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Shootica

Member Since
Feb 15, 2017
Favourite Team
Buffalo Sabres
2nd Favourite Team
Vancouver Canucks
Forum Posts
493
Posts per Day
0.32
Forum Threads
25
Forum: Armchair-GMJan 28 at 2:50
Thread: Dunn trade to every team
Alright everyone. These are the Blues' 5v5 time on ice per game numbers from the regular season last year:

1. Parayko 19.25
2. Boumeester 18.37
3. Pietrangelo 18.06
4. Faulk 17.61
5. Scandella 17.16
6. Dunn 14.34
7. Gunnarsson 13.6

Note that Scandella only played 11 games in this sample.

I have hardly watched St. Louis play at all last year, but I think it's fair to say he was clearly a 3rd pairing defenseman. And this isn't a 'our pairings are balanced so the 3rd pair gets more responsibility' situation. There is a <strong>very</strong> clear drop-off in ice time when it gets to Dunn. Additionally, he had the most offensive-zone skewed faceoff starts percentages on the team last year (outside of Mikkola, Walman, and Pouliot, who each played 5 games or less). so it's safe to say he did in fact get sheltered usage.

It's completely fine to have your own opinions on who Dunn is and what he can develop into, but to say he wasn't a sheltered 3rd pairing defenseman last year is simply untrue.
Forum: Armchair-GMJan 13 at 6:37
Thread: Ralph is Dumb
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Ramus_Dahlin44</b></div><div>Replied to this a day before those came out.</div></div>

That's true, but the writing was pretty much on the wall for it beforehand. Cozens has been getting time on the second powerplay unit which is a pretty good indicator that they see him in the lineup, and Asplund hasn't been on anything more than a depth line at any point in camp. Couple that with the fact that both Lazar and Okposo were out on that day so things had to be shuffled around in the bottom six, and I don't think there was to read into there.

I'm not poking at you directly, and I like reading your thoughts on here. It was just driving me crazy that I couldn't go anywhere for the past day or two without hearing "they're playing Skinner with THEM??!!".
Forum: Armchair-GMJan 11 at 8:22
Thread: Starting lineup
Love the lineup! If I had to bet, I'd say that this is exactly how it will look on opening night.

<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>gretzkyghosts</b></div><div>Very nice.
I like that you have Right handed players on RW and Left handed players on LW.
IMO Ruotsalainen and Mittelstadt will in the line up, but your guess is as good as mine and with Krueger behind the bench, anything goes.
Just a thought replace Rieder with Ruotsalainen, as Arttu was a PK forward for Ilves Tampere.
Slide Cozens to RW and slip Mittelstadt to 3rd center, bumping Lazar to the press box.
Giving Casey two good wingers just may bring out his talents.
But Cozens at center could be a good move as he was one of the better face off center in the Championship.
EDIT
Did you do one for the Oilers.
I would like to see how you use Kahun and what you think will be his ceiling.</div></div>

As exciting as those lines would be, I think it would leave us too thin on the penalty kill. And from everything I've read, Reider had more than earned himself a roster spot with his play in camp. I think that for the PK, we need to have Reider, Eakin, and then one of Lazar/Sheahan in the lineup. I know Ruutsolainen played the kill in Liiga, but it's a whole different on the small ice over here so I don't think he's plug and play just yet.
Forum: Armchair-GMJan 8 at 9:28
Thread: One trade
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Hammerwise</b></div><div>I don't think you know very much about Ghost to make those observations. Firstly in 2019, he was injured off and on for the first half of the season, and was supplanted to 3rd pairing, (mainly because of his nagging injuries, but more so do to the fact that Philly had 5 guys who could carry the puck and had some offensive flair, 2 of which were Provorov and Sanheim at 1LD and 2LD). And the sheer fact he was still playing through his injuries, was down to his talent.
The injury got worse and Ghost went on IR, bringing in stay at home Hagg and then the team caught fire, going from 8th in east to challenge for 1st and winning the round robin. Once injury free, with the team gelling and Hagg's style the better fit, there just wasn't the place for Ghost (who's game was replaced by 4 other flyers dmen who are 30+ pt guys).
You can say Ghost was benched, but it had little to do with his play and everything to do with the teams play with the stay at home/shot blocking/hitting Hagg (who is a .25 pts a game guy) in his place. The games Ghost did play in the playoffs he looked solid, albeit unspectacular. SO Ghost, with injuries the past 2 years, 3rd pairing time (and PHI plays a PP with only 1 dman, Provorov or Niskanen), struggled, but most PHI fans will point at injuries/minutes/situations and not a drop off in play.

Overall, it comes down to whether you think Ghost is the 50+ pt guy he was his 1st four seasons, or the guy whose been supplanted by team needs and injuries the last 2 years.

Risto is just 1 yr younger and paid 900k more for 1 less year, those things are about even. But forgetting Ghosts offensive output his first 4 years AND the ridiculous +/- of Risto is a bit unfair. Risto has been consistent, but thats not entirely a complement in regards to his defensive progression, whereas with Ghost you can point at team depth and inujuries for a definitive change.
Risto might look better in 2nd pair minutes, but again its about fit for the team. The hope of Risto becoming a more reliable and better defender is almost the risk that Ghost, injury free, will be able to return to what made him a 50+ pt guy for 4 yrs. Sometimes the singularly best player is not the best fit.

Ghost is the bigger risk, no doubt, whether he can return to his 40+ pt capability with pp and 2nd pairing minutes. This trade above favors the Flyers, but not by much.

I proposed it as it fits what both teams need more. IMO Buff has two young studs, one at RD, with serviceable vets in Montour and Miller at RD, with McCabe and Dahlin at LD. Im not saying BUF is at a win now, but you don't promise Eichel help and sign Hall to a 1 yr without a bit of urgency or change. A BUF defense of Dahlin-Miller, Ghost-Montour, McCabe-Joki looks better to me than with Risto in it and McCabe on 2nd Pair and Joki playing LD.</div></div>

You're right, I haven't seen Ghost play enough to judge him for myself. I'm purely basing my opinion on what Flyers fans have said here and in other places. And I wasn't even aware that he was playing hurt last year, so thanks for adding that insight.

And I agree, in theory it makes perfect sense for the Sabres to swap one of our righties for a LHD who can play second pairing minutes.

That being said, I guess my point of contention is that nothing I've read online gives me confidence that Ghost can come in and be that guy. He could be, but he feels very risky to me. And with three years left at $4.5M, that's more risk than I really want to take on. Neither have a good contract in my view, and I'd rather have the one with two years left than three.

I think it's something I'd be more willing to do if he comes into this season and shows that last year's struggles were in fact due to injury, and that he's still a solid offensive defenseman.