Just Not Excited About 2016 / 2017

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Because the team was further along, they sought to replace the older 4th liners with young guys who they severely misjudged (Chaput, D'Amigo). They then went after Campbell due to his postseason success with the Bruins (similar to why they targeted Horton).

They lost time and money by being unable to say "yep, these guys are productive and will continue to be productive for the next few years, we need to keep them."

I'm still not following. It's OK - I can be kinda dim.

 

[Crede777]

I'm still not following. It's OK - I can be kinda dim.

I know you're humoring me, but it comes down to: They were wrong and shouldn't have been. Hindsight is 20/20 but my expectation for their foresight is 19.5/20.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I know you're humoring me, but it comes down to: They were wrong and shouldn't have been. Hindsight is 20/20 but my expectation for their foresight is 19.5/20.

OK but we've moved from an indictment of a plan to saying too many individual moves haven't worked.

I'm also not sure that's a reasonable standard.

I didn't care for many of the moves you're referencing either (particularly Letestu). I'm just not seeing how lamenting a litany of *failed* moves can be automatically read as a *failed* *plan*.

 

[Crede777]

OK but we've moved from an indictment of a plan to saying too many individual moves haven't worked.

I'm also not sure that's a reasonable standard.

I didn't care for many of the moves you're referencing either (particularly Letestu). I'm just not seeing how lamenting a litany of *failed* moves can be automatically read as a *failed* *plan*.

I'm lamenting the failed moves in addition to inconsistencies with an overall plan.

The Mackenzie and Letestu moves, for instance...

Ownership claims they are building "brick by brick." They have two bricks which are currently in place and working (Mackenzie and Letestu on the 4th line). These are two players (in addition to Calvert) who Todd Richards specifically called out as catalysts for the team's success and inherent to the hard working image they were trying to foster.

When Mackenzie's and Letestu's contracts were up, management offered them deals with the understanding that these were final offers and if other teams beat those offers, Mackenzie and Letestu were welcome to leave. Both got better offers and left.

The question is, why didn't management spend a bit more to keep bricks which were working? Perhaps they didn't want to spend ~$1.5 million for 3 years on bottom line players. But this reasoning is directly contradicted by the contract they gave to Jared Boll.

Perhaps they believed that young guys could step in and fill these positions more cheaply. This is a natural event for competitive teams. The Blackhawks, for instance, are leaking secondary and tertiary players in order to maintain the core. JD and JK were wrong here in two regards. First, the guys they selected to replace Mackenzie (Chaput/D'Angelo) were not nearly good enough. Second, Columbus was not actually a competitive (playoff) team following the departure of those players.

But regardless, JK and JD implied a youth movement was underway on the 4th line. This movement, however, fizzled out. So they instead shifted gears and brought in veteran Geoffrey Campbell who had experience on Boston's playoff teams.

It's this gear shift in addition to the mistakes which I find questionable. And that's how I see the Mackenzie / Letestu situations fitting into the mishaps with Horton and Gaborik.

Can we agree that there's currently a youth movement going on at right wing? We're bringing in Bjorkstrand and Anderson (among potentially others). What if those two players don't work out and the team goes out and gets an expensive veteran right winger? Would I be right to be apprehensive about management's ability to select a plan and then stick with it?

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I'm lamenting the failed moves in addition to inconsistencies with an overall plan.

The Mackenzie and Letestu moves, for instance...

Ownership claims they are building "brick by brick." They have two bricks which are currently in place and working (Mackenzie and Letestu on the 4th line). These are two players (in addition to Calvert) who Todd Richards specifically called out as catalysts for the team's success and inherent to the hard working image they were trying to foster.

When Mackenzie's and Letestu's contracts were up, management offered them deals with the understanding that these were final offers and if other teams beat those offers, Mackenzie and Letestu were welcome to leave. Both got better offers and left.

The question is, why didn't management spend a bit more to keep bricks which were working? Perhaps they didn't want to spend ~$1.5 million for 3 years on bottom line players. But this reasoning is directly contradicted by the contract they gave to Jared Boll.

Perhaps they believed that young guys could step in and fill these positions more cheaply. This is a natural event for competitive teams. The Blackhawks, for instance, are leaking secondary and tertiary players in order to maintain the core. JD and JK were wrong here in two regards. First, the guys they selected to replace Mackenzie (Chaput/D'Angelo) were not nearly good enough. Second, Columbus was not actually a competitive (playoff) team following the departure of those players.

But regardless, JK and JD implied a youth movement was underway on the 4th line. This movement, however, fizzled out. So they instead shifted gears and brought in veteran Geoffrey Campbell who had experience on Boston's playoff teams.

It's this gear shift in addition to the mistakes which I find questionable. And that's how I see the Mackenzie / Letestu situations fitting into the mishaps with Horton and Gaborik.

You presume management perceived those two players as "bricks."

 

[Crede777]

You presume management perceived those two players as "bricks."

I presume either they did or, if they didn't, they should have.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I presume either they did or, if they didn't, they should have.

Right. Again, doesn't necessarily mean the same thing.

I swear to god I'm not trying to be purposefully obtuse. And you don't owe me continued explanation (which I'm sure you know). It's been an interesting dialogue.

 

[BluejacketNut]

Right. Again, doesn't necessarily mean the same thing.

I swear to god I'm not trying to be purposefully obtuse. And you don't owe me continued explanation (which I'm sure you know). It's been an interesting dialogue.

 

[DarkandStormy]

Can we end the "bricks" thing? It's dumb and played out.

 

[blahblah]

The brick-by-brick mantra was started by JD, not ownership. I think that is what Crede meant, but that was inaccurate.

Ownership is actually fairly quiet.

 

[Monk]

So the reason CBJ = bad is a couple of 4th liners were "allowed" to leave?

 

[CBJ103]

I'm not excited because it's the middle of July and I have a life.

I will be more excited on opening night.
I will be even more excited when the CBJ have a great first 20 games.
I will be even more excited in May when the CBJ are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, which is what I am predicting to happen.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I'm not excited because it's the middle of July and I have a life.

So you're the snob behind the "I don't play Pokemon go because I'm an adult and I have a life" meme, eh?

 

[213 Sentinel]

I feel you OP. I always get excited for the new season, and I am sure I will be once that time comes..But at this point last year I was downright giddy to get it underway.

Now? I just don't feel like it. The team isn't very good. I think management knows that, but they can't outright say it for obvious reasons, and I think if they weren't so strapped with NMC/NTC this team would look dramatically different.

I guess I'm excited to see a full season of Werenski and Bjorkstrand. It's always cool seeing new faces. I love the way Saad, Dubinsky, Wennberg, Jenner, etc play.

I guess I still have reservations about our draft as well. I was very excited to watch Puljujarvi take over games for us, or at least show the potential to. Dubois is a fine player, but we won't see him until next year in all likelihood (if even that.) It just feels like we've been stuck in the same spot. One small step forward is always followed by two giant steps backward with this team. The only positive about picking high usually is seeing the guy you pick right away, that's just not the case this time around. (Yes, I know Strome and many other 3rd overall picks haven't made it in their first year either. But I know Puljujarvi will.)

Whatever, I guess. I'll be at plenty of games this year and will watch all of them I don't go to on TV like every year. I gave up my STH because college isn't cheap and I need to pay for more important things. One day I want to return to being a STHer, but they have to earn it again.

Reading this was like reading something I'd written myself. My exact same situation in every way.

 

[Crede777]

I'm not excited because it's the middle of July and I have a life.

I will be more excited on opening night.
I will be even more excited when the CBJ have a great first 20 games.
I will be even more excited in May when the CBJ are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, which is what I am predicting to happen.

Just a heads up, the bandwagon will probably be a bit late this season. Last season it hit a major bump and tipped over, spilling a bunch of fans.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Just a heads up, the bandwagon will probably be a bit late this season. Last season it hit a major bump and tipped over, spilling a bunch of fans.

I thought we had a believe train instead of a bandwagon.

 

[DarkandStormy]

So you're the snob behind the "I don't play Pokemon go because I'm an adult and I have a life" meme, eh?

Maybe he was saying his life in July IS Pokemon Go?

 

[Crede777]

I thought we had a believe train instead of a bandwagon.

Whatever it is, it needs more air pressure most nights.

Again.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Again.

 

[neek21]

I'm getting tired of the Letestu/MacKenzie lamentations as well..it's done, they're gone...hindsight is always 20/20 with a lot of folks on here..look ahead to what we perceive as competent replacements on the 4th line [Calvert/Campbell/Karlsson/Anderson for one?]....I think that could work fine...yep, those guys [Testube/Mac] were gamers, but it's over...

 

[major major]

I'm getting tired of the Letestu/MacKenzie lamentations as well..it's done, they're gone...hindsight is always 20/20 with a lot of folks on here..look ahead to what we perceive as competent replacements on the 4th line [Calvert/Campbell/Karlsson/Anderson for one?]....I think that could work fine...yep, those guys [Testube/Mac] were gamers, but it's over...

Sometimes it's just hindsight bias. In that case it was foresight for many of us. I said so at the time that you can't replace MacKenzie with Campbell.

 

[Monk]

Someone's it's just hindsight bias. In that case it was foresight for many of us. I said so at the time that you can't replace MacKenzie with Campbell.

I guess my question is, what would have been different last year with Mac over Campbell? That's where all this "hindsight" falls flat.

 

[major major]

I guess my question is, what would have been different last year with Mac over Campbell? That's where all this "hindsight" falls flat.

Probably a few wins.

And I'm definitely the type to argue over a few wins, if you didn't already know.

 

[Monk]

Probably a few wins.

And I'm definitely the type to argue over a few wins, if you didn't already know.

What the hell else we got to argue about?

 

[orthosrgn2]

I liked Latest and MacKenzie a lot, but let's be realistic, they were 4th liners for the most part. Our problem is not in having a poor 4th line, but more likely having an underproducing 1st and 2nd line (along with a proud defense. The FO chose to ride the present 1st and 2nd liners in 2015-16 and eat a bad contract in Clarkson. Although I hate the Clarkson deal, it is still a chance to get a player on the ice which never would have happened with Horton. !st liners either underperformed ( Foligno) or were ambivalent (Johansen). Jenner. Atkinson and Hartnell played well and Wenneberg showed promise for improvement in the second half of the season.

The Monsters reared there teeth and showed us some moxie in OB, Anderson and Werenski. Forsberg and Korpi showed improved compete levels.

The team improved the with the acquisition of Jones and Tyutin who is certainly a crowd favorite has been a shell of his former self and was bought out to save $$ to compensate Jones. We rid ourselves of a talented but underperforming 1st line center, which in my opinion needed to be done.

The Puljujarvi vs Dubois debate will rage on and I give the FO the green light from a scouting standpoint, even though this should be watched closely. Even if Puljujarvi were to play this year, we certainly weren't going deep in the post season.

My assessment is an improved goaltending position with less emphasis on burning out Bobrovsky and appropriate uses of Korpi and/ or Forsberg. Mckilhenny will play as needed. Our defense will be improved with Jones, Murray, Johnsen, Savard, Werenski and Prout or Golobeuf. Look for improvement from Foligno, Jenner, Wenneberg, Atkinson and Saad ( certainly as a team leader). Bjorkstrand will excite in my opinion. Dubinsky will be Dubi and Hartnell will have another standard year. The fourth line will be fine with Campbell, Anderson and Calvert.

I predict this team will fight for a playoff spot into April this year and could even be buyers at trade deadline day!