Dons Weeney

@gniknayrb @MaiettaSports Careful, Demidov is widely regarded as the best player in the NHL on here

@MaiettaSports I am thinking Bedard-McKenna or Bedard-Stenberg might be WAAAAYYYYYY better my friend!

Could you imagine if Chicago would have drafted Ivan Demidov with the 2nd pick of the 2024 NHL Draft?? 🫣 A Bedard/Demidov duo would have been scary!!

@briandefelice_ Ottawa and Columbus are the 2 best teams of the 4 teams fighting for the wild cards, but that loss to Washington definitely sets them back. Columbus looks like a lock, Bos/Ott odds are about even IMO, Detroit's injuries are tough, I think they miss.

Alright #NHLBruins fans: Best guess with 14 games remaining, will BOS make the playoffs? ATL 3 - MTL (84PTS, 67GP) WC1 - BOS (82PTS, 68GP) *1 more RW WC2 - DET (82PTS, 68GP) Direct hunt - CBJ (81PTS, 67GP)

@NHL_Muse Anyone who disagrees with this is an idiot: 1: McDavid 2: Eichel 3: Werenski 4: Kaprizov 5: Rantanen 6: Zboril 7: Debrusk 8: Senyshyn 9: Marner 10: Aho

The 2015 NHL Draft was STACKED. If teams could redo the top 10 today, here’s how I think it would go: 1. Connor McDavid 2. Jack Eichel 3. Mikko Rantanen 4. Kirill Kaprizov 5. Mitch Marner 6. Zach Werenski 7. Sebastian Aho 8. Kyle Connor 9. Roope Hintz 10. Mathew Barzal What changes are you making to this redraft? Who’s too high or too low? 👇

@mattpapa1733 @smclaughlin9 I'm sure they like speed and skill, but they're clearly looking for alternate routes to rebuilding. We'll see if this retool works. I'm skeptical they'll be able to get enough talent to put them over the edge, but 1-2 legit top line forwards drastically changes things.

@smclaughlin9 @dons_weeney They hate skill and speed. Although mixing in some skill in conjunction with Pasta seems like a good idea lol

Remains baffling all around. Lane Hutson was always a first-round talent. Look at what he did at the NTDP. Was obvious the second he stepped on the ice at BU that NHL teams blew it. Then they watched Cole do the same things at the NTDP, and made the same mistake two years later.

@TopTierPucks LOL are you serious? The most underrated is definitely Demidov or Hutson. Or Hage

Evan Bouchard is the most underrated player in the NHL and it’s not even close.

@Anth_Chatburn Oh, well drafting high doesn't guarantee success, but it's a requirement for the potential to win. Teams regularly screw up drafting, scouting and development, and bad drafts do exist

@dons_weeney Cool, now list the teams who drafted top 2 and haven’t won a cup. Also list the time between said pick and cup win. If you scroll back in my TL far enough you’ll find it all. Everything is a success if you don’t count the failures,

"Drafting First wins Cups"

The contract is brutal, but it's better to expect the worst and hope for the best. So many teams haven't had a 1C in YEARS, or took years to even get a prospect with 1C potential. Look at CBJ, PHI, WAS, NYR, NYI, MIN, NSH, CGY, etc. So to get a prospect 1 year later is uncommon.

E. Lindholm contract: Easy to criticize now, but it was a risk worth taking. Rare for a middling team to land a 1C, so at the time, wasn't going to block anyone for the foreseeable future. Hagens is a good problem to have. Most teams don't get that 1C prospect that quickly.

@hockeypronouns @cfpzach The problem is teams can do great in reg season w/o cup caliber talent, which keeps them stuck in the "middle", despite being in contention for the Pres. trophy. Look at Washington last year. Really 'good' team, but Strome isn't a cup 1C, and they don't suck enough to draft one

@cfpzach @dons_weeney Well the original post was in reference to the Bruins but my point applies to the league in general. What team would you say is stuck in the middle in hockey? Teams get stuck at the bottom and top if anything

People cite teams who went through "failed" rebuilds as reasons to not rebuild, but never mention the teams stuck in perpetual mediocrity because they refuse to rebuild

@iehedbsksb70405 @HobeyBakerAward @ecachockey @hockey_east @B1GHockey @TheNCHC @Atlantic_Hockey @DrinkBODYARMOR But props for giving Hage his respect despite not liking him/Michigan

@dons_weeney @HobeyBakerAward @ecachockey @hockey_east @B1GHockey @TheNCHC @Atlantic_Hockey @DrinkBODYARMOR Not a Michigan fan... Do you have any argument why he shouldn't be here?

And the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award Top Ten are... Fan Vote opens 3/19/26. @ecachockey @hockey_east @b1ghockey @thenchc @atlantic_hockey @drinkbodyarmor

@iehedbsksb70405 @HobeyBakerAward @ecachockey @hockey_east @B1GHockey @TheNCHC @Atlantic_Hockey @DrinkBODYARMOR Power play merchant, surrounded by more talent/feeds off high end skill, struggles to drive play, etc.

@iehedbsksb70405 @HobeyBakerAward @ecachockey @hockey_east @B1GHockey @TheNCHC @Atlantic_Hockey @DrinkBODYARMOR Lol you Michigan fans are crazy.

@HobeyBakerAward @ecachockey @hockey_east @B1GHockey @TheNCHC @Atlantic_Hockey @DrinkBODYARMOR Joke of an award... How is Michael Hage, the best player on the best team of the NCAA, not even Top 10?

Minnesota no doubt has the talent and breakout potential needed to make a deep run, but we see every year, teams without high end No.1 centers get exposed come playoffs. Do you view Eriksson Ek as a legit 1C that can win a cup?

I ranked my top 12 contenders based on 3 key stats. I picked the teams based on these factors: 1: High end No.1 center, not over age 30 2: Legit No.1 D-Man 3: Top 3 draft pick on roster 4: Youth/breakout potential (Ex: Utah/Cooley > Detroit/Larkin) Minnesota is the exception.

@_TyAnderson He's also one of the most technically sound goalies in the league, easily top 10. The skill is obvious based on the eye test, and the numbers back it up again this year.

Because Connor Hellebuyck was better. Cracked that mystery in five seconds.

Hughes: d+1, 21 in 61 Thompson: d+2, 9 in 41 Celebrini: d+1, 63 in 70 Matthews: d+1, 69 in 82 Thomas: d+2, 33 in 70

All NHL 1C's and their rookie year + points/GP McDavid: d+1, 48 in 45 MacKinnon: d+1, 63 in 82 Barkov: d+1, 24 in 54 Johnston: d+2, 41 in 82 Aho: d+2, 49 in 82 Point: d+3, 40 in 68 Suzuki: d+3, 41 in 71 Stutzle: d+1, 29 in 53 Carlsson: d+1, 29 in 55 Eichel: d+1, 56 in 81 (cont.)

@1VANDEMIDOV Anyone would look bad compared to Montreal, a team with like 5~ future HOF level players lol. But second half of a back to back on the road, and a cap team that refuses to tank will look about like Boston does right now.

boston look like toronto lmao how is this a fringe playoff team