GDT: La bataille entre les Hurricanes et les Canadiens de Montréal

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Funniest possible outcome:

Rantanen sucks this bad the rest of the year. Tanks his market value to like $9m instead of $13m. Goes back to Colorado, signs for 8x$9m. Gets his smile back. Rantanen-Mackinnon-Necas top line to start 25-26 season.

 

[CandyCanes]

This is the year we’re gonna win the cup. The year it doesn’t make sense to

 

[Blueline Bomber]

The real issue is this team has looked just completely lost since mid November. That's fair too long for SOMEONE not to step up. Whether that's Rod, Staal, Aho, Slavin, etc. Someone needs to take the team by the reins.

 

[chaz4hockey]

We just don't have strong personalities on the roster that fit the profile to take the reins.

Staal and Slavin are mellow guys and with Aho underperforming I can't see how he would command the room.

 

[Svechhammer]

The real issue is this team has looked just completely lost since mid November. That's fair too long for SOMEONE not to step up. Whether that's Rod, Staal, Aho, Slavin, etc. Someone needs to take the team by the reins.

We don't have that kind of player. We don't have someone who hates to lose more than he likes to win.

 

[3CanesInTheBox]

I’m not a strategy theologian but to me the whole Brind’Amour offense essentially is “grind on the wall so there’s room at the points, get the puck there and let them fire it, try for a rebound”. yeah you have to back check too but I don’t really buy that it significantly stifles offense. Does it reward a certain style more than others? Yeah probably but that’s not the same thing

I think the lines he draws up are what stifle offense more.

Either way, if this is a "down year" we're better off than most teams. I'd still like to see Rod make some adjustments though.

 

[AD Skinner]

I think the lines he draws up are what stifle offense more.

Either way, if this is a "down year" we're better off than most teams. I'd still like to see Rod make some adjustments though.

I can get behind this way of thinking. He is probably coming at it as trying to spread the talent around but it might be more useful at this point to stack the top 6 and just have the bottom 6 muck it up. And it may be that spreading the talent and rolling lines is just regular season strategy to make sure that everyone is ready to rock for the playoffs. I don’t know.

I do kinda think that teams generally are what their record says they are and the canes have a top ten record in the league. For what everyone knew was supposed to be a retooling year this one has gone pretty well overall

 

[3CanesInTheBox]

Funniest possible outcome:

Rantanen sucks this bad the rest of the year. Tanks his market value to like $9m instead of $13m. Goes back to Colorado, signs for 8x$9m. Gets his smile back. Rantanen-Mackinnon-Necas top line to start 25-26 season.

LOL. This made me think of how badly Svech tanked his value right before his contract year.

Let me write my own fanfic here.

Rants tanks his value--panic signs a contract during the season with the Canes--and runs off into the sunset with us hoisting the Stanley Cup

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I think the lines he draws up are what stifle offense more.

Either way, if this is a "down year" we're better off than most teams. I'd still like to see Rod make some adjustments though.

What lines, exactly? Because the thing about his blender is that we see all combinations of lines, and the fact that we haven't been able to stick with anything long-term tells me the issue might not be with the lines, but the players.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

And speaking of line combos:

 

[3CanesInTheBox]

What lines, exactly? Because the thing about his blender is that we see all combinations of lines, and the fact that we haven't been able to stick with anything long-term tells me the issue might not be with the lines, but the players.

AD spoke to it well already, but a few thoughts:

1) Spreading skilled players on every line may be spreading the talent so thin that we can't get any quality lines going.

2) Repeatedly sticking Jarvis/Svech on the same line with Stone Hands and Marty, when you could honestly stick almost any other hard worker on that line and get similar results without wasting a skill player on there.

3) One word: Burns.

Also, Rod's philosophy is what makes the blender even less efficient because the blender operates within these sorts of constraints.

 

[CanesFanBudMan]

Put Svech Aho and Rant together and give them 5 games of 20+ minutes a night

 

[HisIceness]

And speaking of line combos:

View attachment 983233

The trade is one for one. Jordan " Wayne Gretzky" Martinook for Connor Bedard.

Also maybe I'm misremembering it but I'm pretty sure Martinook has at least 2 hat-tricks vs Chicago.

 

[Svechhammer]

And speaking of line combos:

View attachment 983233

The fix is that he's traded to Carolina where this becomes his normal state of being throughout his career

 

[Unhinged Finn]

I am amused of all the hot takes. I hate to see garbage games as much as anyone. But people were saying before the season that we might miss the playoffs.

They are in a deep funk, yes. There might be multiple small issues going on. But nobody has lost the room and I don't see any huge mistakes made by management. People would have lost their minds if ET had turned the trade down. It's been seven (7!) games with plague, four nations and everything. Even I knew that a winger wasn't our biggest need this season.

Regarding Aho, I don't think he has lost his ability to play hockey. He has sucked and when sucking is extended it tends to go to your head. A couple of goals and wins will go far to turn things around.

I get it, this is part of being a fan. This is a rollercoaster ride, let's scream on our way down before the next uphill section.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Put Svech Aho and Rant together and give them 5 games of 20+ minutes a night

So the 2nd line is Jarvis-KK(or Roslovic)-Hall? Or do you keep Jarvis with the Staal line and keep Blake in the top 6?

 

[Lempo]

This is a rollercoaster ride, let's scream on our way down before the next uphill section.

On rollercoasters downwards is the fun part.

 

[CanesFanBudMan]

So the 2nd line is Jarvis-KK(or Roslovic)-Hall? Or do you keep Jarvis with the Staal line and keep Blake in the top 6?

I’d go Jarvis KK Hall but the main point would be to establish a true first line and give them time to figure something out.

 

[Unhinged Finn]

On rollercoasters downwards is the fun part.

Read the first sentence of my post again

But you are right. I was too sober to come up with a better analogy.

 

[Svechhammer]

But people were saying before the season that we might miss the playoffs.

This seems like revisionist thinking. Yes, there were people saying it, but they were openly ridiculed by the fanbase.

 

[Unhinged Finn]

This seems like revisionist thinking. Yes, there were people saying it, but they were openly ridiculed by the fanbase.

Agreed. The point was that expectations have varied wildly during the last 6-9 months. Even within one person, including myself.

 

[Bub]

I can get behind this way of thinking. He is probably coming at it as trying to spread the talent around but it might be more useful at this point to stack the top 6 and just have the bottom 6 muck it up. And it may be that spreading the talent and rolling lines is just regular season strategy to make sure that everyone is ready to rock for the playoffs. I don’t know.

I do kinda think that teams generally are what their record says they are and the canes have a top ten record in the league. For what everyone knew was supposed to be a retooling year this one has gone pretty well overall

Ehhhh, I get it, but it's hard to look past the retooling (ie, we suck right now) part of things. Sure, if you had told us back in October that we'd be top ten in the league and in a spot to finish 2nd in the division, then (almost) everyone would've been happy. But watching a team that's been on a sub-90 point pace for nearly half a season now does not inspire confidence in the future. Bad offense, mid defense and goaltending, and a PP that calling it a dumpster fire would be an insult to actual dumpster fires equals very real reasons to question the direction of this team.

Maybe we snap out of it and win 8 of our next 10; it's the NHL, strange things happen! But I watch this team and I don't think "hey we're one trade away from fixing some problems and riding hot into the playoffs" but more "huh just how soon do CBS and NYR catch us for third?"

Oh well, at least it's not the late PK years, when we'd be sitting around .500 right now and talking about which attractive 3C or 5/6D we're going to make a push for.

 

[User13452]

Regardless of what the first line looks like they have no 2c. KK is back to his old ways of not doing a whole lot. He seems to have spurts of a few good games and then he goes 10 plus games without producing anything. This team badly needs a 2c or someone that can at least produce more then what Kk is bringing to the table. Preferably a right handed centre. I know he’s not a centre but Alex Tuch would be a great addition

 

[spockBokk]

Before the Necas trade, I thought the line of Svechnikov-Aho-Blake had something going. Additionally, the smurf line of Blake-Aho-Jarvis worked in the Utah game at least.

 

[Stickpucker]

Put Svech Aho and Rant together and give them 5 games of 20+ minutes a night

Agreed but id give them 23+ mins a night.