Leaderboard

Yes I do. I will bring the stick.

I agree, Kane walking would be pretty bad. He's been a huge shot in the arm that we wont be able to replace. How much great hockey he has left after this season, IDK. But Id also want to keep him to hopefully get Dcat producing again.

I'm not really sure Derek is overachieving. I'd expect a team with Larkin, Debrincat, Kane, Raymond, Seider, and 4,000 double digit scorers to be competing for the Wild Card. Especially when their 3rd string goalie was on a two month heater. I think there are very real reasons to criticize Lalonde for the late season collapse. And really s***ty reasons to blame him for it too. But I definitely don't get the impression that he's being targeted because he's got Dave Lewis syndrome and doesn't fit the typical square jawed, masculine, hockey guy archetype. I think he's being targeted because his team had a 10 point cushion and then fell apart, he won't play offensive players because of their turnovers but doesn't have the same rules for guys like Petry or Copp, the powerplay has fallen completely off the map and he keeps trotting out the same exact squads, he seems totally unwilling to call a timeout and stop the bleeding when his team starts slow or gets scored on twice in 30 seconds, He plays Austin Czarnik on a line with Patrick Kane while benching Joe Veleno, etc. etc. etc.

I understand what you're driving at, and if it were all false bravado I'd agree. But guys who have played under Torts routinely mention that he's tough but fair, demands accountability, and has the team well prepared to play. He's busting Sean Couturier's ass because Couturier has been absolute garbage this season. And Torts HAS gotten his team ready to play. They've been in the playoff picture all season long after the entire hockey world predicted they'd be one of the worse teams in the Eastern Conference based on their roster.

Its not even that I want a mean coach. I just want an honest one. Like Torts. The media friendly platitudes Derek spits out makes him look like hes an idiot. Whether or not he is behind closed doors who knows. But thats the point. Id feel better about the guy if he acknowledged reality. But I guess SY doesnt want anyone to ever know anything so it is what it is.

Typical win…Lyon is the primary reason, outshot, and outplayed. If this team were a pizza - it would be known as the Lalonde Special; lacking sausage (shots), pepperoni ( outplayed), and thin on the mozzarella.

So in the offseason, I think we need to start talking about a Ben Chiarot 8 year extension. Chiarot-Petry Gostisbehere-Holl Walman-Seider Maata That should work out well for us in 24-25. I think we just didn't play Chiarot and Petry enough minutes and against tough enough opponents. We need to challenge them to bring out their best