Hockey Thread! (NHL etc.)

[SkyPikachu]

Kovalchuk signed a 3-year deal with the LA Kings.

Didn’t he have a 15 year contract with the devils ending in 2025? How is he allowed to play for LA? Datysuk retired but still was contracted to play for the wings (then traded to Arizona) how is this different?

I thought of that, so I looked into it. It's odd that the TSN article about him signing with LA doesn't mention any of his contract status issues, since I would think that would be a common question. But I found this on NHL.com from last year:

"When Kovalchuk left the NHL, his contract was terminated and he was placed on the voluntary retirement list. That allowed the Devils to maintain his NHL rights until he turns 35, which would be April 15, 2018."

An interesting tidbit is just below that:

"Prior to turning 35, if Kovalchuk wants to sign with another team, he would need approval from all 31 NHL teams. That's unlikely to happen, but the Devils could sign Kovalchuk and either keep him or trade him."

If he tried to come back to the league with a team other than the Devils before this summer, he would need approval from every single governor in the league. Fat chance. I'm surprised he even got 3 years out of LA, all things considered.

Strange that it wasn't until 2025

[Kong Wen]

Stastny to the Knights!
van Riemsdyk to the Flyers!

Tavares to the Leafs for 7 years!

[SkyPikachu]

Stastny to the Knights!
van Riemsdyk to the Flyers!

Tavares to the Leafs for 7 years!

11 million a year is way too much. At 11 million you should be able to carry the team something which Tavares never did in NY

[kitroplious]

James Neal goes to the Flames!

[Kong Wen]

Stastny to the Knights!
van Riemsdyk to the Flyers!

Tavares to the Leafs for 7 years!

11 million a year is way too much. At 11 million you should be able to carry the team something which Tavares never did in NY

No one could single-handedly carry that crappy team.

[Kong Wen]

Mark Stone went to Vegas at the trade deadline. That's a pretty big shakeup for both teams (he's an excellent acquisition on one hand, and it's a clear indication that the Sens are blowing up on the other).

[Claytone]

Mikael Granlund from Minnesota to Nashville for Kevin Fiala.

[Kong Wen]

I posted these elsewhere, but I might as well post them here too for anyone following the playoffs this year (a category that barely even includes me):

Tampa over Columbus in 4
Toronto over Boston in 6
Washington over Carolina in 4
Pittsburgh over NY in 6

Nashville over Dallas in 5
Winnipeg over St. Louis in 5
Calgary over Colorado in 5
Vegas over San Jose in 7

I think Tampa's going to roll the Eastern Conference. Washington might be able to challenge them.

The last pick in each conference is the one that I think could be more prone to flipping. The Islanders could beat Pittsburgh if the Penguins don't have all their engines firing. San Jose could easily beat the Knights, who only really got back on their game later in the season (admittedly a good time to do it), but I gave Vegas the edge because I prefer them.

It would be nice to see Winnipeg and Calgary face off in the Western finals, and it's actually pretty possible this year. Calgary has the kind of team that plays together really well as a team rather than being propped up by one or two superstars, and that's the kind of team that often has playoff success.

[SkyPikachu]

I thought Columbus would have done well to steal 2 games from Tampa. Now going to be sad if BJs don't make it through.

Hoping Colorado, Washington and Boston make it through since I support them in one way or another.

Winnipeg over St Louis (Canada>America)
San Jose over Vegas (Hate Vegas)
Nashville and Dallas I don't really mind either way.

This is who I hope to win not who I think will win fyi

[kitroplious]

Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh are out. The East is a little wide open now, though there is still Washington to get through (unless Carolina has something going on).