DHL Week In Review - Week 11
Apr 5, 2021 10:08:14 GMT -5
St. Roch Hawks, Vegas Aces Wild, and 2 more like this
Post by Morweena Reimnoceri on Apr 5, 2021 10:08:14 GMT -5
DHL Weekly Review - Week 11
Matchups:
Portland (0-10-0) v. Morweena (3-7-0) - Portland (!!!) wins 7 - 5
Minnesota (1-9-0) v. St. Roch (6-3-1) - St. Roch wins 8 - 4
Moscow (6-4-0) v. Oslo (5-4-1) - Oslo wins 8 - 4
Nebraska (7-3-0) v. Haukiputaan (3-7-0) - Haukiputaan wins 6.5 - 5.5
Simi Valley (9-1-0) v. Vegas (5-5-0) - Vegas wins 8 - 4
Tampa Bay (6-4-0) v. Melbourne (8-2-0) - Tampa Bay wins 8 - 4
Matchup of the Week: Portland v. Morweena
Let me preface this by saying - I am well aware that this was the least important matchup this past week by a country mile. If this matchup didn’t happen last week, not a single thing in the league would be different where it matters (playoffs and draft position). However, Portland got their first win of the season, defeating the giant slaying Morweena Reimnoceri no less, and that deserves to be mentioned.
Was there any doubt that Portland would find a way to win a match this year? Absolutely. Did that stop them from putting it all on the line in the final week to get it? Not at all. Even when Morweena brought in much respected veteran Joe Thornton to try and rally the troops on the final day of regular season DHL competition, the Buckaroos did not waver from their goal; a single tick in the win column.
So congrats to not just the Buckaroos, but the entire Portland fan base on ending a wacky season in the DHL on a high note.
Performance of the Week: I am still not able to access what I need to in order to do this bit (other than on my phone and frankly I am not going to go through the agony of that so *IF* I can get to what I need and/or I feel like it, I will come back to this section, but don’t hold your breath. I sincerely apologize to whatever team(s) might have been bestowed with this great honour this week. Please take up your grief with Fantrax.
Player of the Week: Nathan MacKinnon (4 GP, 3 goals, 4 assists, +4, 21 shots, 3 STP, 2 hits, 19:22 TOI)
This was a great week not only on the score sheet for MacKinnon, but also in the realm of being a badass. I’m sure most of you saw that he was fined a poultry $5,000 for throwing a helmet at Connor Garland. Frankly, I think that’s hilarious. Dangerous, I guess, but it wasn’t like he threw it at the back of his head, so I’m leaning into the comedy. And like, sure, 7 points, 21 shots, whatever. But the helmet thing. Gold.
3 Stars:
1) Martin Jones (4 GP, 4 wins, 1.71 GAA, 113 saves, .942 SV%)
2) Gabriel Landeskog (4 GP, 3 goals, 4 assists, 10 shots, 3 STP, 6 hits, 1 block, 19:48 TOI)
3) Brad Marchand (3 GP, 5 goals, 2 assists, +3, 13 shots, 2 STP, 3 hits, 19:48 TOI)
Other Notes:
Vancouver Ravaged - Everybody is aware of the situation with the Canucks by now. It’s bad. Maybe the worst the league has dealt with yet? But maybe it’s just getting overblown because of the Canadian media. Honestly - I know other teams have gone through it pretty badly (Devils and Stars come to mind), but this has been reported to me far more than those teams. Again, could be Canadian bias - whatever. But, what I want to say about it is this: Adam Gaudette was arguably patient zero, testing positive on Tuesday and getting pulled out of practice. However, from there, the team finished their practice and held a game day skate the next day. Now, I’m not a doctor. Heck, I don’t even play one on TV, but don’t you think that if the league were serious about keeping teams safe that they should have shut that shit down and not allowed THE ENTIRE TEAM to get together and sweat and breath on each other until they sorted it out?! I would bet the same situation happened in New Jersey and Dallas. Come on NHL. Be cool.
Morweena’s Mailbag:
She empty
Trade Deadline Recap:
I was really worried that this was going to be a slow deadline with so many teams in the hunt and so few teams truly out of it, but boy was I wrong. Some teams who were bubble teams just said fuck it and bailed and that really opened things up a bit. Even Vegas, who had already pushed their team in, buying from Stamkos to selling him. It turned out really fun. Let’s break down the deals:
*please note, the order is going to be all weird since I’m going back today rather than recording them as they came in, sorry for those who are weird about that sort of thing.
Trade:
Vegas Sent:
Steven Stamkos
Pavel Buchnevich
$10 2020
Tampa Bay Sent:
Alexandre Texier
Alexander Khovanov
Oslo 2nd 2021
Tampa Bay 4th 2021
My Take:
A clear 180 here by Vegas who acquired the two players they moved here less than two weeks prior, but a good salvage to try and recoup some of what they lost in getting them. If there is one thing that everyone knows, it’s that the Aces Wild love stockpiling draft picks and prospects, so this, for them, is a clear win. Kohvanov seems to be a pretty decent prospect and if Kaprizov was any indication, maybe Wild prospects aren’t so bad? For Tampa, they add two talented players to their roster before their maiden voyage into the DHL playoffs.
7 out of 10
Trade:
Moscow Sent:
Nikolaj Ehlers
Darcey Kuemper
Moscow 5th 2021
Moscow 5th 2022
Nebraska Sent:
Kyle Palmieri
Anton Khudobin
Haukiputaan 2nd 2021
Nebraska 3rd 2022
$7 2020
My Take:
I like this trade for both teams, honestly. The Buffalo continue to try and shore up their goaltending situation by bringing in Kuemper (who might even be hurt right now?) and add a very talented winger who is having a great season in Ehlers. We are all aware that Nebraska is known for their Boston Bruins style of hard-nosed hockey, but you can never go wrong with talent. Going back to Moscow, who true to their word ended up having a down season, is a solid player who is still under contract next year and two mid-level picks. I like that both teams were able to fill some holes.
7 out of 10
Trade:
St. Roch Sent:
Pierre-Olivier Joseph
St. Roch 5th 2022
Vegas Sent:
Ryan Suter
$8 2020
My Take:
I’m not going to pretend to know a ton about this Joseph kid, but it seems like he’s a decent add for Vegas, who as I have already mentioned, loves prospects. Suter isn’t the Suter of the past, but still a solid and reliable defenceman who won’t hurt the Hawks during their playoff run. If I’m honest, I think St. Roch might have overpaid a bit for a few weeks of Suter, however, if this is the piece that they needed then who am I to poo-poo it.
7 out of 10
Trade:
Melbourne Sent:
Casey Mittelstadt
Melbourne 2nd 2021
Oslo 4th 2021
Moscow Sent:
Tyler Toffoli
My Take:
I like this add for the Bushrangers. You can never go wrong with adding a guy who scores, and Toffoli has been doing a lot of it this year. Not only that, but with Montreal playing catch-up in terms of games down the stretch Melbourne should be getting a lot of bang for their buck out of him. For Moscow, this is a great haul for a guy they signed this past off-season. Great investment to turn $3 into two picks and a guy who may yet find his way in the league.
7 out of 10
Trade:
Morweena Sent:
Evgeni Malkin
$29 2020
Tampa Bay Sent:
Connor Timmins
Portland 4th 2021
My Take:
While there is a chance that Malkin only plays a handful of games for the Thunder, this is a seemingly low-risk, high reward type of addition. I’m not sure if Timmins was in the long-term plans for Tampa Bay as he was an inherited asset, but assuming that he wasn’t then this was a great trade to make. Now, two big ‘ifs’ could derail the value of this one for Tampa; 1 - if Malkin doesn’t make it back in time to play, and 2 - if Timmins turns out to be amazing. Time will tell.
7 out of 10
Trade:
Morweena Sent:
Justin Holl
Phil Kessel
St. Roch Sent:
Robert Thomas
Evgeni Dadonov
St. Roch 3rd 2022
St. Roch 4th 2022
My Take:
Another solid add on the blueline here for St. Roch. Holl has been having a very good season for the Maple Leafs and provides a boost in every category. Kessel obviously is just a husk of the ice-cold sniper that he used to be, but never count a skill guy out until he retires. Kessel has put up 28 points so far for the ‘Yotes and is just 10 points off this mark of 38 points last season (which took him 70 games to do). Heading to the Reimnoceri is a guy who will do nothing for them (Dadonov), a prospect who has shown flashes of talent, but has had an injury filled season, and two picks. Again, for two guys who were signed this season, getting three chips for the future is never a bad thing.
7 out of 10
Trade:
Nebraska Sent:
Ryan Suter
Nebraska 2nd 2021
Nebraska 2nd 2022
Vegas Sent:
Darnell Nurse
My Take:
I love this trade for the Buffalo. Nurse is having an outstanding season and brings not only the grit that Nebraska loves but points along with it. Nurse is having a monster season and there is no reason to think he will continue to do anything but that to close out the DHL season. Vegas again adds to their draft pick list and as we saw above flipped Suter for more another pick and a prospect. Good haul for Vegas, good get for Nebraska.
7 out of 10.
Playoff Preview:
We made it, gang. The DHL Playoffs are here and they’re going to be weird. If anyone hasn’t read Adam’s post about the format, take the time to do so. It's whacky, but probably necessary in order to have the least amount of impact in terms of the NHL missing games. Here’s the link to it dynastyhockey99.proboards.com/post/26546.
That aside, congratulations to all 6 teams that made it, congratulations to Simi Valley and Melbourne for scooping up Conference banners, and condolences to Vegas and Moscow who got pushed out of the bubble. To the other 4 teams...thanks for coming out.
Here’s what we have for the first round:
Simi Valley Kings (1) - Bye
Melbourne Bushrangers (2) - Bye
Oslo Mastodon (6) v. St. Roch Hawks (3)
My two cents: I think this will be a very tight match. Despite the largest differential in seedings, these two teams are very evenly matched, which is a point highlighted by the fact that they weret the only teams to tie a week this year. While Oslo didn’t go out and make any deadline additions, the Hawks added subtly to their roster. I look forward to seeing this one play out as well as the headache it will be when they tie and we have to figure out the tie-breaker.
Nebraska Buffalo (5) v. Tampa Bay Thunder (4)
My two cents: Nebraska is a good team, but they desperately need their goaltending to step up. The Thunder are also a good team, and will give the stunningly consistent Buffalo a great run for their money. If I had to guess (which I don’t) I think that Tampa Bay will come out on top here, but only because of their edge in the crease.
Season Awards:
Ah yes, the end of year awards. Didn’t do them mid-season this year because...well...it was like a half season to begin with and what was the point? Congratulations to all teams who took home an award this year - I expect you to cherish them as much, if not more, than any other accolades you may have picked up in the DHL this year.
Tony Stark Award (Most games played): Tampa Bay Thunder / Nebraska Buffalo (828)
Carlo Colaiacovo Award (Least games played): Portland Buckaroos (688)
Pocket Rocket Award (Most goals): Nebraska Buffalo (200)
Jumbo Joe Award (Most assists): Oslo Mastodon (345)
Energizer Bunny Award (Best TOI): Oslo Mastodon (20:06)
Church Lady Award (Most STP): Simi Valley Kings (184)
LMFAO ft. Lil John Award (Most SHOTS!): Nebraska Buffalo (1,845)
Scott Stevens Award (Most Hits): Nebraska Buffalo (1,096)
Ian Laperriere Award (Most Blocks): Nebraska Buffalo (690)
Ken Dryden Award (Best Goalie Combo): St. Roch Hawks (31 wins, 2.27 GAA, 1,362 saves, .922 SV%)