Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[TopShelfSnipes]

What do you think a team owner does to a coach who moves to bench a player that is an NHL veteran, that takes up a sizeable portion of the cap, that the fans pay to see play, and is also one of the top point producers on the team, because they had a few bad games.

Yes, people, being an NHL veteran with a successful career and tenure will afford you some perks in the league. Just like a lot of jobs IRL!

A good team owner supports the coach if the benching is justified, and says, "I'm not paying this player to play crappy, so yeah...benched."

James Dolan throws a temper tantrum.

 

[Vitto79]

So what lines Laf on tomor?

 

[huerter]

I guess I’d take anything other than Sather yes

Gorton screwing his #1 is debatable
The Johnny Hockey contract will be a time will tell

I don’t want Sather or his “brilliant” theories anywhere NEAR THIS TEAM

EVER

What did time tell on the Panarin contract? Year 1 he was an MVP finalist and year 3 we made the ECF.

Slafkovsky is playing 12 min/g, not producing, and he even has the option of playing in the AHL which Laf did not.

 

[ReddestRum]

A good team owner supports the coach if the benching is justified, and says, "I'm not paying this player to play crappy, so yeah...benched."

James Dolan throws a temper tantrum.

Your little blurb literally translates to a "good" owner paying his high paid player to sit the bench.......

 

[will1066]

So what lines Laf on tomor?

I reckon the kid line gets reassembled and the lines go back to 2 games prior. Only question is whether it's Blais or Gauthier who's in.

 

[Mac n Gs]

I reckon the kid line gets reassembled and the lines go back to 2 games prior. Only question is whether it's Blais or Gauthier who's in.

These were the lines from practice today:


Laf's slotting in on the 3rd line LW with Fil as his C. I don't know if we got an answer on who was sitting for Laf, but Vince mentioned it's likely one of Blais or Brodzinski that's the scratch

 

[huerter]

Yes, because this organization has given me no reason to be optimistic about its ability to develop a young scoring forward in less than a decade. I have been following this franchise for close to 30 years now and cannot remember a scoring forward/high prospect who has ever burst onto the scene with immediate results that sustained it and became a legitimate star.

There has always been this organizational philosophy which many of the fans regurgitate that says, young players have to wait their time, pay their dues, etc. and we are quick to celebrate retreads who come here and exceed expectations but also eager to pile up on skill players. This organization has run more skill players out of town than I can remember. Jagr, Gaborik, the people calling for Panarin's head, but mediocre gritty players can do no wrong which is why this organization's favorite player archetype is the 50 point two way center who fights 1-2 times a year. The Brandon Dubinsky/Ryan Callahan era is indicative of this organization's values, nothing against either of them, but they should not be your main contributors - they are support players.

This organization routinely pays 50 point players to be 70+ point players, and has gotten generationally lucky with Lundqvist and now Shesterkin to hide many of their faults. We are and have been the 1990s Buffalo Sabres (post Mogilny and LaFontaine) for the last 15 years. In recent years, we've modified that to add *ONE* superstar player who can score 70+ points, who is expected to shoulder the entire offensive load, who is always a mercenary paid a huge contract, and who is usually the first person the fans want to get rid of - see Gaborik, Richards, and now Panarin - when they can't produce in the playoffs under much more demanding conditions that require highly skilled linemates or team scoring depth to overcome.

So, to answer your question, Tim Stutzle would have been buried on the depth chart, not seen PP time, had a disappointing rookie season where his defense was bad, and half the fanbase would have been calling for him to be sent to Hartford, a third would be looking to trade him, 10% would want him to see PP time, and the rest would be talking about what over the hill free agent we should sign to bring out his abilities. For the organization, all of those would be considered viable options except additional PP time, and you can roll a dice to see what the organization actually decides.

I have no faith in this organization's ability to develop a top forward prospects until...they develop a top forward prospect into a HHOFer.

Notwithstanding expansion teams (which have only been around for some of my hockey watching history and have had less of a window to do so), I have watched a player from nearly every team grow into a HHOFer and play a significant chunk of games in that organization from the following:
ANA - Kariya
BOS - Neely, maybe Bergeron someday
BUF - Andreychuk
CAL - Iginla
CAR - Francis
CHI - Savard, maybe Kane someday
COL - Forsberg, Sakic
DAL - Modano
DET - Fedorov, Yzerman
EDM - Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, maybe McDavid
FLA
LA - Robitaille, maybe Kopitar someday
MTL
NJ
NYI - LaFontaine
NYR
OTT - Alfredsson
PHI - Lindros
PHO/WPG - Hawerchuk
PIT - Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby someday
SJ
STL
TB - Stamkos, maybe Kucherov someday
TOR - Sundin, maybe Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner someday
VAN - Bure, Sedins
WSH - Gartner, Ovechkin

Notithstanding expansion teams, that leaves: FLA, MTL, NJ, NYR, SJ, and STL.

NJ and STL are the only of those teams that won a Cup in this millenium and NJ did it developing a HHOF goalie, HHOF defenseman (Niedermayer), acquiring another HHOF defenseman (Stevens), building around team defense, and having a forward that is just shy of the HHOF in Elias.

And STL turned Brett Hull into an elite sniper, but I'm not counting him since he started his career in Calgary (same reason I didn't count MSL for Tampa or Thornton for SJ).

So realistically, our "company" in terms of 0 Cups, and 0 HHOF developed forwards, are Montreal, San Jose, and Florida.

There's some debate if you want to omit Florida and San Jose as "expansion teams," but I included Anaheim and Tampa Bay so I had to include them as well.

That leaves us and Montreal. We have 1994. They have 1993.

That's why I have 0 faith in this organization to develop a top forward prospect.

Multiple posters have said we need a Torts type as a coach.

Torts (rightfully) couldn't stand Gaborik's S.

We ran Gaborik out of town.

Get on the same page, donks!

 

[Slaydagnar]

Lots of wasted talk here on a kid that was just mis-scouted.
Do people watch him skate and observe his hockey smarts? He’s a poor choppy slow skater, he looks perpetually gased and out of shape and has a low hockey iq. He shows zero sense for using or establishing open space in the play.
You guys are hilarious and pathetic
That being said I think he can score 0.50 pts per game. He is not and will never be a star ️. He just doesn’t have the tools.

 

[LORDE]

What did time tell on the Panarin contract? Year 1 he was an MVP finalist and year 3 we made the ECF.

Slafkovsky is playing 12 min/g, not producing, and he even has the option of playing in the AHL which Laf did not.

Huh? What's Slaf got to do with this????

You wanna know how Bread's contract is working out? Look at our cap situation and tell me when the next Cup is coming our way.

Laf & Kakko & Chytil were parts that we accumulated through the draft... BUT we also handed Trouba a massive deal... Bread... Goodrow FFS and then this off season Tro.

That is Sather team building. Always chasing what was instead of what will be.

We're going in two directions which means NO direction. We have win NOW players and players who aren't ready. It's the Hank years ALL OVER AGAIN.

f***ING SAD

We should've been patient, built through the draft (you know... how you do it in a cap league) and not taken these dumbass shortcuts. IF you think this is a new conclusion for me, please go back and read any of my posts.

 

[LORDE]

So what lines Laf on tomor?

Was gonna say the line @ Chick-Fil-A but they're closed on Sunday

 

[EdJovanovski]

 

[huerter]

Huh? What's Slaf got to do with this????

You wanna know how Bread's contract is working out? Look at our cap situation and tell me when the next Cup is coming our way.

Laf & Kakko & Chytil were parts that we accumulated through the draft... BUT we also handed Trouba a massive deal... Bread... Goodrow FFS and then this off season Tro.

That is Sather team building. Always chasing what was instead of what will be.

We're going in two directions which means NO direction. We have win NOW players and players who aren't ready. It's the Hank years ALL OVER AGAIN.

f***ING SAD

We should've been patient, built through the draft (you know... how you do it in a cap league) and not taken these dumbass shortcuts. IF you think this is a new conclusion for me, please go back and read any of my posts.

Are Toronto and Edmonton doing it the right way?

 

[Brief Candle]

Lots of wasted talk here on a kid that was just mis-scouted.
Do people watch him skate and observe his hockey smarts? He’s a poor choppy slow skater, he looks perpetually gased and out of shape and has a low hockey iq. He shows zero sense for using or establishing open space in the play.
You guys are hilarious and pathetic
That being said I think he can score 0.50 pts per game. He is not and will never be a star ️. He just doesn’t have the tools.

I don't think he was mis-scouted. The kid was utter FIRE in juniors. You just never know how that'll translate to the NHL. The opposite side of the coin: How many seemingly nobodys have come up to the NHL and become stars? Plenty. I think our seeming bad luck is magnified by how infrequently we get the chance to pick high.

I haven't given up on the kid just yet. I just think he needs to figure out what roll he's going to fulfill.

 

[huerter]

Alexis Labissiere.

 

[LORDE]

Are Toronto and Edmonton doing it the right way?

I'd say they're closer than we are and one of them doesn't have the DRAW of NY city

TOR is a whole other discussion. Tavares was a dumb move for them but at this point I would certainly NOT rule them out of winning their 1st cup since 1967 before we win another one.

 

[ReddestRum]

Alexis Labissiere.

Alexis Labenchedderriere.

 

[will1066]

Lafresgue! Taste the sensation!

 

[huerter]

Alexis Lafrentz

 

[Crossing the rubicon]

I felt that it was pretty weird to be honest that Trochek was automatic to get the Strome spot on the powerplay. I mean why would you assume that he was the best fit since he never played with any of Zibanejad, Kreider, Fox and Panarin?

Does that mean that Laffy or Kakko would automatically succeed in that spot? Nope but at least you would've tried to water the plants a bit.

 

[SA16]

I felt that it was pretty weird to be honest that Trochek was automatic to get the Strome spot on the powerplay. I mean why would you assume that he was the best fit since he never played with any of Zibanejad, Kreider, Fox and Panarin?

Does that mean that Laffy or Kakko would automatically succeed in that spot? Nope but at least you would've tried to water the plants a bit.

Well it seems they were right considering he has 7 PPGs.

 

[huerter]

I felt that it was pretty weird to be honest that Trochek was automatic to get the Strome spot on the powerplay. I mean why would you assume that he was the best fit since he never played with any of Zibanejad, Kreider, Fox and Panarin?

Does that mean that Laffy or Kakko would automatically succeed in that spot? Nope but at least you would've tried to water the plants a bit.

They went to the stick rack and saw that Trocheck and Carpenter had right handed sticks. They then flipped a coin.

Or they probably had offseason meetings and said we are gonna have a hole in the Strome spot on the PP and one of the benefits of signing Trocheck is that he would fit in seamlessly. Which he has. On Dec 29, 2022, former KHL assistant coach Mitch Giguere, in a conversation about the Habs struggling PP, said that the most exemplary PP in the league is the NYR and specifically mentioned Trocheck's utilization.

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

I felt that it was pretty weird to be honest that Trochek was automatic to get the Strome spot on the powerplay. I mean why would you assume that he was the best fit since he never played with any of Zibanejad, Kreider, Fox and Panarin?

Does that mean that Laffy or Kakko would automatically succeed in that spot? Nope but at least you would've tried to water the plants a bit.

why would it be weird? gallant coached him while in florida.

 

[GENESISPuck94]

Scratched, then put on the 3rd line again... and when he doesn't light the world on fire with 12-13 minutes of ice time and no PP time... when will Gallant be held accountable?

 

[huerter]

Scratched, then put on the 3rd line again... and when he doesn't light the world on fire with 12-13 minutes of ice time and no PP time... when will Gallant be held accountable?

No coach in the NBA or NHL has been fired yet this season. When will anyone be held accountable and why should Gallant be first?

Edit: Crap I forgot Nash. Maybe if our best players have a revolt Gallant will be gone. But psst that won't be Laffy.

 

[The New Russian Five]

Scratched, then put on the 3rd line again... and when he doesn't light the world on fire with 12-13 minutes of ice time and no PP time... when will Gallant be held accountable?

He's not exactly doing much to show he belongs in the top 6. At least Kakko shows that he has a pulse.