If we want to get rid of the offensively challenged players call up Blais, we don't need to make a trade yet. We have Steen coming back in the next week or two.
This is what bobby mac said on NBCSN tonight. Holland can ask for that all day but no ones going to give it to him because it makes no sense. Thats why I went with Jaskin+Schmaltz. Jaskin is a 3rd liner that can play 2nd line with the right guys. Schmaltz is a RHS guy that can play now and can still develope into a top 4 guy. Which given the Red Wings blueline....isn't hard
No. Id rather keep the dice rolling on Kyrou
Ya know, I thought the same thing, but everyone has been mentioning a trade, so I thought I'd toss something in the fire haha
I'm just not really wanting a trade until after Steen and Boumeester back. Plus everyone we are looking at are either stupid expensive (Tavares, Duchene) or more expensive than what I'm willing to pay (AA). Plus I think we have the Upgrades that we need in house (Blais).
The kid wants 2.5m a year and he scored 29 pts in 64 games. Given his natural assets...its not a crazy ask. Getting him on the team wouldn't be any issue
Mmmm .... I don't know about the bolded. We have to have some defensive D, and Borts supplies grit, something Schmaltz definitely lacks. Without Borts in the lineup, or D looks a little, um, polite.
There's no doubt in my mind that Bortuzzo's size, physicality and experience is a large reason why he's playing and Schmaltz is currently in the AHL, but to me that's less about Bortuzzo "beating Schwartz out" than it is him being a better natural fit to be Dunn's partner while simultaneously rounding out the defense's skill set a bit.
Yeah , interesting graph. Regardless, Jbo in his prime was an elite NHL skater. He has lost a step, without question. At the age of 34, however, he is still an exeptional skater, even by NHL standards. It is his skating skills that power his game and allows him to be an elite defensive defenseman. If the injury slows him down anymore, then, it may be time to move on from him, as his offensive skills have fallen off a cliff. I suggest we wait until he makes a full recovery and re-assess the situation then. I think the stability and confidence he brings to our D corps is underestimated and undervalued by a lot of fans.
I am not a big Bortuzzo fan, but I agree with this line of thinking. He brings balance to that pairing.
bergy being in the top6 w/ a fully healthy lineup shows how much the fabbri injury hurts. Hopefully tage, blais or kostin can take over that top6 rw spot halfway through the year
The thing is if Schenn and Schwartz keeps playing the way they are, they could have me on the line with them and still produce. Bergy is a very good possession player, and last year he took on more of a power forward role, so he'd basically be a better Jaskin, and we seen how Jaskin on that line treated them. Bergy in the top 6 with those 2 isn't the worst thing in the world.
It would be nice if the NHL was a pure meritocracy, but that's just not the reality of the situation. Teams want to fit round pegs into whatever they consider to be round holes, and guys with favored traits/pedigrees are going get the benefit of the doubt over guys that have neither. It's a real uphill battle for those square pegs out there, especially if there's nothing that screams "WOW" in his toolbox or backstory. Generally speaking, a handful of good pre-season games isn't going to convince a skeptic of anything.
