ChocolateLeclaire
Registered User
Ya, Stone had a great game and he was a monster out there on the forecheck. One of the things that he does really well is move the puck quickly. A lot of our players have the bad habit of over handling the puck; they tend to hold onto it for too long which makes their passes predictable and leads to turnovers. Stone usually makes a pass as soon as he retrieves or receives the puck; he already knows the play he is going to make before he even has it. It was impressive watching him play with Turris and MacArthur. There were a few times in the game where Turris was battling for puck possession along the boards, kicked or passed the puck to Stone and then as soon as Stone received it he immediately passed it to MacArthur. The Lighting were often forced to chase the puck when playing those three.
As for Condra, I agree, Murray should have moved him by now. He doesn't really add much of anything to the team. His primary strength is his penalty killing ability and this season he has been very average at best in that department. He is pretty much just your run-of-the-mill 4th liner. When Ryan is healthy, I predict that he gets bumped out of the lineup. After that, he will likely get moved at the draft so we can free up a roster spot.
I read in the game thread that some poster classified Condra as the "perfect 4th liner" which is hilarious because Condra is no where close to being that. If I had to pick a player that epitomizes the "perfect 4th liner", I think I would have to go with Jarrko Ruutu. Ruutu was a top 3 agitator in the league, provided a strong physical play and a lot of energy each shift, was strong along the boards and in the corners, he cycled the puck well, he was excellent on the penalty kill and he was a power play specialist. You don't really get much better then that when it comes to 4th liners.
I remember when Ruutu and Neil were together. Best agitation/pest line in the league. They were fun to watch.