erickompositör72

I think if you have a 2nd line of Huberdeau - ____ - Reinhart, 2C suddenly is not as critical as we feel now. Just depends on JBott's & Housley's philosophy, and if they would want to build a line like that.

I was in the same boat as you. I'm fear that when it comes time to negotiate his long-term deal, when he has a body of work to point to, Samson is going to remember how JBott didn't give him the deal he wanted when he signed the bridge deal.

I have no inside insight into this, but I would be inclined to disagree. Great coaches in any sport are usually praised for their attention to detail. This is usually conveyed in how they practice, and by the coach harping on the little things. It's what people talk about with Belichick. When I see our guys fanning on passes in the d-zone (Scandella, looking at you), not making the simple play to clear the zone, missing assignments... or taking ill-advised shots on net, making ill-advised pinches, etc... I think about players who are not attentive to the small details. I don't think it's necessarily a matter of disciplining under-performing players by reducing their ice time- it's about how they practice.

I don't think there's any way to guarantee that, or write it into the trade language, is there? Unless the extension is signed before the trade happens? You could make draft picks conditional, but that's a risk for both teams, because a player and an agent can always change their mind when the extension is actually offered post-trade, right?

you don't land a Skinner-like trade very often. JBott is playing this like a pro poker player. He's not going all-in when there's an outside chance of hitting a good hand- he waits until he knows he has "the nuts," as they say. I think his approach has the makings of building a great, consistent team.

Eichel did look like he got caught puck-watching, and Dahlin's youth/inexperience showed. However, for the next few years, Dahlin and Eichel are going to be getting better and better (with Dahlin having a trajectory of being scary good) In a year or two, we win this game most of the time. I think we all forget that overall, the team is on par with expectations for this season.

Samson on line 3 could create match-up problems for other teams... oh wait, Housley doesn't consider line match-ups...

He did actually say that? So it's not just an SS forum fantasy? Now's the time...

My feeling is that zone entries have not been much of a problem (at least for PP1)- am I incorrect in stating that? I don't think our PP problems have anything to do with the drop pass. They are mostly because- as @WildCard alluded to- we never change up the look when we have possession. We're too static. Every NHL team has the book on our power play. They know which passing lanes to cover and which one-timers to watch out for.

Scandella may have some value to the right GM- someone who thinks he just needs a "change of scenery" (which very well might be the case, in reality)

Thanks for responding. Sorry, my question was purely intended as satire ?

I can tell you that harassment is not a white male issue, having a very diverse network of friends and family all over the world. It manifests itself often among privileged white individuals in this country, because of what's been stated before. I don't think that white male privilege is really relevant to this discussion. There are not more instances of harassment in white countries than in non-white countries. Making people aware of their privilege is a noble crusade, but I don't think it has much to do with the issue at hand.

but what if they're conditional?

People talk about not getting a 2C as it seems to be a no-confidence vote in Mittelstadt. I know this is highly hypothetical, but what about a 2C who has already "peaked," who has a few years on a contract, who would transition nicely to 3C as his abilities slightly decline with age, allowing Casey to step into the 2C role? No, I don't have any in mind to fit this bill- just spit-balling

First, I'm only here because SwampD mentioned Mahler 4. Bravo Re: Eichel's shot- hasn't he scored several goals with such a shot? Calling it lucky sounds pretty glass-half-empty, to me. I'd rather characterize it as a shot he knows he can pull off every now-and-then, and has the skill to put himself in a position to allow him to pull it off every now-and-then. When it happens, I'd rather call it "magic" than "luck." Mahler 4 is magic, too ?

How do you advocate Housley and Botterill make this happen? Tell the players to lose? Find the worst line combinations possible?

Echoing some sentiments: Replacing Housley at this point would only make sense if the plan was ultimately to get lesser talent to perform over their heads (90s Nolan, for example). That doesn't seem to be JBott's plan. As people have pointed out, there is evidence that Housley's system could be dynamite if we aquire/develop the right players. Our GM may be placing his bet on Phil delivering after he gets all the pieces in place.

Didn't the COL GM botch the Duchene situation, as well? Perhaps not a good barometer... Here is what I heard from an insider about ROR: every front office knows that his off-the-ice life is a mess, but that when he's on the ice, he brings it. My conclusion from that: this may have been a JBott/Pegula joint decision about personnel character, etc. (and we know Terry is big on this). Especially considering the fact we have many young, impressionable players with very high expectations. It may have been a signal to the locker room about what they expect from leaders, beyond on-ice performance. Put ROR on a team with other veteran leader types in the locker room, it's not an issue anymore (as others have pointed out). The decision was made, and now our front office has to live with it. We'll probably never know if it was the right decision or not; it may be impossible to tell.

Could also give Rochester a competitive player and allow WowBott to call up some other Roch players to the big club for evaluation?

The remainder of this season may end up being like so many of our wins - dramatic and not for the faint of heart. At least that's the best we can probably hope for.

Neuvy was pulling a Hasek. How fitting, they are country-mates!

I really, really want to see Samson at center again. Not certain it will work, but we have not seen him at center since prior to his 2018 "breakthrough." He may have the ability to do a lot more than just be "Jack's winger." When Jack was out last year, he stepped up and was actually controlling the pace of play on many of his shifts. Didn't he start playing hockey relatively late? Who knows, maybe he's a late bloomer me too

Compare this to how JBott handled Moulson. He figured out a place where he had family and sent him there, probably after discussing. Berglund situation seems there was no discussion, no consideration of the human element. Yes, the agent would have the most blame in this scenario, but the STL GM then would have only considered getting his prize (ROR) rather than treating a player humanely. If his agent single-handedly dropped the ball, Berglund would have been helpless in this situation. Rather than the GM being humane ("hey, you really don't care about the nmc anymore?"), he just acted in an opportunistic manner -- nevermind the ramifications on an actual human being.

My read is that Berglund was screwed by his agent and the STL GM. He probably intended on staying in STL for the duration of his contract, planned life accordingly, and his agent dropped the ball on the deadline. Then, rather than being understanding, STL GM just took advantage. Big middle finger to Bergy. JBott probably not privy to any of this. If this is true, STL GM is a POS, IMO

Linus is not Lehner-bad at handling the puck, but not much better...