Player Discussion: Cole Perfetti 10th OA pick

[tbcwpg]

oh so even perfetti put up 3goals or w/e during this past couple games maurice wouldn't have him in

gosh

If you want to take the cynical approach, sure. He played well in Anaheim and less well in San Jose. He didn't score 3 goals so this isn't a question. If he did, perhaps he stays up longer.

This board complains all the time that we've wasted draft picks and if we're draft and develop why aren't we developing better players, but also complains when players get sent down to develop.

 

[LowLefty]

I'm sure it did help him. NHL minutes where always going to help him. That doesn't mean he was put in an optimal spot for a young player of his talents to be put in.

His defensive reads and zone exits were all fine before and during his stint so it's not like 2 games magically told him how to defend better. Actually given how this team defends under Maurice he probably learned bad habits.

Where things fell apart was offensively were both were on different pages and as such didn't click and the team suffered for it.

I'm getting a bit sick of this notion Moe has right now where kids seemingly have to complete some dumb right of passage in roles they aren't suited for before they are eligible to advance. What exactly is he trying to do outside of purposefully makeing his roster less effective. I could understand if we had a full and healthy top 6 and some highly functional PP units.l but no we had suspensions and illness and ineffectiveness in our top 6 and on the pp so it would have been a great time to give him a shot there to see what the kid could do in a role he is being groomed to play. But no we have to trot out pp wizards like Lowry and Nash instead of giving a player who excels on the pp at every level he's played at a shot.

Quite frankly Moe's player integration has gone to shit since he was forced to play the youth in 17-18.

No, there is no magic -
Take my post for what it is - the time spent with Lowry will help him with his NHL D game - and they all need help with that. Cole is no exception.
Just trying to put a positive spin on a situation.

IMO, the Moose is where he will get most of his support on his offensive game - unless you expected him to slot into the top 6 because that is where he the best "fit".
I wasn't trying to set this up as an opportunity for another Mo rant - there's enough of that repeating through most threads on the board already.

And while we're sharing what's on our minds, I'm getting sick of hearing how kids that are in the early stages of pro development, should be moved into top 6 roles because some on the fan base thinks they should.

 

[DRW204]

they're down potentially two top 6 forwards. they have riley nash on the pp. you don't think perfetti will help in those areas?

If you want to take the cynical approach, sure. He played well in Anaheim and less well in San Jose. He didn't score 3 goals so this isn't a question. If he did, perhaps he stays up longer.

This board complains all the time that we've wasted draft picks and if we're draft and develop why aren't we developing better players, but also complains when players get sent down to develop.

 

[surixon]

well it seems like according the post and summary of mauirce's presser, it didnt matter how perfetti performed he was never going to be on the team past last game.

Tells you all you need to know about lack of top 6 and PP time. He must have been pretty scared the few times Cole was out with top 6 players as he generated a grade A chance each time. Couldn't have a couple of goals and look bad when sending him down.

 

[DRW204]

Tells you all you need to know about lack of top 6 and PP time. He must have been pretty scared the few times Cole was out with top 6 players as he generated a grade A chance each time. Couldn't have a couple of goals and look bad when sending him down.

yup. the plan is for him to play in the AHL, no matter how he performed. they didn't want him ripping it up in the top 6 or on the pp, then the pressure would be on.

now we're down 1-2 top 6ers, have riley nash on the pp.... sometimes plans change when you get punched in the mouth. but i guess riley nash is superior to perfetti

 

[tbcwpg]

they're down potentially two top 6 forwards. they have riley nash on the pp. you don't think perfetti will help in those areas?

I think he should've played against Minnesota, definitely, in the PP1 unit and on the top 6. I don't support sitting him for Bad News Beaulieu at all.

I don't mind the overall plan of sending him to the Moose this year to develop. Conspiracy theorizing that they don't want him to succeed in these first games because that will ruin the plan does nothing to help the conversation.

 

[surixon]

No, there is no magic -
Take my post for what it is - the time spent with Lowry will help him with his NHL D game - and they all need help with that. Cole is no exception.
Just trying to put a positive spin on a situation.

IMO, the Moose is where he will get most of his support on his offensive game - unless you expected him to slot into the top 6 because that is where he the best "fit".
I wasn't trying to set this up as an opportunity for another Mo rant - there's enough of that repeating through most threads on the board already.

And while we're sharing what's on our minds, I'm getting sick of hearing how kids that are in the early stages of pro development, should be moved into top 6 roles because some on the fan base thinks they should.

It's all about roster optimization for me that is all.

I mean moving kids right into the top 6 early in their development clearly hurt Montreal last year when Suzuki and Caufield played big roles on that run.

It clearly hurt Tampa when they put Point right into their top 6 at age 20.

Smart teams put players in position to succeed.

If you don't feel he's ready for that role then he should have gone straight to the Moose as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Weezeric]

It's all about roster optimization for me that is all.

I mean moving kids right into the top 6 early in their development clearly hurt Montreal last year when Suzuki and Caufield played big roles on that run.

It clearly hurt Tampa when they put Point right into their top 6 at age 20.

Smart teams put players in position to succeed.

If you don't feel he's ready for that role then he should have gone straight to the Moose as far as I'm concerned.

They missed the playoffs that year…

Suzuki and Caufield have zero points between them so far this year. Maybe they’re not ready to lead a team? Maybe getting thrown in early will hurt their development?

 

[snowkiddin]

The unfortunate part is no matter how many injuries arise in the top 6, I suspect that everyone else with more NHL/AHL tenure would get bumped up, leaving Cole to his 3rd line role.

I’m sure they have Toninato, Poganski, Suess, and Gus ahead of him, possibly in that order.

 

[surixon]

I think he should've played against Minnesota, definitely, in the PP1 unit and on the top 6. I don't support sitting him for Bad News Beaulieu at all.

I don't mind the overall plan of sending him to the Moose this year to develop. Conspiracy theorizing that they don't want him to succeed in these first games because that will ruin the plan does nothing to help the conversation.

I don't have any issue with him going to the Moose, just wished they would have put him in a spot where he could potentially helped this team the first few games, not in a spot and role that was unfamiliar to him.

 

[BoneDocUK]

well it seems like according the post and summary of mauirce's presser, it didnt matter how perfetti performed he was never going to be on the team past last game.

Well, nothing motivates a young gun like the inevitability of demotion.

He just has to put in the hours on learning to play the right way, take care of the details, adopt that shooter’s mentality and hone his locker-room skills, and then he can look forward to a long and insulated career where his on-ice performance is largely irrelevant, a la Beaulieu, our Eternal 7th D.

 

[DRW204]

it's going to probably take a vet to go up to maurice and say "give me the kid" similar to how Buff got Morrissey in the NHL

there's also the possibility that maurice might actually just view perfetti as a bottom-6er. i mean, he thought Mason>Helle, Trouba is LD, KC wasn't fit to be in the nhl in 17-18, Beaulieu/Poolman top-pair, Riley Nash is a top-unit PP option, Laine should be PP2 or net-front....

It's all about roster optimization for me that is all.

I mean moving kids right into the top 6 early in their development clearly hurt Montreal last year when Suzuki and Caufield played big roles on that run.

It clearly hurt Tampa when they put Point right into their top 6 at age 20.

Smart teams put players in position to succeed.

If you don't feel he's ready for that role then he should have gone straight to the Moose as far as I'm concerned.

 

[surixon]

it's going to probably take a vet to go up to maurice and say "give me the kid" similar to how Buff got Morrissey in the NHL

there's also the possibility that maurice might actually just view perfetti as a bottom-6er. i mean, he thought Pavelec, Mason>Helle, Trouba is LD, KC wasn't fit to be in the nhl in 17-18, Beaulieu/Poolman top-pair, Riley Nash is a top-unit PP option, Laine should be PP2 or net-front....

I don't think it will matter next year as I expect unless things get sorted out quickly the coach is gone and if the team comes up short they very well may blow it up.

 

[Tasteless Beaver]

Could Perfetti's bonuses hurt our cap? That's the only acceptable explanation for me at this point.

 

[Romang67]

Could Perfetti's bonuses hurt our cap? That's the only acceptable explanation for me at this point.

I'll share the dirty little secret here:

Beulieau isn't playing as the 7th D while Perfetti first sits and then gets sent down to the A because of cap reasons either.

Perfetti got sent down because Maurice doesn't want him playing in the NHL. There is really no need to overthink this.

 

[surixon]

They missed the playoffs that year…

Suzuki and Caufield have zero points between them so far this year. Maybe they’re not ready to lead a team? Maybe getting thrown in early will hurt their development?

I mean their team lost a bunch of good players I'm not surprised the team has stunk so far. It doesn't take away from what they did last year though. But yes it takes some time to learn how to play tough minutes. I'm sure Suzuki will be fine, Caulfield should probably be on thebsecond line though still.

 

[DRW204]

I don't think it will matter next year as I expect unless things get sorted out quickly the coach is gone and if the team comes up short they very well may blow it up.

it'd be ridiculous to blow this team up w/o trying a new coach first/staff.

how many coaches would want....... a top 10? Fwd Group, Vezina Calibre Goalie, and id say top 16 D personnel (hard to rate since it's been merely 3 games but going off what they've done in previous years).

if they blow it up w/o trying a new coach. i just cant even.

 

[surixon]

Could Perfetti's bonuses hurt our cap? That's the only acceptable explanation for me at this point.

Cole' bonuses helped our cap situation actually. It allowed us eat up more of Little's LTIR cushion then we would have been able to do without him. Thanks to him Heinola and Ves we got to within $29k of the max cushion.

 

[tbcwpg]

I don't have any issue with him going to the Moose, just wished they would have put him in a spot where he could potentially helped this team the first few games, not in a spot and role that was unfamiliar to him.

Definitely agree - not playing him against Minnesota was a huge mistake. Even if you send him down after that game, see what you have. I don't think there's an issue of Plan A for Perfetti going to the Moose this season. We can say he was going to be sent down even if he lit it up in the first couple of games, but the reality is we don't know that he would've, and he didn't light it up, so it's a moot point.

 

[Gm0ney]

it'd be ridiculous to blow this team up w/o trying a new coach first/staff.

how many teams would want....... a top 10? Fwd Group, Vezina Calibre Goalie, and id say top 16 D personnel (hard to rate since it's been merely 3 games but going off what they've done in previous years).

if they blow it up w/o trying a new coach. i just cant even.

Well, you know what they always say: you can't fire the coaches.

 

[DRW204]

I mean their team lost a bunch of good players I'm not surprised the team has stunk so far. It doesn't take away from what they did last year though. But yes it takes some time to learn how to play tough minutes. I'm sure Suzuki will be fine, Caulfield should probably be on thebsecond line though still.

yup
no one is asking perfetti to "lead" this team.

we still have, kc, ehlers, scheifele, pld, stastny... MTL doesn't have that

 

[surixon]

Definitely agree - not playing him against Minnesota was a huge mistake. Even if you send him down after that game, see what you have. I don't think there's an issue of Plan A for Perfetti going to the Moose this season. We can say he was going to be sent down even if he lit it up in the first couple of games, but the reality is we don't know that he would've, and he didn't light it up, so it's a moot point.

Yeah it just strikes me as being afraid of him doing something without knowing if he will or wont. Its also counterproductive as him doing something is good for the team even if you send him down after.

 

[surixon]

it'd be ridiculous to blow this team up w/o trying a new coach first/staff.

how many coaches would want....... a top 10? Fwd Group, Vezina Calibre Goalie, and id say top 16 D personnel (hard to rate since it's been merely 3 games but going off what they've done in previous years).

if they blow it up w/o trying a new coach. i just cant even.

Yeah I know, I'm just frustrated with this group as a whole right now. It's going on 4 years and the same issues over and over again are plaguing this team.

They have been so damn frustrating to watch now since midway through 18-19.

 

[Adam da bomb]

it's going to probably take a vet to go up to maurice and say "give me the kid" similar to how Buff got Morrissey in the NHL

there's also the possibility that maurice might actually just view perfetti as a bottom-6er. i mean, he thought Mason>Helle, Trouba is LD, KC wasn't fit to be in the nhl in 17-18, Beaulieu/Poolman top-pair, Riley Nash is a top-unit PP option, Laine should be PP2 or net-front....

So you are saying Wheeler needs to be a leader?

 

[Jets]

I'll share the dirty little secret here:

Beulieau isn't playing as the 7th D while Perfetti first sits and then gets sent down to the A because of cap reasons either.

Perfetti got sent down because Maurice doesn't want him playing in the NHL. There is really no need to overthink this.

I hate this but it's true. Is Perfetti totally NHL ready in all aspects? Probably not. Is he ready enough to learn on the fly in the NHL? Probably yes. Is he better today offensively than all but 3-4 of our forwards? Also likely.

...but Paul Maurice is on the hot seat this season. The team is cap strapped and likely feeling the heat on the pocket books with the COVID and ticket sales situation. In Paul's mind keeping Perfetti up to grow into a bonafide role isn't the play, he needs his trusty minimal upside Toninatos and Beaulieus to play since they've proven they can at least tread water in the bottom 6/pair - regardless of the fact that Perfetti is a better player now and in future. With his job on the line Perfetti is still just too raw for Paul.