Link67

This isn't about teaching him a lesson, we don't have the luxury of teaching offensive players lessons for a whole season. This is about the Coach's message to the players, this is about merit, and right now based on how well Gallagher and Hudon are playing, and how not well Galchenyuk is playing, it would be an unfair message to either of the other guys to demote them in favor of giving Galchenyuk a piece of cheesecake for his troubles. He has to look good for at least a game or so to earn a swap, this way the other guys in the room can look at the situation like he has had a couple good games but can't get on the board lets see how he does on Line X. You really think trying to get Galchenyuk scoring like he did in 2015 is worth all the background muttering and questioning in the locker room? "Why the hell does this kid get to play up there instead of Gallagher, he hasn't done squat with his ice time, 4 min of PP a night isn't enough?" "Yea, what did Gallagher do other than be one of our best forwards so far to get bumped off that line, poor guy I bet he isn't too happy" those are the kinds of whispers and thoughts that would start bouncing around the locker room if we take the approach of keep giving Galchenyuk everything and anything, deserving or not, to try to get him producing, and screw the other guys. What makes you think Gallagher if healthy and playing like he is with who he is playing with can't score 30? Why is Galchenyuk's potential 30 goals more important than Gallagher's? We still have one that can score 30 up there, and right now Gallagher looks more hungry and more likely to do it. Galchenyuk has to earn it, plain and simple, he has to do the bare minimum to earn it. Because he has a history of being productive, it can be justified pretty quickly, but it cannot happen while he looks as disengaged and as disinterested as he looks now. He has to put together a couple good games of real noticeable solid efforts, production or not, he needs to have scoring opportunities, look hungry and determined, and then it is easy to slide him on a different line, there was merit to the attempt to get him going. There are 12 guys in that forward group who want the most ice time you can get and play with the best players you can play with, giving only one a bone every time regardless of merit will never sit well with them, and that is something that needs to be considered by any coach who wants to be taken seriously by his room.

We can make excuses like these for the kid all we want, heck even I am tempted to fall into the same category about it as you. But when I take a moment and really think about what I watched today, I still saw Danault and Shaw being more in the game, trying to get things done than I did Galchenyuk. He was also the least visible of the 5 on the PP all night, how do I notice Hemsky more than Galchenyuk out there? When I put all this together, I quickly realize Galchenyuk is in a funk, he is not doing much to get out of it, and "penalizing" other players just to attempt to get him going, and I say attempt because even that is no guarantee, it really doesn't make any sense. What do you do tell Gallagher to bounce so Galchenyuk can get his game going? You tell Hudon to get off the Plekanec line so Galchenyuk can get in there? None of that seems fair or right, for a guy who has by his own accord, looked fairly invisible for 2 games. Can't blame your line mates for not being good enough if they are more noticeable than you nearly every shift, can't replace a player on another line who is playing better than you. He has to dust off the cobwebs and looks menacing and noticeable on his own for a game or 2 to at least earn an opportunity to move up the line up. Because right now the only swap I see coming is a swap with Byron if he continues this way,.

Well, to begin, obviously a terrible game all around, some guys really stunk it up tonight. Streit, Benn, and Petry looked like ECHL players at times tonight. And when half your Defense looks that bad, and the other team is firing on all cylinders, you are in for one rough night. Although he is not responsible for the loss, Price did not look like he was in his grove tonight at all. Also noted some poor choices from the bench, Breaking up the Mete - Weber duo just resulted in both players being forced to play handicapped by partners who were literally shitting the bed nearly every shift. Leaving the lines intact even though nothing was happening was also mind boggling, the defense needed to be re arranged after about 4 min, and the offense needed a jump start with a few swaps. Bright spots tonight were far and few in between, but really liked Gallagher's game, and really enjoyed Weber's choke slam on Eller, and.....nope thats it.

While i see your point, It is hard for me to think that if we were not scared to play him nearly 20 min against a team that has Jack Eichel, we will employ him the same way against the Malkins and Ovechkins of this world. Streit will be easily replaced by Schlemko, both in advanced stats and by eye, Schlemko plays a faster game, can generate offence from a 3rd pair and some 2nd wave PP duty. Schlemko is also a stylistic better match for Benn, who plays a rock solid positional game, keeps it simple and efficient, and is usually not guilty of costly turnovers, but will never be the most mobile guy out there. Schlemko will help balance that bottom pair out, allowing for a really nice mix of mobility and efficiency across all the pairings at that point. Either way a Left Handed guy comes out when Schlemko comes back, and it certainly has to be Streit instead of Mete. Whether or not Mete can remain a top pair guy all year while he is in the line up remains to be seen, but either way I take him in my line up, regardless where, over Streit, even at this stage.

I like the scoring options over 4 lines, I am still cringing at Streit being in there based on what I just witnessed all pre-season. I am looking forward to what kind of season Hudon can have, how well Mete can do for us, and how soon Schlemko can come in a bump Streit out of the line up . Overall I am thinking we end up 2nd in the division, and a bottom seeded team in the playoffs, but not struggling much to make it in the top 8. Unless Price or Weber get hurt, then it all goes to hell in a hand basket

good in his first game but then he got hurt

First i'd like to start with, Price will be a wall back there, as he has been for the better part of that last 4 years, so that is a given on any season in which he does not get hurt, problem solved there. Secondly on the gains and losses of the roster, be it defensively and offensively I am in the same boat as most here, we moved around some chips on the table, gained a little here lost a little there, on paper though. And I would like to highlight that fact because there are areas on this team, based on what I have seen in this pre-season that looked poised for internal growth that cannot be measured on paper. It looks like the team will be relatively the same as last season when all the chips lay on the table, on paper, but I have seen possibility for scenario's to occur that actually allow this team to take a decent little step forward. Gallagher for instance, does not look like he will be scoring any less than 20 this year, Plekanec looks like he will be able to produce more than last year with Hudon and Lehkonen as wingers. Hudon, whatever he produces will be a bonus addition over last years offence, Lehkonen looks like he will continue where he left off while playing with Pleky and Hudon. Drouin looks like he will be one heck of a dynamic weapon both on the PP and 5 on 5, could easily eclipse his production from last year, by how much? remains to be seen, but Drouin playing like he is already, looks like a guy who can easily help this PP look more dangerous and more importantly, unpredictable. He has all the tools out there to be a catalyst on the PP in ways Markov never could be due to position restrictions. Drouin slithers around all over the place, he is dangerous in multiple ways and the attention he is going to draw on every PP will help Weber be even more productive from the point imo. So we reach a place where Drouin can be a 60 - 65 point player this season based on what we have seen of him at center thus far, Weber will have more space to fire his laser beam on the PP, both players could end up eclipsing their previous season productions and all the while, our PP has the ability to improve even further. Hell even Shaw looks poised to have a more productive season than last year, Byron will likely take a dip in production but I still see him able to hit the 15 - 18 goal mark based on his play thus far looking every bit the same as last year. So there is a whole bunch of little offensive growth situations lingering around in various pockets of the roster, that if combined could wipe away the production loss of a Radulov and Markov and even possibly increase it compared to last season's output. Now if you factor all these things, toss them in a blender, and add in a sprinkle of bad luck, and eventual injuries, and hit the on button, what you are left with is a nice little blended sauce that might actually taste better than last year's.

Benn remains more capable of playing solid hockey than guys like Streit, Davidson, Morrow, and Gelinas. He had some very solid stretches last season for us and some less solid ones, but the bottom line is Benn has looked good enough to be a #5/6 for us for the majority of his time here. Yes he had a dip in play in the playoffs, but that body of work is 6 games compared to the 20+ prior to it, where he looked every bit the capable bottom pair guy who can give you a solid 18 or 19 min a game. He has also not looked terrible in this pre-season, he has not looked very good, but he looks more disengaged than he does incapable, and that could easily be from pre-season mindset and not from a lack of ability. He has also had some very nice moments in pre-season, he landed a few notable hits so far in the corners that stood out, his pass off the boards to spring Shaw on his breakaway for that backhand beauty against Florida was also very nice and took me by surprise. If he gets into regular season mode, plays simple and solid hockey while showcasing his nasty side a bit and some solid passing. We could easily see Benn playing most of the year like the way he was playing after his trade here, and if that is the case, You will hear no complaints from me, especially at his caphit.

I'll second that with a

boy does Gallagher look poised for a bounce back season or what, 20+ again for this guy if he stays healthy imo.

Drouin was awesome tonight, really liked Mete's game again. I am not going to fall into the trap of getting all worked up about pre-season, we have not iced anything close to our game 1 line up yet. And if Colorado taught me anything last season, its that pre-season records literally don't mean a damn thing.

Just wanted to stop by the thread and express how little hope I have for Joe Morrow to be anything more than a part time NHLer, his game is so incomplete. Some aspects are nice and some are just horrible, and its the kind of good you can't teach, and the kind of bad you can't fix. Gelinas is also lookin better than I thought, interested in seeing how his camp plays out if he keeps going the way he is.

The way I see it... Drouin has a better chance at becoming a superstar forward than Sergachev does at becoming a superstar Defenceman. Therefore in my opinion, regardless of position, we have acquired the player most likely to have a higher impact on this team night after night in the short and long term. Especially during this season and likely the next, where Sergachev has maybe a small chance to become an instant bonafide top 3 guy, but Drouin is very likely to be a very productive Top Center or at the very least top line impact forward.

I'll take a positive outlook on this game.. - Mete, who i was looking forward to watching, did not disappoint, he translated his speed and smarts to the next level. He has all the tools to succeed in today's NHL in the near future. - Jerabek looked like he could get the job done at the NHL level and likely to progress throughout the season. - Drouin looked like a smooth, skilled, top line forward once he got going, his PP play was incredible, he will likely be as pivotal on our PP as Kovalev once was. His ability to do anything with the puck from his spot make it next to impossible to stop for long stretches. He can hurt you with a shot, hurt you with patience, hurt you with passes, he is constantly roving up and down the left side making it very difficult to keep tabs on his next move. - Thought Lindgren looked very good during the time he played. - Hudon looks like a guy who is going to have a solid rookie year, start in the top 9, and possibly move into the top 6 when injuries start creeping in. He looks like a rare case where his talent and ability is so good, he was able to avoid being hindered by the Lefevbre effect, thank god. I see him as this season's Lehkonen, and very similar production potential.

very interested to see how mete looks with Weber, though I love this kids potential, and have watched a lot of him when he comes to Windsor, I still think he is a couple years away from really putting it all together. That said, still want to see how close he is currently against and with some NHL caliber players.

We can thank Pehlps and the Shark for this..

That would be helpful under a very specific set of circumstances. - We don't give up any key roster pieces to get it done - Philly retains some salary otherwise we are just hanging ourselves

I don't mind Danault as a 2C, it is not the best case scenario, but he could do a solid job there without being a major hindering on the roster. However I am absolutely done, and been done with not having a bonafide 1C who is capable of consistent 60+ point seasons.

Hey look I understand where you are coming from, but the bare bones facts are, When the season starts, the guy who is going to be expected to fill the void left by Radulov's departure, is Drouin. So to say he is not replacing him because the trade/signing did not relate to each other is incorrect, Drouin is going to be playing in Radulov's spot next year or now possibly at Center and Galchneyuk will be in his spot. Either way we are replacing Radulov that way, And as I mentioned in that post, I was able to move on from that decision, and I say that because I wasn't thrilled about losing Radulov, and did have to "move on" as you would from a situation you wish didn't have to happen. But I moved on easier from the decision not to over extend on Radulov because I could see the viable pieces in place after the fact that could replace his production. Now on the Markov front, Why I was and still am so upset about it, is that no matter how I look at this, or which way I flip the box around that I am trying to think outside of, we have no replacement. There wasn't even a remotely close option, There was no Drouin on Defense that I could think to myself, well we didn't over extend on Markov because we have player X ready to take on his role, it would be best to use the cap differently. There is none of that, he was necessary on this Blue line at the time we were negotiating, and he is still necessary now a couple weeks away from pre-season. I can understand Bergevin's thinking if he has in his mind a magic number he won't go past with Radulov, because he sees it in his head that well since I have Drouin, If I am going to have to spend 7 mill to keep Radulov, I'd rather replace him with Drouin and use the 7 mill towards a Center. I can get behind that type of thinking because Drouin is a viable replacement at RW, and a Center is a position of need on this club. Is it what he was thinking? I don't know, I hope so, it is what I'd be thinking, and I am just little old me discussing hockey on a forum from my home office. I would also see a potential plan of action in over extending a bit on signing Radulov, 7mill for 5 years, having that top 6 winger depth, to then be able to use one as trade bait for a top 6 center, whether it is a Galchenyuk, or even for the right fish in the pond, a Pacioretty, that would also be another way to acquire a quality Center. What I can't understand in any way shape or form, is not overpaying a little for Markov, who brings offense, the ability to play on the top pair, a PP quarterback, a Leader, and a one of a kind type of player on the roster who could not be directly replaced from within or free agency. Not to mention we lost 3 LD within the organization during the previous 6 weeks, the decision there is baffling. I like to try and stay neutral with Bergevin, give him props when he deserves, give him his lashings when he messes up, and this one is clearly a screw up in my eyes. You just can't justify not getting her done on a deal for Markov when you gut the position he plays during the summer, have no replacement on board, and cannot easily acquire an adequate replacement through other means.

Reeeeeaallly looking forward to see how Reway looks, if he looks pretty close to rehabilitated, I am going to be pretty excited about how his season plays out.

Radulov I was able to move on from, we replaced him with a better and younger player, It would have been nice to have both, but there is ultimately no need to overpay for a 31 year old player long term if you have Drouin in the Hen house. Markov though, that one has bugged me since the first hour, and continues to bug me, we don't have an adequate replacement on that front, and we have done nothing with the cap up to this point anyway so why not give it to him for another year. It would have bought Jerabek a season to learn and adapt to the NHL, and hopefully adequately replace Markov at the end of his journey, properly.

You get the feeling we are heading for a "yep, stupid move" scenario? lol

I don't think he will pan out but there is no harm in trying

I doubt Pittsburgh makes this deal, there are far cheaper 3rd line centers to be had across the NHL, Maatta is a top 4 guy for them, and their defense isn't exactly scaring anyone at this point, why make it even weaker? Its a nice deal for us any angle I look at it, which also means it is likely a bad deal for them.