triumph_communes
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Posts posted by triumph_communes
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Just now, Doohickie said:
And since we have a crowded roster, what does he get in return? Picks? Prospects?
Most of the guys edging out are waiver trash. He doesn’t need to get anything for them really, just bury them and be done.
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1 minute ago, TrueBlueGED said:
That's only because of special teams. Mittelstadt was second behind Eichel at even strength ice time.
Playing with Okposo. The puck hog
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In terms of minutes played, Sobotka was our 2C last season. Mittelstadt was our 4C. Promoting Mittelstadt to 2/3C minutes with Reinhart and Johansson beside him while also giving the GLO line 2/3 line minutes match-up grinding against top lines will do wonders. At the very least, think of the minutes each line gets as much more balanced. Lots of teams only play 3 lines and put the fourth out there for 6 minutes a game. We don’t have that kind of line up.
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Just now, WildCard said:
I keep trying to figure out this lineup and I can't
Skinner - Eichel - Sheary
Olofsson/Johansson - ?? - Reinhart
Vesey - Mitts - Erod
Zemgus - Larsson - Okposo
Vesey is a left handed RW.
Skinner-Eichel-Oloffson/Sheary/Vesey
Johansson-Mittelstadt-Reinhart
Smith-Rodrigues-Oloffson/Sheary/Vesey
Girgensons-Larsson-Okposo
camp will be competitive
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To the stats people—- he came back from injury when traded too soon and he wasn’t clicking. He finally got it together for the playoffs for them. I wouldn’t put much into his regular season with Boston stats.
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Two year term on a guy begging for 5 and his comparable all got 4 or 5 year deals? Amazing! No downside to the contract whatsoever.
I believe Mittelstadt will still be 2C and he will be fine, and Johansson will be his backup center in a pinch or if he’s struggling too much. They’re both lefties and can alternate through that role.
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The problem with Mittelstadt was his conditioning (just like Eichel at the same age), and being anchored by Okposo almost all season.
His shifts with Skinner and Reinhart were magical. Eichel can hold his own with other wingers we have.
Its not the end of the world if we go into the season with Mittelstadt as a 2C. Girgensons and Larsson or Rodrigues can hold down the 3/4C just fine. More talent on the wing and these centers aren’t in shambles like last season. Plus a new system and coach will do wonders.
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Bleh, bad situation to be in.
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12 minutes ago, E4 ... Ke2 said:
Thank you very much. And thank you for your civility and thoughtfulness.
I don't believe that Pegula required Botterill to "win now" last year. However, I believe that when the team proved that they could play with anyone and then had a 10 game regulation unbeaten streak, then he should have reset his expectations and adapt. I firmly believe that he owed it to the players, the coach, the fans, and the rest of the franchise to do so. Among other things, it makes the players more likely to do that little extra in practises to improve and grow, make them more committed in games to digging a little deeper, and instills more confidence in them. That makes for 3 obvious options:
1. A late 1st for a decent centre to allow the youngsters to experience positive re-enforcement seems obvious to me. That was the price put on Eric Staal, among others.
2. Reshuffling who was in the NHL to get 4 lines working where none of them get caved in every single time they hit the ice.
3. Trades on the order of a 7th for Tsyplakov to get to 4 passable lines.
In any event, that press conference where he undermined his dressing room by saying that their good play was a mirage was a BAD, BAD, BAD idea.
I have been in very bad management situations. I can fully empathise with what you are saying. I also assume that a lot of things happen for reasons that are not immediately apparent. In particular, I think that the Pegulas are less knowledgeable, less sophisticated, and more, um, naively enthusiastic than virtually everyone who has ever posted on this site with hockey strategy, tactics, and management. Thus, I think JBot's job is harder than it should be.
My problem with JBot is that his messages, which I like, are often contradicted by his actions.
First, where his message jives with his actions: he clearly has emphasised improving from the ground up and is executing that plan fairly well. I need to see if he changes the mix of player types, skills, etc. to adapt to what he has seen in two years. So far, his drafting and signings of non-NHL players has been very good.
However...
A meritocracy requires discipline and making tough decisions. That means that even people you like have to be canned, demoted, etc. if they are either a performance problem (Sobotka, Thompson) or an attitude problem (Sobotka again) because they make your team worse. By midseason, he and Housley had to face facts and replace Thompson and Sobotka with competent NHLers, even if it necessitates a revolving door from Rochester to try people out. I can't think of even a plausible-if-bad reason for them to have been on the team past 1/1/2019.
The results? Keeping clearly incompetent players on the big club undermines any "culture change" JBot et al. are purporting to make. This was the second year that JBot made it impossible for Housley to ice 4 competent NHL lines, even by accident. This makes any long-term positive goal harder to achieve or at least delays it because he sent a message to the core players that it is OK to waste a substantial part of their careers.
If you want to pin the terrible roster completely on Housley, that's fine. I just think that's impossible. He scratched Tage Thompson a lot early in the season. I don't know how much more loudly Housley could have said, "Tage isn't ready, Jason," without going public. And if you think that Housley was OK with only two lines that could clear the zone, that's fine, but I don't know of a coach who doesn't belong at 400 Forest who wants to set himself up to lose. And if Housley needed to go to Arkham, then replace him with someone who went through The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether
You are welcome. And thank you for your civility and thoughtful answers.
1. I will take your word for it. I have interpreted his exact same words differently.
2. If JBot did not want us to think of Thompson as an ROR replacement, then he played his hand almost as badly as possible. Having him in Buffalo all year undermined his development and put him into an impossible situation. Then, when it was immediately obvious that he did not belong, forcing him to stay up here just exacerbated the situation.
I should be clear here: I want Thompson to succeed. I believe that the way JBot has handled him could screw him up the way Zemgus, Larry, Risto, et al. were undermined by the tank and by being in the NHL too soon. And if this keeps up, he won't even end up being that good.
3-4. As I said above, the very least he could have done was got to Skinner-Eichel-Reinhart followed by a trio of 4th lines who would be no worse than 45-55 zone time. A #2C from a bottom-feeder was preferable, mind you, but this variation does not mortgage the future for the benefit of the present. In the 1999-2000 season, the spiral was arrested after Darcy traded a 7th for Vladimir Tsyplakov. The team was noticeably better the second he hit the ice -- particularly Mike Peca.
From my angle, you appear to put 100% of the blame last year on Housley. I can't do that. Because of the experience I have as in management and my analyses of the team, I believe Botterill should take a majority of the blame.
ASIDE: How obvious was it that Sobotka was bad? Have a look at these. They are why I am impatient to get rid of him.
@Randall Flagg Please teach me how to be as erudite as you are.
I stand similarly with the other poster from above. Botterill’s job is to ensure continued success year after year. The timeline for that, unfortunately, is longer than may be fair to fans. But given the hole Murray had us in, it’s necessary. Housley’s job was to just get the most out of the player pool his GM gave him. He had all season to switch Girgensons or Rodrigues to center and call up Smith et al, but he didn’t ask for that.
Thompson’s problems were his cute dekes. He gets away with them in the AHL, but he doesn’t in the NHL. I believe the reason he stayed up is because keeping him down was just going to reinforce bad habits. I also have a difficult time being hard on a player who was stapled to Sobotka the vast majority of his time.
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5 hours ago, E4 ... Ke2 said:
FYI: I believe Krueger was contractually obligated to stay in Southampton.
I think there is strong evidence for this as well.
Several things:
The final roster, who belongs in the NHL and who does not, is in the hands of the GM. The game-to-game roster is in the hands of the coach. They should communicate, but that is the traditional division of labour and I see no reason to believe Botterill and Housley were any different.
When the GM has incontrovertible proof that a player is underperforming or undermining the team, it is his job to move said player off the team, whether it be to the minors or the KHL. And if Housley overplays Sobotka, it is Botterill's job to get him out of the locker room. Period. I view Sobotka's mere presence in the media guide at the start of training camp as rank incompetence, no if's, and's, or but's. If Tage Thompson is the only person in the league whose analytics are in the same neighbourhood as Sobotka's, it is Botterill's job to send him down immediately.
Even when people were reporting that Sobotka was terrible in training camp, I read several reporters' articles that said that Sobotka, Thompson, and Berglund were staying here for the year, period. I wish I could recall who listed all of them on the team while jokingly putting Eichel, Reinhart, and Skinner in Rochester just to make sure the point got across because I swore out loud at work when I read it. Then I showed the article to everyone and then they swore together. The inference we all drew was this was so that he could justify the O'Reilly trade; to whom is beyond me.
Let us look at their records at various points in the season:
- 11/27/2018 (last game of streak): 17-6-2
- 12/22/2018 (last game before Christmas Break): 21-11-5
- 1/18/2019 (Last game before All-Star Break): 24-18-6
- 2/23/2019 (Last game before TDL; Montour acquired): 29-24-8
- 3/5/2019 (Day of Botterill's interview): 30-28-9
- 4/2/2019 (Before last 2 games): 31-39-10
You can see the team getting progressively worse as the season goes on. Why can't Botterill's inertia take any of the blame? I personally believe that, "good teams find a way to win; bad teams find a way to lose." I don't believe that a team can have a 10 game regulation unbeaten streak by accident. Blame the 1972-3 Sabres' October for that.
Montour was added, which I did like. Why could we not have traded with a bottom feeder at the time, like St. Louis or Minnesota? Why not trade a late 1st for 1 year of a clear 2C or even a high-end 3C before we fell out of 8th? The message that sends your team is that you believe in them and maybe they keep it up; they certainly don't crash and burn like they did in March. In St. Louis's case, their GM was ready to pack it in. If we had offered that for someone like Tyler Bozak or even Alex Steen (clear overpayment), they might have folded even if they all sing "Gloria."
After JBot's terrible press conference, the team didn't quit on Housley - they quit on Botterill because Botterill had already quit on them. They didn't believe in themselves anymore because Botterill never believed in them in the first place. Exactly how the **** could any coach pull them out of the funk then? That, bluntly, is bad management.
Then why didn't Tage disappear? IMHO, because Tage is supposed to replace and surpass Ryan O'Reilly.
Why didn't Sobotka disappear? IMHO, because Sobotka is supposed to replace and surpass Ryan O'Reilly until Tage is ready.
I largely agree with you with Krueger.
IMHO, though, unless Mittlestadt's wingers were Skinner and Reinhart, he was necessarily going to be excessively sheltered because he really wasn't ready for that level of responsibility. That would put Eichel with Rodrigues and either Sheary or Pominville. (Please, God, Forgive me for typing this.) Unless, of course, the best course was for Housley to have Eichel with Thompson and Sobotka to protect the rest of the team.
Note: the "smoke signals" are based on my presumption that the WGR hosts and guests are softening us up for what JBot will do before training camp.
If I am reading the smoke signals properly, Vesey is here for Eichel's wing. Assuming that Girgensons and Larsson are here, you need to have Okposo with them because that is the only line where he was truly effective last year and, frankly, we are stuck with him. Honestly, if they don't need to have 80% DZS to protect the middle 6, I bet they total 40 goals. (On the other hand, the smoke signals look like they are gone and Sobotka is staying.)
I agree with Oloffson with Eichel. I think those two will have great chemistry.
I will assume you mean that Mittlestadt will be the #2 offencive centre because, IMHO, a centre who needs to be sheltered is not a #2.
In sum:
Housley earnt his firing. Even if the GM saddles you with Thompson and Sobotka, you don't have to dress them if you have 8 defencemen available. Even if you have to dress them, there is no excuse in the universe for Sobotka being 4th among the forwards in ice time until Bill Hoppe, John Vogl, and everyone else write those scathing analyses of Sobotka. He should not have given hours of ice time to the Scandella-Ristolainen pairing. In particular, I can't think of a good reason to play Scandella over Pilut.
We also learnt that to run Housley's system, you need either 6 Norris-calibre defencemen and/or a Vezina-calibre goaltender and/or 4 complete lines of quality depth (2005-6 Sabres level). This killed Lindy Ruff in Dallas, Housley here, Toronto under Babcock, and Nashville in some of their playoff series over the years. In fact, the more I have analysed their system, the more I lean towards "and". And I LIKED the way the team looked when they executed his system well.
Even so, I put about 2/3 of the blame this year on Botterill. IMHO, he was an incompetent manager by failing to help his subordinates when they clearly needed a psychological push. He then undermined them with his press conference on 5 March.
Even if I forgive him the O'Reilly trade, he failed last off-season by gifting positions to Sobotka and Thompson. He also failed last off-season by not having a back-up plan in case Mittlestadt was not ready for #2C.
He also failed in-season as a GM by failing to address clear personnel deficiencies in Thompson and Sobotka. He failed as an overall GM by never getting a competent #2C and by never having 12 NHL-quality forwards available for Housley to dress the entire season. IMHO, if he just does this, which is the bare minimum we should expect from him, the Sabres make the playoffs last season anyway. I would have had patience if he had done either this or traded for a #2C and the Sabres still missed the playoffs.
But RHIP. Assuming no disasters, the bare minimum I expect out of this team is the playoffs. I believe that the expectations for this team this year should be like the Leafs 2 years ago. Nothing less is acceptable. Failing that, Botterill should be canned.
Thanks for the drawn out reply. I respectfully disagree with the overall assessment, but I’m just going to focus on a few points:
1). There are many interviews where Botterill has stated that his relationship with the coach is to suggest players for the main squad, but he has repeatedly said final decision on which league a player is in is on the coach. Yes, the GM obviously has the power to trump this line if needed, but Botterill lets the coach have reign. This is the sort of leash that helps him attract guys like Krueger in the future— most coaches have a bit of an ego and don’t want to fight their GM. Look at Toronto this off season and all that messy noise..
2) Thompson was never meant as some 1 for 1 replacement for ROR. At most he was a half replacement, in the future. That’s some incredible pressure to put on the kid. His role is to be a large body finisher on a team that has plenty of playmakers. This team needs RWs and unfortunately he didn’t develop right away and that’s why we ended up with Vesey as a stop gap for the upcoming season.
3) On the trade deadline Botterill made it clear- the team was in no position to hedge the future just to make the playoffs last season (with a coach he already gave up on). He also didn’t sell everything for spare parts either. Montour was the perfect balance there and was a great trade. Again though, if you think he failed at acquiring a 2C mid season, I will reiterate that statistically the team was getting very lucky bounces and was bound to regress to a mean unless Housley changed something (and he didn’t). Also, you don’t often see trades mid season for 2Cs like that. The better deals were this offseason that he is yet to make.
4) The Montour trade was as much positive endorsement the GM could realistically give on a team that was already playing with no heart. I believe they gave up on the coach who couldn’t figure out how to teach his system to the players on the team who were struggling to learn it. Housley’s failures appear to be on communication more than anything.
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Toronto was only marginally worse until they actually signed Ceci and told him to expect to be in their top-4. They got much worse. Kadri was a huge loss too
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2 hours ago, E4 ... Ke2 said:
I will accept your premise and analyse it. You will find that I am strong believer in negative inference.
I. In a meritocracy, when you find out at the All-Star break, that the two guys on the roster that you acquired from an unpopular trade are literally the two worst players (not just forwards, but players) in the league in numerous statistical analyses, do you leave them around in the status quo,?
II. As a good manager, when your subordinates suddenly start wildly exceeding expectations, do you do nothing as they start to slide and justify it by saying that their good performance was a mirage?
III. In a meritocracy, when you have two lines in the NHL who regularly can not clear the zone for minutes on end, do you just tell your better performers in the AHL that there is no reason for them to think they could help in the NHL by doing nothing?
IV. As a good GM, when your coach is giving the worst player in the league -- whom you acquired -- the 4th most minutes, do you not do anything even when a flurry of news articles and blogs point out how badly he is playing at the expense of better performers?
V. As a good manager, do you blame your subordinates for all of the shortcomings your team had for the business year when you did nothing to help them when the situation was worsening?
Now, let us look at your line-up from another thread. Because of what transpired and failed to transpire last season and so far this offseason, I will ice lines that reflect what I think is the reality.
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Forwards
- Skinner-Eichel-Vesey
- Rodrigues-Mittelstadt-Reinhart
- Shear-Sobotka-Thompson
- Girgensons-Larsson-Okposo
- Olofsson-Ruotsalainen-Nylander
- Elie-Smith-Wilson
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Defence
- Dahlin-Montour
- McCabe-Miller
- Scandella-Ristolainen
- Pilut-Nelson
- Hunwick-Bogosian
- Borgen-Fitzgerald
IMHO, it would be somewhere between intellectually dishonest and delusional to assume that Sobotka and Thompson will not be on the Sabres all year unless there is incontrovertible evidence otherwise. Neither were good enough last year; yet everyone at training camp knew they would be here for the year.
If you think I am wrong, I suggest you take up the same challenge that several professional hockey people took up with my friends and relatives to defend Botterill: I expect a proof with the Paul Erdos level of accuracy to justify their places on the team last year using EXACTLY your arguments of a meritocracy with OBJECTIVE measurements -- no feelings, rationalisations, or anything subjective allowed. If you have trouble writing proofs, I suggest you go the two-column, statement-reason format. (Hint: they all lost and now argue my point of view.)
Yes, this is very arrogant of me. I have a long track record debating this stuff in public that you might know about. A few of the better known from which you can identify me with absolute certainty:
- Countering Viacom/Nickelodeon trolls defences of Dan Schneider and his production teams against rumoured accusations from the casts.
- Arguing that Rose Tyler is a Mary Sue / Gary Stu for Russell T. Davies from the crush he had on Tom Baker; based upon the wish-fulfilment-romance fiction he wrote for the fanzine The Annals of Sarah Jane Smith.
- Debating that Donald Trump's flaws are just Bill Clinton's writ large on numerous political fora. ("Writ large" is what gives me away.)
- Being the only person in 1987 who argued that ST:TNG is inferior to the original Star Trek.
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Arguing that everyone who admits they are from Buffalo is not intrinsically a loser who deserves to be unemployed an homeless.
- Several regulars got me kicked out of the Columbus (Ohio) Bridge Center for this. And they wondered why I wouldn't go back after these people had allegedly calmed down.
If you want to debate, all I can say is, "come and get me."
I work under the premise that Krueger was Botterill’s coaching target all along, and the only reason we didn’t get him instead of Housley originally is because he refused to abandon Southampton until his stint was naturally over. Botterill was operating under a premise that if Housley couldn’t motivate the boys then he was gone
I also take Botterill’s words at face value that he has repeatedly stated that all roster decisions were the coach’s final decision to make. And that it was Housley, not Botterill’s doing that Sobotka had the time on the ice last year he did. Remember, even then Sobotka was eventually scratched in the end of last season beyond the injuries sustained
The reason Botterill stood pat is that he saw the underlying analytics behind the ten game run and saw how it was cardiac kid luck, not sustainable success that was occurring. And it’s not like Botterill did nothing, he went out and acquired Montour without taking anything away from the current roster, yet Housley couldn’t inspire a fly to get out of the way of a slap back into reality.
Tage has a chance, absolutely. I also see what Botterill did to Moulson and know if the coach has no interest, Botterill has no problem making someone disappear.
If you look at Krueger’s history as an NHL coach, he played rookies more often than not. He would set them up for success, something I don’t think Mittelstadt ever once was put in the situation of last year. Krueger made Yakupov look like a rising star— I am really excited to see what magic he can do here.
I understand the Housley love of Sobotka, but I don’t think Krueger is that dumb. I think Mittelstadt can play the sheltered 2C type minutes as long as we have Erod holding down a 3rd line that maybe dos some more lifting that other teams do. But we have an amazing shutdown duo in Larsson and Girgensons (that honestly Vesey is a perfect compliment for, given Vesey likes to take the puck right to the net while the other two will cycle ad infinitum) and if they are used properly, can shelter Mittelstadt some. Sheary-Mittelstadt-Reinhart in their short time last year was dangerous, and as long as Kruger watches the tape from those games, I foresee him putting that forward next season.
Plus Oloffson as a LH RW on Eichels side is what Eichel needs. We all wanted a better player there like Nyquist or Zucc, but those players chose not to sign here. Oloffson will be a gem to help spread the rest of the talent elsewhere in the line up.
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Just now, TrueBlueGED said:
A competition where the winner is merely the best of the worst isn't exactly something to be satisfied with. There's plenty of time left so I'm far from panicking, by as of right now this is the second straight offseason without Botterill clearly and meaningfully increasing the net forward talent on the team.
Theres two options July 1st:
1. The Murray approach of signing Moulson and Okposo to huge contracts
2. Patience and building from within on a realistic timeline
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19 minutes ago, E4 ... Ke2 said:
Intellectually, I can see your points. However:
1. The Blues also changed goaltenders as well as coaches.
2. I said last year that Botterill would get a 2C if that turned out to be an issue.
3. I believed Botterill last year when he said the line-up would be a meritocracy.
4. Botterill's press conferences where he tried to justify his inertia showed an inflexibility to changing circumstances, a lack of imagination, and an ignorance of facts in the players' current mental and physical dispositions.
5. I believe that had Botterill done a minimally competent job last season, then the Sabres would have made the playoffs. Period. This is an exceptionally low standard.
Hence, my standard for this year is that the expectations for the Sabres should match any of the playoff locks AND that the quality of the roster post 7/1 should be comparable if slightly behind those who should be their peers, whence the following justify skepticism, distrust, and impatience:
A. The lack of a clear #2C from the standard of a playoff team.
B. The lack of a #3C who is capable of filling the #2C role for a team that wins a playoff series.
C. No proof that Tage Thompson will be in Rochester ALL season.
D. No proof that Vladimir Sobotka will not be in the organisation before training camp.
These are the absolute bare minimum I expect from the roster NOW. I expect him to improve the roster from THAT level. Anything less means the off-season has been a failure. As of now, it is an abject failure.
Theres 18 forwards who could easily take one of the 13 slots. There’s at least 12 defenders for 7-8 slots. If that’s not competition I’m not sure what is.
If if you’re afraid Sobotka wasn’t pre-relegated, I don’t think you understand what meritocracy means. A lot of these guys will get new leashes under a new coach.
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The ‘hole’ at 2C is just a year or so until Mittelstadt’s strength and condition catches up and he takes it. It’s not a problem to be solved by FA where the deals are 4+ years and for top dollar.
A trade involving Ristolainen I bet is still on the table, pending what shakes out with the Habs offersheeting players like Point and Tampa being forced then to make a move to make space.
Some people pled need to calm the hell down. Rome wasn’t built in a day and Murray had this team in a bad bad place. Plus, a coach was the difference between last place in the league St Louis and Stanley cup champions St. Louis. We’ve got a good one coming, be patient.
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4 minutes ago, WildCard said:
I'm going to keep beating this dead horse, but Olofsson is not playing RW guys
Both Oloffson and Vesey will play RW
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Skinner-Eichel-Oloffson
Sheary-Mittelstadt-Reinhart
Smith-Rodrigues/Ruotsalainen-Vesey
Girgensons-Larsson-Okposo
Wilson/Sobotka/Elie waived
Thompson and Nylander injury callups
Dahlin-Montour
McCabe-Ristolainen
Scandella-Miller
Hunwick/Nelson one waived
Pilut to push Scandella or McCabe out of the lineup when healthy. Bogosian to kick the remaining 7th dman back when he’s healthy
So, much, competition here, coming from young guys, fringe guys, and old vets. Nobody’s spot is safe, pretty crazy.
Only Okposo is getting gifted minutes imo
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2 hours ago, Thorny said:
Rather than playing Vesey in a top 6 role, I'd rather accept we didn't get our true top 6 wing addition and see something like:
Skinner - Eichel - Olofsson
Mittelstadt - TRADE - Reinhart
Sheary - Rodrigues - Vesey
It's still totally salvageable IF we get that TRADE done in a very real way.
Mittelstadt will center. We have other LWs.
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Don’t want Johansson. Give me Nyquist
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13 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:
Fella over at Hockeybuzz who sometimes gets it right is posting that he is hearing a deal with Florida might be happening. McCabe, E-rod, and a pick for Hoffman. May be nothing, of course.
One year of Hoffman for all of that? Saves Florida cap space? Not sure he value is right there
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Nyquist would be a decent alternative to Zucc and Donskoi, assuming they can keep the years down to 3 maybe 4.
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57 minutes ago, TrueBlueGED said:
Bring me Huberdeau!
Great dream, but the NMC I have a hard time seeing being waived.
Trochek is is the only ‘realistic’ guy on their roster without a trade clause that has the salary they need to move, and even then him being ‘realistic’ is a stretch.
Theyre in the division. Just let them burn. Just like Toronto
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7 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
With the addition of Miller the defense has added more O talent and skating, but has it added an improvement on D?
Pilut and Bogo's status is unknown and will be for months. They are possibly out until early next season.
That leaves the healthy D group right now as follows
Dahlin Montour
McCabe Ristolainen
Scandella Miller
Hunwick Nelson
Bogo - IR
This trade is almost a sure indication that Pilut and Borgen are Rochester bound for now. It also doesn't necessary means that Risto is gone as the above depth chart shows, but why acquire two puck moving RD (Montour and Miller) if you don't move on from Risto? The biggest issue with moving Risto is who picks up the physical game with Bogo injured, Borgen in the minors and Risto gone? Also when is Jbot getting us a true defensive defenseman?
Pilot is on IR. He is also a lock for the NHL, worst case just after a short recovery stint because he has that option.
The Miller acquisition does not necessitate a trade, but once Pilut and Bogo heal up, it does. Remember, Krueger and Botterill were very worried in interviews weeks ago about starting the season with, in their words, ‘two of their six defenders on IR’. This trade helps with that on its own.
What it does do is give Botterill a lot of flexibility: If he wants to trade Risto on July 1st, he can do so without having to scramble for scraps to replace him while we wait on the other prospects like Borgen to make their way up. If he doesn’t find the Risto trade he wants, he keeps him. There won’t be a need to trade away the excess defender until November timeframe and they can choose between many options that can all be easily moved for low draft picks if needed. By then camp is over the season has started and it will be easier to make the decision on who to trade or cut. No defenseman on the roster has an albatross multi year contract that can’t be moved or easily buried.
Beyond just the analytics and the player Miller himself, one of the best parts about the trade is the flexibility it gives Botterill going into both next week, but the start of the season as well.
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This is a stopgap to mid season where two players coming off IR will force a trade
Before:
Dahlin-Montour
McCabe-Ristolainen
Scandella-Miller
Nelson
After:
Dahlin-Montour
Pilut-Ristolainen
McCabe-Miller
Scandella-Bogosian-Nelson, two traded for picks
I didn’t even include Hunwick, but either him or Nelson will be waived anyway
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1
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2019-2020 Lineup
in The Aud Club
Posted
Skinner-Eichel-Thompson/Oloffson
Johansson-Mittelstadt-Reinhart
Smith/Sheary-Ruostalainen-Vesey
Girgensons-Larsson-Rodrigues
Okposo