A Serious Debate: How to fix this team?

[Big Daddy Cane]

I'm not terribly observant about specific flaws in their game (I've never been as long as I've been watching), but two things that drive me bananas are the long range passes that always get intercepted, and a lack of hustle getting to the puck.

I sometimes wonder if it’s an issue not of hustle, but of the willingness to pay the physical price needed to make the play. The Florida game is fresh on our minds, but overall, this is one of the softest teams in the history of hockey.

I guess to be fair, they're a physically weak team, particularly on the wing. It might not matter if they brought a different mindset to the table.

 

[bluedevil58]

Doesn't help we have a guy that is a 6 ft 4 monster and refuses to play a physical game or go to the net. This guy also wears the C...

 

[The Stranger]

Doesn't help we have a guy that is a 6 ft 4 monster and refuses to play a physical game or go to the net. This guy also wears the C...

He leads the team in hits and is a top 40 player in that category league-wide.

 

[Hulkacaniac]

Doesn't help we have a guy that is a 6 ft 4 monster and refuses to play a physical game or go to the net. This guy also wears the C...

I got no problem with Jordan, maybe I wish he'd park his butt in front of the net more on the PP, but he can't do everything. Our other C on the other hand..

 

[bluedevil58]

He leads the team in hits and is a top 40 player in that category league-wide.

That stat is complete BS. I do not recall Staal ever delivering a worth while check. He has the ability to lay people out. All I see are light dinks from him. Over the next 10 games let's see what he does from a checking stand point and re-evaluate.

 

[Hulkacaniac]

Staal isn't a goon. It's not his job to lay people out, his job is to play hard and win board battles, which I'd say he does pretty well

 

[bluedevil58]

Needs to make bigger hits and go To The net for garbage goals.

 

[The Faulker 27]

"'Looks like there's lots of work to be done there,' Peters said of his specialty teams units."

No shit.

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

Blow them up.

Literally.

See what rises from the ashes.

 

[geehaad]

I got a wild hair a couple of days ago and thought "what if we traded Skinner?". Certainly he has the trade value to bring a big return...possibly that future 1C? By trading him, you wouldn't be subtracting from a defense that, while deep, doesn't lend itself well to be subtracted from.

Only 1.5 years remain on his contract, and his next contract is likely going to make him the highest-paid player by a significant margin. Detracting factors include: isn't the top-line player we would prefer him to be, isn't the leader that you'd like your top-paid player to be, apparently doesn't play the style of game that meshes well with others.

I dunno...just a thought.

 

[A Star is Burns]

I think at this point we should be open to anything that improves the team. Largely depends on the young center. Did your thoughts go far enough to consider a possible destination or trade?

 

[MinJaBen]

I got a wild hair a couple of days ago and thought "what if we traded Skinner?". Certainly he has the trade value to bring a big return...possibly that future 1C? By trading him, you wouldn't be subtracting from a defense that, while deep, doesn't lend itself well to be subtracted from.

Only 1.5 years remain on his contract, and his next contract is likely going to make him the highest-paid player by a significant margin. Detracting factors include: isn't the top-line player we would prefer him to be, isn't the leader that you'd like your top-paid player to be, apparently doesn't play the style of game that meshes well with others.

I dunno...just a thought.

I think at this point we should be open to anything that improves the team. Largely depends on the young center. Did your thoughts go far enough to consider a possible destination or trade?

If Skinner+ could get us Draisaitl or W. Nylander, I’d do it. And maybe those two teams would consider it as they aren’t using either guy as a center. But I also imagine that the plus wouldn’t be small either.

 

[Novacane]

Instead of going after Chicago’s cast off parts, maybe go after good players for once?

 

[Breakdowns]

I got a wild hair a couple of days ago and thought "what if we traded Skinner?". Certainly he has the trade value to bring a big return...possibly that future 1C? By trading him, you wouldn't be subtracting from a defense that, while deep, doesn't lend itself well to be subtracted from.

Only 1.5 years remain on his contract, and his next contract is likely going to make him the highest-paid player by a significant margin. Detracting factors include: isn't the top-line player we would prefer him to be, isn't the leader that you'd like your top-paid player to be, apparently doesn't play the style of game that meshes well with others.

I dunno...just a thought.

I am sure Skinner would get a huge return back, but I think he is one guy we can`t trade, his goal scoring ability is just what we can`t replace.

 

[AD Skinner]

We have the cap space, the assets to move, and now supposedly some money to work with. There's no reason an attempt can't be made to fix this mess this season. It may be more prudent long term to wait until the offseason but if I was a billionaire wanting to make a statement by buying into a pro sports team I'd want them to have some kind of success sooner rather than later. We are getting to Cleveland browns levels of futility here.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

The problem is that we won't have the money to work with until the deal finalizes, which could be a couple of months yet.

To me, the question is whether we're buyers, sellers, or nothing at the deadline. I think it's reasonable to hope that we're close enough to justify buying, especially if we've got new money in the pipeline -- but I suspect that's not how it's going to go down.

 

[geehaad]

Did your thoughts go far enough to consider a possible destination or trade?

Heavens no...I’m not that smart.

 

[Hulkacaniac]

I don't really know what people would expect from an owner willing to spend more on payroll. We spend so little because we have so many players on ELCs. The only thing different it lets you do is overspend for a UFA. Ok, but I don't see how that somehow turns the team around. So we sign a JvR, Kane, or Neal this summer. Woohoo? We need a shakeup. RF needs to take a risk for once. The coaching staff needs some change (maybe not firing Peters), how is Rod still a coach? My biggest hope from dundon isn't the upped payroll but that he gets rid the still pervasive cronyism.

 

[A Star is Burns]

That also gives you the option of acquiring players with large contracts, or that will need large contracts, via trades for players on ELC's or prospects. Part of the reason of accumulating all these young assets is for us to get young, cheap, talented players. But the other reason is to have assets to make big moves, which might come with big contracts. You can use the money to re-sign a guy like Duchene, O'Reilly, Johansen, Turris, etc. after you trade for them, or absorb a large contract that a player already has, like the current O'Reilly contract.

 

[hurricure]

Relegation

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

Relegation

To the NAHL.

 

[HisIceness]

Maybe if we moved into the NBAs Eastern Conference we might have a shot at the playoffs.

 

[GindyDraws]

Thought this was about how to get more people to the damn arena?

Sadly, you can't fix fan apathy overnight?

I got it! Ten-cent Beer Night! What can go wrong?

 

[Navin R Slavin]

You fix fan apathy by winning. Period. That's the only way to get more people to the damn arena.

 

[GindyDraws]

You fix fan apathy by winning. Period. That's the only way to get more people to the damn arena.

Except, even when they had the strong start this season, they had awful attendance.

Seriously, a decade plus after our Stanley Cup win, and nearly a decade since our last playoff run has us in the Jacksonville Jaguars role in the league.