Pimlach

NO. It is not the time to fire the coach. They are 7-7-1. Still very much in the thick of it and actually slightly ahead of last years pace. Firing the coach after 15 games when at .500 is irrational. This is not a winning team in decline, it’s a young team trying to get to another level. Firing the coach is pretty much giving up on the season. Does anyone think that Matty Ellis can do better, cause that is what you will get. Just do not think that Adams is going to bring in a proven vet NHL coach like Gallant. We will get another experiment. The slow start is on Adams IMHO. Granato plays the cards in his hand. Adams brought this roster back. He spent the preseason with extended prospect tryouts resulting in a slow start. Adams made no moves at goalie, sticking with 3. If you want a full regime change, GM and coach, then you do it after this season but Adams and Granato should get another full season Let see were they are at the Holidays. If somehow the team quits on DG and they fall back to the dregs of the league then yes, make a change. But we are not there right now.

What about Gallant?

You can see him at times think/hesitate, and sometimes that is enough to foil a breakout or lose possession, but also many other times he just naturally does the right things - which I would assume is why his analytics are good overall. If we could have got a Pesce type of defensive defenseman to pair with him, or take some of his minutes that would have helped. Adams could not beat the $4M x 6 years offer he got, and/or the player may have had no interest in leaving a Cup contender to join a rebuild. Teams are playing us different this year. There is more pressure on the puck and they are not giving us time and space to create. This team has to learn to fight through it an earn it and get more dirty goals. We need more dimensions to our game.

JJP is listed at 6’ and 189 pounds. He looks much more stout this year and when he is moving he can be a load. Let’s look at his development. At 18-19 he plays a full year in Rochester. Impresses, grows his game, and makes a splash in the playoffs At 19-20 he could have spent more time in the AHL. If he was with the Avs, or Tampa, he may have started the year in the minors. On a weaker team like Buffalo he was able to play in the NHL with youngsters Quinn and Cozens. He needed protected minutes at times but he did a nice job overall. Then he played well in the Worlds. This season at 20-21 he looks to be blossoming. Changes in his physical strength are helping him. Opportunity to play with better veteran players is helping him. Last years experience is helping him. JJP is a rare player that looks to be developing quickly. Now look at Savoie at 19 years and 5’9” and 179. He needs a year in Rochester like JJP had, and I didn’t need to see 4 minutes of NHL play to figure that out. Savoie also has a pretty stout lower body and a frame that can carry more weight. He just needs time, strength and conditioning, and the confidence you get from succeeding in the AHL, a tough and physical league

We covered your paragraph 2 and 3 at length over the off season. The question came up “Did Adams do enough” and I basically voiced the concern in paragraph 3 to a tee. Bringing in a vet middle 6 to replace Quinn would look smart right now. Rebuilding the 4th line would look better too. Apparently he tried to do more, he said he tried for Pesce, a forward, and others. Either Players in their prime still do not want to come here or Adams does not want to pay or block or give up prospects? The premise that this rebuild could fail because the Core is not supported is real and it happened once before. As for paragraph 1, your thoughts on Power are not what I see. I don’t see “struggling badly”. I just don’t. He makes some mistakes, he hesitates to think at times, he plays a lot of minutes (too much probably), but he also does a lot of good. Tough position to play at 20-21. Remember Dahlin at that age? Remember the “is Dahlin Dumb” thread? Power is nowhere near that level of inconsistent and hopefully he never gets that scrambled in the head from lack of support. You struck me as an analyst of data and now you are going against the data. When you consider why the analytics might be wrong, you should also consider why they are correct as well. This team has bigger problems to solve than Owen Power.

He was flinching, uncomfortable, and passing to the wrong team in his 4 minutes of play. It amazes me how some fans here think that Savoie’s tryout was 4 minutes. He has been here 6 months. It’s unfortunate that he can’t play in the AHL. That is the level he is ready for.

We are rehashing some of the most common off-season comments and concerns. Here is a list of them: 1. The new core needs more veteran help, just like the old core did. (Eichel, Reinhart) 2 Young team - we are about the same average age as last year because we added 18-20 year olds and lost a 41 year old. 3. Can you install defense into a system two years after you start? 4. Goaltending not good enough 5. Not enough grit 6. Coaching staff not good enough. 7. Arena and game day experience not good enough. Fans gone, etc Whenever we lose a game, these are the themes. They are valid too. On thing for certain is we aren’t surprising anyone. Teams are ready and aware of who to shut down and how to shut them down. What I can see is that with Tuch out, Quinn out, and Cozens in limbo we are carrying some forwards every night that don’t belong in the NHL - some are too young, some are not good enough. I prefer to complain after the game rather than after the first period of a 1-0 game. See items 1 and 2 above. Last night we played 11 forwards and with Tuch out we could not come up with 2 good lines. This is part of the inconsistency we see. It was a curious decision given how hard it was to beat Minnesota’s back up the night before. My input is to send the kids down, Savoie gone, Benson will be next. Krebs needs the AHL right now but won’t clear waivers. VO is taking up space. Try to make a move or two to improve the middle and bottom 6 if playoffs is the goal. On to the next game. This team is still a work in progress.

It’s not the best time to make moves, that would be the off season. Still, you can see that they are going to have to improve and balance the roster if they are serious about competing. Mitts will be retained.

Yes. I have been posting on this a lot. The bottom 6 adds nothing, it’s more pronounced with a player like Tuch out. Looking at the bottom forwards - Cozens is lost right now, Okposo has lost another step, Krebs not showing any offensive ability, VO is nothing. Girgs is Girgs. VO, or Jost, or Krebs could be losing a spot to Rousek. I think Adams has to address this. Thompson beat the goalie but struck the post, so not counted as a SOG. It looked like he had a few more chances but maybe never registered a shot.

you coached so you should know that in serious competitive leagues you don’t play someone more minutes because his parents flew in or for any reason other than winning. Why would you do it in the NHL? Minnesota was a tough game and we didn’t match up well. It took everything we had to win That is what we want them to do - Win. Not hold tryouts for 1/4 of a season.

Yes, welcome to Sabrespace. We are a tortured fan base.

Absolutely. Choppy game. oh, an empty netter.

This we can agree on tonight. I have been saying that, and I try not to be repetitive on it. Terry doesn’t understand the total product.

Never said that. I said why do you bother watching? You don’t like it.

They said they were putting defensive structure in. Maybe the lack of scoring is a side effect, because they are giving up fewer. Tonight they seem drained. No bounces going our way. Nothing good happening.

Interference on pitts. No call

Terrible call. The guy backs into the slot over a stick. not our night.

Yes, I told the entire city that. Childish response. If you feel this way why bother watching? That is a rhetorical question you don’t have to answer but you should think about.

Well. We really needed to win that period and instead we gave up another late bad goal. It’s going to be a difficult 3rd. He had a few chances but not cashing in.

Why do you watch them? Seriously, why bother?

UPL must be better.

Its 1-0. Guys are quitting early tonight.

Because the road team has been losing and played really good. Lots of time. Period by period. Win the second and let’s see what we can do.

Good PK Hey all you whiners, you are watching a rested home team against a team that played a tough game last night. It’s not gonna be pretty. We will have to steal any points we get tonight. Don’t jump ship.