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Do you believe in Dubas?

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Do you believe in Dubas?

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Stephen said:
Kind of weird how Mrazek and Ritchie were two of the more expensive players acquired through free agency and they’ve been duds while the other Moneyball ish pick ups have fit in a lot better. I think we might still need Mrazek for a stretch here and there as the season wears on - 82 games is a marathon.

I’m not a knuckle dragger but recognize that a Ritchie type is an ingredient we need more of. But Ritchie himself is falling on his face and blowing a pretty good opportunity to get his career on track and to the next level. Even if he just gave us David Kampf energy levels and nothing else he would be better. Guess he’s never really been a gamer in his career and this is just another example of it.
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I am not trying to deflect the concerns with Ritchie, they are valid'ish. He is what he is. This is the exact same player he was in Boston and in Anaheim. We were foolish to think he would magically become the top line winger that he never has been. Pt production aside, Nick has started to play a lot better hockey in the last 10 games. Is it perfect? not even close. Is he worth the 2.5AAV? nope. But he will be useful for us in due time. I am already seeing signs of that coming out.

If it means anything, he is T-4 on the team for HDCF. The puck will eventually start going in for him.

He is not a first line guy, and honestly he's probably not even a top-6 guy. But he can give you a game or 2 in that role when you need a different look or when an injury occurs. The points will start to come for him.

Overall he has easily been the biggest disappointment, I will not debate the contrary. But part of that disappointment was unrealistic expectations IMO.
 
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At this point really wish Dubas had trusted Campbell's ability as a starter and Liljegren's development. Could've kept Kerfoot and McCann (losing Holl).

McCann would replace Ritchie and they would still have a bit of space to go get a decent backup.

Still, the team is doing great so it's really nitpicking at this point. Mrazek is definitely better than he's shown and hopefully Ritchie too.
 
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WillyNy said:
garbage deals
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Garbage take… Mrazek is fine. 3.8/3 for a platoon goalie is very average… did you see what other platoon goalies got in FA this year?
Ritchie’s play has been very uninspiring but at 2.5 if he chips in at the right time when it matters his big body is worth having around.
Curious no mention of Kase Kampf Bunting who are all very much exceeding salary compensation and expectations.
Kerfoot who also gets beat up around here a lot is producing at a high level 5v5 and is also worth every penny.
 
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Twine Tickler said:
I am not trying to deflect the concerns with Ritchie, they are valid'ish. He is what he is. This is the exact same player he was in Boston and in Anaheim. We were foolish to think he would magically become the top line winger that he never has been. Pt production aside, Nick has started to play a lot better hockey in the last 10 games. Is it perfect? not even close. Is he worth the 2.5AAV? nope. But he will be useful for us in due time. I am already seeing signs of that coming out.

If it means anything, he is T-4 on the team for HDCF. The puck will eventually start going in for him.

He is not a first line guy, and honestly he's probably not even a top-6 guy. But he can give you a game or 2 in that role when you need a different look or when an injury occurs. The points will start to come for him.

Overall he has easily been the biggest disappointment, I will not debate the contrary. But part of that disappointment was unrealistic expectations IMO.
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I don’t think expectations were particularly high to begin with. Crash and bang a little bit, chip in with some offense, and be a versatile player. Really just be a top 9 mix and match forward a la Galchenyuk, Bunting, and whatever else we fill out our lines with. But the problem is how do you set expectations for guy who is on pace for 9 points in 82 games? That’s a black hole of production even for a stay at home defenseman. Ritchie is so beyond the curve bad you can’t even blame the GM for it.
 
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Crosscrease14 said:
At this point really wish Dubas had trusted Campbell's ability as a starter and Liljegren's development. Could've kept Kerfoot and McCann (losing Holl).

McCann would replace Ritchie and they would still have a bit of space to go get a decent backup.

Still, the team is doing great so it's really nitpicking at this point. Mrazek is definitely better than he's shown and hopefully Ritchie too.
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I appreciate this take, and have even mentioned it being a preference looking back in hindsight, but just imagine if Lilly or Sandin falters for a ten game stretch, or someone goes down and/or McCann doesn’t produce like he has in Seattle because he’s not getting 1c/PP1 ice time. Kyle would be under so much more scrutiny than he is going this route.
you’re always going to need D.
 
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Nylanderthal said:
Garbage take… Mrazek is fine. 3.8/3 for a platoon goalie is very average… did you see what other platoon goalies got in FA this year?
Ritchie’s play has been very uninspiring but at 2.5 if he chips in at the right time when it matters his big body is worth having around.
Curious no mention of Kase Kampf Bunting who are all very much exceeding salary compensation and expectations.
Kerfoot who also gets beat up around here a lot is producing at a high level 5v5 and is also worth every penny.
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Learn to read. I said those 3 deals were great. The issue with Mrazek is not the AAV but the term - for a team paying 50 million for 5 players, it would be nearly impossible to spend 8-9 million on goalies and run a team with any depth whatsoever
 
Yes..I know playoffs will be the true test.

Just funny what a run of 9-1 can do for everyone in organization. Suddenly everyone fits in like a glove. Everyone doing their thing. Very happy.

Obviously we'll have some downs, but very happy with collective team effort to play as close to a complete game as possible. When they dont, they make sure to come out that way in the next game. Solid attitude boys. Keep it up.
 
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Crosscrease14 said:
At this point really wish Dubas had trusted Campbell's ability as a starter and Liljegren's development
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honestly, Hindsight is always 20/20.

Realistically though, it would have been a massive risk to assume Jack would return to the exact form he showed in the 29 games he played last season, let alone elevate his game. Also Jack has an injury history that could have easily seen him on the shelf in the exact same capacity as Petr early on, so having a reliable 1B is huge. Petr played so well in preseason IMO, I really am not worried about him. As long as Jack can continue to hold the fort down in his absence, all is well. Because I am certain he will likely need to do the same at some point this season.

the Lilly expectation I think should have been there last season IMO. That was far more predictable. His game is so sound and not very risky. Not sure why there was so much hesitancy to assume he wouldn't be able to make the jump full time. He's been so good for so long on the Marlies.

I am fine with the Mrazek signing. I think going forward, we will be able to pay Jack fairly (up to say 5AAV) and roll the dice on our complimentary players being ELC talent.

We can get rid of Holl, Ritchie, and either one of Kerfoot or Mrazek and still be able to resign Kase, Sandin, Lilly and Campbell very comfortably IMO. I'd much rather pay Campbell now, knowing that we feel confident he is our #1 going forward, and roll the dice on hungry youth like Amirov, Steeves, Holmberg, and Robertson to fill the voids left by Ritchie/Micheyev/Engvall. Realistically we are thin as f*** on the Left side as is. Hard to imagine any combo of the 4 young guns listed above can't uphold the play that is currently there TBH.
 
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Stephen said:
I don’t think expectations were particularly high to begin with. Crash and bang a little bit, chip in with some offense, and be a versatile player. Really just be a top 9 mix and match forward a la Galchenyuk, Bunting, and whatever else we fill out our lines with. But the problem is how do you set expectations for guy who is on pace for 9 points in 82 games? That’s a black hole of production even for a stay at home defenseman. Ritchie is so beyond the curve bad you can’t even blame the GM for it.
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I mean, I saw plenty of 25 goal minimum posts in the Ritchie signing thread. It even started to convince me at some point that he might be able to do it.

His pt production at this point does not align with the chances he and his line have created. He's not been good by any means, but I am not going to look too deep into the Pt total TBH.

That will turn around IMO. He has generated enough to suggest that is an outlier. In fact, I am totally fine with his play offensively. My issues with him have been his defensive zone instincts, or lack thereof, and his lack of consistency shift to shift. His effort level and intensity seems to vary so much throughout any given game. But that was something Bruins fans noted all last year, which lead to my hesitancy when we signed him.

I still haven't written him off yet, I am seeing more and more things to like as time has worn on. He is far from perfect, but he can be a very useful player for us
 
Stephen said:
Kind of weird how Mrazek and Ritchie were two of the more expensive players acquired through free agency and they’ve been duds while the other Moneyball ish pick ups have fit in a lot better. I think we might still need Mrazek for a stretch here and there as the season wears on - 82 games is a marathon.

I’m not a knuckle dragger but recognize that a Ritchie type is an ingredient we need more of. But Ritchie himself is falling on his face and blowing a pretty good opportunity to get his career on track and to the next level. Even if he just gave us David Kampf energy levels and nothing else he would be better. Guess he’s never really been a gamer in his career and this is just another example of it.
Click to expand...

The one thing about Ritchie, especially the last few games is that he looks better than his raw stats indicate.

He's making hits, and getting chances in front of the net he just hasn't gotten the right bounces
 
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WillyNy said:
Learn to read. I said those 3 deals were great. The issue with Mrazek is not the AAV but the term - for a team paying 50 million for 5 players, it would be nearly impossible to spend 8-9 million on goalies and run a team with any depth whatsoever
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Mrazeks contract is very easy to move. Especially when healthy.
 
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Menzinger said:
The one thing about Ritchie, especially the last few games is that he looks better than his raw stats indicate.

He's making hits, and getting chances in front of the net he just hasn't gotten the right bounces
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Here’s an interesting philosophical question. If Ritchie needs to turn things around (I agree, lately he has been better) just to be a decent but unproductive player shift to shift, what will his role look like when Mikheyev comes back?

Mikheyev is head and shoulders more impactful but also is a goal scoring black hole. Do you nurture Ritchie in hopes he gives you some superior numbers to Mikheyev or do you just take the better shift to shift performance or a Mikheyev and just write off Ritchie?

Further complicating things, Mikheyev is a UFA and Ritchie is signed for one more year so which player should the Leafs be more invested in. And one more wrinkle, Ritchie is actually one year younger than Mikheyev.
 
ACC1224 said:
Based on?
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His contract & the fact there are always teams looking for goaltending. In the summer getting mrazek for 2x3.8 is going to look more appetizing than the alternatives. Also looking at next summers goalie market there is going to be more teams looking for a 1a/B goalie than there will be quality players to fill the jobs.
 
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ACC1224 said:
Based on?
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Teams always need goalies, and in the grand scheme of things he's on the cheaper side what one would pay a starter

I'm not sure why some folks around here seem to think his recent injury makes him a capdump. Groin injuries are hardly uncommon for goalies.

Look at Andersen. Injuries and poor play over an entire season didn't stop the Canes from shelling out 4.5 mil for him. There's always a buyer
 
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Menzinger said:
Teams always need goalies, and in the grand scheme of things he's on the cheaper side what one would pay a starter

I'm not sure why some folks around here seem to think his recent injury makes him a capdump. Groin injuries are hardly uncommon for goalies.

Look at Andersen. Injuries and poor play over an entire season didn't stop the Canes from shelling out 4.5 mil for him. There's always a buyer
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He’ll have to show he’s healthy and can play.
 
upload_2021-11-17_14-32-59.png


Dubas's standard Limited NTC
 
Not really, they really jumped the gun on Tavares, yolo'd the cap, and are gonna pay the price the next several years. Then again, I never believed there was a Shanaplan either.. it isn't that complicated: draft well, don't blow your cap, augment with FA signings.. but whatever.
 
Buds17 said:
I think they could move him (unless the teams he can veto a trade to are somehow the only ones interested). I don't think there'd be much of a return though beyond the cap space.
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No one is trading for him when he can't get on the ice.
 
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