Series Talk: Round 1: Predators vs. Canucks

[Armourboy]

Josi should not be the captain of this team.

I've held that since the day he got it. This team won't win anything meaningful as long as he is still Captain.

 

[MrJoshua]

That was absolutely gutting.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I've held that since the day he got it. This team won't win anything meaningful as long as he is still Captain.

I'm not that down on Josi. I think the "C" on a jersey is largely symbolic. If some other guy is the bigger voice and leader in the room, then it really makes no difference what letters are stitched where.

But just from a coaching perspective, he's not the guy I put on the ice to defend a 1-goal lead in the final minute, period. He's a great player. That's just not his forte.

 

[Armourboy]

I'm not that down on Josi. I think the "C" on a jersey is largely symbolic. If some other guy is the bigger voice and leader in the room, then it really makes no difference what letters are stitched where.

But just from a coaching perspective, he's not the guy I put on the ice to defend a 1-goal lead in the final minute, period. He's a great player. That's just not his forte.

Well I mean its a coach that basically made zero roster adjustments through the series outside of the ones that injuries forced him too. Don't feel like he did a good job with matchups either. I think Brunette is a good offensive coach, just not sold he is a good head coach.

 

[Kat Predator]

Where is Cody Glass ?

He's keeping Fabbro's play fort in the pressbox occupied.

 

[Roman Yoshi]

Going to step away from hockey for a bit. Havent felt this much pain since game 5 in Chicago over a decade ago.

 

[Kat Predator]

This for me. We really only got progression from Evangelista here. Making the playoffs and having more than 1 player get something out of it would have been useful. Even Novak, Fabbro, they barely played this game. Stastney got a taste but not enough to matter in the previous games. And I just really don't feel like the AHL plugs have done anything more notable for us here than the kids could have.

We still would have lost, though, so at the end of the day, trying to split hairs about what difference 4 or 5 games might have meant to who - Parssinen, Tomasino, and... ? - it's not exactly going to change the direction of the franchise either.

Hopefully the Ads have a long and successful run, that might end up being best of all for those younger guys. Tomasino was getting close to his waiver limit, so he wouldn't have been with the Ads if we had kept him up. Therefore, it's almost like only Parssinen lost out a little bit?

We just went through a big retool, and got 99 pts. That's already amazing.

On the other hand, we may be lucking out that most of the kids are missing these epic meltdowns in this series.

Novak is looking like a slight guy who is easily blown off his skates in these playoffs. Fabbro's development has been intentionally stunted all season. Anyone's guess as to what is going on there. Evangelista looks like a guy who can read the play and play dialed in and up with intensity for the NHL playoffs. But he's green and young and needs a bit more time. Everyone else that might be interesting to know something about before they walk is a complete question mark.

 

[Armourboy]

On the other hand, we may be lucking out that most of the kids are missing these epic meltdowns in this series.

Novak is looking like a slight guy who is easily blown off his skates in these playoffs. Fabbro's development has been intentionally stunted all season. Anyone's guess as to what is going on there. Evangelista looks like a guy who can read the play and play dialed in and up with intensity for the NHL playoffs. But he's green and young and needs a bit more time. Everyone else that might be interesting to know something about before they walk is a complete question mark.

There is no one up for a contract I would sign right now and there were a couple we signed earlier we shouldn't have.

 

[LCPreds]

There is no way I’m bothering with game 5 if it’s a late start. (I’m assuming it will be)

Someone help me out here…

Name a worse playoff loss or two than this one. I’m coming up empty. I’m not talking about a game we should have won on paper and came up empty. I’m talking about something that unfolded as shittily as this one did.

 

[Predation]

There is no way I’m bothering with game 5 if it’s a late start. (I’m assuming it will be)

Someone help me out here…

Name a worse playoff loss or two than this one. I’m coming up empty. I’m not talking about a game we should have won on paper and came up empty. I’m talking about something that unfolded as shittily as this one did.

Definitely the worst I can remember. So mad right now.

 

[Kat Predator]

There is no one up for a contract I would sign right now and there were a couple we signed earlier we shouldn't have.

We have RFAs still on the board. Parssinen, Anderson-Dolan, Stastney, Tomasino, Afanseyev, Alison, Foudy, Del Gaizo, and Wilsby. There is also Zucker, Beauvillier, Carrier, and Barrie as UFAs.

But I was thinking about the 1st group. Does Trotz bring them all back? Why? It's not clear they really fit the program going forward. "Walk" wasn't a good choice of verb, but some of them may not get offers. Some of them may be traded away for some other assets too.

The point though is that with some of these guys it might have been good to get some more evaluation time in games. Maybe not though. Maybe they already know they're not going to work out or are going to take a big step up.

But I am leaning in your direction here. I'm not sure Trotz and Brunette really want to bring any of these guys, RFA or UFA, back to be honest.

 

[sparkle twin]

There is no way I’m bothering with game 5 if it’s a late start. (I’m assuming it will be)

Someone help me out here…

Name a worse playoff loss or two than this one. I’m coming up empty. I’m not talking about a game we should have won on paper and came up empty. I’m talking about something that unfolded as shittily as this one did.

Already announced 9pm.

That Chicago game in 2010. Probably tied with this game.

 

[wmupreds]

There is no way I’m bothering with game 5 if it’s a late start. (I’m assuming it will be)

Someone help me out here…

Name a worse playoff loss or two than this one. I’m coming up empty. I’m not talking about a game we should have won on paper and came up empty. I’m talking about something that unfolded as shittily as this one did.

This is up there but I'd say Hawks game 5 in 2010 was worse. The Erat blind pass and Hossa scoring when he clearly should've been kicked out was a bigger kick in the nuts for me. I know that team was a 7 seed too but I had higher expectations for that roster.

Then again I was a lot younger and probably generally more emotional about hockey.

 

[drwpreds]

We played two home games- against a 2nd string goalie and a 3rd string. Controlled play for the vast majority of both games. Outshot them 60-32 in the 2 games. Allowed 3 goals in the first 117 minutes of the two games.

And somehow despite all of that lost both games

Almost impossible to comprehend

 

[101st_fan]

We have RFAs still on the board. Parssinen, Anderson-Dolan, Stastney, Tomasino, Afanseyev, Alison, Foudy, Del Gaizo, and Wilsby. There is also Zucker, Beauvillier, Carrier, and Barrie as UFAs.

But I was thinking about the 1st group. Does Trotz bring them all back? Why? It's not clear they really fit the program going forward. "Walk" wasn't a good choice of verb, but some of them may not get offers. Some of them may be traded away for some other assets too.

The point though is that with some of these guys it might have been good to get some more evaluation time in games. Maybe not though. Maybe they already know they're not going to work out or are going to take a big step up.

But I am leaning in your direction here. I'm not sure Trotz and Brunette really want to bring any of these guys, RFA or UFA, back to be honest.

Zucker is the only forward UFA that I can see brought back. Carrier is a great question mark . Barrie is gone ... Beauvillier is a stretch that would depend on Trotz going emotional from his time on Long Island. Pärssinen gets qualified .. so do Afanasyev, Stastney, and Del Gaizo. JAD, not sure. Probably for Tomasino. The rest, coin toss.

 

[BigFatCat999]

Anyone else feel like Nashville could win two in a row and still have no faith that they can win a game seven

 

[Kat Predator]

Zucker is the only forward UFA that I can see brought back. Carrier is a great question mark . Barrie is gone ... Beauvillier is a stretch that would depend on Trotz going emotional from his time on Long Island. Pärssinen gets qualified .. so do Afanasyev, Stastney, and Del Gaizo. JAD, not sure. Probably for Tomasino. The rest, coin toss.

I don't know if Zucker is going to want to come back. He might choose Nashville over Utah (another slog with his Arizona friends), but he might be of some interest to a contending team like a Vegas or whatever. I think Barrie and Carrier are both done here and will move on.

Stastney and Del Gaizo should get qualified. Parssinen and Afanasyev make sense from the outside. On the other hand, neither one of them stepped up. Tomasino and Anderson-Dolan seem like ready chips for a trade.

 

[101st_fan]

I don't know if Zucker is going to want to come back. He might choose Nashville over Utah (another slog with his Arizona friends), but he might be of some interest to a team like Vegas or whatever. I think Barrie and Carrier are both done.

Stastney and Del Gaizo should get qualified. Parssinen and Afanasyev make sense from the outside. On the other hand, neither one of them stepped up. Tomasino and Anderson-Dolan seem like ready chips for a trade.

Qualifying a RFA keeps their rights even if the goal is to trade them. It's about maintaining leverage and owning the rights. The period around the draft is the time to trade unsigned RFAs.

If Zucker accepts a Trotz FA offer is a completely different issue to him fitting and being worth an offer. As a UFA he gets to decide where he signs among the teams that make him an offer.

 

[Southstarpreds]

One good take is that Van. are the team that looks to wearing down. ROR in overtime was sloppy.

 

[wmupreds]

If Zucker is cheap then sure bring him back I guess. But at some point this team needs to play the damn young guys and while ice time is earned, it's a self fulfilling prophecy when you fill the roster with guys on 1 ways making several million a year. The team isn't going to turn the corner without going in one direction or the other. I'm not talking full teardown, I'm talking opening up roster spots for the guys that we need to evaluate going forward. Or I guess be aggressive and trade some of the million picks etc. we've accumulated to try to make it work with this core. Status quo with the 5th oldest team in the league is not going anywhere.

 

[101st_fan]

If Zucker is cheap then sure bring him back I guess. But at some point this team needs to play the damn young guys and while ice time is earned, it's a self fulfilling prophecy when you fill the roster with guys on 1 ways making several million a year. The team isn't going to turn the corner without going in one direction or the other. I'm not talking full teardown, I'm talking opening up roster spots for the guys that we need to evaluate going forward. Or I guess be aggressive and trade some of the million picks etc. we've accumulated to try to make it work with this core. Status quo with the 5th oldest team in the league is not going anywhere.

young guys started the season. Tomasino took forever to register a shot then played himself down the roster. Pärssinen played himself down. Novak started hot then never got back to that level after his injury. Nyquist played himself up the lineup. Fagemo and Foudy played themselves to waivers / AHL.

Fabbro out and Schenn in for so much of the season is the one head scratcher.

 

[Armourboy]

I don't know if Zucker is going to want to come back. He might choose Nashville over Utah (another slog with his Arizona friends), but he might be of some interest to a contending team like a Vegas or whatever. I think Barrie and Carrier are both done here and will move on.

Stastney and Del Gaizo should get qualified. Parssinen and Afanasyev make sense from the outside. On the other hand, neither one of them stepped up. Tomasino and Anderson-Dolan seem like ready chips for a trade.

Parsinnen got jerked around by Brunette, coach has already owned up to that one. Afanasyev hasn't even been given a shot really and has definitely earned one with his play in Milwaukee. Heck he was the only one that didn't suck in that Dallas game. Coach and GM screwed both those guys over.

Tomasino either needs to play in Nashville or traded, whether it's him or management it's time to get off the pot.

Stastney and Del Gaizo will be qualified.

I think any guy that is an UFA and isn't signed already will probably be gone. At a min they should be anyways.

Barrie is definitely gone.

 

[wmupreds]

young guys started the season. Tomasino took forever to register a shot then played himself down the roster. Pärssinen played himself down. Novak started hot then never got back to that level after his injury. Nyquist played himself up the lineup. Fagemo and Foudy played themselves to waivers / AHL.

Fabbro out and Schenn in for so much of the season is the one head scratcher.

Novak is 27. Not exactly a young guy at this point. Fagemo and Foudy were retreads and Foudy unsurprisingly joins the tweener group that we have plenty of. I think Parssinen played very poorly at the NHL level this year- no argument there. Tomasino horse has been beaten to death.

Let's say Zucker leaves. I am not of the opinion that this team is short on tweener types- I think that's hardly arguable. I don't see the harm in opening the season with 2 more spots that are essentially designated for current Milwaukee players (it won't be presented this way of course but you get the idea). I certainly don't think the team will greatly miss what Sherwood, Jankowski, McCarron, etc bring which is somewhere between replacement level and league average.

No particular order-

Tomasino
L'Heureux
Afanasyev
Kemell
Svechkov
Parssinen

6 guys that can compete for a couple of roster spots and push out some of the known-quantity mediocrity down the roster. Mix and match depending on the role we are looking to fill. Truthfully, if that somehow torpedoes the Preds' playoff chances, there's not a great loss here. You can frame that as not caring if they make it or not, but while I want them to make the playoffs every year, the idea of sneaking in again as one of the oldest teams in the league is just not that compelling.

 

[Armourboy]

Novak is 27. Not exactly a young guy at this point. Fagemo and Foudy were retreads and Foudy unsurprisingly joins the tweener group that we have plenty of. I think Parssinen played very poorly at the NHL level this year- no argument there. Tomasino horse has been beaten to death.

Let's say Zucker leaves. I am not of the opinion that this team is short on tweener types- I think that's hardly arguable. I don't see the harm in opening the season with 2 more spots that are essentially designated for current Milwaukee players (it won't be presented this way of course but you get the idea). I certainly don't think the team will greatly miss what Sherwood, Jankowski, McCarron, etc bring which is somewhere between replacement level and league average.

No particular order-

Tomasino
L'Heureux
Afanasyev
Kemell
Svechkov
Parssinen

6 guys that can compete for a couple of roster spots and push out some of the known-quantity mediocrity down the roster. Mix and match depending on the role we are looking to fill. Truthfully, if that somehow torpedoes the Preds' playoff chances, there's not a great loss here. You can frame that as not caring if they make it or not, but while I want them to make the playoffs every year, the idea of sneaking in again as one of the oldest teams in the league is just not that compelling.

That's kind of it for me, retooling is fine, retooling and getting older just to get bounced in the first round isnt, it's just a waste of time.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

That's kind of it for me, retooling is fine, retooling and getting older just to get bounced in the first round isnt, it's just a waste of time.

Yeah. It's great the team exceeded expectations, but getting minimal growth from our younger guys and facing likely a big regression from our first line next year, the two extra home games doesn't really feel worth the choices made.