Speculation: Roster Speculation 15-16, Part XIII
- Thread starter stokes84
- Start date
- Status
truthbluth
Registered User
- Feb 2, 2011
- 7,362
- 6,647
I'm not giving up hope for Esa Lindell. Every time so far a match has seemed perfect, TM has pulled it off. Let's bring Risto's WJC partner into the fold.
Jim Bob
RIP RJ
Future Las Vegas Knight/Ace/Spade Matt Moulson, you mean
Just replace Cornwall with Las Vegas!
Dallas has Gologoski and Russell leaving this summer via UFA. And they moved Jokipaka(sp?)
Basically they have greased the skids to get Lindell into the NHL.
Unless they are irrationally in love with someone on our roster, I don't see it.
stokes84
Registered User
Don't you want to set your sights a bit higher? I mean, we've got people bagging in McCabe's lack of experience as why he shouldn't be in the top 4. Well, McCabe is much more of a sure thing than Lindell is.
struckbyaparkedcar
Guilty of Being Right
Lindell has more professional experience, a more exotic skillset, and is pretty meaningfully the better offensive player.
I'd rather get the guy who is an impact player provided his defense is even just adequate, than the jack of all trades master of none who has to prove better than Jordan Leopold.
struckbyaparkedcar
Guilty of Being Right
Also, I'm particularly down on McCabe because I thought his comps would be McDonagh/Tanev/Hjalmarsson/Vlasic/Sekera/etc. He's nowhere near "intelligent, good-skating shutdown presence" right now.
I always love the silver bullet theory. Its not one lhd, mccabe or lindell. You need 2 more on top of mccabe. Whether mccabe becomes a top 4 guy or not, you need much more top talent and depth.
Exactly...
I wonder if the rush to praise/annoint/jump the gun on McCabe has any relation to the "we need forwards!" crowd... by diminishing the ridiculous need at top 4 LHD, the forward argument becomes more "logical".
stokes84
Registered User
Wow, talk about a misleading post. More professional games because he was drafted out of Finland. McCabe has 68 NHL games to Lindell's 4. They have played virtually the same amount of AHL games and scored at a very similar clip (Jake was a year younger when he did his AHL duty). So Lindell has a more exotic skill set because he's a couple inches taller? But yeah, meaningfully better on offense is pretty much completely untrue.
Particularly down on him when he is proving to be a pretty darn good NHLer who can skate, hit and move the puck. You guys never cease to amaze me.
stokes84
Registered User
You need one too 4 LHD to go along with McCabe, preferably a top pairing. Then you need to sign a bottom pair guy in FA. That's it.
stokes84
Registered User
I don't see it as a risk at all. It's normal progression. He's earned that spot. If he falls on his face, which seems very unlikely, you fix it. Just like if anyone else falls on there face. And I don't see how acquiring a player who is clearly far behind does anything to alleviate this so called risk.
Husko
Registered User
Exactly...
I wonder if the rush to praise/annoint/jump the gun on McCabe has any relation to the "we need forwards!" crowd... by diminishing the ridiculous need at top 4 LHD, the forward argument becomes more "logical".
Ding ding ding.
I don't get why we can't like McCabe, which both you and I do, but not want to count on him being more than he's shown so far. What context did this same argument come up a few years ago? Was it regarding the center position perhaps?
I have no qualms with McCabe. I'd love for him to grow into a top pairing LH D.
However, I'm also realistic that he won't be there next year. In an ideal world, he would have spent the entire year in the AHL getting 22+ minutes a night. He's had good nights and he's had bad nights. He's a young d-man.
Hope for the best with McCabe, but plan for him to continue to be inconsistent because of his age and experience. Much like Risto, who has struggled the last 15-20 games, there are going to be ups and downs.
Add 2 d-men this summer. Let McCabe put one of them out of a job. I'd much rather that then get 1 d-man and then have to go looking for another if McCabe isn't quite ready for prime time.
Ding Ding Ding!
I like McCabe a lot, and I like his development so far, he COULD be the 2nd pair LD for the long term, with even potential to fit in with Risto... there's a high ceiling... but the floor isn't erased either.... im not betting the future on a guy that could end up being Chris Butler...
Regarding Sekera, Jake has more responsibility than Rej did at the same age. Rej was lounging on lots of O-zone starts (>50%) on the third pairing, while Lydman/Tallinder/Myers did the heavy lifting. McCabe is also doing pretty well in his role.
As I mentioned to Jame, McCabe and Scandella have virtually identical usages this season, and one could argue McCabe has been better by a nose. I know Scandella was the bee's knees last year, so I'm only talking this year.
Also, going back to look at their respective usages at similar ages made me realize that for two years Lindy Ruff played Chris Butler as the LHD2 over Sekera.
I'd give up hope. Nill is a Ken Holland clone. He hoards Lindell types, not trade them.
Husko
Registered User
Ding Ding Ding!
I like McCabe a lot, and I like his development so far, he COULD be the 2nd pair LD for the long term, with even potential to fit in with Risto... there's a high ceiling... but the floor isn't erased either.... im not betting the future on a guy that could end up being Chris Butler...
What players was it? Who was being anointed to a position they hadn't proven they could handle? Was it Grigorenko? And full disclosure, I may have been on the wrong side of that debate. But if I was, not making the same mistake again.
Also Butler is an EXCELLENT comparison
I am not banking on McCabe for it, but I would like to see him as a possible audition with Risto to see if there is any chemistry there and shift the usage from Risto having to be the heavy defensive lifter to more of an O-zone start heavy guy to get the scoring going a bit more down the stretch.
Djp
Registered User
Ding Ding Ding!
I like McCabe a lot, and I like his development so far, he COULD be the 2nd pair LD for the long term, with even potential to fit in with Risto... there's a high ceiling... but the floor isn't erased either.... im not betting the future on a guy that could end up being Chris Butler...
I see McCabe improving next year. Remember it took Risto pretty much a season worth of games before his game changed.
As for roster needs I see they get one of each---a LD(top 4) and a forward (top 9)
No risk? How do you not see risk in a rookie player taking over a huge role on a team you should want to make a playoff push.
If he falls on his face you fix it? You mean you wait another year to get a guy in the summer? I'm not sure how you can be so blasé about the difficulty and time consuming nature of finding a replacement.
I have no opinion on lindell, but I can promise you that we need an improvement over mccabe, and preferably 2.
I agree with the premise that mccabe has improved and I like him as a prospect, but he hasn't shown this year to be ready for a top role in the nhl. His progression has gone from extremely overwhelmed to treading water. That's good, but it's not something I want Murray to count on. Create competition and force McCabe to actually earn his job, instead of being the only moderately functional lhd beside gorges.
struckbyaparkedcar
Guilty of Being Right
Both played their first American Pro season at 21 with Lindell producing nearly 25% more offense. His passing and in-zone playmaking are standouts in every scouting report you'd find.
Meanwhile, McCabe projects to exactly what I keep referring to him as - a jack of all trades/master of none type with no obvious holes, who will go as far as his IQ allows.
And if we had our first pairing and #2RD in better shape, I'd be excited to work him into a lineup that needs general talent rather than specialization. But we have to find either a high level defensive LD or a dude with puck skills that more than offsets his defense by the start of next season. McCabe does not fit either profile, nor has shown signs of evolving to that level within that timeframe.
I am a bit "show me" about Murray's thoughts about defensemen. What is it he's looking for on the back end? His filler guys last year were tank-alicious, but his filler guys this season haven't produced much. Franson's powerplay contributions have been extremely limited since early in the season while Colaiacovo has been a turd. Bogosian's fallen off too. I like what he's doing up front and in net, I'm a little bit concerned about the blueline. Is there cause to be worried?
Jim Bob
RIP RJ
- Status
