ChristopherReevesLegs

You're talking to the wrong guy. I think I was the only one around here who was publicly super high on Seider before draft day. That said, you're not wrong. I often prefaced my glowing posts about Seider with "but we're probably not taking him at 6". Considering the amount of huffing and puffing that went around when we took Rasmussen at 9, there should have been outright revolt when we took Seider at 6. The Yzerman effect is a potent intoxicant. WIIM is run by literal retards. Have you ever listened to their podcast? It's totally insufferable. I'd never describe someone as having a "punchable face" if I'd never actually seen their face, but with them I think the description fits.

I was definitely hoping he was going to accelerate things. But oh well I guess, tanking is a legitimate strategy in the modern world of socialized sports. Just means we have to watch another year of boring basement hockey. I think waiting for certain contracts to expire is also somewhat of a thing. Though he did have cap space.

I'm saving this quote for later

I think what's going unsaid is that Yzerman wasn't trying to improve the team this year beyond stop gaps

That's exactly my point. About half the prospects you're excited about and have "slotted in" a future role, are going to fail. Banking on Zadina being a top sniper. Veleno a 2C. Or McIsaac top 4. Is a fools errand IMO. Until they're in the NHL they're nothing but risky stock options.

Totally agree. It's clear to me the game plan hasn't really changed. Yzerman is doing the same thing I would have expected Holland to do. Sign a few depth players. Continue the tank and wait for bad contracts to expire. It's pretty much like ownership simply made a PR move. Everyone has the warm glow of Yzerman in their veins. If Holland had the same off season the masses would be frothing at the mouth.

Sorry I didn't really have a point. Just an observation. Him. Remember when Jurco and Pulkkinen were future top 6 snipers. Smith was gonna save the back end. And Mrazek was Hasek 2. Don't worry though. I'm sure this group of prospects will all workout according to plan 100%.

More stop gap players. We been stopping gaps for nearly a decade now.

"The clown honks out in pain as he pies you"

Bertuzzi and AA are just so completely different. Bertuzzi's 200ft game and compete level are off the charts. He does a lot of little things right (intangibles). But he doesn't have nearly the raw skill level that AA does. AA's intangible/compete/boardwork/defense or however you wanna frame it, is nowhere near Bertuzzi's. But AA can out of nowhere catch defenses with their pants down, and if you give him the opening he WILL score every time. He's speed and hands are probably the most exciting thing to watch on this team. So I can see why you'd slot either on the 1st line for different reasons. But because Larkin and AA have a lot in common, and Mantha is sort of a big wimp, I think it makes sense to put a gritty type player like Bertuzzi next to those two.

I think Bobby Margarita said when he gets back from his summer vacation in September he still expects many RFA's to be unsigned. Was a tweet from yesterday I believe.

I'd take Namestnikov for the right price. Yzerman drafted him and his uncle is Slava Kozlov. He can play 2C when Fil and Frans inevitably s*** the bed.

Clearly lol bye

In fact it might you who is trolling me with these useless labels. After all I learned today that 32 goal Larkin isn't a goal scorer how could this be?... seems like trolling to me. But lets continue cause I'm having fun now: Athanasiou = 50% dangler + 50% goal-scorer Mantha = 50% power-forward + 50% goal-scorer Zadina = 100% goal scorer Larkin = 0% goal scorer Add that up and we only have about 1 and a half goal scorers in the system. And seeing as Zadina is still just a prospect who may never even make the team, we truly only have about a one total goal scorer on the roster. Considering you thought we should have more than 3... I'd say we need to add at least 3 more legit goal scorers to the roster at this given time.

Yes useless arbitrary labels do confound me. Ah I see, Larkin is not a goal scorer, he's a two-way forward. What's a two-way forward? A guy who can pass and goal score? Somebody should tell Bertuzzi to stop scoring so many goals, and let a true goal scorer focus on that. Which one is he again? Playmaker or two-way forward? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Athanasiou is more of dangler than a goal scorer. For that reason I think we need even more goal scorers than you originally suggested

To be fair to Eklund Montreal did submit an offer sheet to Point which Point rejected from what I saw.

Good god man, tripling down on the straw man argument. Do you need to reread or do I really have to flesh this one out? Ok so Larkin is a play maker, not a goal scorer, even though he scores the most goals on the team. Athansiou is a goal scorer Mantha is goal scorer Zadina is a goal scorer even though he hasn't breached 20 goals in the AHL yet Veleno is a playmaker Bertuzzi is not a goal scorer, so he must be a playmaker? Rasmussen is not a goal scorer, is he a playmaker? What is Berggren? What makes someone a playmaker anyway? A player that has a lethal pass and can pass from anywhere on the ice, in a multitude of different ways?

Thanks, to be fair to Brooksie, others reported this too including John Shannon from my initial looking

? No, not everything we discuss here is arbitrary personal whim... And I think if you're going to label players as goal-scorers and say we need more of them you should have some idea of what that is, or a clear definition of what that is. Your definition keeps changing every time I ask you about it. First it was "a player who primarily scores goals". Next it was "a player who is known for their goal scoring". Now it's "a goal scorer is a player that has a lethal shot and can score from anywhere on the ice, in a multitude of different ways." So now all of the sudden Rasmussen, Bertuzzi, and Larkin could be goal scorers? But earlier you said they're not? What gives? I'd say this, our team was 21st in the league in goals for, and 27th in the league in goals against. To me that screams you need help on the back end more than the front.... On the front end we only had 4 players break the 20 goal mark, and I would therefore call them our goal scorers. That's Larkin, AA, Bertuzzi, and Mantha. I really don't give a flying f*** what they're "known for" or what they're assist totals look like, these are the 4 players who quite literally score goals way more than our other players do. Larkin also brings playmaking and speed, AA also brings speed, Mantha also brings size, Bertuzzi also brings grit, but I'm not willing to say 32 goal Larkin Isn't a goal-scorer just because he's "known" for something else. If you score 30 goals in this league you're known for your ability to score goals.

You can be a doctor in Michigan too if you didn't know https://www.bardown.com/jacob-trouba-explains-how-his-fiance-played-a-big-factor-in-leaving-winnipeg-1.1324910 Totally running the show

Who decides that? You? Rasmussen typically scores more goals than he has assists... but he's not a goal scorer? Stamkos had more assists than goals... is he a playmaker in your book? Your definitions of who is what are completely arbitrary and made up. So when you decided this teams need is "more goal scorers" I'm assuming Larkin's 32 goals didn't factor in? What if Larkin scores 50 goals this year? Will those not count against our need, cause that's not what he's "known for"?

Yes it was Brooksie, but I think he just said the Rags would kick the tires on everyone including Yzerman. And of course fans take that as "omg Yzerman to NY!" just like everyone hears Trouba's comment about his GF being a doctor in NY and everyone's suddenly like "His GF is running the show!"