kipwinger

You're obviously entitled to feel however you like, but I think hockey was awesome this year. You have tons of good young rookies to watch. The rise of new powerhouse teams in Dallas and Florida. Ovie scored 50 again. Almost every playoff series has been brutal and close. And teams like Los Angeles and Chicago fell off. I probably watched more NHL hockey this year than I have in a decade.

I agree with this assessment of Mantha going forward. The difference in talent at the NHL level is negligible for most players. What seperates them is commitment to doing all the little things that make talented people into top performers in their sport. There's an awesome quote from Connor McGregor on the topic:"There's no talent here, this is hard work. This is an obsession. Talent does not exist, we are all equal as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. You will reach the top and that's that. I'm not talented. I'm obsessed." Thats something that all great performers have in common.

Peters?

Yuck it up all you want, but there's a real possibility that Stamkos will go the same route as Parise. He will have a handful of elite level seasons, get paid out of proportion to his current value, and then regress back to a good but not great player. I don't want a good player making 10-11 million bucks on this season. Its way to prohibitive. I'd much rather have two good players making 5-6 million apiece.

Rychel is a tough dude too. Knows how to fight.

I wish they reported possession metrics for the AHL. I'd love to see how the young guys shape up in that department. I'd imagine Sproul and Russo lead the way, but it would be cool to see how they stack up against the rest of the league.

So pumped to see Sproul playing like a stud. It'll be hard not to factor him in to next years defense corps.

I'd rather we sign Okposo and Radulov than Stamkos and either of the other two. Gives us more money to accommodate a defenseman if we can trade for one. Stamkos is going to be a VERY expensive 70 point player.

I don't want to see Larkin or AA on the wing next season. They are future centers and need to be playing there. I agree with limiting Zetterbergs ice time though. in the scenario above I'd but Zetterberg with AA and Bertuzzi, Tatar with Larkin and Mantha, and Radulov with Stamkos and Abby. But honestly I don't really see us signing stamkos, so its a moot point.

Meh. Pavs should go enjoy his retirement and the Wings should transition into a new era. This will hasten it. I'm not too broken up about it.

Chicago's best player is a winger. And their top center is no better than Backstrom according to most.

Ugh, this made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

One thing that I think is super important for both Houda, and whoever we sign to coach the offense, is a knowledge and embrace of how modern analytics can/should inform coaching. I don't know where any of the candidates stand on the topic though.

Another reason I like Todd Richards is because young centers have tended to do well in his offensive scheme. None of Johansen, Jenner, or Dubinsky are superstars, but they've performed well under his offense, and I'd love to see what he could do with Larkin and AA. Then get a defensive coach that really understands puck possession and transition and we are set. Don't really know who I like for a defensive coach though.

I think that given the amount of roster and management turnover we are expecting right now, its a perfect time to take stock of what we have, identify what kind of team we want to be, and then make player and coaching decisions based on that new identity. I don't think its smart to bring guys in because of their names or previous experience (though I do want some experience, no rookies). For instance, if we don't envision ourselves as a Randy Carlyle type team, then we would be dumb to hire him. Regardless of his experience. We need to figure our what we have, what we want to be, and then hire the right people to make it so. Personally, I like Todd Richards. His teams play fast and aggressive and I like that given our lineup. But that's just me. There's also a connection there, he used to work with Tyler Wright in Colombus.

Gotta be better than Osgood in a broadcasting role. Anything to get him out of the booth.

I like Guy Boucher better when he played the villain in Casino Royale.

I'm not so sure they're so comparable. Frk is bigger and can protect the puck better against bigger guys so his speed is less of an issue than Pulks. Plus I think he gets his shot off quicker, but that's just my assessment. Frk reminds me of a poor mans Vanek or Moulson. Both are slow, but big enough to play in high traffic areas.

Good point. I'll retract the former comment.

Vatanen is a shrimp. No thanks. We need a workhorse. I like Vatanens shot and puck moving ability but he will always be a complimentary piece given his size. Same issue I have with Shattenkirk.

Do we even have mods anymore or what? Frank makes homosexual slurs in another thread, with no discipline associated, and now this guy's comments? I thought the rules on offensive posts were pretty clear but apparently that doesn't matter if nobody does anything about it.

Oh no, one of our depth players left and will likely be replaced by someone from GR, what will we do?

9 years ago he was 20 and is almost certainly a better player now. I am sensitive to your point about.overall team offense, but I think team offense improves as you replace the current guys with others that are relatively better. Radulov isn't my top choice as an FA, but I don't necessarily think someone with his skill set and age can't help this team for a few years.

Lots of successful teams play young guys in depth roles. I don't know why that's such kryptonite for you.

You keep saying we'd retain salary on fowler. We wouldn't. You're arguing against a made up assumption. Nuquist for Fowler could almost be done straight up. Its equal value. Sweetening the pot with one or two guys making league minimum isn't going to kill that deal, especially considering Anaheim will be looking to overhaul their roster anyway. As far as the defense of the youngsters, you're also making things up. Callahan is good defensively and is used as such in GR. Tangedi is the 13th forward and is no worse defensively than our current 13th forwards Pulk and Jurco. Months IS bad defensively, which is why I've got him on the 3rd line with 2 defensively responsible guys. If you need additional money then don't resign Helm, or retain money and trade Howard or Ericsson, or both. It doesn't matter, they'd be replaced by guys making league minimum anyway. And how's the roster worse? You've added Fowler, Radulov, Okposo, Mantha, and depth guys and you lost Richards, Datsuk, Quincey, Nyquist and depth guys. If its not a net positive its a wash in terms of points, and it makes us bigger, younger, better at moving the puck AND allows us to slot guys like Zetterberg and Kronwall properly. Also, I never, ever, said I "knew better" than Holland. Its an armchair roster, by a fan, for fun. Sue me.