After the break

[kihekah19*]

It's just gonna get tougher from here on out.
I'd consider going .500 very successful.
Any thoughts?

Edit: Better choice of words may be "wildly" successful.

Click to read more...

 

[SniperHF]

Yeah .500 is pretty fair.

A lot of that will depend on how they start between the end of the break and the deadline. If they get off to a poor start that could snowball into the deadline leading to a little bigger sell off than expected. If they are middle of the road or good to start Maloney will probably maneuver around the edges.


Mainly I'd like to see 1-2 of our grab bag of spare parts youngish defensemen stabilize. Rotate them around for awhile and see what sticks.

 

[Howler Scores]

Love being in this position but in the last two weeks they have scored 3 goals or more once. Scary.

 

[GiveAFlyingPuck]

Love being in this position but in the last two weeks they have scored 3 goals or more once. Scary.

The power play needs fixing.

 

[Spirit of Lindgren]

After tonight?
We take the break....
Look at the schedule.
Buy lots of tickets.
The team is showing up.
We fans will to.
See you at the arena..
Starting February 2nd!!!!!!!!!

 

[XX]

The power play needs fixing.

Well if they're going to keep putting Boedker at the point, the solution is to trade him.

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

Anaheim and Nashville are moving up and I think they will overtake us pretty quickly.

I can't quite see any team faltering in front of us so it looks like it is going to be an uphill battle to make the playoffs.

I am ok with that as long as they keep the season competitive for as long as possible and DM manages the trade deadline correctly.

 

[Snarky Coyote]

This season is about development of the youth movement and whatever happens on the ice this season is a success in my book. We need a 1st pairing shutdown D and hopefully can audition our 2 new D players to play the point on the PP and let Boedker off the hook from playing out of position. We have at this point a rookie goaltender that shows great promise in Domingue, Domi Duclair and Reider are the real deal. Martinook has excelled in his lower 6 role and Dahlbeck is a serviceable lower pairing D with upside. All in all with Strome and 1 or 2 more forwards coming next year The future is bright. I would rather play development hockey for the rest of the year, try and find our needed pieces at the deadline or offseason (more D a PK specialist ) and were 1 free agent away from being a solid playoff team. And if we squeak in this year that is great.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

I'll be absolutely astonished - and thrilled - if we play .500 hockey after the break.

 

[Jakey53]

It's just gonna get tougher from here on out.
I'd consider going .500 very successful.
Any thoughts?

Edit: Better choice of words may be "wildly" successful.

I think .500 would be wildly successful, but as you said it's gonna get tougher, a lot tougher. To be where we are today, with the number of different young players being brought up from the farm and you add in the kids that started the season here, and new players from trades, this is nothing short of a miracle.

 

[Jakey53]

This season is about development of the youth movement and whatever happens on the ice this season is a success in my book. We need a 1st pairing shutdown D and hopefully can audition our 2 new D players to play the point on the PP and let Boedker off the hook from playing out of position. We have at this point a rookie goaltender that shows great promise in Domingue, Domi Duclair and Reider are the real deal. Martinook has excelled in his lower 6 role and Dahlbeck is a serviceable lower pairing D with upside. All in all with Strome and 1 or 2 more forwards coming next year The future is bright. I would rather play development hockey for the rest of the year, try and find our needed pieces at the deadline or offseason (more D a PK specialist ) and were 1 free agent away from being a solid playoff team. And if we squeak in this year that is great.

Totally agree, but I want us to pick top five.

 

[Grimes]

I'm getting more and more comfortable with keeping Murphy and OEL together in the long run. Murphy has said how easy it is to play with him. He may not be a true top pairing defenseman but he has been playing great and is keeping up. I think we are in more need of a solid second pairing that can reduce OEL and Murphys time and can take the tough assignments here and there.
That top rhd is most likely going to cost more than we want it too. So let's find a way to have a very good second pairing.

 

[BUX7PHX]

This is going to come off as being apathetic, but I have no expectations in either direction, nor am I too concerned about that either.

I feel like we are in a win/win no matter what.

If we go better than expected, we make the playoffs in a year that we weren't expecting to. Probably picking somewhere between 15-19.

If we do worse than expected, we simply move up the draft boards, likely between 9-14. Gives us the chance to win the lottery. Also gives us the chance to put a Perlini, Dvorak, Strome, or other players in our lineup if they lose early in OHL playoffs.

Regardless of where we wind up, I think that there are about 3-6 players that are between about #8-18 that we would love to get our hands on. Moving up in the draft should not be perceived as difficult, given the talent depth that we have.

 

[diceone]

After tonight?
We take the break....
Look at the schedule.
Buy lots of tickets.
The team is showing up.
We fans will to.
See you at the arena..
Starting February 2nd!!!!!!!!!

I always feel like I'm reading a limerick when I see your posts. They make me smile.

 

[cobra427]

We are on pace for 89 points. The over/under in the next 33 games is 36 points. As a team, we have over achieved. The biggest disappointment was Smith, the biggest surprise was LD, they cancel each other out. The combination of the NHL getting tougher this time of year to score, and our weak D core, leads me to take the unders. I hope I am wrong, but I don't see us at 90 points or more for the season. The only way that happens is:

1. Great goal tending
2. Improved play by our young D
3. Same scoring pace from our team

I don't see any of the 3 happening, but if the first one does, it could carry us. Always about the goal tending

 

[Matias Maccete]

I'm getting more and more comfortable with keeping Murphy and OEL together in the long run. Murphy has said how easy it is to play with him. He may not be a true top pairing defenseman but he has been playing great and is keeping up. I think we are in more need of a solid second pairing that can reduce OEL and Murphys time and can take the tough assignments here and there.
That top rhd is most likely going to cost more than we want it too. So let's find a way to have a very good second pairing.

I like this idea. I think Murphy has shown more offense as the year has gone on too.

 

[Sinurgy]

I don't think the wheels will come off but I do expect them to slowly but surely slide their way down the ranks. Honestly if I had a my choice they'd slide down far enough to get a top 5 pick but not in a soul crushing way like last season. I'm of the mind they need one more high end pick to round out this rebuild.

 

[AZviaNJ]

I don't think the wheels will come off but I do expect them to slowly but surely slide their way down the ranks. Honestly if I had a my choice they'd slide down far enough to get a top 5 pick but not in a soul crushing way like last season. I'm of the mind they need one more high end pick to round out this rebuild.

Week 1 post-ASG: Tue/LA, Thu/Chi, Fri/@Ana Not built for success...I'd gladly take 3 points out of the those 3 games.

 

[hbk]

I don't think the wheels will come off but I do expect them to slowly but surely slide their way down the ranks. Honestly if I had a my choice they'd slide down far enough to get a top 5 pick but not in a soul crushing way like last season. I'm of the mind they need one more high end pick to round out this rebuild.

We all need to pull out our lucky underwear, lucky sweater, rabbits foot, jersey, socks. Whatever it takes on draft lottery day.

 

[Sinurgy]

We all need to pull out our lucky underwear, lucky sweater, rabbits foot, jersey, socks. Whatever it takes on draft lottery day.

I tried that last year and had my very hockey soul absolutely ripped out of my body, pissed on and shoved back in through my nose. It was one of the worst moments in my entire sports fandom life, I don't know if I can handle it again. Matthews is the dream but that's not how Coyote life works. Right now I'm just hoping against hope they land any one of Tkachuk, Chychrun or the super Finns.

 

[Jakey53]

I don't think the wheels will come off but I do expect them to slowly but surely slide their way down the ranks. Honestly if I had a my choice they'd slide down far enough to get a top 5 pick but not in a soul crushing way like last season. I'm of the mind they need one more high end pick to round out this rebuild.

That is exactly how I see it.

 

[lanky]

I tried that last year and had my very hockey soul absolutely ripped out of my body, pissed on and shoved back in through my nose. It was one of the worst moments in my entire sports fandom life, I don't know if I can handle it again. Matthews is the dream but that's not how Coyote life works. Right now I'm just hoping against hope they land any one of Tkachuk, Chychrun or the super Finns.

I'm hoping that come April we have our eyes on the playoffs rather than the draft lottery.

 

[Sinurgy]

I'm hoping that come April we have our eyes on the playoffs rather than the draft lottery.

If you had said firmly in the playoffs I would agree with you but having their eyes on it to me means being a bubble team and to that I say hell no. I want this team to either be solidly locked into the playoffs or firmly out of it.

 

[zerekstar]

Totally agree, but I want us to pick top five.

Me too.

 

[zerekstar]

I like this idea. I think Murphy has shown more offense as the year has gone on too.

I thought Murphy was one of the only guys who played well last night.