It’s time we talked about Zemgus.

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Classic jinx thread.

Gooooo Zemgus go! Girgensons, girgensons, he will go on to score tons

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

Eat that Vasilevskiy ya bum. . Don't take this post to serious.

 

[ellja3]

 

[AvroArrow]

Remember when this guy was an all-star how the mighty have fallen

 

[ellja3]

Remember when this guy was an all-star how the mighty have fallen

 

[banks]

The fact that Zem-god was an all-star is one of those funny facts that can win you a game of pub trivia. So I'll never forget him for that. But he's been completely forgettable for years. I even forgot he was playing for Tampa, not BUF.

Glad he got the monkey off his back, I guess.

 

[sr edler]

Nothing against the guy, he's been a decent (and hardoworking) enough defensive forward on some craptastic Sabres teams from the last decade, but Tampa signing Girgs to a 3-year deal seems kinda symptomatic with their general fall from contending grace.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Bro was playing like prime Mario against the Habs

 

[jetsforever]

Came into this thread surprised he was still in the league and doing well but turns out he isn't doing well

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

remember when riley sheahan went 81 games without scoring a goal then scored 2 in game 82

 

[KovalchukFistPump]

I constantly forget he doesn’t play in Buffalo anymore and that he’s still in the league playing somewhere that isn’t in Buffalo.

He was probably the longest tenured 4th line guy to play for the same team for that many years in a very long time.

Being a 1st round pick will do that. I assume he was decent defensively and on the PK? Though with zero playoff games for Buffalo in that period that effectiveness is difficult to quantify.

Question for people: do you think Girgensons is okay career for a 14th overall pick if your team was drafting?

Nothing against the guy, he's been a decent (and hardoworking) enough defensive forward on some craptastic Sabres teams from the last decade, but Tampa signing Girgs to a 3-year deal seems kinda symptomatic with their general fall from contending grace.

Tampa has the second best goal differential in the East. They have bounced back nicely this year.

 

[ellja3]

The fact that Zem-god was an all-star is one of those funny facts that can win you a game of pub trivia. So I'll never forget him for that. But he's been completely forgettable for years. I even forgot he was playing for Tampa, not BUF.

Glad he got the monkey off his back, I guess.

It's crazy that he's (by a not so small margin) highest drafted Latvian to this day - given how meh he is. Maybe Olivers Mūrnieks can change that, let's see.

 

[tsujimoto74]

For the past like 4 years I've been expecting him to get sent to the AHL and then go over to Europe.

Why? He’s excellent at playing low-event hockey *at both ends of the rink*. That’s kind of exactly what you want from a 4th liner since you can’t expect them to score much.

 

[sr edler]

Tampa has the second best goal differential in the East. They have bounced back nicely this year.

The East sucks though.

 

[LordStanlersCup]

The East sucks though.

3rd best in the league

 

[DistantThunderRep]

The East sucks though.

The majority of the worst teams in the west? The East is more competitive? Huh?

 

[JoVel]

The East sucks though.

I want you to sit still when I tell you where their goal difference would rank in the west.

 

[The Macho King]

Why? He’s excellent at playing low-event hockey *at both ends of the rink*. That’s kind of exactly what you want from a 4th liner since you can’t expect them to score much.

This is exactly right.

 

[sr edler]

3rd best in the league

I didn't say they're a bad team, just that they aren't the powerhouse from a few years ago, and IMO not a serious Cup contender. Also, while GD can be quite indicative of team strength it's also not the be-all-end-all. Look at Buffalo for instance, only –14 but couldn't win a game in 13 tries.

Also, 4 of the best 5 teams in the league (Jets, Stars, Oilers, Knights) per points percentage (meaning the ability to win games consistently, not just run up scores in individual contests) are from the West.

 

[LordStanlersCup]

I didn't say they're a bad team, just that they aren't the powerhouse from a few years ago, and IMO not a serious Cup contender. Also, while GD can be quite indicative of team strength it's also not the be-all-end-all. Look at Buffalo for instance, only –14 but couldn't win a game in 13 tries.

Also, 4 of the best 5 teams in the league (Jets, Stars, Oilers, Knights) per points percentage (meaning the ability to win games consistently, not just run up scores in individual contests) are from the West.

Obviously no stat is perfect but I do think GD is one of the better ones. I think there is something to be said for having dominant games and staying competitive in the losses, but yes there are occasional outliers. If Tampa entered the playoffs with their team right now I would tend to agree that they might not be serious contenders(top 5) as the depth just isn't there but they have lots of cap space and assets to spend. Depth is also usually easier to fix than having to add major pieces which are rarely available. If they can solidify their 3rd pair D and add 2 forwards to the bottom 6 as well as gain Howard when his season is over from Mich State, I like their odds. They also have a good future outlook as most of their big pieces are locked up long term at great cap hits.

 

[blankall]

I feel for him. Liked the signing when it happened. Reluctant to call him bad because he still knows how to defend and puts his body on the line, but it's rough, no way around it. Still kills penalties and is kinda physical but there comes a point you have to look at sitting him. Really hope he puts one in soon, there was a time back in the day where I thought this guy would turn into a mainstay reliable middle sixer, jack of all trades type.

He's earned millions of dollars ($18.7 mission t) playing a game... One that he's not especially good at. I don't feel bad for him.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

View attachment 975557

I had to Google his name. Travis Kelce. Apologies.

 

[bov]

He's earned millions of dollars ($18.7 mission t) playing a game... One that he's not especially good at. I don't feel bad for him.

I don't take true pity on the guy for it, but his earnings are irrelevant. Guy works hard and you never want to enter a new environment and fail to produce to an extreme level. You could see the relief, hopefully he's a little more at ease now.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

View attachment 975557

Love this so hard

 

[The Macho King]

Obviously no stat is perfect but I do think GD is one of the better ones. I think there is something to be said for having dominant games and staying competitive in the losses, but yes there are occasional outliers. If Tampa entered the playoffs with their team right now I would tend to agree that they might not be serious contenders(top 5) as the depth just isn't there but they have lots of cap space and assets to spend. Depth is also usually easier to fix than having to add major pieces which are rarely available. If they can solidify their 3rd pair D and add 2 forwards to the bottom 6 as well as gain Howard when his season is over from Mich State, I like their odds. They also have a good future outlook as most of their big pieces are locked up long term at great cap hits.

D will improve when Moser comes back - been without him for a long time. Started off extremely hot.