I think that was the line when Crosby came back, but that wasn't the line all season was it? I thought Dupuis was centering the 3rd line at one point in time.
Addition by subtraction. The guy got benched in the playoffs for a 20 year old kid. That's how bad his play was. I just want who he black mailed over the summer because with how bad he played against Philly I thought for sure he was done.
Ya know no one wants to hear it, but we don't even know if Despres or Borts are definitely better than Lovejoy. I'd wager Despres is, but Lovejoy is at least a standard 7th Dman. Just because Bortuzzo et. al. are still sort of unknowns doesn't mean they're going to be better.
I think that was the line when Crosby came back, but that wasn't the line all season was it? I thought Dupuis was centering the 3rd line at one point in time.
Dupuis played like 3 or 4 games at center at most right after we traded away Letestu and Sid got hurt again. Then we brought in OReilly and then Park got healthy. TK and Cooke flanked the rotating cast of 3rd line centers most of the year; which eventually became Crosby for a bit. Then Crosby and Staal switched spots to reunite Cooke - Staal - TK and put Sid with Sully and Dupuis.
By the time the Kunitz - Geno - Neal line had settled in, so had the Sully - Staal - Dupuis line.
Ya know no one wants to hear it, but we don't even know if Despres or Borts are definitely better than Lovejoy. I'd wager Despres is, but Lovejoy is at least a standard 7th Dman. Just because Bortuzzo et. al. are still sort of unknowns doesn't mean they're going to be better.
Well they certainly will never get better if they never play. At this point I'd say it's a safe bet they do get better than Lovejoy though considering Lovejoy sucks and he's 29.
Well they certainly will never get better if they never play. At this point I'd say it's a safe bet they do get better than Lovejoy though considering Lovejoy sucks and he's 29.
I don't think he is arguing otherwise. Just saying that its probably worth keeping Lovejoy around in case of injuries. At least that's how I see it.
Dupuis played like 3 or 4 games at center at most right after we traded away Letestu and Sid got hurt again. Then we brought in OReilly and then Park got healthy. TK and Cooke flanked the rotating cast of 3rd line centers most of the year; which eventually became Crosby for a bit. Then Crosby and Staal switched spots to reunite Cooke - Staal - TK and put Sid with Sully and Dupuis.
By the time the Kunitz - Geno - Neal line had settled in, so had the Sully - Staal - Dupuis line.
Yeah that's it. Either way we didn't exactly have the greatest secondary scoring lines behind Kunitz-Malkin-Neal, yet we somehow still managed to almost take 1st in the East. Throwing Crosby in between two guys who play the same style of game he does certainly isn't going to hurt things. Then we can get a guy to play with Crosby at the deadline, and things will be good. Hell maybe we'll get two.
Well they certainly will never get better if they never play. At this point I'd say it's a safe bet they do get better than Lovejoy though considering Lovejoy sucks and he's 29.
It's very possible, at the same time Lovejoy was the Bortuzzo of 5 years ago. I don't know why people don't remember stuff like that. Throw in Noah Welch for your pleasure.
It's very possible, at the same time Lovejoy was the Bortuzzo of 5 years ago. I don't know why people don't remember stuff like that. Throw in Noah Welch for your pleasure.
I really didn't like Lovejoy 5 years ago either, but whatever you say. Plus Lovejoy isn't 6-4 and wasn't even drafted (not like being drafted is the be all end all, but still).
Yeah that's it. Either way we didn't exactly have the greatest secondary scoring lines behind Kunitz-Malkin-Neal, yet we somehow still managed to almost take 1st in the East. Throwing Crosby in between two guys who play the same style of game he does certainly isn't going to hurt things. Then we can get a guy to play with Crosby at the deadline, and things will be good. Hell maybe we'll get two.
to be fair, the Sully - Staal - Dupuis line was really freaking good last year. Not that I completely disagree with your point. Just saying. I get where you're coming from. I just don't know that I agree with it. But that's probably because there really isn't a good option. And we agree on that.
I really didn't like Lovejoy 5 years ago either, but whatever you say. Plus Lovejoy isn't 6-4 and wasn't even drafted (not like being drafted is the be all end all, but still).
Absolutely, they're different players. The point is guys come and go and anyone that shows anything is talked about at length when the reality is they're an unknown commodity until they at least play a little.
I'd think that Dupuis - Crosby - Kennedy could at least be just as good. Just saying.
Hell, switch Kennedy with Dupuis so Kennedy can't just drive wide and do his patented chest snipe all the time.
Oh I agree. I just don't know if I agree that
Kunitz - Malkin - Neal
TK - Crosby - Dupuis
is better than
Kunitz - Crosby - Dupuis
TK - Malkin - Neal
And honestly I'd prefer swapping TK and Cooke in the second scenario. I think
Kunitz - Crosby - Dupuis
Cooke - Malkin - Neal
Glass - Sutter - TK
Tangradi - Vitale - Adams
is the best setup we can put out right now.
For all the complaining we are doing, this team is good enough to compete for the eastern conference regular season title as is. Our best players are just that good. But we all want better than that.
Oh I agree. I just don't know if I agree that
Kunitz - Malkin - Neal
TK - Crosby - Dupuis
is better than
Kunitz - Crosby - Dupuis
TK - Malkin - Neal
And honestly I'd prefer swapping TK and Cooke in the second scenario. I think
Kunitz - Crosby - Dupuis
Cooke - Malkin - Neal
Glass - Sutter - TK
Tangradi - Vitale - Adams
is the best setup we can put out right now.
I just really want Kennedy and Crosby to play together. It's never really been tried for any more than a handful of games, and when it has been tried he hasn't looked that bad, contrary to popular opinion that only grades players based off of one or two plays during the course of a game.
Their games are just so much alike. The only difference is that Crosby doesn't shoot every chance he gets, and he's obviously 100x more skilled, but he's also 100x more skilled than pretty much every other player in the league.
Quote:
For all the complaining we are doing, this team is good enough to compete for the eastern conference regular season title as is. Our best players are just that good. But we all want better than that.
Oh yeah definitely. I just think that if Bylsma is going to be tinkering with the lines now, I think he should be tinkering with Crosby's too considering his wingers aren't playing well either.
Kunitz-Malkin-Neal just works. If you want to get Kunitz going again, that's how you do it. Then you can try out somebody else for Crosby's wingers, which never seems to happen, and maybe you'll find something that sticks for a while.
I just really want Kennedy and Crosby to play together. It's never really been tried for any more than a handful of games, and when it has been tried he hasn't looked that bad, contrary to popular opinion that only grades players based off of one or two plays during the course of a game.
Their games are just so much alike. The only difference is that Crosby doesn't shoot every chance he gets, and he's obviously 100x more skilled, but he's also 100x more skilled than pretty much every other player in the league.
In all the years that TK has been here I have never seen anything to make me believe he can stop shooting every chance he gets. That's a big part of my problem with him in that spot.
In all the years that TK has been here I have never seen anything to make me believe he can stop shooting every chance he gets. That's a big part of my problem with him in that spot.
I honestly don't think he's ever been told to NOT stop shooting every chance he gets.
He's played on a 3rd line where that's the whole line's MO. Shoot the puck, create rebounds, and crash the net. He used to be a creative playmaker before he came up through the system.
Besides, I HAVE seen him make nice plays. He just doesn't do it all the time because he's been taught to shoot the puck every chance he gets.
I honestly don't think he's ever been told to NOT stop shooting every chance he gets.
He's played on a 3rd line where that's the whole line's MO. Shoot the puck, create rebounds, and crash the net. He used to be a creative playmaker before he came up through the system.
Besides, I HAVE seen him make nice plays. He just doesn't do it all the time because he's been taught to shoot the puck every chance he gets.
I know he's capable talent-wise. I don't know if he is mentally able to play a creative game with any consistency at the NHL level. I'll need to see it to believe it. As always, I hope he proves me wrong.
Their games are just so much alike. The only difference is that Crosby doesn't shoot every chance he gets, and he's obviously 100x more skilled, but he's also 100x more skilled than pretty much every other player in the league.
If Crosby put Novocain in his gloves and wore horse blinkers, they would be about the same.
I know he's capable talent-wise. I don't know if he is mentally able to play a creative game with any consistency at the NHL level. I'll need to see it to believe it. As always, I hope he proves me wrong.
I just want to see him given a chance to prove it. Why is he being given a chance to prove it on Malkin's line? I mean if anybody should be shooting on that line, it should be Malkin or Neal.
He's never been given a chance to prove it with a player he's a more natural fit with.
If Crosby put Novocain in his gloves and wore horse blinkers, they would be about the same.
Well I obviously know they aren't in the same stratosphere skill wise, but their styles of game are similar. Kennedy does have the ability to create for himself though.
I think we can try TK with Malkin Neal. At least, it won't be worse than ET with Geno. I think it will be better.
But I bet eventually we'll come to (if there won't be drastic changes, like trade for Kulemin):
Kunitz - Malkin - Neal
Dupuis - Crosby - Kennedy
Cooke - Sutter - Tangradi
The sooner the better. I see more and more posters write it. If we want to fight for SC
