Utah has a team, meh. Chicago has Bedard: the 2024-2025 NHL Thread

[MartyFunkhouser]

I really enjoyed it. It was frustrating when NY scored that shorthanded goal. Utah didn't quit and got it back. Geunther is going to be fun to follow.

Cooley gets more of the publicity, but Guenther is the better prospect

I dont see this team winning a cup anytime soon, but they play a fun style of hockey. I still can't believe how bad they effed up the first round pick this last year

[MartyFunkhouser]

Michkov has to be the favorite for the Calder early on. He was great in the preseaon. The momentum last year was he was the second best prospect behind Bedard in that draft

Still can't believe he dropped so much.

[falafel]

That was a joke. Come on.

So was mine! We are in the hockey thread.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Bedard is still good.

[LiveCoug]

UHC with another OT win, this time against an actual SC contender. If they can complete the NYC metro trifecta, that would be awesome

[MartyFunkhouser]

UHC with another OT win, this time against an actual SC contender. If they can complete the NYC metro trifecta, that would be awesome

It has been a good start to the season. I don't think that it is sustainable for this team, but it is fun nonetheless.

Utah has definitely stepped out of the basement this year, but are still not a playoff team.

The Athletic on Utah

These guys are fun!

Are they good? So far, they absolutely are, although we’ll need more than three games before we start engraving any trophies. Still, you couldn’t ask for much more from a brand-new team.

(A quick tangent: Yes, apparently they’re a brand-new team, with the league treating them like an expansion team that just happens to have all the same players that last year’s Arizona Coyotes did. It’s weird. It’s also not how the league has handled previous franchise moves. And it means that the answer to a question like “Which franchise did Teemu Selanne score 76 goals for in 1992-93” is apparently now “None of them.” The idea here seems to be that a new Arizona team will be able to recapture the Coyotes’ history in a few years, although you wonder whether new owners would actually want to be linked to a decidedly mediocre past. But yeah, shout out to Connor Ingram for being an all-time franchise leader in games started, with three.)

The big story for this team, apart from existing at all, has been the offense. Utah scored at least five goals in every game, with Clayton Keller averaging two points per game and recently extended Dylan Guenther scoring five goals. They’re also two-for-two in overtime. In terms of pure entertainment value, there hasn’t been a better team to watch over the first week.

If we were new at this, it would almost be enough to have us wondering: Wait, has Utah decided that the best way to capture a brand-new market is to play the sort of exciting, high-event hockey that makes the sport irresistible? Of course, the answer to that is surely no, and coach André Tourigny is probably already hard at work trying to figure out how to turn those 6-5 wins into 2-1 outcomes. It’s perfectly OK for you to hope that he fails, because week one was pretty fantastic.

For now, they’ve got a good test tonight in New Jersey in the season’s first battle of three-win teams. Welcome to the league, Utah fans, you’re getting a hell of a show to kick things off.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/584...e-back-week-1/

The Chicago/Edmonton game was really fun to watch. I do think the Blackhawks need to stick to the Foligno/Bedard/Teuvo line. It has done well and it was when they put Foligno on Bedard's line against Utah that he started to show some life in that game. Kurashev continues to surprise me. He might actually be a viable 3rd line center, but is currently on the 2nd line. I don't see him as a top 6 forward, but he is a good depth player long term. Blackhawks finally showed some life on the power play against Edmonton. If Kurashev ends up being a legitimate top 6 forward, it will be huge for the rebuild.

As for the rebuild, I think it is officially time to write off Reichel. Continues to be a healthy scratch on a bottom 5 team.

[LiveCoug]

I think they can for sure be a playoff team. They can be in the top 50% of the league.

Today's game was rough, but oh well

[beefytee]

I think they can for sure be a playoff team. They can be in the top 50% of the league.

Today's game was rough, but oh well

They may make the playoffs. I think they are borderline. Unless they get a much stronger defense though, they aren’t having any success in the playoffs.

Ingram seems to be a much better goalie than Vejmalka.

[MartyFunkhouser]

I think they can for sure be a playoff team. They can be in the top 50% of the league.

Today's game was rough, but oh well

I just don't see it with them being in the central.

[MartyFunkhouser]

The Athletic really has the best hockey coverage out there. I'm not sure how Utah's coverage is but the Blackhawks have excellent coverage over there. Draft coverage/prospect coverage is also great on the site.

[MartyFunkhouser]

The San Jose Sharks are absolutely terrible. Blackhawks are a bottom 5 team and look elite playing against the Sharks.

Also, Bedard just not able to light the lamp this year so far. Eventually it will start happening.

[RC Vikings]

The San Jose Sharks are absolutely terrible. Blackhawks are a bottom 5 team and look elite playing against the Sharks.

Also, Bedard just not able to light the lamp this year so far. Eventually it will start happening.

We are headed back to NYC next month for four days, I checked and the Rangers are in town playing the Sharks. Tickets were available and not as much as I thought, thank you Sharks for being terrible.

[MartyFunkhouser]

It hasn't translated with goals yet, but having Teuvo on the ice with Bedard has made a huge difference. It is good to see him playing with an actual NHL caliber player. Putting Foligno on the line with Bedard and Teuvo has clicked and it is probably the one good line the team has right now.

Scott Powers had some interesting numbers with Bedard and him driving the play for the Blackhawks:

Bedard remains the main play driver for the Blackhawks. He leads or is tied for the lead in shots (20), passes (24), primary shot assists (18), scoring chances (11), zone entries (35), carry-ins (30), carries with scoring chances (9) and carry-in percentage (85.7). He’s getting the puck in the offensive zone and then creating a ton for himself and others.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/586...r-bedard-hall/

[MartyFunkhouser]

Blackhawks are legit fun to watch this year. Team is terrible, but tons of effort and Bedard is just so effing good. Watched that instead of the Utes tonight.

I love the idea of putting Reichel and Bedard on a line together.

I'm not sure this team wins much more than last year, but they are better.

[Pelado]

Blackhawks are legit fun to watch this year. Team is terrible, but tons of effort and Bedard is just so effing good. Watched that instead of the Utes tonight.

I love the idea of putting Reichel and Bedard on a line together.

I'm not sure this team wins much more than last year, but they are better.

Good decision.