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Around the League 2017-2018 Edition

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Looks like Gary the Weasel and the owners might come out smelling like roses in the end as far as their Olympic decision goes.

The IOC just announced today that due to Russia's widespread, state-sponsored doping at the Sochi Olympics, Russia is barred from the Olympic games. Some individual clean Russian athletes may still be allowed to compete, but it will have to be under the IOC's flag.

So, I would imagine that one way or another, there will be no Russian hockey team competing at the 2018 Olympics, which would be a bit of a disaster if NHL players were still going.
 
I applaud them taking a stand on this, especially since it risks blowing up the whole olympics enterprise.
 
zeke said:
I applaud them taking a stand on this, especially since it risks blowing up the whole olympics enterprise.
Click to expand...

It'll certainly be interesting to see how many independent athletes they let go, and what backlash they get from Russia for this. Sounds like the KHL is going to block any of their players from going and playing.
 
UWHabs said:
It'll certainly be interesting to see how many independent athletes they let go, and what backlash they get from Russia for this. Sounds like the KHL is going to block any of their players from going and playing.
Click to expand...
That's going to be interesting to watch.

Because unless they KHL somehow extricates itself from the IIHF, they actually don't have a choice: they have to release their players for the Olympics.

But even if the KHL does *officially* allow their non-Russian players to go...if you're a non-Russian earning a fat paycheque playing for a Russian-based KHL team...you'd probably be wise to keep your mouth shut, and take a pass on the Olympics.
 
Luongo hurt, so the first thing I'm thinking is...trade?
Got some goalies, don't know what they have, but supposedly this is a long-term thing.
 
I love how the media's are all backpedalling from their early season prediction of the Oil being favorite to win the West to trying to explain what happens in Edmonton ... meanwhile the Oil keeps losing without any significant injury either.

At least the Habs had an injured #1G (and as soon as he's back they start winning again)
 
They replaced their 3rd best forward with a plug so they had already taken a hit in forward quality before the season even started, but I don't blame the media for considering oil change to be pretty good going into the season (I don't know if I see the argument for them winning the west, but nothing close to this bad).

Other than that, the key differences between this year and last are Klefbom going from a top pairing defender to a plug (I think he'll figure it out...but maybe not this season), Sekera being hurt (they don't have a lot of natural puck moving talent on that blueline) and Talbot going from an average plus starter to being turrible (and now hurt), with that being the single biggest factor.

It does show the lack of depth in the organization (which has to be called a feature of the Chiaplan, not a bug...) that a few poor performances and injuries to key players has turned them into a lottery team again. If we had traded JVR for a plug, Rielly had taken a step back, Jake was hurt, and Freddy was rocking a .905 (and then hurt)...we wouldn't be near the top of the conference, but we wouldn't be talking about Dahlin potentially wearing a Leaf jersey either.
 
Yeah, I've been down on Oil change about as much as anybody, but I never would have called them being comfortably in the league basement at this point of the season. I figured the disconnect between the pre-season prognostications is that they'd be a middle-of-the-pack team, rather than the top-of-the-conference, Cup finalist they were widely predicted to be.

Like you say though, they have so little depth at pretty much every position that a few slumps, regressions & injuries is pretty much all it took to move them from the middle-of-the-pack to the basement.
 
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