Speculation: Early Predictions: Who Surprises in Training Camp/Preseason?

[dumbdick]

I know it's so unlikely, but I'd love to see Boucher stay healthy and just light it up this season. He seems to be a Green kind of player too.

 

[Xspyrit]

I think that people who are completely ignoring advanced metrics are getting surpassed by today's game. It could make you think that Hamonic is a better hockey player than Brannstrom for example. If hockey was stopping a puck with the face, then yeah, Hamonic would be the best.

This is who Hamonic makes me think of. He replaced my good friend Chris freaking Tierney that some also defended, for some reason.



"When Armageddon comes, I want to be in a bunker made of that man's face"

He was excellent to start the season last year.

19 pts in first 25 gp, a team-leading +12, and buzzing all over the place.

The problem seems to be that some were kinda expecting him to be able to go balls to the wall like that all season long

If Joseph "was overpaid and overrated" last season, then a bunch of NHL forwards could be described as such, only 137 forwards had more even strength points than him and there's at least 384 forward jobs in the league. Joseph got this from playing 3rd line minutes and makes less than the average NHL salary... so there's something that doesn't compute here

I think it's more the classic fan call of "the player got traded out of my team because he wasn't that good". Like Boud was saying, don't think Joseph was traded because of his on-ice play, he most likely burnt a bridge within the organization. If they moved him because of "pro scouting vs 2.95 AAV", then we got mo' problems incoming.

Its worth pointing out that while Cousins played more games, Joseph got significantly more ice time, and played up the lineup more giving him a better opportunity to put up pts

Not significantly, last 4 seasons, Joseph averaged 11:58 ES TOI/GP while Cousins averaged 11:15

 

[DylanSensFan]

Not to be cheeky but I’ll say Thomas Chabot. If he could skate and dominate like he did at the WJC and be that force skating with the puck on his stick - suddenly you have 2x Norris level Dmen and your team goes from bubble playoff team to a 100 point team who can control play for large parts of games.

Right now the Sens mentality is one more save, one more shot than the other team to win. If they had Sandy and Chabby skating like All-Stars for 82 games the Sens will get 100 points

If Chabot gets his wrist all healed up, then I agree with you. I love Sanderson, but Chabot is an all-star puck carrier when healthy. Those two are going to be what makes this team a playoff contender.

 

[DylanSensFan]

yea but i mean that was wjc and chabot played on a stacked team against weak competition.

it would be nice but i think at this point it's fair to say that Chabot has no norris level to him.

A couple of seasons ago, Chabot looked like fire. He's had a bit of a stint with injuries since then. Maybe we can shelter his minutes more with the oncoming of Sanderson. Therefore, maybe we get that old Chabot back who is less inclined to get injured from being overplayed.

 

[albator71]

Im gonna say Calen Addison and Stephen Halliday, I'm excited to see what they can do.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

I think that people who are completely ignoring advanced metrics are getting surpassed by today's game. It could make you think that Hamonic is a better hockey player than Brannstrom for example. If hockey was stopping a puck with the face, then yeah, Hamonic would be the best.

This is who Hamonic makes me think of. He replaced my good friend Chris freaking Tierney that some also defended, for some reason.

[

did you mention HHOFer Chris Tierney? Is he available?

 

[Tuna99]

If Chabot gets his wrist all healed up, then I agree with you. I love Sanderson, but Chabot is an all-star puck carrier when healthy. Those two are going to be what makes this team a playoff contender.

I think a very easy evaluation of the Sens are making the playoffs is how do the top 2 pairings look after 2-3 games and if they are looking like they can attack and defend both ways and look sturdy then the Sens will Make the playoffs

If they look flat, lack of chemistry, if they struggle to be linchpins the Sens aren’t making the playoffs

To me it’s really that simple

 

[dumbdick]

A couple of seasons ago, Chabot looked like fire. He's had a bit of a stint with injuries since then. Maybe we can shelter his minutes more with the oncoming of Sanderson. Therefore, maybe we get that old Chabot back who is less inclined to get injured from being overplayed.

Chabot's issue isn't injuries or too many minutes. It's his passive style of play and weak decision making.

He's extremely predictable and doesn't press the play offensively.

All the tools but he plays scared.

His go to play in the ozone is "twirl a bit on the blue line, then pass it to a flat footed guy in a low-danger area". Looks great but doesn't advance the play.

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

Chabot's issue isn't injuries or too many minutes. It's his passive style of play and weak decision making.

He's extremely predictable and doesn't press the play offensively.

All the tools but he plays scared.

His go to play in the ozone is "twirl a bit on the blue line, then pass it to a flat footed guy in a low-danger area". Looks great but doesn't advance the play.

Counterpoint: playing through injuries while playing way too much hockey and being asked to do way too much on your own for years can turn you passive and create bad habits

Also, objectively speaking, there are few players who transition the play to offense more efficiently than Chabot. Even when he is at his worst.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1833139449682604498

In terms of players I think from left to right it is:
Tyler Boucher, Mads Sogaard, Max Guennette, Zack MacEwen, Tyler Kleven, Thomas Chabot, Anton Forsberg, Travis Hamonic, Drake Batherson, Ridly Greig, Josh Norris, Jake Sanderson, Noah Gregor, Artem Zub, JBD, Linus Ulmark, David Perron, Claude Giroux, Nick Cousins, Nick Jensen, Jorian Donovan, Zack Ostapchuk and Mike Amadio.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1833139585448071284

https://x.com/i/web/status/1833140732577595720

 

[Blotto71]

Brady on baby-watch and Pinto in Vegas for the NHL media event.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Surprise play will be a player who we think will be good and won’t

 

[Relapsing]

Given the recent news, Chabot... maybe less of a surprise now, and more of exceeding recent expectations.

 

[Bileur]

Whoever wins out on the bottom pair I just hope it’s an actual battle this year. A group of men elevating each other’s game through competition forcing the team to make a hard decision rather than the choice of least terrible option we’ve had at times.

 

[Senscore]

Brady on baby-watch and Pinto in Vegas for the NHL media event.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Hamonic didn’t help Sanderson with shit, he may have hurt him more than helped him. Sandy always had to bail his dumbass out of bad situations. Sanderson is/was too good to need anyone’s help, let alone Hamonic’s.

Sanderson could have gotten more help from an inanimate f***ing object with skates on than Hamonic.

That’s the opposite of what Sandy said during his rookie season.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Sounds like Brady is expecting his first born, any day.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

 

[Micklebot]

Interesting that Chabot said he'd been dealing with the wrist from a couple years now, 2 1/2 years since it's felt 100%.

 

[bicboi64]

man what is it with so many of our key players having played the season with nagging injuries lol

 

[HoweHullOrr]

Interesting that Chabot said he'd been dealing with the wrist from a couple years now, 2 1/2 years since it's felt 100%.

Yes, I heard that a well. Chabot mentioned that it will be nice to start the year healthy and not have to make adjustments in his play due to injury (my summary of what he said btw).

 

[Blotto71]

View attachment 906025

I choose to interpret that as another big FU to Bettman. (And I LOVE it!)