No, and it's a more than fair point.
My only reason for bringing up the topic at all was that there were so many posters making excuses for the players and the team for their mediocre play (games didn't matter, mailing it in, not motivated, all about the playoffs, etc) and my only point is and was that our guys still had a lot to play for, awards included, and hell, if in only because they take pride in what they do and wanted to remain sharp. But I get where your coming from though I still really believe that this teams problems run deeper than just that they can't wait for the playoffs to begin. And, as always, I really I hope I'm wrong and you're right.
Yeah, I don't know. I don't know how long you've followed this team, and I can only speak to my own experiences, but the reason I'm not hitting the panic button (as opposed to having some concerns), is that the way they've played the past few months is such a "this team" thing for them to do. Personality-wise, this teams does that. They're underachievers. They procrastinate. They're downright lazy at times. But they usually show up when it really matters, and the winning the division stuff kind of mattered, but not enough in a bigger picture kind of way.
I mean, last year, which was an awful year, they still only misjudged the season by about 5 or 6 (or whatever) games. They turned it on and damn near made the playoffs from the bottom of the standings. It's just what they do. The counterargument is that this year maybe shows they didn't learn their lesson from last year, but then again, they locked up a playoff spot before anyone else in the league, so who's to say? This team is nothing if not frustrating, that's for sure. They've always been like that, we just haven't always had such high expectations. Maybe?
And Kuch and Hedman and Vasy are all made of the same stuff. They show up big when they should, but coast when they can get away with it. It is disappointing that they didn't go a little harder for the awards, but that's how it goes. It'll be a shame if Kuch doesn't hit 40/100, but he probably shouldn't have coasted the way he has at times. We can't make thses guys care, you know?
Beyond that, if there are real issues with this team, they'll be laid bare in the playoffs and we'll go from there. These guys do want to win a Cup, and if they throw away a chance as good as this one then they'll have no one to blame but themselves. And Coop'll be under a lot of scrutiny for not having found a way to right the ship.
All true, though Rinne's was more of a one-off and not as much of a pattern or string of poor games as Vasy's. Yet. We hope.
It was definitely a gamble on the part of management to go all in on a 23 yr old without a full season as a #1. And I still think they were right to do so. He can, as you say, get hot again and the future is very bright still.
I do think Coop's been consciously pushing Vasy, and I agree with the decision. It's an additional gamble, but Vasy's our number one now, so he can't be looking to the bench every time he's having a rough night. And the playoffs are going to be way more grueling, mentally and emotionally, than any stretch of games he's played in the regular season. Okay, he's young, he's tired. I get it. He's adjusting, and that's fine. It's to be expected. But the problem is that Boston, Toronto, and Pittsburgh don't care. And they'll care way less in about two weeks. This is his "welcome to the Pros, kid" moment.
Beyond that, playoff goaltenders are almost impossible to predict. A guy like Luongo can own the regular season for years, only to spring severe leaks when the playoffs roll around. And the reverse is true, too. I don't rate Fleury very highly, but he's got Cups. I mean, Niemi won a Cup for Chicago. And then your Roys and Brodeurs are good from the preseason through the SCF. I'm not worried about Vasy long-term, but we'll find out a lot more about his trajectory in two weeks.
Edit: TL;DR - Who the hell knows with this brilliant-but-flawed team. We'll find out soon enough. Lol.
