GDT: Caps at Canes

[LakeLivin]

I call it like I see it. We are squeakign out wins against marginal teams. We're banking points, when we need them, bu this is not a playoff caliber team.

I'm also concerned when patches comes back, that he maybe isn't going to be what we think. I'm still not happy with Burns, and think we should have kept at least one of TDA and Nino. Both were VERY available, especially TDA, and instead we wasted time and space on Bear.

I feel like we were a much better team last year, and this lingering bullshit with the PP is just tiresome. I'm to the point I WANT it to cost them, painfully, glaringly so they HAVE to fix it. But they refuse. Even after it cost us the playoffs, they refuse.

 

[CanesUltimate11]

Assuming that was a feasible play (there's a reason OV has done this to literally every team), you'd essentially turn a 5-on-4 PK into a 4-on-3 PK, which statistically has a higher chance of being scored on anyway. So you're just actively hurting your chances of a successful PK by "stapling a guy to OV's hip."

True, I know statistically the 4on3 has the higher success chance but this is more of a case that since alot of the Caps firepower is out, I think the 4on3 might be less of a threat then letting Ovi setup shop.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

I call it like I see it. We are squeakign out wins against marginal teams. We're banking points, when we need them, bu this is not a playoff caliber team.

I'm also concerned when patches comes back, that he maybe isn't going to be what we think. I'm still not happy with Burns, and think we should have kept at least one of TDA and Nino. Both were VERY available, especially TDA, and instead we wasted time and space on Bear.

I feel like we were a much better team last year, and this lingering bullshit with the PP is just tiresome. I'm to the point I WANT it to cost them, painfully, glaringly so they HAVE to fix it. But they refuse. Even after it cost us the playoffs, they refuse.

Wait, what? Like, you think this is not a top 8 team in the Eastern Conference?

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

For what it's worth:

Burns: 2+5=7 in 9 games
TDA: 2+5=7 in 8 games

The difference is, the narrative is that TDA's off to a great start for Philly and Burns has been off to a slow start in Carolina. If that's true...

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Wait, what? Like, you think this is not a top 8 team in the Eastern Conference?

Confirmation bias is a hell of a drug.

If someone wants to be a TDA fan, the Flyers board is that-a-way.

 

[spockBokk]

With Coghlan being hot garbage so far, I wonder 2 things…

1) Why doesn’t Skjei get a shot at PPQB’ing the 2nd unit? He had 39 pts last year and has 5 already this year. He doesn’t jump out as an offense dynamo, but I think he’d be better than what they’re rolling with now. Also, using Burns/Skjei as the QBs, you could then roll Slavin-Pesce out immediately after the PPs are over for that important “shift after the PP”

2) Anttoni Honka is showing quite well offensively so far on NA ice. He’s very likely still a huge project defensively, but could he be that much worse than Coghlan has been? I wouldn’t mind seeing him get a shot later in the year. Probably wont happen, but wont stop me from wanting to see it.

 

[Tryamw]

View attachment 601670

Well male lions have simple jobs.. Sex toy, Food eater and Fight other males to keep the prior positions..

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I call it like I see it. We are squeakign out wins against marginal teams. We're banking points, when we need them, bu this is not a playoff caliber team.

I'm also concerned when patches comes back, that he maybe isn't going to be what we think. I'm still not happy with Burns, and think we should have kept at least one of TDA and Nino. Both were VERY available, especially TDA, and instead we wasted time and space on Bear.

I feel like we were a much better team last year, and this lingering bullshit with the PP is just tiresome. I'm to the point I WANT it to cost them, painfully, glaringly so they HAVE to fix it. But they refuse. Even after it cost us the playoffs, they refuse.

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

I call it like I see it. We are squeakign out wins against marginal teams. We're banking points, when we need them, bu this is not a playoff caliber team.

I'm also concerned when patches comes back, that he maybe isn't going to be what we think. I'm still not happy with Burns, and think we should have kept at least one of TDA and Nino. Both were VERY available, especially TDA, and instead we wasted time and space on Bear.

I feel like we were a much better team last year, and this lingering bullshit with the PP is just tiresome. I'm to the point I WANT it to cost them, painfully, glaringly so they HAVE to fix it. But they refuse. Even after it cost us the playoffs, they refuse.

What do you like about the team?

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

With Coghlan being hot garbage so far, I wonder 2 things…

1) Why doesn’t Skjei get a shot at PPQB’ing the 2nd unit? He had 39 pts last year and has 5 already this year. He doesn’t jump out as an offense dynamo, but I think he’d be better than what they’re rolling with now. Also, using Burns/Skjei as the QBs, you could then roll Slavin-Pesce out immediately after the PPs are over for that important “shift after the PP”

2) Anttoni Honka is showing quite well offensively so far on NA ice. He’s very likely still a huge project defensively, but could he be that much worse than Coghlan has been? I wouldn’t mind seeing him get a shot later in the year. Probably wont happen, but wont stop me from wanting to see it.

You just described Coghlan with #2 but he has played nhl games, 4 inches taller, and 20 lbs heavier.

 

[Chrispy]

I call it like I see it. We are squeakign out wins against marginal teams. We're banking points, when we need them, bu this is not a playoff caliber team.

I'm also concerned when patches comes back, that he maybe isn't going to be what we think. I'm still not happy with Burns, and think we should have kept at least one of TDA and Nino. Both were VERY available, especially TDA, and instead we wasted time and space on Bear.

I feel like we were a much better team last year, and this lingering bullshit with the PP is just tiresome. I'm to the point I WANT it to cost them, painfully, glaringly so they HAVE to fix it. But they refuse. Even after it cost us the playoffs, they refuse.

They currently don't look like the juggernaut they did at the start of last year.

Then again, they didn't look like that juggernaut at the end of last year either. Given they made a number of changes this year and are still fitting pieces in (Burns for TDA, Pacioretty for Nino, de Haan for Cole, Coghlan for Bear/Smith, Kotkaniemi moving up to fill in Trocheck's role, Necas for whatever the **** that doppleganger was last year), I'm willing to give them some time to work through things.

I've seen mental errors from Burns, but I think he can figure out the system and where he is supposed to be with Slavin. Compare that to TDA being in the right position vs Necas last night and getting undressed like Necas was Aho in the bubble. Harder to fix that.

 

[MinJaBen]

1) Why doesn’t Skjei get a shot at PPQB’ing the 2nd unit? He had 39 pts last year and has 5 already this year. He doesn’t jump out as an offense dynamo, but I think he’d be better than what they’re rolling with now. Also, using Burns/Skjei as the QBs, you could then roll Slavin-Pesce out immediately after the PPs are over for that important “shift after the PP”

Probably because he is not right handed. And he doesn't have a bomb from the point. That seems to be what we are looking for from the PPQB.

What I really want to know why do we have Svech and Necas on the PP at the same time playing their natural sides? Why don't we set each up on their opposite sides so they can better take one-timers and also puts their shots from a straighter angle.

 

[Negan4Coach]

I call it like I see it. We are squeakign out wins against marginal teams. We're banking points, when we need them, bu this is not a playoff caliber team.

I'm also concerned when patches comes back, that he maybe isn't going to be what we think. I'm still not happy with Burns, and think we should have kept at least one of TDA and Nino. Both were VERY available, especially TDA, and instead we wasted time and space on Bear.

I feel like we were a much better team last year, and this lingering bullshit with the PP is just tiresome. I'm to the point I WANT it to cost them, painfully, glaringly so they HAVE to fix it. But they refuse. Even after it cost us the playoffs, they refuse.

I don't feel like they aren't playoff caliber- they'll almost certainly make it in some manner...but I can garun-goddamn-tee everyone that they will not finish with as many points this year as they did last year, and I don't see how they do better in the playoffs with this group than they did last year. Svech finally breaking out, and having Burns doesn't make up for losing 3 key pieces.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I don't feel like they aren't playoff caliber- they'll almost certainly make it in some manner...but I can garun-goddamn-tee everyone that they will not finish with as many points this year as they did last year,

So what you are saying, is that the team won't beat the all time franchise record for points? Way to go out on a limb with a prediction!

In all seriousness, even if they changed zero personnel on the team, finishing with 116 points was going to be a very tall task. Other teams are improving both in the Metro and east overall. There are very few doormats in the east any longer.

8 of the bottom 10 teams in the NHL so far this year are in the west. It probably won't stay that way all season, but IMO a lot of eastern teams are much better this year.

and I don't see how they do better in the playoffs with this group than they did last year. Svech finally breaking out, and having Burns doesn't make up for losing 3 key pieces.

I think it's less about the personnel changes and more about:
1) figuring out the PP
2) figuring out the Special teams
3) having a healthy goalie and healthy team.

 

[MisterDobz]

For what it's worth:

Burns: 2+5=7 in 9 games
TDA: 2+5=7 in 8 games

The difference is, the narrative is that TDA's off to a great start for Philly and Burns has been off to a slow start in Carolina. If that's true...

I hate it when people use actual facts to support a point that isn‘t where my intuition led me…

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

In all seriousness, even if they changed zero personnel on the team, finishing with 116 points was going to be a very tall task. Other teams are improving both in the Metro and east overall. There are very few doormats in the east any longer.

8 of the bottom 10 teams in the NHL so far this year are in the west. It probably won't stay that way all season, but IMO a lot of eastern teams are much better this year.

It's not just about strength of competition, it's just probability. The max you can get is 164, the least is 0. The higher you go last year, the less likely you are to do better this year. Take the top 16 teams from last year and average the difference between this year and last year and it'll be negative. Bottom 16 teams will be positive. It's just the nature of a league designed with parity in mind. I think winning the President's Trophy would rock and I'm not going to pretend I think our chances of doing that are just as high as I did 9 games ago, but at the end of the day it's about April, May, and June. Tampa got swept in the 1st round the year they got 128 points and had 92 points in 70 games the year they won their first Cup. Using regular season points to judge top 5-8 teams in the league isn't really the right way to go about it.

 

[LostInaLostWorld]

I think it's less about the personnel changes and more about:
1) figuring out the PP
2) figuring out the Special teams
3) having a healthy goalie and healthy team.

And to a lesser extent, Turbo missing in action isn't helping much either. Top line not so top to date.

ETA Javis somewhat as well.

 

[Negan4Coach]

So what you are saying, is that the team won't beat the all time franchise record for points? Way to go out on a limb with a prediction!

In all seriousness, even if they changed zero personnel on the team, finishing with 116 points was going to be a very tall task. Other teams are improving both in the Metro and east overall. There are very few doormats in the east any longer.

8 of the bottom 10 teams in the NHL so far this year are in the west. It probably won't stay that way all season, but IMO a lot of eastern teams are much better this year.




I think it's less about the personnel changes and more about:
1) figuring out the PP
2) figuring out the Special teams
3) having a healthy goalie and healthy team.

I think 1-3 were all things that needed to be addressed in the playoffs last year...and subtracting good players from an all time franchise record team was not the way to go, seeing that now the same issues have to be addressed with a different team. There was nothing wrong with that team last year, no reason to go changing things.

 

[Derailed75]

I think 1-3 were all things that needed to be addressed in the playoffs last year...and subtracting good players from an all time franchise record team was not the way to go, seeing that now the same issues have to be addressed with a different team. There was nothing wrong with that team last year, no reason to go changing things.

Oh there were plenty of reason to change things. In fact a couple million reasons. They couldnt have fit Tro, TDA, and Nino under the cap. They all got raises and I think Nino was the only one really thinking he may come back.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

I think 1-3 were all things that needed to be addressed in the playoffs last year...and subtracting good players from an all time franchise record team was not the way to go, seeing that now the same issues have to be addressed with a different team. There was nothing wrong with that team last year, no reason to go changing things.

Plenty of reasons:
Tro didn’t fix of those issues for 3 playoffs. Add in he made plenty of critical mistakes on the pk and his silly penalties causing a bunch of PKs.
DeA’s play fits his pattern of strong in early regular season. As soon as the play gets tight before the playoffs, he becomes a 3rd pairing defender.
Nino didn’t help with the STs issues.

 

[NotOpie]

I believe there are 4 key issues right now.....noting, of course, that I'm in agreement on the special teams thing. Both are pretty poor right now.

But my 4 key things are:

1. Turbo contributing on either offense or defense. He seems to have lost his confidence in both areas. Finding it on either side of the puck, I believe, would help a great deal.
2. Finding an appropriate role for Stastny. He doesn't seem to have a place right now.
3. Solidify the left side on the 3rd pairing. I truly believe most of Coghlan's woes come from playing his off side.
4. Somebody on the top line needs to be able to "make space". Jarvis is clearly being targeted (read: film says to play the guy physically). I think he's up to the challenge, but a bigger body on that line would likely make room for both Aho and Jarvy.

I'm not worried about Kotkaniemi as I believe he'll find his scoring game sooner rather than later (last night was his worst of the season IMO). He just needs to stick with it.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Some thoughts:

League is improved with more parity this year. However, schedules are balanced with less division/conference concentration so that factor should be a positive for our point gathering.

I’m very pleased with Chatfield and believe that the front office will acquire a partner for him near the trade deadline. Hopefully, a banger.

We continue to not meet the profile of a deep run playoff team because we just don’t have that size/toughness (Aho line in particular will get crushed). Front office focus on getting Tkachuk tells me they recognized that too (although we would have lost Necas so I’m not sure that would be a positive). I don’t know what the solution is short of perhaps trading TT in return for a scoring/banging big forward.

PP (24th in League): continues to not show results but IMO they are moving the puck much much better this year. Patches will hopefully be the finishing piece for results.

PK (16th in League): most worrisome. LY’s close to 90% was an aberration (Rags and Bruins demonstrated weakness) but this year is just bad and will be an Achilles heel in the playoffs. I don’t know what the answer is given our current pool of players.

New players: I like Burns and his size will be an asset in the playoffs (TDA was not a net positive in playoffs). Stasny, I thought was washed up last year and see him as a somewhat better Domi-like player. I’d have given Drury a shot on that 4th line.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

There was nothing wrong with that team last year

...except that it couldn't be replicated this year without sacrificing other pieces.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I think 1-3 were all things that needed to be addressed in the playoffs last year...and subtracting good players from an all time franchise record team was not the way to go, seeing that now the same issues have to be addressed with a different team. There was nothing wrong with that team last year, no reason to go changing things.

No team, not even cup champs, keep their teams exactly the same every season. The Cap is one reason, but there are others as well.

The team struggled in the playoffs and failed to meet expectations. That's enough reason to make some changes. The cap is another.

Give it time. Maybe you are right and they'll fail miserably, but the focus should be building for the playoffs, not going 9-0-1 (or whatever they did last year) in October and struggle in the playoffs.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Oh there were plenty of reason to change things. In fact a couple million reasons. They couldnt have fit Tro, TDA, and Nino under the cap. They all got raises and I think Nino was the only one really thinking he may come back.

Nino actually took a pay cut ($5.25 --> $4M). But TDA and Trocheck got raises (as did Necas), and Trocheck got a 7 year deal which is eliminated any chance for Carolina to sign him.

And to a lesser extent, Turbo missing in action isn't helping much either. Top line not so top to date.

ETA Javis somewhat as well.

Sorry I wasn't clear, I was talking to his point about the playoffs.