Predictions for 2011-12

[Rumsfeld]

I was referring to the last three playoffs, Dave. There were a couple of game sixes against the Hawks where I recall some less than stellar netminding...

*stabs Patrick Kane voodoo doll in eye with hot bobby pin*

Do it to his chest too! Might swell up the tic tacs he tries to pass off as one.

[dbr]

I was referring to the last three playoffs, Dave. There were a couple of game sixes against the Hawks where I recall some less than stellar netminding...

*stabs Patrick Kane voodoo doll in eye with hot bobby pin*

Ahh, fair enough. The last game always seems to be particularly ugly.

[CFP!]

I predict the Sens and Blues will more than the mid pack in terms of the playoff race.

WTF?

[dhabums]

* Hodgson will get his chance before Kesler comes back and then demand a trade. He'll be stuck in Wolf-town all year.

Just sayin'.

[ESQ]

This thread was a fun read-through, and I thought worthy of a bump.

The one big surprise that nobody predicted was Ballard having more health issues. Most expected either a recovery or press-box time, but a return to his previous iron-man status.

Hodgson will get his chance before Kesler comes back and then demand a trade. He'll be stuck in Wolf-town all year.

Half-right anyways

Biggest surprise for me is Hamhuis. I don't think anybody predicted him putting up the offensive numbers he has. After seeing his SH outlet passes last night, I realize he has gone a long way to replacing Ehrhoff.

[wienerdog]

what happened to rummy?

[rats19]

I am hoping a few show up for the playoffs..

[wienerdog]

I am hoping a few show up for the playoffs..

Meh, I'm so bored, I started my playoff drinking weeks ago. Rum's already long gone, I'm into weird shit like grappa and akvavit now.

[Meds]

Meds 20 predictions.

In chronological order.....

1. Luongo starts out like a man possessed and silences all critics by the end of November with Vezina talk already brewing by Thanksgiving.

Epic fail.

2. Ballard makes good use of his extra minutes and sends a gift basket of mini-muffins to the greedy kraut in Buffalo.

Started looking like he would, then Vigneault struck again, then he got hurt.....no mini-muffins for Ehrhoff.

3. Samuelsson starts off looking good but is either demoted or traded by mid November.

Yeah, that's right. I called it.

4. Our PP doesn't regain its form with the lack of a true Sniper on the second unit and opponents making a point of doing nothing but taking away the Sedin's passing lanes.

Well.....sorta, but that just happened later in the season.

5. Schneider gets 4 starts by the end of November and continues his solid play. The media credits him with pushing Lou. Lou begins to come back down to earth, vultures begin to circle.....again.

WAY off.

[Meds]

6. Sedins struggle out of the gate as teams play them physical and take liberties because they aren't afraid of our struggling powerplay. Both on pace for a 75 point season and speculators continue to speculate. Burrows sticks with the top line by being on pace for 70 points, albeit with a good number of them coming shorthanded and on shifts following a PP.

So that's a bit off, and Burrows is 20 points behind what I called for. But he's still proving that he's the BEST money deal in the NHL. Really elevating his linemates when playing shifts away from the Sedins.

7. Kesler continues to prove himself as a top 3 forward by carrying the team at both ends of the ice and sitting in the top 3 in scoring as we roll into December.

Really not doing well so far, am I.....

8. Schneider gets 5 stars from Nov 10 - Dec 15, wins 4 of them, but the team is playing .500 hockey. Media and fans are all over Luongo and trade rumors abound. Gillis denies rumors but confirms speculation about inquiries from several teams.

This happened at a different time during the season, and it was HW who threw it out there that there were talks.....

9. Our third line provides the boost the team needed to off-set the lack of production from the Sedins. Malhotra shows signs of having lost something to his injury in the faceoff circle but still is in the top 10 centers in the league in that department.

That was pretty much the money pick there. The 3rd line with CoHo really lifted the team when it was needed. Manny has lost something, but he's still a quality guy on the 4th line.

10. With a floundering PP and the majority of our losses being the result of "sticking to our gameplan" with no adjustments while opposing teams do their homework and give us nothing Gillis gives Vigneault the axe and a new coach takes the reigns.

OK, so AV is still here, but most of our losses have been the result of that "gameplan".....so have most of our 1 goal wins.....

[Meds]

11. The room feels the shake up and the New Year shows a new team.

No shake up, but the team put it together in late November and climbed from 10th to 1st in the West, then found ways to win despite scoring woes and inconsistent play.

12. Luongo plays like a top 20-goalie for January and then has people talking Vezina again from February on out.

Whaaaaa.....brutal call.

13. Higgins returns to his Montreal form and the Sedins up the ante with some latter-half season performances that have Flames fans crying.

Higgins, yes. Sedins, no.

14. Canucks win another division title. And finish 2nd in the West, behind LA, with the only other NW team in the top 8 being Minnesota who finish 7th and are knocked out by us in the opening round of the playoffs.

Oh yeah on the NW Division Title call. LA and Minny total disappointments there. Who woulda thunk St. Louis eh wot.....

15. We sweep Columbus in the 2nd round and take the King's in 7. Kesler, Luongo, Burrows, and Bieksa all being talked about for the Conn Smythe.

[Meds]

16. Luongo finally gets his ring, Vancouver gets their banner and their parade, 41 years of sadness come to a close.

Still hoping here.

17. Kesler wins his second Selke and the Messier leadership award. Luongo gets his Vezina, Burrows owns the Conn Smythe (5 game winners including 2 game 7's), Gillis gets another GM of the Year award.

Wishful thinking, Burrows and Gillis still have a shot though.

18. Following massive success and wanting to compete again next year, Gillis looks at the salary cap and shakes the hockey world by dealing away Luongo, and the rights to Mason Raymond to New Jersey for the rights to Zach Parise (with whom Jersey has been unable to come to terms long term). The media frenzy is sick. The Devil's are thrilled to be replacing the retiring Brodeur with Luongo while questions about Vancouver's crease are rampant. Gillis points to Schneiders 20-4-4 record, 2 SO's, and his < 2.50 GAA and .910 SV%.

OK, this could still happen. Not even kidding.....except for the fact that Parise is UFA and not RFA. Oh yeah, and Schneids is actually 20-8-1 with 3 SO's, a 1.96 and a .937.

19. Gillis inks Parise (who is coming off a 42 goal season) to 5 years in a seriously front-loaded $6M cap hit contract. Edler is re-upped to the same deal as Bieksa and Tanev and Hodgson are given their first 1-way contracts at $1.2M each for 2 years. Sturm signs on for another $2M and Rome is released to UFAgency.

Well, Parise isn't getting 42. Edler will be re-upped. Tanev will get his 1-way deal (if he's not still under his rookie contract next year). CoHo is gone. Sturm has been for a long time. Rome should be released.

20. Schneider is re-signed for 3 years to a back-loaded contract that counts $2.5M on the cap and Gillis signs Marty Turco for $1M as a back-up to play 30 games and work with Schneider and Eddie Lack who spends half the year with the big club on a 2-way deal and plays 10 games.

This won't surprise me. Schneider will probably end up on a contract that will pay him around $2.5M, chances are slim it is any longer than 2 years, but 3 isn't impossible. I would love to get Turco in here for a year to backup Schneider if Lou is dealt, his puck-handling prowess is the best the league may have ever seen and Schneider could use some mentoring in that area. IF Lou is traded I do expect to see Lack up here for at least a few games.

[SKYO]

bipolar are we now? ;P