e_prime 1,936 Report post Posted July 12, 2017 7 hours ago, DickieDunn said: People knew the same thing about Pulk, and knew Dekeyser was going to be a good top pair D. Sent by my minions via telepathy Who? Jon Snow? That guy knows nothing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DickieDunn 2,571 Report post Posted July 12, 2017 Well, he knows one thing according to YgritteSent by my minions via telepathy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krsmith17 7,191 Report post Posted July 17, 2017 We will have approximately $6.2M in cap space after Franzen is placed on LTIR, with 10 forwards (Zetterberg, Nyquist, Nielsen, Mantha, Larkin, Abdelkader, Helm, Sheahan, Glendening, Witkowski), 8 defensemen (Kronwall, Ericsson, Daley Green, DeKeyser, Jensen, Ouellet, Sproul) and 2 goaltenders (Howard, Mrazek) on the active roster. That's a total of 20 of the typical 23-man roster. RFA's Tatar and Athanasiou need to be re-signed, which will likely cost between $7-7.5M. That combine with the addition of one more forward from Grand Rapids would put us approximately $2M over the salary cap. Either a trade is going to need to be made, or someone else (Kronwall / Ericsson) is going to have to end up on LTIR. Without any other moves made, I'd like to see something like this... Nyquist - Zetterberg - Mantha Tatar - Larkin - Athanaisou Helm - Nielsen - Frk Abdelkader - Sheahan - Glendening Witkowski Daley - Green DeKeyser - Jensen Ouellet - Sproul Ericsson / Russo Mrazek Howard LTIR Franzen Kronwall 1 LeftWinger reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacksoni 418 Report post Posted July 17, 2017 (edited) Oh boy... Your lines seems reasonable and with some minor random variation is what we will field come puck drop I believe. And that is depressing. I am having a hard time finding a team in our division we can topple on paper. Yes, reality is not paper and we will squeeze an unexpected win here, a Mrazek-saved/Howard-saved game there. But we are in dire straits and I suspect this season might be the worst in terms of wins in 35 years. With that said, all isn't bad. We have Larkin, Mantha and AA. This year we'll see how they've progressed and they are certainly exciting to watch. Finally with some luck we get a top 2 pick, resulting in either Dahlin (my clear pick, would pay from my own pocket to get him) or Svechnikov, a win-win would that scenario come true. One can dream. Soon enough that's all we got. Edited July 17, 2017 by Jacksoni Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krsmith17 7,191 Report post Posted July 17, 2017 5 minutes ago, Jacksoni said: Oh boy... Your lines seems reasonable and with some minor random variation is what we will field come puck drop I believe. And that is depressing. I am having a hard time finding a team in our division we can topple on paper. Yes, reality is not paper and we will squeeze an unexpected win here, a Mrazek-saved/Howard-saved game there. But we are in dire straits and I suspect this season might be the worst in terms of wins in 35 years. With that said, all isn't bad. Wiith some luck we get a top 2 pick, resulting in either Dahlin (my clear pick, would pay from my own pocket to get him) or Svechnikov, a win-win would that scenario come true. One can dream. Soon enough that's all we got. I think a LOT would have to go right for us to get close to the playoffs this year, but I don't think we're going to finish bottom 5 in the league or last in the division. Florida has gotten significantly worse, and I don't see Buffalo or Boston being much (if at all) better than us on paper either. Last season was our worst in over 25 years, and I don't think we will finish with less than 79 points this season. Virtually every player (aside from Zetteberg) had down years last year. If the majority of the team can show even a slight improvement on this past season, we're going to be a better team. That, along with the continued natural progression of the young guys, and I think we will see a spike of at least 10 points in the standings. I'd love to get one of Svechnikov or Dahlin, but I think we'll have to get lucky in the draft lottery to have a chance at one of them. 1 kliq reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacksoni 418 Report post Posted July 17, 2017 (edited) The fan in me hope you are right. I do agree that many of our players under performed last year. However subjectively I do not see that changing this year, once again allowing for local variation, as in some may blossom and others decline. But that equates to guessing. I don't have enough data to justify a peak, nor dip collectively. The strategian in me does not hope you are right. If we won't make the playoffs, finishing in the lower middle of the pack gives us the worst (of non-playoff teams) to land one of the generational talents that are coming up in the next years draft. If we won't make the playoffs I would prefer us being in the lower echelon with a realistic top 5 pick. With that said I would take a vacation and stock the fridge with beer if we were to be back in the race come April. Edited July 17, 2017 by Jacksoni 1 krsmith17 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DickieDunn 2,571 Report post Posted July 17, 2017 If Blashidiot doesn't change his approach they might end up with the best odds in the lottery Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dabura 12,207 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) Tatar Zetterberg Mantha/Witkowski Helm Nielsen Nyquist/Witkowski Abdelkader Larkin Athanasiou/Witkowski Sheahan Glendening Witkowski/Witkowski DeKeyser Daley/Witkowski Kronwall Green/Witkowski Ericsson Jensen/Witkowski Howard/Witkowski Bryzgalov PP1 Witkowski Abdelkader Zetterberg Helm Kronwall PP2 Sheahan Witkowski's Father Trevor Thompson Witkowski's MotherDeKeyser Witkowski Edited July 21, 2017 by Dabura Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeftWinger 4,951 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 On 7/17/2017 at 8:33 AM, krsmith17 said: We will have approximately $6.2M in cap space after Franzen is placed on LTIR, with 10 forwards (Zetterberg, Nyquist, Nielsen, Mantha, Larkin, Abdelkader, Helm, Sheahan, Glendening, Witkowski), 8 defensemen (Kronwall, Ericsson, Daley Green, DeKeyser, Jensen, Ouellet, Sproul) and 2 goaltenders (Howard, Mrazek) on the active roster. That's a total of 20 of the typical 23-man roster. RFA's Tatar and Athanasiou need to be re-signed, which will likely cost between $7-7.5M. That combine with the addition of one more forward from Grand Rapids would put us approximately $2M over the salary cap. Either a trade is going to need to be made, or someone else (Kronwall / Ericsson) is going to have to end up on LTIR. Without any other moves made, I'd like to see something like this... Nyquist - Zetterberg - Mantha Tatar - Larkin - Athanaisou Helm - Nielsen - Frk Abdelkader - Sheahan - Glendening Witkowski Daley - Green DeKeyser - Jensen Ouellet - Sproul Ericsson / Russo Mrazek Howard LTIR Franzen Kronwall I'd be ok with this, but its absolutely imperative that someone goes on LTIR along with Franzen or someone gets dealt. 1 krsmith17 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amato 3,210 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 8 hours ago, Dabura said: Tatar Zetterberg Mantha/Witkowski Helm Nielsen Nyquist/Witkowski Abdelkader Larkin Athanasiou/Witkowski Sheahan Glendening Witkowski/Witkowski DeKeyser Daley/Witkowski Kronwall Green/Witkowski Ericsson Jensen/Witkowski Howard/Witkowski Bryzgalov PP1 Witkowski Abdelkader Zetterberg Helm Kronwall PP2 Sheahan Witkowski's Father Trevor Thompson Witkowski's MotherDeKeyser Witkowski I don't know, Trevor Thompson seems like more of the net front presence type.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacksoni 418 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 I'd replace Sheahan in front of the net with Thompson and put Sheahan on the left circle right where Ovechkin likes to sit. Otherwise it looks good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dabura 12,207 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) If anything, Thompson should be the QB. This way he can control the play, feed Mr. and Mrs. Witkowski as he sees fit. "Mr. Witkowski, How does it feel to something something Michigan something something?" "Mrs. Witkowski, Did you ever imagine your son something something brand new building something something Michigan something something?" "Mr. Witkowski, Would you say this is a dream come true something something Michigan something something?" "Mrs. Witkowski, How special is this something something brand new arena something something in front of all these people something something Michigan?" If that doesn't work, roll out the Michigan 5: Abdelkader Witkowski Glendening Larkin DeKeyser Much patronize. Very pander. So grit. A lot Michigan. Very character. So parents. Edited July 21, 2017 by Dabura 3 TheXym, Hockeymom1960 and ChristopherReevesLegs reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amato 3,210 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 Why stop there? We should have ALL Michigan born players. Greatest state on God's green earth! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Pred 48 337 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 5 minutes ago, amato said: Why stop there? We should have ALL Michigan born players. Greatest state on God's green earth! Good idea, with the current NHLers from Michigan, what roster could you put out ? Would it be able to get in the post season? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krsmith17 7,191 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 12 minutes ago, Andy Pred 48 said: Good idea, with the current NHLers from Michigan, what roster could you put out ? Would it be able to get in the post season? Abdelkader - Kesler - Rust Connor - Larkin - McCarron Boucher - Copp - Watson Porter - Glendening - Condra Motte - Tropp Werenski - Trouba Martinez - Krug DeKeyser - Petry Greene Miller Hellebuyck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amato 3,210 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 4 minutes ago, krsmith17 said: Abdelkader - Kesler - Rust Connor - Larkin - McCarron Boucher - Copp - Watson Porter - Glendening - Condra Motte - Tropp Werenski - Trouba Martinez - Krug DeKeyser - Petry Greene Miller Hellebuyck Ok, we'll just go for that all michigan defense then 2 krsmith17 and TheXym reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krsmith17 7,191 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 Compare that to an all Ontario team... Seguin - McDavid - Stamkos Tavares - Scheifele - Giroux Perry - Thornton - Spezza Couture - Monahan - Marner Nash - Duchene - Hoffman Pietrangelo - Burns Subban - Doughty Fowler - Ekblad Giordano - Hamilton Murray Talbot Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amato 3,210 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 36 minutes ago, krsmith17 said: Compare that to an all Ontario team... Seguin - McDavid - Stamkos Tavares - Scheifele - Giroux Perry - Thornton - Spezza Couture - Monahan - Marner Nash - Duchene - Hoffman Pietrangelo - Burns Subban - Doughty Fowler - Ekblad Giordano - Hamilton Murray Talbot We can take em! We've got the intangibles on our side! Real talk: wow, that's gross haha 1 krsmith17 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krsmith17 7,191 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 15 minutes ago, amato said: We can take em! We've got the intangibles on our side! Real talk: wow, that's gross haha Haha I think Ontario's 2nd team would beat Michigan's team... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amato 3,210 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 32 minutes ago, krsmith17 said: Haha I think Ontario's 2nd team would beat Michigan's team... To be fair, Ontario is what? 1/3 of Canada's population? Maybe even a little more? And Michigan is probably less than 5% of the U.S. population but yeah you're probably right.. maybe Michigan could beat Ontario team 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krsmith17 7,191 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 21 minutes ago, amato said: To be fair, Ontario is what? 1/3 of Canada's population? Maybe even a little more? And Michigan is probably less than 5% of the U.S. population but yeah you're probably right.. maybe Michigan could beat Ontario team 3 True, but that's not a very accurate comparison either. Canada also has about 1/10th the population of the U.S. There's not a huge difference between the population of Ontario (13.6M) and Michigan (9.93M). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amato 3,210 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) 5 minutes ago, krsmith17 said: True, but that's not a very accurate comparison either. Canada also has about 1/10th the population of the U.S. There's not a huge difference between the population of Ontario (13.6M) and Michigan (9.93M). That's a fair point too I suppose. I do feel like the hockey talent is a little more spread out (obviously in addition to a little thinner) in the US vs Canada though was my main point. Still crazy the amount of talent that comes out of one section of the country for sure though. Edit: can anyone tell it's the off season?? Edited July 21, 2017 by amato 1 krsmith17 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krsmith17 7,191 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 22 minutes ago, amato said: That's a fair point too I suppose. I do feel like the hockey talent is a little more spread out (obviously in addition to a little thinner) in the US vs Canada though was my main point. Still crazy the amount of talent that comes out of one section of the country for sure though. Edit: can anyone tell it's the off season?? Not only is it the offseason, it's prime off-season... Nothing happens in late July - August... Maybe Quebec is a more fair comparison to Michigan? Quebec has a population of 8.2M. Huberdeau - Bergeron - Drouin Mantha - Perrault - Marchessault Perron - Stastny - Pominville Ribeiro - Brassard - Burrows Vermette - Duclaire Vlasic - Letang Demers - Chabot Despres - Savard Beauchemin Crawford Fleury Luongo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
barabbas16 499 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 I'm sure population comes into play to an extent, but isn't the pull/influence for U.S. kids to play other sports (vs. hockey being #1 in Canada) the main factor? 1 krsmith17 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krsmith17 7,191 Report post Posted July 21, 2017 13 minutes ago, barabbas16 said: I'm sure population comes into play to an extent, but isn't the pull/influence for U.S. kids to play other sports (vs. hockey being #1 in Canada) the main factor? Absolutely. Hence why Canada is FAR superior to the U.S. in everything, including hockey... kidding... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites