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News from Around the AHL/NHL/KHL 2020-21 Pt. III

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PK Cronin

PK Cronin

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EpiphoneStrat said:
can't feel bad for him, he turned down a generous Islander contract when the team was making strides in the right direction because he thought he could get more money on the open market, than when the Islanders pulled their offer he went to a Red Wings team who was on the downside for less money cuz that was probably the best offer on the table, I do wonder what the team would look like and who they wouldn't have re-signed if he did re-sign
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I'm pretty sure he said he wanted to re-sign but as it got closer and he didn't have a deal he decided he wanted to try something different. I don't recall money being the sticking point on either side. He made a mistake leaving, but I'm glad he left. He was part of the group that couldn't get it done and while he was a great regular season center, he wasn't good in the playoffs and disappeared when the physicality picked up.
 
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Sparksrus3

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Quickdraw2828 said:
Nobody said Greiss wanted to leave. He clearly loved it here.
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and we loved him here too. The story about him and his wife sharing at the beginning of Covid was the best ever.

“ Please don’t go to sleep hungry or worry about doing without. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed just send me a private message. We may not have it but will share whatever supplies we have “ ....All time great in my opinion .. Of all the years to FINALLY have a Russian come to play for us made it impossible for us to keep him .. LGI
 
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BrockLobster

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Quickdraw2828 said:
Poor Thomas Greiss. 1-10-3. I don’t know why he signed with the Red Wings, he could have gone elsewhere.

and speaking of the Red Wings, I would guess few players have been in the league as long as Frans Nielsen with less playoff action. He toiled on a team that couldn’t make they playoffs and right before that team got hot he jumps to a team that was a regular playoff team that went down the toilet after he arrived. It’s hard to come up with a business plan that bad.
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He needed a job.
 

Seph

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PK Cronin said:
I'm pretty sure he said he wanted to re-sign but as it got closer and he didn't have a deal he decided he wanted to try something different. I don't recall money being the sticking point on either side. He made a mistake leaving, but I'm glad he left. He was part of the group that couldn't get it done and while he was a great regular season center, he wasn't good in the playoffs and disappeared when the physicality picked up.
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That's the story I recall being reported as well. Snow was trying to keep open space to make a play for Stamkos. and Nielsen seemed to be a little miffed that Snow hadn't offered him an extension sooner, probably especially after the team discount deals he'd taken before that.

One small nitpick, but I don't think his playoffs issues were as much about the physicality picking up, as he was still a good defensive center in the playoffs. I think it had more to do with the refs' tendency to swallow the whistle that caused his offense to slow down in the playoffs. He was never a very good offensive player in traffic, and even in the regular season most of his offense came from the powerplay where he had more space playing the point.
 
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Quickdraw2828

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Seph said:
That's the story I recall being reported as well. Snow was trying to keep open space to make a play for Stamkos. and Nielsen seemed to be a little miffed that Snow hadn't offered him an extension sooner, probably especially after the team discount deals he'd taken before that.

One small nitpick, but I don't think his playoffs issues were as much about the physicality picking up, as he was still a good defensive center in the playoffs. I think it had more to do with the refs' tendency to swallow the whistle that caused his offense to slow down in the playoffs. He was never a very good offensive player in traffic, and even in the regular season most of his offense came from the powerplay where he had more space playing the point.
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Wasn't he among the leaders in shoot out goals for a while? I seem to remember him going cold before he left.
 
danteipp

danteipp

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It looks like the Islanders broke the Bruins, lol. Their defensive zone coverage has been atrocious. They appear to be either out of position or all bunched up and far too close together, giving up wide passing lanes.
 
TMI

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danteipp said:
It looks like the Islanders broke the Bruins, lol. Their defensive zone coverage has been atrocious. They appear to be either out of position or all bunched up and far too close together, giving up wide passing lanes.
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When 4 (that's FOUR!!!) of your regular d-men are out, yeah, you're gonna struggle with defensive coverage... Not taking anything away from the outburst last night, but this isn't the Brewins regular lineup.. The good news is, we took advantage. In games earlier in the year against depleted teams, we weren't getting it done.
 
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Seph

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Quickdraw2828 said:
Wasn't he among the leaders in shoot out goals for a while? I seem to remember him going cold before he left.
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Yep, good memory. He only had one move on the shootout, but it was pretty slick and very effective. Skate in, show a 5hole shot on the forehand, and then if the goalie bites, deke to the backhand and roof it. Or if the goalie doesn't bite, just go ahead and shoot 5hole. Over the 5 seasons from 2009-10 through 2013-14 he was at about 55% and had the most S/O goals in the league over that span, but then in the 2014-15 and 2015-16, his last two seasons here, his SO% dropped down to the low 40s. Seems goalies eventually figured out his move, though 40% is still very good.

Fun fact, Nielsen is still 2nd in all time shootout goals scored.
 
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danteipp

danteipp

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TMI said:
When 4 (that's FOUR!!!) of your regular d-men are out, yeah, you're gonna struggle with defensive coverage... Not taking anything away from the outburst last night, but this isn't the Brewins regular lineup.. The good news is, we took advantage. In games earlier in the year against depleted teams, we weren't getting it done.
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Miller and Lauzon were out, but Grzelcyk (while off to a solid start) has only played in 6 games so far this season. They still had McAvoy, Carlo, Zboril and Moore (a seasoned vet who has played a lot of games for them over the last few years), on the ice.

Heck, even Connor Clifton has played in 10 games this season and 31 last year - although he has seriously regressed since a solid rookie season, two years ago. Outside of Vaakanainen, whio they didn't appear to shelter enough (he played almost 20 minutes, including 18 at even strength), they should all know the system and their responsibilities.

What I saw tonight, at least as little as I could watch, went far beyond just injuries. The Bruins forwards were atrocious, either overskating players, losing board battles with little effort in some cases or being caught out of position and not defending their lanes.

Meanwhile, the Rags were also missing Panarin and Kaako on offense and Zibs was a zero again. It is not like the Bruins got beat by a star-studded offense, outside of Kreider, Strome and Fox (who all had big games), it was scabs like Di Guisseppe, Blackwell, Brendan Smith and Rooney working them over.

The Rags also out hit the Bruins and the Bruins turned the puck over 11 times to four for the Rags, which is pretty crazy. But, if the Bruins want to pack in the season, all the better for the Isles. But there is definitely something rotten with the team right now.
 
LeapOnOver

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Seph said:
That's the story I recall being reported as well. Snow was trying to keep open space to make a play for Stamkos. and Nielsen seemed to be a little miffed that Snow hadn't offered him an extension sooner, probably especially after the team discount deals he'd taken before that.

One small nitpick, but I don't think his playoffs issues were as much about the physicality picking up, as he was still a good defensive center in the playoffs. I think it had more to do with the refs' tendency to swallow the whistle that caused his offense to slow down in the playoffs. He was never a very good offensive player in traffic, and even in the regular season most of his offense came from the powerplay where he had more space playing the point.
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Actually it's interesting because they did the same exact thing with Lee, chasing Panarin, yet Lee signed and said it was never in doubt. Gives me more respect for Lee. Nielsen was my favorite islander for most of his tenure with the Islanders, but you can see the commitment from Lee moreso comparing these scenarios.
 
PK Cronin

PK Cronin

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Quickdraw2828 said:
Wasn't he among the leaders in shoot out goals for a while? I seem to remember him going cold before he left.
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Nielsen is one of the best shootout performers in NHL history. Top 3 I think, and at some points in his career he was #1 percentage wise. The amazing thing is that he'd do the same move every time and either backhand it or shoot it five hole. Other shootout guys, like Oshie, have a million moves they use so it's bizarre Nielsen was able to get away with just one.
 
BrockLobster

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PK Cronin said:
Nielsen is one of the best shootout performers in NHL history. Top 3 I think, and at some points in his career he was #1 percentage wise. The amazing thing is that he'd do the same move every time and either backhand it or shoot it five hole. Other shootout guys, like Oshie, have a million moves they use so it's bizarre Nielsen was able to get away with just one.
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The danish backhand of death
 
Throttle

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Seph said:
Yep, good memory. He only had one move on the shootout, but it was pretty slick and very effective. Skate in, show a 5hole shot on the forehand, and then if the goalie bites, deke to the backhand and roof it. Or if the goalie doesn't bite, just go ahead and shoot 5hole. Over the 5 seasons from 2009-10 through 2013-14 he was at about 55% and had the most S/O goals in the league over that span, but then in the 2014-15 and 2015-16, his last two seasons here, his SO% dropped down to the low 40s. Seems goalies eventually figured out his move, though 40% is still very good.

Fun fact, Nielsen is still 2nd in all time shootout goals scored.
Click to expand...
This is great and all, but as you mentioned earlier, it became a detriment in the playoffs when the shootout does not apply.

Getting points in that manner is good, but it can catch up to you for not ever winning the game in regular or OT time. I think that’s what happened one year, the Isles had a lot of points in SHO and once they needed to win in regulation, they couldn’t.

In part, Snow was holding space for Stamkos, don’t think he has any real interest in Okposo, and Nielsen was a safety blanket, but preferred to move on for the reason above. Ladd had demonstrated he was a winner and captain, flawed yes, but the Isles at that time needed those qualities. Never worked out for anyone as a UFA that season.
 
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