marcaractac

It's amazing what happens when the line is no longer dominated by "defensive specialists"

Nobody has said otherwise, hence why I actually suggest reading a discussion before giving your two cents.

Try reading the discussion first maybe?

I'm citing examples from this season. You're citing examples from last. How the goalie situation was handled last season is irrelevant now. It hasn't been handled all that great this season. It hasn't been as terrible as chaps make it out to be, and I certainly don't think it's anywhere as good as you are making it out to be, but rather somewhere in the middle. In the end, this franchise has shown time and time again that they will cling to the vets until they are absolutely forced to do otherwise. It would really be nice to see them realize that youth is simply taking over the league.

Here is the thing I do not like about how Blash handles the goalies: Howard had that game where he got blown out. He sat out one game and was right back to starting after that. Mrazek has a bad game, and Howard gets many consecutive starts. I'm not against giving Mrazek a game off when he has had a couple not so great outings. But I do not agree with sitting him for 3-4 straight games when he does. This also is not exclusive to goaltending with this team. The youth get very little leeway, and it is frustrating. Veterans can make mistakes all game long, and they will be back the next game. Injuries have now forced Blashill's hand, and now the youth have no choice but to learn from their mistakes and to keep playing. To the surprise of probably nobody, they are getting better as a result.

Even Carey Price had to battle inconsistency and occasionally s***ting the bed in his younger years. There really is nothing to be concerned with about Mrazek. He'll get there.

They definitely should give Russo a look before Marchenko is back.

Coaching isn't the problem with the panthers. injuries and roster turnover is. Stupid move on their part to fire him. Too bad Holland won't take advantage of the situation. my guess is Vegas snatches him up very quickly.

Would love to see Kenny sign this guy to replace Blash

That Mantha sure can hockey

I agree is almost done. I think saying he has 2-3 years left is being generous. I would not be surprised at all to see Holland protect him. I just think it is the wrong move. I also think there is a better chance that, if left unprotected, that he would be left unclaimed due to his age and what he has left. I mean, I just feel it makes more sense to take a risk on a guy like Jurco or Sheahan when it comes to building a new franchise. Sheahan can make a reliable 3rd line center for them at worst when it comes down to it. He is also young enough where they'd own his rights for a long while. In the end, they are not building a team of teenagers over there. They'll have plenty of guys who have been in the league for a few years, who can be of service for several seasons. To take a 37-year-old for a veteran presence just seems silly in today's NHL. The game is getting faster, Hank is getting slower. Younger players are playing bigger roles than ever.

I feel like it will be closer to 8. Injury history, age and having cap space to ice a competitive team will be factors. He will be 31 when his next contract begins. As good as he is now, paying a goalie in his late 30's 10 million a year would be insanity. I feel he is a reasonable enough guy to take a slight discount to stay in Montreal.

Try telling the league that. Having the team or Hank say he would consider retiring if drafted would no doubt be seen as an attempt in trying to protect an extra player, and the team would absolutely be penalized for it. Not worth it.

He can't be signed any longer than 8 years. My guess is he makes in the 8-9 million range.

Blash was the right choice at the time. I will never fault Holland for that. It just hasn't panned out. These things happen. Some great AHL coaches find success in the NHL, some do not. Other just need to f*** up a few times first.

Wanna know what is Blashill's fault? When he spent the offseason calling out his own mistakes, and now continues to make the exact same mistakes over... and over... and over.

The problem with this is that it would likely be seen as circumventing the expansion draft and the team would likely be punished for it. Same goes for teams who have a handshake deal on a UFA but hold off until after the draft to sign the contract. Teams getting caught doing so risk losing their first round draft pick.

So even if a young player breaks out, still hang onto the 37-year-old. If Holland does that he should be fired.

And if Sheahan or Jurco happen to break out at some point, what then? For the record, I am on board with Tatar being traded if it's to improve the future of the team and not a desperation make the playoffs move.

Regardless of the average age, young players are the stars of the league now. Mantha, Goose, Tatar, Abby, Helm, Neilson, AA. That would be the 7 I protect. If Jurco suddenly reverts back to his rookie year, then there are a couple tough decisions to be made.To hang onto a guy in his late 30's out of loyalty in my eyes is just insanity. Sheahan seems to be the logical choice for Vegas unless his bad season runs all year. He picked it up a lot late last season. Let's hope for the same this time.

It was a very different league back then as well. The league has gotten MUCH younger since then.

Vegas isn't gonna draft a 37-year-old who has had back surgery with 1 or 2 years left in the tank tops. There will be better and younger options for leadership. Even if they did for some reason decide drafting Zetterberg is important, he is not a part of this team's future anyway.

Autocorrect is definitely worth it sometimes

It would be an embarrassment for Vegas to draft someone who will by then be 37 years old.