Is there anyone here who isn't panicking?

[101st_fan]

Top paid goalie in the NHL, bonuses inclusive ... Pekka Rinne.
Top paid d-man in the NHL, bonuses inclusive ... Shea Weber.

But we don't spend any money, right?

 

[drwpreds]

I think some people confuse lack of moves for lack of money. We were spending money last season. We were active at the deadline. There were rumors abound that we made a big offer to Columbus for Nash last year and they turned it down. We spent tons on Rinne, Weber, and offered tons to Suter. We're more willing to spend now than ever before IMO. I think some of our fans are frustrated that we've done well the last two seasons, or have progressed anyway, and use the "we have no money" excuse when we start struggling and (seemingly) taking a step back.

I can guarantee this wasn't a hot topic last season when we were scoring goals. Offensive struggles bring out frustration more than defensive ones. Offensive players are synonymous with making big money, and so when we have trouble scoring goals, a lot of peoples' default reaction is "Ohhhh we need to spend money and bring in a scorer. We have no money.". We're a defensive-minded organization and we draft, sign, and spend accordingly. That's where our money is being spent right now and that's fine.

Excellent post- agree 100%

And what gets me, (and the reason for my original post) is that some fans won't even wait until we start struggling to start griping. We had 104 pts and made final 8 last year and have 4 pts in 4 games this year. Not exactly a crumbling franchise

 

[Byrddog]

Excellent post- agree 100%

And what gets me, (and the reason for my original post) is that some fans won't even wait until we start struggling to start griping. We had 104 pts and made final 8 last year and have 4 pts in 4 games this year. Not exactly a crumbling franchise

Those 4 points are really misleading.

1 point against the Jackets. Well were rusty Jackets got lucky, boy the Jackets are improved.

1. Point against Blues One could feel good about that one.

2. points agains Wild Every Squrrill finds a nut one in a while Erat found it that night. Short a backstrom brainfart were get 1 point again.

0 points in St Loius shut out, outplayed in every aspect of the game 13 shots on goal

Now is it the end of the world no But The morning of Feb 3 it will be known. I am not even sure the points make a difference even then. Somehow this team needs to become competitive offensivly. If you have to step to the point of praising Wilson and Spaling for being the best offensive players we have had so far there a big problem. And to pretend the team will thrive without major contributions from SK, DL, ME, PH, night in and night out is just impossible to concieve. Right now there is not one credible NHL line on this team. Potential yeah there is but be it chemistry, rust, the stars not aligned or Gnash having puppies its not happening right now. Two schools of though play thru it or jumble lines. Hard to play thru it and jumble lines and mess with any chemistry that has developed in a short season. Who knows right now its a hot mess.

The major thing I will look for tonight is shots on goal I expect 10 per period 30 for the game minimum. I am sure this has been addressed in pratice and in team meetings. This my not assure goals and wins but this Offense can not produce wins night in and night out averaging less than 20 shots per game not many can. 4 games not a season but enough to get people concerned.

 

[101st_fan]

If Erat's read and react on Backstrom was a squirrel finding a nut, then the same logic needs to apply to Taresenko's and Berglund's breakaways.

 

[Byrddog]

If Erat's read and react on Backstrom was a squirrel finding a nut, then the same logic needs to apply to Taresenko's and Berglund's breakaways.

Nut finding is not limited to just Pred squrrills. Heck sometimes crusty old WO's find one too. But too often they trade it for Old #7 or Silver Bullets with the blue mark on the can.

 

[Drake744]

Nut finding is not limited to just Pred squrrills. Heck sometimes crusty old WO's find one too. But too often they trade it for Old #7 or Silver Bullets with the blue mark on the can.

What?

 

[ILikeItILoveIt]

One improvement over last year that's going unnoticed is Mason for Lindback. Anders was 5-8 last year. With 9 back-to-back's, plus additional starts, Mason may get 13 starts. I bet he reverses Anders numbers and goes 8-5. That's 6 big points. Mace is just a better backup, defined as playing once every 2 weeks, as opposed to playing every night for the injured #1. So if Peks stays healthy, look for Mace to get us points Lindy lost last year.

 

[Byrddog]

One improvement over last year that's going unnoticed is Mason for Lindback. Anders was 5-8 last year. With 9 back-to-back's, plus additional starts, Mason may get 13 starts. I bet he reverses Anders numbers and goes 8-5. That's 6 big points. Mace is just a better backup, defined as playing once every 2 weeks, as opposed to playing every night for the injured #1. So if Peks stays healthy, look for Mace to get us points Lindy lost last year.

Lindback was caught in the perfect storm, he needs dailey play and could not get it here. Is he a starting goalie well maybe time will tell. hes 2-1 as the starter in Tampa. He may pull a Mason or Ellis or even worse be out of the league in a year or two but right now Lindy > Mason.

 

[Paranoid Android]

One improvement over last year that's going unnoticed is Mason for Lindback. Anders was 5-8 last year. With 9 back-to-back's, plus additional starts, Mason may get 13 starts. I bet he reverses Anders numbers and goes 8-5. That's 6 big points. Mace is just a better backup, defined as playing once every 2 weeks, as opposed to playing every night for the injured #1. So if Peks stays healthy, look for Mace to get us points Lindy lost last year.

Agreed. After Mason's great performance in Minny, I feel much better about our goalie situation compared to last year. And with a shortened training camp, bringing in someone familiar was a very smart move.

 

[Drake744]

One improvement over last year that's going unnoticed is Mason for Lindback. Anders was 5-8 last year. With 9 back-to-back's, plus additional starts, Mason may get 13 starts. I bet he reverses Anders numbers and goes 8-5. That's 6 big points. Mace is just a better backup, defined as playing once every 2 weeks, as opposed to playing every night for the injured #1. So if Peks stays healthy, look for Mace to get us points Lindy lost last year.

Yeah I agree. That's a good call. I think the fact that we already knew Mason so well gave off the vibe that he was just a last resort signing, but not the case. Since leaving us initially, hes played in 171 games, going 78-63-19 in that span.. That's a lot of experience since we knew him last. I'm really happy with him as a backup.