Player Discussion With the benefit of hindsight, would you like to have Gryba on the roster?

[Bileur]

Could he have been the lesser of three evils (Cowen and Wiercioch)?

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[mcnorth]

Always liked Gryba - he knew his game. But if you're talking Gryba aren't you talking bottom pairing RD. Boro and Gryba would be a pretty bad puck moving tandem. As would Gryba and PW or Cowen.

I like the idea of Wideman as the bottom RD... he just hasn't really played that well. But in theory if we're keeping Boro or PW we need a guy with Wideman's puck skills more than Gryba's physicality.

I think if we had Gryba we'd be searching for a guy to play LD and move the puck for the bottom pairing - so we'd still be looking for a legit bottom pairing guy... so we'd be in the same position we're in now but with different names on the jerseys.

 

[Uchiha]

He's 100000000x better than Borowiecki. So yes.

 

[Bileur]

Always liked Gryba - he knew his game. But if you're talking Gryba aren't you talking bottom pairing RD. Boro and Gryba would be a pretty bad puck moving tandem. As would Gryba and PW or Cowen.

I like the idea of Wideman as the bottom RD... he just hasn't really played that well. But in theory if we're keeping Boro or PW we need a guy with Wideman's puck skills more than Gryba's physicality.

I think if we had Gryba we'd be searching for a guy to play LD and move the puck for the bottom pairing - so we'd still be looking for a legit bottom pairing guy... so we'd be in the same position we're in now but with different names on the jerseys.

I agree with most of this. What got me thinking was looking ahead to next season and the very real possibility of Chabot making the team (as much as I would hate to see him rushed). Gryba would likely make a better partner for Chabot than Boro, Wiercioch or Wideman.

 

[mcnorth]

I agree with most of this. What got me thinking was looking ahead to next season and the very real possibility of Chabot making the team (as much as I would hate to see him rushed). Gryba would likely make a better partner for Chabot than Boro, Wiercioch or Wideman.

Yup. Gryba would be better for a rookie to play with I'd wager.

The dream scenario is always outside help. I'd love to get a legit NHLer this summer (or better yet the summer before Chabot makes the team) through whatever means. Imagine if we could use Dion as RD with Chabot when the time comes? Even Methot, who has shown he can play RD if need be. That'd be awesome.

Of course that's a silly dream scenario.

Le sigh.

 

[God Says No]

Yes. That's what I was saying last year. We didn't have a good backup plan if Wideman failed. Thankfully he's been servicable, but we do miss Gryba on the penalty kill. He would have been a perfect 7th D this year. Rotating in and out with Wideman depending who was playing better.

 

[bert]

Could he have been the lesser of three evils (Cowen and Wiercioch)?

No he is bad, no more bad players please.

 

[Boud]

I liked Gryba but he was a marginal player.

 

[BonkTastic]

Gryba, Boro, Wiercioch, Wideman, Cowen... can my answer be "none of the above"?

I will pass on all five, and take two from the top of the deck, please.

 

[Sensinitis]

**** no.

He sealed his fate with his giveaway in OT in the playoffs vs the Habs.

 

[Hale The Villain]

I'd sign him in the off-season if he's not too expensive (1-1.5 million per for a couple years)

Would be a good partner for Chabot on the 3rd pair

 

[arglebargle]

Gryba is a RHD, Cowen and Wier are both LHD. The question is: Gryba or Wideman? IMO Wideman is better.

 

[BK201]

Gryba, Boro, Wiercioch, Wideman, Cowen... can my answer be "none of the above"?

I will pass on all five, and take two from the top of the deck, please.

have i been too soft on wideman thinking for him he's been ehh with room to grow?

 

[Bileur]

Gryba is a RHD, Cowen and Wier are both LHD. The question is: Gryba or Wideman? IMO Wideman is better.

I'm aware of that, but I think the question of RHD vs. LHD went out the window when Cameron played Borowiecki at LW (not to mention Borowiecki and Wiercioch at RD at times).

 

[robsenz]

Nope, this isn't the 90's anymore

 

[pm88]

No. He was an average player and didn't know how house his size effectively without getting a penalty. Getting rid of guys like Gryba and Cowen were actually some of the best things Murray has done.

 

[arglebargle]

have i been too soft on wideman thinking for him he's been ehh with room to grow?

I'm with you. The guy can skate well, is a pretty good passer, doesn't suffer from mind-bending lapses in judgement, and makes less than a million bucks a season. This is also his first NHL season, so he'll probably improve a bit with some experience. What's not to like?

I admit his fancystats are not that pretty but he has played a lot of minutes with Cowen and Borowiecki this season, and everyone looks like garbage with those two.

 

[BonkTastic]

have i been too soft on wideman thinking for him he's been ehh with room to grow?

He's the best of that bunch, for sure.

I just don't see much more than he's shown here already, and I've seen our 3rd pairing be so bad for so long that at this point I feel as though I'm owed an actual above-average 3rd pairing, not just a guy who does sort of ok and we justify it because the contract is cheap.

But yeah. He's ahead of the rest of the goofs I mentioned, for sure. I'm begrudgingly OK with him, I just wish the team were in a position where they had more options than "let's sign the cheap guy and hope it all works out".

 

[Alex1234]

Gryba is a RHD, Cowen and Wier are both LHD. The question is: Gryba or Wideman? IMO Wideman is better.

I'm aware of that, but I think the question of RHD vs. LHD went out the window when Cameron played Borowiecki at LW (not to mention Borowiecki and Wiercioch at RD at times).

You think the coach give a flying f.... about how the players been handling their stick since they were 3 yo?

 

[Tundraman]

I didn't need hindsight to know that our PK would have been better with Gryba in the lineup. He is one mean sob in front to the net. His main problem is that he often got undeserved roughing penalties for hitting too hard. The refs often reacted to the result rather than the play.

Agree with mcnorth above they'd still need a puck mover for him on the left. Boro wouldn't cut it with Gryba.

 

[Langdon Alger]

What is the fascination with bringing back average, or in this case below average players back?

 

[Senscore]

Would he be better than Boro? Maybe.

Would it make a difference? Hell no.

 

[Sun God Nika]

Gryba is bad, Boro is badder.

 

[HispanicAtTheDisco]

I'm just going to piggyback off of this to ask which duo would be better for the third pair.

Borowiecki-Wideman

Or

Wiercioch-Gryba

 

[Sun God Nika]

I'm just going to piggyback off of this to ask which duo would be better for the third pair.

Borowiecki-Wideman

Or

Wiercioch-Gryba

Wideman
Wiercioch
Gryba
Boro

Wiercioch - Gryba

Cuz Boro is too bad, and Wideman isn't good enough to compensate for his partner sucking.