Matt Karash: Solid first half of week tees 'make up' time at home for the weekend

i gotta say that i have been really impressed by pesce's play and the poise that he displays with the puck

i gotta say that i have been really impressed by pesce's play and the poise that he displays with the puck
- jerbear53

His poise is exactly what jumped out for me in his last preseason game. He is good at buying a bit more time and knows when to temporarily eat the puck instead of doing something worse. That is the formula for a rookie to avoid 'big oopses' when things go wrong.

Yeah, Pesce is arguably playing better than Hanifin right now. That is not a slight on Hanifin, he is playing better than an 18 year old defenseman should be playing in the NHL, but Pesce is legitimately in our top four at this point. We really need another one of the kids to step up their play so we can get Hainsey out of the top pairing. He is just getting over worked with Faulk and I think it shows in his own zone and also is hurting Faulk.

We really are going to have an embarrassment of riches in defensemen very soon. Especially right shot defensemen. Faulk, Pesce, Murphy, McKeown, and Wisniewski all could push for playing time next year. It might be time to move one for a forward prospect while their values are still high. Edmonton, we await your best offer...

Brett "Joe" Pesce has been a pleasant surprise so far. He's doing the little things that are so important and he's turning heads. Its a stark comparison to Michael Jordan, who has looked uncomfortable and unsure of himself. Here's hoping Pesce continues his solid play and continues to grow.

Three in row, I'd say a very solid week. I see a better tenacity in the second half of the games compared to last year. Looks like the culture is slowing changing for the better. Versteeg is fitting in nicely and can't under estimate his contibutions on and off the ice.

I'd like to see FR go out and get a replacement D countering the loss of James W. If i'm not mistaken, if on IR this won't count against the cap. I could be wrong here, but also do realize there may not be alot of D pick-up choices at the moment.

I, like many of you, have been pleasantly surprised by how well Pesce plays the game and the poise he has throughout a contest. He is legit top 4 d-man material. I admit that prior to training camp when he began turning some heads, including mine, I didn't realize he had such upside as he is showing. Also, I have been really pleased with how Ryan Murphy is playing. He's not burning it up point-wise, but he is really limiting his mistakes on the ice and when he does get caught flat footed or is beaten on a rush, he is getting back to where he needs to be without panic setting in. I always felt that JR rushed Murphy to the big show way before he was ready, and I think we are now just seeing his potential as to what he is capable of doing on the ice. An interesting note about Murphy that I've noticed, is he seems to play better when we are behind and I'm not sure as to why or how or if it is a good thing or a bad thing, but merely an observation. I like the kid and I am glad he is getting the opportunity to just play and see what he can contribute on the ice. Even in interviews now, he doesn't seem to have that deer in headlights look that he did a year or two ago. The future is definitely brighter today in Caniac nation than it was just a year ago.