Roster/Rumors/Speculation/Trade Talk - 2024-25: Re-Tool, Re-Group, Re-Mix, Re-Build

[Richie Daggers Crime]

- One of the reasons that Cizikas worked (to an extent) on the top line was his role as a puck retriever - going hard on the forecheck into the corners and getting the puck back for Barzal and Horvat.

It worked because the shake up gave it a spark. It worked until it didn't. Same with having Nelson on that line. It's just throwing newspaper in the fireplace. Not a permanent solution.

 

[doublechili]

I'm not sure why this has been presumed to be set in stone. Lou hasn't said Duclair is playing on the first line, nor has Roy or Duclair himself. I believe Rosner has projected this to be the case, but for as much as I appreciate the non-stop content he pumps out, I don't exactly consider him to have his finger entirely on the pulse.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I remember Barzal stating that he both prefers to play LW and to play with a left handed RW because it makes one-timers easier to set up - believe he was talking about playing with Holmstrom at the time. I still see it as:

Barzal - Horvat - xxxxx
xxxxx - Nelson - Palmieri
xxxxx - Pageau - xxxxx
xxxxx - Cizikas - xxxxx

- I think it's possible for Duclair to end up on any of the top three lines. My guess has been that he's slotted for the second to get some speed on that line, and I'm not writing off the third line just because he's had past success with Pageau. But most likely scenario to me is that he's skating with Nelson and Palmeri.

- One of the reasons that Cizikas worked (to an extent) on the top line was his role as a puck retriever - going hard on the forecheck into the corners and getting the puck back for Barzal and Horvat. By all accounts this is what Tsyplakov (a left handed RW) excelled at before new coaches came in and gave him a new role... that, and scoring on one timers. So if he has the foot speed to stick around I think it's totally possible/plausible that the plan is this:


Barzal - Horvat - Tsyplakov
Duclair - Nelson - Palmieri
Lee - Pageau - Engvall
Maclean - Cizikas - Holmstrom

And Wahlstrom will be around for camp to try and win a job with the most likely scenario for that being that Tsyplakov doesn't work out. If he does, Wahlstrom will be waived and Fasching will be the 13th forward.

Yeah, I think we need to consider neutral zone play and zone entry needs on other lines before we pencil in Duclair on the first line. Barzal is the best forward for that on the team, so if that is a strength of Duclair's he might need to go elsewhere. Nelson and Palmieri need someone to help in those areas - Engvall in his first stretch after he was acquired was good in that respect and worked well with them. On the other hand, Lee-Nelson-Palmieri could be effective once established cycling in the offensive zone, but the question is whether they ever would get established in the offensive zone? Who among the forwards is good in the neutral zone/zone entries? Barzal for sure. Engvall? Holmstrom? Duclair? Anyone else? Whatever, the answer is, those guys need to be spread out among the lines. Especially considering only 1 of the top 4 D is a dynamic puck-mover.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

He was basically a nobody until he blew up last year. I'm not particularly hopeful.

Nor am I, to be honest.

Between what I've seen of him and how hard I find it for us to get to have nice things like a European UFA stepping right in and producing, I believe there's a good chance he doesn't work out.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

NYI need to improve their goal diff, not their offense. If Nelson, Palmieri, and JGP turn the puck over like they did last year while scoring less, it definitely will be a problem. If things go well both scoring and goals against will be down. There's far more room (in relation to potential) to decrease goals against than improve offense.

True.

That would be a key, regardless of what guys are producing.

But the key to that is going to be the play of Sorokin, who had considerable problems last season. I don't even need to use my left hand to count how many outings he had where he was the difference in a victory.

And the cast is the same in front of him, even if a healthy Mayfield should help.

Neither Duclair nor Tsyplakov has been brought in to help team defense.

So, for the team to cut down on goals against, it'll all come down to Roy's coaching and a bit more commitment from the boys in that critical department combined with a bounceback Sorokin.

 

[SI]

Yeah, I think we need to consider neutral zone play and zone entry needs on other lines before we pencil in Duclair on the first line. Barzal is the best forward for that on the team, so if that is a strength of Duclair's he might need to go elsewhere. Nelson and Palmieri need someone to help in those areas - Engvall in his first stretch after he was acquired was good in that respect and worked well with them. On the other hand, Lee-Nelson-Palmieri could be effective once established cycling in the offensive zone, but the question is whether they ever would get established in the offensive zone? Who among the forwards is good in the neutral zone/zone entries? Barzal for sure. Engvall? Holmstrom? Duclair? Anyone else? Whatever, the answer is, those guys need to be spread out among the lines. Especially considering only 1 of the top 4 D is a dynamic puck-mover.

I can certainly envision these 3 together right out of the gate especially if Duke starts on the 1st line.

I like Engvall with JGP, which means you can have Holmstrom and Tsyplakov battle it out for the final spot on that line.

Cizikas C the 4th line with Maclean, Fasching, and whomever loses the 3rd line battle.

Let’s hope Tsyplakov is a solid top 9 NHLer.

Tomasino looks to be on the outs in Nashville - maybe Trotz bites on a Tomasino for Wahlstrom swap.

I also would offer Clutterbuck .825k with some bonuses to get it to 1m

And waive Fasching

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

I also would offer Clutterbuck .825k with some bonuses to get it to 1m

And waive Fasching

If the money is the same, having Clutterbuck on that 4th line instead of Fasching is a no-brainer.

 

[MJF]

If the money is the same, having Clutterbuck on that 4th line instead of Fasching is a no-brainer.

If you want a culture change, and I think we need one, Lou should just cut the cord with Clutterbuck and Martin as Isles players. I don’t care if Clutter has something left in the tank and is willing to work for meal money. Our room has gotten too insular.

 

[Throttle]

Exactly. No creating one hole just to cover another.

This is basically set in stone

Duclair-Horvat-Barzal
xxxxxxx-Nelson-Palmieri
xxxxxxx-Pageau-xxxxxxxx
xxxxxxx-Cizikas-xxxxxxxxx

And the candidates here are Lee, Engvall, Holmstrom, MacLean, Tsyplakov, Wahlstrom, Fasching, and Gauthier.

Considering Lee and Engvall aren't being paid for 4th line duties, the competition is really down to, like you're saying, that 3rd line RW spot.

MacLean and Holmstrom look like the most logical options for the 4th line right now.



I'm thinking they'll know before November.

If he's a Soshnikov, he'll be gone just as quickly.

Still, again, he was the biggest European UFA of last spring's crop. Gotta hope that means he's good enough to jump right in and be a player.

Judging by his highlights, I think it's a big if.

But heck, he may prove himself to be a plugger more than anything else.

A majority of these guys wash out within the first 30/60 days after trying to make a go of it.

I’m not expecting much on him transitioning over and impacting the team in a positive way. Props to him for giving it a shot, but history shows it’s a rarity these guys do well and stay.

The Isles need a free asset or two to make a strong contribution. So, hope it works, but doubtful as the trend across the NHL is it doesn’t.

 

[seafoam]

Clutterbuck and Martin looked horrible in the playoffs. I’d rather spend the season looking for real solutions than trotting out over the hill veterans who are washed.

 

[saintunspecified]

If you want a culture change, and I think we need one, Lou should just cut the cord with Clutterbuck and Martin as Isles players. I don’t care if Clutter has something left in the tank and is willing to work for meal money. Our room has gotten too insular.

I agree the roster has gotten stale. I also think Clutterbuck can't PK anymore, and I'd want anyone else brought in to be able to PK. And, I think LL has really tried to move away from being the Minnesota-Ontario dominated team Snow seemed to prefer. Or maybe you mean something else by insular.

Was it that Clutterbuck is too comfortable? I could see that. But if that's the problem it's hard to imagine changing the culture it without changing core players.

 

[MJF]

I agree the roster has gotten stale. I also think Clutterbuck can't PK anymore, and I'd want anyone else brought in to be able to PK. And, I think LL has really tried to move away from being the Minnesota-Ontario dominated team Snow seemed to prefer. Or maybe you mean something else by insular.

Was it that Clutterbuck is too comfortable? I could see that. But if that's the problem it's hard to imagine changing the culture it without changing core players.

It’s not just Clutter. It’s everyone who has been here going back to Jack Capuano. The have outsized roles on this team and I don’t think they know what real accountability is, because nobody in the room really held each other to a higher standard, imho.

 

[impaaaaaact]

He was basically a nobody until he blew up last year. I'm not particularly hopeful.

That being said, he was the top euro free agent and he allegedly chose to sign with us over a bunch of other teams. I think our top selling point over some other teams would be the hole next to Horvat and Barzal. Lou has stated that he sees him as a top 9 kind of player and Barzal has stated that he likes playing with left handed RWs. There's too many dots to connect here that lead to him getting a crack at the first line role in camp.

Also worth pointing out that he blew up last year when he got new coaches. I believe those coaches were Alexei Kovalev and Alexei Zhamnov, so two guys who had a good deal of success in the NHL. It's possible they're all seeing something that we're not here.

 

[doublechili]

Hey, I'll opt to be optimistic/hopeful that Tsyplakov turns into something. Part of that is... hope. But, I did just watch a video of all his goals last season in the KHL, and most of them looked pretty good - not minor league goals and not the result of someone else's good play. He actually looks a lot like Brock on the ice, wrist shot included. Also, a big winger taking a step forward at 24 or 25 is not an uncommon thing. We'll see though.

 

[eoin92]

Hey, I'll opt to be optimistic/hopeful that Tsyplakov turns into something. Part of that is... hope. But, I did just watch a video of all his goals last season in the KHL, and most of them looked pretty good - not minor league goals and not the result of someone else's good play. He actually looks a lot like Brock on the ice, wrist shot included. Also, a big winger taking a step forward at 24 or 25 is not an uncommon thing. We'll see though.

Idk why I thought he was 28, hopefully you’re right. Would be huge.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

Hey, I'll opt to be optimistic/hopeful that Tsyplakov turns into something. Part of that is... hope. But, I did just watch a video of all his goals last season in the KHL, and most of them looked pretty good - not minor league goals and not the result of someone else's good play. He actually looks a lot like Brock on the ice, wrist shot included. Also, a big winger taking a step forward at 24 or 25 is not an uncommon thing. We'll see though.

How well do the top Euro UFA's fare upon reaching the NHL?

I will admit I have absolutely zero idea of any of the Euro UFA's in years past.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

If you want a culture change, and I think we need one, Lou should just cut the cord with Clutterbuck and Martin as Isles players. I don’t care if Clutter has something left in the tank and is willing to work for meal money. Our room has gotten too insular.

And I'm thinking that this is exactly why we won't be seeing Martin and Clutterbuck back.

As UFAs, these were the easiest or most logical cord to cut.

 

[impaaaaaact]

How well do the top Euro UFA's fare upon reaching the NHL?

I will admit I have absolutely zero idea of any of the Euro UFA's in years past.

It varies. For every Kuzmenko there’s a Kovar. Barbanov came over and did ok for a 3 or 4 year period, but is back to the KHL. Zaitsev and Mikheyev were both signed by Toronto so I’m assuming they came from the same guy who got Tsyplakov over - they’re both still around doing their thing. I believe Zub was signed out of the KHL and he just scored 20 for Ottawa. So even though we haven’t had good luck in the past it does work out sometimes.

Tsyplakov’s year last year was somewhere between what Mikheyev did and what Kuzmenko did the before they came over. If he’s fast enough I think there’s a good chance he’ll stick in some fashion or another.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

That being said, he was the top euro free agent

Supply and demand drive markets.

 

[MikeyMike01]

Zaitsev and Mikheyev were both signed by Toronto so I’m assuming they came from the same guy who got Tsyplakov over - they’re both still around doing their thing.

Correct. Jim Paliafito.

 

[saintunspecified]

Tsyplakov’s year last year was somewhere between what Mikheyev did and what Kuzmenko did the before they came over. If he’s fast enough I think there’s a good chance he’ll stick in some fashion or another.

Yeah. It's really hard to tell. I mean, I see he's listed at under 200 pounds, but he looks bigger on the highlights...

 

[impaaaaaact]

Yeah. It's really hard to tell. I mean, I see he's listed at under 200 pounds, but he looks bigger on the highlights...

Yeah, he looks pretty tall at least, build kind of reminds me of Dobson who is listed at 6'4 200

 

[Osakahaus]

Tsyplakov ain’t staying around past November unless he’s playing 10+ minutes a night in the NHL.

i'll bet 10 dollars he stays

i think that Tsyplatkov will make the roster at the end of the day and will be used in PK situations. If Wahlstrom has a poor preseason, he will be gone by the time the season starts to play for Anaheim or San Jose or Calgary. Honestly I think Gauthier is a more useful 13th forward over him

 

[Kevin27NYI]

i'll bet 10 dollars he stays

i think that Tsyplatkov will make the roster at the end of the day and will be used in PK situations. If Wahlstrom has a poor preseason, he will be gone by the time the season starts to play for Anaheim or San Jose or Calgary. Honestly I think Gauthier is a more useful 13th forward over him

I'll take both Whally and Gauthier over Fasching tbh. Fasching is only useful on Nelsons wing. Any other spot he stinks, can't adapt to help the line

 

[Osakahaus]

I'll take both Whally and Gauthier over Fasching tbh. Fasching is only useful on Nelsons wing. Any other spot he stinks, can't adapt to help the line

Fasching isnt bad. I think he's better suited for the 4th line. Lets see how this race goes down in the training camp

 

[WangMustGo]

I'll take both Whally and Gauthier over Fasching tbh. Fasching is only useful on Nelsons wing. Any other spot he stinks, can't adapt to help the line

I’d take Fasching over Wahlstrom quite easily. At least Fasching isn’t a black hole defensively and doesn’t take nearly as many penalties. Wahlstrom blows.