This is the reason I am (and always have been) okay with Wilson over TT or whoever else, because at the very least he seems to WANT to do it, whereas I always got the impression, even when he was doing well his first year, that Hendricks knows when it has to be done, but isn't really looking forward to it.
Nobody on this team seems to actually relish physical play, with the exception of one or maybe two.
For one, if Holtby is already our number one goalie without a doubt, we're ****ed.
Two, six goals is bad any way you slice is. I mean, a goalie takes up more than 80% of the net just standing still.
Three, Welcome to non-HunterHockey.
1. We're even more ****ed with Neuvirth
2. Smart players don't shoot the puck at the goalie's chest. They aim for the part of the net they aren't covering. It's not that simple.
3. Quit acting like Hunter is a god and was the only reason for making a young goalie like Holtby look good because Varlamov and Neuvirth did it too when they were the starters.
I know one thing about Crabb. He can't make this team any softer.
Outside of what Ovi brings on any given night, we largely don't try to dictate the play to our opposition. We are just a mostly listless uninspired bunch. We roll mellow.
Oates will be trying to dictate play by having endless waves of defensemen moving up trying to score, supporting the forwards. Proverbial Zombie Forwards. He may see a thin front needing help, but I more see a team needing an identity. Someone with some fire and passion for the game, to take some of the full load Ovi carries in providing all the momentum for the team. I do think there are clear shifts of momentum in games.
It used to be easiest seen in fights, but those days are long gone.
All it takes is a bit hit from a defensemen. Get the crowd and bench pumped, maybe even Ovi. But ours don't even try. Ovi bears all the load. It's too much for him. Its like he is expected singlehandedly to break down a defense. the other forwards should be pounding the D men, so he doesn't have to. We roll backwards.
Hunter's system was ideal for a goalie with Holtby's weaknesses. His tight, collapsing defense was able to mitigate Holtby's tendency to give up juicy rebouds by boxing the other team out of the crease and ensuring that the Caps would be the ones to jump on the loose pucks. You'd have to be ignorant to completely ignore that fact.
I know one thing about Crabb. He can't make this team any softer.
Outside of what Ovi brings on any given night, we largely don't try to dictate the play to our opposition. We are just a mostly listless uninspired bunch. We roll mellow.
Oates will be trying to dictate play by having endless waves of defensemen moving up trying to score, supporting the forwards. Proverbial Zombie Forwards. He may see a thin front needing help, but I more see a team needing an identity. Someone with some fire and passion for the game, to take some of the full load Ovi carries in providing all the momentum for the team. I do think there are clear shifts of momentum in games.
It used to be easiest seen in fights, but those days are long gone.
All it takes is a bit hit from a defensemen. Get the crowd and bench pumped, maybe even Ovi. But ours don't even try. Ovi bears all the load. It's too much for him. Its like he is expected singlehandedly to break down a defense. the other forwards should be pounding the D men, so he doesn't have to. We roll backwards.
I think people are expecting this group of guys to be something they are not. They're not going to play physical, tough, overpowering hockey. We've wanted that to happen for years and it hasn't. And it certainly won't happen this year. This is more of a finesse team and the best we can hope for is for Backstrom and Ovi to rekindle that 2010 magic the two had.
2. Smart players don't shoot the puck at the goalie's chest. They aim for the part of the net they aren't covering. It's not that simple.
3. Quit acting like Hunter is a god and was the only reason for making a young goalie like Holtby look good because Varlamov and Neuvirth did it too when they were the starters.
You know how I know you are new around here?
You accuse me of thinking Hunter was a good coach.
I see Kundretek is called up, i guess we need D-man with offensive upside more then we need tough **** who can actually do something if some ******* decides to get stupid... We have one of the softest teams in the league and John cant be much worse then Kundratek, i just don't get it...
Just not a big fan of MAJO on the first line with Ovie and Backs. Understand we're lacking depth up top right now and waiting for the eventual arrivals of the likes of Forsberg and Kuznetsov to fill some of these spots, but I'd rather move MAJO down to the third line and have the lines look something like this:
I think people are expecting this group of guys to be something they are not. They're not going to play physical, tough, overpowering hockey. We've wanted that to happen for years and it hasn't. And it certainly won't happen this year. This is more of a finesse team and the best we can hope for is for Backstrom and Ovi to rekindle that 2010 magic the two had.
Agree, its not us. But when I watch other games, Ovi aside, I just see more passion for the game from players. Yet when the playoffs start, our guys start playing that way, or are expected to. Suddenly, they start clearing the crease. Ward and Carlson start hitting, out of no where.
So, they may have it in them. Like a dormant gene. I saw Flash crush a guy in the playoffs once.
The Zen philosopher Basha Huntsie once wrote, If you not aren't angry, you are not trying your hardest.
We need to just start throwing a few hits and it starts on defense.
Lol, why is everyone freaking out over Holtby? A little early to be raising the alarms, no?
And besides, even if for some reason he ****s the bed... at least he's hilarious to watch. He was the most entertaining player of the 2012 playoffs, for sure.
Hunter's system was ideal for a goalie with Holtby's weaknesses. His tight, collapsing defense was able to mitigate Holtby's tendency to give up juicy rebouds by boxing the other team out of the crease and ensuring that the Caps would be the ones to jump on the loose pucks. You'd have to be ignorant to completely ignore that fact.
This. A clear crease also ensured Holtby could see the puck on pretty much all the shots. Last game he had way too much traffic in front of him.
This is the reason I am (and always have been) okay with Wilson over TT or whoever else, because at the very least he seems to WANT to do it, whereas I always got the impression, even when he was doing well his first year, that Hendricks knows when it has to be done, but isn't really looking forward to it.
Nobody on this team seems to actually relish physical play, with the exception of one or maybe two.
Teravainen should have been the pick simply for value. If he pans out we have a Granlund-level prospect we can throw in trades for Bobby Ryan and whatnot. Also guys like Wilson are really nice until you realize that if your whole team doesn't play that style they lose much of their effectiveness.
Just not a big fan of MAJO on the first line with Ovie and Backs. Understand we're lacking depth up top right now and waiting for the eventual arrivals of the likes of Forsberg and Kuznetsov to fill some of these spots, but I'd rather move MAJO down to the third line and have the lines look something like this:
What is there that's not convincing about Joel Ward? He's the only one on the team who (1) realizes that hockey is a game of trolling first and foremost (2) has the balls and hustle to be on the better end of it.
How can you possibly want to scratch him when he's the only one consistently going to the net? What message does that send to the team? Play like Marcus Jofairy and you'll be rewarded with more icetime?
Oh, and I gotta countertroll this thread now (all in good fun, ofc).
We were more trying to rationalize where the rumors of Luongo to Washington may have their origins and it was speculated because Holtby looked a little shaky last game.
What is there that's not convincing about Joel Ward? He's the only one on the team who (1) realizes that hockey is a game of trolling first and foremost (2) has the balls and hustle to be on the better end of it.
How can you possibly want to scratch him when he's the only one consistently going to the net? What message does that send to the team? Play like Marcus Jofairy and you'll be rewarded with more icetime?
So his play the other night and his gw against Boston in the po have convinced you about his worth. Very small sample size. He was milk carton material for just about the entire regular season last year. GMGM bought into Ward and overspent for him purely on him having a good run during the playoffs in 2011.
So his play the other night and his gw against Boston in the po have convinced you about his worth. Very small sample size. He was milk carton material for just about the entire regular season last year. GMGM bought into Ward and overspent for him purely on him having a good run during the playoffs in 2011.
So what convinced you otherwise? His 20 point regular season playing a 3rd/4th line role on an offensively dysfunctional team? What, you thought we brought him in to be a 40 point winger?
The things he does well, and the things he did well before you even knew who he was convinced me about his worth. A smart coach can use him to tilt the ice against superior players without them knowing what's coming. Trotz did it 3 years running. Ward is possibly the best board cycler in the league. He's great at anticipating broken plays and capitalizing on them (which is what his game 7 winner was all about). He's also the only one who has demonstrated a desire to go to the net this year (Wolski's odd forays aside). He also has pretty much no hesitation in playing his admittedly limited game, which is something we desperately need more of. Look at his goals from the last game. He went to the net and drove the puck in without hesitating while everyone else on our team was too busy meditating on whether John Lyly was more underrated than Nathaniel Hawthorne. I'm worried that Brouwer is gonna become a primadonna who thinks he's a skill player (since he's now paid like one) and stop driving the net/playing a trollish game (much like Laich since getting his contract). Chimera is great at doing things at top speed but useless otherwise. Put him with Hendricks and Beagle/Perreault (whoever's hot) and give them 13-14 minutes a game you'll see an incredibly effective line.
If we eschew Ward and go with a pure rushing, lower effort game we might coast more through the regular season but the smackdown we'd face in the playoffs will make the Tampa series seem even.
Just look at the sample lineup you posted. If that doesn't scream "please be gentle before you push it all the way in" for the playoffs, I don't know what does.
Last edited by Halpysback: 01-22-2013 at 03:38 PM.
So what convinced you otherwise? His 20 point regular season playing a 3rd/4th line role on an offensively dysfunctional team? What, you thought we brought him in to be a 40 point winger?
The things he does well, and the things he did well before you even knew who he was convinced me about his worth. A smart coach can use him to tilt the ice against superior players without them knowing what's coming. Trotz did it 3 years running. Ward is possibly the best board cycler in the league. He's great at anticipating broken plays and capitalizing on them (which is what his game 7 winner was all about). He's also the only one who has demonstrated a desire to go to the net this year (Wolski's odd forays aside). He also has pretty much no hesitation in playing his admittedly limited game, which is something we desperately need more of. Look at his goals from the last game. He went to the net and drove the puck in without hesitating while everyone else on our team was too busy meditating on whether John Lyly was more underrated than Nathaniel Hawthorne. I'm worried that Brouwer is gonna become a primadonna who thinks he's a skill player (since he's now paid like one) and stop driving the net/playing a trollish game (much like Laich since getting his contract). Chimera is great at doing things at top speed but useless otherwise. Put him with Hendricks and Beagle/Perreault (whoever's hot) and give them 13-14 minutes a game you'll see an incredibly effective line.
If we eschew Ward and go with a pure rushing, lower effort game we might coast more through the regular season but the smackdown we'd face in the playoffs will make the Tampa series seem even.
Just look at the sample lineup you posted. If that doesn't scream "please be gentle before you push it all the way in" for the playoffs, I don't know what does.
"He's great at anticipating broken plays and capitalizing on them" - I think its more of the blind squirrel syndrome at work than Ward's ancticipation. The goal he scored against Boston was courtesy of Knuble's efforts and crashing the net. Ward's first goal on Saturday night had both him and Wolski swinging at the puck at the same time, it was just that Ward's stick got to the puck before Wolski. I agree Ward is good along the boards, but lets not get carried away here and suggest that he's a physical presence on the ice. He's got a long way to go to prove to me that he's worth 3 million dollars a year for two more years after this season.
