Thorny

OFFICIALLY WORRIED - - - Haha that’s funny timing kinda

Nate Danielson doesn’t have a contract. Not worried if Nate Danielson doesn’t have a contract.

Still love this signing

Agree and good point. It was such a weird final stretch for me because they absolutely remained mathematically in it, meaningful games or whatever, but it somehow imo didn’t FEEL like it because of that dastardly stretch right before the good finish. It’s like they quickly played themselves to “almost out of it”, but commendably fought to hold that “there’s still a chance” line right to the end. I don’t believe it was ever mathematically anything close to likely at any point again after that initial swoon

100%. The players could have gone for “prove it” deals instead. Adams getting Tage to a deal that only after a period of time passes looks like an incredible steal doesn’t retroactively make it a hometown discount. The deal was fair by the parameters of the moment. It turns only turns into a great signing because of what happened after. If DAHLIN signed for 8, THAT would be a discount. But signing as a fully fledged star, that won’t happen

Both Cozens and Mitts can pass and snipe

And they were pretty strict with keeping Cozens at C, as far as I can remember. I’d actually be pretty surprised if he moved to wing, his game is perfect for the middle 200 foot wise

Jack follows up a top 10 mvp finish by...getting hurt...battling back from intensive surgery...and then immediately winning the cup while *checks notes* leading the entire playoffs in scoring the Utter weirdness. Of course people will take it the wrong way. Anyone with a shred of objectivity. If you watched the playoffs, you’d have seen the burst. Dude dominated McDavid head to head. Enough of this manufactured narrative

You are getting way too hung up on trying to determine who’s “better”. I already said, my initial contention wasn’t to claim one was better than the other. Go back and read what I was responding to. I was simply taking issue with the idea presented that “Eichel never had that big breakout season”, because that was objectively false. How many times do I need to clarify this? That was my contention. You are trying to compare and contrast their entire careers for some reason. My point, which wasn’t even a little bit of a stretch by any lengths of the imagination, wasn’t that Eichel was better, it’s that it was being argued Thompson HAD that breakout season where Eichel did not: and I chimed in to say, Eichel finished higher in league scoring in 19-20 than Thompson did this season. That’s not a stretch, that’s the definitive point: Thompson finished 15th in scoring this year. Jack finished 10th in 19-20. He also finished higher than Thompson in the MVP vote. Again, im not saying Eichel is better. What I’m saying is that if this was a “big breakout season” for Thompson, Jack’s was also a “big breakout season.”

Vladdy!

you

It’s unanimous because people like to use the new names when making their configurations haha. I know I do lol. Remains to be seen if the new guys push out old faves like HJ in actuality In the minds of Granato

That’s a great point. Looking at the stats I keep reminding myself that removing the output of a rookie Quinn isn’t that big of a deal. But it’s what I thought he’d get to this season. His name popped when reading the line configurations, and it feels weird to just not replace him I have to start hoping for that from Krebs when I wasn’t before, what would have been found money is now a bit of a wager placed

Hold up... Let Brawndo cook. - - - Samuelsson is half man half concept. It’s not Samuelsson’s reasonably ok game that allows Dahlin to do all star stuff on pair one, I keep saying it: it’s Dahlin’s ridiculous all star ability on the top pair that allows a player of Samuelsson’s talents to find a niche on said pair. Dahlin allows him to focus purely on the easier stuff, that he does do well. You can get more Samuelssons. He’s a good player but you literally had people calling him the team MVP last year. Dahlin’s a unicorn. The record without Samuelsson last season was both a commentary on the depth of our blue line leaving us unable to withstand even a Samuelsson sized loss on D (Which KA certainly took steps to address this off-season: in fact, my perhaps slightly below-average reckoning of Samuelsson’s game as it currently stands lends credence to the fact KA’s defensive additions this offseason were more than satisfactory), and a reflection of small sample size, imo.

People forget lol

I don’t need to debate any of that to stick with my initial contention w/your post, which was that Eichel did, in fact, have that big breakout season, your statements to the contrary notwithstanding Didn’t say JE was a top 10. Haven’t really put together a formal list tbh He’s another guy that would need to maintain his current level over a longer period I’ll tell you this: neither, on their best day, is Sid Crosby.

I kinda thought so too. Which is kinda odd cause it’s just switching Krebs with Greenway. Take out one guy like Quinn and it’s funny how fast that kinda happens. Not advocating for that set up though, I’d keep Krebs on L3 and try to get it some easier matchups, and it’d be the line with the least ice time I think

There are fans who go to hockey games and wear random jerseys from teams not even represented in the game, because presumably their thought process went something like, “going to a hockey game, I think I’ll wear a hockey sweater.” I know you’ve seen them. It’s kinda funny but if hockey jerseys are really sweaters, a sweater is a sweater in a cool arena, and a sweater on an engagement based platform like YouTube means a little less sweating when perusing that bank account

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch Mittelstadt - Cozens - Krebs Greenway - Jost - Peterka Rousek - Girgensons - Okposo .. with Krebs in top 6

I like the Krebs - Peterka combo, it’s just that the Quinn injury throws a wrench into who their other winger is considering we decided this far to simply..not replace him. So it’s Rousek or Olofsson or you are bumping up KO The other thing is trying a Mittelstadt - Cozens - Krebs second line but I’m guessing they lean Greenway and his size for that spot. But in that case i think we’d be short a centre

“...What?”

It’s all good, I’m not sure exactly why our readings are differing. I SAW that electric game changing guy in the playoffs. Easily the most dangerous guy with puck on stick in final. He set the pace when on the ice. I’m not sure how a guy could have been the best player in the playoffs, the hardest point at which it is to do so, WTHOUT displaying the best hockey of his career. It would defy logic. Maybe there’s some flash traded for D but his trajectory for me in on the up. 200 foot game. For posterity Tage Thompson MVP finish, 22-23: 14th Jack Eichel MVP finish, 19-20: 8th Ive gots me lots of fun numbers..

Honestly, I’m not seeing that Fade His haircut sure 19-20 was assuredly a breakout. Anything saying otherwise is objectively revisionist. Finished top 10 league scoring. Much improved defensively. MVP convo. Breakout season

Eichel, as a Sabre, finished *higher than Thompson league wide for points*.... twice Eichel had *two* seasons better offensively, league wide relative, than Thompson did Jack has finishes of 11th and 10th place in league scoring, Tage’s highest finish was 15th

Dude Eichel totally Son’ed Barkov in the final. I know it’s not just about one series but with that coming out party Eichel is definitively better than Barkov, and he’s not the only guy there he eclipses