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Roster/Rumors/Speculation/Trade Talk - 2023-24: Hotel California

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This is solid pick up for Calgary. It gives Pelletier another half season in the AHL to be NHL ready. Milano gets to play in the top 6 if he makes it.

I hope the kid massapequa has a healthy and productive year.

Calgary looks like kings in the pacific.
 
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Parise is a great guy to have because of his experience and flexibility (and low cap hit). He's probably not going to play 82 games at this point in his career. But he's a Swiss army knife who can fill in on any of the 4 lines. If Bellows and/or Wahlstrom are in the lineup and have a bad game, let them sit in the press box for a game or two and watch Parise in their spot, hustling and doing the right things. So I don't see him and the young players as an either/or thing. More of a nice fit.
 
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I want to be wrong*, but if Raty hasn't gotten significantly better than he was down here in May, then I don't feel comfortable penciling him into the NHL lineup.








*I DESPERATELY want to be wrong.
 
SI said:


This is solid pick up for Calgary. It gives Pelletier another half season in the AHL to be NHL ready. Milano gets to play in the top 6 if he makes it.

I hope the kid massapequa has a healthy and productive year.

Calgary looks like kings in the pacific.
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I still cannot get over that Calgary lost their best/franchise player, and had a better offseason than most teams (including the Isles).

They should've never let Gaudreau get to the trade deadline unsigned or untraded, but once that ship sailed and he left they couldn't have handled the next part much better.
 
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doublechili said:
Parise is a great guy to have because of his experience and flexibility (and low cap hit). He's probably not going to play 82 games at this point in his career. But he's a Swiss army knife who can fill in on any of the 4 lines. If Bellows and/or Wahlstrom are in the lineup and have a bad game, let them sit in the press box for a game or two and watch Parise in their spot, hustling and doing the right things. So I don't see him and the young players as an either/or thing. More of a nice fit.
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Parise is a great guy to have around. College phenom, blue chip past first rounder who has made multi millions in the NHL busting his a$$ at 37 on a one year contract. Great example for the youngins to watch, heck even some Vets.
 
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MJF said:
I’m not saying that Zach Parise wasn’t a nice story last year, and a bit snakebit early on, but he is 37 years old and on a 1 year minimal pay contract. I’m well aware of Lou and his penchant for vets, but on a team that missed the playoffs last year, why should anyone be secure in thinking they won’t be in the press box on opening night?
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Well, he could be, of course. But if he is, then I'm betting my bottom dollar that it's because Lambert has decided to go with Bellows, not one of the prospects who have yet to see a whiff of NHL action.

MJF said:
As for Raty, he is a little more along on the learning curve than others in camp. He’s already been through Isles camp last September, had AHL playoff experience. And frankly, I don’t see how you can be so dismissive about a kid woth some size, who doesn’t shy away from the dirty areas, and has a quality shot.

What would Raty have to do in 2 weeks to wiggle his way into a lineup? Dominate his time on the ice while he’s out there.
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Well, that "wiggle his way into the lineup" bit was actually in reference to solely Holmstrom, who I think has a better shot at seeing NHL ice this season if several top 9 wingers go down.

As for Raty, I watched him a bit last year and then intensively at the summer WJC. I'm excited about him, but the WJC told me his skating isn't near where it needs to be to be playing in the NHL right now. In addition, as much as the tournament was a clear success for him in his developmental progress, there were plenty of times where he wasn't able to make an impact. The eye test, for me, said he ain't there yet.

And the eye test for Dufour told me he's going to have a lot of ups and downs in the AHL this year. There are going to be some real growing pains.

MJF said:
And looking at it from the other side of the fence, why should Zach Parise have a guaranteed spot in the opening night lineup? He didn’t score for the first 40-ofd games last season and there’s no long term plan for him. And if Matt Martin is again noticeably lugging in games, it might be time to make a tough decision on his career. There is your roster spot.

If Lou is committed to the exact same 14 forwards and we get off to another slow start in the first 5-6 games, woe is Lou.
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All good, but what do you think Lambert and Lou are going to be doing here?0

I'm not writing about what I think they should be doing. I'm writing about what I think they WILL be doing.

MJF said:
Again, camp competition is good. If Lou favors a 37 year old over young talent, then he’s really no different than the coach he just fired, and we’re gonna be in deep doo-doo this year.
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I think Lou is more concerned about Barzal being a more impactful scorer and finding out who Wahlstrom and Bellows are going to be moving forward. I think he's also uncertain about just how much of an impact Beau can have on this team's fortunes.

I think these are the guys up front who this coaching change was about.

I'm thinking that what becomes of Holmstrom and Raty will be decided as some contracts expire.

Heck, with respect to Raty and Dufour, just look at this Tweet from earlier today:
1663624709659.png

MJF said:
Edit: the same should go also for Holmstrom, Dufour, Hutton, Koivula. Anyone who has an eye-opening camp should have a chance to compete for a spot.
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How eye-opening would the respective player's camp have to be for Lou to be willing to place one of his 14 current forwards who are on a 1-way contract on waivers in order to open the space up for one of these guys?

Mr Misunderstood said:
I want to be wrong*, but if Raty hasn't gotten significantly better than he was down here in May, then I don't feel comfortable penciling him into the NHL lineup.








*I DESPERATELY want to be wrong.
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You're not wrong. We saw what deficiencies he still has at the WJC this summer.

There's no rush.
 
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Chapin Landvogt said:
Well, he could be, of course. But if he is, then I'm betting my bottom dollar that it's because Lambert has decided to go with Bellows, not one of the prospect who have yet to see a whiff of NHL action.



Well, that "wiggle his way into the lineup" bit was actually in reference to solely Holmstrom, who I think has a better shot at seeing NHL ice this season if several top 9 wingers go down.

As for Raty, I watched him a bit last year and then intensively at the summer WJC. I'm excited about him, but the WJC told me his skating isn't near where it needs to be to be playing in the NHL right now. In addition, as much as the tournament was a clear success for him in his developmental progress, there were plenty of times where he wasn't able to make an impact. The eye test, for me, said he ain't there yet.

And the eye test for Dufour told me he's going to have a lot of ups and downs in the AHL this year. There are going to be some real growing pains.



All good, but what do you think Lambert and Lou are going to be doing here?0

I'm not writing about what I think they should be doing. I'm writing about what I think they WILL be doing.



I think Lou is more concerned about Barzal being a more impactful scorer and finding out who Wahlstrom and Bellows are going to be moving forward. I think he's also uncertain about just how much of an impact Beau can have on this team's fortunes.

I think these are the guys up front who this coaching change was about.

What becomes of Holmstrom and Raty will be decided as some contracts expire, I believe.

Heck, with respect to Raty and Dufour, just look at this Tweet from earlier today:
View attachment 586215


How eye-opening would the respective player's camp have to be for Lou to be willing to place one of his 14 current forwards on 1-way contracts on waivers to open the space for one of these guys?



You're not wrong. We saw what deficiencies he still has at the WJC this summer.

There's no rush.
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YOur points are all fair. And for me, it's really about what I think Lou is going to do this season And the path he is going down with respect to his roster and not having competition for a couple of spots in the lineup is flat-out wrong.

Lou should have cut bait on Beauvillier last February at the TDL, Bellows does not skate well enough to get to spots to use his shot and I doubt power skating lessons will make him any better than a 3rd liner. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.
 
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TeamKidd said:
Gotta think the most likely scenario is Parise on the 4th line and MM in the press box.
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I don't care where Parise plays as long as MM is in the press box or for that matter anywhere else that isn't the ice on game nights

Thanks for the memories and Sayonara as far as I'm concerned!!
 
Chapin Landvogt said:
That's probably a general question you're asking, but I think you know it would be no less than naive for anyone to think that there's any true "competition" for a forward spot in this camp.

The 14 forwards - save for injuries - are set. They're who the team will be going with to kick things off.

Lambert's got more than enough on his hands figuring out where and how Wahlstrom and Bellows are going to fit in.

Put another way, if any decision was made to go with Holmstrom or Raty right out of camp, who is the guy on a one-way contract who is being put on waivers to go down to BPort?

You can only have 14 forwards up in the show at any one time. I don't think any youngster's progress or enthusiasm is going to override the contractual concerns when the decisions land on Lou's desk.

Aside from that, the WJC showed that Raty ain't near ready and Holmstrom hasn't been called up once in three seasons, having yet to break the 50-point mark. I can't imagine what he'd have to do in a two-week period to wiggle into this line-up.

PARISE:
He was not only about the hardest worker on the whole team from start to finish last season, he was then one of the best producers over the 2nd half of the season. And managed to play pretty doggone well with Barzal, which really can't be taken for granted judging by how demanding it is to play with our dipsy-doodler.

Why would anyone think he's one of the guys whose job would be in jeopardy?

CAMP JOBS:
As far as I'm concerned, the only question unanswered as far as a job is considered is who of Aho, Cholowski, Hutton or Salo will be starting off the season as the #3 LD.
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Honest question, do you think that Matt Martin's spot is secure? Maybe it is,I know what he has meant, and believe he might have been a bit banged up last year, but he did not look good last year. We owe Trotz a ton for what he did here but one of the knocks is that he did not play the kids. Chara and Greene are gone, wondering if they are looking to inject a bit of youth on both D and O. Martin makes $1.5M so assuming he would pass through waivers, most of his salary would be buried if he went down. Not saying it would happen, I am just speculating on possibilities. Not much else to talk about until training camp starts. .


I do agree that the 14 we have are the most likely, I am just hoping that someone like Raty shines and makes it at least a tough decision, even if winds up starting in Bridgeport. Would have loved them to bring someone in on a PTO to at least push any of our forwards but not going to happen it seems. Also you never know when an injury hits, hoping we stay healthy but you never know.
 
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19 in a row said:
Honest question, do you think that Matt Martin's spot is secure? Maybe it is,I know what he has meant, and believe he might have been a bit banged up last year, but he did not look good last year. We owe Trotz a ton for what he did here but one of the knocks is that he did not play the kids. Chara and Greene are gone, wondering if they are looking to inject a bit of youth on both D and O. Martin makes $1.5M so assuming he would pass through waivers, most of his salary would be buried if he went down. Not saying it would happen, I am just speculating on possibilities. Not much else to talk about until training camp starts. .


I do agree that the 14 we have are the most likely, I am just hoping that someone like Raty shines and makes it at least a tough decision, even if winds up starting in Bridgeport. Would have loved them to bring someone in on a PTO to at least push any of our forwards but not going to happen it seems. Also you never know when an injury hits, hoping we stay healthy but you never know.
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When was the last time Cal Clutterbuck had an injury-free season? Probably when he played for the Wild.
 
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Most first year pros who make the NHL end up tapering off at the holiday break or soon after. If Dufour/Raty show enough to make the team out of camp, I’m all for it (but with the mindset that at some point they’ll need to be sent down). It could be a viable strategy to keep guys like Martin and Parise rested while also pushing guys like Bellows and Wahlstrom.

Holmstrom on the other hand already has two pro seasons under his belt. I could see him pushing for a spot but ultimately beginning the season in the AHL (similar to how Lee did the year he broke into the league full time). If Holmstrom goes down to the ‘A’ and doesn’t sulk/puts up points, he could very well earn a roster spot and push someone like Bellows/Martin/Parise to a non-everyday player by the end of the year.
 
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MJF said:
When was the last time Cal Clutterbuck had an injury-free season? Probably when he played for the Wild.
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Exactly, I had actually typed almost the same thing clutterbuck in my post but deleted. His style of play in his 30s makes playing a full 82 unlikely. We are going to need some additional bodies during the year.
 
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Sounds like Lou wants to see his head coach prioritize more skating and offense from the back end. He went out of his way to compliment Aho who in my opinion didn’t really warrant such compliments, buy may able to provide value if given a more regular role, I suppose.

 
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MJF said:
) When was the last time Cal Clutterbuck had an injury-free season? Probably when he played for the Wild.
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19 in a row said:
Exactly, I had actually typed almost the same thing clutterbuck in my post but deleted. His style of play in his 30s makes playing a full 82 unlikely. We are going to need some additional bodies during the year.
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It’s an old topic but I can’t help myself.

I fully agree with the prior 2 posts which begs the question. Why was he signed to another 2 year contract? The best fourth line in hockey left the Island long ago.

Terrible, ill advised and unnecessary signing.
 
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I think the biggest thing that Trotz fumbled the bad with last season was that when he went to youngsters like Aho and Bellows, he didn’t give them enough time to get comfortable. I wonder if Lou noticed that as well.

It’s different when you’ve already had your break in to the league and have been relegated to a depth player (to be juggled in and out of the lineup), but when you’re a prospect and only get 3-8 games at a time it’s hard to build momentum.

MJF said:
When was the last time Cal Clutterbuck had an injury-free season? Probably when he played for the Wild.
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Which is fine IMO because NYI has depth up the wazoo and prospects knocking at the door.
 
seafoam said:
Sounds like Lou wants to see his head coach prioritize more skating and offense from the back end. He went out of his way to compliment Aho who in my opinion didn’t really warrant such compliments, buy may able to provide value if given a more regular role, I suppose.

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Thanks for posting that. I think Lou may have talked about Aho because the reporter mentioned Salo and Hutton in the question and omitted Aho, so Lou was just throwing him into the mix for 6/7. My guess, anyway.
 
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