GDT: #40 - 01/03/18 | blackhawks @ RANGERS | 8:00 - NBCSN

[Machinehead]

The Olympics going back to the 70's and early 80's here.

American and Canadian amateurs against a professional Russian all-star team.

 

[Machinehead]

Dreger needs to start watching these WJC games, Woll is the worst player on the team. If we don't win Gold, it'll probably because Motzko refuses to start his better goalies.

USA hockey as a whole is enamored with Woll and I don't get it.

 

[darko]

Trade him please.

Holden?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He's easily a top 4 defenseman in the NHL

He's getting severely overused and still has elite analytics

Not sure I agree, maybe a #4D at his best, but he's been pretty bad lately. I'm not sure we have more than 3 defensemen better than #6D's.

 

[aufheben]

The guy who was getting scratched by the worst defense in the NHL? Wings fans warned us, they said he wasn't as good defensively as the stats indicated.

There were also Wings fans who said he wasn't bad at all, and that people were only so sour on him because thy expected him to replace Lidstrom.

 

[DanielBrassard]

Holden?

Nash, but him as well. And Grabner.

 

[Machinehead]

He's perfectly fine on the middle pairing. Of all the guys that get ragged on, he deserves it the least.

The only guy who deserves it is behind the bench.

We completely revamped the D corps and we're getting the same results.

 

[NYR]

There were also Wings fans who said he wasn't bad at all, and that people were only so sour on him because thy expected him to replace Lidstrom.

C'mon man..He's literally played ONE good week of hockey since the trade.
#Garbage

 

[Machinehead]

Smith's game is predicated on denying zone entries. AV doesn't think blue lines really exist. This system is poison to Smith.

It's poison to everyone, but Smith in particular.

 

[darko]

Nash, but him as well. And Grabner.

Agree. No reason why they can't fetch 2x late 1sts and 2nd/3rd.

 

[BBKers]

The Olympics going back to the 70's and early 80's here.

American and Canadian amateurs against a professional Russian all-star team.

???
Russians have a full elite team in the NHL. This is a farce tournament nonetheless

 

[darko]

Smith's game is predicated on denying zone entries. AV doesn't think blue lines really exist. This system is poison to Smith.

It's poison to everyone, but Smith in particular.

This x 1000

 

[aufheben]

The only guy who deserves it is behind the bench.

We completely revamped the D corps and we're getting the same results.

This team doesn't play defense, they play to outscore the other team.

 

[Machinehead]

Not sure I agree, maybe a #4D at his best, but he's been pretty bad lately. I'm not sure we have more than 3 defensemen better than #6D's.

Well you don't think Shattenkirk is better than a #6, so...

 

[DanielBrassard]

Agree. No reason why they can't fetch 2x late 1sts and 2nd/3rd.

Doubt we get a 1st for a guy on pace for less than 40 points. Not like the Rangers who give up 2 2nds, and a good prospect for Eric Staal.

 

[darko]

C'mon man..He's literally played ONE good week of hockey since the trade.
#Garbage

He was good last season and very good in playoffs.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I don't know about others, but I wouldn't consider anyone other than McD, Skjei, Shatty to be a good NHL defenseman on our roster, and I think the fact that half of our defense are barely NHL defenseman is a big part of why our defense is so bad.

People can blame AV's system, but these players all have big deficiencies. Staal is immobile and is close to as bad offensively as it gets in the NHL, Smith has lapses of concentration defensively and brings no offensive ability, Holden makes mental mistakes all over the ice. Maybe others disagree, but I don't think its all AV's system and the forwards.

 

[DanielBrassard]

The only guy who deserves it is behind the bench.

We completely revamped the D corps and we're getting the same results.

Completely revamped? Not exactly. 5 of the 6 from last season are still here.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Well you don't think Shattenkirk is better than a #6, so...

Literally never said that.

 

[NYR]

He was good last season and very good in playoffs.

He should be applying for unemployment..

 

[mike14]

Which team has an old school GM that loves scorers with size? Nash on the 3rd line on a contending team with some PK with a change in scenery could be monstrous.

Off the top of my head I think he'd be a good fit on LA, but I haven't watched a lot of them lately and am unsure what their bottom 6 looks like

 

[Machinehead]

???
Russians have a full elite team in the NHL. This is a farce tournament nonetheless

Their professional league is still leaps and bounds ahead of what the Americans and Canadians can access overseas, and probably leaps and bounds ahead of the Swedes still playing in Sweden

 

[Harbour Dog]

Smith's game is predicated on denying zone entries. AV doesn't think blue lines really exist. This system is poison to Smith.

It's poison to everyone, but Smith in particular.

This, this, this. I remember looking at the numbers on Smith's zone entry denial (or whatever it is called). He's borderline elite at it. But this system has our D backing so far up they might as well be wearing goalie pads.

 

[Machinehead]

Completely revamped? Not exactly. 5 of the 6 from last season are still here.

4 out of 6 when you consider that Smith was added very late, and we also added a very good RHD that AV just decided is an AHL player because AV.

 

[Gardner McKay]

Smith is so bad it is embarrassing.