erickompositör72

Phil may turn out to be a fine coach, but he's definitely no prodigy. The fact that he is the only difference between the best powerplay and the worst powerplay we've ever seen shows that he's not too good at multi-tasking his coaching priorities

Think they may give Rodrigues a shot on the Kane/Okposo line?

I think he could have a Moulson-like career, with the right center. If that turns out, I'm not incorrect in saying many #2 overall's haven't had Moulson's career numbers, right?

So his ceiling is, like, Ovechkin What a shame

You will believe it, too, when a winning team gives up some assets to acquire him

agree 100% Re:speed- I think Reinhart has adequate speed to be part of a rush, but he just needs time to build up the speed (he doesn't have good acceleration). He does, though, lack a 3rd gear. His 2nd gear is adequate for a rush, but not enough to blow by someone I think, through junior, etc, he didn't have to be fast to score goals. So, he didn't even worry about it (similarly to Jack not having to worry about play away from the puck before getting to the NHL). I watch Samson with the puck, and he just coasts. He probably could play at a faster pace, but has just not developed that as part of his game. The sad thing is, he doesn't seem to be trying to. Last night, I saw him receive a pass after he had built up speed, and I thought, wow, he looks good flying down the right wing- why doesn't he do that more often? I think it will take a concerted effort of focusing on how to inject more speed into his game, and then understanding how to integrate that into the new system. Basically, I think there are a lot of other factors contributing to his lack of speed- not just a physical deficiency.

Yeah, this is kinda a lazy take, IMO:

Dream scenario: package Okposo in a trade with Kane, then re-sign Kane July 1 EDIT: I just thought about this more- it'd only work if we take someone who's salary is equal to Okposo's, but would be UFA after this season

Whatever their strategy for Antipin is... I'd say it's working :thumbsup:

Wait for a team that's making a playoff push whose goalie goes down. If he keeps these stats, a desperate team may overpay for him

I really liked these lines. Any chance we'll ever see them again?

I knew we should've signed him

The anomaly is his amount of assists this season. His goal pace is .41, up from a career average of .31. You could argue that's not too far off his average. And, I'd argue, the fact that he has grown as a player in many ways contributes to this, as well as his chemistry with teammates. I don't buy the "contract year" trope.

As long as Falk isn't playing OTOH, I've had no problem with Gorges's playing

Your chuckling/laughing is hardly a convincing counterpoint to my assertion. But at least someone is amused at the situation.

Maybe he can't shed the Bylsma system?

I have this bad feeling that Phil is just in panic mode, and that in this panic, he can't even correctly assess which lines are working and which are not. It seems like line combinations are changed even after we win a game, or at least have an extremely competitive game. It seems like things start working, but it doesn't sink in to Phil that it's working. Is there any truth to this, or am I mis-remembering?

I think this is exactly it. Reinhart will be what Moulson was. He'll put up 30 goal seasons on a line with Eichel, but he's not fast, not good down-low and not too strong on the puck. But he can put the puck in the net, knows the spots to be in, and has good hands. I think it's a shame it was in this current setting that he got his "chance" at center. And I'm getting a little worried about Housley's "system." I think Sam may even deserve another chance when the team gets better (or if they get another coach); maybe he will if he's traded.

Buffalo sports angst led me to the point where I was actually celebrating when we signed Moulson. I share this confidence in Botterill, though (and McDermott as well, tbh). Hopefully we're not kidding ourselves

I feel like the "nothing to play for" argument never holds water, and every time I watch a game billed as such, the "nothing to play for" team ends up winning.

witty.

They're trying. No idea how much interest there is, though

I was hoping he would. No need for drama like that

Any way you slice it, we pretty much need a miracle to get in the playoffs, right? Ravens and Chargers have super easy schedules ahead of today... Edit: maybe not super easy, but easier than the Patriots...

Anybody who wants Marcus back fundamentally does not understand Housley's system, or how slow Marcus is. If Gorges is an "anchor," (a characterization I don't actually agree with), then Foligno is a ###### iceberg. You could see defensemen letting up every time he was leading a rush, because they knew they could just sit back and play their angles by the book- no threat there!