krsmith17

Zetterberg and Kronwall watching the game.

Frolunda currently have Raymond playing 2nd line wing, Soderblom 3rd line wing, and Niederbach called up, looks like extra forward (not sure if he'll play today)...

Veleno vs Raymond today at 1:00 EST.

Sure. I think it's just as tough to do it without a premier forward though. In most cases, you need both to win it all. If you know your offense can score 4-5 goals a game, that takes a lot of the pressure off your defense...

They shouldn't... Absolutely not. But, any time you lose an elite player to free agency, regardless of position, you're not going to be as good. Would St. Louis be as good if they lost O'Reilly? No. Or Perron? No. Edmonton and Toronto lack defense for sure, but they have many other holes in their roster as well. I'm not arguing that you shouldn't build a team around an elite defensive core, I'm arguing that you can build at team around an elite offensive core. But ideally you build a team with a bit of everything. Think about Tampa, with an elite center (Point), winger (Kucherov), defenseman (Hedman), and goalie (Vasilevskiy)...

I would say that losing Zetterberg and Datsyuk definitely contributed to f***ing this team as well. Lidstrom was a bigger loss, not because he was a number one defenseman, but because he was one of the best defenseman the league has ever seen. This is debatable. A lot of teams build around and win Cups with that elite number one center as well. Some would also debate whether or not Seider will be that true number one defenseman. He definitely has that potential, but maybe he tops out as a solid number 2 or 3. Then, what is more valuable? The number 2/3 defenseman, or the elite top 5 sniper in the league? Again, I wouldn't pull the trigger on that trade either, but it is definitely interesting to think about... I agree. There's no way Yzerman is trading Seider.

Yeah, I think Seider will eventually become the bigger impact player, but that's no guarantee, and I know a lot of people would doubt that he ever gets to that level. Which is why I think it would cost Seider, plus to get Laine, and that I definitely wouldn't do. This is an old cliche that doesn't always hold true. We've seen purely offensive teams that lack defense, win the Cup. We've seen top defensive teams get bounced in the first round. You need a bit of everything, a well balanced team, to go the distance and have a chance to win it all. Having a big, mobile, number one defenseman definitely helps, but so does a solid two-way, point per game, number one center, or a half a goal per game, top line winger.

Rebuilding or not, any GM would give up picks if they knew they could get a premier player in his prime.

Yeah, would be a great add, but I don't see how we can pull off a trade involving Laine without including two + major pieces. I'd assume Seider would have to be included and that would be a nonstarter for me.

I'd still love to see this happen... We'd have to go waaay above $3M on a Sergachev offer sheet. For one, Sergachev would never accept a lowball offer like that, and even if he did, Tampa would easily match it. I think anything below a significant overpay, Tampa would match, and worry about working around the cap afterward. I think you'd have to offer sheet him at a minimum of $6M, and even then, it probably doesn't get it done. But it sure as hell puts Tampa in a tough spot. Would Yzerman want to do that to his old buddy BriseBois though? Probably not...

Can anyone explain why this wasn't a goal??? Great to see him drive the net. Would have been a good goal in the NHL...

What happened? I seen a replay of the goal, looked like a good goal, drove the front of the net, got a shot off, and then a rebound. Scored, but goal was disallowed?

Yes he is playing with Gelinas. I've been flicking back and forth. Currently *trying* to watch Veleno... Doesn't look like he's getting much ice time so far in his first game...

Berggren continues his tear with another goal late in the 1st. Is it soon time to consider the fact that this guy could be a legitimate top line winger?

Johansson is playing against Berggren today. Forgot about him for a moment...

Gotcha. All 4 games are starting now (exact same time)... I'll probably be watching Seider to start, but probably be a lot of flicking back and forth between games...

I heard this mentioned earlier on Twitter as well, but I don't think they're playing against each other today are they? I checked the schedule and it looks like all 4 are playing different games. Maybe confused because Skelleftea (Berggren's team) and Brynas (the team Seider is playing against today) look similar? Both yellow and black jerseys...

All 4 of Veleno, Berggren, Seider, and Raymond are playing SHL games today.

As it is now, it looks like there may be a bit of a logjam up front. If he were to add a Galchenyuk or Duclair, I suppose it wouldn't be the worst thing, but I'm fine going into next season with the current roster.

You can't have it both ways though... You can't go after the "quality" players if you're not willing to pay the "high dollar / long term"... Yzerman has done a fantastic job so far this offseason. He has signed some low-key good players to low cap, and more importantly low term contracts. He has acquired a ton of trade assets over the next couple years. There is currently ONE player on the roster that is under contract beyond the 2021-22 season. That player is future captain, Dylan Larkin. That is a fantastic spot to be in, as a rebuilding team. Right now, I give Yzerman an A, because he did exactly what he should have done, when I'm sure the urge may have been there to get in on some of the high profile names. That can easily be upgraded to an A+, if he's able to acquire another big asset by trading for another bad contract.

You're a literal piece of s***. I'm not an alcoholic (I barely drink), but I know plenty of people that are / were, and to hear you say that those people "lack character" is f***ing disgusting. Alcohol / drug addiction is an illness, not a choice. Go tell Ken Daniels that his son "lacked character"...

This right here goes to show what a piece of s*** human being you are.

That's because you're an ignorant f***... It's a disease. Bobby Ryan being an alcoholic, and then having the will power to not only get the help needed to kick the habit, but get clean, takes more "character" than you'll ever have.

... most of us. The only deal I wanted Yzerman in on, that he wasn't, was Turris at $1.65M for 2 years. He did go out and get Namestnikov shortly after, at $2M for 2 years, so I'm good with it. What the f*** does being in rehab have to do with a person's character?

We'll see how the season goes, but as of now, I think I would protect Svechnikov, or maybe even Smith, over Timashov. I would also protect Cholowski over both Lindstrom and Stecher. But again, see how the season plays out. A lot can change over the course of a season, between development, trades, etc.