Observations XXIV

[Porter Stoutheart]

No one said anything about pinning much hope on him, but if Poile had any intentions of him being in Milwaukee he wouldn't have given him a 1 way contract. I don't think Milwaukee has a thing to do with it. He is looking for more scoring so he's giving him a chance.

I think it's all about competition. He's bringing in more guys than he needs, and if you don't make it he will be looking to trade or waive someone.

I suspect Poile saw exactly what we did and he is not going to put up with another season of half ass effort.

I think if he hadn't given him a 1 way contract then he simply wouldn't have been able to sign him. That's the way you get the AHL MVP. And sure, it's for competition, but I'm sure Poile also accepts that it's entirely possible Carr can't make the team and ends up in Milwaukee.

But unfortunately shaking things up amongst our 12th/13th forwards and 7th/8th defensemen isn't going to have any effect on the half ass issue.

 

[hockey diva]

All this speculation about player deployment hinges on the coaching staff adjusting their strategy and tactics. If no adjustments are made there, we will be watching the same lousy play as last season.

 

[101st_fan]

All this speculation about player deployment hinges on the coaching staff adjusting their strategy and tactics. If no adjustments are made there, we will be watching the same lousy play as last season.

Or we get the play of the two seasons before that where the team had the same core of players and coaching staff. The singular issue that kept the team from having one of its best scoring seasons in franchise history was the PP.

 

[Armourboy]

I think if he hadn't given him a 1 way contract then he simply wouldn't have been able to sign him. That's the way you get the AHL MVP. And sure, it's for competition, but I'm sure Poile also accepts that it's entirely possible Carr can't make the team and ends up in Milwaukee.

But unfortunately shaking things up amongst our 12th/13th forwards and 7th/8th defensemen isn't going to have any effect on the half ass issue.

I think it's for more than that. I would not be shocked to see Poile bring in a couple of other guys as well. I think Poile would move anyone not named Duchene, Forsberg, Arvidsson, and Johansen if he found the right guys on the forward core.

I think last season disgusted Poile after having been talked into leaving things alone.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I think it's for more than that. I would not be shocked to see Poile bring in a couple of other guys as well. I think Poile would move anyone not named Duchene, Forsberg, Arvidsson, and Johansen if he found the right guys on the forward core.

I think last season disgusted Poile after having been talked into leaving things alone.

Of course none of us really knows. But to me, if Poile was really all that disgusted he has a lot more power to express it than he did. More than just signing a AAAA tweener to a $700k contract. He could have traded some players, kicked a clubhouse bro like Jarnkrok to the curb. Heck, he could have wielded a big axe on the coaching staff too.

So naw, he's just as complacent as the rest of them, I'd say. He's not mad and he's not disgusted. And I'm not saying that necessarily in a bad way either. He just fundamentally does believe in those players and coaches. Why shouldn't he? He acquired and hired them, after all. It's his creation. And he's showing every sign of standing by them and sticking it out. I don't even think he's wrong to do that. They ARE good players. Lavy IS a good coach. He can still prove himself right, and he's all in for doing that. Signing a minor league journeyman has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on any of that. He signed Blackwell and Brickley last year too and it didn't mean anything in particular - all teams add some minor league assets this time of year.

 

[Armourboy]

Of course none of us really knows. But to me, if Poile was really all that disgusted he has a lot more power to express it than he did. More than just signing a AAAA tweener to a $700k contract. He could have traded some players, kicked a clubhouse bro like Jarnkrok to the curb. Heck, he could have wielded a big axe on the coaching staff too.

So naw, he's just as complacent as the rest of them, I'd say. He's not mad and he's not disgusted. And I'm not saying that necessarily in a bad way either. He just fundamentally does believe in those players and coaches. Why shouldn't he? He acquired and hired them, after all. It's his creation. And he's showing every sign of standing by them and sticking it out. I don't even think he's wrong to do that. They ARE good players. Lavy IS a good coach. He can still prove himself right, and he's all in for doing that. Signing a minor league journeyman has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on any of that. He signed Blackwell and Brickley last year too and it didn't mean anything in particular - all teams add some minor league assets this time of year.

It's still early, lots of time between now and the start of the season.

 

[Legionnaire11]

All he's done is sign Carr?

So Subban is still here and we didn't sign Duchene or add a new PP assistant?

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

All he's done is sign Carr?

So Subban is still here and we didn't sign Duchene or add a new PP assistant?

He did stuff. But it didn't touch our "Lazy Core" at all. He is still loyal to the core and the coach, bottom line. He traded one of the few guys who did show up in the playoffs. (And again I don't say that's necessarily wrong). I don't think he's mad or disgusted. He's just working things his way, the way he sees them. And he doesn't see problems with the core. He's not making moves out of disgruntlement with his core guys.

 

[PredsHead]

He did stuff. But it didn't touch our "Lazy Core" at all. He is still loyal to the core and the coach, bottom line. He traded one of the few guys who did show up in the playoffs. (And again I don't say that's necessarily wrong). I don't think he's mad or disgusted. He's just working things his way, the way he sees them. And he doesn't see problems with the core. He's not making moves out of disgruntlement with his core guys.

Why would you blow up a core that has a SCF appearance, a President's Trophy, and back-to-back division champions? You tinker and add to it that core, maybe swap pieces around but you don't blow it up. Ask Doug Armstong and Brian MacLellan if they should have blown up their "underachieving" core groups? I can only assume you did not live through some of the leaner Preds years, as I am not sure are fully appreciating what it has taken to build this team. This was a decade worth of work finally paying off. Pretty much everything from Great Firesale onward has been about Poile trying to build this team up piece by piece by piece. This wasn't just a couple of well timed trades, sure those helped but this has been building and building for years. You don't just blow that up because one guy had a bad year and you got knocked out in the first round.

 

[predhead1]

Why would you blow up a core that has a SCF appearance, a President's Trophy, and back-to-back division champions? You tinker and add to it that core, maybe swap pieces around but you don't blow it up. Ask Doug Armstong and Brian MacLellan if they should have blown up their "underachieving" core groups? I can only assume you did not live through some of the leaner Preds years, as I am not sure are fully appreciating what it has taken to build this team. This was a decade worth of work finally paying off. Pretty much everything from Great Firesale onward has been about Poile trying to build this team up piece by piece by piece. This wasn't just a couple of well timed trades, sure those helped but this has been building and building for years. You don't just blow that up because one guy had a bad year and you got knocked out in the first round.

I've lived through every Preds game since 1998, so speaking for myself, the urge to rebuild stems more from the fact that last year's team didn't pass the "eye test", and yet somehow managed to string together enough regular season wins to win the division. I honestly didn't think we'd make it out of the first round, but knew we'd get destroyed in the second if somehow we managed to make it past Dallas. This is because very few of our players had good career years, and there were too many damn sloppy and careless plays every single game, particularly from two of our so-called "Big 4" defensemen. Not to mention that we had very little physicality all season, which was evident once the playoffs started. So in sum, our division title last year camouflaged what was otherwise a very poor and unremarkable season. And once the playoff exit confirmed what some of us sensed from January forward, some of us felt that an overhaul was in order.

 

[PredsHead]

I've lived through every Preds game since 1998, so speaking for myself, the urge to rebuild stems more from the fact that last year's team didn't pass the "eye test", and yet somehow managed to string together enough regular season wins to win the division. I honestly didn't think we'd make it out of the first round, but knew we'd get destroyed in the second if somehow we managed to make it past Dallas. This is because very few of our players had good career years, and there were too many damn sloppy and careless plays every single game, particularly from two of our so-called "Big 4" defensemen. Not to mention that we had very little physicality all season, which was evident once the playoffs started. So in sum, our division title last year camouflaged what was otherwise a very poor and unremarkable season. And once the playoff exit confirmed what some of us sensed from January forward, some of us felt that an overhaul was in order.

So the team was clearly not in the right head space most of last year, yet still had the talent to win the division and you want to rebuild? That to me is a team that needs a shakeup, not a rebuild. Something like I don't know...bringing in a new assistant, trading a fairly polarizing top 4 defensemen and signing a big time free agent?

 

[predhead1]

So the team was clearly not in the right head space most of last year, yet still had the talent to win the division and you want to rebuild? That to me is a team that needs a shakeup, not a rebuild. Something like I don't know...bringing in a new assistant, trading a fairly polarizing top 4 defensemen and signing a big time free agent?

Maybe it’s as simple as the fact that having the talent to win the regular season division title doesn’t necessarily mean jack &$#* when the playoffs roll around. We didn't have a team built for playoff success, plain and simple. And after two postseasons of watching our offensive “stars” disappear and having our elite defenseman getting pushed around the ice like elementary school wimps, yes, I think it’s a bigger issue than not being in the “right head space”, and requires a commensurate level of change in both the players and coaching staff.

 

[PredsHead]

Maybe it’s as simple as the fact that having the talent to win the regular season division title doesn’t necessarily mean jack &$#* when the playoffs roll around. We didn't have a team built for playoff success, plain and simple. And after two postseasons of watching our offensive “stars” disappear and having our elite defenseman getting pushed around the ice like elementary school wimps, yes, I think it’s a bigger issue than not being in the “right head space”, and requires a commensurate level of change in both the players and coaching staff.

This is pretty much the same group that has won 4 playoff series, and took another to a game 7 over the last three seasons. How many other teams can say that? It ain't many and they are most likely not blowing up the core that took them there. Did they look bad down the stretch and in the playoffs, yes they did. So Poile has made some changes to both the roster and the coaching staff to hopefully fix some of those issues. Also, unless I am mistaken the offseason isn't over yet so Poile may still have another card or two up his sleeve. A tweak or two to or group of wingers and this could be an team that rolls three legitimate scoring lines and a shutdown line to take away the other teams top line. A bit more size and toughness on the wing and we be able to bang bodies with just about anyone yet still have enough skill to outscore them.

 

[bdub24]

Of course none of us really knows. But to me, if Poile was really all that disgusted he has a lot more power to express it than he did. More than just signing a AAAA tweener to a $700k contract. He could have traded some players, kicked a clubhouse bro like Jarnkrok to the curb. Heck, he could have wielded a big axe on the coaching staff too.

So naw, he's just as complacent as the rest of them, I'd say. He's not mad and he's not disgusted. And I'm not saying that necessarily in a bad way either. He just fundamentally does believe in those players and coaches. Why shouldn't he? He acquired and hired them, after all. It's his creation. And he's showing every sign of standing by them and sticking it out. I don't even think he's wrong to do that. They ARE good players. Lavy IS a good coach. He can still prove himself right, and he's all in for doing that. Signing a minor league journeyman has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on any of that. He signed Blackwell and Brickley last year too and it didn't mean anything in particular - all teams add some minor league assets this time of year.

I should have stopped reading after your only factual sentence here..the first one. Nobody knows, so why waste the space on more speculation? This is the time of year I should probably just stop opening up these pages. Filled with fantasy boys turning hockey into dungeons and dragons (kinda my problem with the advanced stats screamers) and this kind of stuff.

 

[101st_fan]

Of course none of us really knows. But to me, if Poile was really all that disgusted he has a lot more power to express it than he did. More than just signing a AAAA tweener to a $700k contract. He could have traded some players, kicked a clubhouse bro like Jarnkrok to the curb. Heck, he could have wielded a big axe on the coaching staff too.

Exactly what trades were other teams willing to bite on?
How does a team kick a player to the curv without a buyout .. which costs money?

I await your verifiable, documented answers to support the trade diatribe.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I should have stopped reading after your only factual sentence here..the first one. Nobody knows, so why waste the space on more speculation? This is the time of year I should probably just stop opening up these pages. Filled with fantasy boys turning hockey into dungeons and dragons (kinda my problem with the advanced stats screamers) and this kind of stuff.

Yeah, and I have no idea why anybody who ISN'T a fantasy boy turning hockey into dungeons and dragons would ever even come here. Dude, you are in the wrong place! None of us are here for anything other than that. It's all I'm ever going to post here, btw, so I think you know what to do.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Exactly what trades were other teams willing to bite on?
How does a team kick a player to the curv without a buyout .. which costs money?

I await your verifiable, documented answers to support the trade diatribe.

Jarnkrok is a decent player with a low cap hit. Could have got a 4th round pick for him or something like that. If he was that disgusted. My only point is that he IS NOT disgusted. Nor should he be. Nor should he have done that to Jarnkrok.

 

[bdub24]

Yeah, and I have no idea why anybody who ISN'T a fantasy boy turning hockey into dungeons and dragons would ever even come here. Dude, you are in the wrong place! None of us are here for anything other than that. It's all I'm ever going to post here, btw, so I think you know what to do.

My post came off harsher than I meant it and not fully directed at you. I know that's how it came across, and I apologize for that.

I come here to post and read about game and player news observable and factual events related to the team or our opponents. I'm guilty of projection and assumption like anybody else of course and get into speculation myself at times.

 

[David Singleton]

I should have stopped reading after your only factual sentence here..the first one. Nobody knows, so why waste the space on more speculation? This is the time of year I should probably just stop opening up these pages. Filled with fantasy boys turning hockey into dungeons and dragons (kinda my problem with the advanced stats screamers) and this kind of stuff.

I now have this urge to look at all R/UFAs with alignment in mind:

Grimaldi: Chaotic Good
Josi: Lawful Good
Perry: Chaotic Evil
Laine: Chaotic Neutral

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I now have this urge to look at all R/UFAs with alignment in mind:

Grimaldi: Chaotic Good
Josi: Lawful Good
Perry: Chaotic Evil
Laine: Chaotic Neutral

Best. Post. Ever.

 

[bdub24]

I now have this urge to look at all R/UFAs with alignment in mind:

Grimaldi: Chaotic Good
Josi: Lawful Good
Perry: Chaotic Evil
Laine: Chaotic Neutral

Ha! About as valid a player evaluation as any from posters on these boards as opposed to those that do it for a living.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

My post came off harsher than I meant it and not fully directed at you. I know that's how it came across, and I apologize for that.

I come here to post and read about game and player news observable and factual events related to the team or our opponents. I'm guilty of projection and assumption like anybody else of course and get into speculation myself at times.

Nothing wrong with speculation or projection, etc... but you are right that the fantasy GM stuff (masquerading as speculation/realistic moves) goes overboard at times around here.

 

[bdub24]

Nothing wrong with speculation or projection, etc... but you are right that the fantasy GM stuff (masquerading as speculation/realistic moves) goes overboard at times around here.

Thanks Duke. Definitely not my idea of fun to create fantasy scenarios that are meaningless.

 

[hockey diva]

For the record, I play D and D (Fourth edition). I also think Captain Marvel would make an excellent 1C.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Nothing wrong with speculation or projection, etc... but you are right that the fantasy GM stuff (masquerading as speculation/realistic moves) goes overboard at times around here.

It's only a "masquerade" if you for some reason think it's anything different than what it is. That's on you if you for some reason think it's meant in any other way. This whole board is fantasy GM stuff because we absolutely ALWAYS will lack the fundamental necessary information for our discussion to be anything other than fantasy. Wrapped up in our own biases and idiosyncrasies. And served with a sprig of parsley. And a generous dash of salt.