kipwinger

Well there's two ways of thinking about it. Hitting on your lottery pick is necessary for a rebuild, every rebuild pretty much has to start with that. So that's standard. When I say "accelerate" I mean, what can be done in addition to that. If you get incrementally better across the board AND you hit on your lottery picks then your rebuild should, in theory, move along more quickly. It's those moves that can be made on the margins that can speed things up. Now, Ho Sang. Kid's a dingus? Maybe. But there's a lot of very legit concerns about how he's been handled. He's been a productive player at the NHL level and he was buried on his AHL team's 3rd line? C'mon? Since he spoke up about it he was put on his AHL team's top line and has like 8 points in 3 games or something? So it's not like the kid can't play. And it's not like the Islanders haven't been absurdly mismanaged forever. And it's not like black hockey players get accused of being selfish or having an attitude ALL THE TIME. And its not like Lou Lamorello isn't an epically authoritarian f***-head who has buried guys before just to show that he's the boss. Point is, maybe he's an dingus and maybe he isn't. But he can play, and his value is at an all time low. Why not take a flier on him?

I don't think you're wrong here, but I also think that's something you can't do too often either. Like, if you look at last year's draft the Islanders did something like that, and admittedly had an amazing draft and laid a firm foundation for their rebuild with Dobson and Wahlstrom. But I don't think they ended up with anything better than what we got by standing pat and drafting 4 times in the top two rounds. I mean, we got McIsaac who was projected as a first rounder for the entire year before the draft. I guess what I'm saying is that it's a draft by draft thing. In years which are loaded with talent, like the 2019 draft is supposed to be, I think I'd hang on to my picks because the difference between the 15th and 35th players drafted might be pretty small. However, since the premise of the thread is ways to accelerate the rebuild I'd add that if there's someone in the top 10 or 15 that you think people are sleeping on, or that you think is definitely going to play above their draft position, then you should definitely do it. I'm just wary of moving 2nd rounders because you can still get a lot of talent in round 2.

Larkin is on some next level s*** right now. They need to give AA some of whatever Larkin's been eating.

Jared McIsaac up to 4 goals, 5 assists, in 9 games.

Add Casey Mittelstadt and Rasmus Dahlin to any team and they're bound to be better than they were. That said, Buffalo probably shouldn't have been a juggernaut under Bylsma, but they should have been better. A team with Eichel, O'Reilly, Reinhart, Okposo, Kane, Ennis, Ristolainen, etc. should probably not have been so far in the cellar.

Vanek was demoted too, likely for the same reason. So it's not like Mantha is being singled out. And really, if you were going to single someone out, it should be Mantha. He's supposed to be the best, or second best, player on the team and he's got one goal this year and is getting caved in at even strength. He's lucky he doesn't get scratched. He's been on the ice for nearly as many even strength goals against our entire team has scored all season. So he's hardly using all of that skill to stay out of the defensive zone as you've suggested. Truth is, any or all of Vanek, Mantha, Nyquist, or Neilsen could reasonably be demoted. But Neilsen is a center and Nyquist is currently outplaying Mantha and Vanek so there you go.

I'm not going to say whether I want Blashill gone or not. I'm torn. On the one hand, lose for Hughes ya know? On the other, I'm not positive his system is best for the growth of our young players. I'm no systems expert, so take this with a grain of salt, but it doesn't seem like his system utilizes our team's best asset...speed. Seems like we get circles skated around us each night. That would make sense if this were the 2013 Red Wings and we were loaded down with old vets. But in theory we should be one of the league's fastest hockey clubs and we aren't. Gotta think that's a deliberate choice. And if so, how is that going to help out these young guys who are certainly going to have to play an uptempo game for their next coach given how the league is trending.

That's a dubious argument because it assumes that Abby or Kronwall are as bad at doing their jobs as Mantha is at his right now. It's problematic because their jobs are different. If Mantha is, as you've said many times, a finisher then he's failing abysmally at it. Neither Abby or Kronwall are counted on for offense. Abby is a penalty killer, forechecker, and physical presence. Kronwall is a past his prime veteran two way guy who is no longer capable, or expected, to skate well or contribute offensively. It would be a hard sell to say that Abby is as bad at forechecking and penalty killing as Mantha has been at scoring. Same for Kronwall. Sure there are worse players on the team, but they're doing their jobs better than Mantha is at the moment.

Jared McIsaac has 7 points in 7 games including 3 goals. So that's a kinda positive development for a 2nd rounder.

His skating and stamina seemed fine last year when he led the team in goals. I think probably something else is going on. Something like 9 of his goals last year came on the PP, where he was playing net front. He's not doing that this year. Wouldn't explain why he's been terrible at even strength, but could explain his lack of PP production.

Yeah, but your track record assessing defensemen is abysmal lol. You're pretty good with forwards, but defensemen have been hard on you. Any good take requires that you explain your rationale. Just saying something isn't really good enough in Takesville. Take another crack at it.

I'd love it if I were the prospect projection take guy, but sadly I'm regularly wrong about them. For instance, I thought AA had Seguin upside and a floor of Ryan Kesler. I was way, way, wrong on that one. I was right about Frk. And I said one of Pulkkinen or Jurco would be good, and one would be bad. So I was 50% wrong on that one.

Man, my "Cholowski has Duncan Keith Upside" take is looking better by the day.

I'm bummed that when Mike Green and Dekeyser get healthy that you're likely going to see both Hronek and Jensen out of the lineup. I think Nick Jensen has looked really good so far this season. He was asked to play way above his head for about 4 games and did as well as could reasonably be expected.

I like this lineup. I was just talking to my dad a couple of days ago about how I'd like to see some accountability out of Blashill with respect to playing time. Vanek and Mantha on the 4th should send each of them a pretty clear message. Bertuzzi and Helm, sad as it is to say, have been the more deadly offensive players so far this season and deserve the ice time until Mantha and Vanek wake up. Plus, these lines were generally good last game. Also glad to see Hronek back in the lineup. Hicketts does as well as he can given his obvious physical limitations, but it's better for Hronek to get the reps in the long run.

Our ancestors used to hunt cave bears, and cave bears used to run from us. Now you got your goddamn participation trophies and your hitting bans. What have we become?

Am I a snowflake too? Or do I have to threaten to stop watching hockey over some hypothetical "hitting ban" like some histrionic dips*** before I'm one of those?

First they came for our jobs, and I did not speak out— Then they came for our guns, and I did not speak out— . Then they came for our hockey fights, and I did not speak out— Then they came for our hockey hits—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Said this in another thread because I didn't see this one. I'd send Rasmussen back to juniors, and I'd go with Nyquist-Larkin-Mantha Vanek-Neilsen-Abby Frk-AA-Bert Helm-Glendening-Ehn Witko Zadina first call up for scorer (Nyquist, Mantha, Vanek, Frk, AA), Givani Smith first call up for grinder (Abby, Bert, Helm, Glen, Ehn).

I'd send Rasmussen back to Junior, and go with something like this: Nyquist-Larkin-Mantha Vanek-Neilsen-Abby Frk-AA-Bert Helm-Glendening-Ehn

Perhaps clanking one off the post is affecting my memory a bit, but I thought Frk looked decent last night. Seemed to skate fast and finish his checks. Add to that the aforementioned scoring chance and I'd say not a bad night for a 4th liner in a blowout game.

I'll be honest, I think Mantha's been pretty bad so far. I realize it's four games in, but he and Larkin need to be our top players every night and Mantha isn't really holding up his end of the bargain. And it's not like AA where the chances have been there over and over and he's just snake bit. Mantha is pretty invisible most shifts. Just my two cents though. As I said a week or so ago, I'm pretty happy with the kids, the grinders, Bertuzzi, and Larkin. I need to see WAY more out of the veterans. Mantha, Vanek, Nyquist, AA, Neilsen, all need to step it up.

Lose for Hughes? It's like you're not even trying. Ray Ferraro already comparing the Leafs to the Lemieux/Jagr Penguins. Can't wait for them to underachieve so I can watch Leafs nations lose their minds.