Some notes:
* Don't think Cormier had a good camp last year. He was absent.
* Thorburn-Slater-Halischuk wasn't a positive line. They were actually super terrible.
Thorburn-Slater-Halischuk - 42% Corsi
When Tlusty was with Slater - 50% Corsi
* Winning a faceoff is to try and improve shots and goal differentials. Winning a faceoff often counts for nothing if you are terrible in shot and goal differentials.
* Signing Cormier has nothing to do with Olsen. Cormier spent most of last year as a left wing on third line. Olsen as 4th line centre.
* Glad for Thorburn being a good guy, teammates liking him, and taking a beating in the face for his team. Still, not good enough to hockey above the third line. It's only a bad thing and only bad things will come from it.
* Tlusty wasn't a waste. He was part of the reason why the Jets started playing well and for the first time in this city had a fourth line that wasn't essentially playing short handed at even strength.
* "Purpose" with being physical and winning faceoffs is a means. The ends is outscoring the opponent.
* Thorburn was NOT the reason why the Jets season turned around. That is HILARIOUS though to try and work that one in.
* No one needs a helmet puncher. The existence of them does not prove the existence and not all teams have them.
* Remember Jared Boll, ran Postma behind, despite the Jets having helmet punchers. The helmet punchers did **** all. The point of deterrence is so people don't do those things to you.
* Skill with toughness is fine and all, and I would love that. But Peluso is not that, and Thor is not that either. Skill with toughness is great, but just skill is better than just toughness.
* Stafford has played PK. He played 106 mins in 2013-14... although he was never that good. Better than Halischuk, Stafford, or Thorburn though.
* Burmi, Lowry, Little can be the 3 Cs. On PK3 Little is not using up too much TOI. Armia, Wheeler, Ladd, Stempniak, and Tlusty have all PK well (Armia is AHL though)... but 2 of those we don't have now. I've never seen Peluso, Thorburn, or Cormier do well on the PK.
I never said Thorburn saved the season ( I thought it was Wheeler, with Scheif and Stafford, Myers and Lowry stepping up down the stretch). I said that benching Peluso did, for the reason you proport, to add skill to the team in key positions, as skill trumps toughness, which I agree with. O'Dell made us more than a 3 minute a game 4th line team, to one that could play in their zone defensively. Tlusty increased the talent level, as well, but was noticeably absent in a physical playoff series, one in which I was hoping O'Dell would have replaced either him or Slater. I believe the HST line was a positive in +/-, puck in the net, though I am not surprised regressive in possession time.
That's the past though, we have alot more options this year. Petan, Copp, even Lowry at 4C, if we want to spread the talent out, and keep Burmi at 3C, would be possibilities to running a true 4 line team. I hope Copp is a good option for the PK as well. Did not follow his career at Michigan, but I would expect, as captain, he was a leader at every facet. Armia is intriguing too. So yes there are other options than Cormier, another former captain, but he is good insurance, because he can play a limited NHL role effectively, or neutrally, at the very least, I think, and yes, play LW too. Though I would put him behind both Fraser and Blomqvist as a winger on the farm.
If you look at some of the past winners of the Cup, there is not a single one that did not deploy physical players, who will drop the gloves, to win. Even the Hawks, the poster team for skill, rely heavily on Shaw and Bickell, and had Carcillo, until the playoffs, Sheldon Brookbank before Carcillo. Game is still played in the trenches, but the facepuncher is on the way out. That's why I think Peluso is expendable. Thorburn played well enough on a 3rd line down the stretch to score a GWG, he is not anyone's preferred option, but I think he is a good depth player and teammate (what was Postma's reaction to the Boll hit/ensuing fight?). I have more confidence in his 8-10 minutes without Slater, and the occasional pressbox visit to spark a fire, maybe fighting with Hali to play with Petan-Ehlers to start the year on the 4th (I expect Ehlers will get a few if not 9 games to make his mark). He and Lowry can paste d-men through the boards, and that pays dividends after a while, though speed can apply a similarly effective, if not as impactful, pressure, and is hopefully an area we improve on for possession (which I admit makes Cormier more of a minor league option). You are correct in suggesting that it is the Wheeler, Ladd and Lowrys that have every dimension that are the players who matter the most.
There are alot of options Maurice has. As a team I expect alot more changes and dynamism than years past. The biggest difference is depth. The Moose will have players that are competing all year.
I would expect Armia and Lipon as 3rd year pros, to get games in the show for sure, maybe not F/T. Maybe Brendan Kichton too.
In their sophmore years Kosmachuk and Olsen should show improvement. Hellleybuck may take the reigns.
But the biggest difference is how the pro rookies affect our team this year...
Morrissey, Copp and Petan are all close, if not ready. Competing for spots with teenagers Ehlers and Lemieux. Joining the farm family will be other promising rookies: Blomqvist, Kostalek and Comrie.
The two way contracts of Halischuk, Fraser and Cormier have to prove themselves equally, and work to outplay a one-way contract and ELC prospects, or be demoted.
I thought Cormier has had many good camps, usually a neutral player, but physical, wins battles, from circle out. Yet every year it has been Brett Mac Lean, James Wright, TJ Galiardi taking winger spots and Slater pencilled in at C. I'd like to see him get a chance, at least. His career never really materialized, with the junior cloud he carried.
With 10 d-men, one injured, there are even more scenarios to be considered.
The positive note is that, as a franchise, we are no longer pursuing the waiver wire as a means to improve our roster, but have competition within to make us a better team.