And now he's gone.Odd Flyers press conference
Hextall on Berube: "As soon as I sort through that I’ll let you know. The process is going on. At this point the decision hasn’t been made."
— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey)
https://twitter.com/BroadStHockey/status/588401864665735168April 15, 2015
https://twitter.com/BroadStHockey/status/588401864665735168
OKC lost their team this year too, but it looks like San Antonio is getting the Avs affiliation:More AHL affiliate movement announced today:
Blue Jackets taking over the Lake Erie Monsters (makes perfect geographic sense)
Coyotes picking up the Springfield Falcons
Portland Pirates expected to become the Panthers
Not sure where the Avs go now that they're out of Lake Erie ... San Antonio is without an affiliate with the Panthers gone
Makes sense ... so ultimately today was just a shuffling of the Cleveland/Springfield/Portland/SA teams.OKC lost their team this year too, but it looks like San Antonio is getting the Avs affiliation:More AHL affiliate movement announced today:
Blue Jackets taking over the Lake Erie Monsters (makes perfect geographic sense)
Coyotes picking up the Springfield Falcons
Portland Pirates expected to become the Panthers
Not sure where the Avs go now that they're out of Lake Erie ... San Antonio is without an affiliate with the Panthers gone
http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2015/04/16/avalanche-to-change-ahl-affiliate-blue-jackets-to-partner-with-lake-erie-monsters/21275/
Lottery combos:this draft lottery simulator is pretty awesome: http://robzaenglein.com:2500/#/numbers
JaxBill said:And now he's gone.Odd Flyers press conference
Hextall on Berube: "As soon as I sort through that Ill let you know. The process is going on. At this point the decision hasnt been made." Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) April 15, 2015
http://www.broadstreethockey.com/2015/4/17/8443101/craig-berube-fired-as-philadelphia-flyers-head-coach
Congrats. Huge win for you guys.YES!!!
Sure. But if there is any way that the #1 pick can be screwed up, the Oilers brass will find it.Congrats. Huge win for you guys.YES!!!
AgreedWasn't there talk that they'd like to move Hall? Thought I read something that included "uncoachable" but I could be misremembering...Oilers need to make a deal. Maybe deal Nuge or Draisaitl.
Not quite but he is the best prospect since.Is McDavid as good a prospect as Crosby was at this same stage?
Definitely. They have either of these guys plus the Penguins 1st round pick. They need a pair of top DMen and a #1 goalie. So, they have to consider making deals and not excluding many of their current assets.The rumor keeps coming up that Chicago will ship Crawford to Edmonton in the offseason due to the Hawks' salary cap issues. Crawford is not the answer to the Oilers problems.Oilers need to make a deal. Maybe deal Nuge or Draisaitl.
I think so. Very close anyway.Is McDavid as good a prospect as Crosby was at this same stage?
Local detroit people have said jimmy howard to the oil. Just talking head radio guysDefinitely. They have either of these guys plus the Penguins 1st round pick. They need a pair of top DMen and a #1 goalie. So, they have to consider making deals and not excluding many of their current assets.The rumor keeps coming up that Chicago will ship Crawford to Edmonton in the offseason due to the Hawks' salary cap issues. Crawford is not the answer to the Oilers problems.Oilers need to make a deal. Maybe deal Nuge or Draisaitl.
At his end of year press conference, GM Craig MacTavish, said he didn't want to deal any of the Oilers young core players. He needs to consider any and all options now.AgreedWasn't there talk that they'd like to move Hall? Thought I read something that included "uncoachable" but I could be misremembering...Oilers need to make a deal. Maybe deal Nuge or Draisaitl.
The names mentioned the most by our local guys are Niemi, Crawford and Martin Jones.Local detroit people have said jimmy howard to the oil. Just talking head radio guysDefinitely. They have either of these guys plus the Penguins 1st round pick. They need a pair of top DMen and a #1 goalie. So, they have to consider making deals and not excluding many of their current assets.The rumor keeps coming up that Chicago will ship Crawford to Edmonton in the offseason due to the Hawks' salary cap issues. Crawford is not the answer to the Oilers problems.Oilers need to make a deal. Maybe deal Nuge or Draisaitl.
They should trade for Devan Dubnyk.Definitely. They have either of these guys plus the Penguins 1st round pick. They need a pair of top DMen and a #1 goalie. So, they have to consider making deals and not excluding many of their current assets.The rumor keeps coming up that Chicago will ship Crawford to Edmonton in the offseason due to the Hawks' salary cap issues. Crawford is not the answer to the Oilers problems.Oilers need to make a deal. Maybe deal Nuge or Draisaitl.
It doesn't matter which NHL team you root for. Your heart has to be breaking just a little for Tim Murray.Murray, the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres, drove to Toronto Saturday night hoping the hockey gods would smile on his beleaguered franchise and grant him the chance to select Connor McDavid, the most coveted prospect since Sidney Crosby.
By virtue of a lost season during which the Sabres finished dead last, he had a 20% chance of winning that pick.
He also had an 80% chance of losing.
The guy's from Buffalo. You knew how this was going to play out.
The town that can't win didn't. Again. Instead, the Edmonton Oilers, with just an 11.5% chance, won the lottery. And now, barring some unimaginable twist, the league's most dysfunctional franchise will make McDavid their fourth No. 1 pick since 2010. He'll join Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov on a team that's loaded with promise but hobbled by failed management.
Poor McDavid. He may be the only person more defeated by this result than Murray.
So now the pressure is on Edmonton GM Craig MacTavish. McDavid isn't just a prize for the Oilers, he's a responsibility. MacTavish can't dither any longer with an endless rebuild. He can't let the next Face of the League languish on another cellar dweller. He has to surround the youngster with legitimate NHL talent. That means finding veteran help for his top six and solidifying his defense. If that means spending money and parting with some of his young assets so be it. Waiting around and hoping for the best just won't cut it any more.
MacTavish isn't the only one with tough decisions to make. Now that he's been relegated to the second selection, Murray's on the clock as well. Maybe he spends the pick on Jack Eichel, the 2015 Hobey Baker winner whose skill set earns comparisons to Anaheim Ducks star Ryan Getzlaf. That's certainly the safe play. The 17-year-old American would join 2014 second pick Sam Reinhart and All-Star Zemgus Girgensons and give the Sabres enviable depth down the middle for the next decade.
Or maybe he puts the pick up for auction. Still in the early stages of their rebuild, the Sabres have plenty of organizational needs. Murray already has shown an interest in accelerating the process with the trade that sent Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford and other assets to Winnipeg for Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian. If another team is willing to ante up, it makes sense for him to explore his options.
That second pick is a terrific asset, but he's not married to it. Not like he would have been with McDavid.
Ouch. Although Preds and Yotes gave up on the kid too.They should trade for Devan Dubnyk.Definitely. They have either of these guys plus the Penguins 1st round pick. They need a pair of top DMen and a #1 goalie. So, they have to consider making deals and not excluding many of their current assets.The rumor keeps coming up that Chicago will ship Crawford to Edmonton in the offseason due to the Hawks' salary cap issues. Crawford is not the answer to the Oilers problems.Oilers need to make a deal. Maybe deal Nuge or Draisaitl.
YesEric Lindros did it to QuebecCan mcdavid pull an eli manning and say he will not sign with oilers.
Not saying he would, but is that a thing in hockey
I've seen a few stories expressing a "Buffalo can't win" theme. I guess the Sabres beating out the 'Nucks for the right to draft Gilbert Perrault was too long ago for most to remember.It doesn't matter which NHL team you root for. Your heart has to be breaking just a little for Tim Murray.
Murray, the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres, drove to Toronto Saturday night hoping the hockey gods would smile on his beleaguered franchise and grant him the chance to select Connor McDavid, the most coveted prospect since Sidney Crosby.
By virtue of a lost season during which the Sabres finished dead last, he had a 20% chance of winning that pick.
He also had an 80% chance of losing.
The guy's from Buffalo. You knew how this was going to play out.
The town that can't win didn't. Again. Instead, the Edmonton Oilers, with just an 11.5% chance, won the lottery. And now, barring some unimaginable twist, the league's most dysfunctional franchise will make McDavid their fourth No. 1 pick since 2010. He'll join Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov on a team that's loaded with promise but hobbled by failed management.
Poor McDavid. He may be the only person more defeated by this result than Murray.
So now the pressure is on Edmonton GM Craig MacTavish. McDavid isn't just a prize for the Oilers, he's a responsibility. MacTavish can't dither any longer with an endless rebuild. He can't let the next Face of the League languish on another cellar dweller. He has to surround the youngster with legitimate NHL talent. That means finding veteran help for his top six and solidifying his defense. If that means spending money and parting with some of his young assets so be it. Waiting around and hoping for the best just won't cut it any more.
MacTavish isn't the only one with tough decisions to make. Now that he's been relegated to the second selection, Murray's on the clock as well. Maybe he spends the pick on Jack Eichel, the 2015 Hobey Baker winner whose skill set earns comparisons to Anaheim Ducks star Ryan Getzlaf. That's certainly the safe play. The 17-year-old American would join 2014 second pick Sam Reinhart and All-Star Zemgus Girgensons and give the Sabres enviable depth down the middle for the next decade.
Or maybe he puts the pick up for auction. Still in the early stages of their rebuild, the Sabres have plenty of organizational needs. Murray already has shown an interest in accelerating the process with the trade that sent Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford and other assets to Winnipeg for Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian. If another team is willing to ante up, it makes sense for him to explore his options.
That second pick is a terrific asset, but he's not married to it. Not like he would have been with McDavid.
http://www.si.com/nhl/2015/04/18/nhl-draft-lottery-oilers-sabres-tim-murray-connor-mcdavid-jack-eichelRN, who wrote that article? I don't think Eichel is going anywhere.
It was a spin of the wheel with #s 1-10 belonging to Vancouver and #s11-20 belonging to Buffalo. Not the same as this lottery, but a win for Buffalo nonetheless.1970? That was a coin flip. Not quite the same.
The league is more fun when the Sabres are good. I think they should hire this guy so he can tell refs to have more doughnuts.Sabres building up the middle with Eichel, Reinhart, and Girgenson.
Blue line in great shape with Bogosian, Ristolainen, Zadorov, and Pysyk.
Need help on wings but Kane is a big piece and they have Moulson and Ennis in place.
Goalie wide open.
YesA coin flip = 50/50It was a spin of the wheel with #s 1-10 belonging to Vancouver and #s11-20 belonging to Buffalo. Not the same as this lottery, but a win for Buffalo nonetheless.1970? That was a coin flip. Not quite the same.
And Crosby is really the only name you'd even bother picking up the phone for?I wouldn't trade McDavid for Crosby. Don't think many would.
Given that the NHL has a salary cap in place that has to be taken into account too. For example, Crosby has a close to $9 million cap hit, McDavid's entry level deal will be worth significantly less than that. The Oilers are more than one player away from making the playoffs, so they have to keep salary room to add experienced higher priced players in addition to the #1 pick to fill their roster holes.Hypothetically, is there any single player in the league MacTavish would take in exchange for the #1 pick? If McDavid is "the next Crosby" and Crosby is the best player in the NHL, I can't imagine there's anything preferable to the younger version of him. On the other hand, McDavid being great is not a 100% lock until we see it. So would you take the bird-in-the-hand with an established NHL great who has plenty of seasons left, or keep the pick?