The Negativity-**Only** Thread (A Place to go to vent) II

[gopreds19]

Mike Santorelli effing sucks. 0 G 1 A in 11 games.

 

[Byrddog]

He might be more of an integral piece that we all thought. The team defense and overall slide began right around the time he was placed on IR. He's really the one lone stay-at-home Dman on the roster and certainly the most physical outside of Weber. We seem to be loaded with Dmen who want to get up the ice and play offense, yet none of them outside of Weber (and Josi, to a lesser extent) seem particularly strong as actual defenders. They are too small or too weak or too young and prone to mistakes.

There is merit to your point but you will not find much support on HF for it. Unless a defenseman can put up 40 points or have "potential" they suck. We have had far too few true defensive defensemen over the years. Klein, Eaton and Skrastins were my favorites. Its just my opinion but a team needs a couple of these guys on the team each year. They are worth there weight in gold.

 

[deansredhalo]

There is merit to your point but you will not find much support on HF for it. Unless a defenseman can put up 40 points or have "potential" they suck. We have had far too few true defensive defensemen over the years. Klein, Eaton and Skrastins were my favorites. Its just my opinion but a team needs a couple of these guys on the team each year. They are worth there weight in gold.

I second this 100%.

 

[BigFatCat999]

Should we change the name of team to paper tigers?

 

[Drake744]

There is merit to your point but you will not find much support on HF for it. Unless a defenseman can put up 40 points or have "potential" they suck.

You can say Jones, it's cool.

 

[Byrddog]

You can say Jones, it's cool.

Yeah hes the current one but a couple years ago it was Ellis, Franson was in that category as well and has returned. Heck Suter was there for a while as well.

 

[PredsV82]

giving up our 1st for Franson and Santo is looking like a very bad trade right now. I understood why it was made, but it is paying no dividends. meanwhile our draft spot keeps rising, to Toronto's obvious delight.

sad thing is if you had told me before the season started that we'd squeak into the playoffs and lose in the first round I'd have likely been cool with that because this was supposed to be a transition year... but now its going to be such a huge disappointment...

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

giving up our 1st for Franson and Santo is looking like a very bad trade right now. I understood why it was made, but it is paying no dividends. meanwhile our draft spot keeps rising, to Toronto's obvious delight.

sad thing is if you had told me before the season started that we'd squeak into the playoffs and lose in the first round I'd have likely been cool with that because this was supposed to be a transition year... but now its going to be such a huge disappointment...

I disliked the deal. Value was fine, I saw the reasoning of it, and I also appreciate the effort to improve what was already a pretty good team. I also don't blame the trade for the slump, though I know it's hard to mentally separate them for most of us at this point. That all said, we needed to go a different direction. We're now facing dropping to a 3 seed in the division and an off-season with no 1st rounder, swapped for two guys that, frankly, I hope to not see in gold again after this summer.

Would like to see a system adjustment as well, though too late at this point. Ditch the three "offensive" lines, roll the third line in a shutdown role, and let the 4th line fly around and bang bodies for limited minutes, rather than serving as energy AND shutdown line. The third line has been useless nearly all season, and rolling them out there without a distinct role they can actually fill just works to the detriment of the rest of the roster. Also tighten up the pinching with some of the d-men. Franson, in particular, lacks the footspeed to be successful doing it (when he actually makes the correct read), and unlike a guy like Volchenkov, isn't physical enough to just take out his man when beat.

 

[Predatorbill]

Should we change the name of team to paper tigers?

Prey

 

[Pred303]

i liked volchenkov. other than the crashing into rinne twice and when he was forced to play with another non-puck mover in bartley, i thought he was a perfect fit for the team on the 3rd pair with jones. I never understood the desire to pick up franson period. said it on here before and after the trade was made. he's not bad like some on here think. in fact he's a decent second or third pair guy and a decent 2nd unit pp guy. but. everything he brings is redundant to what we already have. we had plenty of 2nd pair right defensemen (ellis/jones). we had two decent 2nd pp right handed d-men (ellis/jones). he was simply a redundant pickup, unless we had traded jones or ellis at the deadline (which is what i thought his pickup probably meant we were going to do). franson lack of footspeed also doesn't really fit lavy's mobile defenseman system as well...

i too don't think franson's pickup is the 'cause' of our slump at all. no, he's actually played decently, it the core players that are killing us, not a guy on the 3rd pair that is a +2 since he got here despite us being -15 as a team during that same stretch. but i will never inderstand the percieved 'need' to trade for this guy.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Poile just needs to stop doing trade deadline deals unless we're selling. He's good at those. Absolutely sucks at buying.

 

[roseyc]

Poile just needs to stop doing trade deadline deals unless we're selling. He's good at those. Absolutely sucks at buying.

Your absolutely right ....When he is buying he gives up what he would be seeking if he's selling...so it's a wash....The third line is what has been killing us all season. Lavy has mixed and matched all season. The biggest thing I've notice in this slump is that if you think about it Forsberg has bailed us out all year and now he stopped scoring along with the rest. Neal and Wilson and Smith have been streaky along with Ribero assisting most of all of them. The third line is important if you want to make a long run or win it. Most good teams have good top 4 defenseman... the third pairing on most team are contributing or solid or just holding their own. They are usually matched up with the 3rd line or 4th line. Poile never solved the third the access we have in the for the third line...Let's say the second line is Wilson-Fisher-Smith ...that leaves Cullen Jarnkrok Stallberg and Santorelli ( right now is he an upgrade over Olie) that's the determining factor that he at least has to overcome. Beck or Bourque. Seeing Jarnkrok I see why Detroit let him go. They give him away for Legwand....I don't think he would make the Wings team in the coming years....I hoping we would get Hartnell

 

[Armourboy]

Maybe the craziest and dumbest thought I've ever had, but something that popped into my head so what the hell. Is it possible this trade had absolutely nothing to really do with this season at all, and everything to do with Poile trying to get Franson here to get first dibs at getting him signed so that he could make another move with a guy like Jones?

It had the added benefit of an upgrade or two for the playoffs, but that wasn't why the trade was really done?

Told yah it might be the dumbest thing you've ever read.

 

[Viqsi]

I hoping we would get Hartnell

Cost would have been too high.

* * *​

Maybe the craziest and dumbest thought I've ever had, but something that popped into my head so what the hell. Is it possible this trade had absolutely nothing to really do with this season at all, and everything to do with Poile trying to get Franson here to get first dibs at getting him signed so that he could make another move with a guy like Jones?

It had the added benefit of an upgrade or two for the playoffs, but that wasn't why the trade was really done?

Told yah it might be the dumbest thing you've ever read.

That would make me very conflicted. Happy as a Jackets fan because we need RDs up here yet irritated as a Preds fan because seriously c'mon Weber is not going to be able to play forever.

 

[dougie1107]

Mike Santorelli effing sucks. 0 G 1 A in 11 games.

Has more to do with the fact that Lavy refuses to put him at center (you know, the position he's played pretty much his entire career) in favor of his mind-bogging loyalty to Jarnkrok. I know he's a fan favorite but for me the honeymoon period with him died awhile ago. He has one good game and then he's invisible for the next 15-20. He's like Cullen last year except not nearly as good.

You guys can keep blaming the trade all you want. Santorelli and Franson coming in didn't cause Forsberg and Ribeiro's offense to dry up. It didn't cause Rinne to have some poor games as of recent (NYI x2 and DET). It didn't cause Mike Fisher (who was playing like a Selke finalist) to turn into a ghost. Whether it's Lavy's coaching or the production just simply dropping, who knows, but I strongly disagree with the trade being the cause. Franson has been pretty good even if it's not showing up on the stat sheet IMO - he's even a + player with the Preds despite only being here for the far and away worst part of the season. IMO he's been one of the few bright spots on the team the last eight games. And Santorelli has seemed invisible but he also has not played his actual position save for maybe one game.

 

[Drake744]

Has more to do with the fact that Lavy refuses to put him at center (you know, the position he's played pretty much his entire career) in favor of his mind-bogging loyalty to Jarnkrok.

So, Jokinen all over again? Trade a guy who we won't let play his natural position for another guy who we won't let play his natural position. It all makes sense now.

 

[Byrddog]

Hells Bells we have had Jarnkok centering that 3rd line most of the year and this may be the biggest flop the team has had in years. Santo's sample size is too small he could be an assett or another Borque Stalberg on this team.

 

[Armourboy]

Umm Jarnkrok hasn't played for the last several games and things haven't gotten any better? At some point you can't just blame the kid because no one else is getting it done either.

 

[jstreet]

Oh look,there is our third line being our most threatening line again

 

[RCola88]

Oh look,there is our third line being our most threatening line again

They were our best line last night. Really hoping Stalberg can prove he can play, his speed would be a huge boost on that line to keep defenders guessing. He played well last night, only thing that gets me everytime is his stick-handling. If he some how improved that greatly he could be a dominant player

 

[jstreet]

Even if he doesn't threaten when he crosses the blue line, at least he gets the puck through the neutral zone with speed so we aren't dumping and chasing all night. I still have hope that he can contribute.

 

[Drake744]

Stalberg pisses me off so much because he could be so good if he had any puck handling ability.

 

[Byrddog]

These speed guys Stalberg, Santo, Borque Jarnkrok could just as well change sports and be speed skaters or put those tight drawers on and be figure skaters.

Was great to get the 2 from Kings an Pekka looked better as well as the D. This offense as got to get going. If we continue to rely on 4th line or a fluke goal off defender to be GWG things are not going return winning regularly.

 

[Roman Yoshi]

Our third line could suck golfballs through a garden house (I consider Fisher, Cullen Smith to be our second line).

 

[Pred303]

nothing positive to say at this point.