GDT: PreSeason Game #2: Sabres @ Blue Jackets; 7 PM ET

[OkimLom]

I don’t think Mitts played well at all but I’m not concerned about it yet. I also look at the entire forward group pretty much struggling to do anything. Krueger mentioned how Columbus’s size was something they struggled with. Most posters saw that with the comments about how slow and small we looked last night. You can come up with a game play to attack it tactically but they aren’t doing that yet.

I will say the one repeatable thing from this game that concerns me with Mitts is face offs. He was demolished. Thats something I hope he works on and it may be better against other teams.

It's more of a "put a pin in it" kind of situation. Just know there were these issues. How does Casey respond? How does he look in responding? These first two games, it was more assessing how the players came into camp more than how they are gelling as a team. I wouldn't care of Mitts and Sam got caved in where they allowed 5 goals together. How they look as players in terms of conditioning, strength, that is what my "goal" is these first couple of games. I knew Columbus had the better lineup, so the issues of the team not being able to create offense and the numbers from that, isn't too much of a worry for me. We will get to that point in the preseason that you want to results due to improvement, but for me, at this time it's not. The 1st 2 games didn't matter to me with the results. The way they came into this season did.

The reason why I'm a little tougher on Mittelstadt, and some might say unfairly, is because of how obviously out of game shape, and poorly conditioned he was last year, especially during the preseason and camp. There were question marks about his strength, about his offseason workout. There were articles written just recently about how he focused on it. I even said in one of the threads, (in the Casey thread) , that how well he did this offseason in the context of his workouts, will come to ahead in camp:

From August 14th:

We don't know what or what he isn't doing this offseason. We do know that if he's not doing enough in the offseason, that it will show during camp.

Well, it's camp and we are into the preseason and he doesn't look that good with his conditioning or his strength in his first game. Now, of course, this is only one game, and there's plenty of time to see improvement in that matter, but for a guy who was publicly questioned on this matter, he should've made a more concerted effort to make sure he would shut up his critics. IMO, it's not a good look.

You look at Tage Thompson, and you heard him say he tweaked his diet, and he looked a lot more energized and more engaged. He also looks more conditioned. He looks stronger as well.

Here's hoping Casey brings it next game and shows that he's in better shape than he looked vs Columbus.

 

[GOALOFSSON]

Yes, they played on the team. Pilut was injured, and the GM kept him in the minors, which he very well might do again since he doesn't have to pass through waivers (as far as I know). Doesn't mean you get to call him an addition to the team this season.

Sorry but if you're comparing this team that will most likely have Montour play 45-60 more games and the same with Pilut if he is on the team, to the one that had them play 53 games during their first year with the team, they are additions to the team.

If Eichel played 20 games, would you not call it a subtraction from the team for the year, then the following year refer to it as an addition to the teams success from the prior year?

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Sorry but if you're comparing this team that will most likely have Montour play 45-60 more games and the same with Pilut if he is on the team, to the one that had them play 53 games during their first year with the team, they are additions to the team.

If Eichel played 20 games, would you not call it a subtraction from the team for the year, then the following year refer to it as an addition to the teams success from the prior year?

You’re missing my main point by focusing on semantics.

My main point is that nothing has been done to move the needle. I guess you’re expecting big improvement in the standings because of the moves he made? I would strongly disagree.

 

[Buffalo Norsemen]

I think many knew this already but this backs it up

 

[Asymmetric Solution]

Almost the entire forward group struggled. Olofsson played over 15mins and had roughly 3mins of PP ice time and didn’t get single shot on goal the entire game. But he’s a golden boy at the moment so not a peep about it. Montour was train wreck most of the game. But I don‘t think it matters at all just like with Mitts. But thats because I don’t have an ax to grind with certain players like some of you do with Mitts. I also realize its the first preseason game for everyone with a mishmash of players. So it doesn’t really matter that much beyond getting their legs under them at game speed.

I mean Ullmark, Fitzgerald, McCabe and Hickey had good to strong games. CJ Smith was ok and that was about it. But you and others only targeted one guy for your rage. As I said previously, its almost as if you came into this predisposed to be mad at him. When he struggled it was game on to start attacking.

I can assure you I’m rooting for Mitts to succeed just as much as you. There’s no argument he routinely looked like the slowest player on the ice and it’s evident he’s still out of shape.

 

[joshjull]

It's more of a "put a pin in it" kind of situation. Just know there were these issues. How does Casey respond? How does he look in responding? These first two games, it was more assessing how the players came into camp more than how they are gelling as a team. I wouldn't care of Mitts and Sam got caved in where they allowed 5 goals together. How they look as players in terms of conditioning, strength, that is what my "goal" is these first couple of games. I knew Columbus had the better lineup, so the issues of the team not being able to create offense and the numbers from that, isn't too much of a worry for me. We will get to that point in the preseason that you want to results due to improvement, but for me, at this time it's not. The 1st 2 games didn't matter to me with the results. The way they came into this season did.

The reason why I'm a little tougher on Mittelstadt, and some might say unfairly, is because of how obviously out of game shape, and poorly conditioned he was last year, especially during the preseason and camp. There were question marks about his strength, about his offseason workout. There were articles written just recently about how he focused on it. I even said in one of the threads, (in the Casey thread) , that how well he did this offseason in the context of his workouts, will come to ahead in camp:

From August 14th:


Well, it's camp and we are into the preseason and he doesn't look that good with his conditioning or his strength in his first game. Now, of course, this is only one game, and there's plenty of time to see improvement in that matter, but for a guy who was publicly questioned on this matter, he should've made a more concerted effort to make sure he would shut up his critics. IMO, it's not a good look.

You look at Tage Thompson, and you heard him say he tweaked his diet, and he looked a lot more energized and more engaged. He also looks more conditioned. He looks stronger as well.

Here's hoping Casey brings it next game and shows that he's in better shape than he looked vs Columbus.

I get being concerned about Mitts. I get worrying whether or not he put enough work in during the offseason to take s step forward. What I don’t get is getting carried away over last nights game.

Bringing up Tage just tells me you aren’t bothering to be fair minded by assessing things with proper context. Tage played with a far more talented group of Sabres that was up against a completely overmatched Pens roster. The defense Tage faced had Jack Johnson, Ruhwedel and the rest were AHLers.

Mitts played on a far less talented Sabres group against a Jackets team that was the more talented. He also played 70% of his 18mins 5v5 against either Seth Jones (8:33) or Zach Werenski (3:52). They weren’t paired together. To state the obvious thats a far more difficult task for Mitts that he struggled in.

Tage played great in a situation he should play great in. Mitts struggled in a situation we would expect him to struggle in. I don’t draw much from either situation. If the roles were reversed and Mitts struggled in the opener in that mismatch then I would be very worried. Conversely if Tage had played well in the much tougher circumstances against the Jackets I would be giddy.

 

[OkimLom]

I get being concerned about Mitts. I get worrying whether or not he put enough work in during the offseason to take s step forward. What I don’t get is getting carried away over last nights game.

Bringing up Tage just tells me you aren’t bothering to be fair minded by assessing things with proper context. Tage played with a far more talented group of Sabres that was up against a completely overmatched Pens roster. The defense Tage faced had Jack Johnson, Ruhwedel and the rest were AHLers.

Mitts played on a far less talented Sabres group against a Jackets team that was the more talented. He also played 70% of his 18mins 5v5 against either Seth Jones (8:33) or Zach Werenski (3:52). They weren’t paired together. To state the obvious thats a far more difficult task for Mitts that he struggled in.

Tage played great in a situation he should play great in. Mitts struggled in a situation we would expect him to struggle in. I don’t draw much from either situation. If the roles were reversed and Mitts struggled in the opener in that mismatch then I would be very worried. Conversely if Tage had played well in the much tougher circumstances against the Jackets I would be giddy.

Not really getting carried away about the game. Just making observations of the player. Yes, I'm focusing on Casey probably more than most, but that's because I think he's an important part of our franchise going forward, and his development is important to this team. When we are told he focused on his offseason workout, and he puts up a dud of a performance on the ice like he did last night in his skating, it's going to get me on a little edge because we have other players that have looked much improved physically which has helped them look better, and he should be more motivated than those players and in better shape.

Casey's statistical performance isn't going to carry over to his next game. But his conditioning and a focus on preparedness will carry over to each and every game. There were guys that are less skillful than Casey that had rough games statistically, but they appeared to be more physically prepared for that game than Casey. And yes some of them, played in the prospects game or were in training camp, and that helps, but that shouldn't be an excuse why Casey isn't ready physically.

And again, the talent in the lineups didn't matter to me, what the outcome of the games were didn't matter. How the players looked, that's what I was paying attention to. I believe someone can assess a player and the current shape, conditioning, and strength of a player, regardless of the opposition they are playing. You can see Casey not having a burst of speed when he accelerates, you can see him get knocked off the puck by someone when they get inside positioning. You can read when someone is exhausted and how quickly they get there, by how quickly they get to the point of where they are bent over just poking at the puck by extending their stick instead of skating in close the gap on a player. These are the things I was watching for, especially for a guy like Casey where offseason workouts would impact these areas the most.

A for Tage, we saw these type of plays from Tage last camp/preseason. I didn't see much of these things in the 1st game from him, which helps you play well. It's the small things in how well someone is prepared that helps improves the chances of a player playing well. Tage had his decision making issues, but you could see an improvement in his physical preparedness of games that helped him make more positive plays especially away from the puck.

Saying all that, he has plenty of time to change my opinion of him. How I feel today, hopefully isn't how I feel say, Friday or at the end of September.

 

[Zman5778]

Tage played great in a situation he should play great in. Mitts struggled in a situation we would expect him to struggle in. I don’t draw much from either situation. If the roles were reversed and Mitts struggled in the opener in that mismatch then I would be very worried. Conversely if Tage had played well in the much tougher circumstances against the Jackets I would be giddy.

This. All day this. The team that CBJ iced last night would beat the snot out of the team the Pens iced Monday. Kinda like the Sabres did for the first 2 periods Monday.

The roles were reversed yesterday, and it showed. The AHLers looked like AHLers and the NHLers looked quite meh. And I think it all stems from the defense -- Montour was the only bona fide puck mover we had back there. McCabe/Borgen held their own defensively, but they're non-entities offensively and on the breakout.

And as JJ said -- Tage was playing Jack Johnson. Mitts/Reinhart were consistently up against Seth Jones. Ever so small difference in talent there.

 

[Hasekperreault23]

What about them? Those are literally the ones I listed in my original post.

Ok my bad didn't see that continue lol

 

[Buffaloed]

I can assure you I’m rooting for Mitts to succeed just as much as you. There’s no argument he routinely looked like the slowest player on the ice and it’s evident he’s still out of shape.

I think playing center is too difficult for him to handle mentally at this stage of his career and he should be playing wing. If a player has to think about what to do next he's always going to be a step slow. I never understood why Mittelstadt got placed at center from day 1 .

 

[Tatanka]

i will throw out this observation: the new staff has said everyone gets a clean slate. In order to assess and coach up deficiencies they need to get these guys on tape. And not just one game. They need a baseline and then additional tape to see if the player is addressing the issues they want addressed. This is not a quick fix process. FWIW.

 

[Sabre the Win]

i will throw out this observation: the new staff has said everyone gets a clean slate. In order to assess and coach up deficiencies they need to get these guys on tape. And not just one game. They need a baseline and then additional tape to see if the player is addressing the issues they want addressed. This is not a quick fix process. FWIW.

It's never going to be a quick fix process if the GM and or coach change every 2 years and we have to watch the repeat sins of the past failed coaches over and over again.

I dont see how this clean slate approach cant be regurgitated and accepted anymore when they can reveiw tape from previous regimes under different coaches and see how players struggled and just not do that.

 

[Tatanka]

It's never going to be a quick fix process if the GM and or coach change every 2 years and we have to watch the repeat sins of the past failed coaches over and over again.

I dont see how this clean slate approach cant be regurgitated and accepted anymore when they can reveiw tape from previous regimes under different coaches and see how players struggled and just not do that.

You may not like it but it is the only way a new staff can approach winning hearts and minds. New Coach" Jones we think you have alot of potential to help us this year. We have looked the film and want you focus on A and B. Jones: Yeah but Old Coach wanted me to work on C and D. NC: Clean slate Jones we think you best fit us doing blah blah. Ok Coach A and B it is.

Or the other scenario: Trade me now I lost my love for the game. Oh and can you send me to a playoff team?

 

[Chainshot]

I can assure you I’m rooting for Mitts to succeed just as much as you. There’s no argument he routinely looked like the slowest player on the ice and it’s evident he’s still out of shape.

Everyone looked pretty slow in the CBJ game though - even guys we know have plus skating. At the moment, let’s see if this is the start of a trend or an anomaly based on competition.