Prospect Info: Ryan Poehling Part 4 (No MB talk)

[McGuires Corndog]

Wondering if Kotkaniemi will take the next step next year? I'd like to see the following:

Domi - Danault - Shaw
Tatar - Kotkaniemi - Gallagher
Drouin - Poehling - Byron
Lehkonen - Thompson - Armia
Weal

Why are we moving a 70pt center to the wing to accommodate Poehling in your scenario?

 

[VirginiaMtlExpat]

Wondering if Kotkaniemi will take the next step next year? I'd like to see the following:

Domi - Danault - Shaw
Tatar - Kotkaniemi - Gallagher
Drouin - Poehling - Byron
Lehkonen - Thompson - Armia
Weal

I like this line-up. Not many stars, but tremendous depth. Hopefully guys like Kulak and Weal (both signed) continue to impress. Sometimes it pays to shop at the bargain bin. In particular, all centers bring a nice two-way game and skate fairly well as a group.

Edit: I have a good feeling that Poehling will also be impressive. The performance at the last World Juniors doesn't strike me as a fluke. Also, it would be great if Suzuki forces his way onto the team. Unbelievable depth if so.

Edit2: what this may suggest, after all, if a guy like Suzuki pans out, along with Poehling, is that one of the wingers may be expendable. If Drouin or Tatar has a hot start next year, and a young playmaking defenseman sees his stock tank temporarily, someone like Chychrun, I would build around that.

 

[VirginiaMtlExpat]

Why are we moving a 70pt center to the wing to accommodate Poehling in your scenario?

That is the one limitation, but with Danault as center I could see Domi carrying the play as play-making winger, and have the two switch roles continually.

 

[RandR]

He's burning a year regardless so I imagine most habs fans would like to see him play a game this season.

I'd honestly rather just ice the best possible team without going through the experiment of seeing how NHL ready Poehling is...we're fighting for a playoff spot...he can get his shot next year.

I agree. Until the Habs get eliminated or clinch a playoff spot, Julien will be and should be icing the team that he think gives the Habs the best chance of winning each game and staying alive in the playoff hunt. That is regardless of wherever Poehling or Kotkaniemi or anybody else might fit into future plans.

 

[ottawa]

Why are we moving a 70pt center to the wing to accommodate Poehling in your scenario?

Why are we accommodating Poehling? If he makes the team it's because he's good enough not because he's being given a spot.

I can't remember the last time anyone was given a spot just because our team is run by nice people lol

 

[Kriss E]

Agreed it's how the terms are defined. For example I would consider Crosby/Maling to be top-6, 1st liners, and elite. Each group being a subset of the other because they are unbounded. So Danault is top-6, but if we wanted to give a bounded term I would say 2nd liner.

I'd say he's a top 6-9 guy.

 

[teamfirst]

More like a top 5-7

 

[Miller Time]

I agree. Until the Habs get eliminated or clinch a playoff spot, Julien will be and should be icing the team that he think gives the Habs the best chance of winning each game and staying alive in the playoff hunt. That is regardless of wherever Poehling or Kotkaniemi or anybody else might fit into future plans.

Our results down the stretch suggest that the coaching staff doesn't have a solid grasp on what lineup & roster decisions give us the best chance to win...

 

[teamfirst]

Our results down the stretch suggest that the coaching staff doesn't have a solid grasp on what lineup & roster decisions give us the best chance to win...

5-1-1 last 7 games is pretty good.....the problem is they lost the 2 games they had to win

 

[Miller Time]

5-1-1 last 7 games is pretty good.....the problem is they lost the 2 games they had to win

2-5 before that was pretty terrible...

7-6-1 down the stretch is also pretty bad

 

[McGuires Corndog]

Why are we accommodating Poehling? If he makes the team it's because he's good enough not because he's being given a spot.

I can't remember the last time anyone was given a spot just because our team is run by nice people lol

I understand that, I still can’t justify moving Domi to the wing in order to fit Poehling in at center? He just had the best season by a forward in a decade and were putting him on the wing?

 

[25th]

Baby steps for Poehling. The day Danault is in his slot at 3c is the day the Habs have a good line up.

Drouin - Domi - Shaw
Tatar - Kotkaniemi - Gallagher
Lehkonen - Danault- Weal
Byron - Poehling- Armia
Thompson

 

[Ozmodiar]

Baby steps for Poehling. The day Danault is in his slot at 3c is the day the Habs have a good line up.

Drouin - Domi - Shaw
Tatar - Kotkaniemi - Gallagher
Lehkonen - Danault- Weal
Byron - Poehling- Armia
Thompson

This lineup makes the most sense heading into next season.

Still, I'd like to see this happen:
OUT: Drouin; IN: Jamie Benn
OUT: Weal; IN: Suzuki

 

[Baksfamous112]

Why are we moving a 70pt center to the wing to accommodate Poehling in your scenario?

He’s barely been taking 50% of the faceoffs for over two months now. When Shaw is on his line, he takes most of them and split the C responsibilities with Domi. Domi is at C right now because there’s no one else, just like Drouin last year.

Everything points toward Domi playing wing next year if Poehling’s ready and to be honest, I don’t have a problem with that.

 

[1909]

He’s barely been taking 50% of the faceoffs for over two months now. When Shaw is on his line, he takes most of them and split the C responsibilities with Domi. Domi is at C right now because there’s no one else, just like Drouin last year.

Everything points toward Domi playing wing next year if Poehling’s ready and to be honest, I don’t have a problem with that.

If....

 

[Hins77]

I saw Poehling play and im sure that he could be effective on both wing and center. This guy win battle along the board, skate well. And could a be a winger or a center, im pretty sure

 

[Baksfamous112]

If....

Of course “if”.

My post was more about how long term I think the organisation view Domi as a W who can play C if we need him to and not a pure C like Danault or Kotkaniemi for example. He’ll be more of an hybrid like Shaw is

 

[jaffy27]

Our results down the stretch suggest that the coaching staff doesn't have a solid grasp on what lineup & roster decisions give us the best chance to win...

Because......?

 

[Agalloch]

Bust.

 

[Vachon23]

2-5 before that was pretty terrible...

7-6-1 down the stretch is also pretty bad

Come on, it was in the California trip.. they played what 1 game at home in that stretch ?

 

[teamfirst]

2-5 before that was pretty terrible...

7-6-1 down the stretch is also pretty bad

Ya but, what about 42-29-8 down the stretch, almost as good as

Carolina
Columbus
Pittsburgh
Nashville
Winnipeg
San jose
Vegas
and
St-Louis

Not great but.......not bad either

 

[Habby4Life]

Baby steps for Poehling. The day Danault is in his slot at 3c is the day the Habs have a good line up.

Drouin - Domi - Shaw
Tatar - Kotkaniemi - Gallagher
Lehkonen - Danault- Weal
Byron - Poehling- Armia
Thompson

I could not agree more. I like Danault but he should not be a 1 or 2c. He is a perfect number 3.
The problem I see with this lineup (short term - next year) is that I am not sure KK is/will be ready for #2c role night in and out.

I think he needs some more time to develop. IMO, MB has to go out and get a solid 2c in the summer. I think this will give them more flexibility and allow KK more time to develop.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Does anybody know for sure or has a previous example that proves Poehling's ELC will slide or not? What does the "signing year" mean? Is it the NHL season or the actual calender year?

ELC slide:
If a player who is signed to an entry-level contract and is 18 or 19 years of age (as of September 15 of the signing year), does not play in a minimum of 10 NHL games (including both regular season and playoffs; AHL games do not count), their contract is considered to ‘slide’, or extend, by one year. For example, if a player signed an ELC for three seasons from 2015-16 to 2017-2018, and their contract slides, their contract is now effective from 2016-17 to 2018-19. An exception to this rule is that if the player is 19 on September 15 of the first year of their contract, and turns 20 between September 16 and December 31, their contract does not slide.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I could not agree more. I like Danault but he should not be a 1 or 2c. He is a perfect number 3.
The problem I see with this lineup (short term - next year) is that I am not sure KK is/will be ready for #2c role night in and out.

I think he needs some more time to develop. IMO, MB has to go out and get a solid 2c in the summer. I think this will give them more flexibility and allow KK more time to develop.

If you are going to go get a solid 2C, where are you playing Kotkaniemi? 4th line center? Or are you moving Domi to wing? Pretty sure you are saying we go with Domi, ????, Danault as our top 3C's right? Are you playing Kotkaniemi in the AHL to develop?

 

[Mike Mike Caron]

Domi could be playing on the wing and it wouldn't change his effectiveness, he's the least natural center of the four centers we're talking about.