MarkusNaslund19
Registered User
- Dec 28, 2005
- 5,847
- 8,924
Man did a lot go wrong tonight, and has been for awhile.
One of the problems is that a lot of guys are struggling for understandable reasons (Joshua cancer, Hronek just back after injury, Demko back after long debilitating injury, Boeser concussion, Lekkerimaki has an NHL ELITE shot but isn't ready otherwise), but the whole team is struggling so there's nothing to keep these guys afloat while they regain their timing and confidence.
With that said, Myers looked absolutely chaotic, every single one of Boeser's puck touches was a catastrophe, Petey looked slow, weak, and devoid of confidence, Miller looks like he's (not so) quiet quitting, Demko looks like about the 65th best goalie in the world, Hughes is trying to do too much, DeBrush is mostly invisible, etc etc etc.
---
I think there's still a path here, and I think Willander will make a big difference, but this year might be kind of hooped.
I do think that knowing Willander is coming, and will be a good top 4 did sort of hamstring the team in a funny way into re-signing Myers and then hoping we could get to late March/April (Willander) with a committee of Desharnais, Juulsen, etc. But you just can't cheap out on puck moving to that degree.
Because with Hronek and Willander, it just wouldnt have made sense to give a big contract to Sean Walker or Matt Roy (for example).
I mean, you eliminate our top pairing and Soucy on his (this year rare) good nights, and we have a literal sub 90's expansion team D core in terms of puck moving. It was a brutal miscalculation.
But then there's so much bad luck there too.
Like, every single thing that could go wrong has other than Hughes, Lankinen, Sherwood, and long stretches of Garland.
And yet here we are, battling for 8th with a bunch of teams we have a far higher gear than. So if a few things had gone right, maybe we're comfortably in 3rd in the div, and can sort of hold off until Willander and then deal for the 2nd LD from a position of strength and with a bunch of guys increasing their market value.
-
The big thing to remember, is that we have to think of the long haul and to me, the long haul build includes:
Petey
Probably Lekkerimaki
DeBrusk
Maybe Sherwood
Possibly Garland
Likely Joshua
Hughes
Hronek
Willander
We almost certainly need to move Boeser for assets, and Miller increasingly looks like he has to go.
But we can't move them for less just because it would feel like we finally did SOMETHING.
If we have to suffer a horrible 38 more games and meekly go into the night to create a bidding war for Miller then you probably do it.
This is a year where, even if we figure things out, I think we're a 2nd round out at best. So keep our powder relatively dry and build towards the near future. Like literally next year.
If the unsubstantiated rumor by the guy on this board is true about Tocchet leaving if Miller goes has any truth to it, then he can obviously go too. That would be nonsense hostage taking by a coach in over his head.
Otherwise, reload and see what we can do building for next year.
One of the problems is that a lot of guys are struggling for understandable reasons (Joshua cancer, Hronek just back after injury, Demko back after long debilitating injury, Boeser concussion, Lekkerimaki has an NHL ELITE shot but isn't ready otherwise), but the whole team is struggling so there's nothing to keep these guys afloat while they regain their timing and confidence.
With that said, Myers looked absolutely chaotic, every single one of Boeser's puck touches was a catastrophe, Petey looked slow, weak, and devoid of confidence, Miller looks like he's (not so) quiet quitting, Demko looks like about the 65th best goalie in the world, Hughes is trying to do too much, DeBrush is mostly invisible, etc etc etc.
---
I think there's still a path here, and I think Willander will make a big difference, but this year might be kind of hooped.
I do think that knowing Willander is coming, and will be a good top 4 did sort of hamstring the team in a funny way into re-signing Myers and then hoping we could get to late March/April (Willander) with a committee of Desharnais, Juulsen, etc. But you just can't cheap out on puck moving to that degree.
Because with Hronek and Willander, it just wouldnt have made sense to give a big contract to Sean Walker or Matt Roy (for example).
I mean, you eliminate our top pairing and Soucy on his (this year rare) good nights, and we have a literal sub 90's expansion team D core in terms of puck moving. It was a brutal miscalculation.
But then there's so much bad luck there too.
Like, every single thing that could go wrong has other than Hughes, Lankinen, Sherwood, and long stretches of Garland.
And yet here we are, battling for 8th with a bunch of teams we have a far higher gear than. So if a few things had gone right, maybe we're comfortably in 3rd in the div, and can sort of hold off until Willander and then deal for the 2nd LD from a position of strength and with a bunch of guys increasing their market value.
-
The big thing to remember, is that we have to think of the long haul and to me, the long haul build includes:
Petey
Probably Lekkerimaki
DeBrusk
Maybe Sherwood
Possibly Garland
Likely Joshua
Hughes
Hronek
Willander
We almost certainly need to move Boeser for assets, and Miller increasingly looks like he has to go.
But we can't move them for less just because it would feel like we finally did SOMETHING.
If we have to suffer a horrible 38 more games and meekly go into the night to create a bidding war for Miller then you probably do it.
This is a year where, even if we figure things out, I think we're a 2nd round out at best. So keep our powder relatively dry and build towards the near future. Like literally next year.
If the unsubstantiated rumor by the guy on this board is true about Tocchet leaving if Miller goes has any truth to it, then he can obviously go too. That would be nonsense hostage taking by a coach in over his head.
Otherwise, reload and see what we can do building for next year.
