GDT: Caps Flyers 3pm

[Holtbyisms]

Positives
Cristall was outstanding, our best player. Don't know if he made a bad play once.
Miro gonna have a big year in Hershey if he doesn't make the team.
Mateiko was tremendous too, really impressed.
Parascak looked pretty good. His poor skating seemed exaggerated.
Muggli didn't look bad, didn't like the pick at draft day but he impressed me some.

Negatives
The entire first line was brutal. Lappy and Frank must still be hungover. Felt bad for V. Hopefully he gets some linemates that want to play in the NHL over the next couple games to prove himself.
Allen looked lost out there. Can't count the amount of times he made the wrong read or was just out in space unsure of which player to cover. Looks like an IQ thing, hard to fix that.
HHA wasn't especially good either but pretty sure anyone paired with Allen wouldn't have looked very good.
Shep and Mud weren't very sharp.

 

[wickedwitch]

Positives

Muggli didn't look bad, didn't like the pick at draft day but he impressed me some.

Muggli also looked solid to me. He rarely looked out of place either positionally or with regards to the NHL-level competition. Obviously, the pro experience helps, but there were bunch of other players in red today with pro experience who didn't look as composed.

 

[Marshall]

Not enough from Vrana or Frank I think. Five games left but it'll get late early.

Frank particularly not stood out for me.

 

[um]

I thought Cristall greatly outplayed all of his competition at left wing, even the NHLers.

And it was very refreshing to see him actually move around on the PP, with and without the puck.

Optimism is foolishly high over here.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Frank particularly not stood out for me.

I love Frankie but to be honest having watched both he and Dube play live about 25 games last year I think he's been passed on the undersized goal scoring tweener chart. I was kind of upset when Dube got his shot before Frankie at the NHL level but last year has certainly swayed me. Dube is 3 years younger, plays the game with more of an edge, doesn't disappear for long stretches and showed he's pretty damn tough playing through injury in the playoffs. Franks a bonafide AHL super star but I just don't see anything else from him. His development has peaked.

 

[Langway]

I thought Frank improved his defense last year a bit and certainly had a way better, more consistent playoff run compared to '23. There was some improvement to where maybe things were clicking for him, albeit likely remote at his age. He did lead the Bears in goals during last year's run and perhaps could have been runner-up to Lapierre as playoff MVP. Perhaps.

Lapierre wasn't any good in this one either. One would think the safe money is still on a Milano-Lapierre-Protas third line if they indeed stick with McMichael on the second line LW. But I would at least keep the door ajar for Cristall or Miro if Lapierre doesn't attack this pre-season as though he's got something to prove. Because he still very much does and one would think Carbery will be inclined to feed into that competition as much as the likes of upstarts like Cristall and Miro allow. Not like they can't just shift McMichael to 3C or even see how Protas would fare in that role.