dudacek

The Briere comparisons just get more and more obvious.

Quinn and Peterka have played on their off-wings all season.

Agreed, plus I don’t see many better 4th-liners around the league.

Frazier and Dorsey weren’t the ones getting pushed backwards on 3/4s of the snaps.

We’re more than halfway through the season and have seen most of what the league has to offer. Im pretty confident talent is not much of an issue any more except in the crease. We have enough talent - speed and the ability to execute at speed - to keep up with any team in the league. The issues are mostly consistency, defensive structure and a dab of that abrasive arrogance that defines teams like the Lightning. Hopefully most of it will come through maturity.

Once the pitchforks and torches get put away it will become clear this game was largely lost in the trenches.

All true. I think Joki, Mitts and Olofsson are being given every opportunity to add themselves to the core. However, each is a free agent summer of ‘24. The 1st 2 will have arbitration rights, while Victor will be a UFA. The cap, the progress of younger players in the organization, and the desire to bring in upgrades from outside the organization will affect what happens there just as much as it will with lesser talents like Bryson and Comrie This organization is not going to be able to keep everyone. Nor, in all likelihood, should they.

Any time I listen to Adams it hear him indirectly saying: Skinner Thompson Tuch Quinn Cozens Peterka Krebs Dahlin Samuelsson Power Luukkonen Are going to get every chance to be part of the long-term core of this team. Levi is replacing Anderson. Olofsson Mittelstadt Jokiharju, Lyubushkin, Bryson and Comrie are under contract for next year. Asplund, Clague, Jost, Girgensons and Okposo are free agents. Any of them could be re-signed. Basically, there are 11 roster slots in question and I suspect most of them will be filled with players already here unless we can sign or trade someone who upgrades the latter two groups. Next year's team is going to look a lot like this year's.

He's tied for 25th in goals in the entire NHL right now, more notably 14th in ES goals.

Quinn has nothing to learn in Rochester. He was absolutely dominant there. I agree he needs to get stronger, but the biggest adjustment for him is learning to play his game at NHL speed. He's a bit like an intermediate skier learning to tackle black diamond runs. The only way he masters them is to keep trying. Let's not overstate his flaws. He's already as effective as most players on NHL 3rd lines and his numbers reflect that — goals and assists and analytically.

There's a few others — Robert thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Matt Boldy, Jack Hughes and tage Thompson — but Dylan's probably going to be coming after a better season than almost any of them when he signs.

Jack Quinn has played 60 AHL games. Peyton Krebs has played 25.

Oh, I’m very much with you on that. Just not sure a Swedish “Chad” would be.

2 points back of the Islanders, 4 of PIttsburgh, 7 of Washington. Despite our recent slumping over the past 10, we’ve still gained 4 on the Islanders and 2 on the Penguins, while keeping pace with Washington. Going to need to string together another run at some point.

This, not a “demotion” was why Tage was playing with them. They play direct and demand that of their centre. That’s what’s Tage has to get back to.

Rutherford never hired Boudreau and, from the sounds of it, never would have. I believe the issue there is mostly about a lack of defensive structure under Boudreau. I believe the reason he hasn’t been fired yet is because Rutherford doesn’t want to bring his guy in until he can put him in a position to succeed. Yes, it is completely unfair to Boudreau.

I was talking about the fans love for him. They love his personality and don’t hold him too accountable for the on-ice performance, which they blame on management.

I am curious as to what his reasons actually are. Im skeptical it’s either of the above: those are factors for veteran free agents, not prospects who will be almost certainly be doing a lengthy apprenticeship in the minors. It’s hard to say what any team will be like in those areas when he gets his opportunity. Most decisions of this nature come down to money, opportunity, work environment and or family/lifestyle issues. I think opportunity could very much play into things: this organization has 2 others in the “heir apparent” role. It might make sense to find an organization with a gaping hole in the depth chart under “potential starter 20-25”. The Sabres and the city of Buffalo have certainly improved their reputation, but they haven’t erased all stigma. I could be wrong, but Portillo strikes me as someone who is coming from a position of privilege. Money in terms of salary shouldn’t be an issue - all ELCs are the same - but I’m curious as to whether there are business opportunities off the ice that play into it. We know he’s an MBA student already involved in his own venture. Maybe he wants to be in a place better situated to chase his post-hockey career. He might see a better fit for himself in a place like Toronto - clearer path to the NHL crease, “world-class” city, prestigious franchise, plenty of off-ice business opportunities. I don’t have a clue, really. Guess we will learn when he makes his decision.

Canuck fans love Boudreau and hate Aquilini, the owner. It’s less about Bruce’s job performance and more about his personality and how badly the team has been managed for a decade. Lots of frustration over the team’s unwillingness to blow things up entirely.

Did anyone else catch Adams on GR yesterday? He didn’t come right out and say Portillo wasn’t signing, but he might has well have. I mean it’s no surprise, but it was the most transparent that I’ve ever heard him on that subject. Said they believe he’s a legitimate NHL prospect and pretty much acknowledged he’s had trade discussions with other teams. On the flip side, it’s also pretty clear he expects to sign Levi as soon as his college season is done.

Completely agree with this. The only thing that might have changed are people’s expectations.

Here’s something that’s easy to overlook with Casey: Despite the fact he is now 24 and has been in the organization for 6 years, he’s played just 316 games at a level above high school hockey. All but 77 of them were in the NHL. Dylan Cozens, by comparison, has played 392. JJ Peterka, at 20, has played 198. Mitts was a 1-man show in high school who never really had to learn how to play a team game until he arrived in the NHL. Jason Botterill certainly didn’t do him any favours putting a woefully unprepared kid into the show and asking him to play 2C. Properly handled, he would have played 2 years of college, 2 in Rochester, and would be partway through his 3rd NHL season right now. He certainly seems to be a Holzinger/Plante level player at this point and I suspect that’s what he will always be. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if he’s one of those guys who suddenly punches 20 points above his level one year in the right circumstances, well past the time when anyone expects it.

Until his contract expires July 1

Did they assign him to Rochester? I never saw that they did. Pretty sure they’ve mutually decided he should sit tight until they see what can be worked out and that both parties are working together on this. He’s not going to agree to a termination until he knows he’s got a place to land. Rochester only becomes an option if he can’t find one.

Agreed. I think given they are icing 4 rookies on a regular basis, and 16 players with less than 270 NHL games played, the immaturity is understandable. The way they are going to mature, to get better, is to play.