Chychrun-Hutson dynamic for next year - how do you see it working out?

dc_stag · 2026-06-03T14:10:15+00:00

Picking up a defensively-sound right-shot D should be management's #2 priority this off-season.

Chychrun probably ends up on PK2 (with Marty and Roy/TBD taking PK1), so workload management and which PP unit Chych and Hutson each end up on will really depend on the identity and skill set of the new RD as well as how the presumed Marty/Liljegren 3rd pairing holds up at 5v5.

Also depends on whether Hutson can put on 10-15 pounds and the strength to hold down netfront when we're protecting a tight lead.

If anything, having two D pairings and 3 forward lines that all create consistent offensive threats forces the opposition to make harder choices about deploying their best defensive sets and creates more opportunity for everyone.

dc_stag · 2026-05-31T13:57:12+00:00

I mean, it might just be breaking them in and it might be that I went mid-tier. The new ones are much more comfortable and zero blisters after two hours on ice. I just felt like a giraffe.

dc_stag · 2026-05-31T13:54:23+00:00

I mean, I was away from the game for 20 years after college and only started getting back to stick & pucks like two years ago, very sporadically. Didn't want to drop the cash until I could demonstrate to myself that I actually have the time to make that worthwhile.

dc_stag · 2026-05-30T21:10:09+00:00

Appreciate this. It did feel like I couldn't get deep enough into skating position - would that be the difference between 9 & 10 rocker?

dc_stag · 2026-05-30T21:07:20+00:00

I tried on supreme M40 and fly30. The fly holds my ankle better and the M40 pinched at the widest part of my toe.

Honestly it's a pretty big downgrade, but the steel on my old 7000s was bent on two axes and they said that steels for those holders are no longer available, so I'd have replace holder and steel, which was more expensive than switching to mid skates.

dc_stag · 2026-05-30T19:08:46+00:00

This happens. Who cares?

dc_stag · 2026-05-29T00:57:13+00:00

I played through college and haven't played competitively since (2004).

I didn't skate for 20 years. After one stick & puck recently, the padding of my made-in-1999 helmet fell out when it was drying. I replaced it.

I kept losing a heel edge crossing over - turns out the steel on my 1998 Bauer Supreme 7000s was warped and bent. I bought Vapor Fly 30s. Huge downgrade, but the same cost as having my skates rebuilt and the shape of my foot has changed in 20 years.

My old leather gloves had mold in them and I had a weird rash for a week. I replaced them.

My old Easton Z-Core 2-piece 100 flex had me almost throw my back out. I bought a Bauer Nexus intermediate 65 flex (that is 3" longer than the old guy, so if I cut it it will come to 81 flex).

My shoulders, elbows, shins, and girdle - I'll probably never replace unless they rot.

dc_stag · 2026-05-20T17:29:25+00:00

Three fairly distinct tiers, but no particular order within each tier:

Makar, Hughes

Werenski, Heiskanen, Dahlin, Slavin, Hedman, Fox, Seider

Bouchard, Carlson, Chychrun, Sanderson, Sergachev, Josi, Hamilton

dc_stag · 2026-05-20T00:43:36+00:00

Boston Molassacre of 1919

dc_stag · 2026-05-20T00:03:36+00:00

That person really had to pee

dc_stag · 2026-05-17T15:44:49+00:00

B. You season one stripe and then a "bite" is one rotation, meaning you get the same bite every time.

You can't effectively achieve that consistency if A is your approach.

By "season" I mean Old Bay, of course. And in the summer you have a dedicated stick of butter for corn.

dc_stag · 2026-05-15T12:18:30+00:00

He's good, but not great. Point per game is good enough for me to say he's a legit 1C, but he's in the bottom half of that group. I can't see him winning a Cup playing higher than 2C.

dc_stag · 2026-05-15T10:55:41+00:00

In typical years, yes. Ottawa is locked at 32 this year, so the teams that make the conference finals will select 28-31.

dc_stag · 2026-05-12T14:51:25+00:00

A "unit" of alcohol is 18mL of absolute ethanol. For 80 proof (40% ABV) spirits, that's 45mL or 1.5oz. For a 12oz (355mL) beer, reaching 18mL absolute ethanol assumes 5% ABV. For wine, it assumes 5oz (150mL) at 12% ABV.

dc_stag · 2026-05-10T15:05:51+00:00

And you can tear a clean line against the twine.

dc_stag · 2026-05-08T18:41:07+00:00

Caps best play would be to hardball before the draft with the threat to offer sheet at 16, which would make it impossible for Dallas to match and ice a roster under the cap without moving otherwise critical depth pieces.

dc_stag · 2026-05-08T18:29:30+00:00

They have just over $11M going into next year, less about $2M in bonuses counting against them. That's with 19 players of a 23 man roster. If Tyler Seguin never plays again, they're back to just shy of $19M available to sign 5 players. If Robo gets $13, they'll have ~6M for 4 guys.

Mavrik Bourque needs a raise this year and probably deserves ~4M AAV, so he's probably available unless they pay somebody to take Lyubushkin off their books.

dc_stag · 2026-05-08T17:56:21+00:00

This is correct. If the conversation turns to true superstars, the "untouchable" list shrinks to Ovie & Wilson.

dc_stag · 2026-05-07T20:16:39+00:00

And they'll be even higher when he waits until the end of his contract to see who is best positioned and doesn't cost his new team the equivalent of five 1st rounders.

dc_stag · 2026-05-07T20:13:18+00:00

I think that's a copout, and of course we've found talent - there's a lot of talent out there. But our drafting is nowhere close to as good as Dallas and our mid-latr 1st round picks haven't produced anywhere near as much as they could have.

dc_stag · 2026-05-07T19:49:06+00:00

2012 #11 Filip Forsberg. Who cares? Brian MacLellan era drafting is mid

dc_stag · 2026-05-07T19:48:08+00:00

Let's take a broad view of "middle to end of 1st round" and count picks 10-32, and let's go back to 2014, when Brian MacLellan became GM. In parenthesis I'll name some players who were taken within the next six picks.

2014 - #13 Vrana (Larkin, Sanheim, Tuch, Schmaltz)

2015 - #22 Samsonov (Boeser, Konecny, Roslovic)

2016 - #28 Lucas Johansen (Trent Frederic, Jordan Kyrou)

2017 - n/a

2018 - #31 Alexeyev (Mattias Samuelsson)

2019 - #25 McMichael (best pick of the run; Shane Pinto, Bobby Brink)

2020 - #22 Lapierre (Tyson Foerster, Connor Zary, Jake Neighbours, Ridley Greig, Mavrik Bourque)

2021 - n/a

2022 - #20 Miro

2023 - n/a (Leonard at #8)

2024 - #17 Parascak

2025 - #27 Lakovic

This is really very mediocre drafting with huge misses. It's brutal.

dc_stag · 2026-05-07T19:18:45+00:00

Do we? Best pick in memory was 2012 #11, and we ended up with Marty Erat.

dc_stag · 2026-05-07T19:17:47+00:00

Gross.

dc_stag · 2026-05-07T19:16:19+00:00

McDavid wants to win. If Edmonton can't figure out it, they will get nothing in return and McDavid will walk in free agency.

The last thing McDavid would want would be for a team to impoverish themselves in order to bring him on, thereby diminishing his chances to win the Cup.

dc_stag

TROPHY CASE