Management Travis Green [Head Coach]

[BankStreetParade]

I don't think many people here or around the league believe that we need another game breaking froward.

We have Stutzle, Tkachuk, Batherson, Giroux, Norris. And we have many others including Pinto, Greig, Perron ect ect to fill the voids.

We don't need another Debrincat or Tarasenko imo...we're good. There's no more room on the PP and we have an abundance of secondary scoring.

Do we, though?

Through 11 games -
Stutzle, Tkachuk, Batherson, Giroux and Norris: 27G, 35A, 72P
The rest of the roster: 15G, 31A, 46P

I'd be surprised if that was even average secondary scoring, by league standards. It's pretty early on in the season to say definitively one way or another but I don't think these stats line up with your statement.

 

[Answer]

Through 11 games the Team has looked engaged in almost every game. Some games they lost, that they should've won (with time it will change, I hope) Let's see if their efforts and this level of play keeps intact through out the season, especially when the game starts to matter more.

Need the results and need more wins. It is now or never. Can't just hover around .500 and just a one losing streak away from completely falling off the playoff race

 

[bicboi64]

Right, because Tkachuk imposes a physical toll on the opposition that the entire team benefits from in a way Stone couldn't dream of... oh wait, you were trying to put down Tkachuk...

I'm comfortable saying Brady can change the dynamic of a game in a way few players can. He can score clutch goals, he can rock guys with big hits, he can wear down the oppositions D with a heavy forcheck, and he can drop the gloves to turn the tide in a game the team is coming out flat. To me, that ability to change the dynamic of a game is what makes players game breaking players regardless of how they do it.

That's all true, but he's been a defensive liability and easy to bait up until the last 50-60 games of his career.

Tkachuk absolutely has the potential to be a gamebreaker because he'd be a nightmare to defend given his hitting, shooting, and goal scoring. Having said that, it's too early for me to call him that until he can play 82 games of that. Stone is a Selke calibre forward you want on the ice no matter the situation.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Ok, so yearly cup contender VGK has no game breakers then. I'm fine with modeling ourselves after them, Stars likely have 1 or none, again, I'm fine with being a contender in the same way they are. Hurricanes have none,

I don't think you can use teams pre-cap as a model for how to succeed today. Heck, even in the early days of the cap, it was a very different reality.

I look at Edm and Toronto, and their multiple game breakers are arguably the reason they can't fill out the depth and always come up short. Idk that I'd want to model our team after either of them.

Vegas, Dallas, Carolina are some of the most aggressive talent hunting teams in the league.

They are always trying to add gamebreakers.

Stone and Eichel both acquisitions and if they only had one of them they wouldn't be such strong contenders. Dallas is one of the best teams at trying to draft potential gamebreakers same with the Hurricanes. What they are trying to do is find another Robertson, Aho etc. and when they don't they aggressively try to trade or acquire them through FA.


We absolutely should be like that.

But it's easier over a long time to have more than one player that can win games and surround them with good to great depth.

Than to always have to rely on having great depth.

 

[bicboi64]

I'm not even sure Stone is a gamebreaker though. He is borderline.

I think asking whether or not you can rely on a certain player to be the best player on the 1st line/ team and be comfortable with that as the minimum cut off for a gamebreaker.

Gotta disagree here. Having a Selke calibre player on your roster gives you a gamebreaker, even if they aren't as flashy as the Makar, McDrai, Matthews, etc.,

As soon as Sanderson can consistently put up some offense he could enter that category too

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Vegas, Dallas, Carolina are some of the most aggressive talent hunting teams in the league.

They are always trying to add gamebreakers.

Stone and Eichel both acquisitions and if they only had one of them they wouldn't be such strong contenders. Dallas is one of the best teams at trying to draft potential gamebreakers same with the Hurricanes. What they are trying to do is find another Robertson, Aho etc. and when they don't they aggressively try to trade or acquire them through FA.


We absolutely should be like that.

But it's easier over a long time to have more than one player that can win games and surround them with good to great depth.

Than to always have to rely on having great depth.

Do you see Robertson and Aho as significantly better players than Brady? I don't and would take Brady over the former without hesitation.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Gotta disagree here. Having a Selke calibre player on your roster gives you a gamebreaker, even if they aren't as flashy as the Makar, McDrai, Matthews, etc.,

As soon as Sanderson can consistently put up some offense he could enter that category too

Yea and even more than that Stone makes everyone he plays with better.

I would be happy with either Stone or Eichel as my teams best forward, so by my own definition they are gamebreakers.

 

[Micklebot]

Vegas, Dallas, Carolina are some of the most aggressive talent hunting teams in the league.

They are always trying to add gamebreakers.

Stone and Eichel both acquisitions and if they only had one of them they wouldn't be such strong contenders. Dallas is one of the best teams at trying to draft potential gamebreakers same with the Hurricanes. What they are trying to do is find another Robertson, Aho etc. and when they don't they aggressively try to trade or acquire them through FA.


We absolutely should be like that.

But it's easier over a long time to have more than one player that can win games and surround them with good to great depth.

Than to always have to rely on having great depth.

And yet they don't really have any by your definition even with that aggressive talent hunting.

The reality is there is a cap in this league, you can't just add game breakers to your roster, certainly not of the stature you've alluded to. We need to be smart about how we build our roster, and not blow our load early like Dorion did.

Right now, we probably stay the course until Chabot's contract is near it's end, and then re-evaluate where everyone is, unless Boston wants to give us Pastrnak for Norris, Ostapchuk and a 2nd or some other equally absurd deal.

 

[Loach]

Yea and even more than that Stone makes everyone he plays with better.

I would be happy with either Stone or Eichel as my teams best forward, so by my own definition they are gamebreakers.

You don't need 11 gamebreakers on a team. You need 1 or 2....and different players who can step up and be a gamebreaker at different times. It's about depth. Everybody here has gone bananas.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Do you see Robertson and Aho as significantly better players than Brady? I don't and would take Brady over the former without hesitation.

So far they are, like they have won their teams wayy more games than Brady has won us.

Maybe that changes in the future but right now they are clearly better players.

If Dallas replaces Robertson with Brady and Hurricanes replace Aho with Brady does anyone really think they would have as much wins in the last few years?

 

[coladin]

I'm still eager to see how everything comes together once Zub and Pinto are back, Perron too for that matter.

Tkachuk-Stutzle-Greig
Batherson-Norris-Giroux
Perron-Pinto-Amadio
Cousins-Gaudette-MacEwen/Gregor

Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Hamonic/JBD

I'm not even sure who comes out, JBD is my preference for the bottom pair, but despite the complaints I think Hamonic has actually been pretty good albeit way overslotted. Down on a third pair I think he'd be pretty similar to JBD

For that 4th line, it's hard to break up what's working, but I think MacEwen comes out? It's probably between him and Cousins, since Gregor has been a mainstay on the PK as well as getting more ES icetime.

I'm going with

Tkachuk Stutzle Pinto
same
Perron Greig Gregor
same

I think Pinto's talents are wated on the 3rd line. He needs more minutes with top 6 players

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

So far they are, like they have won their teams wayy more games than Brady has won us.

Maybe that changes in the future but right now they are clearly better players.

If Dallas replaces Robertson with Brady and Hurricanes replace Aho with Brady does anyone really think they would have as much wins in the last few years?

Likely, yes. Certainly in the case of Dallas, ya. They're mostly just on much better teams, with actual NHL goaltending most of those years. I'd take Brady over Robertson, but don't watch enough Carolina to weigh in on Aho. Production wise they're pretty equal.

 

[Loach]

So far they are, like they have won their teams wayy more games than Brady has won us.

Maybe that changes in the future but right now they are clearly better players.

If Dallas replaces Robertson with Brady and Hurricanes replace Aho with Brady does anyone really think they would have as much wins in the last few years?

...just forget about the organizations that those guys play for. Yes they fckn woukd

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

You don't need 11 gamebreakers on a team. You need 1 or 2....and different players who can step up and be a gamebreaker at different times. It's about depth. Everybody here has gone bananas.

historically you need 2+ up front 1+ at D AND great depth.

depth is the basic requirement.

 

[Loach]

historically you need 2+ up front 1+ at D AND great depth.

depth is the basic requirement.

Nah... not today. Take your Historically and go to the Habs board and count cups from the 60s.

 

[Micklebot]

So far they are, like they have won their teams wayy more games than Brady has won us.

Maybe that changes in the future but right now they are clearly better players.

If Dallas replaces Robertson with Brady and Hurricanes replace Aho with Brady does anyone really think they would have as much wins in the last few years?

Brady's game looks ideal for Carolina, I think his north south style and throw everything at the net would fit right in, though he'd probably take a little bit to adapt to how they defend.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Likely, yes. Certainly in the case of Dallas, ya. They're mostly just on much better teams, with actual NHL goaltending most of those years. I'd take Brady over Robertson, but don't watch enough Carolina to weigh in on Aho. Production wise they're pretty equal.

...just forget about the organizations that those guys play for. Yes they fckn woukd

Aho is the 2 way playmaking engine of that team.

Robertson has outscored his closest linemate by average 15+ points in the last two seasons.

A HUGE part of the reason those teams are successful is how those two have played.

You guys ask this on the mainboards I guarantee it's going to be a landslide. Especially if we're talking about the past performance of these players.

Nah... not today. Take your Historically and go to the Habs board and count cups from the 60s.

Penguins, Caps, Tampa, Hawks, Vegas, Avs

literally the past decade dude.

 

[bicboi64]

Do you see Robertson and Aho as significantly better players than Brady? I don't and would take Brady over the former without hesitation.

If drafted at the same age, I'd take Aho over Tkachuk. He's a two way beast who is near PPG but would score a lot more on a team that's not as defensive minded as Carolina.

In 2022 I'd have taken Robertson over Tkachuk but that's because he was playing at an MVP level. It looks like he's cooled down and that year may have been an outlier. Still a topline stud, but I'd prefer Tkachuk.

 

[Loach]

If drafted at the same age, I'd take Aho over Tkachuk. He's a two way beast who is near PPG but would score a lot more on a team that's not as defensive minded as Carolina.

In 2022 I'd have taken Robertson over Tkachuk but that's because he was playing at an MVP level. It looks like he's cooled down and that year may have been an outlier. Still a topline stud, but I'd prefer Tkachuk.

Put either player on the teams, organization, coach that Brady has played on.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Robertson put up 109 points, outscored his closest teammate by 40 points and somehow you guys think Brady would have done better?

and that's the one you can actually argue.

 

[bicboi64]

Put either player on the teams, organization, coach that Brady has played on.

I think McDavid or Prime Gretzky would've struggled under DJ Smith. Having said that, each of these players have fundamentally different strengths. I think Tkachuk would excel on the Stars or Canes, but those teams wouldn't be building around him the same way they built around someone like Aho because a two way scoring centre is much easier to build your roster around.

Then again Tkachuk could've been defensive juggernaut under Brindamour who would've been the opposite of Smith in terms of holding players accountable.

 

[Loach]

I think McDavid or Prime Gretzky would've struggled under DJ Smith. Having said that, each of these players have fundamentally different strengths. I think Tkachuk would excel on the Stars or Canes, but those teams wouldn't be building around him the same way they built around someone like Aho because a two way scoring centre is much easier to build your roster around.

Then again Tkachuk could've been defensive juggernaut under Brindamour who would've been the opposite of Smith in terms of holding players accountable.

It's context. Make a scenario than say the scenario somebody else made is wrong. Lol. This place has gone bonkers in the last 2 weeks.

 

[bicboi64]

It's context. Make a scenario than say the scenario somebody else made is wrong. Lol. This place has gone bonkers in the last 2 weeks.

...mate I didn't say your scenario is wrong. Heck I even acknowledged that in another reality where Tkachuk plays on one of those teams, he might become a defensive juggernaut lol

 

[Micklebot]

Robertson put up 109 points, outscored his closest teammate by 40 points and somehow you guys think Brady would have done better?

and that's the one you can actually argue.

I don't think Brady would have done better that year, no. Roberston was fire that year.

Do I think Brady would have produced similarly to his numbers in Ottawa last year if he played on Dallas though? Sure, he could be around a pt per game in Dallas in Robertson's place.

I'm not sure if the cyst he had removed late this offseason was bugging him last year too, I would guess it was, but he wasn't the same player last year as in 2022-23, and hasn't been yet this year, so there's a risk there. I'll guess he gets back, but you never know,

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

I think McDavid or Prime Gretzky would've struggled under DJ Smith. Having said that, each of these players have fundamentally different strengths. I think Tkachuk would excel on the Stars or Canes, but those teams wouldn't be building around him the same way they built around someone like Aho because a two way scoring centre is much easier to build your roster around.

Then again Tkachuk could've been defensive juggernaut under Brindamour who would've been the opposite of Smith in terms of holding players accountable.

Why do people absolve Brady of floating defensively and cherry picking for breakaways though?

Like Sanderson, Greig, Pinto and Norris played under DJ, they didn't cheat to put up points.

Literally no one else on the roster did it to the extent Brady did. But somehow it was all DJ's fault and Brady was a victim?