TrueBlueGED

Fair enough. This is what happens when you're too lazy to look up specifics. Though, wouldn't that be like a 2500% boost to his total points this year? Okay, it's possible I inflated that by a few zeros :p

Round 1 scorecard: Text - 1 WC - 0

Edit: Deleted my political joke. Just know I despise you for even joking about this :p

Zemgus is never going to be that guy without top line and top PP minutes. His underlying numbers from that season everyone so fondly remembers are almost identical: scoring rates, possession, the whole nine yards. Difference? He was on the top PP unit, got more ice time, and had a lucky shooting percentage spike 5 points over his career average. That's a role he's never going to have again. Not on a good team, anyway.

With all three at center, you save money on the wings. Let our centers elevate the play of our wingers. At the very least, both Eichel and O'Reilly have proven they can do this, and I think most of us agree Samson has the capability to do the same. High end centers manufacture scoring wingers. We don't need six Okposo-level players to flank these guys.

Keep both unless some team places an unexpectedly high value on either in a trade. They're cheap, valuable depth.

I see no compelling reason to choose between them. Larsson centers the 4th line, Girgensons goes to wing. They both have flexibility to PK and move up the lineup when injuries hit.

Depends on the coach. If we keep Bylsma, and expect it to work, we need defensemen who can pass and make quick decisions far more than defensemen who can skate. Franson can think and pass, but can't skate. Bogo can skate, but can't think or pass. Kulikov can skate and pass, but can't think. Franson has been by far the most effective of the three, and that's because his strengths suit what Bylsma asks his Dmen to focus in with transition play. And Gorges? Well, he can't do much of anything :lol:

Yea, but Kane misses them entirely :p

Most excellent.

Absolutely. If you run a center spine of O'Reilly, Eichel, and Reinhart, it's almost impossible to match up against. The other coach is going to use his best defensive line and Dmen against Eichel, ours is going to match O'Reilly against their top line, and that is going to leave Reinhart with a tremendous matchup advantage against almost every team in the league. And if Reinhart fulfills his promise defensively, then we can match either his line or O'Reilly's against the other team's top unit--even the best coach can't get his top line away from two matchup lines.

Of course I do! But you're not.

I beg to differ! At least in my case, it doesn't make much of any difference...

You, my friend, are in deep denial about just how good the Leafs are and how we'll they're set up going forward. They're in great cap shape with 4 horrid contracts coming off the books this summer, and 2 others stashed on LTIR (granted makes offseason maneuvering trickier, but with their stars on ELCs or sweetheart long term deals, it won't be too problematic), a top-3 coach in the league, and a really smart front office.

Lindy's teams still definitely turtle with a lead, but his system is absolute not defensive (and it wasn't with the Sabres either for the last 7ish years). It's a modern system focused on puck moving defensemen and aggression from the blue line. How anyone can think Ruff is a defensive coach is beyond me--he's an offensive coach, and if anything, the aggression he demands from his blue line actually leaves his goaltenders exposed. One major reason Dallas fell off this year is they lost Goligoski and Demers, without viable replacements.

I'd imagine the DoPS video explanation will simply be a screenshot showing the number of regular season games Boston has left.

!!!! That's awesome, I love their stuff and their mission. I've bought several things from there and have been happy with each purchase. Hell, if my impulse control was a bit worse, I could probably fill a closet.

You're right, of course. However, plastic glasses everyone is going to throw out perhaps before even leaving the arena is freaking lame. Chicago not only has a great team, but their fan appreciation day was pretty awesome.

How dare you! I HAVE A BUNKER FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE!

Your Ennis comment was quintessential Darcy, that's what! :angry: And it occurs to me that you're not one of our resident GoT fans. The "shame" thing was from an episode where the...nevermind, just know it was from GoT.

Shame! Shame! Shame!

I still think he's going to surprise some people next season.

:worthy: :worthy: :worthy:

Correct. Flagg has shown an impressive level of stamina to keep fighting the good fight. I, on the other hand, have largely given up trying to persuade. The low percentage plays, the single forechecker, the forwards having no speed entering the zone because they're waiting for a pass to chip, the forwards abandoning the defensive zone the second a Dman picks up the puck as if they will contract HIV by staying in longer...these things are systemic, and have all been covered so frequently and in such depth that if people don't see it by now, they're not going to.

Those were my three, with almost the exact same reasoning, whether Bylsma is back or not.