Playoff Bracket Thread

LordKOTL

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Seriously, Colorado?

A 3-0 lead and they sit on it.

A 4-3 lead and an empty net and they play conservative and wind up losing.

They may lose this series.
If they do, they deserve to lose. Here's hoping Bednar does his coaching thing and learns from it--much like Q and the "fresh legs" debacle.
 

Bust

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Seriously, Colorado?

A 3-0 lead and they sit on it.

A 4-3 lead and an empty net and they play conservative and wind up losing.

They may lose this series.

i would hate to be the fan(s) who tossed an expensive ball cap on the ice . . . only to lose the game later.

They had to have been feeling good with the early hat trick tho . . . ooops!
 

hawkinmontreal

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I'm not saying any of em should still be here,just listing the players you asked for when you said "any others I missed?" All were good enough to play for PO teams this year though.
Gotcha,
 

Granada

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Seriously, Colorado?

A 3-0 lead and they sit on it.

A 4-3 lead and an empty net and they play conservative and wind up losing.

They may lose this series.
If you thought that was bad, see Calgary. They really blew that series, including last night (2 goal lead).
 

KBIB

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Byram has been a tank this series.

No worries, we got Kirby Dach.

Seider is gonna win the Calder.

Kirby Dach has a bum wrist
 

ZOMBIE@CTESPN

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Byram has been a tank this series.

No worries, we got Kirby Dach.

Seider is gonna win the Calder.

Kirby Dach has a bum wrist
Byram was a no brainer pick. Bowman hold my drink lol

Literally I don’t think there was a poster on here that didn’t want byram with that gift pick
 

HSBOB

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Byram has been a tank this series.

No worries, we got Kirby Dach.

Seider is gonna win the Calder.

Kirby Dach has a bum wrist
The tragic summer of '19' will haunt the team long after Mattaa's retained $$$ is gone and long after Shaw's LTIR $$$ is gone and long after the untradable deHAAN-job is gone because that's also the summer Jokiharju was shipped off for NOlander.
While DUMBASS was busy taking on the Pens and Canes pure salary dumps(Mattaa4M and deHAAN4.4M)without an ounce of sweetener(he actually threw-in Forsling and Forsberg)........the Habs signed the big,rugged Chairot as an UFA for 3.5M. Chairot helped a team with no business being in the SCF get there and then they moved him for a boatload this TDL.....WTF!

We could have a top pair of 21yro Seider/20yro Byram and 22 Jokihaju who plays top pair with Dahlin for Buffalo......MY GOD!
This would have made S Jones unnecessary resulting in the team keeping last year's first,this year's first,Boqvist as an asset and a SHIT TON of space to retain or buy-out or take on a bad deal or two with good picks attached but here we are...........THE HORROR!!!!!

The summer of '18' saw the 5'11" 175lb Adam Boqvist taken @#8 ahead of 6'3" 194lb Even Bouchard 12gls/43pts @#10 and 6'4" 1198lb Noah Dobson 13gls 51pts @#12.......Rags took 6'4" 198lb K'Andre Miller 22nd. OH WAIT.......DUMBASS had two first round picks so what did he do?
He took the even smaller Nik Beaudin @#27 who was healthy scratched for all but one of Rockfird's PO games this year while several players taken afterward are developing nicely........just brutal.
 
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KBIB

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Byram was a no brainer pick. Bowman hold my drink lol

Literally I don’t think there was a poster on here that didn’t want byram with that gift pick
Oh, I remember.

If concussion issues is what kept Blowman and Kelly from taking Bryam, it sure didn’t stop them from taking Bustvist the year before.

Even the TV crew said Byram was better then everyone in the Hawks prospect pool at the time. The damn TV crew.

Dach has to either be a 30 goal guy next year to justify the pick, or, fans need to accept he’s a bust, stop making excuses about his bum wrist that’s been going on two years now, and understand Kelly drafted a third line center who can’t win faceoffs with the third pick in a stacked draft that’s still producing talent for other teams.
 

DaHawkz24

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Oh, I remember.

If concussion issues is what kept Blowman and Kelly from taking Bryam, it sure didn’t stop them from taking Bustvist the year before.

Even the TV crew said Byram was better then everyone in the Hawks prospect pool at the time. The damn TV crew.

Dach has to either be a 30 goal guy next year to justify the pick, or, fans need to accept he’s a bust, stop making excuses about his bum wrist that’s been going on two years now, and understand Kelly drafted a third line center who can’t win faceoffs with the third pick in a stacked draft that’s still producing talent for other teams.

Dach seems to have the potential to put up 20+ goals. He looks like an all-star for a few games, but is completely invisable unless he is falling down much more often.

If he could play like he did in the bubble and beginning of this season and actually finish on opportunities he would be great
 

Granada

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Well, guess I still got 4 teams alive out of 8.

Picks for Round 2 (hopefully):

Avs
Flames
Panthers
Rangers

I really hope the Panthers can somehow come out of the East. Anyone but Tampa. Plus I would love to see an Avs/Flames WCF.

2 out of 4, I'll take it. Got to go with my surviving teams for Round 3:

Avs
Rangers

The Rangers came back from 3-1 series deficits, in back-to-back series. Historically, there's like a 90% of being eliminated for teams down 3-1 in general, and they overcame the deficit twice in the same year. That's crazy.
 

Granada

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Byram was a no brainer pick. Bowman hold my drink lol

Literally I don’t think there was a poster on here that didn’t want byram with that gift pick
I wasn't here then, but on the Blackhawks official boards, it was between, Byram, Dach, and a lot of people wanted Cozens too.

My Bowman hatred is well-documented at this point, but honestly, his pick of Dach wasn't his worst sin in my eyes. There is some logic to the pick and the Hawks were thin at center just as much as defense. And for a change Bowman actually went with size, which was refreshing at the time anyway. Dach was projected to have size and skill.

Bowman's pick of Boqvist over Wahlstrom bothers me far more than Dach over Byram, if I'm being honest.
 

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I wonder how much Edmonton regrets not making a bigger push for MAF? Good Lord, they're goaltending is a disaster.
 

Granada

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Systerkin looked like a stud last night. Really impressed with the bounce-back he's had since struggling earlier in the playoffs.

That Oilers/Avs Game 1 was pretty much identical to their Game 1 with Calgary last round. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing for them.
 

LordKOTL

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I wasn't here then, but on the Blackhawks official boards, it was between, Byram, Dach, and a lot of people wanted Cozens too.

My Bowman hatred is well-documented at this point, but honestly, his pick of Dach wasn't his worst sin in my eyes. There is some logic to the pick and the Hawks were thin at center just as much as defense. And for a change Bowman actually went with size, which was refreshing at the time anyway. Dach was projected to have size and skill.

Bowman's pick of Boqvist over Wahlstrom bothers me far more than Dach over Byram, if I'm being honest.
I can see your point, but I still think defensemen were a more pressing need because we had/have exactly zero top-end d-men in the pipeline and they take longer than centers to develop.

The problem was Bowman's handling of the pick. He wanted the 3OA to come in immediately and try to help even though he forgot even Toews needed a year at ND.

Byram by default would have needed more seasoning to develop--and any competent GM (like Colorado's) knew and accepted that. Dach needed more seasoning too but Stan wanted to be the smartest guy in the room and best that Dach would come in and pull a Kane.

If Stan would have let Dach develop I think Dach would have been better than what he had shown, even though I still think Byram should have been the pick. But ultimately the "big sin" was trying to rush a kid in as the next big thing before he was ready, and effectively wasting a 3OA because Stan wanted to gamble.

Ahh well, I hope Stan never sees the NHL again and is stuck working 3rd string for H&R block.
 

Granada

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I can see your point, but I still think defensemen were a more pressing need because we had/have exactly zero top-end d-men in the pipeline and they take longer than centers to develop.

The problem was Bowman's handling of the pick. He wanted the 3OA to come in immediately and try to help even though he forgot even Toews needed a year at ND.

Byram by default would have needed more seasoning to develop--and any competent GM (like Colorado's) knew and accepted that. Dach needed more seasoning too but Stan wanted to be the smartest guy in the room and best that Dach would come in and pull a Kane.

If Stan would have let Dach develop I think Dach would have been better than what he had shown, even though I still think Byram should have been the pick. But ultimately the "big sin" was trying to rush a kid in as the next big thing before he was ready, and effectively wasting a 3OA because Stan wanted to gamble.

Ahh well, I hope Stan never sees the NHL again and is stuck working 3rd string for H&R block.
Maybe my memory is wrong, but we really didn't have 1 center in the pipeline when Dach was drafted, so I'd disagree that center wasn't a more pressing need over D, at that time, necessarily. Hayden was a bust by then and couldn't crack the top-six. Schmaltz was gone (for Strome) before that draft at the deadline. You pretty much had Kahun and Kampf, who were never slated to be anything special. On D, at the time, you at least had the Joker and Forsling, over just Strome; and Strome was 22 at the time (as was Forsling, but I digress). Bowman, in his great powerful wisdom, would trade Joker a few weeks later, but at the time Dach was drafted, Joker was technically still in the pipeline (and should have been retained).

Anyways, my point is this: if you want to say we were equally dry at both D and C, I'd agree; but if you're saying we were more dry at D than center, I'd disagree, because we at least had Joker at the time. The hope was still there that he could be a legit player when he was traded and he was still very young. Both positions are critical to draft for.
 

Granada

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I wonder how much Edmonton regrets not making a bigger push for MAF? Good Lord, they're goaltending is a disaster.
Goaltending in general has been really weird this playoffs, for almost every team. Smith has had some horrific moments, but overall against Calgary, he was solid (with the exception of getting pulled early in the series and the floater-goal from the opposite end of the ice, which was hilarious). I don't think it's going to be as easy for him to bounce back against the Avs as he did against Calgary.

But Carolina with Raanta -- same thing. He had moments of sheer brilliance, and moments of shit. Systerkin -- same thing. Even Vashilevsky in Tampa now, if he has a bad Game 2. MAF for Minny in Round 1 -- same thing. Binnington? Same thing. Bobrovsky -- obviously, same thing. Markstrom for Calgary -- same thing. Kuemper for the Avs -- very mixed-bagish this playoffs, same thing.

The most impressive right now is Systerkin. He looked like every bit of a rookie in Round 1 against NY, just pitiful. The fact that he's turning it around at the most important time, at this age, is insane. Hopefully he keeps it up because it's an awesome story.
 

LordKOTL

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Maybe my memory is wrong, but we really didn't have 1 center in the pipeline when Dach was drafted, so I'd disagree that center wasn't a more pressing need over D, at that time, necessarily. Hayden was a bust by then and couldn't crack the top-six. Schmaltz was gone (for Strome) before that draft at the deadline. You pretty much had Kahun and Kampf, who were never slated to be anything special. On D, at the time, you at least had the Joker and Forsling, over just Strome; and Strome was 22 at the time (as was Forsling, but I digress). Bowman, in his great powerful wisdom, would trade Joker a few weeks later, but at the time Dach was drafted, Joker was technically still in the pipeline (and should have been retained).

Anyways, my point is this: if you want to say we were equally dry at both D and C, I'd agree; but if you're saying we were more dry at D than center, I'd disagree, because we at least had Joker at the time. The hope was still there that he could be a legit player when he was traded and he was still very young. Both positions are critical to draft for.
I don't necessarily agree that C was as-pressing or more than D because the vet D presence of Keith and Seabrook were further into the twilight of their careers than Toews, and even if Joker would have hit we'd still need another D-man. Forsling was nothing special, Boqvist, Beaudin, and Mitchell hadn't seen really any NHL icetime yet, and like you mentioned Wahlstrom >>>>> Boqvist.

Be that as it may, taking a center wasn't necessarily a *bad* move. The bad move was rushing Dach.
 

Granada

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I don't necessarily agree that C was as-pressing or more than D because the vet D presence of Keith and Seabrook were further into the twilight of their careers than Toews, and even if Joker would have hit we'd still need another D-man. Forsling was nothing special, Boqvist, Beaudin, and Mitchell hadn't seen really any NHL icetime yet, and like you mentioned Wahlstrom >>>>> Boqvist.

Be that as it may, taking a center wasn't necessarily a *bad* move. The bad move was rushing Dach.
This is again where I tend to give Stan a little more leeway than I normally would, because all I ever heard for about the last 7 years now from fans was, "play the kids!" and "Why not put (insert young player) in instead of (insert old player)??" I mean in hindsight, yeah, it's easy to say Dach was rushed -- but at the time, all the majority of fans wanted was to see him in the lineup, so damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

The biggest mistake Bowman made was letting him go play in that stupid World Junior tournament. That was the risk -- that he might get hurt at a critical juncture in his development and never be the same again. And that's exactly what happened. He didn't need to go play with a bunch of kids after being in the NHL playoffs, it was pointless for him to ever go and I said just that at the time. I don't care how bad he wanted to rep his country -- it was essentially a pointless tournament with a bunch non-NHL'ers. Someone should have been in his ear in his camp, and if not, Bowman should have put his foot down.
 

LordKOTL

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This is again where I tend to give Stan a little more leeway than I normally would, because all I ever heard for about the last 7 years now from fans was, "play the kids!" and "Why not put (insert young player) in instead of (insert old player)??" I mean in hindsight, yeah, it's easy to say Dach was rushed -- but at the time, all the majority of fans wanted was to see him in the lineup, so damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

The biggest mistake Bowman made was letting him go play in that stupid World Junior tournament. That was the risk -- that he might get hurt at a critical juncture in his development and never be the same again. And that's exactly what happened. He didn't need to go play with a bunch of kids after being in the NHL playoffs, it was pointless for him to ever go and I said just that at the time. I don't care how bad he wanted to rep his country -- it was essentially a pointless tournament with a bunch non-NHL'ers. Someone should have been in his ear in his camp, and if not, Bowman should have put his foot down.
Many of the more seasoned fans will say that the more quality icetime with more responsibilities for a kid developing, the better. Dach, aside from the play-in, wasn't doing much in the top-2 and was pushed to the bottom pair.

At that point, in my opinion as he wasn't responding he should have been sent down to a lower league to have more quality icetime with more responsibility for the team in question. Playing top center in Rockford would have done him more good than playing 3rd line center for the 'hawks.

Of course, in retrospect. Giving him a chance over some retread or incoming overpaid UFA center needed to happen, but once he stopped working the team should have regrouped and rethought the plan for him moving forward.

Besides, it's not like he'd be the only player who came up, was overwhelmed, and then went down to work on his game.
 

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