27-28 goals and assistant captain for little cost to an AHL team seems pretty valuable to me.
Agreed he's not particularly useful for an NHL team, but I'm shocked he's only signed to a PTO right now.
Well the PTO is probably because his side doesn't want to commit to anything concrete just yet.
When the lockout ends and all of the NHL'ers are no longer in the league, he'll be valuable again and there will likely be some team out there willing to give him a large role and big money.
1 minute and 42 seconds of your life you would like back?
Hahaha saw this at the game last night. I was sitting directly behind Gauthier-Leduc and some other player I couldn't identify, they got a kick out of it.
I was at the opener but was not in any condition to be evaluating players but I did pick up some, combined with being at last nights game I figured I'd post my thoughts on a few players of interest for those who haven't been able to see much.
Frederic Roy - I knew he had a little bit of an edge to him but I was not expecting the level of physical play he showed last night. He's not big so he wasn't laying guys out or anything but there were very few times (don't really remember any of the top of my head) where he passed up on the opportunity to take the body. He didn't hesitate to get in the middle of things after whistles either. I wasn't expecting the level of responsibility and 2-way play he showed in the game either. He was always on the right side of the puck and was very rarely caught out of position. Seems like he could be a pretty solid player.
David Leggio - Even in the first game, despite giving up five goals, he was facing one of the best teams in the league and I thought he played a pretty solid game. I thought he played fantastic last night. The Griffins 2nd goal on a deflection from the slot was just beautiful and absoltuely no shot for Leggio. He was hung out on the first goal and I have no idea how the 3rd goal even made it into the net. I'm loving his play so far.
Luke Adam - Honestly, just terrible. Like I said, I didn't gather a ton from the first game but he was just terrible last night. SLOOOWWWW. Everything he does is slow, awkward, hesitant, just completely ineffective at both ends of the ice. I'm really starting to worry about this kid.
Cody Hodgson - There were certainly flashes. I haven't been overly impressed with him but I haven't been disappointed either. I agree with those who say his skating appears to be slightly improved from last year, he seems a bit quicker. 4 points in 4 games so far but I do think he could still be a little better.
Marcus Foligno - He was very good in the last game I saw but he wasn't very noticeable last night until about midway through the game. There was a particular shift where he flubbed a scoring chance and then had a pretty brutal giveaway back to back and came off the ice shouting "F&!#" that was audible up high in the 200s and slammed his stick against the glass while getting off the ice. Well, that seemed to spark him because he was certainly engaged from there on out and played a very strong, physical game (as we all saw in the NHL last year).
Brayden McNabb - Same old, same old. Most people know the story with him. I thought he was very good last night at both ends.
Zemgus Girgensons - So, so. There are parts of his game that worry me. He tends to be chasing the puck a lot and whenever he gets the puck, he's very hesitant and almost seems like he's not sure what to do. The latter isn't a huge issue as I'm sure a lot of it has to do with adjusting to playing the faster, stronger opponents. The former is a bit worrisome. It always seems like the puck follows some of the better players in the league, it's never a good sign when a player seems like he's always chasing the puck. It could just be him adjusting to the speed of the game, or it could be some lacking hockey sense. Either way, he's young but I haven't been particularly impressed with his play thus far, and my expectations were not high at all.
Leaving the best for last. I am completely enamored with Mark Pysyk, absolutely LOVE his game. He is just so smooth, poised, and smart with the puck. There is no panic in his game. Hopefully this isn't blown out of proportion because I mean it only in style comparison, but he has a Lidstrom-esque quality to his game. By that I mean he's able to control the game at both ends of the ice with very, very little flash. Plays mistake-free hockey and takes advantages of things when they're given. He's playing on the PK and PP and has been very effective at both from what I've seen. If you just isolate him and watch him for an entire shift, there is just so much that he does well that you never notice while watching the regular flow of the game. Very, very impressive. I'm really excited about his potential.
I sat right behind JGL and some other player I couldn't identify. I was shocked, only one fan came to talk to JGL to get him to sign something all game long.
Anybody else you guys want to hear about? I left off a lot of guys.
Leaving the best for last. I am completely enamored with Mark Pysyk, absolutely LOVE his game. He is just so smooth, poised, and smart with the puck. There is no panic in his game. Hopefully this isn't blown out of proportion because I mean it only in style comparison, but he has a Lidstrom-esque quality to his game. By that I mean he's able to control the game at both ends of the ice with very, very little flash. Plays mistake-free hockey and takes advantages of things when they're given. He's playing on the PK and PP and has been very effective at both from what I've seen. If you just isolate him and watch him for an entire shift, there is just so much that he does well that you never notice while watching the regular flow of the game. Very, very impressive. I'm really excited about his potential.
Totally and completely agree. Pysyk, IMO, has maybe been our best blue-liner so far this season. Every single game, it seems like he's making smart, safe plays in his own end, and smart, opportunistic plays in the offensive zone. He's also impressed me with his attitude of the ice in interviews and such. Seems like he's got a really good head on his shoulders. Can't wait to see how he continues to develop.
I don't know what my plans are for Tuesday, but if I want to go to the game here in Buffalo can I just buy tickets at the box office like an hour before the game?
I don't know what my plans are for Tuesday, but if I want to go to the game here in Buffalo can I just buy tickets at the box office like an hour before the game?
How has Matt Mackenzie looked? I always thought he was an underrated prospect around these parts when doing the prospect polls, and the fact that he's been in the line-up over some more heralded guys bodes well for him. He was a guy I hoped they would target before they drafted him, but I haven't really tracked his development.
How has Matt Mackenzie looked? I always thought he was an underrated prospect around these parts when doing the prospect polls, and the fact that he's been in the line-up over some more heralded guys bodes well for him. He was a guy I hoped they would target before they drafted him, but I haven't really tracked his development.
I made it a point to watch him closely last night. He's sound positionally, very rarely gets running around. He has a decent shot from the point, but that's not really his game. If you don't make it a point to watch him, you could forget he's playing, but that's good for a defenseman.
I made it a point to watch him closely last night. He's sound positionally, very rarely gets running around. He has a decent shot from the point, but that's not really his game. If you don't make it a point to watch him, you could forget he's playing, but that's good for a defenseman.
On Twitter, one of the reporters--couldn't remember if it was Kevin O., Coller, or Vogl--noted that he's very solid. I'd love to see a zone-start chart for Amerks defensemen. Based on the pairings, I'd imagine he and Finley get a large helping of defensive-zone starts, McNabb-Pysyk get a nice mix, and Brennan and his parter (Biega, currently) probably see a lot of offensive-zone starts.
MacKenzie has certainly become a forgotten man, especially in the prospect polls. Hopefully that starts to change.
On Twitter, one of the reporters--couldn't remember if it was Kevin O., Coller, or Vogl--noted that he's very solid. I'd love to see a zone-start chart for Amerks defensemen. Based on the pairings, I'd imagine he and Finley get a large helping of defensive-zone starts, McNabb-Pysyk get a nice mix, and Brennan and his parter (Biega, currently) probably see a lot of offensive-zone starts.
MacKenzie has certainly become a forgotten man, especially in the prospect polls. Hopefully that starts to change.
MacKenzie has been pimped a decent amount by Chain, so I've never forgotten about him. I just never have enough information to make any sort of opinion. Hopefully that can change this year.
On Twitter, one of the reporters--couldn't remember if it was Kevin O., Coller, or Vogl--noted that he's very solid. I'd love to see a zone-start chart for Amerks defensemen. Based on the pairings, I'd imagine he and Finley get a large helping of defensive-zone starts, McNabb-Pysyk get a nice mix, and Brennan and his parter (Biega, currently) probably see a lot of offensive-zone starts.
MacKenzie has certainly become a forgotten man, especially in the prospect polls. Hopefully that starts to change.
Last year didn't he bounce around between defense and forward?
He was definitely higher up in the rankings after before he went to the AHL. I think last year was kind of all over the place, while we had sexier new toys with Pysyk and JGL.
Last year didn't he bounce around between defense and forward?
He was definitely higher up in the rankings after before he went to the AHL. I think last year was kind of all over the place, while we had sexier new toys with Pysyk and JGL.
Due to lack of depth, he had to play some forward last year. Then he had that nasty injury, so he missed most of the season. Kind of a lost year developmentally for him. He's only three months older than Pysyk, and a couple months younger than Foligno, so he's still in a solid spot with his development (even if a full season would've been ideal last year).
crap. I feel like an idiot now 
