23-24 Non-Blues thread.
Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2023 10:02 am
So much for Boston having to adjust to life without Bergeron and Krejci. In spite of the Bruins lack of center prospects in their system, they are 4-0 under Montgomery to start this season - again.
WTH is going on in Edmonton? At least the Blues have an excuse of implementing a new system. The Oilers supposedly added some depth to their forward group, but have already resorted to putting McJesus and Draisaitl together again - although it appears McJesus got hurt last night.
Detroit and Philly are off to very surprising starts in a positive way. Buffalo, not so much, largely due to them starting a rookie goalie almost every night. DeBrincat is going to break the 50 goal mark this season. He's got a legitimate shot at 60 given he's playing with Raymond and Larkin while also being on the 1st PP unit which is currently producing at a more ludicrous pace than Edmonton did at the start of last season... over 50%.
Seattle has the same issue the Blues had last season. Their shooting percentage was way too high for a season and it had to come back down at some point. It's come down hard like happened with the Blues last year. The Kraken have gone from shooting 11.6% to 6.1%. That should go up some, but that's a tough start.
While the Blues don't have Vegas speed, the systems are similar. Deny the slot and counter attack. It got Vegas a Cup. Vegas defense is also considerably better so they can afford to take some offensive chances the Blues currently shouldn't. 6-0 with the Flyers and Blackhawks this week, followed by LA, Montreal and Winnipeg. They could be 11-0 to start, but will likely be 10-1. The Kings game will be their first serious challenge.
Toronto still has the same problem they've add from the get-go since drafting Matthews. Their defensive depth and play is just bad. Giving up 3+ goals per game usually doesn't lead to a .500 record, but their offense overcomes the defensive flaws. What happens when it doesn't? They lose. Which is what will happen in the playoffs again. Maybe not in the 1st round, but it will likely happen in the 2nd again. They just don't get how important it is to have a solid defensive structure in the playoffs and need to figure that out in the regular season, or it won't be there when it's needed.
WTH is going on in Edmonton? At least the Blues have an excuse of implementing a new system. The Oilers supposedly added some depth to their forward group, but have already resorted to putting McJesus and Draisaitl together again - although it appears McJesus got hurt last night.
Detroit and Philly are off to very surprising starts in a positive way. Buffalo, not so much, largely due to them starting a rookie goalie almost every night. DeBrincat is going to break the 50 goal mark this season. He's got a legitimate shot at 60 given he's playing with Raymond and Larkin while also being on the 1st PP unit which is currently producing at a more ludicrous pace than Edmonton did at the start of last season... over 50%.
Seattle has the same issue the Blues had last season. Their shooting percentage was way too high for a season and it had to come back down at some point. It's come down hard like happened with the Blues last year. The Kraken have gone from shooting 11.6% to 6.1%. That should go up some, but that's a tough start.
While the Blues don't have Vegas speed, the systems are similar. Deny the slot and counter attack. It got Vegas a Cup. Vegas defense is also considerably better so they can afford to take some offensive chances the Blues currently shouldn't. 6-0 with the Flyers and Blackhawks this week, followed by LA, Montreal and Winnipeg. They could be 11-0 to start, but will likely be 10-1. The Kings game will be their first serious challenge.
Toronto still has the same problem they've add from the get-go since drafting Matthews. Their defensive depth and play is just bad. Giving up 3+ goals per game usually doesn't lead to a .500 record, but their offense overcomes the defensive flaws. What happens when it doesn't? They lose. Which is what will happen in the playoffs again. Maybe not in the 1st round, but it will likely happen in the 2nd again. They just don't get how important it is to have a solid defensive structure in the playoffs and need to figure that out in the regular season, or it won't be there when it's needed.