1. yes
2. any route to the finals through the west is a joke and needs to be reconsidered as a finalist in general. It is a joke that the east and west are considered equal in the representation within the league and this to me means that the Baraccuda were the team with the more difficult route.
3. What makes them the most special in the playoffs is the ability to put up points against a shit conference where the average competition is on the bench picking their nose between shifts rather than getting ready to play hoekcy. This is why these players are able to put up massive point totals.
4. Depth scoring is a major pl;ayer in team performance in the league. The ability for teams to over perform is very highly correlated to having lines of players who have played together for awhile, which allows them to slightly over-perform when compared to other lines with out the same type of chemistry. This is why they are slightly better.
5. Forwards are generally more important in the league than defensemen. Teams building through their defense are weak and cant score goals so this is a failed mechanism to build teams. Forwards on the other hand are able to impact both ends of the ice more than defenseman and therefore are a better core to build around if you have to separate the two.
6. Gnabe is showing up shirtless to the box. He is going to show up with the screenshots and record all of the interactions with himself and the crook WBF who is running the league into the ground. When I show up to the box I am damn well drinking beers shirtless and fighting the crooks in the league office. That is the play that we all can support.