Post-Game Talk: Machinehead vs Ice Cream Girl

[chosen]

The Daigle thing shook me up.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

I'm anticipating that the cap boom isn't actually coming because it never actually does.

The cap boom only helps existing contracts anyway, any new signing will increase with the cap imo. It will help with regards to trouba, fox, kreider, Zib and Trochek but will do nothing for Miller, Chytil etc.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

The Daigle thing shook me up.

Daigle was mismanaged as a kid too, people wanna dump on him as a bust but he was as dominant a prospect coming into the nhl as anyone. I'm happy Othmann is in the minors its where prospects should start, if nothing else it makes them hungrier. If you look at Cuylle this year he's ready, its always the right decision to spend a year in the minors. Most of our developed players actually played in the AHL for some time.
Side note i believe new players should be encouraged to stay with one of the vets for atleast their first year to learn the everyday preparation it takes.

 

[TheDirtyH]

This is the closest perspective that isn’t my own “sell him before his value is zero” narrative.

On the one hand, looking at the returns on guys like Dach and Newhook, who didn’t have quite the stats Laf has had, nor quite the draft pedigree, I definitely feel like if you can grab another crack in the top 15 + a little something, you take that risk and try to replace Laf’s contributions elsewhere. I’m not entirely certain Laf and Vesey aren’t the same person, so I feel like it’s not too difficult of a short term fill.

At the same time, sure, that 10-15ish pick could either be great capital for us to improve at some point, or a contributor anywhere from 2-5 years from now, but if Laf on the third line is the best depth configuration to give us a cohesive lineup that actually comes and does it’s job each night, no… I won’t care that he never lives up to his pedigree.



Unfortunately, I do think Laf was very quickly exposed to and infected by the “one of us” boys’ club virus and I just don’t see him ever having the motor to be a net positive in a bottom six role. It’s not all raw numbers and stats and Laf just isn’t a guy who brings a single unique thing to the table. The league has gotten tougher in terms of the talent floor. If you’re not differentiating yourself in some way you’re living the Motte, signed after camp started, 1yr deal, 11 min per night life, fighting to stay in the league. Laf is the most basic, meat and potatoes player I can think of. If he doesn’t find whatever talent made him a 1OA and carve out a top six spot, I’m not sure he has a bottom six future. He doesn’t have the motor.

That said if Kakko and Laf are actually good enough even to just CONSISTENTLY make our third line a threat and give us a deeper attack, it could make us a formidable team… but it has to be consistent, and they’d better do it soon, while the other forwards who do big boy work still have juice in the tank.

Laf just truly doesn’t do it for me as a hockey player. I know we all want him and KK to succeed, but even amongst Lias and Krav, heck even McIlrath, there isn’t one I found it harder to believe in and get behind than ol’ red beard. I just really, truly think he sucks his own methane through a funnel every night. And giggles at himself.

I think both Kakko and Lafreniere are clearly the two best RW options we have on this roster at this point. I don't want them on the 'third line' and I especially never want to see that stupid kid line again. The lines they've been on have been very good at generating offensive chances and thus far, haven't had the bounces go their way.

I also think that at 22 years old, these guys both still have plenty of runway to get better. If you're on the ice for a lot of chances, eventually, those tend to start going in, and when they start going in, you start to build confidence, think less, and instinctively come to understand where your strengths are and how to leverage them. That trajectory has happened already to some extent for Chytil. I think a player like Nitushkin is a premier example of this. But the key is that you have to leave them where they are and ride through the bumps—whether that's cold spells, 'looking milquetoast,' poor 5v5 sv% or whatever—as long as the process is good.