Richdg

Z has played mostly C. The only time he plays winger was with Datsyuk. Yes the last few years he has been playing much more winger. Why is that? Injuries and dropping production. So what are we doing? 1. Playing Z at a position that wears him out/he performs at a lower level now and 2. denying the time to our future top 2 C's. Which is the point in all of this. We are not going to win much with Z at C so why do it? Our main chance at winning over the next few years all centers (no pun intended) around Larkin and AA becoming stars at C with Mantha and Svechnikov becoming stars at winger. Now if the brain trust decides to try and build 1 line out of those guys then yes put AA at winger with Mantha and Larkin. That would be a very fast line. But then we will be forced to watch the Sheahan, Helm, and Glendenings of the world at C for the next 3-5 years.

Sorry but hose blaming the D are wrong. Our D did a decent job of moving the puck to the F's all game. It was the F's that time and time again took shots from 25+ FT away that were easily blocked. Philly had 9 blocks tonight-a ton. That is all on the F's. Tatar and Nyquist are both shooting under 8%-that is on them, not the Dmen. Defensively we are a mid pack team. Offensively we were 27th last I looked with a worse PP. That is all on the F's. They have to score.

Of the guys you listed all are natural C that would move to wing when they were playing on another great C's line. like Z has done with Datsyuk. Some guys can do it others can't. But and this is key, all were used mainly as a C when they were beginning their careers. That is how they became great players. Who is our great C's that these guys should move over for? We don't have any. Yes Z is playing well now-on pace for about 60 points. But would you like to bet on his second half production? I wouldn't. Play the youth at their natural positions and let them grow.

Because we are playing so great now..... This year and maybe next we all need to forget the W-L's. It is all about player development. I just wonder how many games did Crosby play at wing? Yzerman? McDavid? Mario? Gretzky? There are always some that in fact do play different positions. But the majority don't. They play their main position from the beginning. That is how they grow and develop. Yes it is easier if you have great players around you. Again we don't. We have what we have and need to build from here.

Point % is not win %. Very different. We have lost more games than we have won over the last 3 1/3 seasons. Granted it is only 2 games but it is true. Which also kills the notion that we were better with babs than we are with blashill. The real question is would we better with another coach? if so, who?

Put the crack pipe down. Your win % are flat out crazy. In 2013/14 we won 39 games. We lost 43 games. In 2014/15 we won 43 games and lost 39. Those are babcocks last 2 seasons. In 2015/16-Blashills first season we won 41 games and lost 41 games. This year we have won 13 games and lost 15. Not one of your win % is even close to be correct. We are a sub .500 team per our record over the last 3 1/3 seasons with 2 coaches. Getting a point for games going to OT is what has saved our PO run. You have to divide our wins by total games played IE 82 to come up with the win %.

I fully agree on Larkin and AA at C. The only way for them to improve at the position-which both need to do, is to play the position.

They are both checkers and nothing more. Neither should ever be getting top 6 minutes and maybe not even top 9. Put the 2 of them on the 4th line with Ott/Lil bert and leave it alone. That is were they belong and are useful players.

If Tatar and Nyquist don't start scoring soon-both are on pace for 12 goals this season, they need to have their minutes cut. Jurco has looked very good since returning from injury. Move Jurco up, Ott on the checking line and let T and N sit for a while.

Its not the D's fault that our F's can't score. Yes the D can help create more shots, but the F's still need to bury the puck. Sheahan has a 0% shooting %. Glendening is 2.8%, Tatar is 6.5, Nyquist is 7.8%, all of which are way to low. A good scoring F is typically around 10-12%. Z for example has a career scoring % of 10%. But then again we don't go to the dirty areas to score.

Prayers for the Daniels family. Parents are not supposed to outlive our children. 23 is way to young.

Yes I did. Ott was decent 8 and 9 years ago. Most of his career he was a guy that scored single digit goals per year. The difference between 3 goals per year and 8 is to small to even mention. he had 2 good years with dallas, that was it. As for Mckee yes I have seen him play on video. he has 0 offensive talent. But he is a very good checking F. he is a guy that would hurt NHL Dmen. yes he can catch them. he is not a Grimson type of a skater. Much more like Kocur was. He is also young and cheap and can be the 13th or 14th F on the team.

Over the past 2-3 years there hasn't been much other than when he played with Dat. That is not to say I blame Z for it. yes he has slowed down a ton with age/injury. But the never ending shuffling of lines is much more to blame. But the point I was making-maybe poorly, is that when Z and tatar have been paired up before they haven't been very effective. Now those 2 with Mantha is very effective. With Z slowing down and Tatar regressing (I would say returning to form), why is that line effective? The new element in the mix is Mantha.

Sad but true......

No he isn't doing it alone. But he is the element that has been added. Z and tatar have played with each other for a couple of years now off and on. There has never much going on there. Now we add MANtha and the line looks 100% better.

Frk is a poor skater which is why he has been released and sent back to the minors twice now. he has an awesome shot, but it doesn't do him any good at the NHL level. he isn't able to get to the goal scoring areas of the ice.

Based on what? Holland made the decision at the start of this season to keep Miller and Ott over Mantha. He then brought up Lil Bert before Mantha. How would you have ANY confidence that he wouldn't send one of those guys down? Then there is Blashill. Sproul has been one of our better Dmen. At least offensively. So what do we do in Sundays game? sit Sproul so we can play Lashoff.

Yup. McKee would be an major upgrade over Ott-a player that I like. But McKee is 6-5/255 and Ott is 6-0/200. Day and night difference. Mckee is also faster than Ott.

Top end talent or lack there of is a major issue. We have 0 players that other teams fear. be it because of the size or speed or skill. There is no one that the other team has to focus on and game plan for. You don't take top talent away and not develop issues. We would be a lot better if we had Stamkos, Crosby, Seabrooke, and Doughty on the team. So would ever team in the NHL. But that is the quality we have lost and not replaced. We haven't draft well over the last 10-12 years and it has caught up to us. The last 3-4 years that is starting to change but those guys are not yet ready for prime time.

What an awesome game! We are now 1-0 with Larkin as our new checking C! Anyone want to bet he plays the same role on Tuesday? Yet Glendening remians in the top 6.... And people think my ideas are crazy.....

Big Mike was a Dman in Junior. At WMU he was switched to winger. He is a very good skater and has very good speed. He has zero offensive skill. But what would have happened in Montreal the other night when Emilien kneed Larkin and McKee was on the team? Or when Emilien took out Lil Bert? McKee would have turned him into a bloody mess. Ok so now McKee sits in the locker room for the rest of the game, do we lose anything? No. But would the Habs have lost something? That all being said, even if he earns a NHL contract Holland will never sign him.....

Since reading seems to be a challenge for you, I would be trading Sheahan and 1 of Tatar or Nyquist for a guy like Hornquist. He would then be in the lineup on the 2nd line in place of Sheahan. I would like to believe that both are done with their AHL careers. But if we get everyone healthy again (big if) we have to many players. We go back to our start of the season lineup and 2 or 3 guys will need to go. Where they go is the question. I would not bet against 1 or both of those guys heading to GR while Holland kicks the tires.

Since Z and Tatar have been here for a while, would it be fair to say that MANtha is the main reason for the production? So glad we wasted a month of the season before we brought him up.

There is no benefit to the team or the players by doing it. There is one major difference between the Dat/Z pair and the Larkin/Mantha pair. Dat and Z are both natural C's. That is not true with Mantha and Larkin. Mantha is a winger and needs a natural C to help feed him the puck. Do the Ducks play getzlef and Perry on the same line? yes. Same thing here. Besides, over the last 12 years every time we had to win a game babcock and blashill put Dat and Z back together for the must wins.

They would be moved. To get someone better than Sheahan to play on the 2nd PP/2nd line as a front of net player we need to trade for them. To get you have to give. Pretend for a minute we could send Sheahan or Jurco plus either Tatar or Nyquist to the Pens for Hornquist. One of the top front of net guys in the league. Now look at the top 2 PP units and lines. Just got a lot better. Now do the same type of thing on the BL to improve over Kronwall. with those pieces maybe. but we need better pieces. how do you get those?