2021 Training Camp/Preseason Thread

[Kcb12345]

Figured it was time for this...first preseason game is Monday, September 27th. Training Camp begins this Thursday

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[Johno]

Curtis McKenzie re-joining?

also what’s with some of the measurements? They have to be way off.

 

[serp]

Curtis McKenzie re-joining?

also what’s with some of the measurements? They have to be way off.

He signed on an AHL only contract with Texas . 2 years i believe. Stars often also invite the AHL only guys to camp for the big club.

Makes sense to help create some familiarity with the prospects that will play AHL games.

 

[MrHeiskanen]

What measurements look way off to you?

 

[Johno]

What measurements look way off to you?

Hakanpaa 6’7” - he’s no more than 6’5”
Klingberg 6’3” at 190lbs - umm no, have you seen the dude
Maybe it’s just the way he plays but Damiani seems a lot smaller than listed.
Neither of Back or Karlstrom are 6’3” more towards 6’1”
Don’t think Shea is 6’2” neither.
Then I’d say there’s a bunch of weights wrong but can’t prove that since maybe our bois were super busy at the gym over the summer

 

[Johno]

He signed on an AHL only contract with Texas . 2 years i believe. Stars often also invite the AHL only guys to camp for the big club.

Makes sense to help create some familiarity with the prospects that will play AHL games.

Right, totally forgot since it wasn’t an NHL contract! Clear that up.

 

[Kcb12345]

Lmao yeah some of those heights seem off for sure.

They always exaggerate players heights though for the most part, although some of these are a bit extreme so I'd imagine typos maybe lol. Most seem somewhat accurate

 

[BG44]

Idiotic pre-camp prediction ....

Robertson - Hintz - Pavelski
Faksa - Seguin - Radulov
Kiviranta - Benn - Gurianov
Raffl - Glendening - Comeau
Kero
Caamano

Suter - Heiskanen
Lindell - Klingberg
Hanley - Hakanpaa
Sekera

Khudobin
Holtby

LTIR: Bishop (But he actually plays this season)

McKenzie - Damiani - Peterson
Louis - Dellandrea - L'Esperance
Tufte - Gardner - Felhaber
Karlstrom - Back - Aksiantsiuk
Melnick
Gregoire

Harley - Petrovic
Shea - Borgman
Rosburg - Cecconi
Gleason

Oettinger
Point

ECHL: Barteaux, Kawaguchi, Martin, Scheel

*Flipping Kiviranta and Faksa because I'm guessing they do at least start with Benn at center, and Seguin gets a guy who can play center if needed.
* Raffl plays more than Kero and Caamano, but they basically rotate.
*Caamano earns a roster fault simply because of his waiver status, and Nill Nill's hard.
*Hanley plays more than Sekera, and Hakanpaa plays most if not all games when he's healthy.
*Why the hell would you not play Damiani and Peterson together? Don't get cute.
*Texas, like they do often, has too many veterans and the veteran rule is going to require them to rotate guys like McKenzie, L'Esperance, Louis, Gregoire, Petrovic, and Borgman. I'm being lazy, but Louis might not have enough games so maybe he's off that list.
*Very easily an overreaction to Traverse, but Point's career is on the verge of jumping the shark, and Scheel looked awful. I think Point still doesn't have an NHL future probably, but I bet he has a good year, wins the backup job, and Scheel starts in the ECHL.
*

 

[Kcb12345]

 

[Dynamite Time]

Just training camp but feel sorry for group A with Holtby and Scheel as their goaltenders.

 

[Kcb12345]

Just training camp but feel sorry for group A with Holtby and Scheel as their goaltenders.

You won't feel too sorry for them after you look at group C's forwards and dmen

 

[Dynamite Time]

You won't feel too sorry for them after you look at group C's forwards and dmen

Group B runs it I’ll say.

 

[MrHeiskanen]

So correct me if I am wrong, but our entire off-season was based on putting Bishop on LTIR.. but the guy is at training camp and ready to go?

How do we get under the cap? We have 4 goalies?

 

[BG44]

So correct me if I am wrong, but our entire off-season was based on putting Bishop on LTIR.. but the guy is at training camp and ready to go?

How do we get under the cap? We have 4 goalies?

I think the whole off-season is based was based on Bishop being a true unknown, and the latest reports seem to indicate it may be best-case scenario.

It's a dirty little secret but the NHL let's teams keep players who aren't hurt on LTIR even when they're probably healed/ready to return.

They absolutely will not get away with it more than a few weeks or months into the season depending on Bishop's legitimate timetable, but they easily will have some time to work out a trade before Bishop is ready to fully return. Just given the length of his absence, it wouldn't even surprise me if Bishop played a warm-up game in the AHL or 2 just to make sure the body is actually good to go.

Oettinger was a virtual lock for AHL duty the moment they signed Holtby. I think the plan was always to trade a veteran if and when Bishop could actually play, and Oettiner is basically your 3rd goalie all year. They'll start with Dobby/Holtby, and optimistically, it seems like Bishop has a chance to play (which seemed a bit uncertain), and it might be even the first half of the season.

Dallas isn't going to try and get top value, but their best-case scenario, unfortunately for some team or teams, is to have at least 2 goalies go down in pre-season or the first month or two of the season for something long-term and pray it causes at least a minor bidding war. If it's a contender, even better they'll be a bit more desperate.

The reality is though if they're able to move Khudobin because of next year's salary, it's a huge win even if the return is crap. That's not close to being a knock on Dobby. That $3 million in space though is going to be important.

 

[BG44]

This is Bones' first actual training camp despite the bubble camp and the wierdness that was last year.

I wasn't sure if he was like some coaches that just does random lines, especially vets with CHLers and AHLers or if he'd stick with his projected NHL lines. Seems like he's going to start with his lines based on those groups.

Just reading between the groupings, I'm actually a little confused that Faksa and Kiviranta are in the same group, and the only legitimate NHLer with Benn/Gurianov is Raffl, and while he's fine and more than adequate on the 4th line getting PK duty, that group doesn't have an NHL line in it since Raffl playing with Benn and Gurianov would be absurd. I mean ... I'd love to see Peterson get a look there at least early in camp. Otherwise, you talking Tufte or Gardner as the other potential options.

Basically outside of Group C ... every other group I think tells you where Bones and the coaches are starting.

Group A
Kiviranta-Seguin-Radulov
Kero-Faksa-Glendening

Group B
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Caamano/Damiani/Dellandrea-Comeau

Group C
I mean ... I can't even really guess other Benn at center and Gurianov at RW. I've got to imagine the other NHL potential center in that group has to be Gardner.

The D groups definitely seems to suggest they're staring with Suter-Klingberg and Lindell-Heiskanen.

 

[BG44]

They are a better team going with Hintz, Seguin, Benn and Faksa all down the center of the lineup, but you can only do that if a Top 9 forward emerges from the AHLers. Rather than load the young fringe NHLers together in Group B. It would have been nice to throw say Damiani over in Group C to get a look with Benn and Gurianov. With those groups though, it'll be a bit disappointing if they start with Raffl playing with those 2. Hoping for some Peterson love tomorrow I guess.

 

[Kcb12345]

They are a better team going with Hintz, Seguin, Benn and Faksa all down the center of the lineup, but you can only do that if a Top 9 forward emerges from the AHLers. Rather than load the young fringe NHLers together in Group B. It would have been nice to throw say Damiani over in Group C to get a look with Benn and Gurianov. With those groups though, it'll be a bit disappointing if they start with Raffl playing with those 2. Hoping for some Peterson love tomorrow I guess.

Raffl is 100% the type of guy they're looking to move up and down the lineup I'd imagine

Man I'd love to see Damiani or Peterson crack this lineup though

 

[Johno]

This is Bones' first actual training camp despite the bubble camp and the wierdness that was last year.

I wasn't sure if he was like some coaches that just does random lines, especially vets with CHLers and AHLers or if he'd stick with his projected NHL lines. Seems like he's going to start with his lines based on those groups.

…

yeah would love to see a line of
Peterson-Benn-Gurianov
Might get interesting from there, although weird that they moved Peterson and Damiani into different groupings. Could’ve worked on the chemistry for AHL, but I suppose this way, it seems at least, they set up the opportunity for one of them to start with the big club.

also not a fan of Suter-Klingberg pairing. Too much offense, not enough defense.

 

[serp]

yeah would love to see a line of
Peterson-Benn-Gurianov
Might get interesting from there, although weird that they moved Peterson and Damiani into different groupings. Could’ve worked on the chemistry for AHL, but I suppose this way, it seems at least, they set up the opportunity for one of them to start with the big club.

also not a fan of Suter-Klingberg pairing. Too much offense, not enough defense.

I think the problem is Suter doesn't like playing with LHD playing the right side. So that only leaves Hakanpää and Klingberg as potential partners.

 

[serp]

So Bishop is not only at camp but also in the group with just 2 goalies ... ?

 

[BG44]

Raffl is 100% the type of guy they're looking to move up and down the lineup I'd imagine

Man I'd love to see Damiani or Peterson crack this lineup though

Why would you think that?

Outside of a few years (it honestly may have only been 2 years IIRC) when Roussel was doing something similar in Dallas putting up low-end Top 9 minutes and numbers, Raffl was doing the same thing for Philadelphia. He never fell off a cliff as Roussel did (overall play / they both became fairly non-existent offensive players around the same time), but he's basically a very good depth forward and PKer. He's not a Top 9 option that can play up and down the lineup at all.

He's Blake Comeau with a shorter window of moderate/mediocre scoring. He's an improvement over Cogliano for the past two years, and I think he'll prove to be a decent signing that helps the team, but he's just not anywhere near a legitimate option to play in a scoring role. That's not his game though for the last few years.

Raffl and Glendening are the same type of signings/players. They push guys like Caamano and Gardner down the lineup. Neither one of them should be expected to push a guy like Kiviranta or younger Top 9 hopefuls for a bigger role.

I still think Faksa and Kiviranta eventually round out the Top 9 with Benn-Gurianov and Seguin-Radulov. The new look FCC line with a more limited role seems to be Raffl-Glendening-Comeau.

Now I think that's what it looks like short-term. I'd be willing to bet Dallas has a different Top 9 regular by the end of the regular season ... either from an internal promotion like a Damiani or via trade depending on their place in the standings around the deadline.

 

[BG44]

I think the problem is Suter doesn't like playing with LHD playing the right side. So that only leaves Hakanpää and Klingberg as potential partners.

Heiskanen.

The organization has been very public that Suter came to Dallas to play with either Heiskanen or Klingberg. Their Top 4 is set barring injury. The only question is does Lindell-Klingberg stay together or is everyone playing with someone new.

Hakanpaa is my favorite signing of the summer, and I would not be shocked if he could handle more than 5th or 6th D minutes, but early on, he's not really someone that you should expect to push Lindell or Suter down the lineup.

 

[serp]

Heiskanen.

The organization has been very public that Suter came to Dallas to play with either Heiskanen or Klingberg. Their Top 4 is set barring injury. The only question is does Lindell-Klingberg stay together or is everyone playing with someone new.

Hakanpaa is my favorite signing of the summer, and I would not be shocked if he could handle more than 5th or 6th D minutes, but early on, he's not really someone that you should expect to push Lindell or Suter down the lineup.

Yes but Heiskanen is a LHD . He's been playing right side but he's a lefty. Suter disliked playing with leftys who play right side for a long time.

 

[BG44]

So Bishop is not only at camp but also in the group with just 2 goalies ... ?

Poirier will be in the first group of cuts, likely just a few days into camp.

The only update on Bishop I've seen was pretty favorable.

He's ramped up his work on the ice, and he's been practicing with everyone in Dallas ahead of camp. Even if he's physically ready soon, they're going to go slow with him though I expect.

 

[BG44]

Yes but Heiskanen is a LHD . He's been playing right side but he's a lefty. Suter disliked playing with leftys who play right side for a long time.

That's not right. He's a left shot that plays RD often including most of the time in Europe and I think he's probably right at 50/50 LD/RD in the NHL at this point over his career. He's never been exclusively a guy that played on the left side.

Heiskanen playing better at LD is some fan-driven nonsense. Even the organization has made it clear publically that they see Heiskanen as a guy that can easily play either side. Heiskanen is an elite player. It's pretty silly to worry about if he's a left or right shot. I get that there are guys out there that are insecure playing the offside, but that's not Heiskanen.