K-9

I suspect COVID might be cited as a mitigating factor and I wonder if there is some type of force majeure language in the CBA.

I wouldn’t care if Taylor Hall was the most gifted player of all time because he’d still be a bum, regardless. Don’t care what he did in Edmonton and NJ, nor do I care what he’s doing currently in Boston. It’s what he did while here. I watched him play every game for the Sabres last year and he flat out quit. On his teammates, on his coaches, and on all of us fans. He was a disgrace to the game. A bum of the highest order. He can go F himself for the rest of his days.

Ouch. Time to re-condition the conditioning assignment and send him down to the ECHL.

Yeah, I considered Vontae Davis while typing my post and he’s a close second to Hall. But different scenarios, imo. Vontae Davis knew he’d reached his end as a player and walked away. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t realize it before playing a game and a half before quitting during a game. But at least Vontae Davis had the decency to be honest about it and left the game entirely rather than quitting but continuing to go thru the motions on the field collecting paychecks while ripping off his teammates, coaches, and fans in the process like Taylor Hall.

Taylor Hall is a bum. Full stop. I’ve never seen a more blatant quitter on any team in any sport.

This game is a perfect illustration of how goaltending is FAR from the only issue with this team. IMO, the biggest issues are collective decision making and awareness and the total lack of skill to compensate for it.

OK. From now on I’ll refer to him as 1U1P1L😄

Let the legend of Luukkonen begin. The story of 6K shall be told throughout the ages.

I think you may be selling the Ducks a bit short. They just might hang with the Sabres and keep it close right up to the end.

Dell is persona non grata in any trade talks; a total non starter even as a throw in. Which Stars goalie is Dallas going to give up for that pick? Oettinger and Holtby are hot, carrying the load in a platoon system and currently untouchable, Bishop hasn’t played since 2019, is on a conditioning stint in the AHL, and has a 10 team no trade clause to boot, while Khudobin has a 4 team no trade list (and I suspect Buffalo is on both lists). And Khudobin is struggling mightily, anyway. Not sure who the fifth Dallas goalie is, but if you can give me a name I’d be happy to look into him.

Were you ever under the impression that this was gonna be anything other than a wasted year, at least in terms of standings? There is still development happening before our eyes, but like any developmental process, it’s not always a linear process. There are gonna be fits and stops. Especially when goalie plans A thru Z have already blown up due to injury and lack of development by UPL. I get that it’s frustrating as hell for us fans, but it doesn’t have to be if we keep the expectations real. We are only 24 games in and we don’t have to pull out all of our hair before the All Star break.

What is the acceptable price to acquire one of those backups? And is it possible that, given the dire situation, teams will insist on a dramatic over pay for their backups? Should Adams pay the price at any cost?

The business element plays a huge part this season and rightfully so, imo. There’s a time to spend and a time not to and currently we don’t sit in a position where it makes sense to spend after years of throwing good money after bad only to see last place finishes. It may not sit well with fans, but KA is a realist about the situation and I can respect that. Rebuilds are not pretty, especially after purging the team of players who didn’t get it done after purposely tanking to acquire them. A bitter pill for fans indeed. But a pill that was absolutely necessary to swallow, imo. It’s funny to see so much teeth gnashing by people who predicted the very on ice results we are seeing. Never have so many been so upset by their own accurate predictions. And I think that mentality ties in to the idea that the “kids” will become demoralized and lose their “love of hockey” because it’s the fans who are demoralized and insist on projecting their scarred psyches onto the players. All that said and as others have said as well, there are still things worth watching this season. So I’ll keep watching and attending games whenever I can.

Per the bold, everything KA has said about the need to “earn” the return of the fans indicates the organization knows full well the fans won’t be back until they turn things around. Many fans simply won’t return. Ever. But there will be new fans to sit in those seats.

I don’t disagree with any of that, but the discussion is veering away from my general point which is I don’t believe any of their current problems with goaltending and poor defense will cause our young players to suffer permanently scarred psyches as a result. Indeed, I think it may serve to galvanize them moving forward. Negative results don’t always translate to demoralization and giving up. Sometimes the adversity serves to strengthen character and a resolve to turn it around and becoming part of the solution. Projection isn’t a one sided proposition.

Here’s a thought: what if Adams, the coaches, and all those fragile delicate China dolls of players fully understand MORE THAN WE DO that incompetent goaltending is the number one issue, they accept that in the interim until it can be fixed, but they are committed to concentrating and working on improving their own games in the mean time? They are evaluated on a daily basis and are routinely challenged to improve their own games. Remember a few short weeks ago when everyone here was convinced Cozens was being demoralized and his confidence ruined and he just HAD to be sent down to Rochester? His improvement since Granato challenged him before the Oilers game suggests he isn’t the delicate waif of crumbling confidence we thought he’d turn into. Instead, he adopted a positive attitude, accepted the challenge, and is better for it. I doubt Cozens is the only player like that on this team, either. Mitts and Thompson are two other examples as well. I’m willing to give these guys a collective chance before proclaiming they will forever be scarred psychologically by losing. Maybe, just maybe, they have the mental fortitude to keep working in the face of adversity and are committed to being part of the solution long term.

More comparisons to kids? In classrooms? Is that what these million dollar athletes who’ve played a game all their lives are? Kids in classrooms? Are we partly responsible for helping to create the environments we are in or not? When do our own attitudes, decisions, and behaviors contribute or not? Only when everything is perfect? Feel free to have the last word, but I’m done kicking this dead horse.

From a statistical point of view, yes, I agree entirely. I’m referring to the way they play the game. And yeah, Eichel has done ok in spite of the coaches he’s had; a testament to his talent.

Are people responsible for their own roles in creating positive work environments?

Quite the leap to compare a psychologically damaged kid who was bullied to the point I’m making about highly paid and pampered professional athletes needing to overcome adversity with a positive attitude in the face of it. Just an absurd comparison. Yes, constant failure is bummer and nobody is suggesting it’s easy to overcome for teams, but what is the alternative? To give in to the negativity and fold? Or find the requisite grit to keep working at making it better? Sorry, but I don’t believe in providing built in excuses for players to fail.

I agree that “positive” environments are a good thing. But morale is still a personal choice, regardless. Attitude is always in your own control.

Being demoralized is a choice. If our young players are so delicate and fragile that they choose to be demoralized rather than determined to keep their noses to the grindstone and keep working to turn it around, then perhaps we don’t have the right type of players. Success starts with overcoming adversity and growing from it.

I’d argue he was a notch below MacKinnon. Don’t get me wrong, Eichel is an elite player in his own right, but he doesn’t attack the game with speed at every level like MacKinnon does.

Eichel was never not skating the entire time. When were those videos of him skating with his Bruins buddies in the summer? Let me know when he’s back in pads and actually doing hockey things. And 30%-40% better is the definition of pulling numbers out of your ass.