Speculation: Line Combinations

[aragorn]

My untrained eye definitely missing whatever paquette is doing to be deemed unscratcheable.

Maybe Paquette showed Smith his SC ring & that was enough.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

So the rotating chairs up front are Colin White, Alex Galcheyuk and Artem Anisimov. When the roster is healthy DJ Smith will only play one in the lineup with his preference being Anisimov. If an injury occurs up front he will reluctantly play 2 of the 3 with his preference being Anisimov and then one of the other two in a minor role. Both White and Galchenyuk are given a small rope and are usually taken out for Anisimov after a single game.

Meanwhile a guy like Stepan who has been bad every game is at zero risk of being scratched.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Are we supposed to make drastic changes though? At a certain point, we need some stability to give the guys a chance to gel together, especially this season, with the lack of a pre-season. We're at a point where even Chabot is playing poorly. We're playing pretty well in small stretches, only to get burned by boneheaded mistakes and awful coverage.

Hey, I'm only going by what DJ said last night after a horrible loss. Swapping out Anisimov for White isn't exactly showing the players who's boss lol.

Hopefully when they get back to Ottawa, actual changes will be made.

 

[BondraTime]

So when we say big changes are coming, we mean that we are going to sub in 1 forward scratch and a 1 d scratch, for another guy that is a forward scratch and a D scratch.

It’s the same lineup as any other game of the year minus 1 scratch and added another.

 

[JimmySpaetzle]

We’re gonna make some drastic changes. Some guys are taking their jobs for granted *inserts Colin White as the only change*

 

[swiftwin]

So the rotating chairs up front are Colin White, Alex Galcheyuk and Artem Anisimov. When the roster is healthy DJ Smith will only play one in the lineup with his preference being Anisimov. If an injury occurs up front he will reluctantly play 2 of the 3 with his preference being Anisimov and then one of the other two in a minor role. Both White and Galchenyuk are given a small rope and are usually taken out for Anisimov after a single game.

Meanwhile a guy like Stepan who has been bad every game is at zero risk of being scratched.

Absolutely not true. Stepan is absolutely at risk of getting scratched right now. He's been demoted to the 4th line for a couple games now, and his ice time is dwindling. DJ even said after last game that some of the players are taking their spot on the roster for granted, which to me, implies that someone who hasn't been scratched yet is at risk of getting scratched. To me, that's 100% Stepan. I bet if he has another bad game, he's the next one to get scratched.

 

[BondraTime]

We’re gonna make some drastic changes. Some guys are taking their jobs for granted *inserts Colin White as the only change*

Yeah I mean, why say changes are coming if we’re just doing what we’ve done all year in substituting a scratch for another scratch.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Creating internal competition should have a limit. At some point it becomes a confidence-killer. Dorion went overboard with the veteran acquisitions.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Creating internal competition should have a limit. At some point it becomes a confidence-killer. Dorion went overboard with the veteran acquisitions.

Exactly.

To a certain extent it's unfair to expect a 21-23 year-old to compete with 30-ish vets for roster spots right out of the gate. Not every young player is a Tim Stutzle where their talent shines right away. Kids like Formenton and Brannstrom have to go through learning phases in the NHL to improve. It's OK to have internal competition but when you're a rebuilding team, why leave only a very few select spots for kids to fight over while you fill the roster with over-the-hill vets? It's illogical and leads to very little improvement overall.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Absolutely not true. Stepan is absolutely at risk of getting scratched right now. He's been demoted to the 4th line for a couple games now, and his ice time is dwindling. DJ even said after last game that some of the players are taking their spot on the roster for granted, which to me, implies that someone who hasn't been scratched yet is at risk of getting scratched. To me, that's 100% Stepan. I bet if he has another bad game, he's the next one to get scratched.

Hopefully. I think he deserves to get scratched already. He is given a much longer rope than other players. Both White and Galchenyuk are noticeably faster, probably have a better chance of creating offense and may even be better at winning faceoffs.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

So when we say big changes are coming, we mean that we are going to sub in 1 forward scratch and a 1 d scratch, for another guy that is a forward scratch and a D scratch.

It’s the same lineup as any other game of the year minus 1 scratch and added another.

Based on his comments last night .. Who are the guys taking free rides here.. just more BS from DJ. I think he used the wrong speech on the wrong night. That one is supposed to be for the next one when he yanks White out again. Hopefully White can make a positive contributions and makes the most of his opportunity.. but I have a feeling he is a little derailed at the moment.

 

[swiftwin]

Creating internal competition should have a limit. At some point it becomes a confidence-killer. Dorion went overboard with the veteran acquisitions.

Right now, we have a clear rotation of scratches that are competing for one spot each in the lineup: White, Anisimov, Galchenyuk at forward, and Reilly, Wolanin and Coburn on D.

Beyond those guys, there doesn't appear to be any competition. Are you suggesting we reduce the level of internal competition and stick with one of them? It seems to me like everyone else wants to expand the competition to guys like Stepan, Paquette, etc. I'm kinda getting mixed signals from you right now.

 

[swiftwin]

Exactly.

To a certain extent it's unfair to expect a 21-23 year-old to compete with 30-ish vets for roster spots right out of the gate. Not every young player is a Tim Stutzle where their talent shines right away. Kids like Formenton and Brannstrom have to go through learning phases in the NHL to improve. It's OK to have internal competition but when you're a rebuilding team, why leave only a very few select spots for kids to fight over while you fill the roster with over-the-hill vets? It's illogical and leads to very little improvement overall.

Well, we had a few spots, but Norris and Stutzle have taken it and ran with it.

I'm 100% confident that Brown, Formenton and Brannstrom will get their shot at some point this season. We still have 50+ games to go. Both Paul and Batherson started in the AHL last season too, and they became full-time players by the end of the season.

Let the vets set a baseline/benchmark before letting the kids have a run at their jobs. It's still very early in the season. Right now, that benchmark looks pretty low, so it's looking like the kids are going to get a good shot at some point in the near future.

 

[Sweatred]

So when we say big changes are coming, .

Who said “we said big changes are coming “?

 

[BondraTime]

Who said “we said big changes are coming “?

I would think that would be more than the usual switch of 1 player for another that's been done every game so far.

Guess he just meant "we're going to go with our usual shuffle of 1 scratch for another"

 

[Joider]

I would think that would be more than the usual switch of 1 player for another that's been done every game so far.

To be fair, I thought this was more so referring to when they get back to Ottawa so calling up AHLers is easier.

 

[Sweatred]

I would think that would be more than the usual switch of 1 player for another that's been done every game so far.

Guess he just meant "we're going to go with our usual shuffle of 1 scratch for another"

I read “SOME other guys an opportunity ” ... I think we have 3 guys going in ? Feels appropriate considering what DJ was quoted as saying.

 

[BondraTime]

I read “SOME other guys an opportunity ” ... I think we have 3 guys going in ? Feels appropriate considering what DJ was quoted as saying.

Yes, same as every other game so far.

Paquette back in because he's healthy, White back in, Coburn back in.

No different than

Anisimov back in, Galchenyuk back in. Wolanin back in, White back in, Rielly back in, Haley in..exact same as any other game, no different whatsoever.

1 scratch in, another scratch out. We've done that every game outside of 1 so far.

Could have just said "we'll go with our usual lineup adjustments"

 

[BatherSeason]

So when we say big changes are coming, we mean that we are going to sub in 1 forward scratch and a 1 d scratch, for another guy that is a forward scratch and a D scratch.

It’s the same lineup as any other game of the year minus 1 scratch and added another.

Big changes means more Paquette

 

[Sweatred]

Big changes means more Paquette

Only people here keep saying “big change”.

 

[Sensinitis]

Maybe Paquette showed Smith his SC ring & that was enough.

I think he showed him much more than just that...

 

[aragorn]

I think it already seems clear who the players are that are getting rotated in & out of the lineup at forward & on defence although I don't see most of these players making any kind of difference to this team. At forward they have Galchenyuk, White, Anisimov, Paquette & occasionally they might rotate Haley into the lineup. On defence, it will be Coburn, Wolanin, Reilly & J. Brown, I doubt we see Zub or anyone else until some roster changes are made meaning a trade or two. Once the AHL gets started there could be even less of a chance to see someone get called up until after the trade deadline. My guess is that they will go with all of the guys that are here until they run out of bodies for this yr & hope for a better result next yr. Looks like Ottawa could definitely be a lottery team again.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

Yes, same as every other game so far.

Paquette back in because he's healthy, White back in, Coburn back in.

No different than

Anisimov back in, Galchenyuk back in. Wolanin back in, White back in, Rielly back in, Haley in..exact same as any other game, no different whatsoever.

1 scratch in, another scratch out. We've done that every game outside of 1 so far.

Could have just said "we'll go with our usual lineup adjustments"

To be fair I just don't see DJ thinking any more outside the box than this very narrow little bit of flexibility.

Almost as troubling is that they've struggled getting out of their end from game 1 and I see no improvements there of even any real change at all. Either he's just beating his head against that wall and doing the same things over and over or the players are tuning out any adjustments the staff is making.

Basically the only thing that looks NHL caliber on this team right now is the PK.

 

[Xspyrit]

Except I'd play the 4th line with White as C. I'd like to have at least one of our regular Cs be a rightie.

Good point.

Don't you feel this lineup is :

- more talented
- play faster
- better skating
- better passing ability
- better defensively
- wouldn't get ran over more than they are now.

Only weakness vs now is less experience so maybe more growing pains. But in the actual games, the vets don't look like players who have more experience than the rookies. I found that guys like Batherson and Norris were a lot "safer" than guys like Anisimov, Paquette, Stepan, Reilly, etc. Maybe not Stutzle (3 GP, 19 y/o) but he is blue chipper, he will learn fast. Guys like Chlapik, Brown, Brannstrom, Zub have learned through multiple pro seasons. I wouldn't be surprised if they are "safer" than those vets IN NO TIME.

 

[Sweatred]

Either he's just beating his head against that wall and doing the same things over and over or the players are tuning out any adjustments the staff is making.

PK.

I don’t thinks it’s that binary. A third option could be be that you are not privy or recognizing the adjustments the coaching staff is attempting.