2015 / 2016 Line Up

[X. Benedict]

I sincerely think drew Stafford will be in our lineup next year

 

I think there is a better chance of him landing on any of the 29 other teams. 

[That Aud Smell]

I believe next year we'll start to see the beginning of a team rolling out 3 lines again like the 2006 - 2008 sabres.

 

Remember that guy (just a caller) who appeared on GR back in 2006 and sang "I Roll 4 Lines" to the tune of that Johnny Cash anthem ("I Walk the Line")?

[Huckleberry]

Remember that guy (just a caller) who appeared on GR back in 2006 and sang "I Roll 4 Lines" to the tune of that Johnny Cash anthem ("I Walk the Line")?

 

Hah no, never heard it, accross the ocean and all, but would love it if you would link us up again :D

[Bob Malooga]

Question for those of you who might know a little more than I do about this stuff...

 

Has anyone ever seen this kid play, or does anyone know anything about him?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Sörensen

 

"The Ottawa Senators did not sign Sörensen by the 1 June 2012 deadline, leaving him free to sign with any NHL team in the future."

 

"During the 2014–15 SHL season, Sörensen recorded 17 goals and 15 assists in 50 games and after the end of the season he was awarded with the SHL Rookie of the Year award." (Previous winners: Henrik Zetterberg, Tobias Enstrom, Loui Eriksson, Nicklas Backstrom, Victor Hedman, Johan Larsson.)

 

Murray was the AGM when the Senators drafted him. He has been said to be one of the best free agents not in North America. He's young too, and he has improved his play every single year, by the looks of things, really becoming a force for his team this year.

 

It wouldn't surprise me to see him as an Amerks signing...I think Shane Prince is another one to keep an eye on, he even said he would love to "come home," and he will be a restricted free agent come July. He was one of the best players in the AHL this year.

 

Both are "a couple years into their development," and both have "yet to get a chance with the team that drafted them." (Things Murray said he wanted.)

 

What say you guys...anybody have an opinion on this?

 

"An offensively skilled forward. Sörensen is a good skater and has fine puckhandling ability and soft hands. A pretty good scorer with some creativity. Of average size, but plays pretty big and gets involved physically. Must become stronger."

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=20065

 

EDIT: Here's a video of Sorenson...the only one I could find on youtube. (I wish I knew what they were saying! Lol.)

 

Edited May 9, 2015 by Bob Malooga

[bob_sauve28]

Gionta is not a top 6 player. 

 

What?? Yes he is 

[Huckleberry]

What?? Yes he is  was

Fixed that for you :p

 

That sorenson kid looks nice, but another left handed shot lol :D

[Bob Malooga]

Fixed that for you :P

 

That sorenson kid looks nice, but another left handed shot lol :D

Yeah. Gionta is now a bottom-6, 3rd line player in my opinion.

 

As for Sorenson...who cares? We need all the offensive talent we can get, especially down in Rochester at the moment. There was an article of the best prospects not in the NHL, and he ranked very highly on that list. (Unfortunately I cannot find it, I think it was The Hockey News or Hockey's Future.)

 

He could take Brendan Lemieux's spot on the left side of the prospect depth chart...no?

Edited May 10, 2015 by Bob Malooga

[Doohicksie]

Fixed that for you :P

 

That sorenson kid looks nice, but another left handed shot lol :D

 

That doesn't matter.  Did you see the backhander at 2:00 into the video?  WICKED.

[TrueBlueGED]

It's a shame 3 of our 4 best defensemen are right-handed shots because I'd love to add Petry in the offseason. Looking at the UFA list, I'd say Sekera and/or Ehrhoff are our best options for the left side.

[Hoss]

It's a shame 3 of our 4 best defensemen are right-handed shots because I'd love to add Petry in the offseason. Looking at the UFA list, I'd say Sekera and/or Ehrhoff are our best options for the left side.

Francois Beauchemin. Please and thank you. Short-term guy but still very good.

[TrueBlueGED]

Francois Beauchemin. Please and thank you. Short-term guy but still very good.

 

I'd be okay with it, but would prefer something longer term. Sekera and Beauchemin? IMO we need to add 2 because Gorges is dead to me and I'm not ready to pencil Zadorov into the top-4. 

 

That might actually work out really well...Beauchemin for a couple years while Zadorov develops and Sekera for the long term addition. I'm in!

[Hoss]

I'd be okay with it, but would prefer something longer term. Sekera and Beauchemin? IMO we need to add 2 because Gorges is dead to me and I'm not ready to pencil Zadorov into the top-4.

 

That might actually work out really well...Beauchemin for a couple years while Zadorov develops and Sekera for the long term addition. I'm in!

On the right you've probably got Risto, Bogosian and Pysyk locked in barring any trades. Gorges will be in there, Zadorov and McCabe are in the mix. I don't see them adding two and a guy like Beauchemin is perfect. 2-3 years while Zadorov and McCabe grow. He just seems like the perfect fit.

[TrueBlueGED]

On the right you've probably got Risto, Bogosian and Pysyk locked in barring any trades. Gorges will be in there, Zadorov and McCabe are in the mix. I don't see them adding two and a guy like Beauchemin is perfect. 2-3 years while Zadorov and McCabe grow. He just seems like the perfect fit.

Gorges was already slow, and microfracture surgery is really bad. I simply don't think he can be counted on as anything more than a #6/7. Zadorov oozes potential, but man was he rough last year. Are you really comfortable with him in your top-4? As far as McCabe goes, I remember reading he had a pretty rough adjustment to the AHL, and I expect he's there another year.

 

Give me:

Beauchemin-Risto

Sekera-Bogosian

Zadorov/Gorges-Pysyk

 

And I'm loving life. Still works long term because hopefully when Beauchemin is done Zadorov moves into that top pair, Sekera holds down the #3/4 spot, and McCabe slides into the 3rd pair. That's a championship blue line if all goes well.

[Huckleberry]

Well i'd be happy if one of sekera/beauchemin/erhoff is signed.

Allthough with erhoff i fear he might be getting injured to much.

[Hoss]

After watching Ennis in the IIHF tournament I'm completely against trading him if it isn't in a monstrous deal. My favorite player on the team for a while but I was thinking he'd be a great trade chip... Now I want to keep him around. He's a long-term piece on a good team.

[bunomatic]

After watching Ennis in the IIHF tournament I'm completely against trading him if it isn't in a monstrous deal. My favorite player on the team for a while but I was thinking he'd be a great trade chip... Now I want to keep him around. He's a long-term piece on a good team.

I agree. After two 20 goal seasons he's just coming into his own and with the talented players we're adding he can help them grow and they'll make him better.

[tom webster]

After watching Ennis in the IIHF tournament I'm completely against trading him if it isn't in a monstrous deal. My favorite player on the team for a while but I was thinking he'd be a great trade chip... Now I want to keep him around. He's a long-term piece on a good team.

I agree that he has looked great but remember CoHo lit this tournament up last year.

[Hoss]

I agree that he has looked great but remember CoHo lit this tournament up last year.

Sure, but Ennis has been consistent for longer. I'd have more faith that he continues doing that than Hodgson.

 

Obviously the bigger ice plays into a guy like Ennis' strengths, but I do think, and have always thought, that he can become a 30 goals scorer. If Eichel (or Reinhart) play up to their potential and he's on their wing he could probably put up 40 on a hot season.

[qwksndmonster]

Sure, but Ennis has been consistent for longer. I'd have more faith that he continues doing that than Hodgson.

 

Obviously the bigger ice plays into a guy like Ennis' strengths, but I do think, and have always thought, that he can become a 30 goals scorer. If Eichel (or Reinhart) play up to their potential and he's on their wing he could probably put up 40 on a hot season.

I think this depends largely on whether or not the NHL changes the rules to favor scoring, but I agree that Ennis is part of the core.  He's a baller, and he doesn't quit.

[WildCard]

 

Either one works. I think it's important to keep some perspective here: being a 1st line player doesn't mean that player literally has to be on the first line when the roster is set. Pat Kane rarely plays with Toews at even strength, yet I'd think we could agree they're both 1st line players.

I think it's a bit dogmatic to insist on the 1st line being three 1st line players, then proceed to turn down adding another 1st line player just because he'd be on the 2nd line. Hell, that's what we should he aiming for: more than the bare minimum of top end players. Think about why Chicago is so great: it's because they have Toews, Kane, Hossa, Sharp and Saad. That's five 1st line forwards in the lineup. We should want that, not shy away from it because of some misguided adherence to numbered lines.

Good points, well said. I will say this: in your Chicago comparison, are any one of those guys making $8 mil/year? 

 

I do believe that O'Reilly is a top-30 center or top-30 winger. Definitely a top-90 forward. I'm fine paying him like that. But I don't think that's how to define a first-line player. However, I would love and prefer to have him on the second line. Especially if he's on Reinhart's wing (or vice versa).

 

He's a first-line player on a solid team, but if you're going to be great you need players like him on your second line.

 

I don't think you define a first line player by their salary, but a player like that should have a salary indicative of his role and impact. I just don't think he's worth that, nor do I think we can afford him.

 

Maybe I missed it, but I'd like to see you two justify spending that much money on him opposed to other FA's, or even our own guys. Hoss did make some points on him earlier, but I thought Liger had a great response, and I'm a greedy bastard who wants more stats. 

[bob_sauve28]

I wouldn't mind getting Mike Green

[WildCard]

If acquired, O'Reilly would be our best forward next year. Raw scoring, position versatility, possession numbers, defensive acumen...he's better than every single one of our forwards across the board, with the *possible* exception of Kane. I don't care about handedness, or that in our wet dreams Zemgus becomes that good...if you have the chance to acquire somebody who would be your best forward, you do it. And you sure as hell don't pass on him because of Matt Moulson. You acquire pieces like O'Reilly when they're available and worry about a potential logjam of inferior players later.

Oh come on TrueBlue, really?  :P

[Hoss]

 

I don't think you define a first line player by their salary, but a player like that should have a salary indicative of his role and impact. I just don't think he's worth that, nor do I think we can afford him.

 

Maybe I missed it, but I'd like to see you two justify spending that much money on him opposed to other FA's, or even our own guys. Hoss did make some points on him earlier, but I thought Liger had a great response, and I'm a greedy bastard who wants more stats. 

 

Apologies for any confusion but I didn't mean to connect the salary with how to define a player. I meant that "top 90 forward" doesn't define a first-line player.

On justifying paying him over others: what justification do we need? It's not like it's O'Reilly or our guys, or even O'Reilly or other UFAs. We've got money to spend. It's O'Reilly AND others. If we get down to next offseason and it seems like we're deciding between O'Reilly and another player then we can discuss it. I don't see much of a point now because it's not this vs that.

Edited May 18, 2015 by Hoss

[WildCard]

Apologies for any confusion but I didn't mean to connect the salary with how to define a player. I meant that "top 90 forward" doesn't define a first-line player.

On justifying paying him over others: what justification do we need? It's not like it's O'Reilly or our guys, or even O'Reilly or other UFAs. We've got money to spend. It's O'Reilly AND others. If we get down to next offseason and it seems like we're deciding between O'Reilly and another player then we can discuss it. I don't see much of a point now because it's not this vs that.

Before I respond, should we move this to Liger's new thread? I was gonna drag all the info over there if we do

[Hoss]

Before I respond, should we move this to Liger's new thread? I was gonna drag all the info over there if we do

Yes.

 

 

Dear Mods, can we have all this moved to the O'Thread?