Around the League '18-'19

[Steve Zissou]

Walk off!

 

[Steve Zissou]

Kings finish pre-season 1-6 and get shutout twice.

Knights finish pre-season 6-1 and score 27 goals.



Looks like a regurgitation of last season is in full swing.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Kings finish pre-season 1-6 and get shutout twice.

Knights finish pre-season 6-1 and score 27 goals.



Looks like a regurgitation of last season is in full swing.

And didn’t the Kings prospects also finish dead last and went winless in the prospects tournament? Credit them for being consistent all throughout camp and preseason. So long as they stick to the system and never try to make any adjustments. Robotic, monotone hockey at its finest.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

It's almost like you guys expect pre-season to mean something and be competitive......just amazing.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

It's almost like you guys expect pre-season to mean something and be competitive......just amazing.

Most of us have been talking about how meaningless it's been for the entire preseason. Hell, judging by outcomes historically, it's almost better to suck in preseason than it is to be amazing.

However, it's also really worrying seeing the coaching spit platitudes about differences all offseason, only to clearly roll out the same old worthless systems, and all the postgame quotes from both coaching and team leadership to boil down to "yeah it would be nice to win, but I don't even know what we're doing wrong." I think it's more than fair to question that given we have a track record that jives with that.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

It's almost like you guys expect pre-season to mean something and be competitive......just amazing.

It’s almost like we’re just looking for a good outing and not remnants of their lackadaisical play from last season. The depths you reach to defend the team is even more amazing.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

It’s almost like we’re just looking for a good outing and not remnants of their lackadaisical play from last season. The depths you reach to defend the team is even more amazing.

Dude, more than half of the games, they were playing kids ffs, guys who were never going to make the team, coming into preseason they only had 1-3 holes to fill, so they were just letting the kids play etc, what kind of outing were you expecting ffs?

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Most of us have been talking about how meaningless it's been for the entire preseason. Hell, judging by outcomes historically, it's almost better to suck in preseason than it is to be amazing.

However, it's also really worrying seeing the coaching spit platitudes about differences all offseason, only to clearly roll out the same old worthless systems, and all the postgame quotes from both coaching and team leadership to boil down to "yeah it would be nice to win, but I don't even know what we're doing wrong." I think it's more than fair to question that given we have a track record that jives with that.

Didn't read any post game quotes etc, but most of the games, they were playing kids, for all of 1-3 spots to fill, it's ludicrous to judge the team based on a preseason that was filled with kids and non rostered PTO playing....

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Didn't read any post game quotes etc, but most of the games, they were playing kids, for all of 1-3 spots to fill, it's ludicrous to judge the team based on a preseason that was filled with kids and non rostered PTO playing....

The kids aren't the ones being critiqued. Guys like Wagner and Anderson-Dolan are being praised, Clague not so much but nobody expected him to make the team anyhow.

The middle of the road guys and some of the veterans on the other hand... you know, the same ones who performed miserably last season carried on with their lackadaisical play through camp. Heaven forbid fans express concern that the team continues to play as they have over the past five years.

I'm not pining hopes that someone has a Ty Rattie like performance in camp and fizzles out, but the lack of cohesion shown on the ice isn't something we're unfamiliar with.

The complaints are that we're witnessing more of the same, vanilla Kings team. Of course this will be TBD, but with Brown now out and opening night four days away, we'll soon find out if they really have changed their approach in the offensive zone.

All summer long we've heard coaching and management talk about tinkering things to open them up for more offensive chances, especially from the middle of the ice. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

The kids aren't the ones being critiqued. Guys like Wagner and Anderson-Dolan are being praised, Clague not so much but nobody expected him to make the team anyhow.

The middle of the road guys and some of the veterans on the other hand... you know, the same ones who performed miserably last season carried on with their lackadaisical play through camp. Heaven forbid fans express concern that the team continues to play as they have over the past five years.

I'm not pining hopes that someone has a Ty Rattie like performance in camp and fizzles out, but the lack of cohesion shown on the ice isn't something we're unfamiliar with.

And here we are back to PRE-SEASON expectations...you apparently expect them to be in mid-season form.....that's not what pre-season is for for veterans etc, it's to get their legs back, their timing back, get into game shape......if this was Mid-October, then sure, your point would be much much more valid......

Everyone seems to be in a hurry to get on the doom and gloom wagon ffs puck hasn't even dropped for regular season yet.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Can't blame the fans for expecting a more exciting brand of hockey after what the organization has been pushing and promoting.

 

[deeshamrock]

Wilson being Wilson...headhunting again, NHL w/in person hearing. Hope he gets the book thrown at him.

Wilson was suspended 3 times last season, including a 3 game stint in the playoffs.

 

[Martyros]

hey, atleast ottawa did well with the Lazar trade.....

 

[deeshamrock]

On waivers today

Sam Gagner _VAN
Connor Carrick, Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard. TOR
Dale Weiss PHI

Shea Weber the new Habs Captain (Gallagher and Byron are the A's)

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

And here we are back to PRE-SEASON expectations...you apparently expect them to be in mid-season form.....that's not what pre-season is for for veterans etc, it's to get their legs back, their timing back, get into game shape......if this was Mid-October, then sure, your point would be much much more valid......

Everyone seems to be in a hurry to get on the doom and gloom wagon ffs puck hasn't even dropped for regular season yet.

But that's not the complaint.

But if you don't believe him and others because you think they're driving the gloom and doom wagon, take it from me, the pilot of the rainbows and sunshine brigade: this team has deep systematic issues. The personnel are fine--fine enough to be a bubble team anyway--but the on ice product is predictable, disjointed, ineffective, and, most importantly, completely bereft of a team identity. The reason this is coming up now in the twilight of the preseason is because with as full a lineup as we'll get before the season starts, instead of seeing a bunch of kids make youthfully exuberant mistakes and vets half-assing their way into game shape, we saw a team with no forecheck, no breakout, and no cohesion whatsoever (except with Brown-Kopitar-Iafallo) which flies completely in the face of Stevens' comments about system adjustments and amping up the pressure. And its fair to be concerned about it even though it's preseason because it was literally the last preseason game, with a full contingent, riding the exact same concerns we all had at the end of last year.

A good Gibson performance made the scoresheet suck but that wasn't the problem. The problem was the on-ice product is DoA.

 

[deeshamrock]

But that's not the complaint.

But if you don't believe him and others because you think they're driving the gloom and doom wagon, take it from me, the pilot of the rainbows and sunshine brigade: this team has deep systematic issues. The personnel are fine--fine enough to be a bubble team anyway--but the on ice product is predictable, disjointed, ineffective, and, most importantly, completely bereft of a team identity. The reason this is coming up now in the twilight of the preseason is because with as full a lineup as we'll get before the season starts, instead of seeing a bunch of kids make youthfully exuberant mistakes and vets half-assing their way into game shape, we saw a team with no forecheck, no breakout, and no cohesion whatsoever (except with Brown-Kopitar-Iafallo) which flies completely in the face of Stevens' comments about system adjustments and amping up the pressure. And its fair to be concerned about it even though it's preseason because it was literally the last preseason game, with a full contingent, riding the exact same concerns we all had at the end of last year.

A good Gibson performance made the scoresheet suck but that wasn't the problem. The problem was the on-ice product is DoA.

That is their biggest issue IMO and something that has plagued them for the last few years. And it has an impact on their games and lack of success.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Didn't read any post game quotes etc, but most of the games, they were playing kids, for all of 1-3 spots to fill, it's ludicrous to judge the team based on a preseason that was filled with kids and non rostered PTO playing....

Here are some of the particularly damning quotes.

Doughty: "I don’t know. We don’t have an answer for anything right now. We don’t know why we lost and why we were so poor this (preseason). But if it’s a chemistry thing, then we’re doing something wrong because we had all camp to create that chemistry."

STevens: "“Tonight we looked slow,” Stevens said. “I don’t know if the schedule caught up with some of the guys. I’ll take responsibility for that. Some guys were asked to play a lot. …
“Whatever the reason is, we need to reset.”"


Drew also going back to the schedule: “That was the hardest camp I’ve ever been a part of. I was absolutely gassed."

It was ridiculous so I can see some of the guys who were going extra hard all week--like Kempe, who played damn near every night--being sloppy, but Drew? the f***? why?


With the rest of the guys too like I said above maybe you can take it as a positive--sucked in the preseason, will learn from it, get better, etc.--but I don't like at all what I saw because it completely contradicts what was said all summer. THAT makes me extremely bitter as well as skeptical. And all the "I don't know"s are really, really troubling for me.

 

[kovacro]

On waivers today

Sam Gagner _VAN
Connor Carrick, Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard. TOR
Dale Weiss PHI

Shea Weber the new Habs Captain (Gallagher and Byron are the A's)

Apparently not on waivers..

https://www.tsn.ca/carrick-not-waived-by-maple-leafs-1.1184090

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Gagner's an interesting one because I thought he was doing (relatively of course) well in Vancouver. What a journeyman.

 

[kovacro]

Jaskin might be of some interest to someone. Lost out to Sammy Blais I suppose.

Transactions - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

 

[deeshamrock]

Gagner's an interesting one because I thought he was doing (relatively of course) well in Vancouver. What a journeyman.

4 teams in the last years, although he did play well in Columbus, I thought. Odd career, he has the tools, but for some reason stability has been an issue. Bouncing around to a new club every year isn't easy.
He's a decent 2/3 liner, for some team, maybe he just needs the right fit. I think the BJ's speed/style was good for him and he was comfortable with the way he was deployed. In Vancouver, he seemed to struggle.
I think on the right team, he'd be a good fit.

 

[deeshamrock]

Apparently not on waivers..

https://www.tsn.ca/carrick-not-waived-by-maple-leafs-1.1184090

apparently because he's not a leaf anymore...

Bob McKenzie reporting he's been traded to Dallas for a 7th round pick

 

[The Tikkanen]

4 teams in the last years, although he did play well in Columbus, I thought. Odd career, he has the tools, but for some reason stability has been an issue. Bouncing around to a new club every year isn't easy.
He's a decent 2/3 liner, for some team, maybe he just needs the right fit. I think the BJ's speed/style was good for him and he was comfortable with the way he was deployed. In Vancouver, he seemed to struggle.
I think on the right team, he'd be a good fit.

Seems like he could improve the Kings 3rd line at the very least and if the Kings are concerned with Carter Gagner could fill the 2C.

 

[kovacro]

apparently because he's not a leaf anymore...

Bob McKenzie reporting he's been traded to Dallas

Better to get something than nothing for him. Couldn't nail down a spot there. Maybe a fresh start does him good.

I'm looking forward to see how Heiskanen does in Big D this year.

 

[deeshamrock]

Seems like he could improve the Kings 3rd line at the very least and if the Kings are concerned with Carter Gagner could fill the 2C.

Yes, he could and he plays wing as well, very versatile. Right now, Kings a bit threadbare at RW.