Blömqvist

How good are you at PvP? What's your combat rating? http://destinytracker.com I have no idea how good I am without reference to the average player's "combat rating." I'm at a 7.68 combat rating (0.83 K/D ratio) and the top player has a 15.48 combat rating (3.76 K/D ratio). What's everyone else's combat rating like?

I think everyone will be running Iron Banner with level 8 equipment. If you're good at Halo type of shooters then you should be fine with level 6 equipment.

According to Bungie's Twitter account, the Destiny Beta is live! 1 day early!!!!! Add me up if you're on PS4 PSN: M1CHAELTRON

Sign him!!! 3yrs x 4.5M Hamhuis - Tanev Sbisa - Bieksa Edler - Ehrhoff

Thanks! I stumbled upon it this morning. Apparently if you move the left stick forward and then use R1 (melee) you throw a knife. I have to admit, I never thought I would like this game but man o man this game is awesome. Definitely pre-ordering this to get into the beta and play more haha

I haven't figured out how to use the throwing knife for the Hunter class. Anyone know how?

I highly doubt just Garrison and the 6th would work. It seems way too much of an underpayment, in my opinion. I think a more accurate offer in value would be Garrison, Jensen, and the 6th overall pick for the 1st overall pick and a cap dump, and that might not be enough with the rumoured Toronto offer. Florida gets a "win now" trade with a top 4 defenseman who's played on their team before and a current top 9 winger with the potential to be a top 6 winger, while at the same time getting the 6th overall pick to select an elite offensive player for the future. Guys like Horvat and Gaunce are still a few years away from being NHL ready, whereas Jensen already has some seasoning in a professional setting. They already have two big centres in Barkov and Bjugstad, so filling in the wings would likely be their goal. IMO a pretty good deal for Florida, but does it outshine Toronto's rumoured offer of Phaneuf, Kadri, and the 8th? The 8th might be too low of a pick to guarantee Nylander/Ehlers but Kapanen should be left on the board then. Thoughts?

If we get the 10th overall pick I would consider taking Fleury if Ehlers, Nylander, and Kapanen are gone. We don't have any bluechip defense prospects and Fleury, who at 17 is 6'3" and ~200 pounds, has top pairing potential. He is a very good skater, although his acceleration could use a bit of improvement, and has loads of hockey sense and poise. Being known for his shutdown capabilities, Fleury has improved his offensive game -- basically night and day -- from last season. I've read reports and opinions from other posters that have watched him play that claim that Fleury is a fairly effective puck mover with his above average vision, passing, and ability to skate the puck up the ice. These skills along with his poise allow him to serve as a powerplay quarterback. His shot isn't that great and he could use more creativity in the offensive zone. That being said, Fleury's dedication to improving his offensive game shows that he is willing to improve every facet of his game to be the best player that he can be. Style-wise, he has been compared to a Brent Seabrook because of his size, physicality, and defensive prowess, but also has a bit of Jay Bouwmeester in him with his skating ability, the willingness to join the rush, and puck moving qualities. His point totals aren't that impressive (8-38-46 in 70 games) but he would have had more if it weren't for his offensively starved team. Getting a forward like Ritchie with the 6th overall and a few young players in a Kesler package to Anaheim deal (Etem? Silfverberg? Vatanen? Theodore?) should lead us to drafting a blue chip defenseman with the 10th. Ritchie - Horvat - Kassian Shinkaruk - Etem - Jensen Gaunce, Fox, Cassels, Lain, Archibald, Grenier to fill the bottom six. Edler - Vatanen Fleury - Tanev shmexy http://www.redlinereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Fleury-Draft-Spotlight-Feb-14.pdf http://lastwordonsports.com/2014/04/11/2014-nhl-draft-profile-10-haydn-fleury/ http://www.ontheforecheck.com/2014/2/5/5384570/haydn-fleury-nhl-draft-2014-profile-video

If we indeed draft Ritchie and he makes the team next year along with Horvat (IMO it's a waste for Horvat to spend another year in junior) we should make a third line of Ritchie - Horvat - Kassian. That line would be fun to watch and can create damage physically and on the scoreboard.

Over on the HFBoards one use has started a mock draft involving input of each team's members to select the pick. So far each team's board has selected: Florida - Ekblad (75% of the vote) Buffalo - Reinhart (62 of the vote) Edmonton - Bennett (65 of the vote) Calgary - Draisaitl (46% of the vote; 43% went to Dal Colle and 5% to Ritchie) New York Islanders - Dal Colle (85% of the vote) The Vancouver board is currently voting. At the moment the votes are: Nylander with 46% of the vote Ritchie with 25% of the vote Ehlers with 25% of the vote Virtanen with 5% of the vote Kapanen was not included in the vote --> rounded numbers, FYI --> http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showthread.php?t=1653661 By comparison, over here on CDC the votes are currently: Virtanen with 27% of the vote Ritchie with 25% of the vote Ehlers with 24% of the vote Nylander with 13% of the vote Kapanen with 7% of the vote It's interesting that over there they are obsessed with the skill game of Nylander and to a lesser extent Ehlers, but over here we're obsessed with the size and skill combo of Ritchie and Virtanen. Such polar thoughts!!! I wonder why?

There's no doubt that Virtanen has skill, but I wonder if his U18 success is due to him being much more physically developed than 16/17 year olds and the larger ice surface..

Should we trade up to draft him then? Maybe trade with Calgary for the 4th overall and take Dal Colle? Add in a 2nd and a b/c prospect or something?

We were very close to winning by following the Detroit model. It only makes sense to try and duplicate another team's success if they are repeatedly in contention to win the Stanley Cup (or playoffs, at least). I'm all in for copying the Boston model as it suits our division. That said, there are key elements of any hockey team -- two-way centres, big and strong skating defensemen, and skilled forwards -- that are needed in any model. In our particular situation, moving towards the Boston model while still maintaining those same key elements of any hockey team would, in my opinion, appear to be the best move for this franchise. Good thing Linden and I (and many others) agree on this.

Do you think Anaheim ever consider a Kesler and a draft pick (2nd/3rd rounder maybe) for Lindholm and the 10th overall? We could strike two birds with one stone by drafting a forward like Virtanen, Perlini, Nylander, Ehlers, or Kapanen while adding a young two-way defenseman with top-pairing potential.

Although I still believe we should draft pure offensive talent instead of the size and skill combo, I think we should take Ritchie at the 6 spot and add another top 10 pick (Ottawa/Anaheim's pick) to draft Nylander. According to McKenzie's list, which is pretty accurate in draft day results minus the shakers and the movers, Ritchie would go around 6th and Nylander around 10th. Take the guy according to our needs and the BPA. After reading more on Ritchie, we can't pass up on him. His skill, size, excellent skating ability, and a mean streak would be perfect for us in being in the tough Pacific division. Obviously if one of the top 5 falls to 6 then we take that player, but if not Ritchie is the guy at the number spot. In response to Ritchie vs Virtanen, I think both will be excellent professional players. Virtanen strikes me as more of a complementary scoring winger, whereas Ritchie is more of a do-it-all kind of player, equally adept at scoring goals and creating chances. Ritchie can carry a line whereas Virtanen can only help pull it along, if that makes sense. That being said, Nylander's 1st line scoring centre potential can not be overlooked as well. Yes, as a 17 year old he is currently undersized but can still grow to something more respectable. His potential is too great to pass up on. Taking him at 6 may be a bit risky, but if we add that second top 10 pick then having an initial "safe pick" in Ritchie or one of the top 5 guys will allow us to take more of a risk by picking Nylander. I would be happy with either Ritchie or Nylander, but would orgasm with both.

LOL I must have a hard-on for Ehlers. Thanks for the correction. I found his top 12 http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre/feature/?id=117185 1. Ekblad 2. Reinhart 3. Bennett 4. Draisaitl 5. Dal Colle 6. Ritchie 7. Ehlers 8. Virtanen 9. Kapanen 10. Fleury 11. Perlini 12. Nylander

Ehlers I think. Button had us picking Virtanen at 6, although he was ranked at 8 by McKenzie.

I see one of them dropping according to team need. Florida takes Ekblad because they have a ton of offense up front Buffalo takes one of Reinhart or Bennett Edmonton takes Draisaitl for a highly skilled centreman with size Calgary takes Ritchie (I could see Burke making this move) New York takes Dal Colle to play with Tavares Vancouver takes the remainder of Reinhart or Bennett. Hopefully Reinhart. edit: What Kooner91 said lol

WOAH LUONGO ON THE PLAYOFF PREVIEW SPECIAL!!!!!!

Ooooooohhh Ehlers at 6th, but Button's mock draft has us picking Virtanen. Interesting.