Roster Speculation part XXIV

[Myllz]

Bylsma is excellent at saying a lot of stuff without actually saying anything meaningful.

 

[DJN21]

If the wild buy out pominville do you prefer gionta on a year to year deal or pommers assuming they are making the same on those deals?

 

[Sabre Dance]

Moulson - O'Reilly - Okposo
Foligno - Larsson - Gionta
Girgensons - Reinhart - Ennis
Kane - Eichel - Fasching/Baptiste

Call the lines whatever you want. Roll them all game.

 

[Sabreality]

Any vet dmen out there looking for work? what's Adam Pardy up to?

 

[DJN21]

Any vet dmen out there looking for work? what's Adam Pardy up to?

Tyson strachan come on uppp

 

[BuiltTagonTough]

If the wild buy out pominville do you prefer gionta on a year to year deal or pommers assuming they are making the same on those deals?

Hasn't Pominville fallen off a cliff? Honestly for the bottom 6 role Gionta. Not super interested in bringing back old dead weight.

 

[DJN21]

Some like revisionist history.

I think it's a more legit question that you're giving credit for. Poms practically doubles gionta's point out put the latest three "diminishing " years. While he lacks the wheels of gionta his two way game is equal if not better. Has local ties and would be a great gimmick/jersey sale type add on a low risk high reward type of deal.

The other side of the coin is gionta is providing neutral value now compared to his cap hit but on what's sure to be a low cap hit his value to the team and chemistry could out weight poms...

 

[Zip15]

If nothing else, I hope that watching the 4th line tonight showed Murray that Des doesn't belong on NHL ice. He seems a good enough guy, and his teammates like him, but he's so far behind the likes of Baptiste and Bailey - even in a 4th line role - that he shouldn't see the light of a game unless we have massive injuries or to make a spot appearance.

 

[DJN21]

If nothing else, I hope that watching the 4th line tonight showed Murray that Des doesn't belong on NHL ice. He seems a good enough guy, and his teammates like him, but he's so far behind the likes of Baptiste and Bailey - even in a 4th line role - that he shouldn't see the light of a game unless we have massive injuries or to make a spot appearance.

Perfect addition to rochester as an energy or pressbox guy that dresses in boston, Ottawa and toronto etc.

I have to imagine the writing is on the wall for des. Even without seeing him play I imagine carrier is also an upgrade...

 

[haseoke39]

Remember the 06 ECF? That's kind of what I feel like with even one injury to this defense.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

Our special teams are ranking high - knew the PP(6th) would be good, wait until Jack is back. PK is 11th. 3rd in the league in faceoff win %.

 

[TehDoak]

Remember the 06 ECF? That's kind of what I feel like with even one injury to this defense.

Well it's not QUITE that bad. The issue with Bogosian isn't that he's that great. To be honest, he looks more and more like he's going end his time here at an overpaid botton pairing d-man. The issue is the players behind him (Franson and Nelson) have not inspired confidence.

Only real sensible top 6 lineup going forward (IMHO)

McCabe-Risto
Kulikov-Franson
Gorges-Nelson

McCabe and Risto can both log good minutes. They won't be a shutdown d pair, but should be able to clear the zone and get a transition game going.

Kulikov essentially carries Franson here and hopes to minimize the damage.

Gorges brings a calming influence to Nelson and we feed them easy minutes.

Seriously though, looking at it through a of long term:

Top Pairing D-men: Risto
Top Four D-men: McCabe, Kulikov
Bottom Pairing D-men: Bogosian, Gorges, Franson, Nelson.

It's possible Bogosian works his way back to top 4 status. He's looked much better paired with Kulikov the last couple of games. However, we'll see how the injury is.

 

[Sabre Dance]

If nothing else, I hope that watching the 4th line tonight showed Murray that Des doesn't belong on NHL ice. He seems a good enough guy, and his teammates like him, but he's so far behind the likes of Baptiste and Bailey - even in a 4th line role - that he shouldn't see the light of a game unless we have massive injuries or to make a spot appearance.

Why do we need a so called "4th line" when we can roll 4 scoring lines that keep pressure on the opposition? Our center depth allows us to do that once healthy.

 

[Jame]

Remember the 06 ECF? That's kind of what I feel like with even one injury to this defense.

That's too extreme lol

 

[haseoke39]

Well it's not QUITE that bad. The issue with Bogosian isn't that he's that great. To be honest, he looks more and more like he's going end his time here at an overpaid botton pairing d-man. The issue is the players behind him (Franson and Nelson) have not inspired confidence.

Only real sensible top 6 lineup going forward (IMHO)

McCabe-Risto
Kulikov-Franson
Gorges-Nelson

McCabe and Risto can both log good minutes. They won't be a shutdown d pair, but should be able to clear the zone and get a transition game going.

Kulikov essentially carries Franson here and hopes to minimize the damage.

Gorges brings a calming influence to Nelson and we feed them easy minutes.

Seriously though, looking at it through a of long term:

Top Pairing D-men: Risto
Top Four D-men: McCabe, Kulikov
Bottom Pairing D-men: Bogosian, Gorges, Franson, Nelson.

It's possible Bogosian works his way back to top 4 status. He's looked much better paired with Kulikov the last couple of games. However, we'll see how the injury is.

This is about right. But I really don't know that Franson, Gorges, Nelson necessarily belong in the NHL at this point. There's just negative defensive poise back there.

I would not be surprised to see F&G in particular leave the league after these contracts.

 

[AustonsNostrils]

We need to play Nelson - guy has only played 2 games of hockey this season, one with Buffalo one with Rochester :/

Gorges/Risto
Kulikov/Nelson
McCabe/Franson

could switch Kulikov and McCabe.

would be shocked if Bylsma split up Gorges and Risto.

 

[Icicle]

If the wild buy out pominville do you prefer gionta on a year to year deal or pommers assuming they are making the same on those deals?

pommers and it's not even a debate

 

[Jim Bob]

Hasn't Pominville fallen off a cliff? Honestly for the bottom 6 role Gionta. Not super interested in bringing back old dead weight.

Usage is the million dollar question between those two.

Right now, Gionta gets 75% DZone Starts and Pommers gets roughly a 50/50 split.

At the end of the day, neither one is likely to be the best bottom 6 veteran forward option in UFA. But, if I had to choose, I'd probably lean towards Gionta just because we know he can fit with Foligno and Larsson in a bottom 6 role.

 

[haseoke39]

I mean, ideally this defense needs both the top end and the depth improved. A stay-at-home 1LD, pushing McCabe into the 3LD role when perfectly healthy -- though it probably lets him play most of the year top 4 either on the L or R side, so don't get your panties in a twist. Then a 3RD you don't dread every shift for. Then two guys in the 7-8 slot who are more reliable in their own zone than either Gorges or Franson right now, and you keep one in the AHL.

That's what the depth chart would look like for a defense that could compete in the playoffs. A high end stay at home guy who can set Risto free and then real depth, so you could absorb an injury and not send a complete liability over the board every other shift.

Long way away.

 

[slip]

pommers and it's not even a debate

That's very debatable.

 

[haseoke39]

That's too extreme lol

I mean, depending on how Bylsma rolls, we could see

Gorges - Risto
Kulikov - Franson
McCabe - Nelson

and literally be holding our breath with a liability on every pairing.

 

[Butt Ox]

If the wild buy out pominville do you prefer gionta on a year to year deal or pommers assuming they are making the same on those deals?

I'd stick with Gio, as his role is defined and he performs well enough (arguably) to earn that spot. Admittedly this has everything to do with my desire to never see Poms on the point during a Buffalo PP again in my lifetime.

 

[Zip15]

I mean, depending on how Bylsma rolls, we could see

Gorges - Risto
Kulikov - Franson
McCabe - Nelson

and literally be holding our breath with a liability on every pairing.

That's probably what we're going to see, at least through the first couple periods. He'll adjust in the 3rd (e.g., limit Gorges if we're losing, limit Franson/Nelson if we're winning). Murray has his work cut out for him on the blueline.

 

[haseoke39]

Murray has his work cut out for him on the blueline.

For two years.

 

[Jim Bob]

I mean, ideally this defense needs both the top end and the depth improved. A stay-at-home 1LD, pushing McCabe into the 3LD role when perfectly healthy -- though it probably lets him play most of the year top 4 either on the L or R side, so don't get your panties in a twist. Then a 3RD you don't dread every shift for. Then two guys in the 7-8 slot who are more reliable in their own zone than either Gorges or Franson right now, and you keep one in the AHL.

That's what the depth chart would look like for a defense that could compete in the playoffs. A high end stay at home guy who can set Risto free and then real depth, so you could absorb an injury and not send a complete liability over the board every other shift.

Long way away.

Realistically, how many NHL teams have that kind of quality depth on D?

It's has to be single digits.

Anaheim is an outlier.