PerreaultForever

For me, although the trade is arguably even or maybe a win (hard to say since Kesselring is always injured) Adams biggest failure was not getting a solid veteran top 6 forward to play top minutes for Peterka. They were 1 forward away and they are still 1 forward away and as such players play above their level and when injuries hit things are all over the place. For me, you'd have a better team (a much better team) if your healthy line up was more like this: Veteran winger - Thompson - Tuch Zucker - Norris - Doan Benson - McLeod - Quinn/Kulich (whichever plays a better 2 way game) Dunn-Kozak-Malentstyn (couldn't care less what happens to Greenway or Krebs but I guess they are your depth forwards and Danforth is irrelevant) Part of the issue is Quinn has not stepped up to become a good top 6 forward and Benson is still young and developing. Some will argue give it time, but that's the forever argument with them isn't it? To win now they needed that top veteran winger and instead they choose to wait and develop internally and thus we wait, and wait, and wait some more until the next guy leaves and then we wait again.

If they were ALL traded I honestly don't think I'd miss anyone. Not if the team they got was a unit that could win. There are no untouchables here for me. I mean I like Benson and Dahlin is a top player who even has a little nastiness sometimes (which I think would come out more on a different team where he felt truly protected) and Doan and McLeod are okay but if you want to clean house have at it. After all the years of losing I don't think you can do another rebuild and keep Dahlin though. I don't think he'd be on board with another 5 year plan. You could only keep the very young ones.

I will agree that line had it's moments but I actually like Dunn-Kozak-Malentstyn better. I think that's the most effective 4th line combo. I really think Kozak is better than Krebs but I guess the Sabres are still trying to convince us they won the Eichel trade.

I think it has looked bleaker but it's definitely very bleak right now. It will be bleakest when Tuch walks for nothing and Dahlin and/or Thompson asks for a trade.

You know what our GM Pegadams is going to do though right? He's just going to wait for Mrtka.

Nah, get back to battling through it. A little brush on the goalie should be nothing. Only clear indisputable interference called. They want more goals don't they?

Just want to add I think it's clear Thompson is better at center for the way he likes to play so my centers are Thompson, Norris, McLeod, Kozak (because I like Kozak better than Krebs and not playing Kozak in Winnipeg was a weird decision to me)

Because he needs to be paired with a stay at home guy, a defender first, and all we have is puck movers. Samuelsson is the closest but the only one.

Personally I'd rather go back to no challenges, no replays. Just hate the refs when they screw up like we always have and keep playing mistakes and all. All this new video stuff just slows down the game and doesn't really make anybody happy. The old flawed way was better.

Yes, it's always this. Giveaways, turnovers, lost puck battles along with bad net front coverage. Those things lose you games even when you play half decently. My comment on the game is really just same, same. It's always the same. I don't like some of Ruff's line match ups and decisions on who plays and with who but that's nuance not even worth bothering with given the above core problem. Greenway tried to be physical at least. There was that.

Nothing in here is incorrect but the solutions are complicated and that's an off season discussion really. A long one. Some guys don't play good D. Some are inconsistent. Some lack effort. Some just don't want to play that way. So ultimately for me it's about roster construction and lack of leadership. Habs for example have a better constructed roster and maybe the Ducks now do as well. The scoring talent has never been an issue here imo.

I think most of this is true. However I would say they need to swap out some of their young guys for a veteran top 6 winger. Tuch is a situation that is obviously unfortunate if it can't be resolved but it's not a wanted one. It would set them back if he's moved for prospects. Benson right now should be third line imo but I am also confident eventually he plays higher and effectively but it's too much too soon and he's not there and it does cost us.

I believe so yes.

Well at this point in his career I don't think Benson is a legit top 6 forward either. Now don't get me wrong, I like Benson and I like Doan. I think they are the type of players the team has been lacking, but Benson is far from fully developed and Doan is either not fully developed or if he is not quite there. They are imperfect pieces trying to give top lines the missing element. We have a lot of good third liners, but they all end up playing too high in the line up. There's a lot of the "same" on the team.

Is that not the definition of jumping onto a bandwagon? As I've said before I've been burned too many times to get too excited too fast. I also see the fundamental flaws in the make up of the team that underly these things so even when they win a few you can see the cracks are still there and they can be exploited. I truly believe that this team as a whole is not taken very seriously by opposing teams as a whole, by the league as a whole, and if it ever gets to the point that they stop and take notice, scout us properly and watch the videos they will all see how the team is flawed and they will play us accordingly. Our ineptitude always inflates our standings. Nothing has really changed with this team, Nothing. I respect your hope and desire. I get it. Watching winning hockey is fun no matter how they do it. I too enjoy watching wins, I just don't even think about playoffs cause that's folly and heartbreak.

Puppet master Pegula. Fans of other teams that I talk to all agree almost universally that he is a horrible owner, an idiot, and maybe the worst owner in the league. That's not just Bruins fans either. Flyers hate their Comcast ownership but think Pegula is worse. Canucks, Leafs, others. Everybody. It's not just a local thing.

That used to be the old school indicator. Everybody could win at home, but the good teams, the playoff teams, were the ones who could win on the road. It changed a little because originally the rinks were so different in sizes and quirks the home teams truly had home advantage and now uniformity makes that less special but maybe the old adage still applies to some extent.

I knew a girl back in the day that had a big arrow in the center of her lower back pointed down right into the crack and if she bent over in a crop top it was just like an invitation into her pants. Best tattoo I've ever seen in my life.

Nah, I don't do Springsteen imitations. Oh wait, different Jeremy 🙂 (I don't know WGR 550 at all but glad to hear I'm not alone)

Loser points give you too much imo. I really think the league needs to look at a 3,2,1 system. 3 points for a regulation win. 2 points for an OT win and 1 point for the OT loss. I think that might put it back on track for .500 actually meaning .500 but maybe not. I'm just speculating.

Ya, Doan is third line on many teams and 4th line on a really good team. He's playing too far up the line up because we lack veteran Zucker types. So you think Doan is a top 6 guy then? Really?

Just to be clear, I'm not saying YOU need to ignore stats. You do you. I'm just saying stop trying to convert me to your world view. We will never agree and you can throw boomer around as a faux insult or whatever else makes you happy but it's pointless. We see the game differently and always will. You do you, but also let me be me.

You know they will.

and this is why you don't jump on the bandwagon too soon with this team. I'm not surprised by this. It's much like the Boston games were. Philly plays a tight D first system with movement along the boards. Very north south and very in your face and tight. Sabres have not done well against that sort of thing for years and it doesn't change. Too many lost puck battles, bad net front, and sloppy mistakes. Don't blame Ellis, their goals were all dirty or tough to stop efforts. Ellis made some big saves when he had a chance. As many of you know I've been comparing the Philly plan with the Buffalo plan since they started around the same time. This is far from definitive but tonight they were the better team and look like the better plan. I see a better foundation there even if they have less high end skill. Again, far from definitive, but at the moment that's what it is. Refs were a little too active in this game for my tastes but that too is what it is and their PP won out. So ya, back to fire Adams.

Jacob Bryson as the most dominant player in the NHL last week. and people wonder why I pay little attention to stats.