GDT: 2019-20 Training Camp and Preseason Thread

[JLo217]

We will miss the playoffs.

You gotta stop going in the Sauna with old men

 

[McMetal]

It's the obvious choice, almost too obvious, but it has to be Makar on the poll. I'm pumped about Kadri and Donskoi, but Makar is the star and his performance this year is going to be key to how our defense as a whole performs. Lot riding on his shoulders with Barrie gone.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

No but the goaltending is scary.
Everyone pining for Frank but his stats were pretty pedestrian in the A for someone with so.much experience

2.68 and .918 aren't that great for someone with his experience

And Grubauer who knows , if he is anything like most of last year then I hope the 3rd stringer we have yet to acquire is good.

He should have won AHL Goalie of the Year or finished 2nd in voting. He lead the league in Goals Saved Above Average. He finished second in Quality Starts % with 0.729 behind Troy Grosenick at 0.733. Not many goalies saw as many SA/60 as Francouz did (32.71). The Colorado Eagles were not very good last year and made playoffs thanks to Francouz essentially. You can make an argument that compared to past seasons what top goalies put up yes Francouz was pedestrian. However what limited work has gone into goalie stats translating from the AHL to the NHL it's not a concern if Francouz posts the "pedestrian" stats he has.

TL;DR Francouz did what he needed to do in the AHL last year to earn this shot and was robbed of AHL Goalie of the Year. Eastern bias exists even in the AHL.

 

[Foppa2118]

He should have won AHL Goalie of the Year or finished 2nd in voting. He lead the league in Goals Saved Above Average. He finished second in Quality Starts % with 0.729 behind Troy Grosenick at 0.733. Not many goalies saw as many SA/60 as Francouz did (32.71). The Colorado Eagles were not very good last year and made playoffs thanks to Francouz essentially. You can make an argument that compared to past seasons what top goalies put up yes Francouz was pedestrian. However what limited work has gone into goalie stats translating from the AHL to the NHL it's not a concern if Francouz posts the "pedestrian" stats he has.

TL;DR Francouz did what he needed to do in the AHL last year to earn this shot and was robbed of AHL Goalie of the Year. Eastern bias exists even in the AHL.

The bolded is a better indicator of a potential #1G in the NHL. IMO stats don't tell you much in the lower leagues. It's how they handle their #1 role. Do they just make the saves they're supposed to make, or do they make the game saving type of saves at key moments, and do it consistently over the course of a whole season in a #1 role.

If they can be the go to guy and put a team on their back, that tells you how strong they are mentally, and that's what separates #2G's from #1G's. Not saying Frank will for sure be a #1, but that ability to put a team on your back is something that translates to the NHL level. Lower league stats don't always translate.

 

[Avsboy]

Grubauer should be a short leash with Frank waiting in the wings. He looks fantastic stats-wise and eye-wise in the games he played last year.

 

[BrickNHL]

I'm not scared about the goaltending, I know they aren't very proven but I doubt both will fail.

The defense is scary though.

- Can Sam Girard be a #1?
- Can Cale Makar come close to replacing Barrie? (I think so)
- Zadorov needs to show he is more than a mistake prone #4/5.
- EJ is slowing down as he proved last year.
- Ian Cole is a good bottom pairing defenseman but I'm afraid he might have a bigger role with the other 4 being question marks. Plus he is coming off hip surgery so he will likely be slower.
- I would love Bowen Byram to be the #6 defenseman but obviously he is unproven.
- Connauton, Rosen, Graves, and Barberio are all #7s and not ideal every day players. They will show how solid and valuable Patrik Nemeth was in his role.

 

[Foppa2118]

Grubauer should be a short leash with Frank waiting in the wings. He looks fantastic stats-wise and eye-wise in the games he played last year.

Yeah I agree. Grubauer isn't proven enough as a starter to give a long leash to. Let it be his job to lose at first, but if he starts to stumble, they need to go with a a 1A/1B situation until one takes the reins.

They can't screw around with goaltending again, hoping to get a superhuman performance from one of them down the stretch again. They need consistency if they want to make the playoffs.

 

[Pokecheque]

I'm not scared about the goaltending, I know they aren't very proven but I doubt both will fail.

The defense is scary though.

- Can Sam Girard be a #1?
- Can Cale Makar come close to replacing Barrie? (I think so)
- Zadorov needs to show he is more than a mistake prone #4/5.
- EJ is slowing down as he proved last year.
- Ian Cole is a good bottom pairing defenseman but I'm afraid he might have a bigger role with the other 4 being question marks. Plus he is coming off hip surgery so he will likely be slower.
- I would love Bowen Byram to be the #6 defenseman but obviously he is unproven.
- Connauton, Rosen, Graves, and Barberio are all #7s and not ideal every day players. They will show how solid and valuable Patrik Nemeth was in his role.

They will find a replacement for Nemeth easier than you think. That's the least of their worries.

I also don't think Z needs to improve any. So long as he can cut down on the mistakes and dumb penalties he should be fine. In fact I don't think he WILL improve any.

I also think this notion of Makar "replacing" Barrie is bit of a misnomer. He really doesn't. What has to happen is that Girard, Makar, Johnson, and any combination of puckmoving-types on the third pairing have to do that. And they should. I'm a tad concerned about any sort of dropoff on the power play but not overtly so.

I'm way more concerned about the goaltending, but I still believe they made the right moves in terms of their current starting tandem. I'm curious as to who that #3 is gonna be though.

 

[Foppa2118]

It's the obvious choice, almost too obvious, but it has to be Makar on the poll. I'm pumped about Kadri and Donskoi, but Makar is the star and his performance this year is going to be key to how our defense as a whole performs. Lot riding on his shoulders with Barrie gone.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Donskoi fits in too. I think he could be a real good stabilizing presence to the lineup.

Kind of like a less gritty Konowalchuk, a more skilled Antti Laaksonen, or a winger version of Nikolishin. Just unheralded guys that make your team better by preventing and helping you recover from trouble moments during games.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I'm looking forward to seeing how Donskoi fits in too. I think he could be a real good stabilizing presence to the lineup.

Kind of like a less gritty Konowalchuk, a more skilled Antti Laaksonen, or a winger version of Nikolishin. Just unheralded guys that make your team better by preventing and helping you recover from trouble moments during games.

Damn I loved Nikolishin. Really under-rated center for us.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I might be in the minority but the defense is not a worry at all for me. Barring injuries IMO they'll get the job done.

In fact there is not much that worries me with that team except injuries. I might be over-confident but I really like how the team is built right now. I really want to see some of the kids take another step forward though.

 

[flyfysher]

It's the obvious choice, almost too obvious, but it has to be Makar on the poll. I'm pumped about Kadri and Donskoi, but Makar is the star and his performance this year is going to be key to how our defense as a whole performs. Lot riding on his shoulders with Barrie gone.

The only reason why I didn't choose Makar was because my reaction was like, how many times am I most looking forward to seeing him, again? I get it though. I have a hard time seeing how he won't get at least 40 points.

 

[Foppa2118]

Damn I loved Nikolishin. Really under-rated center for us.

Super underrated. Maybe the most stabilizing presence I've seen on a team. The Avs were like night and day different defensively without him. Great faceoff and PK guy too.

 

[Avs_19]

I'm not scared about the goaltending, I know they aren't very proven but I doubt both will fail.

The defense is scary though.

- Can Sam Girard be a #1?
- Can Cale Makar come close to replacing Barrie? (I think so)
- Zadorov needs to show he is more than a mistake prone #4/5.
- EJ is slowing down as he proved last year.
- Ian Cole is a good bottom pairing defenseman but I'm afraid he might have a bigger role with the other 4 being question marks. Plus he is coming off hip surgery so he will likely be slower.
- I would love Bowen Byram to be the #6 defenseman but obviously he is unproven.
- Connauton, Rosen, Graves, and Barberio are all #7s and not ideal every day players. They will show how solid and valuable Patrik Nemeth was in his role.

I wouldn't go as far as saying it's scary because of how much I believe in Girard and Makar but it isn't ideal. There are a few question marks as you laid out there and it worries me.

I'm not going to put a ceiling on what Makar can do as soon as next year though. He's a special prospect/player but still seems to get questioned every step of the way. First when he was drafted there were questions about how good he actually is because of the quality of competition, the same at UMass to some extent for similar reasons, then whether he can step in and help the team in the playoffs or if they should just hold off on signing him, and now whether he'll be able to replace Barrie or not. Barrie's great but I really believe Makar can be just as good as him by the end of next season.

 

[Foxtail]

He should have won AHL Goalie of the Year or finished 2nd in voting. He lead the league in Goals Saved Above Average. He finished second in Quality Starts % with 0.729 behind Troy Grosenick at 0.733. Not many goalies saw as many SA/60 as Francouz did (32.71). The Colorado Eagles were not very good last year and made playoffs thanks to Francouz essentially. You can make an argument that compared to past seasons what top goalies put up yes Francouz was pedestrian. However what limited work has gone into goalie stats translating from the AHL to the NHL it's not a concern if Francouz posts the "pedestrian" stats he has.

TL;DR Francouz did what he needed to do in the AHL last year to earn this shot and was robbed of AHL Goalie of the Year. Eastern bias exists even in the AHL.

You're looking deep, he 30 yeats old and 5'11 and I'm not buying it and neither is Joe or any other team. He's making minimum wage for a reason , in my opinion he's too small
and a #3 on a Championship team. Yeah yeah but he's small and his numbers are very average for a 10 year pro.

He's not suddenly going to amount to anything hence the minimum wage. Depth is what he is.

 

[Foxtail]

He should have won AHL Goalie of the Year or finished 2nd in voting. He lead the league in Goals Saved Above Average. He finished second in Quality Starts % with 0.729 behind Troy Grosenick at 0.733. Not many goalies saw as many SA/60 as Francouz did (32.71). The Colorado Eagles were not very good last year and made playoffs thanks to Francouz essentially. You can make an argument that compared to past seasons what top goalies put up yes Francouz was pedestrian. However what limited work has gone into goalie stats translating from the AHL to the NHL it's not a concern if Francouz posts the "pedestrian" stats he has.

TL;DR Francouz did what he needed to do in the AHL last year to earn this shot and was robbed of AHL Goalie of the Year. Eastern bias exists even in the AHL.

I personally wouldn't have wasted my time on a small 29 year old journeyman

 

[AvsCOL]

Had to vote Byram. I know Makar is going to blow my socks off, but I'm super curious just HOW good Byram is going to look. I'm half thinking he comes out and forces Colorado to keep him in the NHL all season. I think he's that good.

 

[5280]

I’m gonna cry, it’s been a long bunch of crap years. I picked Byram but could have gone with Makar or Kadri. Kind of interested in Franzoos, too

 

[ASmileyFace]

I picked Byram, but only because I didn't make it far enough down the list to see Makar. I know Makar will blow our socks off during camp, he already came in and performed in the playoffs. If that sample size hold up over a full NHL season is still to be seen. Byram on the other hand is intriguing. If he makes this team this season we're in for a good year imo.

 

[Patagonia]

Hard to choose, since Sakic significantly revamped the lineup again.

• Makar. Full season after playing 10 playoff games a few days after his NCAA career.
• Byram. Expected to return to the WHL, but potential is high.
• Kadri. Filled a massive 2C hole offering strong offensive and defensive skills.
• Burakovsky. Determined. Untapped potential with size and speed.
• Donkskoi. UFA signing. Winger strong defensively, can play 2nd - 4th lines.
• Nichushkin. Determined. Low risk and high reward signing. Former Top 10 pick.
• Rosen. Smooth skating LHD to solidify 3rd Line.
• Bellemare/Conaughton. Low expectations bottom pairing players, but could surprise.

AVs have so many new players, this will be a very exciting season.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Regarding the goaltending. I like Grubs a lot.... there's just something special with Frankie. It goes beyond the numbers(Which as were already proven to be much better than what the base line shows), but I truly think he's going to take over our #1 Starter positions by January this year and not just because Grubauer struggles, in fact I think Grubauer has quite a strong year, I just think Francouz is going to be damn near unbeatable in the few chances he gets early in the season and once he finally starts getting legit looks come December/January I think he earns more and more of a leash until eventually by the end of January he is getting 2/3 starts and posting vezina level numbers.


I have long been major homer on the Francouz front, but ya I think he is way more than just the real deal for us.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

You're looking deep, he 30 yeats old and 5'11 and I'm not buying it and neither is Joe or any other team. He's making minimum wage for a reason , in my opinion he's too small
and a #3 on a Championship team. Yeah yeah but he's small and his numbers are very average for a 10 year pro.

He's not suddenly going to amount to anything hence the minimum wage. Depth is what he is.

I personally wouldn't have wasted my time on a small 29 year old journeyman

You should probably tell Halak, Khudobin, Bernier, Raanta, and Saros that they can't be NHL goalies due to their size. Especially that Halak guy. Would have won the Cup if he was the no. 3 and some random +6' 2" goalie was the back-up.

What exactly are Joe and others not buying? Francouz as a back-up because that's just Sakic playing the situation well. Brings over the KHL Goalie of the Year, watches as he leads the Eagles into the playoffs an average goalie would not have been able to do, and then gets him on a cheap deal because he has no NHL experience. And very average numbers? Do you know what the AHL league average SV% was this past year? 0.9035 and Francouz had a 0.918. In what world is that average?

Also you're using the word "journeyman" wrong. Journeyman implies that Francouz has been jumping from organization to organization like Dustin Tokarksi. Francouz is just making his NHL jump very late comparatively but every so often there's a Tim Thomas that comes along. Francouz isn't going to be Thomas but he just needs to be a back-up. The bar for back-up is pretty low in the league considering there aren't even enough NHL starters for the league. The guy just owned the AHL in his first year there while adjusting to NA play style. Might as well give him a chance. Better than running with a Michael Hutchinson.

 

[Avs_19]

 

[AvsGuy]

What is a Navrin Mutter

 

[tigervixxxen]

What is a Navrin Mutter

Bad