Hyman...
Honestly if I'm a real NHL GM given a single pick to start a new club tomorrow.
Hyman is right up there, not kidding - he does it all!

DET is not making the playoffs and at this point got to start questioning the Yzerplan

I wasn't super sold when he added Petry and Holl in the offseason.

Heck JTC was questionable along with the Fabbri extension

I'm fairly sure this will create some chuckles, but umm after last night's masterpiece, I have to ask... when do people start talking about Binnington in the Vezina finalists conversation? Apart from a bad week in October and a bad week right before Thanksgiving, dude has been in the matrix this season.

All because McDavid got injured at the beginning of the year and had to play through it. Makes the drag of the season fun though.

It’s not a completely crazy thing to ask, no, but he’s definitely not having a better season than any of Hellebuyuk, Swayman, Bobrovsky or Demko

Depending on your measuring stick, Binnington is doing great / Cam Talbot and he finish off the group you’ve named.

But similar to mackinnon for forwards, Hellebyuck is waaay ahead, off the chart so to say, for goalie performance.

For example, Hellebyuck doubles binningtons goals saved above expected, leads in quality saves, and is right below McDavid in point shares. As expected, all the things those stats derive from, he’s leading, and has the accumulation stats like save percentage, where he leads among 1as. (Stolarz ahead with 21 starts).

A really outstanding season and you don’t hear much about it at all. I’d also suggest while the jets defense is good and balanced, it is not a premier squad relative to other teams. Perhaps one benefit they have is a lack of a river boat gambler, but I don’t think I look at their squad and system and think that it’s responsible for the goalies performance.

I think the one area binnington shines, and could catch up is that stl is HORRIBLE at puck possession. (About the same as Chicago). If binnington can go on a heater to end the season, I think he can win the Vezina, because stl plays in a way that binningtons performance will have an outsized impact on his season stats. (More high danger shots against = more chances to make high danger saves). He’s currently 4th in total shots against, so the opportunity is there.

Helly, no. Of course not. The rest, analytically (a ka the same stuff people used to incorrectly bury him alive last season), he's on par with or ahead of. And that's before factoring in that a) Binnington's puck play/stick pokes, which are an aspect of goaltending few ever mention, easily surpass all of them & 2) none of them have had to toil in front Krug/playing-hurt-Faulk this season, which is a huge advantage.

Like I said, there's no illusions about him winning. But if he carries on like this, he has to be in the discussion as a finalist. Astonishingly, the first media member to include him in the discussion is Dom at the The Athletic. He's a clown, but on this one he's a spot on clown.

Jordan Dumais (Blue Jackets prospect) has been arrested for DUI, the Halifax Mooseheads have suspended him for 5 games

I'm not someone who likes to hate on Vegas, but it would be objectively hilarious if they missed the playoffs after all that spending and I am going to be rooting against them for the rest of the season

They certainly won't be able to coast their way into a birth. Nashville has been a top 5 team the last month. Minnesota has somehow decided to play better post deadline. Seattle and Calgary will make things interesting. St. Louis has got themselves right back into the picture. I don't think Vegas will need to be world beaters this last month, but they can't afford to slow down.

Aside from having home ice advantage in the west, matchups are pretty much useless. Splitting hairs really. The West feels like what the east was last year. Any team you run into will be a fight to the death

Here 's another chuckle. Leafs Samsonov had a bad stretch in November and December. His GAA is pretty high among all goalies, especially among playoff team. His save % is below the norm, especially among good teams. But he has been playing well, very well in the past 2.5m months. He second among goalies in "win percentage". Borokowsy of Panthers is first. Looking at his stats, you would say "meh" at best. But now he's certainly among the top ten...maybe higher.

Friedman thinks Zadorov is pricing himself out of Van

Number floated around is 5m x 5 years

For a third pair Dman **** no lul

With the salary cap going up, a lot of GMs are going to make some very stupid decisions. I don't think it will be vancouver but someone is going to give Zadorov that contract.

Probs a bottom feeder trying to reach salary floor

But also would surprise if he and Van settled in 4m range

I wonder if we're going have some "Matt Chapmans". Apparently the Jays offered 20m per year for 5 years. Chapman turned it down.
Now he's making 17m for one year, both he and SF, can decline the second and third year at 17m each.

Chapman's deal is better due to the opt out with the Giants or something.

He can move on when he wants kind of like Bellinger's

Blue Jays fumbled


Moving back to hockey for Zadorov he like Gudas probs goes to a non contender who will have loads of cap and wants to reach the floor

Ehh... he's still sub .500 in quality starts and third from bottom in GSax with a save percentage below league average. So yeah, that's certainly a good chuckle.

Really wish the NHL had release clauses like the NBA / MLB

That would cause issues. As it would give players more power and give teams a lot of headaches

Like yes it solves the gamble contract term issue but it also would give players to much power

Works just fine in the nba 🤷‍♂️

Its a double edged sword

It both helps and hurts teams

In the NHL I feel it would cause more problems than benefits as we already see in the NBA all the complaints from small market teams and stuff

Longest CHL point streaks, last 20 seasons

Alexander Radulov - Quebec (2005-06) 50
Sidney Crosby - Rimouski (2004-05) 37
Connor Bedard - Regina (2022-23) 35
Nikolaj Ehlers - Halifax (2014-15) 33
Easton Cowan - London (2023-24) 33 (still going)

Let Wes Cook

Russian goaltender Artemi Pleshkov just made 124(!) save in a game, yet his team lost 1 - 0. Absolutely unreal performance from the guy, I recall stumbling across his player profile last year when Byron Bader posted his player card last season. The only reason he's undrafted right now is because of his 5'10 frame.

Regardless, 124/125 is ridiculous