Player Discussion Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Part 14)

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1909

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Jul 6, 2016
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KK wasn't rushed, nearly everyone expected Finland last year before camp but wanted him up after camp. He was an effective NHL player last year.

If you can play, and contribute positively to the team then you belong in the NHL.

No. The kid had an impressive camp and a fair first half. That's all. he played against AHL and Junior level players during that Camp. Habs were so desperate to fill a gap at center while making a big marketing spalash that they kept him. Huge error. He ran out of gas in the second half of the season, never scored a goal on the road. CJ kept him well sheltered to help him as much as possible.
 

cphabs

The 2 stooges….
Dec 21, 2012
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No. The kid had an impressive camp and a fair first half. That's all. he played against AHL and Junior level players during that Camp. Habs were so desperate to fill a gap at center while making a big marketing spalash that they kept him. Huge error. He ran out of gas in the second half of the season, never scored a goal on the road. CJ kept him well sheltered to help him as much as possible.
That’s a good post!
 

Bring Bak Damphousse

Fire Bergevin...into the Sun
May 27, 2002
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His teammates thought it was a clean hit, they thought that it was all good, ever hear the expression "Actions speak louder than words"? I have and I try to live by it and I can guarantee you that if I was on his team last night I would have kicked someone's ass and I wouldn't really care which guy it was. A 19-year-old kid trying to make his way in the toughest league in the world got caught in a dangerous situation last night and the outcome could have been much worse. Not one of his buddies stuck up for him and that pissed me off much m0re than Zadorov doing his job, it was a complete show of gutlessness and it showed me much more about this team than I already despised about them. We did nothing!

Yeah clean hit dirty hit, it doesn’t matter in my mind, Zadorov should have been targeted the rest of the night, if no ones got the stomach to fight him than hit him every chance you get.
 

hvac412

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Apr 15, 2013
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Yeah clean hit dirty hit, it doesn’t matter in my mind, Zadorov should have been targeted the rest of the night, if no ones got the stomach to fight him than hit him every chance you get.
They simply don't have the size or talent to play both physically and offensively which will as usual be their Achilles heel.It's been such a long time since this teams been relevant it's become pointless to even care.:boredom:
 

Thebesthockey

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Aug 6, 2013
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the habs may have taken the small but fast approach to building out the team

but nhl has quickly moved to big strong and fast

smurf strategies dont work
 

Habs

We should have drafted Michkov
Feb 28, 2002
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the habs may have taken the small but fast approach to building out the team

but nhl has quickly moved to big strong and fast

smurf strategies dont work

Never has worked either, yet its been a team philosophy since around 1995. We won the cup with a big, skilled team that could play any type of game you wanted. They then dismantle the teams and go in a new direction than what just worked. You can't make this stuff up, its cringeworthy to look back on.
 

THE HOFF

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Sep 26, 2007
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Sad to say but that injury might be a blessing in disguise for him. Get some rest, spend time with your family. Clear your head from hockey and take your therapy step by step. When you step on the ice again, do it with that big smile you used to wear. Forget about bulking up, just enjoy yourself for a while.
 

Frank Drebin

He's just a child
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It's very rare to see a big hit defenseman on defenseman. I can't think of one offhand.

We all loved Emelin when he layed those hard borderline hits and didn't answer the bell, because he didn't have to.

Zadorov is a very valuable, unique player
 
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Habs Halifax

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the habs may have taken the small but fast approach to building out the team

but nhl has quickly moved to big strong and fast

smurf strategies dont work

We just have the wrong mix in our forward group. Keep a few of the smurf/soft styles and surround them with more Armia's types. The fans who think size don't matter anymore are fools. It's more about skating and when a big dude has above average skating, they are very tough to deal with for our smurfs.
 

sandviper

No Ragrets
Jan 26, 2016
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We just have the wrong mix in our forward group. Keep a few of the smurf/soft styles and surround them with more Armia's types. The fans who think size don't matter anymore are fools. It's more about skating and when a big dude has above average skating, they are very tough to deal with for our smurfs.

Well, like you said, big dudes with above average skating. In regards to forwards, those aren’t so easy to find it seems, at least for us. To add, on top of skating, for a top-9 power forward, actual skill also is a must.

I hate the guy but if we’re in contention come February, and the Rangers are out, a guy like Krieder may be worth a look.
 
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Habs Halifax

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Well, like you said, big dudes with above average skating. In regards to forwards, those aren’t so easy to find it seems, at least for us. To add, on top of skating, for a top-9 power forward, actual skill also is a must.

I hate the guy but if we’re in contention come February, and the Rangers are out, a guy like Krieder may be worth a look.

It's true, they are not easy to find but they are out there. I do think Kreider would be a good fit with what we need but he is from Boston and we have that Price injury issue from before. I doubt he considers Montreal with the options he will have.

Honestly, I think Poehling is the guy I would move to LW at some point. I know he wants to be a center and is a decent 200' center type and I would continue to have him play center in Laval but I can see him as our power forward LW option in a few years. A good fit for either Suzuki or Domi IMO where he can take faceoffs and be the reliable 200' guy on any line as a winger.

Ylonen has decent size and speed as well. 6'-1" and 172 Lbs at the moment and I can see him around 190 - 200 range. Doesn't have to be a physical beast but at least a big body that is hard to move off the puck and he does skate very well.

This is how I see a potential balanced roster... Domi and Poehling are the ones I have a hard time slotting in.

Poehling / Suzuki / Caufield
Drouin / Kotkaniemi / Armia
Domi / Danault / Gallagher
Lehkonen / Olofsson / Ylonen
 
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Simarino

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Oct 21, 2009
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We just have the wrong mix in our forward group. Keep a few of the smurf/soft styles and surround them with more Armia's types. The fans who think size don't matter anymore are fools. It's more about skating and when a big dude has above average skating, they are very tough to deal with for our smurfs.

For those who think that Bergevin did an amazing job because he won must of his trades, theres alot more to his job then winning trades and another part is building your team the right way . If the guy really thinks that its a good idea to have Cousins,Byron,Weal,Gallagher,Hudon,DomiPeca on the lineup, you should know by then that he doesn’t have a clue how to build a team that will perform when it gets tough in the last stretch of the season and in the playoff, get this guy out of there asap so we wont be stuck like the Leafs when our cup window open.
 

Habs Halifax

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For those who think that Bergevin did an amazing job because he won must of his trades, theres alot more to his job then winning trades and another part is building your team the right way . If the guy really thinks that its a good idea to have Cousins,Byron,Weal,Gallagher,Hudon,DomiPeca on the lineup, you should know by then that he doesn’t have a clue how to build a team that will perform when it gets tough in the last stretch of the season and in the playoff, get this guy out of there asap so we wont be stuck like the Leafs when our cup window open.

I don't believe anybody think's he has done an amazing job. More like talking about good and bad moves.
 

sandviper

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It's true, they are not easy to find but they are out there. I do think Kreider would be a good fit with what we need but he is from Boston and we have that Price injury issue from before. I doubt he considers Montreal with the options he will have.

Honestly, I think Poehling is the guy I would move to LW at some point. I know he wants to be a center and is a decent 200' center type and I would continue to have him play center in Laval but I can see him as our power forward LW option in a few years. A good fit for either Suzuki or Domi IMO where he can take faceoffs and be the reliable 200' guy on any line as a winger.

Ylonen has decent size and speed as well. 6'-1" and 172 Lbs at the moment and I can see him around 190 - 200 range. Doesn't have to be a physical beast but at least a big body that is hard to move off the puck and he does skate very well.

This is how I see a potential balanced roster... Domi and Poehling are the ones I have a hard time slotting in.

Poehling / Suzuki / Caufield
Drouin / Kotkaniemi / Armia
Domi / Danault / Gallagher
Lehkonen / Olofsson / Ylonen

To your first point, I didn't realize Krieder had a modified NTC. I suppose we won't be high on his list then, unless we're like a slam dunk to make a deep playoff run (I'm being facetious), he might bear with us for a couple months. I'm only being half serious here though.

I'd be fine with Poehling on wing as it addresses a need as well. That said, if he's better at center, he's probably best to stay there. He'd still be a big body on the line.

Ylonen is a skill based player. Not really a physical player at all, unless he develops into that. But, if he gets to 190 and with his strong skating, he'd be tough to get off the puck.

All your proposed lines look good to me, but ideally, if we had drafted/traded/UFA at least one high-end true top-6 power forward, that would be my preference. Armia sort of fits this build, but imagine if we had McCarron's size and grit with Armia's skill?

Just to get back to Kotkaniemi. He's also a big body and when he fills out and develops his "man" strength, he'll be a nightmare to handle also. However, still not really a power forward though. Hopefully we can find/draft a quality one in the next couple years.
 

salbutera

Registered User
Sep 10, 2019
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KK wasn't rushed, nearly everyone expected Finland last year before camp but wanted him up after camp. He was an effective NHL player last year.

If you can play, and contribute positively to the team then you belong in the NHL.
would add:

Look how this team is scrambling to find a legit 3C during KKs absence, there’s a gaping hole and no depth at present. KKs presence is missed, even with all his struggles this season...
 

Ozmodiar

Registered User
Oct 18, 2017
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KK wasn't rushed, nearly everyone expected Finland last year before camp but wanted him up after camp. He was an effective NHL player last year.

If you can play, and contribute positively to the team then you belong in the NHL.


No, he was rushed. They could have got thirty something points from a cheap veteran player. He didn’t contribute down the stretch. Wasn’t ready to do so.

Still isn’t ready. Not strong on his skates, as we saw when Zadorov manhandled the kid.

he was drafted as a long term project, but added to roster was he wasn’t ready. Still has lots of developing to do. If he doesn’t, then it was the wrong pick because he isn’t good enough now.
 

Tighthead

Registered User
Nov 9, 2016
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would add:

Look how this team is scrambling to find a legit 3C during KKs absence, there’s a gaping hole and no depth at present. KKs presence is missed, even with all his struggles this season...

And MB locked down Thompson and Weal at first opportunity, abandoning the possibility that he could acquire better centre depth in the summer.
 

Michoulicious

Registered User
Dec 9, 2014
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It's true, they are not easy to find but they are out there. I do think Kreider would be a good fit with what we need but he is from Boston and we have that Price injury issue from before. I doubt he considers Montreal with the options he will have.

Honestly, I think Poehling is the guy I would move to LW at some point. I know he wants to be a center and is a decent 200' center type and I would continue to have him play center in Laval but I can see him as our power forward LW option in a few years. A good fit for either Suzuki or Domi IMO where he can take faceoffs and be the reliable 200' guy on any line as a winger.

Ylonen has decent size and speed as well. 6'-1" and 172 Lbs at the moment and I can see him around 190 - 200 range. Doesn't have to be a physical beast but at least a big body that is hard to move off the puck and he does skate very well.

This is how I see a potential balanced roster... Domi and Poehling are the ones I have a hard time slotting in.

Poehling / Suzuki / Caufield
Drouin / Kotkaniemi / Armia
Domi / Danault / Gallagher
Lehkonen / Olofsson / Ylonen

A guy like Ylonen has no business on a 4th line. It's top 9 or no NHL in his case... Same can be said of Caufield for obvious reasons. Armia will probably be gone by the time Ylonen makes the team... if he makes it. If very surprisingly he makes the team next year, it will mean that Caufield is in the A or back at Wisconsin. If the team feels that Gallagher/Caufield/Ylonen are their top 9 RW, a smart move would be to package Armia as soon as possible to get an update at LHD... But I don't see that happening. If they keep the 4 and Caufield/Ylonen are really NHL material as soon as next year, having a guy like Armia on a 4th line would be a luxury depth only championship worthy teams have.
 

Habs Halifax

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A guy like Ylonen has no business on a 4th line. It's top 9 or no NHL in his case... Same can be said of Caufield for obvious reasons. Armia will probably be gone by the time Ylonen makes the team... if he makes it. If very surprisingly he makes the team next year, it will mean that Caufield is in the A or back at Wisconsin. If the team feels that Gallagher/Caufield/Ylonen are their top 9 RW, a smart move would be to package Armia as soon as possible to get an update at LHD... But I don't see that happening. If they keep the 4 and Caufield/Ylonen are really NHL material as soon as next year, having a guy like Armia on a 4th line would be a luxury depth only championship worthy teams have.

4th line does not have to be all plugs. If Ylonen is a NHL talent and the guys above him are better, I have no issues with him on the 4th line. NONE, ZERO. Armia gone when Ylonen makes the team? It's possible but Armia is 26 today buddy, not 33.

The roster I showed you was not for next year. It was a future roster and I expect more growing pains in the short term. My eyes are on the long game, not short game. The overall point was where do Poehling and Domi fit. Of course things can and will change but projections on who we can potentially be (with different options at play) is something that management should be doing
 

Burke the Legend

Registered User
Feb 22, 2012
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Sad to say but that injury might be a blessing in disguise for him. Get some rest, spend time with your family. Clear your head from hockey and take your therapy step by step. When you step on the ice again, do it with that big smile you used to wear. Forget about bulking up, just enjoy yourself for a while.

They also have cover to send him down to Laval after for "conditioning" without it looking like a punishing demotion.
 

Habs Halifax

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Jul 11, 2016
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And MB locked down Thompson and Weal at first opportunity, abandoning the possibility that he could acquire better centre depth in the summer.

So what? Do you really think $400k of cap space with Thompson and Weal in the AHL would be a major problem? "Bergevin Abandoned" the possibility of looking at other options is 100% BS cause you will stop at nothing to turn everything into a negative cause you don't like the GM.

You can't really believe this do you?
 
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