GDT: Devils vs. Sharks - 10:30 PM MSG+

[billingtons ghost]

Billington, appreciate the comments and mostly agree with your assessments.

But I strongly disagree with your assessment of Lappin. I think he can be a solid 2nd/3rd line tweener for us. He has a strong work ethic and has flashed some skill.

Certainly hope that I'm wrong and you are right...

I did say the kid's ceiling was 'Steve Bernier' and I don't think I'm totally wrong with that - as Bernier was a 1st rounder who could flash the skill and played up on our top lines at times, but never completely came to fruition...

Like I said - hope I'm wrong...

 

[NjDevsRR]

I see Lappin turning into Tyler Kennedy 2.0. Which is good, Kennedy was a really useful and good forward to have in his prime.

 

[Triumph]

I think you misunderstood me... I was praising Kalinin and DSP as the only players who were actually involved and undertaking their roles. Pietla's hit was stupid - but worse than that, he really looked lost - but I'll give him a pass because of youth.

I get your point that 'it isn't their game' for those other guys - but that is my point exactly:
This team needs high-energy, high-impact, tough-to-play-against players in order to play Hynes's style. I think for the first time, I believe that JJ/Boucher/Bennett are simply not cut out for that... 'it's not their game'... and as a result, I don't see a place for them on this squad going forward - whereas, I think someone like Lappin, who may not be as offensively skilled as any of those 3 above - might find success.

You can't have a team full of high-energy, high-impact players. You can certainly fill your lineup with high-energy players but some of them will be low-impact. It was fun watching Tootoo here as a high-energy player - I always liked him in Nashville - but besides a few weeks where he became a scorer he really never did a lot. You can get guys that will always skate hard and dig pucks out of the corner but will they have the aptitude to do the other things well that help a hockey team win?

The team is playing a much smarter game on the breakout this season. The defensemen are more involved in relieving the pressure. That's because of the changes in personnel, as someone like Auvitu is much smarter than a guy like Gelinas, but I also think that Hynes is allowing this to happen - this is what he wants. Bennett's been a part of this too; he's really smart with the puck.

That's really bothering me - I thought that these kids could grow and use their skill to make us better - but I don't really see the fire there that will allow them to get enough icetime to make a difference.

I just don't see a path forward for those guys. Bennett maybe moreso than the others, because of Shero's draft love - but still.

Josefson's time was up after last year - I mean, they re-signed him, but I think that has more to do with the center weakness in the organization.

Merrill, despite the two-year contract, is running out of chances. He wasn't particularly effective last year.

Boucher I still think can be a useful player somewhere else but it's going to be tough for him to succeed here.

So yeah, I guess I'm not surprised that those players looked bad, but I don't really think it's Hynes who's ultimately responsible for their fates.

 

[Bleedred]

I see Lappin turning into Tyler Kennedy 2.0. Which is good, Kennedy was a really useful and good forward to have in his prime.

The most disappointing thing about Kennedy was he didn't even make it to 30 years old in the NHL.

He was a decent forward in his prime, but fell off way too early.

He probably could still play as an effective 4th liner, I think last year with Shero was his last chance though.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I know these guys can be physical and play with sandpaper. I forget which game during the winning streak it was, but they were absolutely throwing the body around, winning the board battles and throwing good hits.

These last two games were really bad performances and there are no excuses for it.

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

Aren't you the one who's always complaining about the negativity on this site?

I am and having to read a lot of nonsense just to get to a couple of legit posts can get pretty annoying but to say that Bennett is a plus offensively because he generates shots for his linemates is down right laughable. The guy has zero goals, ZERO, and he's talked about in a positive way offensively cause his linemates are generating shots? They aren't generating goals here, we're talking shots and yet, it doesn't seem to bother certain posters, like yourself.

Always down for a good laugh early in the morning

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I am and having to read a lot of nonsense just to get to a couple of legit posts can get pretty annoying but to say that Bennett is a plus offensively because he generates shots for his linemates is down right laughable. The guy has zero goals, ZERO, and he's talked about in a positive way offensively cause his linemates are generating shots? They aren't generating goals here, we're talking shots and yet, it doesn't seem to bother certain posters, like yourself.

Always down for a good laugh early in the morning

If you don't think he's a solid complimentary forward and helps generate offense, then your opinion is pretty meaningless. There's no question that he helps our team generate chances when he's on the ice. He's not a very good scorer and he's incredibly snake bitten. There's more to hockey than just scoring goals. But still, Kalinin, Fiddler, JJ, Boucher each have zero goals. Zacha has 1 goal. DSP has 2 goals. Cammalleri has 3 and they all came in 1 game. Zajac has 4 but if you actually watched the games and didn't just stat watch you'd know that two were ridiculously lucky bounces and 1 was an empty netter. Most of our players aren't scoring.

I'm not even a huge fan of him, but Bennett is one of our only players that can pass the puck and create offense for his linemates. You should try watching the game more closely.

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

If you don't think he's a solid complimentary forward and helps generate offense, then your opinion is pretty meaningless. There's no question that he helps our team generate chances when he's on the ice. He's not a very good scorer and he's incredibly snake bitten. There's more to hockey than just scoring goals. But still, Kalinin, Fiddler, JJ, Boucher each have zero goals. Zacha has 1 goal. DSP has 2 goals. Cammalleri has 3 and they all came in 1 game. Zajac has 4 but if you actually watched the games and didn't just stat watch you'd know that two were ridiculously lucky bounces and 1 was an empty netter. Most of our players aren't scoring.

I'm not even a huge fan of him, but Bennett is one of our only players that can pass the puck and create offense for his linemates. You should try watching the game more closely.

Well 5 assists in 17 games isn't impressive either for someone who's main asset is to generate opportunities for his linemates but I guess you have lower standards then I do. He's a solid piece to have in our bottom 6 but should be nowhere close to our top line.