SalarySwishSalarySwish
Avatar

RinksideOps

Member Since
Apr. 20, 2018
Forum Posts
82
Posts per Day
0.0
Forum: Armchair-GMApr. 17, 2019 at 11:35 a.m.
Thread: Theres Always Next Year
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>pharrow</b></div><div>Sure and CBJ didn't just pound your lineup up and down the boards and all over the ice for 4 games.


Barré-Boulet, Point, Kucherov, (he's what 5'11 if that), Johnson. That's four of your top 6 who are small players.

Then you wonder why the other team comes out and beats on your lineup. Yeah I'm sure you will win a lot of games in the regular season. But if you haven't figured it out by now, come the playoffs the game is different. You better be ready to hit and be hit. This is two years now where TB was simply out physicaled up and down the ice.

Speed and skill only goes so far when the other team is willing to plaster you all over the boards.</div></div>

I get that guys like Foligno/Anderson/Dubinsky make the Blue Jackets appear more heavy, but the only way Columbus pounded the Lightning up and down the boards was through effort and puck control. CBJ is actually a slightly lighter and younger team than TBL and the Lightning out-hit the Blue Jackets 144-117 in the series. Four of CBJ's Top 6 (Duchene, Atkinson, Panarin, and Dzingel) are all under 200lb, and their entire top line is under 6'0". Also, according to CapFriendly's depth charts, both teams have only 8 skaters above 200lb, so it's not like Columbus had an arsenal of big guys that would crush all of the small Lightning players.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely arguing against big players. I just don't get the argument that they need to be in the top 6 over more skilled players. Weight can be beneficial for defensemen (all of Tampa's D-men are over 200lbs by the way) and for bottom 6 players, who can't always rely on skill and need to win board battles or lay a hit to knock the opposition off the puck. With the way the league is now, most of the biggest point producers are smaller, and big players who can also score are becoming few and far between. I know the Lightning's big-3 didn't live up to expectations, but Panarin, Duchene, and Atkinson drove the offense for the whole series. If you gave the same minutes to the heavy bottom 6 guys like Foligno, Dubinsky and Jenner, I can guarantee you they would not have been able to out-score the Lighting.

TL;DR: The Lighting are actually bigger and hit more than Columbus did. Big players do have a place in hockey, but unless they also have the skill, they should not be in the top 6.
Forum: Armchair-GMApr. 16, 2019 at 5:04 p.m.
Thread: Dont Panic and Over-Correct
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>BOLTLOVER1</b></div><div>Leadership change .. Cooper or Stamkos .. Stamkos a MINUS 5 this playoff after being a minus most of this year .. 5 on 5 stat .. other issue is we WAY too small and scrawny .. only 2 forwards over 200lbs and they on 3rd/4th line .. team is constricted and cultured for regular season .. Chicago with their guys never had these issues</div></div>

It's a different league now. It's getting smaller, faster and more skilled. Plus every single defensemen is over 200 except Stralman, which is half their team! Trying to make everyone big is what got the Oilers into their mess. Wouldn't you want an 18:00 per night player to be the most skilled guy you could find? And you can't possibly say that a third round exit is a choke. That's so hard to do in this league, especially three times in a row. Granted, losing the 3-2 leads is a choke, but the Capitals were notorious for Game 7 losses, and they eventually got over it by sticking with the same core and learning from their mistakes. I know it's frustrating, I'm pissed too, but just be patient.
Forum: Armchair-GMApr. 16, 2019 at 4:50 p.m.
Thread: Theres Always Next Year
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>BOLTLOVER1</b></div><div>Agree with your moves and add Volkov and maybe 2 other Crunch guys .. but trading Gourde is like shooting Daenerys dragon in the small toe .. ain't going to do crap .. head needs to be hit like the Night King did .. and for Tampa that Cooper or Stamkos</div></div>

Look, I get it. This is a terrible playoffs so far, but you don't set an NHL win record by being a bad team. These guys have shown that they're capable of winning, even in the playoffs. In the past four years, they have made the Cup Final once and the Conference Final twice. Even though they didn't win, that is not a team that has a history of choking. There's so much luck involved in hockey (running into hot goalies, hitting posts, injuries, etc.) that making the Final 4 in each of their last 3 playoff appearances is an incredible feat.

When was the last time that blowing a team up has ever worked? Just look at Washington. A few years ago, everyone was saying that they were the biggest chokers. Trotz was on the hook and everyone was speculating if Ovi was gonna get traded, but they didn't touch their core. They retooled around it, and they eventually won. I think every team needs one big disappointment before they can put it together, and this is it for the Lightning. They got their wake-up call and now just gotta keep it together.
Forum: Armchair-GMApr. 16, 2019 at 4:35 p.m.
Thread: 2019-20 Cap Crunch
Thank you for being smart enough to call up prospects (I haven't seen a lot of that on here), but I don't think you actually have to make all these moves. Send all but one young winger down because it's better for their development to play top line minutes in the AHL than to be scratched/on the 4th line in the NHL (Paquette did a good enough job to resign for that role), and it will save you about $2M in scratches. Benn is getting old, so I'd rather sign Rutta (who might even be cheaper).
If you do all that, you would have enough money to only have to move one $5-6M player. Although Callahan is the anchor contract, he only has one more year and they could get a pick instead of giving one away if they move someone like Gourde. He had a terrible back half of the year and Miller is a year younger and more versatile. I think one of the prospects will be ready to replace Gourde in the next few years anyway, so might as well get him out now while there is still value.
Let me know what you think!
Forum: Armchair-GMApr. 16, 2019 at 4:19 p.m.
Thread: Help for cup next year
Overall, not too bad, but the free agent signings kinda leave a bad taste in my mouth. DSP had one good playoff run, but is now in the minors, and you shouldn't pay Kruger $1M to be a backup. The Lightning have good (and cheaper) prospects, so I'd rather call them up and bump Joseph down to the 4th line instead of spending almost $2M for players who won't play every game. I do like your idea of bringing in Faulk to bolster the defense, but Cal Foote could be ready to play in a similar role. You could maybe wait until the trade deadline so you can assess Foote's play and if you still want to add, bringing in Faulk at the deadline would only require a few picks. Lastly, I get that they need cap space, but I'd rather move Gourde over Callahan or Miller. Miller is more proven/versatile, and although Callahan is kind of an anchor, he only has one year left and I think Gourde might get passed in the depth chart soon anyway by a prospect. Plus, you wouldn't have to give up a 1st to move Gourde.

I know calling up prospects can be risky, but the Lighting usually do a good job with it. Let me know what you think!
Forum: Armchair-GMFeb. 13, 2019 at 10:47 a.m.
Forum: Armchair-GMFeb. 13, 2019 at 10:37 a.m.
Thread: Realistic Rebuild
I think it's pretty clear that the Ducks can not win a cup with this roster, even after adding a player like Duchene (who has never been over a point-per-game player until this season). Even still, a top UFA FWD will probably get at least $9Mx8 since the Ducks will have to out bid other teams, and that will be a pretty ugly contract considering it goes until he's 36. He'll be 32 when Lindholm and Manson are up, and if you're worried about resigning them now, think of how hard it will be with $9M less in cap space devoted to a player past his prime. Our defensive core is still pretty young, and our future at forward looks bright. In 3 years, the Ducks could very well have a deadly and deep forward group:
Rakell-Steel-Terry
Comtois-Getlzaf-Sprong
Jones-Henrique-Kase
Ritchie-Lundestrom-Sherwood

All 7 of the top 9 players not named Getzlaf or Henrique are capable of scoring 60-80 points in a season (like Duchene has is his career) if they develop properly, so that should be the focus. You get the deep roster you want and you're not stuck with some out-dated player costing more than the rest of your roster. And like I said before, if it turns out that Getzlaf is too old to resign in 2 years, then that's when you can start making big moves to fill in the gap rather than assume any need before you see what the team turns into.
Forum: Armchair-GMFeb. 12, 2019 at 5:33 p.m.
Thread: Realistic Rebuild
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Jah1722</b></div><div>I agree with virtually everything you’ve said. They don’t need to rebuild to be competitive again. They’ve got the pieces. Getzlaf is still a solid number 1C if he gets re-engaged. Perry has 40 points last season and although he doesn’t look 100% confident with his knee quite yet he’s actually created a few chances and had a few of his own. I could see the ducks buying out Kesler but if they don’t re-sign silfverberg they will still have decent cap space and maybe finding a taker for the final season of Eaves would open up more. Henrique is underrated. He’s very good with his stick defensively has improved immensely on face offs since he first arrived and scores big goals. I don’t see him going anywhere unless the offer is just too good to say no. I haven’t seen what Steel has done lately but like you said he struggled early this season in both leagues. I could see him starting next year in the AHL tho. I think Terry and Jones are almost locks for the opening night rosters next season. Comtois’ first season as a pro in the AHL follows the Ducks development of most prospects. All that said this team needs to add a scorer. I’m fairly confident this team can get back to being a good defensive team but they’ve struggled to score. This season even worse than past and with a pretty deep fwd UFA group I could see them bringing in a piece or possibly 2.</div></div>

Yeah, Steel's been pretty good lately. Had a 4-point night a week ago and has been on a point-per-per game pace mid season. The reason I didn't call up Jones is because there aren't enough roster spots on the wing, and I don't want to put a scoring prospect on the 4th line. I think a center spot will open up with Kesler's situation, which is why I brought up Steel.

Also, I totally get the draw of a UFA, but the market is just too high lately. Not only does signing a UFA forward get rid of a roster spot for a rookie, but the Ducks would ultimately be paying too much and for too long. I like the Toronto model of using rookies to fill in spots, and just keeping the core they had before (JVR, Kadri, Bozak, Reilly, Gardiner, etc.). I think Edmonton jumped the gun by making trades and signing UFAs (Lucic, Hall for Larsson, Russel) before they really knew what they had. If they would've seen the development of Nurse and Klefbom and the inability of McDavid, Draisaitl, and RNH to carry the forward group by themselves without more skill around them, they wouldn't be in this position of signing old, slow forwards and hastily trading for defense at the expense of their talent up front. Give it a year or two, and then you can push for free agents when you see a window opening.
Forum: Armchair-GMFeb. 12, 2019 at 4:36 p.m.
Thread: Ducks
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>MTLFAN27</b></div><div>You'd probably get Juulsen, Evans, and a 1st</div></div>

I thin Juulsen and a 1st is a good start, but I don't anticipate Evans to aspire to much. Shattenkirk got a 1st, cond. 2nd, and a prospect and he was just a rental. Fowler has 8 years left on his deal, and will probably be good for most of them. I would want at least another late-round 1st, or to swap Evans for a young roster player like Lehkonen. My logic behind this is that while Fowler has his flaws, he has proven to be a 1st line player, and you can't really say that about Juulsen or the 1st, and Lehkonen seems to be struggling to break 30 points.

I would be happier with Juulsen, 1st, 1st or Juulsen, 1st Lehkonen. If it helps, it can be a conditional pick based on player performance (ie. goes down to a 2nd if Lehkonen gets 40+ points or Juulsen plays an average of 20+ minutes in his first Ducks season).