TrueBlueGED

There is no world in which we're getting a "stud" defenseman for Kane. At best you're getting a Larsson-level player. And Nylander just started skating again, and you want to call him up? Yeesh. Overreaction city.

Damn that Crosby! Gets a big contract then coasts! Lazy bum.

The offense is worse. Getting smacked around by this Saints team is understandable. The Jets, on the other hand, not so much.

The Bills look precisely like what we thought they would prior to the season. I have a hard time being too upset, on the whole--this is the talent on the roster.

Is McCoy dead? WHAT THE IS MIKE TOLBERT DOING ON THE FIELD FOR A TWO MINUTE DRILL?

I just think people are a bit too close to the panic button (others, meanwhile, jumped on theirs during the preseason :lol: ). Just heard on pregame that Crosby has 3 assists and 0 goals in his last 10 games. He had like 20 straight playoff games without a goal. Nobody has to point out to me he has the pedigree to fall back on...but man, these things happen to the best. I'm not about to argue Jack has played well the past few games...but surely there's some temperate middle ground to find here.

Whether it works or not we won't know for awhile, but I think Botterill was genuine when he talked about the importance of development. I just don't see him knee jerking into a bunch of call-ups. From a sober point of view, I think it's the right move. But holy hell am I sick of watching the Nolans and Moulsons of the world.

This is looking more and more accurate by the game. I really don't buy that there's something intangibly rotten with the core. IMO it's a partial defense mechanism because (conceptually, anyway), it's a lot easier to swing a trade to shake things up than to add significant talent without subtraction. Doing that latter requires good drafting and time, which is about the last thing anyone wants to hear. Even when healthy, we don't have a single defenseman who should be matched up against the best players in the league. Reinhart is looking more like a good complementary player than a difference maker, regardless of position. Okposo looks like yet another example that the aging curve is real. Our entire 4th line remains a waste of ice time. Lehner is JAG. And, perhaps most importantly, we haven't gotten any unexpected contributions from the kids...ya know, the type of thing that every good team gets. This is all happening while Housley has added precisely zilch behind the bench, and has somehow manged to nuke the power play beyond what expected regression would have allowed for.

We didn't lose last night because of Lehner, nor are we in the dumps because of him alone. But dude is sitting on a .905 SV%, good for 21st in the league among goalies with at least 10 starts. I'm not blaming him for the state of the team, but there's no need to apologize for him, he's been below average so far this year and is one of a good many problems with the team. Yea...I may join Jeremy White and offer to eat a flip flop if they make the playoffs. They're bad.

If the food doesn't put you to sleep, the hockey will.

The opening line of this thread is likely to be more entertaining than the game.

I'm not sure what's worse: that I decided to watch this game instead of working on a paper, or that I decided to watch this game without drinking.

Is that shirt going to be for sale at all? Want.

Ouch :cry:

On the other hand: DO trade with Ottawa. I don't think Duchene is much of an upgrade over Turris.

Wow, I LOVE that deal for Nashville.

At the rate you're going, they might not even have any left to give...

On that note, I made the switch with the Pixel 2 XL. Couldn't be happier. My old HTC One m8 was 3 years old and had become unbearably slow. Zero issues so far with the network, and it gets bonus points for working internationally for my Montreal trip next year. All told I get the new phone for $17 more per month than I was paying on Verizon. I'll take it.

Next semester I'm taking a course in positive psychology. If I start talking like a coach, I give you permission to gather as many Sabrespacers as necessary to find me, and kill me.

I thought Liger was referring to the Risto+Bailey+1st deal. And I really didn't think Okposo would be an anchor in year 2 of that deal....I thought we'd get to year 4 :(

Meh. To me that's like complaining about Miller's WTF wave when the team was crumbling in front of him. Just doesn't do anything for me. And Reinhart isn't going to get a cap friendly bridge deal? I know it's not technically in place yet, but it's hard to imagine anything else at this point. We'd be downgrading to the worse Sam for no reason whatsoever.

Well, I tried to use the "early returns" as a significant qualifier there :lol: He's making the exact type of player usage mistakes Bylsma made, Tennyson is his Gorges, and our powerplay is a disaster far beyond what expected regression would allow for. Team possession is a little better relative to the league, but it's hard for me to pinpoint anything that's been impressive with his work thus far. Bylsma had to go, but there isn't an argument to be made right now that Housley has been an upgrade in any meaningful way.

And yet, I'm not sure this quite does justice to just how bad it was. Early returns are not good, that's for sure. Positive psychology spin: maybe this mini-slump will lead to a line change.

We should do it if for no other reason than to see if the goalposts can get a higher save percentage than Lehner this game.

....and start the "All-in for Dahlin" thread shortly thereafter :nana: