GDT: Game 8/82 Blues @ Leafs 6PM CST FDSNMW

[Linkens Mastery]

Well here we go, first major injury of the season and it's our #1C. Going to get to see how they go up against Toronto tonight. It's going to be a long season.

Lineups to be added later, I promise this time I won't forget

Click to read more...

 

[TheDizee]

This is probably one of the last times we will be above .500 for the rest of the season.

Cannot wait to see Jordan Kyrou carry the team the next 2 months!

 

[PocketNines]

Blessing in disguise

We need to test and put under duress this mixture of new faces and young talent. And the first half of a season in which the homer color man Jamie Rivers was like "I hope they're still in it with five games to play" and when John Kelly said what about playoffs Jamie? Rivers was like yeah, let's just try to be still technically alive at the 77 game mark ... that is the type of season you want to see this happen if it has to happen, not one where they're real contenders.

If Schenn can't step up which he now has to, it kind of confirms where he is. That's useful to know. If Buchnevich is definitively unable to be a center option, now is a good time to confirm that. If Holloway or Texier or someone like Zach Dean wants to carve out a center role, now is the time to show it. If Bolduc's issue is he is useless on his own, let's find that out now. Let's see what Neighbours does when the top guy goes down, this is quintessential future captain maturity opportunity to put a leadership stamp on the team.

Jordan Kyrou, tonight you match up against Berube without Thomas and you know what Berube thinks you are, can you show you've turned a corner? Now is the stretch to find out if you are worth Thomas money.

We are going to get some real opportunity to evaluate Broberg in the defensive zone, that's something we want to learn about.

We are going to see some Suter pylon follies too, and we will get a real sense of Bannister under duress

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Kessel and Bolduc out, Sunny, Toropchenko, and Perunovich in.

 

[AyeBah]

This lineup is abysmal. What kind of retool plays old ass veterans and scratches the young players. Bannister is a joke

 

[Linkens Mastery]

This lineup is abysmal. What kind of retool plays old ass veterans and scratches the young players. Bannister is a joke

What kind of retool forces young players into higher roles and f***s up their development because another player got hurt when they can just warm body it? I can think of a few like that. And all of them ended with those teams being terrible for a lot longer than they needed to be. Oilers and Sabres are two major ones

 

[Brian39]

What kind of retool forces young players into higher roles and f***s up their development because another player got hurt when they can just warm body it? I can think of a few like that. And all of them ended with those teams being terrible for a lot longer than they needed to be. Oilers and Sabres are two major ones

What, you don't think that Bolduc is well suited to play the bottom 6 shut down, PK role that Sunny will be playing tonight?

 

[Majorityof1]

What, you don't think that Bolduc is well suited to play the bottom 6 shut down, PK role that Sunny will be playing tonight?

I have zero issue with sitting Bokduc for games here and there. So I'm not complaining.

But he could absolutely take a 3rd line role, and limited PK time. If we ever.continuousky sat him for washed vets and no upside stone hands Torop, that would be an issue.

We just assume he can't PK but how woukd he learn if we never give him a chance. We have enough guys left who can PK to sit Sunny or Torp and give Bolduc limited PK time to learn. Faksa, Schenn already PKs a lot, Saad, Buchnevich, M. Joseph, Holloway etc.

Again, I have no issue with sitting a young guy to have him watch, reinforce lessons etc. But saying we need absolutely need Sunqvist for a role nobody else could fill if Bolduc played isn't true.

 

[AyeBah]

What kind of retool forces young players into higher roles and f***s up their development because another player got hurt when they can just warm body it? I can think of a few like that. And all of them ended with those teams being terrible for a lot longer than they needed to be. Oilers and Sabres are two major ones

Those teams had young players everywhere in the lineup, this team has barely a few and none are teenagers. Pretty dumb comparison lmao. The point is nobody knows what a "retool" or whatever this team even is.

 

[LGB]

Yeah it doesn’t look pretty with Thomas out. Sunny playing with Schenn and Saad is an interesting choice. I’ll be surprised if Sunny is even a 4th line caliber player at this point.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1849495698636431724

Sunny isn't playing with Schenn and Saad. Neighbours is.

 

[Brian39]

I have zero issue with sitting Bokduc for games here and there. So I'm not complaining.

But he could absolutely take a 3rd line role, and limited PK time. If we ever.continuousky sat him for washed vets and no upside stone hands Torop, that would be an issue.

We just assume he can't PK but how woukd he learn if we never give him a chance. We have enough guys left who can PK to sit Sunny or Torp and give Bolduc limited PK time to learn. Faksa, Schenn already PKs a lot, Saad, Buchnevich, M. Joseph, Holloway etc.

Again, I have no issue with sitting a young guy to have him watch, reinforce lessons etc. But saying we need absolutely need Sunqvist for a role nobody else could fill if Bolduc played isn't true.

I was too tongue-in-cheek, but my overall point is that that guys going into the lineup while he comes out are playing on the 4th line tonight. They are going to get heavy defensive deployment at 5 on 5, sit on the bench during the PP, and then likely get PK minutes. With the exception of Saad, every winger in the projected top 9 tonight is 28 or younger, so the 'old ass vets' are guys playing roles that Bolduc isn't at all competing for.

I don't want to see Bolduc in the press box all the time, but I'm also fine with him sitting here and there. I'm not wild about how much Bannister seems to like Kappy, but I think he's a decent fit on the projected 3rd line tonight (Joseph-Holloway-Kappy). Holloway just turned 23, has never played a full NHL season, and is getting a shot as a 3C. I understand wanting to give him two mid-20s vets like Joseph and Kappy instead of sticking a 21 year old on his wing when we don't have last change.

Edit: I hope that we keep Schenn off the PK tonight. I'd rather have Faksa, Sunny, and Holloway doing the center lifting on the PK to save Schenn's legs for 5 on 5. We need Schenn to step up in a massive way for the next couple months. We need him to take another few 5 on 5 minutes per game AND play better than he has been. Park him on the bench for PKs to catch his breath and let the bottom 6ers eat those minutes.

 

[TheDizee]

Berube is going to send Kyrou to Suplex City tonight

 

[Celtic Note]

Berube is going to send Kyrou to Suplex City tonight

I think you secretly love Kyrou. He is the player you most reference.