance that shows the true power between this first-time coach and skater duo.

Morooka: Let’s flash over to the kiss and cry to see their scores.

Stéphane: Katsuki Yuuri looks nervous. I don’t know why. No one can doubt that that performance will score high.

Morooka: And he’s broken the world record! In case you’re just tuning in, Katsuki Yuuri has just scored a 221.58 today with his free program. The audience is just going wild.

Stéphane: And what’s this! Victor Nikiforov just got down on one knee and presented Katsuki Yuuri with a ring. What a wonderful congratulations gift from a coach to his skater.

Morooka: I think that’s why their dynamic works so well, Stéphane. Victor is such a caring and rewarding coach.

Stéphane: Let’s see if we can hear what’s going on down there. Ha! It sounds like funny guy Victor there just asked Katsuki Yuuri to marry him and Katsuki Yuuri said yes. There were rumors that Yuuri might be retiring but maybe after this symbol of sheer commitment Victor has displayed today, he might reconsider coming back for another season.

Morooka: As you know, these two have exchanged partnership rings in the past. They have a very close professional relationship. You can tell by how they’re kissing now on the lips.

Stéphane: Yes, such a friendly embrace! I see Victor’s getting a little cheeky there slipping in some tongue.

Morooka: We’ve got some reactions here from twitter. One user says ‘They’re gay, you dumbasses.’ Another says, ‘I can’t wait for Victor and Yuuri’s wedding. You can tell that they’re super in love with each other.’ What do you make of that Stéphane?

Stéphane: Impossible! I see no signs of romance here! Look at how they’re rolling on the floor kissing now. It’s nothing but a coach and skater being excited about a fantastic score.

Morooka: I agree with you, of course, Stéphane. Victor’s done such a great job coaching for the first time. These twitter fans must be seeing something that isn’t there.

Stéphane: Absolument! There’s no way notorious playboy Victor Nikiforov would ever be taken off the market.”

Morooka: You’re right, of course. No way indeed.

#victuuri #victuuri fic #yoi fanfic #viktor nikiforov #yoi #yuuri katsuki #mine: yoi fic #humor fluff

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junker-town · 4 years

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Here are the biggest NFL veterans who could be cut this offseason

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

NFL teams looking to save some money means some familiar names will be looking for new homes.

The NFL’s salary cap leads to plenty of roster churn every year. Franchises are tasked with balancing expensive proven veterans with cheaper talent. That means some pricy athletes could find themselves looking for new homes — even if they’re still in their primes.

Last year, we saw former Pro Bowlers like Gerald McCoy, Demaryius Thomas, and Justin Houston excised in advance of free agency. This offseason has already seen All-Pro tight end Greg Olsen left to ponder his football future.

These are the other veterans who could join him on the free agent market, ranked by order of how much they can save their respective teams by leaving this spring.

Marcell Dareus, DL, Jacksonville Jaguars

Savings from cutting Dareus: $20 million

Dareus, at his best, is worth $20 million+ annually. The problem is, he hasn’t been that player in several years. Even if he was, the 2020 Jaguars — currently with negative cap space — probably couldn’t afford him.

Dareus broke through with a 10-sack season in 2014 that he’s been chasing ever since. In just six games, he averaged a career-low 2.2 tackles for an underwhelming Jaguars defense in 2019. More telling, those tackles came an average of 4.2 yards past the line of scrimmage, which is an untenable mark for a player who is supposed to be pushing blockers backward and creating chaos in the trenches.

While he can still be a useful presence in the middle of a defensive line, he’s due for a major pay cut this offseason.

Andy Dalton, QB, Bengals

Savings from cutting Dalton: $17.7 million

Dalton gave the Bengals nine seasons of mostly good, never great quarterbacking. Now he has no place on team ready to draft Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick. Dalton’s career in tiger stripes is almost certainly over.

Even though Cincinnati will need a veteran quarterback to help ease Burrow’s presumptive transition from LSU to the NFL, it’s time for both sides to move on. The money saved by releasing the Pro Bowl quarterback can be spent acquiring weapons and bolstering the offensive line tasked with keeping Burrow’s jersey clean in 2020.

Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Savings from cutting Watkins: $14 million

Watkins has shown flashes of star-making play throughout his six-year career, but has ultimately failed to live up to the potential that made him the fourth overall pick in 2014. This past season was no different. He began it with a three-touchdown, 198-yard performance in the Chiefs’ season opener, had just one 100-yard game in the next 13 games, and finished the year with 14 catches for 288 yards in the postseason.

That makes it hard to justify Watkins’ $21 million cap hit for 2020 — especially now that reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is eligible for what’s sure to be a massive contract extension. With Chris Jones careening toward free agency, the team’s decision may come down to either its second-best wide receiver or the defensive lineman who helped save a Super Bowl win.

Then again, in the biggest game of his life, he put Richard Sherman on roller skates.

Sammy Watkins diced up Richard Sherman, then Patrick Mahomes just had to drop a pass in the bucket pic.twitter.com/ezEyARIu26

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) February 3, 2020

It’s possible the two sides find a middle ground on a restructured contract that extends Watkins’ contract while spreading his massive cap hit and guaranteed cash into the future.

Derek Carr, QB, Las Vegas Raiders

Savings from cutting Carr: $13.6 million

Carr’s future with the Raiders is very much up in the air. Reports suggest the franchise is interested in making free agent Tom Brady the face of its Las Vegas debut.

Brady may be a long shot, but this year’s free agent crop includes plenty of veteran alternatives should the Raiders want to swap out QBs. Las Vegas could also package its two first-round picks this April and move up to select a rookie quarterback at the draft.

The team has a lot of spending room this offseason, so moving Carr isn’t a priority, even if it lures a young QB to Nevada. He remains an efficient, if low-impact passer who could bring back a decent return via trade. There isn’t really a glaring reason for the Raiders to cut him loose, but this is Jon Gruden we’re talking about. You can’t rule out any splash-making move in advance of his team’s first season in Vegas.

Russell Okung, OT, Los Angeles Chargers

Savings from cutting Okung: $13 million

Okung’s release would be a surprise. The veteran left tackle played well in 2019 when he was on the field — but that only lasted six games due to a pulmonary embolism and, later in the season, a groin injury.

With a solid chunk of cap space available and a new incoming QB who’ll need protection, Okung is likely to stick around in LA. Even if he doesn’t, a Pro Bowl-caliber blocker is much more valuable for his team as trade bait than if he were to be cut outright. But we’re headed toward a Philip Rivers-free future for the Chargers, so who knows what’s next.

Josh Norman, CB, Washington

Savings from cutting Norman: $12.4 million

Norman was just one of many things that went wrong for Washington in 2019. He suffered through his worst season in the league, where he gave up more than 11 yards per target and accounted for -1 points saved, per SIS. That’s the lowest score among any cornerback who started at least five games last fall.

This sudden downturn at age 32 could put Dan Snyder’s former prized signing on the chopping block. The 2015 All-Pro has failed to reach that standard since joining Washington in 2016.

Ryan Kerrigan, 31 years old and headed into the final year of his contract with none of the $11.6 million owed to him guaranteed, could also be up for discussion.

A.J. Bouye, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Savings from cutting Bouye: $11.4 million

Like Dareus, Bouye is a highly paid defender who has seen better days. And like his colleague, he could be looking at a change of venue this offseason thanks to the Jaguars’ cap crunch. The former Texan allowed opposing QBs to post a 106.0 passer rating against him this past season while completing two-thirds of their passes with him in coverage.

With Jacksonville eager to find a way around Nick Foles’ cap-clogging $22 million average salary, Bouye’s departure could be the next step in a mini-rebuild of the Jacksonville defense.

Janoris Jenkins, CB, New Orleans Saints

Savings from cutting Jenkins: $11.3 million

The Saints will have to figure out what to do with all three of their quarterbacks — Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, and Taysom Hill — and are already strapped for cash heading into the new fiscal year. One easy space-saving move would make New Orleans the second team to cut Jenkins in the past three months.

The Saints claimed Jenkins after he was released by the Giants for a combination of on-field malaise and off-field concerns. He performed well in New Orleans despite the team’s sudden playoff exit, but his one-year, $11+ million cap number may be too steep. There’s a chance the Saints work out a longer-term deal in order to massage those numbers and keep him in black and gold moving forward.

Joe Flacco, QB, Denver Broncos

Savings from cutting Flacco: $10 million

The Joe Flacco who led the Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII win is no more. This is the era of a Joe Flacco who is barely a replacement-level passer.

The former Super Bowl MVP has been mostly forgettable the past five seasons, recording an 83.0 passer rating and a 26-33 record as a starter. He also had his lead role usurped in both Baltimore (Lamar Jackson) and Denver (Drew Lock) after midseason injuries. General manager John Elway could keep him in Colorado to continue in his role as Lock’s mentor, or the Broncos could cut Flacco and invest a fraction of the savings involved to lure an available free agent quarterback to town instead.

Dontari Poe, DT, Carolina Panthers

Savings from cutting Poe: $9.8 million

The Panthers have a new coach for 2020. Olsen is no longer with the team. With Cam Newton’s Carolina future up for debate, there’s a chance we’re looking at a wholesale rebuild in Charlotte.

A 30-year-old Poe wouldn’t have much of a role in a Panther renaissance. The space-clogging tackle is set to be the third-highest paid player on the roster after a good, but not great season. With limited expectations for the upcoming year, he could be cut free as new head coach Matt Rhule looks to assemble his own roster.

Xavier Rhodes, CB, Minnesota Vikings

Savings from cutting Rhodes: $8.1 million

The Vikings have some very difficult decisions to make this offseason. With -$12.3 million in cap room — worst in the NFL by a significant margin — Minnesota is going to have to cut some expensive veterans. First on the chopping block will likely be Rhodes, who signed a five-year, $70.1 million contract extension in 2017 and struggled mightily in both 2018 and 2019. Per SIS, he gave up a 122.9 passer rating in coverage last fall.

Cutting Rhodes still leaves the Vikings well over the cap, however. Minnesota will have to trim the fat elsewhere, and that could mean one or two strong players winds up as an unexpected jewel in this year’s free agent crop.

Jimmy Graham, TE, Green Bay Packers

Savings from cutting Graham: $8 million

Graham hasn’t been the red zone panacea the Packers hoped he would be when they signed him to a three-year, $30 million contract in 2018. After scoring 10 touchdowns in his final season with the Seahawks in 2017, Graham has just five scores over two years in Green Bay.

The Packers drafted Jace Sternberger in the third round in 2019 to take over as Graham’s replacement, but injuries limited him to only six games as rookie — and one target from Aaron Rodgers, which he dropped. Still, if head coach Matt LaFleur thinks the second-year tight end is ready for a promotion, Graham’s tenure in Wisconsin could be over after two seasons.

Malcolm Butler, CB, Tennessee Titans

Savings from cutting Butler: $7.4 million

While he’s been steady in two seasons with the Titans, Butler is far removed from the form that made him an All-Pro with the Patriots in 2016. He’s been a good, if inconsistent, corner when healthy — and Tennessee is paying him like a great one.

The Titans have two major priorities at hand with both Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry barreling toward the open market. Carving out extra space for them could mean cutting Butler, who didn’t play a snap for the club in 2019 after Week 9 and thus missed the team’s Cinderella run through the first two weeks of the postseason.

Nate Solder, OT, New York Giants

Savings from cutting Solder: $6.5 million

Solder was the first big-ticket signing of general manager Dave Gettleman’s tenure. He hasn’t panned out the way the Giants hoped, though. His 37 blown pass protection blocks were the most in the NFL in 2019.

He’ll turn 32 years old before the upcoming season, so last year’s struggles could either be an outlier in an otherwise solid career or the beginning of an age-related decline. He was the most important piece of an offensive line that allowed Daniel Jones to get sacked 38 times in 12 starts last season, a number that threatens to stunt the young QB’s growth if it isn’t remedied.

If Solder isn’t cut in 2020, this could be the former blindside protector’s last chance to prove he’s still an upper-tier blocker.

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andrewuttaro · 4 years

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New Look Sabres: GM 33 - NSH - Jack for Hart

4-3 Regulation Win

Sometimes this team sucks ass. Sometimes it’s fun. In the career of Jack Eichel the results tend toward the latter. Since his sophomore season we have patiently awaited his arrival as a bona fide superstar in the NHL. We have awaited the evidence to shift from why to why not on face of the franchise. We have arrived at the nexus of the Eichel Sabres. Every goal you can think of Jack Eichel can do: tip-in, tight-angle, slapshot, snapshot, Ovechkin office, blueline, boards, up close, far back, you name it he does it. The Buffalo Sabres success or failure runs through Jack Robert Eichel. You thought his 19th and 20th goals were fun last game, well here comes 21 and 22, baby! Say it with me: Jack Eichel for Hart. Jack Eichel for MVP! We’ll get into how he took over this particular game in a minute. For right now allow me to direct your attention to the team around him. Zach Bogosian asked for a trade. All joking about what Bogo is or isn’t on the ice aside his numbers are brutal and his time with this team has been ruined by injury. Trading him will be difficult if it happens. Rasmus Ristolainen this season is proof winning can make you forget where else you want to be. However the reported request begs another question: What is the plan for this season for the Front Office? I have reason to believe, for several reasons, Jason Botterill and the Front Office of this organization targeted 2020-2021 to be their first season truly gunning for the playoffs. John Vogl replied as much to me in an Athletic subscriber Q&A and others, well informed and not, have suggested as much on social media. Whether it was Botterill’s plan from the moment he walked in the door in 2017 or not we may never know. Now, 2.5 years into the second rebuild we’re… uh… in a playoff spot with not a lot of faith we’ll still be in one come April? The other piece here is that there will be an absurd amount of cap room available in the summer. It’s the ideal opportunity to really make some big moves. Perhaps that’s the reason names like Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson, Jake McCabe and yes maybe even Rasmus Ristolainen are still on the team. He’s just skating an entertaining-enough roster to get to this coming summer with no intention of seriously pushing for a playoff spot. I have feelings on this theory of course but more on that later. We got a real slobber-knocker of a game tonight to talk about.

The Nashville Predators sit in a similar situation to the Sabres. They’re just kinda middling as well: a game below .500 fighting for a playoff spot. Both these teams wanted the two points tonight and both teams came out showing their intent to go get it. There was a goal scored in the first minute of this game just like Tuesday. This time it was for the other team. A weird zone entry for the Preds that you’re justified in thinking might be offsides and suddenly Matt Duchene is dangling the pants off everything that stood in his way. Even Linus Ullmark was no match and got deked out before the goal, 1-0 Nashville. It took about 15 minutes but the clap-back energy that is present in this team when they’re at their best arrived when a weird Ristolainen move up in front of the Predators net gave Jimmy Vesey the last touch on a tap-in equalizer. It can not be understated how fast paced this game was from the very first period. When Colton Sissons hammered home a long distance five-hole tally late in the first frame it seemed the home team was out-running itself, still flying to defensive positions. Then period number two came. The Jack Attack arrived in force. A long pass to Sam Reinhart got to the Captain who sized up his options and moved in on Juuse Saros. He shot it top shelf in a tight situation. It was very frankly arousing. The 1980s style graphics and music made it feel surreal and I wasn’t even in the building. Especially as the night went on the building got louder and louder. It wasn’t even a sellout but somehow it doesn’t need to be: when the team is fun so is the building. Take note, Terry.

There are a lot of guys on the team making this fun little stretch of hockey go. Brandon Montour is at full potential. He was probably the best defenseman on the ice the same night Rasmus Dahlin came back. What do you know: Rasmus Ristolainen now has seven points in eight games. Winning solves a lot of our grievance doesn’t it? Also great: Marcus Johansson. There were several rushes and neat zone entries that ran through the super center. Johansson has quickly become the wildest dreams for a second line center Jason Botterill had when he asked for Patrik Berglund. This game was too fun to bring up stuff like that. The returning Rasmus Dahlin got a puck to Henri Jokiharju at the blueline about 14 minutes into the second period. Joker took the shot and it got a tasty touch from Eichel in the slot to redirect it in. Go-ahead goal 3-2 Sabres. The clap-back was on fire. But Nashville has clap-back in spades as well. One opportunity for the visitors beat Ullmark only for the outstretched stick of the Captain to block it. This game was an F1 duel. Four minutes left in the second period and the Preds were in a sustained cycle of zone time. Ryan Johansen got a sneaky rebound the snuck over Linus Ullmark’s outstretched left pad. It was equal again at 3-3. That was probably the most merited score I’ve seen through forty minutes this season. This game, especially the middle frame was just so incredibly even. It was back and forth by the eye-test and 50/50 in most every statistical category as well. Victor Olofsson said it in postgame: “We have confidence because we’re playing like we were earlier this year… we changed the way we play in games like this… we took momentum.”

The fabulous rookie was the decider in this game. Olofsson is becoming the Swedish Artemi Panarin. YES, I’M COMPARING OLOFSSON TO PANARIN! He took over the lead in goals among rookies with a goal off his own rebound. Sam Reinhart kept the puck in the offensive zone and fired a long pass to Brandon Montour on the left boards. Montour put it net-front to Olofsson who took a shot and missed. The rebound bounced around behind the net and he collected it himself to put up and in behind Saros. It was now 4-3 Buffalo and something special unfolded. While there were select chances for Nashville, the defensive play ticked up like everyone was playing penalty kill. The Preds kept getting tied up in the neutral zone, a tale I remember vividly going the other way in an early December game with Nashville last season. This Buffalo team, much like the other one, has found the way to not only winning close games, but forcing the other team to work hard if they hope to have a chance. As the minutes and seconds in regulation ticked away you could see the visitors get more frantic. The Predators ended up outshooting the Sabres 39-32 but thanks to Linus Ullmark continuing to inspire confidence in front of him and a whole team that has discovered their defensive prowess, the goals category remained in favor of Buffalo. Even when Nashville pulled their goalie it seemed as thought they were just taking a series of slappers in the general direction of the Sabres net. None would go, the Sabres won their third straight for the first time since the fast times back in October. Buffalo honored the old Aud and the high scoring 1980s with real gunslinging kinda of a game.

So what is this fun for? It appears this team has arisen from a slump like few teams of recent years were able to. Now that is sorta appears they can, will they pursue the much-pined-for playoff berth? Long time readers of the blog will know exactly my feelings on the 2020 scenario I led this postgame with. I want playoffs now and I think this franchise needs playoffs now! I think this team was good enough to do it last season! Yeah, I’m bullish on that. However, the Alex Galchenyuk rumor, from the mouth of Darren Dreger mind you, disrupts the 2020 theory just a little bit. Galchenyuk, a reclamation project for sure, is an attempt at adding legitimate top six talent. If you get 50% of what Galch was two seasons ago, hell if you get his normal point production, you have a complete top six. Not only that but you have a top six more or less proven to be what this Coach would want to play on night-to-night basis. Love it or hate it Ralph Krueger has always come back to that same top line. Does this team plus a Galchenyuk move not look like a team trying to make the playoffs this season? Once more, how many of us twitter GMs have prognosticated that this team is one top six player away from being something great? Not great like not losing most games, great like could make the playoffs and have a fighting chance once they get there. Games as exciting as tonight are ultimately nothing but memories if they don’t contribute to a point total that can get you a spot in the dance. What does the Front Office think of this season? They can make a decisive statement with a trade, will they?

Believe it or not this was the Sabres first win against the Preds at home since 2008. It was only the second home win against the Predators in Sabres history. That’s an interesting stat. The stats that mattered tonight though are leads. The Sabres defended their last one for eleven and a half minutes against the Predators. That’s hot. More leads: Jack Eichel passed Alex Ovechkin to reach second in the league in goal scoring with his two goals while Victor Olofsson passed Cale Makar for the rookie lead in goal and points. Unreal. As crazy as this is right now the December schedule has no mercy for us. Now the Sabres fly off on a three-game road trip of the Islanders, the Leafs, and the Flyers. That’s not a cake walk. We have a strong MVP candidate on our hands and a very decent Calder Trophy candidate as well; but all our fawning has to mean something or you minus well just call this a rerun. Let’s end on a fun note though, this game merited it: When the Sabres played their last game at the Aud in April 1996 none of Jack Eichel, Rasmus Asplund, Casey Mittelstadt, Henri Jokiharju and Rasmus Dahlin were born yet. It’s a new age in Buffalo. It’s a New Look Sabres!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. Yes, I know there are also reports Botterill has put a trade on the backburner since the winning resumed. Let’s just hope that’s not the case and move on. Enjoy nice things while you have them: the Sabres are three points up on a playoff spot.

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truesportsfan · 4 years

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5 NHL teams that improved their Stanley Cup odds at the deadline

With the NHL trade deadline now passed, it’s time to take a look at which teams made the moves that could potentially put them over the top… or at least aid them on their quest for the Stanley Cup.

Fears of disrupting chemistry be damned. Often times at the NHL trade deadline, general managers, coaches and players will speak of not trying to disturb the rhythm of their roster.

This was the justification Julien BriseBois used last year when asked why he and the Lightning decided not to make any deadline additions. It makes sense, not wanting to ruffle the feathers of guys on the team by shipping out one of their buddies to bring in a new toy. However, when things go south, like they did for the Lightning in their first round matchup vs Columbus last year, the question can always be asked: “why didn’t we do more?”

This year’s deadline saw many teams throw caution to the wind and choose to buy, buy, buy. Because while your team may be good, it can always get better. That appears to be the mindset of these clubs as we examine the five teams that improved their Stanley Cup odds at the deadline.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Tampa Bay Lightning

Notable Additions: F Blake Coleman, F Barclay Goodrow and D Zach Bogosian (via Free-Agent Signing)

The Lightning got an early jump on the deadline, sending former first-round pick Nolan Foote and a 2020 second-rounder to the New Jersey Devils for Blake Coleman early last week. A lone bright spot in the Devils season, Coleman — or “Pickles” as he’s affectionately known among the New Jersey faithful due to his affinity for drinking pickle juice — brings some offensive punch and responsible two-way play to the Lightning lineup.

Prior to joining the Lightning, Coleman racked up 21 goals, just one shy of the career-high 22 he scored last season. While he won’t be looked upon as a contributor on the power play — just one of his 21 goals have been scored on the man-advantage — he can be counted upon for his play at the other end of the special teams battle. Coleman averages 2:45 on the penalty kill per game this season and has three shorthanded goals as an added bonus.

The Lightning further bolstered the bottom of their lineup with the addition of Barclay Goodrow from the Sharks. While the price was quite steep, sending away a first-round pick in the package, Goodrow adds a stabilizing presence to Tampa’s fourth line. He won’t score as much as Coleman, but he has a playoff Game Seven overtime goal under his belt and sports a 52.2 Corsi For percentage this season, according to Hockey Reference, which is a tremendous 2.8 percent higher relative to the rest of his former team.

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The Lightning also signed defenseman Zach Bogosian to a one-year contract. It can be argued how much Bogosian can add to the Bolts’ back end, as he’s played in just 19 games this season for Buffalo, recording one goal and four assists. However, throughout his career, Bogosian has been a minute-muncher on defense, averaging 21:43 per game. While the Lightning would be wise not to utilize him to that extent, he does give them an extra body on the blue line come the playoffs.

For a team that decided to stand pat at the deadline last season, general manager BriseBois took a different approach this time. Might have something to do with last year’s first round debacle — just a hunch.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Pittsburgh Penguins

Notable Additions: F Jason Zucker, F Patrick Marleau, F Evan Rodrigues and F Conor Sheary

The Penguins dove in to the trade deadline head first this year and emerged with one of the league’s most consistent scoring wingers, as well as a brand new third line. The line to help Jim Rutherford just keeps on growing.

By acquiring Zucker from the Minnesota Wild, the Penguins seem to have answered the age-old question of “what could Sidney Crosby do with a bonafide top-line winger?” The answer: directly combine for five goals in the first seven games they’ve played together.

We’ve watched Crosby drag nearly 40-year-old Bill Guerin to his second Cup in 2008-09, morph Chris Kunitz into an Olympic gold medalist, aid Sheary in his first and only 20-goal season (more on you later), officiate my parents’ wedding and mitigate their subsequent divorce, etc, etc.

Sure, there was a brief love-affair with Phil “the thrill” Kessel, but Crosby has never had a partner like this riding shotgun. The chemistry they’ve already displayed is staggering and it’s likely to get better.

The Penguins have added a plethora of new depth players. Pittsburgh sent promising young forward Dominik Kahun to Buffalo for Rodrigues and old friend Sheary. Rodrigues has flown under-the-radar the last few seasons in Buffalo, but brings some jump and play driving ability to the Pens bottom-six. It’s been well documented what Sheary has done with Pittsburgh (see above), and it’s not hard to think he’ll have an easy transition plugging right back in wherever the Penguins slot him into their lineup.

On top of that, Marleau, one of the most prolific scorers of the last 20 years, now slots in as a middle-six forward for the Pens. The depth on this team is absurd and may even give Tampa a run for their money scoring-wise. Through all the injury troubles they’ve dealt with this year, the Penguins have developed a “plug and play” mentality that has paid dividends. With the addition of four new forwards, Pittsburgh once again looks like a team primed to win a Stanley Cup.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Edmonton Oilers

Notable Additions: F Andreas Athanasiou, F Tyler Ennis and D Mike Green

The Oilers made a pair of trades with the ailing Detroit Red Wings, acquiring the speedy Athanasiou and veteran defenseman Green. It’s easy to love the Athanasiou move, as it gives the Oilers more depth at center, as well as the addition of a player that can not only keep up with the speed of its roster, but potentially outpace much of it.

We’ve seen flashes of what Athanasiou can do, topping 15 goals in his first two full seasons and netting 30 last year. Now he may be utilized in a lineup that is built upon his greatest asset — speed. Whether or not he gets a shot to skate alongside Connor McDavid or winds up centering the Oilers third line, Athanasiou is a move that seems too perfect not to work out.

The Green deal, however, is much more of a question mark. Long gone are the days of Green potting an outrageous 30 goals from the back end. He hasn’t scored double digit goals since 2016-17 and only has three to his name this season.

Yet, Green can still work a man-advantage if needed, as he averaged 2:25 minutes worth of power play time per game this season, and chewed up a healthy 21:39 of ice-time per night during his tenure in Detroit. For a team whose major flaw is often seen as the defense, it can’t hurt to have a veteran like Green to rely on for bottom pair minutes, instead of stop gaps like Joel Persson and noted good-guy Brandon Manning.

Ennis, despite his age and diminutive size, has remained an effective forward the last few seasons. Sporting 14 goals and 33 points this season, Ennis adds some depth scoring to a roster that is often seen as top-heavy.

After failing to reach the playoffs in three of the first four seasons of McDavid’s career, Edmonton went all-in at the this year’s trade deadline to assure that the fifth season won’t go to waste.

Washington Capitals

Notable Additions: D Brenden Dillon and F Ilya Kovalchuk

During the height of his career, the case could have been made that Kovalchuk was the most well rounded player of his time. Consistent 40-plus goal scorer, elite playmaker, shorthanded specialist and power play quarterback. Before his foray into Russia, Kovalchuk was a Swiss army knife (Swiss hockey stick?) of a player.

Today, that’s not the case. However, Kovalchuk’s play has surprised many during the second-half of the season following his tumultuous departure from the Kings organization. After the Canadiens took a flyer on him for a league-minimum deal, the Russian winger has recorded six goals and seven assists in 22 games. This was enough to convince the Caps to acquire him for a third-round pick in 2020.

Kovalchuk, a good friend of Alex Ovechkin, has seen his best days come and go. Yet, he should be able to add some scoring punch and special teams production to the Capitals roster. Also, how great would the post-Cup shenanigans be between Kovy and Ovi?

Dillon, while lacking the instant name recognition of some of his peers, has been a model of defensive proficiency during his nine-year career. He can’t be counted on for anything in the offensive zone, but he can chew up tough minutes and provide a steadying force to the penalty kill. Besides that, Dillon is a heart and soul player who will endear himself to his new teammates in short order and establish a strong voice in the locker room.

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Carolina Hurricanes

Notable Additions: F Vincent Trocheck, D Sami Vatanen and D Brady Skjei

This one might be more aptly titled an “honorable mention” if we’re being honest. There’s little doubt that following these three moves, the Carolina Hurricanes roster is now better than the one that finished out that wild game in Toronto last week. Considering the team lost Brett Pesce and both of its NHL goalies in that game, that isn’t tough to believe.

While Sami Vatanen and Brady Skjei are solid NHL defensemen that will keep the Hurricanes alive in their push for the postseason, it’s just not reasonable to believe they can totally fill the holes in the roster left by Pesce and Dougie Hamilton — who was on a Norris Trophy candidate pace.

Also, the Canes surprisingly did not pursue any options in goal, despite Robin Lehner, Louis Domingue and Michael Hutchinson being available. For now, it seems as though the plan in net is to roll with the unproven Anton Forsberg and rookie Alex Nedeljkovic. Not necessarily a recipe for success.

Vincent Trocheck is a tremendous addition that will help the Canes offense in short order. Though it came at the cost of Erik Haula — a great player in his own right — Trocheck is a bit like a Barkov-Lite player. He’s got tremendous offensive instincts, a wicked release and a sound two-way game. Plus, he’s got term left on his contract and appears to fit right in with the Hurricanes plans for the future. But does it do enough to put this team over the top?

While the Canes were active on deadline day, it’s tough to say how much more of a contender they’ve become given their injury woes. However, if there’s a team that’s used to shirking the expectations and traditions of the hockey world, it’s this bunch of jerks.

Next: Grading every NHL team’s 2020 trade deadline

Follow FanSided NHL for more news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage about hockey in all forms throughout the entire 2019-20 NHL season and beyond.

source https://truesportsfan.com/sport-today/5-nhl-teams-that-improved-their-stanley-cup-odds-at-the-deadline/

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thrashermaxey · 5 years

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Ramblings: Updates on Hart, Lehner, Larkin, and Tatar; Robert Thomas; Jake Guentzel; More – March 12

Tomas Tatar was skating with the Canadiens at practice on Monday after missing their last game with an illness. Normally this isn’t worth reporting but given that we saw Mike Green shut down for the year with a virus, it seems we’re at the point where we need to share when a player returns from an illness.

Robin Lehner skated by himself before the Islanders hit the ice for gameday skate on Monday. It’s good to see him back on the ice but seeing as he’s returning from a head injury, it’s the first of many steps before returning from game action. Fantasy owners should be prepared for another option for at least this week. It should be Thomas Greiss continuing in net in the near-term. Greiss, by the by, shutout the Blue Jackets on Monday night, saving all 31 shots against.

On the topic of goaltenders, Carter Hart was the backup for Brian Elliott on Monday night. Hart will get in a game later this week, just not yet.

It looks like Dylan Larkin will be out for another week.

Viktor Arvidsson missed practice with the Predators and had Wayne Simmonds take his spot. A little later I’ll get into coaches lying a bit later in these Ramblings but Filip Forsberg had a maintenance day a few days ago and then missed Saturday night’s game. I won’t believe anything coming from the coaching staff until we see Arvidsson back on the ice.

With Vladimir Tarasenko out until at least the middle of next week, fantasy owners are scrambling for options. At Monday’s practice, the Blues had Robert Thomas skating with Brayden Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly. Given that he’ll be on the top line for the time being and will earn at least secondary PP minutes, Thomas is a player worth consideration for the playoff push. St. Louis has four games this week and three of them are good-to-great matchups with Ottawa, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo on the docket.

In that same practice, Pat Maroon went down hard and had to be helped off with what looked like an injury to his right leg. David Perron filled in for him on the second line with Jaden Schwartz and Tyler Bozak. They’re saying he’s fine but we’ll know for sure tomorrow.

I don’t normally mention the NHL’s Three Stars of the Week because there’s not much value in doing so but it’s worth noting that Anaheim rookie Troy Terry won Third Star from the NHL last week for his two goals and five assists.

I had a lot of hope at the outset of the season for many of the Anaheim rookies, namely Sam Steel. Terry has loads of skill but I was concerned about him being stuck behind Corey Perry, Jakob Silfverberg, and Ondrej Kase whereas I saw Steel as the potential 3C. Needless to say, that hasn’t exactly worked out.

Terry’s fantasy upside is a fair debate because he’s not a guy who has shot much in the AHL (92 shots in 41 games) or the NHL (20 shots in 23 games). As a rookie, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt but there aren’t a lot of guys who can have significant fantasy relevance while averaging under two shots per game; from what I can tell, there is one skater in the top-100 players in standard Yahoo! leagues averaging under two shots per game, and that’s Brandon Tanev, and he’s exactly the 100th player, and he has 232 hits, a total which Terry may not amass in his entire NHL career.

Again, there is time and room for growth here, but he has played well since Randy Carlyle was replaced (as the team has been better). Lots to be encouraged about here for 2019-20.

Over the weekend, the Seattle Hockey Analytics Conference took place in, well, Seattle. This is a gathering of mostly amateur data scientists, bloggers, game trackers, and every other intersection of hockey stats. I don’t use the word amateur as a disparagement, just not that many people in attendance are officially working in hockey front offices. You can watch the presentations on YouTube (starting here) and they include a wide array of topics from the value of different faceoffs, evaluating prospects, goaltending, and more. There are several hours to get through and some can get very heavy on math so it’s maybe something to bookmark for the offseason.

With Jack Eichel suspended, the Buffalo Sabres have a very different look in practice:

Sabres’ lines:

Skinner-Mittelstadt-Pominville Sheary-Rodrigues-Nylander Thompson-Sobotka-Reinhart Wilson-Larsson-Okposo

— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) March 11, 2019

This is, by the way, a great opportunity for Casey Mittelstadt to showcase whether or not he can play a feature role. He’ll never supersede Jack Eichel in the pecking order, but it’ll give fantasy owners a glimpse into whether or not he can be relied upon to be the second line centre, which would be a boost for him next year. Two games, of course, won’t give us a final determination one way or another, it’s just something to watch.

Something I noticed looking at player performance so far this season: there haven’t been huge surprises in elite fantasy performances. If you look at the top-20 skaters in standard Yahoo! leagues this year, only six had ADPs outside of the top-50: Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, Brayden Point, Leon Draisaitl, and Elias Lindholm. The only top-20 skater with an ADP outside the top-100 was Lindholm.

Not that this is a huge surprise. The season prior to this saw the Vegas guys have great years out of nowhere, Dustin Brown had one last hurrah, and so on. Other than that, it’s mostly names we’d expect. It does hammer home the point that when it comes to fantasy hockey, nailing your early picks is important. It might not seem that way because so many people will inevitably hit their early picks, but if someone misses on their first two picks of a draft, in all likelihood most of the rest of that person’s league has hit on theirs, and the hope of finding a diamond in the rough on the waiver wire is minimal. Yes, of course getting guys like Lindholm will help put you over the top, but missing early picks is a quick way to the bottom of the standings.

Can I just say that, in general, I’m disappointed with the Dallas Stars? We saw quotes from coach Jim Montgomery before the season that he wanted to play a faster game than they did under Ken Hitchcock, stressing things like zone entries and maintaining possession. Well, as we stood on Monday, the Stars are 25th in adjusted shots for at five-on-five, just ahead of the Islanders and Oilers, and 23rd in adjusted shot share, just ahead of the Oilers and Kings. Yes, they’re in a playoff position, but I would credit that to the team’s goaltending leading the league in five-on-five save percentage more than the team playing well.

Maybe I’m the sucker here. I’ve gotten used to ignoring almost anything any coach (or GM) says because they’re often lying, or at least obfuscating the truth because there is no incentive to be honest. The offseason quotes from Montgomery got me excited not only because of the big guns on the team, but guys like Miro Heiksanen, Denis Gurianov, Roope Hintz, Esa Lindell, and Julius Honka could certainly benefit from a faster, more offensive-oriented system. While those guys have had varying levels of fantasy relevance from some (Heiskanen) to none (Honka), I thought a rising tide would float all boats. Instead, it’s as if Hitchcock never left.

Just another mark in the Don’t Pay Attention To Coaches side of the ledger.

Tampa Bay skated out of Toronto with an easy 6-2 win on Monday night. It was 4-0 just five minutes into the second period and it was cruise control from there. Tyler Johnson had a pair of goals from the Lightning, his 23rd and 24th of the year. He’s now five off his career high of 29 in 2014-15.

With a pair of helpers, Ryan McDonagh now sits at 36 points, needing four to crack the 40-point mark for the third time in his career. He also had three shots, three hits, and a blocked shot for good measure.

Ryan Pulock scored in the first period for the Islanders, his ninth goal and 33rd point of the year. That surpasses his 32 points from last year. The first-round pick from 2013 took some years but he’s finally living up to that billing. In leagues that count peripheral stats, he’s going to be a beast for years to come.

More updates in the morning.

As we stand on Monday afternoon, Jake Guentzel sits with 34 goals and 65 points on the season. Those 34 goals tie him for 11th in the NHL with Steven Stamkos, one behind Nathan MacKinnon and one ahead of Nikita Kucherov. Before the season, I wasn’t overly concerned with Guentzel’s ADP picking up steam if only because he can provide a healthy amount of hits which meant that even if he didn’t have a great offensive year, he could contribute elsewhere.

Well, he does have a healthy amount of hits.

It’s easy to point to his 18.2 percent shooting and say that he’s simply the result of a lot of good luck. The thing is, over the first 159 games of his career before this season (including playoffs), he shot 18.1 percent. Simply pointing to a high shooting percentage doesn’t really do him justice.

Playing with Sidney Crosby, of course, helps immensely. But is there anything that has changed with Guentzel’s game that has helped pushed him to the season he’s currently enjoying?

Two things are worth pointing out here: at five-on-five, Guentzel is enjoying a career-high in shots per 60 minutes and minutes per game. League-wide, Guentzel’s 15:22 per contest is top-20 among forwards (minimum of 600 minutes), in the same range as names like Aleksander Barkov, Sean Couturier, and Ryan Getzlaf. Garnering that level of ice time (about 90 seconds more per game than last year) will be a big help to anyone’s fantasy profile.

As far as the shots are concerned, he’s added about one every 60 minutes compared to last year. That’s moved him from the 60th percentile to the 80th, and by the end of the year, will add about 20 shots in total. With his conversion rate, that’s an additional four goals so far this year through an increased shot rate alone.

When looking ahead, it’s worth mentioning that Guentzel has done all this while not earning much power play time (a little over two minutes per game). He’s largely been kept off the top PP unit, only filling in for Patric Hornqvist when injury struck, or when the coaching staff mixed around the PP units when it has been scuffling. He has just eight power-play points, so he’s far from reaching his fantasy ceiling.

Again, it’s worth pointing out he’s played about 90 percent of his five-on-five ice time with Crosby compared to roughly 58 percent last year. That is certainly a big help. But there are other factors helping Guentzel, and generally speaking they are of his own making; he’s shooting more and he’s earned the extra ice time. We’ve now seen his ceiling without a prominent PP role. Imagine what he can do if he does get one?

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-updates-on-hart-lehner-and-tatar-robert-thomas-jake-guentzel-more-march-12/

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1inawesomewonder · 5 years

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From Sullivan Arena in Goffstown, NH – January 30, 2019:

Sometimes in hockey, the uptempo skating and pace of one team make the other team look less effective, or if nothing else, makes them look sluggish. Then again, that’s why you have to compete for all three periods or more. Goffstown battled back, tied the game late in the third, and won the game in overtime, 3-2.

Here is a clip (Courtesy of GTV Sports) of the game-winning goal. Or what should have been the game-winning goal, but for reasons that have been bewildering, to say the least, another call this season that was blatantly missed. This was a beautiful play that culminated in Colin Burke slamming the puck into the open side of the net.

Anyways, when the game started, after a recording of one of my all-time favorite National Anthem performances (Wayne Messmer 1991 NHL All-Star Game at the old Chicago Stadium) while troops were over attending to Desert Storm, I was ready to go. It turns out that I wasn’t alone. Kingswood showed their team skating ability right from the start, as did the Grizzlies. The first period wasn’t much to watch as far as whistles, or scoring was concerned. Well, Joey Vetanze made a pair of brilliant saves in quick succession on Griffin Cook and Sebastian Beal respectively from right out front in the second half of the period. Actually, several of us thought that the game was marred with penalties early on but not a single one was called. As a matter of fact, the entire 15-minute period was played in just over 18 minutes of elapsed time which included all stoppages, faceoffs, line changes, etc. That’s actually hard to do, but nothing was being called and both teams went up and down the ice. Kingswood outshot the Grizzlies 7-6 in the period. At times it seemed as though there may have been more shots on goal per team than completed passes because not much seemed to click.

Jacob Noonan meanders into the slot area looking for a chance to shoot. (Photo by Charron)

Luke Chase gets after Kolbe Maganzini and the puck at Sullivan Arena. (Photo by Charron)

Grady uses some of his Sumo Wrestling footwork to elevate his game. (Photo by Charron)

Okay, pick an opening to shoot at, all in a fraction of a second while all parts are moving. (Photo by Charron)

In the second period, it was quite different from the start. Eric DesRuisseaux playing on defense made a potentially dangerous turnover, but partner Colin Burke helped him out with a great poke check to break up the play just 59 seconds into the period. Then a slashing call and hooking call was whistled back-to-back on the Knights from Kingswood. Goffstown was unable to capitalize on either powerplay opportunity despite some really good chances. Sebastian Beal took a roughing penalty but the Grizzlies held. Then it was Vetanze again, this time robbing Griffin Cook on a point-blank redirection that appeared to hit the knob of the goalie’s stick and fall harmlessly away. Kyle LaSella, not to be outdone, made an absolutely sensational save on Sam Danais who had broken in behind the Goffstown defense. Danais, working from right to left, left a soft shot back to his right, where LaSella made a brilliant left toe save while moving to his right. Incredible save! Then finally, a goal. Grady Chretien picked the puck right off of Cole Emerson’s stick behind the net, turned the corner and fired a shot past Vetanze to give Goffstown a 1-0 lead. The score would hold to end the period and both teams had 9 shots on goal in the middle stanza.

Theo Milianes heads up ice in a special colored high-speed lane that only he can use. (Photo by Charron)

Eric DesRuisseaux graciously pauses so the photographer can capture hockey picture number 100,000 of her career. Outstanding achievement! (Photo by Charron)

Colin Burke impressed the judges with his Great Blue Heron of Hockey move. Notice the forearm, stick, and back leg all in a line. Shoulders turned, parallel. Creative and beautiful. (Photo by Charron)

Isaac McGregor ladies and gentlemen. (Photo by Charron)

Goffstown started the final period with a 1-0 lead and when Kingswood took a penalty at 1:12 it looked like the Grizzlies might be able to add to their lead. As it turned out, Sebastian Beal sent a pass behind Grady Chretien which led to Sam Danais using his speed to grab the puck and off to the races. Danais managed to outduel Chretien on a 1-on-1 break and slipped a backhand shot past Kyle LaSella to tie the game at 1:48. Despite the goal against Goffstown, the home town team turned up the pressure and dominated time of possession, shots, and scoring chances for most of the period. Joey Vetanze robbed Chretien more than once with outstanding saves for the senior goaltender, including an acrobatic glove save. Even though the Grizzlies were getting chance after chance, they were still quite careless with the puck. They threw pucks to open spaces and to places where the opponent was waiting to pilfer. Then after winning an offensive zone faceoff, the Knights turned a Goffstown shot into a goal in a matter of seconds. Colby Gamache won the faceoff right back to Griffin Cook. Shot fired but the shot was blocked by Kolbe Maganzini who then hooked, hacked, and held Sebastian Beal while the shot deflected to the corner. After a quick movement of the puck from Nick Potenza and Cody Emerson, Sam Danais had the puck on his stick at his own blue line. He made a quick, accurate pass to Colby Clegg flying through center ice. Brett Lassonde and Jacob Noonan reacted to the speedy Clegg and both converged on the forward. They managed to separate Clegg from the puck on a play that could easily have been called a tripping penalty on the Grizzlies. The puck ended up on the stick of onrushing Cody Emerson who deked, shot, and scored at 10:06 to give the Knights a 2-1 lead.

I am not up on all the rules but there appears to be something wrong with Colby’s hockey stick. (Photo by Charron)

May the flex be with you. (Photo by Charron)

Griffin Cook corners and ice shavings fly. (Photo by Charron)

Eric DesRuisseaux poised to shoot likes he’s competing in the shooting accuracy contest. (Photo by Charron)

Then at 11:35 or so of the period, Sebastian Beal and Colin Burke looked as though they had connected on a game-tying goal as the puck went to the goal line, or over it, or who knows. Based on the call that would come a few minutes later, it’s hard to say. Either way, the puck stayed in play, the play continued. With about 2:30 remaining, Brett Lassonde got caught flat-footed at center ice trying to play the puck out of the air. He missed. The puck landed and Cody Emerson, who was flying up the left wing, grabbed the puck and led the rush. He drew Jacob Noonan wide with his speed and dropped a beautiful aerial backhand pass to Cole Emerson right on the doorstep. Kyle LaSella held the nearside post and made a great left pad save to keep the Grizzlies within a goal. Even after the save, Goffstown turned the puck directly over to Kingswood twice in the following 20 seconds but staved off any further damage. At 13:19 Logan McEvoy slashed Griffin Cook’s stick right out of his hands and the call was too obvious not to be called. The Grizzlies went on the powerplay and pulled LaSella from the net, but first, they used their timeout. After half a minute, Colby Gamache won an offensive zone faceoff to Griffin Cook. Cook made a short pass back to Grady Chretien at the right point, who made a perfect east-west diagonal pass to Colin Burke. Burke, at the left-wing faceoff dot, ripped a wrist shot that banked off of the crossbar, hit the far post, and then the strings. It was the perfect bank shot, to tie the game at 2-2 with 1:11 to play. Powerplay goal, with the goalie pulled, yeah, it was pretty exciting. Kingswood called their timeout. LaSella returned to his place between the pipes, and there were 71 seconds left to decide the outcome in regulation.

Your captain, Sebastian Beal, focused on the puck vs. Kingswood. (Photo by Charron)

Grizzlies bench vs. Kingswood. Some folks may have had a longer day than others (trainer). (Photo by Charron)

Slightly biased maybe, I love the look of the captain’s little brother in the stands as the Grizzlies celebrate Chretien’s OT winner. (Photo by Charron)

All good things must come to an end. Last year one of the C’s left the team, I mean, graduated. So Colby became this year’s C to go with B for Beal, and C for Cook. CBC the sequel has lived up to the hype thus far, with 45 goals and 59 assists between them. (Photo by Charron)

Here again, played out something eerily similar to what had happened just a minute of game-time before. Gamache wins the faceoff to Griffin Cook, drops a pass to the point, and so on. This time the puck goes low to Burke on the left-wing dot, back to Cook at the left point, and over to Brett Lassonde on the right point. Lassonde skates into the right-wing circle and makes a perfect pass through traffic to Burke on the doorstep, and Burke made no mistake, burying the puck into the net with 6.something left on the clock. The referee, on the goal line, but close to the corner, skates toward the net, then blows his whistle and looks at #9 of Kingswood signaling a kicking motion before waving his arms to say no goal. So the goal was not a goal despite that Burke never kicked the puck. And overtime began. As it would turn out, Grady Chretien scored the sudden death, overtime, game-winning goal at 2:27 of the overtime to win it for the Grizzlies. Luke Chase got the lone assist on the play and the Goffstown bench swarmed Chretien on the ice in celebration. What a game! Kingswood executed their game plan nearly perfect. Goffstown’s top line was a -2 on the night, mustered a single assist, and still beat a good team.

In the game, the Grizzlies were not crisp with the puck at all. This, of course, is in part due to the Knights making it difficult to maneuver with ease. The Grizzlies also lost possession of the puck or had to completely reset their offense no less than four times in the game when passes were dropped to one point of the other, that had been vacated by Colin Burke. Burke took numerous walkabouts in the offensive end of the ice which led to some serious disruption, and a mild heart attack or two. However, it is equally, if not more important to note, that Burke has been immense over the last few games for the Grizzlies. In two of the last three games, Beal and Cook have combined for a total of one assist, yet the Grizzlies won both games. Colin Burke has been a huge reason why Goffstown has won those particular games, including 2 goals and 2 assists in the games mentioned. We all know that it will take the entire group contributing in order to finish strong and make any kind of a run in the tournament. As for now though, it was a great overtime win for Goffstown. Next, they get ready for Windham, now a Division I opponent.

NHIAA Hockey: Updated Records: Goffstown (9-2-1) Kingswood (5-6)

Sullivan Arena, Goffstown, NH January 30, 2019. 7:30 PM Start:

Summary:

Goals:

Goffstown: 0-1-1-1 = 3 Kingswood: 0-0-2-0 = 2

Shots:

Goffstown: 06-09-19-03 = 37 Kingswood: 07-09-04-02 = 22

Scoring:

1st No scoring

2nd Goffstown at 12:51. Even. Grady Chretien (17) unassisted.

3rd Kingswood at 1:48. SHG. Sam Danais unassisted.

3rd Kingswood at 10:06. Even. Cody Emerson from Colby Clegg and Sam Danais.

3rd Goffstown at 13:49. PPG. Colin Burke (6) from Grady Chretien (4) and Griffin Cook (18).

OT Goffstown at 2:27. Even. Grady Chretien (18) from Luke Chase (4).

Penalties:

Goffstown:

Sebastian Beal 2:00 Rough

Griffin Cook 2:00 Trip

Kingswood:

Kolbe Maganzini 2:00 Slash

Bailey Savage 2:00 Hook

Nick Potenza 2:00 Hook

Logan McEvoy 2:00 Slash

Special Teams:

Goffstown Power Play: 1 for 4. Kingswood Power Play: 0 for 2.

Saves: Goffstown: Kyle LaSella 20 of 22. (46:57) Kingswood: Joey Vetanze 34 of 37. (47:27)

Hockey: Goffstown 3 vs. Kingswood 2 (OT) From Sullivan Arena in Goffstown, NH - January 30, 2019: Sometimes in hockey, the uptempo skating and pace of one team make the other team look less effective, or if nothing else, makes them look sluggish.

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flauntpage · 7 years

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All Aboard! Ten Takeaways from Flyers 5, Sharks 3

Hockey is officially back.

Yeah, it was nice to talk about camp battles and what rookies should make the team and line combination experiments and all the other crap you are forced to talk about when games don’t matter, (and really, isn’t every exhibition season in every sport dreadful, boring and too freaking long?)

That’s all behind us now.

It may not feel like October out there (is global warming a thing?), but it is, and that means the hockey matters now.

‘Tis the season in Philadelphia to tweet “Choo-Choo” every time Wayne Simmonds does his thing (plenty of opportunity for that last night), to bitch about Andrew MacDonald (even when he doesn’t do anything wrong), and to want to fire coach Dave Hakstol because he is scratching rookies again.

I’ve missed you Flyers fans, truly I have.

So, it was with a lot of coffee that I sat down on the couch to take in Game 1 of 82 last night with an ungodly 10:50 pm puck drop, and stayed up well past my usual bed time to bring you these 10 observations, which were made through glazed-over eyes pried open by tooth picks and strong tape. I’m a man of the people.

So, without further ado, here’s what I saw last night/this morning in the Flyers’ 5-3 win in San Jose.

1) Wayne Simmonds – Best Goal Scorer in the NHL

Well, for one day anyway. Simmonds posted his second career hat trick – and the first by a Flyer on opening night in the team’s 51-year history.

Everyone in the NHL will be talking about Connor McDavid scoring all three goals in Edmonton’s opening night win over Calgary because, well, he’s Connor McDavid – and he’s considered the next face of the league in the NHL. But, Simmonds matched him with the type of performance that is typical of Simmonds. Gritty. Hard-nosed. 100% effort at all times.

And unlike McDavid, none of Simmonds’ goals were flashy, or pretty. One hit him as he tried to get out of the way of a Shayne Gostisbehere shot. The second he tipped in, again angling his frame in front of the goalie. The third was an empty-netter.

But, when you play the way Simmonds plays, you are going to create your own good fortune – and that’s what tonight was – it was a spirited effort by the team’s emotional leader.

A lot of people – myself included – have been saying that for the Flyers to make a playoff push this season, the core veterans will have to be better than they were a year ago. That includes Simmonds, who although he scored 31 goals and 54 points last season, was subpar in 5-on-5 play.

Not so in the opener. Simmonds lived up to his moniker and steamed around the arena. It’s never pretty, but it’s always effective. Even when it’s taking place after midnight.

Which reminds me of an Aerosmith song, seen here in Rock Band version:

2) PECOOOOOOOOOO

A shout out to my man Lou Nolan. The power play was en fuego last night. One game, yes, but a good sign.

The Flyers fired assistant coach Joey Mullen after last season because the power play had dipped from stellar to mediocre. Then, in the preseason, it looked dreadful, making you wonder if it was a case of the archer with bad aim blaming the arrows.

But last night they flipped the switch and… well… this happened:

Jordan Weal. http://pic.twitter.com/scWravYDn7

— Chris Jastrzembski (@CFJastrzembski) October 5, 2017

Then this happened:

on the powerplay http://pic.twitter.com/2nWOf7kUY7

— Chris Jastrzembski (@CFJastrzembski) October 5, 2017

(It was actually Simmer’s goal, although Gostisbehere was originally credited with it).

And then, oh yeah, this happened:

It was Simmer but either way it's a lead again. Four goals. Sadly no @ChickfilA http://pic.twitter.com/gHj1CLxdtJ

— Chris Jastrzembski (@CFJastrzembski) October 5, 2017

That’s right– three power play goals. They were actually 3-for-3 at one point (They finished 3-for-5). And the first unit looked slick.

The difference from last year to this year? Quicker passing. The Flyers used to hold the puck and wait for openings and then try to use their skill to take advantage of them. They would hope for the other team to break down on the PK, and pounce. It’s not a terrible strategy, but one that is akin to a serve-and volley tennis player.

Last night it was the big booming serve– moving the puck with alacrity, breaking down that PK box quicker by keeping it fluid.

It requires more precision, trust and instinct, but it should create higher percentage chances.

Connecting on 60 percent of them. SMALL SAMPLE SIZE ALERT. We’ll take it.

3) The New Goalie

Look, Brian Elliott has been around– not quite as long as E.T., but almost. He has been steady (2.42 GAA, .913 SvPct). But what he does especially well, and has for the most part in the past six seasons, is compete, battle and keep you in games.

He’s a game manager quarterback – not posting the flashy numbers, but not hurting the team either with risky plays or boneheaded mistakes. Though I’d imagine we’d all take an Alex Smith-like effort this year.

But, it’s no secret that something happens to you when you play goal in Philadelphia. You morph. You start to change – and you never know how you are going to turn out.

You can be like Pennywise, and seem like a safe and innocent clown at first, but then shape-shift into something horrible and scary at the most inopportune time (see Cechmanek, Roman).

Or you can turn out like the third clone of Michael Keaton in Multiplicity (see Bryzgalov, Ilya).

What Elliott will eventually be in Philadelphia will play out over the course of this season, but for one night, he was good.

Yes, he allowed three goals, but considering the Flyers had a real weakness clearing the front of the net, allowing both high scoring chances for the Sharks from in close as well as screens for shots from the point, the fact that Elliott made 32 saves and got the win was an impressive beginning.

Michal Neuvirth likely gets the start tonight in Los Angeles (although nothing is guaranteed), but Elliott shouldn’t make you worry too much. He’ll do his job and do it well enough to keep the Flyers competitive.

4) The Ghost of Ghost

I don’t know if I want to praise Shayne Gostisbehere’s performance or if I want to criticize it. And frankly, I have a feeling he’s going to leave me with this conundrum often.

First, the good.

The guy everyone fell in love with two seasons ago was back and making a difference from his own blue line out.

He is so gifted offensively. He can skate, and carry the puck into the zone with pace that automatically increases scoring chances. He has a heavy shot from the point and truly is an offensive threat. He seemed a little sluggish on his first few shifts, but then turned it up a notch and drove the play with authority.

However, put him behind his own blue line, and it’s a different person entirely. He gambles too much. He tries to take the puck carrier out of the play even though doesn’t have the physical authority to make it happen. He missed on a number of gambles last night and got pushed around too easily in his own end.

I think Gostisbehere has the potential to be 60-point player while equally frustrating you with enough mental lapses in his own end. Last night was a microcosm – three assists on one end and inconsistent play on the other.

The good news is, he looks healthy – unlike last season – and he doesn’t have a concussion, which was a worry heading into the game.

He has the talent to figure out how to make up for his shortcomings. The question is, will he?

5) The 19-year-old

The Nolan Patrick era began rather quietly. He played 13:30, got three shots on goal (including the first of the game for the Flyers), won five-of-nine faceoffs and almost set up Simmonds for a goal in the third period with a nice pass.

Otherwise, it was an uneventful debut for the No. 2 overall pick in last summer’s draft.

He’ll get chances playing with Simmonds and Jordan Weal, but it will be a little slower production-wise than you hoped. And that’s OK. Really, it is. Don’t start putting expectations on the kid yet.

6) The other rookies

Robert Hagg was solid. He played 16:13 and had two shots on goal. He did take one penalty (more on that later) but other than that, he did his job and was quietly effective.

Taylor Leier is still considered a rookie, and he took 19 shifts and flashed some top-notch speed. That fourth line with Scott Laughton and Michael Raffl could be an integral piece for the Flyers as it is easily the fastest and most creative fourth line they’ve had– maybe ever.

Samuel Morin and Travis Sanheim, much to the chagrin of the fans, did not dress. Hakstol decided to go with veterans Andy McDonald (alternate captain baby) and Brandon Manning in lieu of the rookies. They both took a bad penalty (more on that coming up), and MacDonald had a shot ricochet off him and into the Flyers net for an own-goal of sorts. Something tells me one of the kids will play tonight in L.A. Call it a gut instinct.

7) All eyes on Coots

Sean Couturier did a lot of things you need a top line center to do. He had an assist, he was a plus player. He led the team in shots with six and hits with four. He created space for Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek to operate on the wings. He pinched along the wall to force the turnover on the first goal of the game (see #9 below for video) and he won the key faceoff and made the key poke check in the final minute that sprung Simmonds for his empty-netter and secured the victory. He’s as sound of a defensive forward as there is in the league.

But he didn’t finish. Not that he didn’t have chances. He definitely did. He had a couple goals ready made, he just didn’t have the mitts to put the puck where he needed to.

And that’s the rub with this great left wing experiment for Giroux. To be successful in the NHL, you need a number of things to go right. You need production from your top-line center.

For the most part, the Flyers had that with Giroux. He’s on the wing now, which means a lot of that pressure falls on Couturier.

Can he deliver? It will be one of the season-long burning questions the team will have to answer.

8) Lack of Discipline

For this game that can mean two things.

Exhibit A:

The @NHLFlyers need to cut down on the turnovers at blue lines Too much time in d zone= penalties!

— Chris Therien (@ctherien6) October 5, 2017

Amen, Bundy. Amen. At times it seemed like the Flyers were rushing their passes, trying to generate their breakout, and had them turned right back in their face. There are a lot of better teams than the Sharks who will make them pay for that.

Exhibit B:

Radko dude. c'mon.

Numbers are facing you, DO NOT THROW THE HIT.

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) October 5, 2017

And it wasn’t just Gudas – although he did take two bad penalties. Manning and Travis Konecny took penalties that led to Sharks goals. MacDonald took a dumb cross-checking penalty. All told, the Flyers were shorthanded six times. That’s too much.

Oh, and it leads to awful clearing attempts while shorthanded too, like this one by Dale Weise:

Dale Weise is trash. http://pic.twitter.com/lcq1F7JZrX

— Chris Jastrzembski (@CFJastrzembski) October 5, 2017

However, I agree with Bundy here, too:

Call me old school but some of these calls are just plain soft!

— Chris Therien (@ctherien6) October 5, 2017

They are… but this is the new NHL and the Flyers have to play within it. They let the Sharks back in the game twice because of indiscretions. They have to be better than that. Period.

9) Boy the Sharks are bad

This team was in the Cup final 16 months ago. And while most of their veteran core is still there, their depth forwards are not ready for prime time. That, and starting goalie Martin Jones wasn’t ready to start the season.

He definitely should have stopped Weal’s goal (as seen earlier in the post) and this turnover on the opening goal by Claude Giroux was basically gift wrapped with a giant red bow:

G$$$$ http://pic.twitter.com/YvAXfusZx6

— Chris Jastrzembski (@CFJastrzembski) October 5, 2017

Then there was Kevin Lablanc (whose name I misspelled on Twitter all night). He scored both San Jose goals, but took three penalties and the Flyers scored on each ensuing power play. That’s the kind of hat trick you don’t want.

The Flyers played well, for sure, but they got help from the Sharks being below the bar in this one as well.

10) Loose Pucks

Michael Raffl only played 7:22 – the only Flyer with fewer than 11:30 of ice time. Not sure if he got hurt or if he is, in fact, the Flyers’ 12th forward at the moment.

Konecny has so much talent – and I think it’s being wasted with Filppula and Wiese. I’d like to see what he and Patrick can do together at some point this season. Make it happen, Hak!

Ivan Provorov led all skaters on both teams with 25:35 of ice time. He was on pace for more early. Hakstol reined it in a little in the second and third period.

I’m not just saying this because I covered him for almost his entire career, but for my money Brian Boucher is one of the best hockey analysts out there for National games. He’s informative, doesn’t speak in cliches, and really has legit insight.

Tonight’s game against Los Angeles will also have a slightly delayed puck drop because of it being a home opener for the Kings. It won’t be as late as last night as everything is a half hour earlier, but it’s going to be another late night. As I said on Twitter:

All Aboard! Ten Takeaways from Flyers 5, Sharks 3 published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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3rdmanin · 7 years

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How To Replace Nate Schmidt If He’s Taken In The Expansion Draft

It’s no secret that one of the two players that the Caps will lose in the expansion draft are goaltender Philipp Grubauer or defenseman Nate Schmidt (unless the Capitals have a side deal set up with Vegas to take someone else). For awhile, most fans assumed it would be Grubauer to being taken tonight, who has proven himself worthy of a starter's gig, but after all of the NHL teams’ protection lists were released and it was revealed that there would be a lot of good goalies exposed, it isn’t so certain Grubauer will be living in the desert. Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh Penguins) Petr Mrazek (Detroit Red Wings), and Antti Raanta (New York Rangers) are all available to be swiped in the draft also. The Golden Knights could still pick Grubauer to flip him for draft picks that Schmidt may not be able to get them, but it’s still a very real possibility that the promising young blueliner will be taken.

If that happens, it will be a pretty big blow to the Caps on a couple levels. First, it would be detrimental in general to lose a second-pairing defenseman for absolutely nothing; a young, puck-moving, possession-happy one to boot! But it also hurts because Schmidt was an undrafted free agent college signing that turned into a second-pairing caliber defenseman. That means that the Capitals did an excellent job scouting and developing him, so losing him after all of that hard work for nothing is kind of a sucker punch as well. Also, Schmidt might be one of the happiest guys to play the sport of hockey today, a brimming personality that makes everyone around him smile, teams don't like losing guys like that. But it’s looking more and more like he will be gone, and if that happens the Capitals need to be prepared to replace him. Here are a few ways to do that.

TRADE

The only potential positive of Schmidt being selected by Vegas, is that will still leave the Capitals with Grubauer to trade, who would be a highly sought-after young goaltender with a promising future. Clubs in need of a goalie will pay a pretty penny for a player like that. The issue is there are only three NHL clubs that truly need goaltending help, and that is the Arizona Coyotes, Winnipeg Jets, and Philadelphia Flyers; none really have Top 4 left-handed defensemen to move. Arizona has young star Oliver Ekman-Larsson and veteran Alex Goligoski, but it's hard to see Arizona moving either, especially Ekman-Larsson. As for Winnipeg, they already have a lack of good left-handers on the backend, and their only good one is Joshua Morrissey, and there's likely little chance they are moving the 22-year old for Grubauer. Lastly, the Flyers have emerging stars in Ivon Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere and its highly, highly unlikely that either of those players are moved. So it looks like the possibility of flipping Grubauer directly for a Top 4 left-handed is not something that is plausible at this time.

But that doesn’t mean that the Caps still can’t turn Grubauer into a Top 4 blueliner. Consider this, the Capitals traded goaltender Semyon Varlamov with 59 games played, a 2.38 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage for first and second-round picks. Gruabuer played 66 games with a 2.25 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. Grubauer arguably, had a better start to his career, so it might not be out of the question to a get a first and second for him. He should at least potentially fetch a first or two second-rounders and a later pick. With those picks, they can now go to teams and possibly offer those picks as a package deal. Since the Expansion Draft is going to change the offseason plans of the entire league, it’s very difficult to give suggestions on who the Caps could possibly want to target. After everything settles with the draft and free agency, it will be a lot easier to see potential players to acquire.

PROMOTION

Another option to replace Schmidt is to promote from within the organization. As of now, the only left-handed defensemen on the NHL roster are Brooks Orpik and Taylor Chorney, and neither are Top 4 material, so the Caps will have to look at their prospects for help. Outside of goaltending, left-handed defensemen are probably the Capitals's most flush position in terms of Top 4 ceiling. The question is are any of them ready?

Lucas Johansen, the teams first-round pick in 2016, might be the best overall left-handed blueliner that the Caps have. He’s great defensively, with smooth skating ability topped with a great pass and sneaky shot. The main issue is that unless he blows away the Capitals' brass at the upcoming Development Camp, there’s about a zero percent chance he’s ready for second-pairing NHL duties. He's only 19-years old, so he needs at least another two to three years or more of seasoning before he’s ready for the big stage.

There is also Jonas Siegenthaler, who has been playing against men since he was 16 over in Switzerland. He’s now 20-years old with a huge frame (6’3” 220 lbs) and he knows how to take care of his own zone. But he still looks as though he needs at least another year of North American play to prepare him for the NHL. But because of his size and defensive awareness, Capitals Head Coach Barry Trotz could trust him with bigger responsibilities if he can show enough at development camp. Still, it’s a pretty small chance he jumps straight into an NHL role this October, let alone at a second-pairing level.

Lastly is Christian Djoos, probably the most NHL-ready of the three aforementioned prospects. Turning 23-years old this summer, Djoos had a fantastic season last year in the American Hockey League, placing third in scoring among defensemen. He has some great offensive capabilities and isn’t too shabby defensively. But he still needs to put muscle on his 165-pound frame if he wants to survive in the NHL, especially if he wants to be on the second-pairing. He too, would have to have a pretty great summer to prove he’s ready for time in the Top 4. The team's annual Development Camp next week will give fans a good look at him to see if he's ready.

Unrestricted Free Agency

As one can see, it doesn't appear as though the Capitals' major defensive prospects are ready for a full-time NHL role. The good news is that all of them are really close, so the Caps really just need to find a replacement for a year or two before those players are fully ready. The best way to do that is to go the unrestricted free agent route. Teams never want to solely rely on free agency, because as a rule of thumb, teams will most likely overpay for help. Luckily for the Capitals, there are some bargain picks in this summer's crop of UFAs that can help their potential Top 4 problem without paying too much or too long.

First off is longtime NHLer Brian Campbell. He would be the best of both worlds for the Caps. He’s a veteran blueliner with Stanley Cup experience that can still play some great hockey. Plus, he would be considerably cheap and short-termed. He is known for helping younger players play their game, as he did recently in Florida with Panthers' star Aaron Ekblad. If he pairs up with John Carlson, that pairing could be have the potential to be deadly. He is 38, which is concerning, but he has been mostly healthy since the 2011-2012 season (though he was scratched twice last year) and doesn’t look out of place while on the ice. The only real problem is that there are rumblings he will either sign with the Chicago Blackhawks or retire, which obviously doesn’t help the Caps out. But if he would come to Washington, the Capitals could probably get him for one to two seasons years for potentially somewhere in the area of $2 million a season, which is perfect given the team's salary cap situation. He still has the ability to put up 30-plus points on a great team like the Caps.

Another older player that could help the Caps out is Andrei Markov. Turning 39-years old in December, this offensive defenseman has a lot of experience, all with the Montreal Canadiens. He has been a main stay on the top-pairing for a while, but with the Caps, he would be likely used on the second-pairing, which should alleviate some of the difficulties of being an older player. He put up 36 points last season in 62 games played, but that was with power play time. It's hard to see him getting much time on the man-advantage with the Caps' certain set up for righties at the point, but he does have an absolute bomb, so maybe he’s worth trying on the secons unit. Still, even with no power play time he has the potential to score 30-plus points if he stays healthy. Like Campbell, because of his age the Capitals would most likely try and get Markov on a short-term deal worth around $3 million per season.

There are also plenty of younger options to consider as well. First is Brendan Smith, who had spent his whole career in Detroit, before he was traded to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline. He isn’t going to blow anyone away offensively, as he might only finish with 20-30 points in a 82 game season on a great team, but that’s okay. It's his defensive play that and fantastic shot suppression that would make him a great partner for the more offensive Carlson. At 28-years old, he can probably be had for about $3 million a season on a two to three-year deal.

Speaking of Detroit, the Capitals might also be interested in Jakub Kindl. Much like his ex-teammate, Brendn Smith, Kindl will not blow anyone away offensively, but he’s good at suppressing shots and helping his team get more of them on the opposing net. Best of all, the 30-year old could be potentially be signed to a short-term, low-money deal.

Lastly (kind of) is Michael Del Zotto. He’s completely different than everyone on this list because he’s the youngest, but because of that he won’t come cheap. A former first-round pick of the New York Rangers, he never has been able to live up to his potential. He eventually went to the Nashville Predators before signing in Philadelphia, where he found his game. He’s a pure puck-moving defenseman that has a knack for scoring goals, which the Caps could always use. Since he’s so young, at only 26-years old, and has offensive skills, he’s going to cost a pretty penny in money and term. One downside to him is he gets hurt often, as he hasn’t played more than 57 games in five years, but that could bring down his price. Most likely, he’ll have to come in along on a long-term, big-money contract. That will be an issue for the Caps, as they need to find some money to sign many key players over the next couple years. Also, if he were going to be paired with Carlson, that could form a defensive liability. As one can see by the chart below, they aren’t the best at suppressing shots, but once they get up ice they are extremely deadly, which could be worth the trade off.

Here’s a bonus player the Caps should highly consider. The reason he isn’t on the top of this list is because he’s a right-handed defenseman and teams tend to not like players playing on their offside, which he or Carlson would most likely have to do. But the Pittsburgh Penguins just won two Stanley Cups in a row with mostly right-handed defensemen, so it can work. Anyways, the Caps should attempt to snag up Cody Franson, quite possibly the most underrated defenseman in the league considering his pay and time on ice. He’s a big player at 6’5” and 224 lbs, that can do a bit of everything. If he came to the Caps and played Top 4 minutes, he could potentially be able to score 40-plus points while driving possession. Best of all, as mentioned earlier, he’s very underrated, so he wouldn't cost a ton. Perhaps $3.5M or more for two to three years would do it, though it could be more but would be well worth it. Another idea to do with him, if the Caps were uncomfortable playing someone on their offside, is to sign him but play him on the bottom-pairing. It still doesn’t answer the potential second-pairing problem, but if they have three strong pairings, then maybe they don’t need the second-pairing left-handed side to be a strong one. Perhaps try out Djoos there, or one of the really cheap options mentioned above.

It would be a shame to lose Schmidt in the Expansion Draft. He’s a young, Top 4 caliber, puck-moving defenseman that makes everyone around him better. That is very hard to find,so losing him would hurt. But there are still answers out there to fill the big hole that Schmidt would leave IF he's taken. It might not be as strong or might just be a band-aid until prospects are ready, but it should work and keep the Capitals competitive. But some Capitals fans hope George McPhee takes Brooks Orpik to make the Captals' lives so much better. We’re Caps fans, we have an overflow of good fortune.. right?

All the charts are provided by the great Own The Puck

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