GDT: Wings @ Avs | 7pm MT | Emergency Throwback GDT

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Yes, you always have a choice. Even if the Avs roster wasn't amazing, there is zero justification for playing your top guys as much as he did. No precedent for it whatsoever in history and having any form of success.
You heard him. It’s a results oriented biz like it or not. It was implicitly clear that not winning means you quickly fall out of contention and you do what you have to in order to remain competitive and in contention. And in his defense, how was he supposed to know how the TDL would turn out?
 
You heard him. It’s a results oriented biz like it or not. It was implicitly clear that not winning means you quickly fall out of contention and you do what you have to in order to remain competitive and in contention. And in his defense, how was he supposed to know how the TDL would turn out?
We’re actually lucky Mitts was producing to start the season. If he didn’t, and with Georgiev in net, we probably would still be battling to stay in the playoffs as a wildcard team.

Then Mitts stopped producing, but CMac fixed the goaltending so that helped us a lot. But seriously I can’t blame Bednar for playing the top guys a lot back then. We needed to win games and that’s the only way we could do it
 
Lehkonen - MacKinnon - Necas
Drouin - Mittelstadt - Parssinen
Wood - Drury - Colton
Kiviranta - Kelly - O’Connor

View attachment 999647

Then you remember what it looked like 6 months ago in game 2

Kovalenko - Mack - Mikko
Ritchie - Mitts - LOC
Wood - Colton - Ivan
Kivi - Wagner - Kelly

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
de Haan - Malinski

Fourgiev
Annunen
 
Then you remember what it looked like 6 months ago in game 2

Kovalenko - Mack - Mikko
Ritchie - Mitts - LOC
Wood - Colton - Ivan
Kivi - Wagner - Kelly

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
de Haan - Malinski

Fourgiev
Annunen
Yikes….

Like I mentioned in my other post, luckily Mitts was actually at PPG for a little while which helped us to stay afloat
 
Then you remember what it looked like 6 months ago in game 2

Kovalenko - Mack - Mikko
Ritchie - Mitts - LOC
Wood - Colton - Ivan
Kivi - Wagner - Kelly

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
de Haan - Malinski

Fourgiev
Annunen

That team definately was as branded a wild card group with first round exit.

This team now aint... It would have competed for the 1st in NHL if together from the start.

Lets hope they can keep it more or less the same for next year.

Make that Nelson deal happen. Sell your soul if Kadri isnt available...
 
Then you remember what it looked like 6 months ago in game 2

Kovalenko - Mack - Mikko
Ritchie - Mitts - LOC
Wood - Colton - Ivan
Kivi - Wagner - Kelly

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
de Haan - Malinski

Fourgiev
Annunen

That team had no issues. We had Rants roofing empty netters from the defensive end.
 
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I have a serious question, and whoever answers, please be honest and serious.

If Avs win the cup this year, but Makar doesn’t get to 30 goals, will you really see it as a successful season and be happy?
I wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming that Makar gets 29 goals, Kucherov wins the Art Ross by 1 point and Hellebuyck wins the Hart. Really doesn't bear thinking about.
 
Have anyone done any Marty and Doc photoshops yet for Marty and Brock?

Not sure technology has advanced to the point where you can make Doc Brown look older, but it’s worth a shot.
Been waiting for someone to make one for Marty since the trade (A+ on the Brock-Doc thought).

Whoever does it, just don’t go with this one when trying to get Marty to re-sign:
1742996266517.gif
 
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Some of us told you back then that you're comparing last years team at deadline to a team at the beginning of the season.

Of course none of us could have predicted just how many moves we ended up making.
 
Part of me wonders if the Avs played hard ball with Rantanen knowing the flaws in his game and believing they might be better off without him.

The power play seems to be performing better without him, they’re a deeper team, they still have elite star power in MacK and Makar, and they’re piling up W’s.

Time will tell if it was the right call, but they’re playing great hockey and they’re built more sustainably for next season too.

Loved Mikko as an Av, and moving on from a star player is hard to do, but maybe you’re better off doing it a little too early than a little too late.
 
Part of me wonders if the Avs played hard ball with Rantanen knowing the flaws in his game and believing they might be better off without him.

The power play seems to be performing better without him, they’re a deeper team, they still have elite star power in MacK and Makar, and they’re piling up W’s.

Time will tell if it was the right call, but they’re playing great hockey and they’re built more sustainably for next season too.

Loved Mikko as an Av, and moving on from a star player is hard to do, but maybe you’re better off doing it a little too early than a little too late.
They move around SO much more on the power play than they did earlier this season. And yeah, Mikko was a statue this year on the man advantage, I don't know why. We'll see if anyone ever says anything but I won't be surprised if he's been hampered by something all year. His skating and strength on the puck (yes, he isn't always Bambi out there) just isn't there at all right now.
 
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They move around SO much more on the power play than they did earlier this season. And yeah, Mikko was a statue this year on the man advantage, I don't know why. We'll see if anyone ever says anything but I won't be surprised if he's been hampered by something all year. His skating and strength on the puck (yes, he isn't always Bambi out there) just isn't there at all right now.
Nah, he isn't hampered by anything. This is who he was last season, too.

Mikko got lazy. He became too reliant on his skill, especially on the PP.
 
Nah, he isn't hampered by anything. This is who he was last season, too.

Mikko got lazy. He became too reliant on his skill, especially on the PP.
Well, I dunno if he *got* lazy, he was always a bit lazy. :laugh: Still seems weird the last two seasons have definitely been off though, that can't be argued. The season before that was probably the best hockey he's ever played, and at a time when there was no Landeskog and for at least one fairly decent stretch, no MacKinnon either.
 
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Nah, he isn't hampered by anything. This is who he was last season, too.

Mikko got lazy. He became too reliant on his skill, especially on the PP.
Lazy doesn’t seem right. Low effort vs. high effort or call it unmotivated or uninspired play. The difference is the team is moving so much faster and playing at a much quicker pace now. Not an analytics guy but the stats and eye test say we’re a much better, more dynamic team now.
 
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Lazy doesn’t seem right. Low effort vs. high effort or call it unmotivated or uninspired play. The difference is the team is moving so much faster and playing at a much quicker pace now. Not an analytics guy but the stats and eye test say we’re a much better, more dynamic team now.
The team was never faster than in 2022 and he was fine.

Mikko got lazy and complacent. He stopped moving his feet, especially on the PP.
 

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