Well said. I think one of the other issues that has come into focus is that some young guys and/or younger vets are floundering in their current roles. Not wanting to block them makes sense, but you also have to recognize when they're simply not good enough for the role they're in (Bryson, Clague, Olofsson; close to here with Joker, but in terms of him being a reliable top 4 guy compared to the other 2 D who look like they're AHL only) or are still on their development path (Peterka) and need to be upgraded. And acquiring a middle of the pack 3rd line winger and/or a viable #5 or #6 d-man wouldn't be too horribly costly, and could be enough to push the team into the playoffs. I've watched the Bills pull the "we played well at the end of the season and it'll carry over to next year" card, only to open the season 1-4 and be dead in the water by November, plenty of times. IMO, Adams needs to recognize he's getting potential career years from guys and give them a better shot to get in. Not saying they'd win a playoff round, but *that* experience would be more valuable than "we were close at the end."
BS. Up until the events of this week, there was very little criticism of Adams because he had done mostly a good job and there was a lot of hope he'd do something useful at D or G, even after not doing it in the summer, or the deadline before. Yes there were some posters in the summer disappointed that we didn't do more to address D and G, myself included, but not because we needed to make the playoffs this year or any unrealistic expectations.
You're right on. The volume and pitch of the lowest-quality criticism is stifling and bordering on pathological. It muddies the legitimate gripes into one big mess.
Go look at the Granato and Adams threads. Every time this team has hit a 2 or 3 game skid, and sometimes after one bad loss, there have been people complaining about them.
I don't think anyone predicted a bad team. Can you find a single post predicting a bottom 5-10 finish?
Is this you?
Ahhh yes. There’s like 6 people in here trying to keep up the consistent positivity but I just KNEW someone would swipe in with not everyone has to agree. LOL.
Fair enough. I'll take your word for it. I honestly don't think I've opened either of those threads in months, if ever. Maybe subconsciously it's because I knew it would just be what you're saying.
Better coverage from the forwards would help, sure, but I think you're way underestimating how much the D and G contribute to our ability to keep the other team from scoring. They're called "defensemen" for a reason.
That's exactly where I am as well. I've been reading/lurking these boards since 2003, and whenever those threads are bumped, especially after a loss, I don't even bother opening them.
I would venture to say that there are more GA from blown coverages or turnovers from forwards than there are from the defense.
Saros has never dealt with an in-season trade before like Reimer and Talbot have. That is a factor and guys that deal with it for the first time, like MAF to Minnesota last season, rarely goes well.
I think there is plenty of blame to go around.
Only aspect that Adams has not screwed up is the forward situation in terms of getting skill at that position. Goaltending and Defenseman structure & depth/pipeline he's really screwed up. Unless things change drastically, they are maybe 4-5 years away from actually fielding a cycle of prospects of bringing homegrown talent into the lineup. And that's if they focus on the position at all.
