Speculation: 2021-22 Roster Speculation and Discussion

[Kipper 17]

He was on the ice for the morning skate. No reason to assume he's out

I know. I posted that before we found out he just missed practice because of a gross eye.

Now he can get back to doing his best at ruining our tank, while simultaneously giving us hope for the future.

 

[M88K]

I know. I posted that before we found out he just missed practice because of a gross eye.

Now he can get back to doing his best at ruining our tank, while simultaneously giving us hope for the future.

my mistake

 

[Captain Awesome]

There was an article on the athletic about unique skills from certain NHLers, and Jason Robertson chose Brayden Point:

Brayden Point’s cut to the middle
Jason Robertson: I think Point, the way he can cut to the middle of the ice, is just something — I want to try to do that. I’m not going to lie, he’s faster than me, but I definitely could start to incorporate more cutbacks. You don’t need to be fast to do cutbacks, just cutting in the middle and being confident doing that. That’s something I’m trying to bring to my game.
What’s the challenge of that? Is it simply traffic?
Robertson: I think it’s more just confidence, knowing that you can do it. You can make a move past one guy, you don’t have to pass it off, dump the puck in and go get it. I know I’m skilled enough to be able to cut to the middle. I was just maybe too, not afraid, but I didn’t want to screw up or lose the puck at the blue line. It’s deadly at the blue line. So I don’t want to lose the puck at the blue line, but I know I can do that because I think I have the skill to do that. It’s just more confidence.
That’s the video-game move, right?
Robertson: Cut across the middle, get laid out.

Thought the bolded was funny.

 

[BG44]

There's no justification to add to this team, but I would like to see what the team could look like with just 1 different forward in the Top 9 (broken record ... I know, but it's basically what I wanted all year). I think you already have a 3rd line in Peterson-Radulov, but the coach is not willing to play them unless there are injuries to other players.

That got me thinking ... they play well regardless of who has been at LW with them. I wonder if Benn was on that line if Bowness would be more willing to play them like an actual 3rd line. Even when Benn is not at his best, I think that Petersen and Radulov could still be a good 3rd line. Otherwise ... the moment Faksa is back ... Raffl-Faksa-Glendening are going to put Peterson and Rads playing less than 10 minutes again. On the other hand, I think that Seguin line is up and down quite a bit despite playing well often, and maybe they'd be even better with someone more consistent than Benn.

It's odd how well Peterson has played when given limited shots up the lineup and how little Bowness is committed to sticking with that. At least in the past several weeks, Petersen and Rads are increasingly the go-to replacements for extra minutes when injuries hit, but you'd think there was enough evidence they're probably the better option with those extra minutes all the time.

It's taken 40+ games, but it's starting to look like those pairs Bowness likes are solidifying in Peterson-Radulov and Seguin-Gurianov, and it seems like a waste to not play Peterson-Radulov consistently.