Player Discussion Kevin Fiala

[Wabit]

You guys keep making the mistake of thinking anyone else besides us cares as much about handedness. Dumba and Spurgeon will get spots because they are our two best offensive defensemen. Kunin will certainly not be handed a spot just because of how he holds his stick.

And you’re insane if you don’t think Fiala is at least penciled into a powerplay spot over Greenway, Rask, Zucker, Donato and Kunin. He’s led our team in PP TOI/g since joining, tied with Suter.

Yet Coyle was handed a spot for years for that very reason...

I have Kunin and Zucker over him easily. I'd also put Hunt and Donato over him. Greenway is a coin toss.

Fiala (6g/18a) has 1 more PP point than Brodin (6g/17a) in ~60 less minutes of career PP ToI.

 

[2Pair]

can we take suter off the PP yet? thatll make room for him.

It's way too early into the offseason to be starting with this stupid shit.

 

[2Pair]

You guys keep making the mistake of thinking anyone else besides us cares as much about handedness. Dumba and Spurgeon will get spots because they are our two best offensive defensemen. Kunin will certainly not be handed a spot just because of how he holds his stick.

And you’re insane if you don’t think Fiala is at least penciled into a powerplay spot over Greenway, Rask, Zucker, Donato and Kunin. He’s led our team in PP TOI/g since joining, tied with Suter.

"Handedness" is pretty much the 1st thing that is considered when puting together a PP

 

[DeagleJenkins]

It's way too early into the offseason to be starting with this stupid ****.

until it happens, itll never end

 

[2Pair]

until it happens, itll never end

Ya never know, there's always a chance that you figure it out. eventually

 

[AKL]

"Handedness" is pretty much the 1st thing that is considered when puting together a PP

I would think “skill” and “ability to score” are probably higher, but maybe that’s why I’m not an NHL coach.

Weren’t there times last season where we ran a PP unit with 5 lefties?

 

[Wabit]

I would think “skill” and “ability to score” are probably higher, but maybe that’s why I’m not an NHL coach.

Weren’t there times last season where we ran a PP unit with 5 lefties?

Yes and it was ugly.

 

[DeagleJenkins]

Ya never know, there's always a chance that you figure it out. eventually

theres nothing suter does on the pp that makes me want him to stay there. nothing to figure out, different opinions. maybe you need to figure it out? who knows.

 

[2Pair]

theres nothing suter does on the pp that makes me want him to stay there. nothing to figure out, different opinions. maybe you need to figure it out? who knows.

Lots of people know. Maybe someday you will too.

 

[DeagleJenkins]

Lots of people know. Maybe someday you will too.

yeah i know what he brings to the pp. i dont see it as a need on the pp. glad everyone knows. doesnt change my want of him off it.

 

[2Pair]

yeah i know what he brings to the pp. i dont see it as a need on the pp. glad everyone knows. doesnt change my want of him off it.

You clearly don't. If you did, you wouldn't continue on with the nonsense of wanting him off of the PP.

 

[DeagleJenkins]

You clearly don't. If you did, you wouldn't continue on with the nonsense of wanting him off of the PP.

yeah i actually recall the convo i had in the suter section. i remember what was said about suter and as "magical" as him holding the line can be, he also makes some interesting fumbles on the blue line but those dont matter right? what about his turnovers on the pp on the blueline because he cant handle the puck? we see the game differently 2pair, thats fine. i wont ever be on your side of wanting suter on the pp.

 

[2Pair]

yeah i actually recall the convo i had in the suter section. i remember what was said about suter and as "magical" as him holding the line can be, he also makes some interesting fumbles on the blue line but those dont matter right? what about his turnovers on the pp on the blueline because he cant handle the puck? we see the game differently 2pair, thats fine. i wont ever be on your side of wanting suter on the pp.

Let's just end this ridiculousness quickly. Who plays in his spot?

 

[DeagleJenkins]

Let's just end this ridiculousness quickly. Who plays in his spot?

Depends who they have on the team this next year as i see moves happening but id put spurgeon in his spot on the pp1 with dumba and donato on the half boards, koivu or staal in front of the net and fiala in the corner.

pp2 then has kunin and parise on the halfwall, greenway in front of the net staal/zucker/ek/rask in the corner and qb.

if 5 forwards bugs you completely, dumba and spurgeon are QB on both pp, pp1 koivu/staal in front of the net, kunin and donato half wall with dumba on top and fiala in the corner.

pp2 spurgeon on the top and fill whichever lefthanded forward you want where. preferably staal in front of the net with parise in the corner.

 

[AKL]

Dumba isn’t a QB, he’s a triggerman. Suter is a better option at QB than Dumba. No forward currently on the roster is a better QB than Suter. Spurgeon could be that guy on PP2, but you can’t just put any guy there on PP1 and call it good. Staal, Ek, Rask? You’re off your rocker.

I’m not always a fan of the way Suter slows the PP down and douses any creativity with the way he moves the puck, but as it stands there is no one better at running the point on our PP.

 

[2Pair]

Depends who they have on the team this next year as i see moves happening but id put spurgeon in his spot on the pp1 with dumba and donato on the half boards, koivu or staal in front of the net and fiala in the corner.

pp2 then has kunin and parise on the halfwall, greenway in front of the net staal/zucker/ek/rask in the corner and qb.

if 5 forwards bugs you completely, dumba and spurgeon are QB on both pp, pp1 koivu/staal in front of the net, kunin and donato half wall with dumba on top and fiala in the corner.

pp2 spurgeon on the top and fill whichever lefthanded forward you want where. preferably staal in front of the net with parise in the corner.

This is so bad that it really isn't worth a response. HOLY SHIT

Sorry had to edit- Did you really suggest that one of Zucker, Ek, or Rask should QB the 2nd unit?

 

[DeagleJenkins]

Dumba isn’t a QB, he’s a triggerman. Suter is a better option at QB than Dumba. No forward currently on the roster is a better QB than Suter. Spurgeon could be that guy on PP2, but you can’t just put any guy there on PP1 and call it good. Staal, Ek, Rask? You’re off your rocker.

I’m not always a fan of the way Suter slows the PP down and douses any creativity with the way he moves the puck, but as it stands there is no one better at running the point on our PP.

you do realize we can qb the pp from the corner instead of the blueline? can we not pull a washington and have the puck in the corner being dished out more so than the blueline?

This is so bad that it really isn't worth a response. HOLY ****

Sorry had to edit- Did you really suggest that one of Zucker, Ek, or Rask should QB the 2nd unit?

considering i swapped spurgeon for suter on the pp1 with basically the same crew we have been using i must be f***ing crazy!

 

[2Pair]

you do realize we can qb the pp from the corner instead of the blueline? can we not pull a washington and have the puck in the corner being dished out more so than the blueline?

considering i swapped spurgeon for suter on the pp1 with basically the same crew we have been using i must be ****ing crazy!

How many PP units does a team have?

You don't even know what a PP QB is? Might be time to cut your losses?

 

[AKL]

you do realize we can qb the pp from the corner instead of the blueline? can we not pull a washington and have the puck in the corner being dished out more so than the blueline?

I think you’re trying to describe kind of what Granlund was doing when he was here. Which isn’t really QBing. You can do that (although we don’t really have anyone who can distribute well enough anymore) and still need a guy at the point. There is no one on the roster better in that point spot than Suter, and trying to put Dumba there takes him out of the “Ovechkin spot” where he’s far and away the most effective.

You still aren’t convincing anyone that Suter shouldn’t be on the point on the PP, semantics about “QBing” aside.

 

[Bazeek]

The fact that Suter ends up with the puck so often on the powerplay is more of an indictment of the other 4 guys on the ice than it is of Suter.

 

[AKL]

The fact that Suter ends up with the puck so often on the powerplay is more of an indictment of the other 4 guys on the ice than it is of Suter.

Could also be an indictment of the coaching staff and the PP strategy

 

[Bazeek]

Could also be an indictment of the coaching staff and the PP strategy

Probably some of that too, though I don't have enough of a head for the X's and O's stuff to really critique it. What I see too often with the first unit is:

1.) Suter passes up to (formerly) Granlund
2.) Granlund holds onto it while everyone sort of stares at each other, then either
3a.) forces a pass to one of the 3 fully-covered, nearly-stationary guys up front and loses possession, or
3b.) sends it back to Suter

I don't know if it's the coaches or the players, but it's like Step 3 was always "Granlund does something," and when that didn't work no one knew wtf to do. Suter obviously needs to be a credible shooting threat (which I think he does a better job of than he's generally given credit for), but his main role seems to be the reset button and safety net. And our powerplay strategy seems to be to keep hitting reset until the other team gets bored and screws up.

 

[chchelseII]

Perhaps Suter's lack of quick puck distribution on the PP is a result of having no one to pass to. Put yourself in Suters place. Who are you going to pass it to, with confidence, that they're going to score. You put Ovechkin on the Wild power play and Suter' PP assist total would double. In short, we have no scorers.

 

[BlackBusa24]

16 goals, 45 points, -15. If he beats all 3 of those numbers, it'll be a successful year.

Considering what we gave up that would be terrible

 

[DeagleJenkins]

I think you’re trying to describe kind of what Granlund was doing when he was here. Which isn’t really QBing. You can do that (although we don’t really have anyone who can distribute well enough anymore) and still need a guy at the point. There is no one on the roster better in that point spot than Suter, and trying to put Dumba there takes him out of the “Ovechkin spot” where he’s far and away the most effective.

You still aren’t convincing anyone that Suter shouldn’t be on the point on the PP, semantics about “QBing” aside.

i was putting spurgeon in his spot actually, dumba there was an alternate for people not wanting a pp2 of 5 forwards.