GDT: 2024-2025 Training Camp

[Randy Butternubs]

Quinn gon work his magic, ya'll.

Dude is eminently qualified to fix a powerplay. He's well known for it. "David Quinn" is the watchword among league insiders when it comes to powerplay gurus.

This is most certainly why he got the job. Of course. Only serious hires here on an FSG team.

Quinn-Gon Jinn? That's not magic, that's the force, yo.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

lol at the typo in the caption

 

[Pancakes]

I don't really see the problem with trying Beauvillier with Crosby in training camp. They absolutely should try him there and see if there's any chemistry. They should try a bunch of new players there. They already know how DOC and Rust play with Crosby.

Try different players there now in case something looks better. If it doesn't you can always go back to the normal lines once games get under way. But maybe you stumble on something good by trying new combinations.

 

[GilbertSeinfeld]

Still no net front on the PP and taking weak shots

Sweet, already in midseason form.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I think there is a very, very good chance that Sullivan saw the Hayes acquisition as utterly brilliant because he considers him a great player that they got paid to take.

Sully sees Hayes as the next JC.
Nuff said....

 

[GilbertSeinfeld]

Mike Sullivan is too smart to change his "system."

The players are just too dumb.

 

[SEALBound]

Rust, Sheary, Wilson, Kuhnackl played bottom 6 minutes when called up in ‘15-16.

I don’t see the problem with playing prospects in the bottom 6, especially when we have 3-4 alright options for linemates in Hayes, Lizotte, Eller and potentially OC if he is not in top 6.

Puustinen is a very similar player and profile to Sheary, and more proven than Sheary was when he got the chance.

I just don’t understand why Sullivan has gotten so far away from what worked for him initially.

I think the 2015-16 roster had a lot more positions open. Looking at our depth, we are littered with NHL players in a way we weren't in 2015. Dupuis retired and Porter broke his leg. Then we HS'ed and later traded Plotnikov. Those negatives created the catalyst needed to get those young kids up.

If Rakell retired, Hayes broke his leg, and we traded Acciari - we'd still have Puljujarvi, Poulin, and Puustinen available before we had to dip into Pono, McG, Broz, etc.

An early season priority for Dubas should be "creating room". You jettison Eller, Nieto, Acciari - you now have room for these younger guys if an injury happens. More over, unless one of them is killing it, I'd like to see 2-3 young kids up on rotation and getting games here and there. Basically the "Anti-Harkins Doctrine" and back a little closer to when it was two of Rust, Sheary, Wilson, Kuhnhackl being brought up at a time and rotated.

 

[Pancakes]

I think the 2015-16 roster had a lot more positions open. Looking at our depth, we are littered with NHL players in a way we weren't in 2015. Dupuis retired and Porter broke his leg. Then we HS'ed and later traded Plotnikov. Those negatives created the catalyst needed to get those young kids up.

If Rakell retired, Hayes broke his leg, and we traded Acciari - we'd still have Puljujarvi, Poulin, and Puustinen available before we had to dip into Pono, McG, Broz, etc.

An early season priority for Dubas should be "creating room". You jettison Eller, Nieto, Acciari - you now have room for these younger guys if an injury happens. More over, unless one of them is killing it, I'd like to see 2-3 young kids up on rotation and getting games here and there. Basically the "Anti-Harkins Doctrine" and back a little closer to when it was two of Rust, Sheary, Wilson, Kuhnhackl being brought up at a time and rotated.

How many of those young kids actually made it out of training camp in 2015? As I recall Sheary, Kunhackl, Rust, and Wilson were all mid season call ups. I don't think a single one of them made the roster out of camp.

Which is all to say that I agree with you that creating room for prospects is important but it doesn't necessarily have to be done before game 1. They could take the 15-16 Pens approach and start creating that room later on in the season after seeing what they have in WBS.

Of course if there's guys who like they're ready now, then they should be on the roster now and they shouldn't wait.

 

[SEALBound]

How many of those young kids actually made it out of training camp in 2015? As I recall Sheary, Kunhackl, Rust, and Wilson were all mid season call ups. I don't think a single one of them made the roster out of camp.

Which is all to say that I agree with you that creating room for prospects is important but it doesn't necessarily have to be done before game 1. They could take the 15-16 Pens approach and start creating that room later on in the season after seeing what they have in WBS.

Of course if there's guys who like they're ready now, then they should be on the roster now and they shouldn't wait.

They didn't. They were largely unknowns. Sheary only had an AHL deal for the end of 2015. Rust got like 14 games the season before and was largely forgettable. Kuhnhackl had done very little leading up to that and Wilson I think had a couple games in 2015? Might have been right at the end of the year but did nothing. Point being, I don't think we really "knew" what we had in those kids until Sullivan became the HC and the slots opened up. We were tight against the cap so getting that cheap talent helped.

I don't think it matters when you make the room. As I pointed out, we have like 2-3 guys that can step in before we get to the prospects.

Beau-Sid-Rust
Bunt-Geno-Raks
DOC-Eller-Puustinen
Hayes-Lizotte-Acciari
Poulin-Puljujarvi-Glass

You have Poulin, PoolParty, and Glass available before you get to Pono, McGroarty, Broz, etc. But if you can trade out Eller and Acciari NOW, then perhaps come Dec/Jan, you might be digging into the depth in WBS. Or they may force a chance via merit.

2024 Cup Winning Team that is 2016-esque:

McGroarty-Sid-Rust
Bunting-Malkin-Broz
DOC-Ponomarov-Puustinen
Puljujarvi-Eller-Rakell

Murashov in net

 

[Rakell67]

Probably gonna lose one of Poulin, Puustinen, Puljujarvi to waiver claim.

 

[SEALBound]

Probably gonna lose one of Poulin, Puustinen, Puljujarvi to waiver claim.

Bye Poulin. We hardly knew thee.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

I think the 2015-16 roster had a lot more positions open. Looking at our depth, we are littered with NHL players in a way we weren't in 2015. Dupuis retired and Porter broke his leg. Then we HS'ed and later traded Plotnikov. Those negatives created the catalyst needed to get those young kids up.

If Rakell retired, Hayes broke his leg, and we traded Acciari - we'd still have Puljujarvi, Poulin, and Puustinen available before we had to dip into Pono, McG, Broz, etc.

An early season priority for Dubas should be "creating room". You jettison Eller, Nieto, Acciari - you now have room for these younger guys if an injury happens. More over, unless one of them is killing it, I'd like to see 2-3 young kids up on rotation and getting games here and there. Basically the "Anti-Harkins Doctrine" and back a little closer to when it was two of Rust, Sheary, Wilson, Kuhnhackl being brought up at a time and rotated.

Take advantage of season ending injury to bottom 6 players
I do hope Dubas can be active.

Probably gonna lose one of Poulin, Puustinen, Puljujarvi to waiver claim.

Good bye to one of them.
Though lots go through waivers since they all send players down at the start of the year same time.

Still can't believe we kept Harkins up all year.

 

[Empoleon8771]

A couple of guesses with the depth on the roster:

1. I think the 13th and 14th forwards will end up being Puustinen and Poulin. Makes a lot of sense with Poulin's position flexibility as a sub for anywhere on the 4th line and Puustinen being a top-9 replacement in case of an injury. Based on how the lines are set up from that, I don't really see anyone who makes more sense as a 13th and 14th forward. The other guys challenging for that spot are on very logical WBS top-6 lines while Puustinen and Poulin aren't.
2. McGroarty-Ponomarev-Puljujarvi and Gruden-Broz-Bemstrom is probably WBS's top-6 to start the year. I especially think that Ponomarev line sticks together.
3. Aho's definitely the #7 defenseman based on him sliding to RD to play with Pettersson with Karlsson hurt.

My guess for the NHL roster has already been posted, but my AHL roster guess is:

McGroarty-Ponomarev-Puljujarvi
Gruden-Broz-Bemstrom
Koivunen-Huntington-Andovsky
Hayes-Koppanen-Imama/Johnstone

Shea-Ludvig
Kral-Hollowell
Pickering-Clurman
Belliveau

This definitely won't be the lines 100% because there are AHL guys that I haven't accounted for (guys like Houde), plus I'm pretty sure this is over the AHL veteran limit anyway, but I think this is a pretty good guess on what it will end up looking like.