triumph_communes

Mittelstadt is starting to come out. Nice to see. I'm not too worried about him, especially if at 3C instead of 4C minutes this year. Thompson has spark, he deserves promotion to top-9 minutes for now. Oloffson is top-6 material on his shot alone. Skinner started the game lazy, ended the game causing the havoc he enjoys. Chemistry with the different linemates will come. I like Johansson a lot. If he can stay at center, even better. Vesey went back to being invisible. Not bad, but invisible. Eichel started lazy too, but finished fine. It's pre-season and he's a star, I get it. Okposo is done. 4th line or bench for him. Gilmour came to play. He's earned the 7th spot at minimum to my eyes. Scandella is toast. Gilmour probably has passed him honestly. Jokiharju did a lot of stupid things with the puck today. Not his best showing. He's definitely good enough for the NHL, but he has a lot to learn. I liked Miller. I saw nothing bad out of Ristolainen. Maybe reduced minutes really is all the difference. Overall, the players are just playing hockey, not going through the motions of some dingbats system. Tons of puck fumbling, but they haven't played like this in years, and its the guys who have played elsewhere that are better on the puck at the moment. This type of play will require some time for the chemistry to develop. They're at least taking shots now, even if not the best, and making stuff happen. Hope they can keep it up against better competition.

Watching this makes me curious how much they hated playing for Housley. Theyre actually passing and shooting low percentage shots for once. Helps them get into a groove

The order of the lines by the reporters is nothing to look into. They mix it up all the time.

I think Skinner is best suited to play with Eichel OR Reinhart, our best primary passers. I dislike the Eichel-Reinhart duo anyway, as neither ever wants to shoot, and Reinhart takes a backseat when Eichel is out there. I think the 'misuse' of Skinner will be resolved when Eichel and Reinhart get split up. But that's assuming that Johannson can't pass the puck, or Rodrigues can't make plays. Skinner excels at scoring on what I'd call 'broken' plays, and Rodrigues is really good at making weird those things happen on the ice. I'm interested to see how that duo works out.

Montour is out, it's a bit pre-mature to go to this superlative.

Two firsts is two too many. I disliked Skinner but in a way that I still respected his talent. He scored ES goals which this team lacked. He didn’t need PP time and that’s fine we have Eichel and Dahlin to hog the puck. Laine is prims Donna material. Wants more money than Eichel, but only scores on PP? Doesn’t forecheck? Not Swedish? Blegh

They don’t have albatross contracts but they have a lot of money tied up in 2nd line players and NMCs that will make expansion drafts hurt. And everyone knew a 32nd team was coming soon.

Sobotka playing 4th line 23th man isn’t the end of the world. New coach may fix some of his problems. But if people are mad mad because he’s in the way of Asplund then they’re out to pasture. Asplund still is a couple years away on his own.

And Sobotka for Larsson Sheary has had a decent camp

The Eichel-Reinhart popped up again. Worried that’ll cement as a thing. Expect Okposo to blow his chance at top-6 again.

The Reinhart duo is Vesey. Eichel can pass to two finishers. Skinner Jack Oloffson Vesey Johansson Reinhart Mittelstadt-Cozens-Rodrigues

Skinner-Eichel-Oloffson Vesey-Johansson-Reinhart Sheary/Thompson-Mittelstadt-Rodrigues Girgensons/Wilson-Larsson-Okposo/Lazar maybe Mittelstadt goes to wing on 3rd line. Cozens starts as 3C for his preview games.

Smith didn’t get much of a look, but Vesey and Oloffson clearly had him beat so it makes sense. The game was too big for Ruostu

That Oloffson snipe Really wish our top line is: Skinner-Eichel-Oloffson Sheary-Johansson-Reinhart Vesey-Mittelstadt-Rodrigues

I don’t get why people like Asplund he treats the puck like a hot potato. Ruostolainen just feels too too small for this game. Lazar would be an enjoyable 4th liner if injuries hit us. Cozens looks out of it today i haven’t seen much of Vesey but I actually liked what he’s done today. Unlike that first game

The natural Girgensons/Larsson replacement in a couple years?

Yeah, Mittelstadt's actually slowed down and his problems are in his head, not his hands. Either way, if Johansson is playing 2C, then Cozens is battling for 3C, which I don't think is too daunting of a task for an 18yo who plays like he does. Will be interesting to see how he does tonight with/against NHLers

He looks good out there. Fast, Strong, and isn't overwhelmed by the skill level.

Looks like the Ristolainen drama is going to bleed into the start of the season then.

I hope Reinhart doesn't get stapled to Eichel. Reinhart takes too much of a backseat to the play when they're together. All the lines are complete chaos though.

Copp+Roslovic for Risto+Girgensons ???

What I don’t get is analytics people who were saying during the win streak that it was a fluke this is a trash team who also said we need to trade for a 2C at that moment to fix things. Where if the team is trash there is no single fix to it. Our defense and goalies were bad last year too and marginally improved by trade. Trading the farm for another 2C, even if realistic (it wasn’t nobody trades 2Cs), would have been putting all our money on a sick horse. Hypocritical point of view I think.

Girgensons is a better center than winger. Don't @ me I agree about Cozens, but he needs a year or two

Eichel Mittelstadt Rodrigues Sobotka Girgensons Larsson Ruotsalainen Cozens Asplund You've got Mittelstadt and Cozens competing for 2C. We have Many guys competing for 3C/4C. The only problem is that nobody appears ready today to fit in ROR's shoes. If you're waiting on that to happen, you're in dreamland. Could we do better at 2C THIS season? Yes. Did I see a realistic trade or FA signing that I think Botterill missed out on? No. They don't grow on trees.

If Byfugelin retires, they have cap room to make a larger deal out of it.