Player Discussion Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Part VIII) - Pretty Mintniemi Edition

[Lafleurs Guy]

Domi thread..?

Dammit. I thought this was the KK thread...

I'll move the posts (again)

 

[Miller Time]

Weal

Weal is ok, better than Thompson and good on faceoffs.

Roll these lines and be super dangerous:

Lehkonen-Danault-Gallagher
Drouin-Domi-Shaw
Tatar-Kotkaniemi-Weal
Byron-Thompson (Poehling eventually)-Armia

Weal can take draws in the defensive zone if KK is having a bad game in the dot

Weal isn't a top 9 player on a decent playoff team.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Weal
Weal isn't a top 9 player on a decent playoff team.

We could take switch him up if he cools off. We could switch Weal and Armia, and just put Weal or Thompson out there with KK for defensive zone faceoffs, if the score is close.

Weal is still better than Deslauriers, Peca, Hudon or Weise, so he can play in the top 12 along with Thompson until Poehling, Evans and/or Suzuki are ready.

 

[Habs10Habs]

Ive seen Byron, like two feet away from me, he's not 160 pound and he's 100% not 5'9. I'm 6' and I was towering over him, like a full head, and no, my head isn't that big. It's clearly propped up. He has the smallest legs Ive ever seen, like tooth pick small. Could've broke his leg like a hockey stick.

Have you read the majority of your posts?

I've met Byron a few times. I'm between 5'7-5'8 and Byron is a little taller than I am. I"m about 175-180lbs. I easily have 20lbs on him.

 

[montreal]

Perhaps, because the kid is 18 and not played this many games before.

that's incorrect, he played more games last year then he has this year.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi at eliteprospects.com

 

[Mrb1p]

Have you read the majority of your posts?

I've met Byron a few times. I'm between 5'7-5'8 and Byron is a little taller than I am. I"m about 175-180lbs. I easily have 20lbs on him.

Wow manlet alert

 

[Habs10Habs]

I have no issues with CJ having him sit for a game or two. Sometimes it's good for a young player to step back and watch the game from the press box. Having him play LW on the 4th line is puzzling to me though.

 

[Miller Time]

We could take switch him up if he cools off. We could switch Weal and Armia, and just put Weal or Thompson out there with KK for defensive zone faceoffs, if the score is close.

Weal is still better than Deslauriers, Peca, Hudon or Weise, so he can play in the top 12 along with Thompson until Poehling, Evans and/or Suzuki are ready.

27 years old. .30ppg for his career. 5'10", 179 pounds...

Drouin, Byron, Gallagher, Lehkonen, Tatar, Domi, Shaw... all under 6' & 200pds

JKO & Danault also >200pds

that's 9 of 12 forwards that are cut from a similarly diminutive physical mould.

then we've got Peca on contract... also diminutive, and Hudon, Evans and Suzuki... also smallish.

Weale isn't good enough to justify the redundancy of what type of player he is given the roster MB has assembled... he's played well in his brief stint with us, but given our roster make-up, it would be more of the same roster ineptness & mediocrity to pencil him into the top 9 or 12 next year unless there are other moves made to improve the forward group or he's signed to a 1 year deal, gets solid usage and is used as trade bait in season approaching the deadline.

 

[habsfan891]

I'm glad to see rational people in this thread, the MB fanboys in the Tampa pre game thread trying to justify Weal as a better player than Kotka and that he deserved to play over him were nauseating

 

[Habby4Life]

that's incorrect, he played more games last year then he has this year.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi at eliteprospects.com

Playing twenty games in early August and 57 games in the finish league is not comparable to the grind of an NHL season.

This whole ruined thing is just more made up drama and is total BS. So is saying he’s afraid to make a mistake (confidence). The reality is he is 18 and it is expected that he face adversity and will struggle at times.

This is nothing like the Galchenyuk situation. The kid showed more hockey IQ in first 10 games than 27 ever did.

So far they have done a good job managing KK.

 

[1909]

Some folks on this board have a tendency to forget that KK is the YOUNGEST player in the whole NHL this season... And even with his talent, he is NOT McDavid or Matthews caliber.

 

[Mrb1p]

Playing twenty games in early August and 57 games in the finish league is not comparable to the grind of an NHL season.

This whole ruined thing is just more made up drama and is total BS. So is saying he’s afraid to make a mistake (confidence). The reality is he is 18 and it is expected that he face adversity and will struggle at times.

This is nothing like the Galchenyuk situation. The kid showed more hockey IQ in first 10 games than 27 ever did.

So far they have done a good job managing KK.

Revisionist history. Galchenyuk had similar praise coming out of his firsy season.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Some folks on this board have a tendency to forget that KK is the YOUNGEST player in the whole NHL this season... And even with his talent, he is NOT McDavid or Matthews caliber.

It's a big deal going on right now... our Bargin bin deal in Weal is getting more ice time than our promise Eagle boy. This is huge news to some and means Julien doesn't know what he is doing.

 

[Mrb1p]

Some folks on this board have a tendency to forget that KK is the YOUNGEST player in the whole NHL this season... And even with his talent, he is NOT McDavid or Matthews caliber.

Even if he was, hed be benched or on the wing, so it doesnt matter.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Revisionist history. Galchenyuk had similar praise coming out of his firsy season.

Different type of hype between Kotkaniemi and Galchenyuk. Both had very good 1st seasons but Kotkaniemi clearly knows how to play center where Galchenyuk was a one dimensional offensive type.

Kotkaniemi's issue is lack of physical strength and his edge work needs to improve IMO. He needs to add a dimension to his game where he can hold on to the puck a little bit longer and once he fills in and gets stronger, I'm sure he will be able to. Right now, he is forcing passes cause he knows he will be contained or neutralized quickly.

Less time and space can change a players game.

 

[Mrb1p]

Different type of hype between Kotkaniemi and Galchenyuk. Both had very good 1st seasons but Kotkaniemi clearly knows how to play center where Galchenyuk was a one dimensional offensive type.

Kotkaniemi's issue is lack of physical strength and his edge work needs to improve IMO. He needs to add a dimension to his game where he can hold on to the puck a little bit longer and once he fills in and gets stronger, I'm sure he will be able to. Right now, he is forcing passes cause he knows he will be contained or neutralized quickly.

Less time and space can change a players game.

Again, thats revisionist history. Galchenyuk was thought of as a future two way 1C. The defensive concerns arose in his third year when he couldnt win a faceoff (who knows why, right) and lost his coverage once moved to the wing.

 

[pepperMonkey]

Weal


Weal isn't a top 9 player on a decent playoff team.

Yet Lehkonen and Danault are first liners on a regular team let alone a playoff team? We have larger problems than Weal on the 3rd line...

 

[Habby4Life]

Again, thats revisionist history. Galchenyuk was thought of as a future two way 1C. The defensive concerns arose in his third year when he couldnt win a faceoff (who knows why, right) and lost his coverage once moved to the wing.

Who cares if it revisionist or not, it doesn’t matter one bit. The fact is there is no evidence or reasoning to jump to or make the conclusion they are mismanaging him or as others have stated “ruining” him.

It is bs and more manufactured drama. Everyone was pretty happy with how the team was handling, they sit him for two games and now he is mismanaged or ruined. Quite laughable and sadly expected.

 

[Mrb1p]

Who cares if it revisionist or not, it doesn’t matter one bit. The fact is there is no evidence or reasoning to jump to or make the conclusion they are mismanaging him or as others have stated “ruining” him.

It is bs and more manufactured drama. Everyone was pretty happy with how the team was handling, they sit him for two games and now he is mismanaged or ruined. Quite laughable and sadly expected.

They sat him for four games so far and hes been playing 10 minutes a night for the past two months. Its not good management at all.

 

[Habby4Life]

They sat him for four games so far and hes been playing 10 minutes a night for the past two months. Its not good management at all.

Well, simply not correct. He has sat for three games and in the last two months his average ice time is close to 13 minutes a night.

Like I said, total bs. The kid isn’t being mismanaged. CJ has done a good job so far. KK is 18, he will struggle at times and the team has done well to support him.

 

[26Mats]

Well, simply not correct. He has sat for three games and in the last two months his average ice time is close to 13 minutes a night.

Like I said, total bs. The kid isn’t being mismanaged. CJ has done a good job so far. KK is 18, he will struggle at times and the team has done well to support him.

I like that KK is being tried on the wing. It happens to most super star centers when they're young - better to get him in the lineup than have him in the press box, even if you don't think he's ready to handle the 200 foot game.

Playing wing is much easier and much less demanding.

 

[Mrb1p]

Well, simply not correct. He has sat for three games and in the last two months his average ice time is close to 13 minutes a night.

Like I said, total bs. The kid isn’t being mismanaged. CJ has done a good job so far. KK is 18, he will struggle at times and the team has done well to support him.

Who cares if hes 18. Being 18 doesnt stop Svechninov or Dahlin from being used as if they were impact players. The team is not willing to commit to developping him, or any other prospects.

 

[Habby4Life]

I like that KK is being tried on the wing. It happens to most super star centers when they're young - better to get him in the lineup than have him in the press box, even if you don't think he's ready to handle the 200 foot game.

Playing wing is much easier and much less demanding.

I agree, they let him watch a couple because they thought he was tired and now they are going to play him on the wing to get him back in the lineup. It’s not a bad move, playing him on wing instead Dlo or Weiss is a good thing and is a little less demanding.

It’s a safe bet he will be back at center very soon.

 

[teamfirst]

Even if he was, hed be benched or on the wing, so it doesnt matter.

Dont think so

 

[Habby4Life]

Who cares if hes 18. Being 18 doesnt stop Svechninov or Dahlin from being used as if they were impact players. The team is not willing to commit to developping him, or any other prospects.

Again incorrect, they committed to developing him by keeping him with the team and playing him in almost all of the games. Simply not true.