Second Line Center

My take is there is absolutely something wrong with the locker room. I’m no longer buying the “oh they all love each other and hang out all the time.” No longer buying it. And fwiw, with how they’ve played overall - if guys are good with each other, again that’s a problem. If your buddy ain’t getting in your face that’s a massive problem. They can’t possibly be holding each other seriously accountable.

Sure why not…

MacKinnon and Rantanen playing over 28 minutes. They’re the first and second line. I’m not sure I’m buying Colorado as a top 3 favorite for the Cup. Great team. But way too reliant on 3 guys.

Byram 1 point in his last 6 games. He’s already infected. Leadership either behind the bench or on ice needs to change. Won’t happen before June but it’s got to happen.

Maybe maybe not but they absolutely will give him something to build on going in to 2024 most importantly the confidence and that it won’t have been 9 months since his last game when we start in October.

They're reporting he is playing tonight.

Over Skinner absolutely. And I meant 30-40 point winger on a Cup team. I don’t think he plays like he’s 6-6 230 no. Not consistently enough. I guess if our top 2 lines were producing we can live with his lack of offense. But he shouldn’t be getting 17 plus minutes a night. Those are top 6 minutes.

Every time I write his name on a line I think “this isn’t good enough WTH does this guy give me other than 8 goals?” And I may be biased bc currently that “pass” against Detroit is etched into my brain as literally the moment the season ended. It was so bad on a team that makes plenty of mistakes him doing that as a supposed responsible player is just inexcusable to me. He’s going to get 3 million next year. To be reliable defensively. We need a 40-50 point winger that is responsible defensively the only guy right now close to that is Tuch. And my God. If you’re 6-6 and 230 lbs - you need to play like it. I’m sorry. He’s just not remotely nasty and it ticks me off. We don’t need a guy that plays 17 minutes a night currently to suck the offense out of a line. He has 14 points since December 23. 3 million dollars.

Greenway is borderline useless to me. He does some good things as a 3rd line defensive forward. That’s all I got. I’d go: Benson - TT - Tuch JPP - Cozens - Quinn Skinner - Krebs - Greenway Robinson - Jost - Girgenson

Skinner - 12 minutes TOI LOL

Someone posted after last game were something like 5-7 points behind last years team.

Well it’s the Caps who are the problem now they’ve just beaten Vancouver Carolina and Winnipeg in the last week. Washington is winning because their studs are on fire when they needed them most. OV is at 26 goals now. 8 goals in the first 43 games. 8 in his last 5 games. Its over. And we need to seriously ask how that team is doing what they are and we look as painfully mediocre and inconsistent as we do.

It was over when we lost to Detroit last week.

Sure they are - less so Byram and Power - but they’re nowhere near their ceilings and I’m not down on Power like some. This was primed to be a Quinn breakout year - delayed. Just good to see him healthy. Levi, Benson, JJ absolutely still prospects. I didn’t take the question to necessarily mean what 18-20 year olds will help us.

We need to replace a Greenway with a guy built like him but actually plays how he’s built. We need to replace Skinner with a guy that is as skilled as him but tries. Introduce Tage to the Deadlift. Problems solved.

Benson, Quinn, Levi, JJ, Power, Dahlin, Byram

Skinner (9 million per) played 11 minutes. We’re not winning anything or going anywhere so long as he is on the roster. One of your most skilled and highest paid players cannot be one of your laziest. He doesn’t deserve to be singled out - but this dynamic is such a massive problem imo.

I’m going to need to hear UPL call this team out or something.

UPL NOT HAPPY WOW SOME EMOTION

Outscored 5-1 in last 36 minutes.

Greenway has played over 17 minutes Thompson has played 13 Nothing about this team makes sense.

Detroit’s win over Columbus like I said….that will be looked back at as what saved their season when they clinch 8th. F.

Considering what he inherited - big pluses for Adams: Developed UPL - stuck with him Traded for Levi Traded for Byram Traded for Tuch Locked up Tage, Dahlin, Cozens, Power - their best days are coming. Tage I have questions. But he’s at worst a 2C Drafted Benson Drafted Quinn Traded for Greenway Signed Clifton - he’s definitely come on the 2nd half Places where his hands are tied No one wants to come here No one wants Skinner Okposo was coming off a decent year they needed a vet he made the most sense Terry wants Girgenson to stay He wanted to do right by Eichel and Reinhart - but got good return. Kane wasn’t signing here Granato did lead a turnaround - but - fire him? He just signed an extension and.. Bad injury luck we didn’t need this year: Muel, Quinn, Tage, Tuch Levi - would he have stayed at college if there wasn’t some sort of “we’ll give you a shot” deal. We could NOT lose him. His mistakes? Not mixing “toughness” with his youth. We get pushed around. We aren’t good enough to play with skilled veteran teams that are hard on the puck. We lack elite big forwards. Our top forwards can’t take hits and don’t dish any out. They don’t like playing that way or coached not to. This has to be addressed somehow. Greenway is a 4th line PKer on a playoff team. We need to play him in the top 9 because we’re so small and the forwards didn’t play defense Overall grade from me is B- Granato - C

Power is beginning to figure a lot of things out. When he puts it all together this team can become what Vancouver is. We don’t have the elite at forward right now that we do on defense and given where we were 12 months ago that’s stunning.

Vancouver has really played almost mistake free. Completely locked in and well coached. 10 shots. 10.