erickompositör72

I think they come out of the gate with a fire lit under their collective ####. I think there will be a new energy in the organization, and a new sense of "if I don't get it done, there's somebody waiting in the wings to take my spot and put me on the AHL bus" I think this will actually bring positive things out of a Zemgus Girgensons type character. Not saying he makes it out with his job- that depends a lot on how Wowie uses him.

depends how well our tank goes ?

I remember there being quite a bit of commentary on here about how much more Eichel was being forced to develop his defensive, 2-way center game (relative to his first 2 years). I remember all of us rejoicing at this, knowing he'd have to step up in this role while still producing offensively If he is who we hope he is, he should take a big step forward in both aspects this season

I swear I'm not playing dumb- I don't understand the relevance of that quote vis-a-vis my assessment

I hope so. Otherwise, we get Derek Grant winning a roster spot because he shines against preseason (AHL) competition

What you call "balls," I call character weakness. This is the NHL, not group therapy. A leader's job is to push through adversity and hold people accountable, but stay positive. It's hard to do- that's why true leaders are hard to come by. O'Reilly fancies himself a leader. The feelings he had are understandable, but they should have stayed between him and his therapist.

Captains don't lose passion ...or at least, they don't admit it

Wildcard does AND he has stats ?

You have some inside information that his game is about to drop off? He's not a player who relies on skating/speed. Compete level plays such an important role in that position, and his level was off-the-charts during their playoff run. I'll bet on his contract paying off

He earned that contract. He played unbelievably. I'm sure he's a major draw for the new franchise. Don't understand the flack.

Nassau County has a way more passionate hockey fan-base than Newark I've been on the Long Island RR before Islander games. They love hockey on the Island The Devils would definitely deserve the "red-headed stepchild" designation

Who would they be competing with for 2nd?

We don't have to be worried about what he'll look like in a couple of years, but his current frame as an NHL defenseman could be a shot-term liability. Ekblad was considered "NHL-ready" and draft sites listed him at 6'4", 216lbs And Pekar isn't exactly a tank out there (yet)

Don't leave those of us who don't know in the dark- how does the CBA treat local income taxes?

I'm making my prediction right now- it will be Nylander. He'll have a shot on the big club, and he'll show an ability to get into soft spots and put the puck in the net. He won't drive possession, so may need to be "sheltered" or play with strong possession line-mates, but he'll be smart with the puck and will show an ability to finish at the NHL level.

not for nothing, but that sounds more like the mindset of a parent than a savvy GM...

ERod shows flashes of how I remember Pominville in his prime, but not as strong on his legs and not as strong on the puck. If he doesn't address the strength issue and become harder to check, I think the fear is well-founded. Reinhart addressed this very issue, so hopefully ERod can as well.

Maybe it's like reconciling quantum theory with relativity - once we figure it out, we will be masters of the universe

The good news is that Beaulieu's and Girgs's chances of making the starting lineup are becoming less and less, and we're not even aware of JBot's plans for the remainder of the off-season. Sorry to contaminate your thread with more optimism ?

It's time for us to get lucky on another contract. Sign Reinhart to a long-term deal and use the first half of last season to leverage the best deal we can. We're due to hit on one of these. Karma or something. After suffering through Moulson, let's get a bargain deal on an elite player.

With that said, I think that there should have been some anticipation that having someone like O'Reilly- hungry for a leadership role- and then drafting Eichel, might cause a conflict. It seems obvious O'Reilly was not ready to pass the torch, and we definitely didn't have any coaching or veteran presence to impress this message upon ROR

And the fact is- as nice as it is to have some polished, always-says-the-right-thing-on-camera guy, Jack is not that. But he is genuine. That's what people will notice, and that's what makes a leader people can get behind. There will be more gaffes and cringe-worthy moments, but at the end of the day, there won't be any loss of "passion for the game" ?

You should've stopped when it started hurting ?

Right. It seems like many here would only be satisfied with the second coming of the '06-'07 lineup. It's already looking like a big improvement, with intriguing prospects to boot

I've heard from a reliable source that they've been desperately trying to move him. I just worry all we could get back is a similar risk/reward proposition. Samson is honestly one that I'm most curious to see how he starts the season- especially if they use him at all at center. I think Samson's play the second half of last season could work at the center position