JohnC

You make a terrific point in that sometimes we fail to consider that the other teams have comparable, or often more talent, when judging the performances of our own players. Most fair-minded people would acknowledge that Dallas is a superior team that also has an upper tier goalie. In this game, I thought we played even, or slightly outplayed them. This was not only a good win but also a good measuring stick game that indicates that this team can compete with the best teams in the league.

Absolutely not! We already have a 1C in Tage. The assault on Power from many members here has me baffled. It seems that the underlying basis for the harsh reviews of are due to the fact that for a big guy he is not a banger. He will never be a banger. So what? Power is a tall and lanky young player who when he physically matures will turn out to be an anchor defenseman for us for a long time. It took some time for players with similar physical profiles, such as Hedman and Chara, to physically mature and become top tier players. I strongly recommend patience. He's steadily getting better and more confident on the ice. This guy's going to be a gem and be a player that Lindy values and trust.

I understand why you have reservations about Power and his style of play. He's not a banger, and never will be. However, that doesn't mean that he isn't or won't be an impact player for us. He's a big guy who can skate and has steadily shown that his hockey acumen is very good. It usually takes defenseman, especially tall and lanky players, more time to develop. Hedman and Chara are examples of that. I'm very confident that Power still has a lot of untapped potential and with experience become not only an anchor defenseman for us, but also one of the better defensemen in the league.

I would go with UPL. He's earned starting again.

Both Clifton and Greenway have been consistently solid so far in this season. Although neither player would be describe as dazzling, both have played a tough and strong brand of hockey. Greenway may be our best PK player.

Game recap from NHL.com: https://www.nhl.com/video/dal-at-buf-recap-6363618090112

Some quick thoughts on this game: I thought UPL was superb. He would be my first star, Power would be my second star. Power's pass back to Tage for a score was a smart and basic play. Tage is playing really well. A big difference between this year's team and the past few is that our lower two lines are faster and contribute more goals. Big upgrade on those lines. I thought our team defense that included the play of our forwards was excellent. The pairings and forwards were quick in getting back. Good stick work all around. Dahlin seemed to move much better in this game. I thought our play in the second period may have been our best this season. Dallas was stymied and outplayed. Krebs is contributing. He's feisty and gritty. His stick work on his goal was nifty. He waited for the puck to drop before swiping at it. This was a good win against a good team with an upper tier goalie. Our play in the second period may have been our best period so far. Dallas was stymied and outplayed.

Do you wear glasses? If you do, you need to increase the prescription. I don't mean this to be mean-spirited but you are getting to be a tiresome crank.

What's both encouraging and discouraging at the same time is that Kulich looks better than Quinn, so far. If Quinn can get back to form, then that line second line should be more productive. Right now, my inclination is that Cozens is better on the wing. I would love to have him prove me wrong.

You are the type of guy when everyone says up, you say down. When someone says go, you say stop. When a coach says a player is "not 100% you oddly say that he is robustly healthy. If the coach acknowledges that a player is not "100%", he is essentially saying the player is playing hurt (injured). We have seen Dahlin when he was healthy, and we have seen him when he was plagued with an injury. How about using some common sense and trust your eyes!

Dahlin's play is a shadow of what it was not long ago. I'm starting to have suspicions that he is hurt. Compared to how freewheeling he used to play, he seems to be unable to cut it loose and make plays. Maybe he is having difficulty adapting to Lindy's tighter approach to playing defense, resulting in him thinking too much rather than reacting? We should get a better sense of what the problem is, if there is a problem, after a few more games. I suspect he is dealing with an injury that is inhibiting his play.

Even if it is for the short-term, Cozens needs to be moved to the wing. Maybe that will relax him and allow to think less and play more reactively. He's clearly pressing. Moving him to the wing would not be a punishment. It is making a change to get him back to his previously productive form. Even if moving him to another position is a temporary move to change the dynamic of the situation, it might be the right response to jolt him into better play.

https://www.nhl.com/video/buf-at-chi-recap-6363507672112 I didn't watch the game because I couldn't find a station to view it. Based on a five-minute clip of the game taken from NHL.com it appears that UPL made some critical stops that prevented us from letting this game slip away. Based on the clip, it seems that our first line played as a first line in this game. Tage seems to be moving well and playing with confidence.

In a legitimate process with the primary criteria established of having experience he would have been a prime candidate, and a worthy selection. You may disagree but it was a reasonable outcome within a charade process. I half agree and disagree with your conclusion that both Cozens and Tage should be on the wing. Tage needs space to work with in order to be effective. So I would keep him in the center spot. Cozens is pressing and doesn't have the vision of a center. I would put him on the wing. Maybe that change of position will also relax him enough to do less thinking and more reacting.

I thought this game would be on my MSG station in Maryland. It's not. So listening to WGR. Just get a freaking win!

You make keen points about the utility that could have been made by seriously interviewing a number of experienced candidates for the open job, even if Lindy was pre-selected in the hollow search for a new coach. One of them is that you can learn something from "outsider eyes" about the weaknesses and strengths about your organization and roster. It was a second-rate effort from a second-rate organization. I'm not as negative about this team and season as many already are. But it is exasperating to watch how this organization continues to fumble doing the basic stuff, such as hiring staff. It's ridiculous.

I believe that the hiring process that resulted in Lindy being hired was a charade. On the other hand, even with a full and legitimate hiring process Lindy would have been a good pick for a number of reasons, including experience and willingness to hold players accountable. In my view, he was the right hire in a bogus hiring process.

I'm not arguing to trade away our top prospects such as Helenius or even Östlund. My frustration is directed at some of the perplexing decisions that our GM has recently made. I still am perplexed by the Mitts for Byram trade? And even more perplexing is why the GM couldn't have added another second line player/wing this offseason when he had more than enough cap and assets to parlay. I have no doubt that the GM is a good guy, but as a GM he is bland. He lacks the creativity and savvy to improve the roster. I'm not giving up on this season. It's clear that players are adjusting to the new coach. They are obviously pressing. Cozens and Dahlin are examples of that. The last offseason was the time to tweak the roster and make some judicious adds. Our GM stumbled and didn't make a consequential move to upgrade this roster. The GM is the head of the hockey operation. He's simply mediocre.

I never understood the reasoning why he was not signed to an extension when we not only had the opportunity to do so, but also the player was willing to sign the extension. The GM nonsensically put him on hold. He then exercised his prerogative to leave. So the organization was forced to trade him. We had him, and we lost him because of this organization's own obtuseness. The accumulation of bad decisions/judgments has suffocated this withering franchise. It makes no freaking sense!

Being in a constant negative and environment is exhausting and depleting. I'm not bringing up the issue of whether it is warranted or not (it is) so much that being in the vicinity of so much negativity does have a depressing effect on others. It's simply toxic. I'm taking it game by game and making a point not to be so immersed in the play. That's what I can control.

Trading Mitts for Byram was not a smart move. The money saved from shedding Skinner allowed more financially flexibility for the GM to sign Mitts, a player who can play both wing and center. A line composed of Cozens/Mitts/Quinn would be more appealing than what we have now on the second line. I'm not knocking Byram as a player. From a talent standpoint, the Mitts and Byram deal was reasonable. However, from fitting together a roster, it set us back. Our GM is mediocre. He is a checkers player in a chess competition. He's simply overmatched. His record attests to that.

Have you considered entering the beer chugging Olympics? You would be a medal favorite. If I go to a bar where you frequent, I hope there would be more than one urinal. If not, there will be bar patrons who will be upset with you hogging that over-flowing urinal. 😀

I respectfully but strenuously disagree with the comparison where you put Risto in the same class as Cozens from a player and contract standpoint. Cozens is somewhat struggling and not producing offensive stats. But the effort and willingness to go to the dirty/tough areas is apparent. My suspicion is that he might be better suited as a winger. In the International Tournaments he has thrived on the wing against high end competition. That's one of my arguments why the Mitts trade was a bad deal for us. I thought putting Cozens on Quinn on the wings with Mitts centering made a lot of sense. I strongly recommend being a little more patient with him and even Quinn. The player that has perplexed me is Dahlin. He's simply not the same player that he was under Granato. Right now, it seems as if he is resorting back to the Krueger era being tied to a system instead of allowing his copious talent to take over. Maybe it is too much thinking and not enough free flowing???

Why are you blaming the desultory play of Dahlin on Joki or any other partner he is assigned with? I don't know what is causing Dahlin's lackluster play but something is off kilter with him. In general, I would say that Joki is playing well.

I'm disappointed that we didn't get the win but one positive takeaway from this road game is that we got a loser point. In previous years, the team would exit the arean with zero points. Another positive is the play of JJP. He's fast and he can shoot. His goals were from laser shots into small openings. I read a criticism of UPL's play in this thread. My question is: What game were you watching? He kept us in the game with more than solid play. One of the encouraging things about our disappointing early record is the play of our two goalies. If we get that standard of play for most of the season, then this should be in the playoff fray. As someone mentioned, and I have previously mentioned, Cozens may be a better winger than center. That's why a consider the Mitts trade for a defenseman a mistake. A line of Cozens/Mitts/Quinn made a lot of sense. And you still could periodically interchange the wing/center positions between Cozens and Mitts. Our GM seemed to have outsmarted himself. Little things to like: the play of Clifford. If we can get a win in Columbus it will take some of the sting away from this Pitts game.