Had to prepare for a meeting alongside watching the game and missed most of the third period having the actual meeting.
As far as the game, well... we looked better with pretty much the full team there, no surprises. We looked a lot better than the Wings who decidedly did not have a full team, no surprises on that one either.
However, can we just say that roster decisions ought to be absolutely obvious?
Glass should be waived on the off chance that someone picks him up, and otherwise we must eat that little cap penalty. He hurts too much to have in the lineup.
Adams got a two year extension and at most it should have been one. Wheels are falling off.
Kobasew makes sense on this team, anything below a million and it is a good signing.
I like everyone else who took part for roster spots, but of course with Niskanen there is the aber dabei that he is certainly a good nr.5, but it just doesn't make sense to keep him with who we have coming up and his caphit. If it hasn't happened now, it likely won't prior to the season, so Despres starts in the AHL even if I hate it, and then we must take the first D-injury crisis elsewhere as a selling opportunity, where we can solve someones emergency while getting a pick and some cap-space.
NB: There's this app. 900k limit as to buried players.... how does it work when you want to waive several players? Is it 900k total or a per player consideration? To my mind we should be cutting Glass and D'Agostini. No point suggesting Adams as that is impossible, and in any case he has off ice value I think, so I can live with that.
Best team we can ice with the above in mind:
Kunitz Crosby Bennett
Jokinen Malkin Neal
Dupuis Sutter Kobasew
Jeffrey Vitale Sill/Harry/Adams
Scuderi Letang
Brooks Martin
Nisky Bortuzzo
Engo
Fleury
Zatkoff
With Vokoun on IR and Despres in the minors... there is no cap issue there for the short term. Then when Nisky can get traded and Despres promoted, Vokoun can come back. All we really need then is to deal a bottom 6 forward (most likely Jeffrey) and whatever assets are needed for a good/above average physical forward with size and mobility who can play up and down the lineup.
The top 6 is good enough that it should be able to play up to anyone, that third line should be a highly responsible line ES - with some secondary scoring punch, and we have to make the 4th line a bit of a nightmare. Preferably for the opposition rather than for us as is currently the case.
Final observation, if the D isn't very good this season, it is all about the coaching staff and system we play. From a personnel point of view it has EVERYTHING other than than a natural PP QB, and as nice as having such is, we OUGHT to need it less than others with Geno, Sid, Bennett and Letang there.
Of course.... all of the above will prove for naught when Glass and Adams prove to actually be permanent fixtures on that 4th line, and we end up waiving Jeffrey or 'gulp' Vitale to make room for D'Agostini also.
me off the ledge everyone!
