This season of indistinguishable teams vindicates Gary Bettman’s decision not to expand the playoffs to include a play-in event that would lower a bar far too close to the ground in the first place.
It’s bad enough – okay, pretty mediocre – that the Islanders (31-41 heading into Saturday) still have a chance to sneak into eighth, but in a system that would increase participation to 10 teams per conference, the Patrick Roy’s merry band would have actually occupied a spot taking the ice Saturday night in Tampa.
The 32-40 Penguins would be right in the thick of the action, the usually underwhelming 35-37 Wild would essentially have a placeholder and the 30-42 Kraken would remain in the equation. To those who suggest that it would be beneficial to keep as many teams – and by extension, as many teams’ fan bases – in the running for as long as possible, then why not just hold a 32-team invitational?
Oh, they already do that. This is called the 82-game regular season.
The lack of disparity within the league is surely due to a fourth season in a flat cap environment in which the cap only increased by $2 million. Teams with weaknesses early in the season have essentially the same weaknesses now.
A wave of long-term injury designations has exacerbated the problem of diluted rosters. Just wait for two more teams to be added via the expansion.
I don’t quite understand why the pursuit of excellence has become secondary to establishing the league’s lowest common denominator, why the celebration of the dynasties of Montreal, Toronto, Detroit and the Islanders has been co-opted by the philosophy of “just want to get and anything can happen.”
Well, maybe that just reflects human nature. In fact, it sort of reminds me of the ethics on display during the 1970 Supreme Court confirmation hearings of G. Harrold Carswell, a nominee of Richard Nixon who had been harshly criticized for his poor record among a myriad of issues.
That’s when Senator Roman Hruska of Nebraska came to the judge’s defense (or so he thought) by saying, “Even if he was mediocre, there are plenty of judges , mediocre people and lawyers. They deserve a little representation, don’t they, and a little luck?
And what about the Ottawa Senators, senator? Don’t they deserve a little love too? (PS: Carswell’s nomination was rejected by a Senate vote.)
The Devils, seemingly under the illusion that winning five playoff games last spring meant something deeper than exposing the Rangers’ dysfunction, simply wasted a season — and almost cavalierly. Blame permeates an organization that, inexplicably, has virtually taken a year off.
Was the goalkeeper bad? Too bad. Dougie Hamilton went down for the year, leaving the team with an extra $9 million to spend under the cap? No need to be overloaded when the rookies are there.
There is still a ton of young talent coming through the line. Perhaps this season will prove to be a learning experience for the players and the hierarchy. But nothing is guaranteed. If the Devils thought they were playing with house money this season, they burned it all.
The Devils have had their share of bad teams and bad years over the past decade. They experienced terrible years immediately after leaving Colorado. It was worse than all that.
Indeed, it ranks as the second most disappointing season in the club’s 41-season franchise history, surpassed only by the 1988-89 team that never came close to making the playoffs. playoffs after appearing in Game 7 of the season’s conference finals. Before. Immaturity marked this season. Sometimes things don’t change so drastically.
Next year, the Devils will start fresh with a new voice behind the bench, likely one with a gravitas that has nothing to do with this debacle. They begin without the abundant benefit of the doubt that they have experienced for much of the season. Credibility must be rebuilt. It’s never automatic.
I guess Erik Gustafsson isn’t important enough for George Parros and the NHL Department of Player Safety to protect him.
That’s the best possible explanation for the lack of discipline meted out to Sam Reinhart after the 51-goal Florida winger slammed his elbow into the Rangers defender’s head last Saturday during a battle for the puck and probably shocked the Swede, sidelined. now for three games after leaving that one in the second period.
No hearing. No suspension. No thanks.
No respect.
The losing point continues to turn the standings into a fun mirror rather than a true reflection of the season. That’s the only way to characterize it when the Bruins are tied with the Panthers despite Boston winning 42 games and Florida 47 and the Islanders lead the Devils despite New Jersey winning 31 to 36.
The Bruins, however, have 15 losses in overtime or shootouts while the Panthers have 5. The Islanders have lost 15 after regulation and the Devils have lost four.
The aim of the game is therefore not necessarily to win, but to spend 60 minutes tied. Once again, this is another example of lowering the bar…to benefit the losing teams.
I don’t know what happened in Anaheim with Trevor Zegras, who always seems agitated and/or frustrated (watch the way he destroyed the penalty box camera in Seattle on Thursday after a questionable call), but it’s is a young man who clearly needs a fresh start.
New York Post
