the sad thing, getting pommer and scandella was an upgrade on our roster

and we are still worse than last year
- homiedclown

Jason Pominville is this team's best winger...and I'm not a particularly big fan of his.

You clearly missed this. http://www.thehockeynews....es-it-take-to-win-the-cup ROR is a fantastic player. He puts up 55-60 points despite being on a team that can't score and despite starting in his zone way more often than not.

2 of the best defensive centers in the game:

Bergeron started in his O-zone 54% last year and 63% so far this year. 53 points last year. Toews 55% and 59%. 58 points last year.

and ROR: started in his O-zone 46% last year and 38% so far this year. 55 points last year. So despite playing in his end 10%+ more often than those guys he still puts up the same amount of points.


ROR is a pure defensively deployed center and still puts up a bunch of points on a team that can't score.
- Wetbandit1

Agreed, I have no issues with ROR’s play, although his piss pour start did frustrate me. Generally he earns his paycheck...wish he had more leadership qualities though to get his determination through to others.

disagree


you can plant only roses, they do just fine
- homiedclown

When you say “plant”...?

/
- Boss34

On your scoop. As long as you're not a wiener about it no one will rip you.

That would certainly explain things. But I thought they were saying lower body? I'm pretty hazy on that, that's just what I think I remember from way back in the prospects tourney when they showed him in the crowd. They say upper body when they mean concussions.

Jason Pominville is this team's best winger...and I'm not a particularly big fan of his.
- buffalofan19

Kane?

Correct, absolutely.
I’m just saying with 20/20 hindsight that those deals were in fact a year, maybe 2 early.
And now we go backin* to building through the draft.
Ok, then do it so that we have a Championship caliber team —� (frank)ing tank fully, trade the players we signed and amass a stockpile of picks and execute it better then.

According to some with future hall of farmers in Bailey, Baptiste, Pu, Asplund, Mittelstadt, Guhle and others we have in the pipeline we should be able to weather the storm in the meantime.

I’m saying don’t middle it like the Bills for the past 17 years.
- IonSabres

But u can’t look at it with 20/20 hindsight
U have to travel back, & look at what you’d have done in the moment
Trading for O’Reilly & Kane was great
What’s screwed this team up is how he f#cked up the defense

Blowing it all up now is dumb
Those next 3 years of draft picks we’d have won’t actually help us for 3years or so AFTER they’re picked

We don’t need to wait ANOTHER 5 YEARS

1) the forwards we have, & the talent coming, can provide us 3 lines that can score
-that works for me, hopefully Mittelstadt &/or Nylander turn into to studs, but even if not we are still in good shape

2) defense is a mess, kind of
-get another top4 guy, whether we sign Carlson or trade for someone, whatever.
Then we potentially have Scandella-Carlson (or whoever) as a pretty good top pair, and Ristolainen with McCabe or Antipin until Guhle is ready
Can we do Sam + for Lindholm?
Ok, fine... do it

3) find a goalie

[quote=Wetbandit1]

Him and Bogo just coked it up a bit too much.

Kane?
- Wetbandit1

At the end of the season, I think Pominville will end up outscoring him.

Sure, then add

JT Compher
Colin White
Jack Roslovic
The 31st pick in 2015
Nikita Zadorov
Brendan Lemieux
Matt Tkachuk

It’s not close
- sbroads24

None of that makes us better than we are NOW
Just gives us more to trade for guys like Kane & O’Reilly

Are ANY of the guys in that group our “Malkin” or “Doughty” though?
Just more pieces like we have now

Can only play 12 forwards & 6 defensemen

But u can’t look at it with 20/20 hindsight
U have to travel back, & look at what you’d have done in the moment
Trading for O’Reilly & Kane was great
What’s screwed this team up is how he f#cked up the defense

Blowing it all up now is dumb
Those next 3 years of draft picks we’d have won’t actually help us for 3years or so AFTER they’re picked

We don’t need to wait ANOTHER 5 YEARS

1) the forwards we have, & the talent coming, can provide us 3 lines that can score
-that works for me, hopefully Mittelstadt &/or Nylander turn into to studs, but even if not we are still in good shape

2) defense is a mess, kind of
-get another top4 guy, whether we sign Carlson or trade for someone, whatever.
Then we potentially have Scandella-Carlson (or whoever) as a pretty good top pair, and Ristolainen with McCabe or Antipin until Guhle is ready
Can we do Sam + for Lindholm?
Ok, fine... do it

3) find a goalie
- jdfitz77

Holy poop dude.

WE ARE BAD NOW, with all these guys we traded for.

You wouldn’t rather be drafting top 3 the last few years, considering the results aren’t much better with the god sent Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane?

You’d have a point if we were remotely a playoff team

Agreed, I have no issues with ROR’s play, although his piss pour start did frustrate me. Generally he earns his paycheck...wish he had more leadership qualities though to get his determination through to others.
- IonSabres

He does do the after practice stuff. And in general as far as "leadership" is concerned. No one outside of the locker room knows for sure who does what. You can infer through the way the team is playing that there's not enough. But also, you can only work with what you've got. And if you've got poopty stock your poop's going to fall apart no matter how good of a carpenter you are.

There are games where they're down 3, 4 goals and they don't go away and they come back to at least get it to OT, and there are games like Dallas where, sure we won the Corsi battle, but there weren't a ton of grade A chances.

[quote=Wetbandit1]
Not to be a "weiner" but sometimes adults tell fibs and tall tails. Especially in professional sports.

None of that makes us better than we are NOW
Just gives us more to trade for guys like Kane & O’Reilly
- jdfitz77

And far more cap room to improve. Their record wouldn't be much worse if at all. To say they would be in a far better position is an understatement. This team is in the position it is in because of poor personnel decisions. That said, they probably would have been in an even better position had they only made one of the Kane or O'Reilly trades, but not both.

None of that makes us better than we are NOW
Just gives us more to trade for guys like Kane & O’Reilly
- jdfitz77

We couldn’t be much worse.

Yet have more cap space, more trade capital and better prospects than Nylander

At the end of the season, I think Pominville will end up outscoring him.
- buffalofan19

No way, unless Kane misses 20+ games. Pominville has dropped off a cliff the past 2 weeks. I think he'll ultimately be ok, but I doubt he gets past 17 goals.

He does do the after practice stuff. And in general as far as "leadership" is concerned. No one outside of the locker room knows for sure who does what. You can infer through the way the team is playing that there's not enough. But also, you can only work with what you've got. And if you've got poopty stock your poop's going to fall apart no matter how good of a carpenter you are.

There are games where they're down 3, 4 goals and they don't go away and they come back to at least get it to OT, and there are games like Dallas where, sure we won the Corsi battle, but there weren't a ton of grade A chances.
- Wetbandit1

I agree with your ror facts. Didn't the team vote him mvp? So his effort and heart are respected amongst his piers

We couldn’t be much worse.

Yet have more cap space, more trade capital and better prospects than Nylander
- sbroads24

Is Dubois better than Nylander?
Idk about that

Cap space to do what?
Sign more “Okposo” type players?

We aren’t gonna sign Kucherov in free agency dude

Holy poop dude.

WE ARE BAD NOW, with all these guys we traded for.

You wouldn’t rather be drafting top 3 the last few years, considering the results aren’t much better with the god sent Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane?

You’d have a point if we were remotely a playoff team
- sbroads24

No one expected us to still be in this spot
U can’t let hindsight dictate what you’d have done in the moment 3 years ago

Not to be a "weiner" but sometimes adults tell fibs and tall tails. Especially in professional sports.
- Boss34

Are you talking about the team?

They're definitely calling it a lower body. Maybe he did both and the concussion was away from the rink like with Ennis and they're just rolling with it.

We couldn’t be much worse.

Yet have more cap space, more trade capital and better prospects than Nylander
- sbroads24

But are ANY of the guys in that group our “Malkin” or “Doughty” though?
Just more pieces like we have now

Can only play 12 forwards & 6 defensemen

Is Dubois better than Nylander?
Idk about that

Cap space to do what?
Sign more “Okposo” type players?

We aren’t gonna sign Kucherov in free agency dude
- jdfitz77

Yes, right now Dubois is better than Nylander.

Nylander did nothing in the AHL and hasn’t played a game this year. Dubois is in the NHL.

And of course we are limiting it to Nylander.

Not including Keller, Tkachuk, JP, Laine. Of course

But u can’t look at it with 20/20 hindsight
U have to travel back, & look at what you’d have done in the moment
Trading for O’Reilly & Kane was great
What’s screwed this team up is how he f#cked up the defense

Blowing it all up now is dumb
Those next 3 years of draft picks we’d have won’t actually help us for 3years or so AFTER they’re picked

We don’t need to wait ANOTHER 5 YEARS

1) the forwards we have, & the talent coming, can provide us 3 lines that can score
-that works for me, hopefully Mittelstadt &/or Nylander turn into to studs, but even if not we are still in good shape

2) defense is a mess, kind of
-get another top4 guy, whether we sign Carlson or trade for someone, whatever.
Then we potentially have Scandella-Carlson (or whoever) as a pretty good top pair, and Ristolainen with McCabe or Antipin until Guhle is ready
Can we do Sam + for Lindholm?
Ok, fine... do it

3) find a goalie
- jdfitz77

Fitz, it’s fine ... we see the future of this team much differently.
A) To get 2 and 3 it will take significant assets from 1 because we are void of 2 & 3 talent...I don’t need to tell you that.
B) I think you assertion of the fix to 2 is very light, further depleting 1
C) not all those prospects in 1 will pan out to give you enough quality in the top 6...especially when filling the void from my A and B
D) the Cap isn’t completely F’d right now, but acquiring you 2 & 3 will pinch it hard if not limit your ability to fulfill it. Ain’t no one giving you Carlson for Molson, Bogo, Beaulieu, Pommer any of the other atrocious contracts we need to get rid of to make it work.

Pull it off, and you’re a legend GM like the Championship Dynasties of the past.
Love your enthusiasm...but...

It’s like saying we should’ve never drafted Dareus

Yeah, looking back at it now, it was a bad pick
But at the time it wasn’t
Same thing with the O’Reilly & Kane trades

Those guys aren’t what didn’t work
It was the other moves/non-moves to fix the defense that have us still struggling

Yes, right now Dubois is better than Nylander.

Nylander did nothing in the AHL and hasn’t played a game this year. Dubois is in the NHL.

And of course we are limiting it to Nylander.

Not including Keller, Tkachuk, JP, Laine. Of course
- sbroads24

U can’t say he’d have a better career
And that lineup would’ve had us picking 3rd or 4th that year
So please stop with the “Laine talk”

But are ANY of the guys in that group our “Malkin” or “Doughty” though?
Just more pieces like we have now

Can only play 12 forwards & 6 defensemen
- jdfitz77

Yes. They certainly could be.

You know who definitely isn’t? O’Reilly, Kane and Lehner