Latest Episodes

Stanley Cup Final; Is Stamkos going to play?; Hockey, Beers, and Hooters; Pietrangelo to the Leafs?

September 23, 2020 beersinthelot Podcast 0 Comments

On Episode 6, the guys talked about games one and two of the Stanley Cup Final between the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning; whether or not Steven Stamkos will play for the Bolts and possible gamesmanship going on with his status; a trip to Hooters for lunch with a team Eric and Jon coached; and St. Louis Blues captain, Alex Pietrangelo potentially signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency.

Time’s Up: New York Islanders

September 18, 2020 bodaciousbackhand Blog 0 Comments

The NYI finally played their last game in the bubble. Another OT defeat lead to a Stanley Cup final birth in 2020. The team that survived the pay in round almost made it one more game.

The Isles have a lot to show for. They have a core that is cemented over the course of the coming years. A coaching staff that clearly has the ear of the players, this includes the goalie tandem too.

Most of their offensive group is going to return Nelson, Lee, Bailey and Eberle, with all players being under team control for the next two seasons. Matt Martin, Tom Kuhnhackl and Derrick Brassard are all UFA’s so the bottom six will get a big refresh. The shift this off season is going to RFA Matt Barzal and how will the term and dollars of that deal look. They will have roughly 9 million to spare but others are needing new deals as well, this begins the cap crunch for GM Lou Lamoriello.

On the back end the only ones needing deals will be RFA Toews and Pulock, both should get decent raises after their playoff run. The lone UFA is 37 year old Andy Greene, curious to see if he returns after playing solid for the blue and orange. Leddy and Boychuk are both league vets with a bit higher ticket for their current on ice production they too could be players on the move.

Goaltending should not be an issue. Griess is a UFA with a few years of bouncing around. They have a young Ilya Sorokin waiting in the wings and under the guidance of Mitch Korn he will most likely not disappoint.

Lou Lamoriello has his work cut out for him this off season. Many front office staff is the same boat however. Lou is never scared to make changes to his roster, this year that may work to his advantage. With Barry Trotz behind the bench though I do not expect anything to be an issue. He has a track record of success and two straight years he has gotten the most out of a team that few predict to go far. Sweeping both the Capitals and the Penguins and a trip to the conference finals within his time is setting up a strong third year.

ENJOY THE OFF SEASON NYI!

The Stars beat Vegas; Laviolette is the Caps New Head Coach; Beer League Hockey Story Time; Gary Bettman is Good at Being Bad

September 16, 2020 beersinthelot Podcast 0 Comments

This week, the guys talked about the Dallas Stars’ Western Conference Final win over the Vegas Golden Knights; the Washington Capitals hiring Peter Laviolette as their new head coach; a couple beer league hockey stories; and how they all agree that Gary Bettman has done so much for the NHL while being a good “bad guy” for the fans.

Time’s Up: Vegas Golden Knights

September 16, 2020 bodaciousbackhand Blog 0 Comments

The Dallas Stars dispatched the Vegas Golden Knights in over time to reach their first cup final since 2000. While many finally started to believe in the Stars and their “We’re not going home” attitude it left the team from Sin City looking for answers on a bubble trip that was all for nothing.

Early on the Knights looked like the best team in the West that wasn’t named the Avalanche. The Knights had the offensive depth that GM’s covet and scored at will while dictating play on the ice. The defensive side was contributing points and shutting down the teams top players in chances and quality scoring areas but even in the crease the Knights had their answer. Robin Lehner continued to shine up until the final goal in this series. Whitecloud’s penalty for delay of game in OT provided the chance to seal their fate and there wasn’t much you can fault the tender on.

In the end the VGK ran out of the asset that powered them though the early rounds and that was their offense. Dallas matched intensity but took control when it was important on the score board.

Unsure what happens with Vegas moving towards the next season. Mark Stone will be back as a key piece for the franchise moving forward. Along with the rest fo the forward group they will remain largely intact. Pacioretty, Karlsson, Stastny, Tuch, Marchessault and Smith all return. Offense did dry up in the conference finals so if changes are coming up front it most likely will have to be a subtraction of dollars and contracts due to the flat cap.

Defensively the Knights will lose only Merrill and Engelland to free agency, combined they only played in 1 playoff game. This bodes well for them as Theodore lead them in points overall during the bubble run and the rest of the blue liners chipped in timely offense too. Vegas did have some issues controlling the front of their net as the Stars got to the those spots with ease. This was a glaring issue on the first goal Jamie Benn scored in the deciding game.

As we shift quickly to the crease MAF is still under contract but recently had to forward his new to not be traded to list. You have to wonder after the great season and playoffs Robin Lehner had is flower now on the move. Allan Walsh (MAF Agent with Octagon) earlier this playoffs posted artwork with a sword going through the goalie’s chest…but the sword had the name of coach Pete Deboer. This created a riff with the goal tandem I’m sure and both goalies seemed unfazed by the twitter posting. Robin Lehner is a UFA this offseason and Vegas will have a bit lower than 5 million to spend on him if they want to keep him and the rest of the current line up. Moving MAF or another player could free up the space in the cap to make the moves. Keeping MAF could work as well with the expansion draft on the horizon but does management and ownership want a repeat of the same player agent drama that normally occurs outside of the NHL.

For a team so early on in it’s organizational history they do have a playoff tradition with a cup final birth and two trips to a conference final to show for it. Getting over the next hurdle of winning the cup I’m sure is next on their list. That will have to wait til next year however.

ENJOY THE OFF SEASON VGK!

Will Seattle count cards the way VGK did during the expansion draft?

September 14, 2020 bodaciousbackhand Blog 0 Comments

What will the Seattle Kraken look like once they hit the ice in 2021-2022. We know what the majority of their front office staff looks like and I’m sure the coaching staff search is under way.

Yes… I know it’s insanely early but I like many want 2020 to end. Looking forward to next NHL season it will be a crunch for a lot of teams financially, but perhaps help could come from the new franchise. Some teams can unload unwanted or stale contracts from their rosters. However value is around if you look in the right places.

The Kraken will have a chance to build their squad with the expansion draft under the same rules that the Vegas Knights did. Vegas landed some key players that helped them rack up more playoff victories than Minnesota, Florida, Winnipeg/ATL and Columbus. (Currently at time of writing, behind in Western Conference Finals to Dallas 3-1) These players all at the time of the 2017 Expansion draft were hidden talents.

Lets take a quick seat at the craps table and see who they rolled the dice on

William Karlsson: When he was acquired from the Blue Jackets was a former 53rd overall pick and had up to that point only 50 points (18G/32A.) I’m sure this pick went well under the radar as it was the VGK 27TH expansion draft selection. William Karlsson has gone on to smash those numbers in his first three since moving out to the desert (180pts, 82G/98A) including a massive 43 goal campaign in the inaugural year. A lot that I’m sure was increased top 6 minutes on a new team and also an amazing 23.37%S, until that point he never got above 6.5%S. Now while he has cooled off considerably he has posted 46 or more points and his shooting percentage has hovered around 10%.

Shea Theodore: Shea was an additional trade from the Anaheim Ducks for them selecting Clayton Stoner. Shea though was the real key cog from this deal. During the first year he was moved down to the AHL several times for transactional purposes. While still playing 61 games he was able to contribute 29 pts (6G/23A), in the last two seasons though he has really stepped up. This year having a career high 46 pts (13G/33A) while also posting 18 pts during the playoff run the Knights are currently still on. 

Alex Tuch: Another player that was an added bonus through some crafty trade work. Erik Haula was the player Minnesota wanted out and gave them Alex to do so. Alex Tuch while not having a great regular season 17 pts (8G/9A) has played big minutes this postseason and chipping in 11 pts (8G/3A.) He is a strong power forward many teams covet and hopefully he continues to develop and bring value for the Knights.

Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault: Florida has a history of getting rid of perfectly good talent and people, just look at the Knights first coach Gerard Gallant. That could be why he had such an eye for these two players. Smith was traded in order for the selection of Marchessault. Both have been great for the Knights. Combined in the regular season as a package they had 101 pts (49G/52A) and they didn’t slow down in the playoffs either tallying 23 pts (7G/16A.) The Panthers could have used some of that offense over the course of the last two years. 

Seattle will have to use the protected list and their pro scouts to their advantage. I’m sure they have a solid blueprint from what George McPhee and his staff accomplished early on. Ron Francis helped build Carolina into a decent NHL squad and I’m sure he can take some of those lessons to the west coast. 

We’re Average Hockey Players At Best; Tampa Dominates the Isles Early; Caps Coaching Candidates

September 9, 2020 beersinthelot Podcast 0 Comments

This week, the guys discussed how they’re not great hockey players but that also means they’re probably average in the world of hockey; the Tampa Bay Lightning absolutely dominated the New York Islanders in game one of the Eastern Conference Final and whether or not Barry Trotz and the Isles can turn it around; and Washington Capitals head coach candidates Peter Laviolette, Mike Babcock, and Gerard Gallant.