Can't argue with the results, but in hindsight of the Detroit series, which of these guys would you give more playing time in Round 2? I always love the energy Halischuk and Smith bring.......I'd like to see more of them, but maybe I'm over looking some defects in their games. I know we have more forwards than we can play.....
I don't always see all the nuts and bolts, but I have a hard time remembering a positive contribution by Yip. Can someone help me appreciate him more by pointing out the "little things" he brings as a role player?
Can't argue with the results, but in hindsight of the Detroit series, which of these guys would you give more playing time in Round 2? I always love the energy Halischuk and Smith bring.......I'd like to see more of them, but maybe I'm over looking some defects in their games. I know we have more forwards than we can play.....
I don't always see all the nuts and bolts, but I have a hard time remembering a positive contribution by Yip. Can someone help me appreciate him more by pointing out the "little things" he brings as a role player?
He's hard on the boards, got a little bit of size so he can grind on the opposing player, and apparently has Smithers' goat pictures.
I heard Trotz talk about Yip, and I think it was in the post practice interview on Sunday..
paraphrasing his remarks...... Yip can play left or right wing, he's hard on the puck on the boards and he passes it cleanly out of the zone.... that is what is cementing his position on the 4th line at present...
sounds like he wasn't a liability against the wings....
I heard Trotz talk about Yip, and I think it was in the post practice interview on Sunday..
paraphrasing his remarks...... Yip can play left or right wing, he's hard on the puck on the boards and he passes it cleanly out of the zone.... that is what is cementing his position on the 4th line at present...
sounds like he wasn't a liability against the wings....
this. Folks can bash Yip all they want but against any of the teams we face here on out those are exactly the qualities we need in a 4th liner
All are going to be important depth guys going forward. Smith played his ass off the last two games he has played. Hope he continues to play well. I really wish Wilsons light will come on and him and Smith just absolutely go beast mode in the next rounds. Name a team left who would have two better players on a 4th line.
Do you think Willy is still being considered, or is he skating figure 8's in a corner during practices?
I think if him and Trotz got into a room locked the door and hashed it out and Wilson came out of it saying i have got a ton of talent and a lot of upside i am going to do whatever the team wants me to do to the best of my ability. Yeah i think he would be given a chance to prove he is ready to step up.
I think Craig Smith played pretty well. I think Trotzy should at least open it up to a rotation of 3 players for two spots between Halischuk, Yip, and Smith. Smith is a great skater, and in a speed game, we could certainly use that.
Tootoo might get a second chance if we see some poor performances out of the above 3.
Colin Wilson...well, I only see him playing if we are down 2 games in a series. And not after the first two games.
I heard Trotz talk about Yip, and I think it was in the post practice interview on Sunday..
paraphrasing his remarks...... Yip can play left or right wing, he's hard on the puck on the boards and he passes it cleanly out of the zone.... that is what is cementing his position on the 4th line at present...
sounds like he wasn't a liability against the wings....
That's what I took from the post-practice presser on Sunday. Yip was the least likely to turn the puck over in the defensive zone. Against Detroit, those types of giveaways cost you games. Consider the Wings puck possession game. Any player who is hard on the puck along boards and can hinder their possession has significant value.
I think Craig Smith played pretty well. I think Trotzy should at least open it up to a rotation of 3 players for two spots between Halischuk, Yip, and Smith. Smith is a great skater, and in a speed game, we could certainly use that.
Tootoo might get a second chance if we see some poor performances out of the above 3.
Colin Wilson...well, I only see him playing if we are down 2 games in a series. And not after the first two games.
Halischuk has one of those winger slots as long as he's healthy. He does all of those things we demand from our fourth line plus he has a bit of a scoring touch. The other slot order of merit list probably goes Yip, Smith, Toots, Wilson, McGrattan, Mclellan ... subject to change if the Ads get knocked out and we make a few callups.
I think if him and Trotz got into a room locked the door and hashed it out and Wilson came out of it saying i have got a ton of talent and a lot of upside i am going to do whatever the team wants me to do to the best of my ability. Yeah i think he would be given a chance to prove he is ready to step up.
That's the thing though, they've already had these types of meetings ... 2 times in the past if my memory serves me correct (that were reported anyway) and it still hasn't sunk in. Talk is cheap
That's the thing though, they've already had these types of meetings ... 2 times in the past if my memory serves me correct (that were reported anyway) and it still hasn't sunk in. Talk is cheap
The lines for Sunday practice had Willy in place of SK....all others the same from game 5.
Yippers probably laid his body on more wings this past series than Willy hit all regular season, from what I saw (40 out of 41 home games and the 3 at home playoffs). I guess I just don't get it that somebody's made such strange decisions and yet this team was the first to move on in the playoffs. Also, a friend told me he heard that Toots came out publicly with some harsh words before game 5, but couldn't remember if it was against the Preds, refs, wings, or who; did anyone else get such a message from 22.???
If one player should be frustrated it should be Wilson, not Tootoo. Not too sure what SK is providing right now that Wilson can't.
Hustlechuk, Tootoo, and Smitty are all part of the matchup game. They'll get their looks.
Yip is, well....not too sure what he is to be honest other than a warm body.
SK hasn't had a stellar playoff series...but to answer your question: defense and penalty killing. Our top line was basically tasked with absorbing as much of Datsyuk's and occasionally Zetterberg's line as they could handle. Personally, I thought that same group sucked on the powerplay, but no one else seemed to do a whole lot better. Erat-Fisher-Kostitsyn is a big reason why Detroit managed just four 5-on-5 goals.
I'm not opposed to giving Wilson a shot...but if we come across some penalty-happy refs again, he's one less body we can use shorthanded. I think Fisher and Kostitsyn work very well together on the penalty kill.
The main problem I see is where Wilson fits. He's really a 14-16 minute forward...but if he's in the lineup, he'll probably be getting 6-8 4th line minutes, and be charged with playing a very different game than he is used to. Other than being used as a powerplay specialist, I don't really see anything that Wilson provides that fits any of our lines right now. The field simply got too crowded when we made 3 additions at forward late in the season.
Yippers probably laid his body on more wings this past series than Willy hit all regular season, from what I saw (40 out of 41 home games and the 3 at home playoffs). I guess I just don't get it that somebody's made such strange decisions and yet this team was the first to move on in the playoffs. Also, a friend told me he heard that Toots came out publicly with some harsh words before game 5, but couldn't remember if it was against the Preds, refs, wings, or who; did anyone else get such a message from 22.???
I think Cooper with the Tennessean interviewed Tootoo at the wrong time. Tootoo's comments were laced with expletives and he is clearly frustrated being a healthy scratch.
I don't understand the Yip hate, he is a role player, he hits, he is tough on the board, he is responsible, and he doesn't turn the puck over. Smith is great, but he gets man handled on a consistent basis along the boards. Toots is a turnover machine. Hali is the guy I usually prefer over Yip, but honestly he doesn't bring the physicality that Yip brings.
