We may have taken Wilson just as a favor to Nashville since he's on a one way deal and Nashville is a budget team. Not sure he was acquired as anything more than depth or a top player in Syracuse.
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Originally Posted by Ben Dover
Thats a tough decision. I think it boils down to either Brown or Connolly, and I think Connolly could use some time on a good Syracuse team. Conacher and Killorn are both interesting, but I think both are destined for the A. Theres gonna be tons of competition for these spots.
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Originally Posted by HoseEmDown
I'm wondering why we resigned Hall now, I see him being a healthy scratch a lot. Wilson's a similar player who's younger and has a better PPG average and Crombeen we acquired picks for so he'll play.
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Originally Posted by LightningStrikes
Hall is very good at faceoffs and the PK, though.
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Originally Posted by tb
The way I see it is if we are going to use Brown Connolly and another 2-way contract player, we are going to have to shed a contract or 2. Im sure there will be a few takers for Hall atleast...
Welcome to the new thread!
__________________
"It's still All In to me dammit." - Felonious Python
I'd like to think brown and Connolly make the top squad. I see Tyrell coming off his second knee surgery being eased back into the lineup. Wilson and Wan will be the first depth calll ups.
Malone Stamkos Purcell
Pouliot Lecavalier St Louis
Brown Pyatt Connolly
Hall Thompson Crombeen
Tyrell Killorn Wyman
Wilson
I liked what I saw from Connolly at the end of last season, he started to adjust his game to the speed of the NHL. He looked like he'd be better off starting in Syracuse, but things may change depending on a big off-season of training. He'll be on the team by at least mid-season, IMO. Heading into opening day we have:
St. Louis - Stamkos - Purcell
Malone - Lecavalier - Brown/Connolly
Pouliot - Thompson - Hall
Labrie/Wyman/Wilson/Tyrell - Pyatt - Labrie/Wyman/Wilson/Tyrell
Crombeen
Hedman - Salo
Brewer - Carle
Lee - Mikkelson/Barberio
Bergeron
Lindback
Garon
I love Thompson, but a 3rd line center would be ideal here just to round up this roster. We could see a lot of spots won over from players on last years Norfolk squad out of training camp. Syracuse if going to be deep next year.
Last edited by Skip Bayless: 07-10-2012 at 09:39 PM.
I see them keeping 8 defenseman with mikkelsson and taormina battling it out for the 8th spot. I think that 10 forward "spots" (as in on the NHL club, not necessarily in the lineup) are defintley taken. I think that two of the spots will be taken by 2 of connolly/conacher/brown/killorn, whichever one of them does the best in training camp and preseason. I think that tyrell has a spot because of his one way deal and speed, him and crombeen will swap in and out of the lineup along with hall. So then the final spot will be a battle between Wyman and Wilson and basically whoever looks the best that is not gonna be hurt by sitting a lot of games. Which is why i think wilson has a good shot since wyman has a 2 way deal.
So bottom line, it will be a very interesting training camp and probably one of the fiercest battles we lightning fans have seen in a long time. Personally I think connolly and brown will be the 2nd and 3rd line forwards but I really think conacher is the real deal. I think killorn needs a year in the minors to develop more but I am very high on him as well as panik too. It looks good for us right now!
It wouldn't be too hard to replace him on the PK, but since we aren't exactly the best team on the draw, he'll likely stick around. I think we'd be better served to have a more skilled player take his spot, but Boucher loves him so I doubt he sits many games.
Correct me if I am wrong but I could have sworn I read Brown chose us over a few other teams because he was going to get a chance to be an NHL starter from the get go? Or am I just making things up in my head .
In my opinion (although all seem like great options) I like Brown>Connolly>Conacher. Connolly was looking great at the end of last year, and after another summer of growing up into older frame/getting older-wiser/getting bigger, you have to figure he can really come out soaring this year.
Stamkos already has one of his future wingers signed for the next 4 years, what would be better time than the start of the next season to see if Brett Connolly can add to the already lethal threat of Stamkos and Purcell. Aftera hard off-season with Gary Roberts Connolly should be able to handle himself on the first line. He has the potential but can he produce?
The 2nd forward line consists of the old dynamic duo of Vinny and Marty. Who better than rising star JT Brown to round this line out. Brown has the offensive potential to help contribute on this line. These 2 hard working veterans should raise the compete and skill level of Browns game
The past season we diddnt have enough scoring depth. By placing Malone and Pouliot with the harvard grad Killorn, you not only get a line that can score goals but is defensively responsible (not so much Pouliot). The size this line brings will be a huge assest to the team. One last positive is that Malone can help mold Killorn into a strong power forward given his big frame, he should be capable.
The 2 permenant fixtures on this line will be Thompson and Pyatt (likely dressing in most games because of likely injuries through out the line-up). Hall and Tyrell will play several games together re-uniting the DNA line us fans loved so much (when Pyatts playing on the 3rd line). Crombeen will be used when the finds his role. Wilson is expendable if he does not impress in camp, I see him waived and claimed in 20 games in.
The first defensive pairing was easy, I feel safe knowing that Hedman and Brewer are logging the big minutes. If Hedman played with Salo or Carle I believe hes offensive potential would be being capped somewhat. If its not brocken, don't fix it.
Carle will be logging 23-25 minutes per game on this line, with Lee seeing some time in the top 4. I feel Salo will be a 18-20 minute player, as if he plays over that that they will no longer be quality minutes. Lee has makings of top-4 defensman and just needs to round out his game and become more consistent. Sharing time between the 4 &5 spot will be very benefecial to him.
Mikkelson has no option but to perform or get moved. With young defensman eager to take his position he will be given time on the bottom pairing to prove his worth. Lee and Salo will be with Mikkelson on this bottom pairing with MAB and Auile jumping in and out of the line-up. I dont think we will play the 7th dman to often this season, so I see MAB being shopped around.
Lindback is possibly the goalie we have been waiting for, but we shouldnt rush him into 60-70 games in his first starting sesson when we have the veteran Garon ready to take on 30-35 games.
Thanks for reading, these are just my opinions remember :-). Feedback is welcomed!
Correct me if I am wrong but I could have sworn I read Brown chose us over a few other teams because he was going to get a chance to be an NHL starter from the get go? Or am I just making things up in my head .
In my opinion (although all seem like great options) I like Brown>Connolly>Conacher. Connolly was looking great at the end of last year, and after another summer of growing up into older frame/getting older-wiser/getting bigger, you have to figure he can really come out soaring this year.
Your right, but they never guaranteed he'd play in the NHL this season. The thing was with our team there where a lot of holes and he would have a great opportunity to compete for and win a spot, which he still does.
There were a couple of small things too, like being able to finish the season with us and make NHL money. Tom Kurvers, a UMD alumni watched and scouted him heavily, and might of had some influence on him. There's also no better undersized, undrafted, college star like St. Louis to learn from and this organization has plenty of smaller players, so it's a great environment for him. And very importantly we also have the Yzerman effect working for us.
Mikkelson has no option but to perform or get moved. With young defensman eager to take his position he will be given time on the bottom pairing to prove his worth. Lee and Salo will be with Mikkelson on this bottom pairing with MAB and Auile jumping in and out of the line-up. I dont think we will play the 7th dman to often this season, so I see MAB being shopped around.
Just out of curiosity, what makes you think they won't use the 7th d very much? Boucher loves to run with 7. It's true we have a lot more forward depth now, but I still think he'll go 11/7, mostly to keep MAB in for PP duty.
It wouldn't be too hard to replace him on the PK, but since we aren't exactly the best team on the draw, he'll likely stick around. I think we'd be better served to have a more skilled player take his spot, but Boucher loves him so I doubt he sits many games.
One of our biggest issues that I've been talking about for a while now. Outside of Hall, and since we've lost Moore, we've been pretty much abysmal on the draw. Face-offs are definitely something we must work on, as the importance of winning draws becomes a bigger factor in the playoffs. If Vinny (48%) and Thompson (50%) can return to their 2010-11 face-off numbers, 50% and 53% respectively, then this won't be as big of an issue.
Just out of curiosity, what makes you think they won't use the 7th d very much? Boucher loves to run with 7. It's true we have a lot more forward depth now, but I still think he'll go 11/7, mostly to keep MAB in for PP duty.
In 2011-12 Boucher went with 12/6 most of the time, though.
I don't see Wyman in the NHL this year unless we have several injuries. I don't care how much Boucher likes him there's no room for him and he has a two way deal. Maybe it's just cause I'm not a fan of Hall's but I see him as the odd man out. His PK and FO skills aren't enough to put him in the line up every night. I'd prefer Tyrell for that and I'm not sure how Wilson is at both those. I do see us playing 12/6 all season, only reason we went 7 D was our bottom 6 was awful last season. I think Aullie and Tao will be in the A.
Anton But got released by Metallurg. Is now the time?
Metallurg btw, is coached by Paul Maurice and Tom Barrasso.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LightningStrikes
In 2011-12 Boucher went with 12/6 most of the time, though.
The second we got Mikkelsson though, we started going 11/7. Up until he joined I don't recall a single game that season, where we had gone with 7.
That indicated to me that there's a certain composition of defensemen Boucher likes to have before going with 7. If Ohlund was healthy last year, I'd wager we'd have seen 7 much sooner.
When SFY and Boucher came in, they said they didn't care if a player was on a one-way or two-way deal. If they deserved to be on the Lightning, they would be, and I think that strategy worked in their first season. Last season it started to become about two-way guys getting the shaft because of their contract status, and the results of that sort of thinking showed themselves.
Dana Tyrell, although in need of development, was sent down initally because of his contract status, despite being part of the DNA line, and we saw how well they played together when he was finally called up. Part of that boost came from the circumstances, but it's not like they had lost a step as a unit. They became the engine for the entire team, until Tyrell got hurt at least.
If we have a guy on a one-way contract, and he gets beaten out by a guy on a two-way. You either send the guy on one-way down, full salary and all, and/or you look to trade him.
It's about having the right guys, not the best guys as determined on paper during the offseason.
Last edited by Felonious Python: 07-11-2012 at 07:02 AM.
In the past 2 years with Boucher as coach we havnt had the top 4 we have now now. Finally we have more scoring depth amongst the forwards so why limit that with a 7th dman? Also MAB is now expendable as Salo and Carle will likely qb the pp.
In the past 2 years with Boucher as coach we havnt had the top 4 we have now now. Finally we have more scoring depth amongst the forwards so why limit that with a 7th dman? Also MAB is now expendable as Salo and Carle will likely qb the pp.
That's betting that Salo stays healthy.
I don't think, nor would I like to see, MAB as expendable. I don't think any D guy starting or capable of starting is expendable with injury prone players like Salo playing every game.
MAB earned his way onto this team after being a shot in the dark signing. He earned another year here and deserves his spot.
********. You don't "deserve" anything being a huge defensive liability. MAB didn't do us any favors by signing with with us, he did it so he could get a two year deal. He is incredibly expendable. Does anyone really want to see him logging 15-20 sheltered minutes a night? Our D has improved big time, I would hate to have him as a regular just because he performed well out of no where.
Honestly, I hope we move him. We have Carle and Salo, with Hedman's D game hopefully developing further and Lee and Brewer being no slouches on the O-side themselves. MAB is redundant and unnecessary.
********. You don't "deserve" anything being a huge defensive liability. MAB didn't do us any favors by signing with with us, he did it so he could get a two year deal. He is incredibly expendable. Does anyone really want to see him logging 15-20 sheltered minutes a night? Our D has improved big time, I would hate to have him as a regular just because he performed well out of no where.
Honestly, I hope we move him. We have Carle and Salo, with Hedman's D game hopefully developing further and Lee and Brewer being no slouches on the O-side themselves. MAB is redundant and unnecessary.
********. You don't "deserve" anything being a huge defensive liability. MAB didn't do us any favors by signing with with us, he did it so he could get a two year deal. He is incredibly expendable. Does anyone really want to see him logging 15-20 sheltered minutes a night? Our D has improved big time, I would hate to have him as a regular just because he performed well out of no where.
Honestly, I hope we move him. We have Carle and Salo, with Hedman's D game hopefully developing further and Lee and Brewer being no slouches on the O-side themselves. MAB is redundant and unnecessary.
********. You don't "deserve" anything being a huge defensive liability. MAB didn't do us any favors by signing with with us, he did it so he could get a two year deal. He is incredibly expendable. Does anyone really want to see him logging 15-20 sheltered minutes a night? Our D has improved big time, I would hate to have him as a regular just because he performed well out of no where.
Honestly, I hope we move him. We have Carle and Salo, with Hedman's D game hopefully developing further and Lee and Brewer being no slouches on the O-side themselves. MAB is redundant and unnecessary.
Only reason he played those minutes were because of injuries. He was never brought in to be a guy who gets lots of playing time he was just brought in for his shot on the PP. I did like his heart and hard work out there but his D game leaves a lot to be desired. Your right though he is expendable at this point and probably will be scratched a lot or traded at deadline. With Salo on board we have a guy with a great shot who isnt a defensive liability. Putting Salo and Carle out on the PP is the way to go.
********. You don't "deserve" anything being a huge defensive liability. MAB didn't do us any favors by signing with with us, he did it so he could get a two year deal. He is incredibly expendable. Does anyone really want to see him logging 15-20 sheltered minutes a night? Our D has improved big time, I would hate to have him as a regular just because he performed well out of no where.
Honestly, I hope we move him. We have Carle and Salo, with Hedman's D game hopefully developing further and Lee and Brewer being no slouches on the O-side themselves. MAB is redundant and unnecessary.
MAB is still better than Aulie. And offensively he's probably top-3 or even top-2 among our defensemen (when healthy).
Nice thought that we finally have options on the point on our PP, the MSL/Stamkos on the point or MAB+1 was nerve racking as hell to watch.
Now we have 3 1st unit PP capable dmen in Carle/MAB and Salo, Hedman capable of 2nd unit duty. Thats without even stretching anyones talent above where it should be.
We can actually ice 2 decent PP units if we don't have to load the top one with forwards as well, anyone want to guess what they look like?
Stamkos-Lecavalier-St. Louis
Salo-Carle
Could be a good top unit, but maybe Lecavalier gets dropped to 2nd unit and stick Bugsy in front of the net.
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