GDT: Colorado Avalanche host the St. Louis Blues @ 8pm MT for Game #1 of The West Division Playoffs

[John Mandalorian]

Newhook was really good in a fourth line role, I'm not sure he's ready for a top six role yet. I realize Kadri had his struggles in the regular season and didn't have his best game last night but there's no practical alternative to him right now. They've gotta make him work or the road through the playoffs is gonna be bumpy AF. He was great for the Avs last postseason, there's still plenty of reason for him to get it back, he's just gotta quit whining to the refs over something he knows damned well they're not going to call.



.

Are you sure his playoffs last year has more predictive value than how he's been recently?

 

[John Mandalorian]

It's not just about future ceiling. Newhook has the highest ceiling to actually do something noteworthy when compared to O'Brien, Soderberg, Sherwood and Megna given his skill set.

Unless he looks outrageously bad, I would not take him out and I definitely wouldn't take him out for O'Brien who is easily the worst forward on our roster.

Would you give Newhook some time with better line mates? Otherwise, we won't know if he's not ready or if he's playing with offensively deficient line mates.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Yeah I didn't see any of that. He lost every board battle, was knocked off pucks easily, and didn't create any offense.


He was clearly getting bullied on the ice as well. I dont think he's close to ready physically for this kind of hockey yet. Needs an offseason to build up some muscle and then a full season at the NHL preparing and adjusting for that level of physical play.


Now, I didn't say I would take him out. I just said he's the only guy I would consider taking out. I'd give him another game to see if maybe it was just jitters of his first playoff game that had him playing timid.


But in terms of a replacement, especially for that 4th line role and someone who will only get ~8 minutes a game, if that... Ya I'd probably put O'Brien in that spot. Even Soderberg would be fine.

Hes in there for scoring. You're putting him on the line where he has the least chance to be successful and then criticizing him for not doing much?

OK then.

He was recently buoying the second line. Now its time to punish him because he's not doing more with the least offensively potent guys on the team?

 

[henchman21]

I would prefer Soda in the lineup on the 4th line over Newhook... simply because of PK time.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

Seeing Liam O'Brien, Jayson Megna, etc named as Newhook replacements does nothing but make the line-up worse. Soderberg I get because his PK numbers are pretty good apart from the fact that goals are going in but in his limited time on the PK he's had the better underlying numbers. LOB though can go kick rocks and I hope we never have to see him in the line-up. He adds nothing. He's too slow to be a physical presence. All he'd be doing is what the Blues did in Game 1 and end up wildly out of position chasing hits. There's no need for it. Either swap in Soderberg if he's healthy or let Newhook stay on that line and give it some offensive threat. If you look at Newhook's /60 5v5 rates he did very well, the Blues weren't generating anything with him on the ice.

 

[Avs_19]

I would prefer Soda in the lineup on the 4th line over Newhook... simply because of PK time.

Put Newhook on the PK since he can actually move. Soderberg should be next man up but I don't think it's necessary right now.

 

[AvsFan29]

Soderberg could absolutely bring more to the table than Newhook.

False

 

[Pokecheque]

I dont agree at all with that. Especially with Soderberg. The others yeah, sure. Megna and Tynan don't belong in the lineup.


Soderberg could absolutely bring more to the table than Newhook.


O'Brien brings physicality that Newhook will never in his career bring. Depending on how the series continues it may be necessary to add a physical 4th line option instead of the offensive one we currently have in Newhook.

I don't agree with that at all. Soda's been a complete non-factor since his return. There are glaciers in Greenland that move faster than he does.

I'm actually mostly okay with Liam O'Brien, but those last few games he was awful. When he's forechecking hard and using his physicality he's a plus, but near the end there he was just taking dumb penalties and not throwing his weight around.

Either way, neither of those guys should be slotting ahead of Newhook at this point. And no he did not "lose every board battle." He wasn't a superstar but he wasn't a liability either.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

False

Lmao, yeah you're right man.

 

[Foppa2118]

This was also Newhook's first game in the NHL at wing wasn't it?

And he played about half as much on the 4th line as he had been prior. He finished with 7:07 this game, when he had been getting around 13-15 minutes most of his other games.

So it's not that big of a surprise that he didn't stand out a ton. Give him more than one playoff game to adjust to a completely different role than he's used to.

I agree with the others saying that he didn't really play bad or make any glaring mistakes. As long as that's the case, they should keep him in the lineup, because he still has potential game breaking skill that the other options don't have.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

I would prefer Soda in the lineup on the 4th line over Newhook... simply because of PK time.

Yeah I'd prefer Soda to Newhook.

 

[Foppa2118]

You definitely make some very valid points, but I don’t get what changed between this year and last year...virtually the same system and team, but he’s playing much worse.

If I didn’t see his play last year, I’d definitely put it on the coaches, but he’s clearly shown the ability to succeed in this system and he just hasn’t been able to this year...even though everybody else seems to be doing just fine or having career-years.

I don’t know if he’s injured or what, but Bednar’s system is super player-friendly (if you fit the mold) and he just hasn’t been able to hold up his end of the bargain this year.

I think the big problem/difference is the goal slump sapped a lot of Kadri's confidence, and he didn't get the ship fully turned around before the playoffs.

So the individual hope plays he makes all the time are going like 0 for 10 in games, instead of 1 or 2 for 10. Which makes it look even worse. And he's not playing a physical game under Bednar to make it look like he's adding something else to the table.

So unless he just wants to be a "don't hurt the team" kind of player in a bottom 6 role, he has to work through that confidence issue in the playoffs to get his game back on track. Which is a pretty tough time of year to do so.

 

[AvsFan29]

Lmao, yeah you're right man.

Soderberg is pretty trash these days. Sakic clearly picked him up incase we get into some serious injury issues.

 

[5280]

Yeah I’d keep Newhook in over Soda. Soda hasn’t ever moved the needle for me the way he does for some people, plus he’s slower than a.... well he’s he’s slower than shit.

 

[5280]

I think the big problem/difference is the goal slump sapped a lot of Kadri's confidence, and he didn't get the ship fully turned around before the playoffs.

So the individual hope plays he makes all the time are going like 0 for 10 in games, instead of 1 or 2 for 10. Which makes it look even worse. And he's not playing a physical game under Bednar to make it look like he's adding something else to the table.

So unless he just wants to be a "don't hurt the team" kind of player in a bottom 6 role, he has to work through that confidence issue in the playoffs to get his game back on track. Which is a pretty tough time of year to do so.

I think he just needs someone to piss him off so he quits overthinking everything and just plays the game. Could be tomorrow or next week, but I would imagine and hope it’s bound to happen.

 

[Avs_19]

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Nobody gives a f*** about a players future ceiling right now

This is the Stanley Cup Playoffs and our team is in the best position to win the cup with this current core yet, maybe ever.


The last thing that should have any impact on whether Newhook plays or not is his ceiling compared to his peers. If guys are available to play that can play his role better, they should be playing simple as that.

If LOC or Calvert were healthy they would be playing over Newhook. 100% without question.


As is, I dont think Newhook has played so bad that he should be replaced, but I think he was the worst of our 12 forwards that did play last game.

Completely agree.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

I would prefer Soda in the lineup on the 4th line over Newhook... simply because of PK time.

If Soderberg were good on the Pk I’d agree but he hasn’t been. I’m actually a little shocked at how rough he had been on the PK since getting him back.

I’d be in board with replacing Newhook with somebody who succeeds on the PK, but I’m not on board with replacing Newhook with an inferior player who simply “does” PK.

 

[AvsFan29]

If Soderberg were good on the Pk I’d agree but he hasn’t been. I’m actually a little shocked at how rough he had been on the PK since getting him back.

I’d be in board with replacing Newhook with somebody who succeeds on the PK, but I’m not on board with replacing Newhook with an inferior player who simply “does” PK.

Newhook was on the PK in college and in the AHL

 

[forsbergavs32]

I thought Newhook was quiet but fine last night and I think he should be in the lineup still. That said, he needs to be put in a position to succeed and that’s not on the 4th line with PEB and JTC. If they want to put some offense on that line they should put Saad or Dong there, they can add offense but can also play that 4th line game better than Newhook can. If it were me I’d slot Newhook at center between Kadri and Bura since that worked pretty well when they tried it.

9296
Kadri-Hook-Bura
Nuke-Jost-Dong
Saad-PEB-JTC

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Newhook was on the PK in college and in the AHL

It’s all moot. Neither Newhook or Soderberg are better pk options than Jost, Nuke, Belly and even Compher/Donskoi right now. If the Avs had a PK upgrade sitting on the sidelines it would make sense to put them in but we don’t have to discuss Soderberg vs Newhook on the PK right now because neither should do so over our current options.

 

[AvsFan29]

It’s all moot. Neither Newhook or Soderberg are better pk options than Jost, Nuke, Belly and even Compher/Donskoi right now. If the Avs had a PK upgrade sitting on the sidelines it would make sense to put them in but we don’t have to discuss Soderberg vs Newhook on the PK right now because neither should do so over our current options.

I agree

 

[henchman21]

If Soderberg were good on the Pk I’d agree but he hasn’t been. I’m actually a little shocked at how rough he had been on the PK since getting him back.

I’d be in board with replacing Newhook with somebody who succeeds on the PK, but I’m not on board with replacing Newhook with an inferior player who simply “does” PK.

Going off his previous stint. Judging by how Nemo has been better (still not great), I’m assuming some adjustment time. I’d rather have a guy ready for when Jost or Nuke take a penalty that could be rolled in. Not a hill I’m gonna die on though.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Soderberg is pretty trash these days. Sakic clearly picked him up incase we get into some serious injury issues.

Its so on brand that our injury insurance gets injured.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

I agree, Kadri needs to be fixed. If we can’t do that, the road ahead becomes that much harder.

Poor guy. You fix him and he won't have any more kids.