While I agree overall that Julien > Therrien, it will just be interesting to see if Julien can take an already solid team and improve them. The downside risk just seems to be more, seeing as Montreal is ranked pretty decent in some key team-level stats (all at evens): 4th in Score-adjusted Corsi, 5th in Expected Goals…

He’s still very, very good. However, Muzzin propped him up a bit last year (shot-differential wise) and Muzzin/Martinez are actually taking the toughest minutes this year rather than Doughty, who has been mostly paired with Forbort. If LAK had any goaltending and they weren’t a bottom-10 shooting team, they’d be…

Two topics:

If Barry is out there, The New York Hockey Rangers should trade for a Defenseman (such as the rumored Ryan Murphy now) so they can become legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, correct?

Out of the west? Depends on the bracket draw. LA, SJS, and STL are all looking better than them at this point (by the numbers). CHI & EDM follow them, and if DAL or NSH find a goalie situation that works, watch out.

Same, they’ll be a tough out all year, however I doubt I’m placing any money on them in terms of Cup Futures.

No worries ... I just always find it funny when fans (and media alike) suddenly become “shocked” when a team like the Hawks cool off and then cannot heat back up again. Crawford has come into his own the past year and a half or so, however as a Rangers fan I can tell you that just having the goalie carry the team…

Incorrect. Even ignoring the Corsi and Fenwick possession numbers, at which the Hawks have consistently been top 10 for the last 5 or so years, they’ve also been naturally in the top 10 or better at generic SOG’s. Here are their rankings since their cup in 09-10: 1st, 5th, 7th, 5th, 3rd, 1st, 10th, and now this year;…

It’s been proven time and time again the past 10 years you cannot shot% and save% your way to a Cup. This Hawks team is mediocre because of the lack of depth up front and their traditional D-stars are starting to slip. As Barry alluded to, this streak is all Crawford and their 2nd in-the-league shooting%. If the depth…

I live 1.4 miles S/SW of Wrigley. I went and got my haircut at 11 AM and my neighborhood barbershop, which usually has 3 active barbers and maybe 1-2 people waiting, was packed with about 20-25 guys all who had been drinking since about 9 or 10 AM, so they told me.

Tom is spot on. Only came here to add that after my three different moves in the past 6 years (work), leverage any sort of sport or group activity you have that can get you out on a weeknight. Hockey and softball teams have been a savior of mine.

“Just felt like the right thing to do” has been a go-to Upstate NY response to anything we shouldn’t have done drunk.

Lines (5dimes) that I’m keeping an eye on for the first 5-10 games:

Can’t resist:

People from the Midwest take their middle name. I’ve heard reasons from “I didn’t want the same name as my Dad” to “I just liked it better.” As a native East Coaster with family from Buffalo and Boston, this was all news to me starting in 2012. Bunch of weirdos.

Two things:

While I completely agree (Upstate NY here with family from Boston), I think our historical equivalent would be “wicked?” When I moved to Minneapolis to start my career, a lot of people from the Midwest would laugh, jokingly, that I would let a “wicked” drop after a couple of beers.

Bingo. Don’t shit where you eat.

Will there be any sort of NHL season preview? Even a blind ranking by a non hockey fan among you?