Speculation: - Camp locks and dark horses | Page 4 | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League
Toggle sidebar

Speculation: Camp locks and dark horses

The Taxman said:
I wish they would just send Lovejoy down. Rather Santini, Butcher and Prout playing over him. All of them are better than him, and Butcher brings what the team needs, offensive skill from the back end.
Click to expand...

It's not going to happen though, unless he's literally costing a goal every time he's on the ice. Best case scenario at this point is that the kids play so well they force Lovejoy down to the third pairing, where he at least won't be exposed as badly.
 
MadDevil said:
It's not going to happen though, unless he's literally costing a goal every time he's on the ice. Best case scenario at this point is that the kids play so well they force Lovejoy down to the third pairing, where he at least won't be exposed as badly.
Click to expand...

I think this is going to end up happening.

Prout has looked good but I don't expect him to be able to sustain good play long term. Santini will eventually take the 2nd pairing spot on the right side.

Butcher I think could use some seasoning in Bingo.
 
I think they may actually keep 8 D to start the season unless all of JQ, Speers, Bratt, McLeod absolutely knock it out of the park. Seems like we always get someone injured in the first weeks of the season.

IR: Zajac Boyle

G: Schneider Kinky

D:
Greene - Severson
Moore - Lovejoy
Mueller - Santini
extra: Prout, Butcher

F
locks:
Palmieri, Hall, Marjo, Rico, Stafford

Near absolute certainty, unless something ridiculous happens or they really want to keep a waiver vet at least to start the season:
Hischier, Zacha

Likely
Wood, Blandisi, Noesen,

Bubble: (3 of the below) If Coleman is hurt, Lappin's stock goes up.
Bratt, JQ, MacLeod, Lappin, Speers, Coleman (latter two because of Zajac)
 
billingtons ghost said:
I think they may actually keep 8 D to start the season unless all of JQ, Speers, Bratt, McLeod absolutely knock it out of the park. Seems like we always get someone injured in the first weeks of the season.

IR: Zajac Boyle

G: Schneider Kinky

D:
Greene - Severson
Moore - Lovejoy
Mueller - Santini
extra: Prout, Butcher

F
locks:
Palmieri, Hall, Marjo, Rico, Stafford

Near absolute certainty, unless something ridiculous happens or they really want to keep a waiver vet at least to start the season:
Hischier, Zacha

Likely
Wood, Blandisi, Noesen,

Bubble: (3 of the below) If Coleman is hurt, Lappin's stock goes up.
Bratt, JQ, MacLeod, Lappin, Speers, Coleman (latter two because of Zajac)
Click to expand...
I think I'd rather have Butcher get 1st pairing icetime in the AHL.
 
billingtons ghost said:
I think they may actually keep 8 D to start the season unless all of JQ, Speers, Bratt, McLeod absolutely knock it out of the park. Seems like we always get someone injured in the first weeks of the season.

IR: Zajac Boyle

G: Schneider Kinky

D:
Greene - Severson
Moore - Lovejoy
Mueller - Santini
extra: Prout, Butcher

F
locks:
Palmieri, Hall, Marjo, Rico, Stafford

Near absolute certainty, unless something ridiculous happens or they really want to keep a waiver vet at least to start the season:
Hischier, Zacha

Likely
Wood, Blandisi, Noesen,

Bubble: (3 of the below) If Coleman is hurt, Lappin's stock goes up.
Bratt, JQ, MacLeod, Lappin, Speers, Coleman (latter two because of Zajac)
Click to expand...

I think with how things are going Hayes may make the team as a 4th liner/extra forward.

Classic Devil said:
I think I'd rather have Butcher get 1st pairing icetime in the AHL.
Click to expand...

Agreed both him and Santini, if Santini isnt in the top 6.
 
Locks: Santini, Nico, Mueller, Blandisi, Noesen

Nice but not their time: Bratt, Bastian

Not sure, either way: Wood, Coleman, Lappin, Butcher

Need more seasoning: Speers, McLeod, JQ,
 
Its a Trap said:
Ben Lovejoy makes 2.6 million against the cap. If outperformed in preseason, I can't see or understand a realistic reason for keeping him in the lineup.
Click to expand...

Ideally he'll be in the press box. Don't see the point in sending him down so that someone else has to sit out games.
 
Its a Trap said:
Ben Lovejoy makes 2.6 million against the cap. If outperformed in preseason, I can't see or understand a realistic reason for keeping him in the lineup.
Click to expand...

He's a Shero signing and would represent the first real mistake of the new regime to dump him now. Hynes will do his utmost to make Shero look good so he can keep his job. It's one thing to tell the owners you have to dump the players Lou left over, it's another to ask them to eat multiple millions of dollars for your mistake. Maybe Lovejoy gets the odd night off spun as a veteran's rest day but unless he gets injured I'd expect he plays until maybe the trade deadline next season.
 
My3Sons said:
He's a Shero signing and would represent the first real mistake of the new regime to dump him now. Hynes will do his utmost to make Shero look good so he can keep his job. It's one thing to tell the owners you have to dump the players Lou left over, it's another to ask them to eat multiple millions of dollars for your mistake. Maybe Lovejoy gets the odd night off spun as a veteran's rest day but unless he gets injured I'd expect he plays until maybe the trade deadline next season.
Click to expand...

Interesting perspective.
 
My3Sons said:
He's a Shero signing and would represent the first real mistake of the new regime to dump him now. Hynes will do his utmost to make Shero look good so he can keep his job. It's one thing to tell the owners you have to dump the players Lou left over, it's another to ask them to eat multiple millions of dollars for your mistake. Maybe Lovejoy gets the odd night off spun as a veteran's rest day but unless he gets injured I'd expect he plays until maybe the trade deadline next season.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's necessarily that as much as Lovejoy is one of those "good soldiers" that a lot of coaches have a weakness for. We saw it with Gionta under DeBoer. Hell, I bet you could go back and look at just about every coach we've had and find a player that was overused.
 
MadDevil said:
I don't think it's necessarily that as much as Lovejoy is one of those "good soldiers" that a lot of coaches have a weakness for. We saw it with Gionta under DeBoer. Hell, I bet you could go back and look at just about every coach we've had and find a player that was overused.
Click to expand...

You can. If you spend time on other boards you find they all have one guy they hate and don't understand why they get ice time.
 
I'll be surprised if Lovejoy is on the team this time next year, and more surprised if he is a fixture in the lineup.
 
My3Sons said:
He's a Shero signing and would represent the first real mistake of the new regime to dump him now. Hynes will do his utmost to make Shero look good so he can keep his job. It's one thing to tell the owners you have to dump the players Lou left over, it's another to ask them to eat multiple millions of dollars for your mistake. Maybe Lovejoy gets the odd night off spun as a veteran's rest day but unless he gets injured I'd expect he plays until maybe the trade deadline next season.
Click to expand...

That'd be even worse than admitting their mistake and sitting him or buying him out, that's piling onto a mistake by not correcting it. Coaches and GM's make these mistakes all the time and it usually turns out better when they move on from those players. If Lovejoy continues his poor pre-season play, or the young guys keep impressing or both, then I'd hope that Shero recognizes that and does what's best for the team.
 
Cheddabombs said:
That'd be even worse than admitting their mistake and sitting him or buying him out, that's piling onto a mistake by not correcting it. Coaches and GM's make these mistakes all the time and it usually turns out better when they move on from those players. If Lovejoy continues his poor pre-season play, or the young guys keep impressing or both, then I'd hope that Shero recognizes that and does what's best for the team.
Click to expand...

The unstated issue is there's not really pressure to win this year. If they were more of a win-now team there'd be more of an urgency to play best player regardless of contract.
 
MadDevil said:
I don't think it's necessarily that as much as Lovejoy is one of those "good soldiers" that a lot of coaches have a weakness for. We saw it with Gionta under DeBoer. Hell, I bet you could go back and look at just about every coach we've had and find a player that was overused.
Click to expand...

I used to always wonder why Lemaire didn't petition to have Rod Pelley and Mark Fraser banished to Siberia. Those guys playing in the NHL at all was overplaying. I remember when Pete was hired and he personally mentioned ''I had Mark Fraser in Kitchener'', I figured we'd be in for even more Fraser.

Luckily, both guys were all but permanently banished upon Pete's arrival, and then traded for Kurtis Foster two months into the season. I tried to not complain about Foster too much after that, just because he permanently got the two scrubs to leave town.
 
NJDevs26 said:
The unstated issue is there's not really pressure to win this year. If they were more of a win-now team there'd be more of an urgency to play best player regardless of contract.
Click to expand...

Of course. And of course there are the politics of Lovejoy being the veteran guy with a strong locker room presence. But it just sets the precedent that no matter how **** he plays or no matter how much better another guy is than him, he'll always get preferential treatment just because he's the veteran. I get it, and it happens league-wide but it's annoying.
 
My3Sons said:
He's a Shero signing and would represent the first real mistake of the new regime to dump him now. Hynes will do his utmost to make Shero look good so he can keep his job. It's one thing to tell the owners you have to dump the players Lou left over, it's another to ask them to eat multiple millions of dollars for your mistake. Maybe Lovejoy gets the odd night off spun as a veteran's rest day but unless he gets injured I'd expect he plays until maybe the trade deadline next season.
Click to expand...
This is the exact opposite of what I expect in a GM. If you made a bad signing, I, as a fan, as more understanding if you admit you're screw up. If you refuse to acknowledge it and keep tossing the bad player out there, that's how you lose fan support.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Latest posts

Ad

Ad

Top Bottom