Practice Report: 12-11-2019

[WildCard]

 

Edited December 11, 2019 by WildCard

[Brawndo]

 

[woods-racer]

That Asplund-Jo-Vesey line has quietly become a nice 2/3 line.

If we dump Mitts in Rochester and put Lazar in his spot that could also be a nice 2/3 line.

As it is here coaches are trying to sneak playing time in for Skinner while Mitts sits.

[inkman]

They gotta do something with Mitts. He's been nothing short of terrible. Watching him makes me nauseous for several reasons. Send him to Rochester or send him packing. He's killing this team.  

[WildCard]

 

[Brawndo]

 

[Derrico]

I would be fine not seeing Dahlin until the New Year.

[...]

I don't think they should rush Dahlin, but when he's soundly ready, put him in.

I do think they should permanently adopt that colour scheme for the seats.  It looks great.

[Doohicksie]

2 minutes ago, ... said:

I do think they should permanently adopt that colour scheme for the seats.  It looks great.

Those are the old Aud seat colors, innit?

[...]

7 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Those are the old Aud seat colors, innit?

[Carmel Corn]

3 hours ago, inkman said:

They gotta do something with Mitts. He's been nothing short of terrible. Watching him makes me nauseous for several reasons. Send him to Rochester or send him packing. He's killing this team.  

Rochester is best for now, but would like to see him as part of a package deal to get a 2C or RW who can help us now.  I do not think Casey will ever become a bonafide top 6 player in this league.

[Weave]

1 hour ago, Carmel Corn said:

Rochester is best for now, but would like to see him as part of a package deal to get a 2C or RW who can help us now.  I do not think Casey will ever become a bonafide top 6 player in this league.

I am about there myself.  The lack of progress from last season is very concerning.

[Doohicksie]

I'm not there.  I'm of the opinion that he should go to Rochester, but I also respect that RFK may be able to get him to fulfill the potential we first saw in him, and do it at the NHL level.  Moving him to wing is the first step.  Since moving he's shown flashes of better play, but he's nowhere near consistent, and in fact his last couple of games has been duds.  But I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, in the vein of we don't know what RFK is telling him to do, what his role is as a wing.  Krueger could be challenging him to do things he hasn't done before and it may take some time before they become second nature.

But yeah, I will acknowledge that there is growing evidence that he might simply be a dud.

[woods-racer]

I don't think he's a dud.

 

I think he needs some serious 1 on 1 coaching and strength training he can only get in Rochester.

He's a mess. Let them slow the game down for him and get his mojo back. Then ship him up here all full of confidence.

[Doohicksie]

That's one path, sure.

I would be interested in hearing JBot's and RFK's assessment of Casey, and the case for keeping him in the NHL.  I mean, it must be a conscious decision, yeah? 

[Weave]

21 minutes ago, woods-racer said:

I don't think he's a dud.

 

I think he needs some serious 1 on 1 coaching and strength training he can only get in Rochester.

He's a mess. Let them slow the game down for him and get his mojo back. Then ship him up here all full of confidence.

I'm wondering if he has the commitment to the physical training needed.

[inkman]

8 minutes ago, Weave said:

I'm wondering if he has the commitment to the physical training needed.

Whaaaaaat?

 

[Huckleberry]

10 minutes ago, Weave said:

I'm wondering if he has the commitment to the physical training needed.

I'm not one to cut bait easy, but him and thompson should be packaged while still having value.   Get yourself a top 6 RW.

[inkman]

4 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

I'm not one to cut bait easy, but him and thompson should be packaged while still having value.   Get yourself a top 6 RW.

Quick, find a GM suffering from CTE!

[woods-racer]

11 minutes ago, Weave said:

I'm wondering if he has the commitment to the physical training needed.

My perception is, with the number of games and travel time it's very difficult to stay healthy let alone add strength.

You have much more time in the AHL because of the schedule to not only practice more often and for longer , but to also add a strength training regiment with it.

I will give him  the biggest benefit of the doubt that he just has no clue how to *bulk up* because no one has every helped him. That would all change if someone comes out and reports anything different, but all I hear is he's a good kid trying to do what the coach asks of him.

[Weave]

19 minutes ago, woods-racer said:

My perception is, with the number of games and travel time it's very difficult to stay healthy let alone add strength.

You have much more time in the AHL because of the schedule to not only practice more often and for longer , but to also add a strength training regiment with it.

I will give him  the biggest benefit of the doubt that he just has no clue how to *bulk up* because no one has every helped him. That would all change if someone comes out and reports anything different, but all I hear is he's a good kid trying to do what the coach asks of him.

He has the resources of a professional sports team helping him.  He's in season 2, not fresh out of school.

[dudacek]

I think the emphasis on his strength/fitness misses the point: the game that worked so well for him in juniors, which was based on overwhelming opponents with frenetic bursts of skating and stickhandling has utterly failed to translate to the NHL.

He’s highly skilled, but he’s arrived too-early with a force-the-issue game that relied on a large skill gap between himself and his opponents and that gap doesn’t exist up here. He has no idea yet how to compensate.

[nfreeman]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

I think the emphasis on his strength/fitness misses the point: the game that worked so well for him in juniors, which was based on overwhelming opponents with frenetic bursts of skating and stickhandling has utterly failed to translate to the NHL.

He’s highly skilled, but he’s arrived too-early with a force-the-issue game that relied on a large skill gap between himself and his opponents and that gap doesn’t exist up here. He has no idea yet how to compensate.

I agree with this, but I also think he is extremely weak on the puck — which requires leverage and anticipation and is different from a general lack of physical strength.

As @Weave notes, the lack of any improvement over last year is a major red flag.  

[Formerly Allan in MD]

10 hours ago, inkman said:

They gotta do something with Mitts. He's been nothing short of terrible. Watching him makes me nauseous for several reasons. Send him to Rochester or send him packing. He's killing this team.  

It's a Sabres thing: draft 'em high and rush 'em because you're desperate.

[Thorner]

58 minutes ago, Formerly Allan in MD said:

It's a Sabres thing: draft 'em high and rush 'em because you're desperate.

Cozens looks so promising, I hope we are able to provide him the C insulation Botterill could not or would not provide to Mitts.