dudacek
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Posts posted by dudacek
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What do I have to be negative about? Over the past year I have pretty much gotten everything I could ask for. Status Quo is gone and the roster has been stripped down and is in the process of being rebuilt by a GM I can have faith in.
This. It will take time, but the necessary steps have been taken and I Murray seems to be made of the right stuff.
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I'm not sure where this "needs work on his skating" is coming from.
He can skate just fine.
Maybe you guys are talking about "needs work on when to use his skating" or "when to push the pace?"
To me, his biggest issue is adjusting to how much less time he has playing with faster, smarter players.
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I like the kid's game. He is giving good effort and he is being defensively responsible.
He's not strong or fast, but it's not like he's being pushed around, or that he can't keep up.
WJAG nailed the issue: he's an offensive centre who is not producing offence, not only points, but chances.
The question is where will he develop more:
In juniors where things are very easy for him, but he is protected.
Or the NHL, where he is challenged, but may struggle.
It the moment it looks like the AHL is the right place for him.
More evidence of why that rule needs to change.
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Reinhart's strength is reading the game and slowing it down.
Right now the holes are opening and closing more quickly than he's used to. He has to adjust.
The thing is, it's not going to help him make the adjustment playing against juniors.
He needs to be challenged by NHL speed.
It will be a very interesting discussion Tim Murray and staff will be having.
I expect he will get three more exhibition games and nine in the NHL.
But he is going to have to show some improvement.
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The good:
Torrey Mitchell and Cody McCormick played exactly how I want my fourth-liners to play. Loved their hustle and their edge.
Jake McCabe looked like an NHL defenceman.
Tyler Myers was very solid. Minimized mistakes, made plays.
Chris Stewart finished and drove the net like a legitimate power forward.
The bad:
Cody Hodgson looked selfish. He has to play a give and go game to be effective and it wasn't there.
I hate the fact Mike Weber has become the latest whipping boy, but tonight he deserved it.
Michal Neuvirth better put that one in a garbage bag and bury it in the backyard.
The worth mentioning:
Marcus Foligno wasn't outstanding, but he did play a hard, basic game. It was a good sign.
The first line played like an OK second line. Gionta was OK.
Risto and Zads were unremarkable but dependable.
Meszaros is faster than I thought he would be and definitely an upgrade on McBain and Tallinder.
Schaller had a good, physical first, but kinda faded as the game went on. Flynn was Flynn, didn't hurt his chances.
Reinhart didn't looked overmatched. He was responsible and he wasn't getting pushed around. But he wasn't creating offence either. He could have been Flynn.
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We're going to see a lot more games like that this year.
Games that we are in, and maybe deserve to win, but we lose because we make a key mistake or our goalie lays an egg.
I guess it's a step up from Ron Rolston hockey.
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Phaneuf with yet another cheap shot.
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I've been hoping Myers and McCabe would be a long-term match.
Their games seem well-matched.
I'm officially a McCabe fan. He's got Weber's battle, but with brains and skill.
Kid is going to play in this league for a long-time.
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Maybe it's just hockey withdrawal, or that anything looks better than last year, but I don't think our game has been bad tonight.
We've been physical, skated hard and haven't allowed too many chances.
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Toronto fans are going to look at this score and say they've played well.
They've been bad and lucky.
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Hodgson was absolutely terrible in the first.
Looking better now.
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Best possession time in a year. easy.
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Hanks skate got caught in the ice and is what threw him off balance. Not much Weber could do about that. Looked like a separated shoulder possibly. Feel bad for Tallinder.
Could be his last play as a pro, or at least in North America.
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We have four good kids on D.
I think every one of them is already better than Weber.
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Phaneuf is such a tool.
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Or hopefully he's a good hockey player for us and we keep him and he helps us win some games this year
Insert clapping emoticon here.
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How do people know we don't already have front-line players?
How long has it taken Anze Kopitar to get recognized for being the stud he is? Or Duncan Keith?
Didn't they look a lot like Girgensons and Ristolainen when they were 19?
Six years into their careers, they were still calling Henrik and Daniel the Sedin sisters.
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You have to get the good players to win and the easiest way to get the best players is to draft at the top of the draft.
That's why I'd take two years of bottoming out over the last few years of Darcy every time.
My point was it's not the only way to win: McEichel or bust is a fallacy.
The sheer volume of high picks and prospects we have has already increased our odds.
Who's to say Compher, Lemieux, Karabacek and Baptiste won't become Bergeron, Lucic, Krejci and Marchand?
Or maybe it will be Girgensons, Fasching, Bailey and McCabe.
There are good players already in the system. We have one more huge draft year pending. We will have five of the top 50 picks and we will get some good players whether we win the lottery or not.
After that is is all about development.
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Schaller gets a shot, so they have seen something there.
Marcus and the two Codys I believe are the only vets that haven't seen action yet.
And Reinhart gets to play with a couple of legitimate wingers.
Wonder how many thugs Toronto is dressing and whether Kessel brought his purse?
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Yes generational players win cups. Having mcDavid or Eichel certainly increases our odds.
But in the past 20 years of first overall picks, just three - Kane, Crosby and Lecavalier - have a ring.
Plenty of franchises have won cups without a Gretzky or a Crosby leading the way.
Teams win cups, not players. Just look at the last five cup winners:
Chicago got Kane and Toews up at the top of the draft, Seabrook was picked in the teens, Keith in the 2nd round, Sharp in a trade for a minor leaguer and Hossa as a free agent.
Boston got Bergeron, Lucic and Krecji in the 2nd round and Marchand in the third. Chara was a free agent and Rask was acquired by trading Andrew Raycroft.
The Kings nabbed Doughty at the top of the draft, Kopitar, and Brown with mid first-round picks, Quick was taken in the third. Carter and Richards came in a big trades, Justin Williams and Gaborik in a routine ones.
It's not about McEichel or bust, it's about building a good team.
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My "McEichel tiers"
In the conversation:
-Buffalo Sabres
-Calgary Flames
-Carolina Hurricanes
-Edmonton Oilers
-Nashville Predators
-New Jersey Devils
-Ottawa Senators
-Winnipeg Jets
One step away (could go either way):
-Arizona Coyotes
-Florida Panthers
-New York Islanders
-Toronto Maple Leafs
-Vancouver Canucks
Probably not in it:
-Columbus Blue Jackets
-Philadelphia Flyers
-San Jose Sharks
-Washington Capitals
Definitely not in it:
-Anaheim Ducks
-Boston Bruins
Chicago Blackhawks
-Colorado Avalanche
-Dallas Stars
-Detroit Red Wings
-Los Angeles Kings
-Minnesota Wild
-Montreal Canadiens
-New York Rangers
-Pittsburgh Penguins
-St. Louis Blues
-Tampa Bay Lightning
I plan on developing some type of actual tracking system where I update this list with stats every ten games.
Good list.
While I do think Florida will be better, they are still in the conversation. I would drop them and the Islanders down a tier. I'd also move Winnipeg up a notch.
I've recently started to see Carolina really emerging as a front runner.
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McKenzie's pre-season rankings:
http://www.tsn.ca/bob-mckenzie-s-pre-season-draft-ranking-the-top-15-1.83478
Sabres chief scout on there saying it's hardly unanimous that McDavid is number one.
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Carolina is definitely in the McEichel derby.
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I think this team is going to be better than people think playing themselves out of the McDavid and Eichel sweepstakes. I think they have a making of a solid defensive core and I think you have a few goaltenders with something to prove. Plus you throw in a full season of Nolan and Trots and I think u have a lot of guys playing hard.
I think they will be 15 points better than last year.
But that still puts them smack in the middle of McEichel derby.
GDT - Sabres at Leafs
in The Aud Club
Posted · Edited by dudacek
I've really enjoyed watching Chris Stewart. Not only does he give this team a nice jolt of testosterone, he also looks dangerous offensively.
He seems to have good chemistry with Hodgson, who was much better tonight, showing off his great passing skills.
A real beneficiary from the play of those two was Girgorenko, who stood out on his own right. He has outplayed Reinhart all camp. That might have been his best game as a pro and he has to still be in the mix as the third line centre.
Like most of the lineup tonight, he was fighting for a job.
Murray said he was going to fix the bottom two lines. I'm starting to think he may have done that.
EDIT: Loved how Weber stayed in there with Orr; I want the guy to succeed. Meszaros improves our team. Risto is never going to see Rochester again.