I know it's just one game, and only game 2, but I think this tells Tippett and Maloney that this team needs more scoring. Sure we gave up 52 shots, which sounds like a defense issue, but the offense (or lack there-of) could not hold on to the puck more than 10 seconds tonight. Literally, I started counting time of possession each time they touched the puck after the 2nd San Jose goal. Nobody on offense could break into the zone, or hold on to the puck for the life of them. Let's get real here, this team can and will not stack up against our new division without a top line. We need that guaranteed 30 goal guy, we need that powerplay specialist yadda yadda yadda. Look at the Kings, the Ducks, the Canucks, they all go deep into the playoffs because of their offense, mixed with an alright defense. Our team has great defense, we have an amazing goalie, but I'm going to go ahead and make a stand against the statement of "the best offense is a good defense" because you simply can not win the big games if you can't score when it counts. With the exception 2011-2012 we have seen this year after year. We just don't have the offense to face up with the big name teams. Our defense and our goalie can only get us so far, and **** do I feel for Mike Smith and his comments after tonight's game, we need a difference maker.
We have owners, we have a great defense, the goalie is set, first line center is there, we are only one or two pieces away.
You like the defense we have now? Great. If you're sure of them, trade a Gormley and/or a Murphy and maybe even sacrifice a 1st round draft pick for once. Get yourself a Vanek.
You like our future defense better than our current? Awesome. Trade Yandle, Morris, and /or Klesla and hope that OEL, Michalek, Rundblad, Stone, Gormley, Murphy etc. can carry this team's defense in the future and grab yourself a Louis Eriksson like Boston did, or a Gaborik like Columbus did.
Whatever it takes, just get the job done. Sure it would be difficult to let go of a Yandle, a Gormley, or a 1st, but it happens. It happens a lot, especially when the team giving them up realizes that things need to change or they won't be able to keep up.
Imagine we do trade for a top line winger. Ribeiro is happy, and the cream rises to the top of the lines on our team. We bump Doan and Boedker down to the 2nd line, not bases off performance or demeanor, but because we can because of pure depth. We bring Vrbata up to the first line because he belongs there. I know we may all think he can't, but the dude can still be successful detached from Hanzal's hip. Let's pretend in this scenario we trade something like Gormley, Moss, Schlemko a high draft pick, and Klesla/maybe another prospect to Buffalo for a signed Vanek.
Vanek-Ribeiro-Vrbata
Boedker-Hanzal-Doan
Korpikoski-Vermette-Lessio
Klinkhammer-Chipchura-Brown
OEL-Michalek
Yandle-Morris
Stone-Rundblad
Summers
Smith
Griess
That's a ****in stacked team right there. Just sayin. (Obviously just spitballing, but you catch my drift.)
For the record, this is not a reaction to tonight's game. It is still very early on to even be close to thinking that we are doomed or anything, and to be honest I'm kind of glad tonight went down the way it did because I'm pretty sure we were all thinking that something still needed to be done, and i think tonight is one of the prime examples. Also just to be clear, I am not pro-trade Yandle or pro-trade Gormley, I love having both players on our team and in our organization. I just want to see this team rise to the top where we all know it can be.
I am however open to trading our first this year
I mean, why not? Most of the time, they are the key components to big time trades. It is not the end of the world if we don't pick in the 1st round for once in 10 years. It's also speculated that this draft isn't very deep, so I say pull the trigger early on before the receiving team can gauge where we will finish in the standings. I'm probably a minority here, but whatever.
Finally, my 3 stars tonight were Smith, Rundblad, and OEL. All 3 stood out to me, but unfortunately they were the only ones. Loving Rundblad, minimal mistakes and got into the play a lot. Looked great IMO.
Saw Morris and Yandle give up the puck on multiple occasions tonight, but I'm not going to blame it on them. The defense got bent over unconsensually because of our offense.
P.S. Shark fans should be running around naked with pom poms in their apartments over Hertl. Kid is going to be a stud in this league for a very long time I think. Good call rt.
EDIT: P.S.S. great GDT AP! You get better and better with each one, you and Tricia are great with that stuff.
If any of you sat there and read this entire post, I'm buying you a beer. I'm way too unimportant for 5 minutes of your time
That's all folks.