Official NHL 2015-16 season thread

[mysterio]

I"m also looking forward to the World Cup hockey tournament starting this weekend.

Out of sheer good luck, I happened to be in DC this week for a conference, and got some really good seats for the Team USA vs Finland game on Tues night. And as you can see, I didn't have to look too far to find a Caps fan.

What was so odd about this guy wasn't his outfit, but the fact that he had a gal with him. I"m guessing it was his sister.

 

[MassCobra]

Ice level seats. Not too shabby.

lol, maybe that guy thought it was Caps home opener.

 

[notchstang92]

World Cup hasn't been too bad. Team North America is a lot of fun to watch. They have some serious speed and offensive talent that will hopefully only improve as they get older.

As a Bruins fan I like seeing Marchand and Bergeron on the same line for team Canada.

I am looking forward to the season starting though even though I expect another lackluster year from the Bruins other than the Bergeron Marchand line. I expect them to carry the team as usual and Rask to show up and keep them in some games and get them some wins like he has done. However I don't see it being enough. I"m open minded about the defensemen. It's easy to be negative, but they could surprise us.

I see Florida being better. Since they signed Shawn Thornton they have been better each season and the Bruins get worse. I don't think that is a coincidence.

I can't stand Canadiens fans, but I'm interested to see what they do with Price back, Subban gone and Weber on the team. They still may be the team to beat in the division.

 

[zak88lx]

 

[mysterio]

^Good one, Zak


You're right, notch -- World cup tourney has been fun to watch, especially Team North America. And there's no denying the strength and depth of team Canada. On back-to-back game nights, they don't seem to miss a beat, and they clearly still are the dominant team.

 

[sleek98]

The Boston Bruins have signed forward Brad Marchand to an 8-year, $49 million contract extension through the 2024-25 season.

Full details: http://bbru.in/2dmkgfA

Anyone else think that is a long ass contract?

 

[mysterio]

Bruins just locked up Marchand for an 8 yr, $49 extension. So Sweeney IS capable of making a good deal. By all the commentators' accounts, Boston got a good deal, getting him under perceived market value before he became a FA.

So all those rumors of March going to Pitt to play with Sid are just that -- rumors.

 

[mysterio]

Heh, Sleek, I'm betting we were typing at about the same time on this subject. It might seem like a long contract in a few years, we'll have to see.

 

[MassCobra]

I don't have a problem with long term deals if the player is young enough, which Marchand is and is not injury prone, which Marchand isn't, or at least hasn't been. Sure its a risk (ala Mark Savard) but a 2 or 3 year deal you risk losing a good player every time his contract is up or maybe even his market value goes up.
Anything you do is a risk but he's locked up for 8 years and you avoid contract negotiations for a long time. Providing he's a Bruin for the whole time.

 

[sleek98]

Long terms do have the benefit of keeping cost low but still seems like too long, 6 years should have been the max.

 

[notchstang92]

I'd have rather it been 6 years maybe 7. Although Iginila is a good example of what a player can do a 36 which I think Marchand will be in his final year. The deal is below market value so that's a win for the Bruins. As the cap goes up this contract won't hamstring the team.