Forsberg, Josi, and Saros have all been lights over this last stretch for the Predators

So after round 1 East fights the West

https://twitter.com/Kyle_Cush/status/1770859390519648314

Its made for something both chaotic but also interesting

His line has been good, Bottom 6 has been good, they got a nice little thing going. Probs unlikely but I can see them be a spoiler this playoffs or the next Cinderella as they are 15-0-2 in their last 17 games and have beaten Florida, Winnipeg, Colorado, Kings, Vegas

That concern cancellation and Dallas game really woke em up it seems.

If the Leafs don't go hard after Sean Walker in free agency they are beyond foolish. Wish the Avs could keep him but he is a $5 mil+ guy no question

Or we can trade you Josh Manson and keep Walker

Sean Walker on a SC contending team though is realistically a third pair Dman, TOR really dont have a need for that when they have Liligren

Avs rn are playing him with Johnson on the third pair

He has good tools but is undersized and as VGK showed last playoffs u want a football team back there.

The need should be more so guys focused more on defensive minded guys. Roy and Demelo for instance make more sense

Walker is 2x the player of Liljegren. He's a 2nd Pair guy on 30 teams in the league. Super smart and a two way player not just an offensive specialist.

He really isnt 2x the player. Walker is playing for a contract hes got the fever thats about it. Look at him before this season its pretty much Liligren.

The only time you would see him 2nd pair on majority of teams is if they lacked depth. But thats highly doubtful 30 teams would use him in the top 4 lul. He is undersized and in the playoffs VGK showed that is not the way to go

For instance Avs using him 3rd pair, BOS wouldnt use him 2nd pair, FLA wouldnt use him 2nd pair when healthy, Carolina wouldnt use him 2nd pair, etc.


Look at the Dcore VGK used to win the cup. Basically a football team back there

Hague 6'6 230 pounds
McNabb 6'4 201 pounds
Pietrangelo 6'3 215 pounds
Hutton 6'3 201 pounds (7th Dman)
Whitecloud 6'2 207 pounds
Theodore 6'2 197 pounds
Martinez 6'1 210 pounds


Meanwhile

Walker 5'11 191 pounds

Big good Dcore's are the future. Walker works in a third pair role on these real contenders. If your using him 2nd pair its due to a lack of depth

He's one of my favourite targets for the Leafs, and we certainly have the cap space to get him. Im not convinced we would shill out 5m+ for him though, that's money better spent on a partner for Rielly (like Matt Roy)

Walker has been exceptional for the Avs so far though. Real standout in that game against the Pens today (Drouin also looked incredible, has he been that good all season?!?!)

Walker's been 2nd pairing on a contender before, he's a good player who gets the short straw in numbers games a lot, and I've never really been sure why. Maybe it's his size, I dunno.

The main difference between Walker and Lily is Walker does not make bad gaffes all the time. At least until Lily grows out of it, it's a considerable difference.

I remember at the start of the season Avs hated Drouin but then he picked things up later on.

He was 2nd pair at times yes but realistically it was on teams with a lack of depth

LA rotated him with Roy until they figured who was better. PHI used him there mainly because Ristolinen's injury and a lack of RD. But when Drysdale went it was pretty clear the plan.

But I have seen Walker also make some noticeable mistakes when he was in LA. Rn hes playing for a new deal and that often brings out the best in guys

What were seeing out of him now may very well just be contract fever. As before this season he and Liligren were pretty similar and played almost the same. And Liligren dont always make bad Gaffs. Here and there yes but hes been nice in the third pair.

Will be curious to see once Walker gets his big payday how he will perform as if he goes back to early LA walker again whoever gives him 4-5m is not gonna be very happy.

Basically he and Carrier are two guys that seem like to much of a gamble in comparison to Demelo, Roy, and Pesce

Cowen officially passes Bedard and Stankoven's 35 game point steak

36 and 1 away from Crosby

Im not 100% sure playoff games count for the streak but not bad for the kid

But hey the third longest CHL point streak since 2000 aint bad

The next couple days should really clarify whether we can be excited for potential season end playoff races.

Monday Stl and Vegas have their final meeting of the season, Tuesday Detroit and Washington meet for the last time.

It would become quite a hill to climb if either of the teams behind their opponent lose those games, although at least the east has some other interesting possibilities. If, for example, stl loses to Vegas, the west is basically set unless somebody falls off a cliff for most of the rest of the way. Vegas does have to face the wild twice, but they have some muffins on their schedule too, ending their season against Anaheim and Chicago.

Kinda leaving out the injury part of the story. He was 2nd pairing until then, and had nothing to do with depth - Roy was the 3rd pairing guy behind him and then emerged during Walker's extended absence. The back and forth with 2RD happened after he got back, but he was not 100% fit yet. Whenever Walker has been fit, he has been a solid 2RD.

And yes, everyone makes mistakes, but Walker ain't never had articles written about how many costly mistakes he's making once, let alone multiple times. Walker is quite safe with the puck actually.

Drouin took a few weeks to get acclimated to Avs system; then he shined next to MacKinnon. Now he's driving play on his own and he's been back-checking; stealing pucks in the neutral zone, setting up plays and finishing at the rates he was expected to early in his career. It's very "Val Nichuskin"-esque and we hope he takes a team friendly deal to stay but in all likelihood we lose Drouin and Walker unless Landeskog never comes back.

Pittsburgh would be smart to get him next to Crosby if he does leave

And they put Walker on his offhand upon his return; which didn't help him shine either

That's Vegas' style. Avs have shown success with "smaller" agile/active D too.

That's cause he's never played for TOR. One mistake and its all people talk about

When u get more media coverage people tend to notice the mistakes more

Makar is a different breed of D but in playoffs Avalanche D were not small besides him.

Hmm. Devon Toews, Sam Girard, Bo Byram

Double post

They ain't small excep for Girard who was hurt in playoffs

Nick Robertson throwing his hat in the ring for Dumbest Penalty of the Year. Braindead high sticking Penalty with the Leafs down 2 - 0 in Raleigh.

Devon Toews and Bo Byram are not much difference in size from Sean Walker in any meaningful way.

Heh. Okay, man.