NHL Expansion: Back to Atlanta?

[LindG1000]

10 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

 

As far as the kickoff system goes, why not just back the kicker up and make him kick it from the 20 yard line?  That would pretty much eliminate the touchback, excapt where your kicker is either downwind or bionic!  Thing is, I think they wanted to do away with excessive full speed contact, AND also try to eliminate touchbacks.

 

Football to me is indeed a very high contact sport, and with the growing leg strength of some of these kickers nowadays, the 50 yard field goal is a chip shot. 

I'm a purist, G Man...I know you probably know that.  I like the old days and I don't greet change very well.  I'm an old foogy!  LOL  I think the NFL should be pretty much set in stone, and anything they do to "puss-ify" it detracts from it.  They make so much money with their TV contracts & pretty much the world stands still on Sundays.

 

Hockey isn't footbal, and certainly NOT the NFL in my opinion.  Although Bettman may think he can do what the NFL does, I don't think he can.  I also think that if you expand any more, you're gonna have players that would normallybe playing in the AHL, playing in the NHL.  To me that;s a bad product.  I wanna see more guys like Panarin, and Fox....not a bunch of Brodzinsky's.

 

I'd really like to see them do away with OT, and the current salary cap the way it is set up right now, but that's a chat for another time 

 

I don't really want to get into the nuances of the kickoff rules, but I want it to stand as a point that the NFL routinely tries new things. Offense is exciting, so they changed the rules to allow for more receiver freedom. Desired effect was met. NHL should take a page there.

 

I think it's interesting that you mentioned Panarin and Fox specifically here - because I COMPLETELY agree with you, and I think you're forgetting that it cuts both ways.

 

Youi don't necessarily get the Brodzinskis of the world here - and nobody wants to see that. I've now seen three Brodsinki brothers play by virtue of attending local ECHL games and watching the Rangers. Trust, nobody wants that. But these boom-or-bust high-talent guys that get overlooked early on like Fox and Panarin get spots in a world where there are simply more opportunities to play where they can succeed. To me, that's a good thing.

 

 

 

 

[Pete]

4 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

But these boom-or-bust high-talent guys that get overlooked early on like Fox and Panarin get spots in a world where there are simply more opportunities to play where they can succeed. To me, that's a good thing.

The NHL much like other North American sports leagues have the best players in the world playing there by choice. There is nobody sitting in some obscure German league who is unknown and wishing they can get a spot on an NHL roster but they can't crack one... And those players aren't taking the spots of other star players, they're taking the spots of players who are easily pushed out of the league. 

 

That's why less spots equals a better product. It's the best of the best. 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by Pete

[LindG1000]

1 minute ago, Pete said:

The NHL much like other North American sports leagues have the best players in the world playing there by choice. There is nobody sitting in the KHL who is unknown and wishing they can get a spot on an NHL roster but they can't crack one... And those players aren't taking the spots of other star players, they're taking the spots of players who are easily pushed out of the league. 

 

That's why less spots equals a better product. It's the best of the best. 

 

 

It's not just those folks you're thinking of for these spots, though. It's the guys being asked to play roles they're not really well suited for on other rosters too.

 

Look at the 2017 Knights. They picked a top 6 out of guys buried on other rosters - Karlsson went from being a fringe 3c to a 40 goal scorer. Marchessault was kind of blossoming in his one season in Florida, but he became a nearly point-a-game guy. It's these kinds of guys that get to shine with more spots too - and nobody is going to tell me those inaugural misfits were anything but exciting to watch.

[Ozzy]

11 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

 

I don't really want to get into the nuances of the kickoff rules, but I want it to stand as a point that the NFL routinely tries new things. Offense is exciting, so they changed the rules to allow for more receiver freedom. Desired effect was met. NHL should take a page there.

 

I think it's interesting that you mentioned Panarin and Fox specifically here - because I COMPLETELY agree with you, and I think you're forgetting that it cuts both ways.

 

Youi don't necessarily get the Brodzinskis of the world here - and nobody wants to see that. I've now seen three Brodsinki brothers play by virtue of attending local ECHL games and watching the Rangers. Trust, nobody wants that. But these boom-or-bust high-talent guys that get overlooked early on like Fox and Panarin get spots in a world where there are simply more opportunities to play where they can succeed. To me, that's a good thing.

 

I just think that if we add too many teams, we'll be watering it down quite a bit.  I think it's watered down quite a bit already, but that's me.

[Pete]

28 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

 

It's not just those folks you're thinking of for these spots, though. It's the guys being asked to play roles they're not really well suited for on other rosters too.

 

Look at the 2017 Knights. They picked a top 6 out of guys buried on other rosters - Karlsson went from being a fringe 3c to a 40 goal scorer. Marchessault was kind of blossoming in his one season in Florida, but he became a nearly point-a-game guy. It's these kinds of guys that get to shine with more spots too - and nobody is going to tell me those inaugural misfits were anything but exciting to watch.

That was a career year for Karlsson. In reality he is a 3C fringe 2C.

 

And it wasn't necessarily guys buried on other rosters. Reilly Smith was a middle six winger on the Panthers and went on to be a middle six winger. 

 

I'm sorry but the cream rises to the top, and if a player shows enough to get elevated then they eventually move a player out, similar to Fox and ADA. 

 

In fact I could point to other players who are elevated in the lineup simply because they are earlier in their careers and cheap. I would prefer to watch better players than Roslovic get shots in the top six because they're younger and cheaper.

 

But the more expansion you have the more Roslovic you get. Expansion isn't going to lead to more stars.

Edited 8 hours ago by Pete

[Bugg]

On 1/31/2024 at 4:25 PM, RangersIn7 said:

This has been tried 2x’s… and ended in relocation 2x’s.

 

They don’t care about hockey there and there’s no interest or appetite for it there.

 

They like NASCAR.

Basketball.

Football.

The Braves.

And college sports.

And…. That’s it. 

 

Put a team in Milwaukee.

Put a team in QC.

Put another team in the GTA.

 

Atlanta is a huge market but has no consumer base for the product you’re selling.

 

And also… this is what people forget.

Atlanta emerged as this great Southern Cosmopolitan city within a 15 year span from the very late 70’s to the early-90’s due to one thing… Turner Broadcasting and the money and influence behind it.

 

Guess what? 
That’s long gone. 
 

Ted Turner is 85 and out of the game.

TBS is no longer “The Superstation.”

CNN is a joke. 
 

Go somewhere else please.

 

 

Looks like like the Canes and Florida teams, NHL thinks  there's now enough northern transplants in GA that it will take this time. Looks foolish to try for a 3rd time. And it will water down the product. Owners don't care because they'll be cutting up a expansion fee. But then what happens when the team is drawing flies again?