Facing Off

[cupcrazy 13]

Im totally done with this topic. But just to correct you. Ive been posting on this site since June of 2002(then I stopped posting for awhile, and when I came back to post again, I completely forgot my password, which is why I had to re-join).

You couldn't have worked that out with Matt? Also isn't there a forgot password link at sign in? Seems like you could have recovered your other Id somehow with Matt! Anyway,I didn't know you been around before.

As for the topic,no people don't want Pred fans boasting on here,but that go's for any other fan as well. Either way,you were rude to the topic starter no matter how you slice it!

[Production Line 1]

Chris Chelios: truly uglier than Mike Ricci?

I have to argue this one...collin, Ricci is by far one of the ugliest hockey players. Hell he's uglier than my ex wife and she cracks mirrors and makes babies cry...

[Collin Lane 0]

I have to argue this one...collin, Ricci is by far one of the ugliest hockey players. Hell he's uglier than my ex wife and she cracks mirrors and makes babies cry...

Hahahahahah... the only reason I mention it is I remember this great poster some fan made at a Wings game saying something to the effect of: "Chelios is uglier than Ricci." I'm sure you know the one I'm talking about, the one where Chelios is skating by with a wry smile as the fans are pointing to the sign.

On a sidenote, my girlfriend said this in response to seeing Ricci's picture for the first time:

"Dear God, he looks like he belongs on one of those Geico commercials as a spokesman."

[Spongewingredpants 75]

my take: post it. if someone doesnt want to read it, skip the thread. whats the big deal.

i am reading entire chapters on why this or that shouldnt be posted. why waste the effort on that if you aint interested.

i value these type of threads because they easily link me to other things going on in the league without having to google for a week. keep it up. i'll either read it or i wont. simple as that

Edited August 25, 2007 by Spongewingredpants

[drsingle 0]

Expectations- Part II has been posted.

Thanks.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Expectations- Part II has been posted.

Thanks.

Hey David, interesting stuff. I'm a big stats guy but with that, I realize stats don't always tell the whole story. If you threw stats out the window and just went with this:

Subtractions

Paul Kariya

Scott Hartnell

Tomas Vokoun

Kimmo Timmonen

Peter Forsberg

Steve Sullivan out with back problems

and look at their additions

Radek Bonk

Martin Gelinas

Jed Ortmeyer

Greg DeVries

IMO, it's pretty ugly.

Bonk is an enigma. The guy has talent but is lazy as balls and can never seem to get it together. Gelinas, Ortmeyer and DeVries are players I like because they play very hard and their good team guys. However, the Preds have alot of guys that play hard already. What they don't have is alot of talent.

Erat, Radulov are explosive guys with really good skills. Dumont baffles me in his ability to score at all yet he keeps doing it. Arnott is consistent and strong on the puck. And Legwand seems to be getting better every year.

Nichol

Tootoo

Fiddler

Smithson

Ortmeyer

Hordichuk

With the absence of Sullivan for awhile at best you're going to have 2 scoring lines and 2 plugging lines. IMO, the Preds need more firepower. They simply have too many bottom end players that don't bring any offense to the table.

[drsingle 0]

Hey David, interesting stuff. I'm a big stats guy but with that, I realize stats don't always tell the whole story. If you threw stats out the window and just went with this:

Subtractions

Paul Kariya

Scott Hartnell

Tomas Vokoun

Kimmo Timmonen

Peter Forsberg

Steve Sullivan out with back problems

and look at their additions

Radek Bonk

Martin Gelinas

Jed Ortmeyer

Greg DeVries

IMO, it's pretty ugly.

Bonk is an enigma. The guy has talent but is lazy as balls and can never seem to get it together. Gelinas, Ortmeyer and DeVries are players I like because they play very hard and their good team guys. However, the Preds have alot of guys that play hard already. What they don't have is alot of talent.

Erat, Radulov are explosive guys with really good skills. Dumont baffles me in his ability to score at all yet he keeps doing it. Arnott is consistent and strong on the puck. And Legwand seems to be getting better every year.

Nichol

Tootoo

Fiddler

Smithson

Ortmeyer

Hordichuk

With the absence of Sullivan for awhile at best you're going to have 2 scoring lines and 2 plugging lines. IMO, the Preds need more firepower. They simply have too many bottom end players that don't bring any offense to the table.

Last season, Sullivan played 57 games, Arnott played 68 games, and Forsberg played 17 games and contributed 15 points.

Losing Sullivan hurts. Forsberg was not an impact on the ice. Hartnell's even strength numbers were never that great (being in Trotz's doghouse did not help that), but losing his PP numbers will hurt that second unit.

I like the Erat-Legwand-Radulov line better than Kariya-Legwand-Erat from the standpoint of scoring goals. I expect Radulov to score between 30 - 40 goals and have about 30 assists. The man had almost 40 points last season playing roughly 10:00 a night, less than 2:00 on the PP on average, and being centered by Fiddler or Vasicek. Playing with Legwand and Erat (or Arnott and Dumont) and having top PP time should allow him (barring injury) to reasonably post 60 - 70 points.

Last season, the Predators ran Sullivan-Arnott-Dumont as the second line. That is certainly superior to Gelinas-Arnott-Dumont, but Gelinas did score 31 ES points (compared to Sullivan's 34 over 57 games). The problem last season was the Predator's attempt to keep rolling three scoring lines when injuries mounted. When Sullivan went down, you didn't see Radulov or Hartnell move up in his spot, you saw Vernon Fiddler or Jordan Tootoo. Our third line for practically the whole season saw Fiddler or Vasicek centering Radulov or Hartnell. Not a stellar third line. Certainly better from an offensive standpoint than what the Predators can ice today, but if the team shifts to a more defensively focused team, a shutdown-style third line will contribute in other ways.

When you look at the top line minutes that Fiddler, Nichol and Tootoo (as well as Ramzi Abid and Rich Peverly) got last season (and the lack of time that Radulov got) it's amazing to me the amount of success this team achieved last year.

Thanks for the actual discussion though. It'll be great to see the season underway again.

David

Edited August 31, 2007 by drsingle

[DEVILSWATERBOY 10]

No more posts like this in the thread. This goes for everyone, not just deviswaterboy.

The vast majority of Preds fans have always been respectful on this board and contributed to the forum. The ones who make useless posts full of Detroit stereotypes are dealt with quickly. By making ignorant posts like this, all it does is make the Wings fanbase on this board as a whole look bad.

If you don't want to read anything about the Preds, don't open the thread. If you want to go the oh-so original route and make redneck jokes and be disrespectful, you'll find your posting privileges revoked.

And I'd really avoid making hillbilly jokes when your post reads like it was written by an 8 year old.

BlakChamber take alook at post #38 I cleaned up alot sorry

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Last season, Sullivan played 57 games, Arnott played 68 games, and Forsberg played 17 games and contributed 15 points.

Losing Sullivan hurts. Forsberg was not an impact on the ice. Hartnell's even strength numbers were never that great (being in Trotz's doghouse did not help that), but losing his PP numbers will hurt that second unit.

I like the Erat-Legwand-Radulov line better than Kariya-Legwand-Erat from the standpoint of scoring goals. I expect Radulov to score between 30 - 40 goals and have about 30 assists. The man had almost 40 points last season playing roughly 10:00 a night, less than 2:00 on the PP on average, and being centered by Fiddler or Vasicek. Playing with Legwand and Erat (or Arnott and Dumont) and having top PP time should allow him (barring injury) to reasonably post 60 - 70 points.

Last season, the Predators ran Sullivan-Arnott-Dumont as the second line. That is certainly superior to Gelinas-Arnott-Dumont, but Gelinas did score 31 ES points (compared to Sullivan's 34 over 57 games). The problem last season was the Predator's attempt to keep rolling three scoring lines when injuries mounted. When Sullivan went down, you didn't see Radulov or Hartnell move up in his spot, you saw Vernon Fiddler or Jordan Tootoo. Our third line for practically the whole season saw Fiddler or Vasicek centering Radulov or Hartnell. Not a stellar third line. Certainly better from an offensive standpoint than what the Predators can ice today, but if the team shifts to a more defensively focused team, a shutdown-style third line will contribute in other ways.

When you look at the top line minutes that Fiddler, Nichol and Tootoo (as well as Ramzi Abid and Rich Peverly) got last season (and the lack of time that Radulov got) it's amazing to me the amount of success this team achieved last year.

Thanks for the actual discussion though. It'll be great to see the season underway again.

David

You would know more than me about Forsberg's impact for sure. Although at nearly a point a game pace that's still something.

How are Erat and Radulov's defensive games? I thought somewhere I read Rads was not very keen on playing D at all. Not his strength i'm guessing but definitely he showed sniper skills.

The bottom line will be the chemistry and morale. You look at the room and with no Kariya, Sully, Hartnell, Timmo and Vokoun are they going to gel with all the new faces? At least the guys they brought in have character so I wouldn't worry about that.

Of course there is something to be said about good players making other players around them better so it might be alot to expect guys like Gelinas or de Vries to fill voids left by guys like Hartnell and Timmo.

I think you're going to have to get some scoring out of somebody on the 3rd line. Smithson, Fiddler, Toots, those guys cannot just be bangers and work hard, somebody is going to have to pot 13-16 goals and make some type of impact or the burden on the top 2 lines (minus Sully) will be great.

With all the additions in Chicago and St.Louis and the changes in Columbus and Nashville, this is going to be a really wild division for sure.

I'm definitely ready for some games to get played.

[drsingle 0]

Updated the original post to add the third part to the Expectations series.

David

[Son of a Wing 1,644]

Updated the original post to add the third part to the Expectations series.

David

Nice work keep it comin through the season

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Updated the original post to add the third part to the Expectations series.

David

Not liking hearing that Radulov is in a "funk". Hope I didn't waste a fairly early-mid round draft pick on him. Do me a favor and tell that guy to get his s*** together already! I need some goals from the wing!

[drsingle 0]

Not liking hearing that Radulov is in a "funk". Hope I didn't waste a fairly early-mid round draft pick on him. Do me a favor and tell that guy to get his s*** together already! I need some goals from the wing!

I'll pass that along next time I talk with him (for the first time).