The 2018 Panthers off-season thread- Part II

[The Underboss]

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[TheImpatientPanther]

Hoffman - Barkov - Dadonov
Huberdeau - Trocheck - Malgin
Borgstrom/Vatrano - McCann - Bjugstad
Mamin/Mcginn - Mack - Sceviour

Yandle - Ekblad
Matheson - Keselvich/Pysyk
Pysyk/Keselvich - Weegar/Petrovic

Lu
Rein

Hoffman needs to be sheltered with our best defensive forward in Barkov and a decent 2 way guy in Dadonov, as much as I love Huberdeau and Barkov together (re-unite them on PP), spread the wealth and keep the Dadonov-Barkov love train going.

Huberdeau is one of our best playmakers, Tro loves to shoot, simple as that, Tro needs a speedy winger and good playmakers, Malgin is developing into one. Think the Swissman has a 17-18g/45-50pt season in him this year.

Let Borgstrom get some sheltered minutes and battle Vatrano for ice time. Slide a more defensively responsible Bjeast down with McCann who can both forecheck and backcheck, Vatrano and Borgstrom can shoot and McCann can pass and shoot the puck pretty well.

McGinn, Mamin and Sceviour are good enough to make up for an aging Mack. Sceviour can slide to 4C if Mack needs a rest.

Tippett should be sent back to Mississauga for one more year. Build that confidence up a bit more. Really hope he benefits from his final junior year and hits 40+ goals/85+ pts.

Haley can be put on injury reserve no? If not, send him down to Springfield and call him up for games that you know will be intense and need his services.

Keep #3 and #5 together but definitely lessen their minutes a touch by giving 2nd pairing more minutes. Ekblad is hitting 20 goals this year or next. Book it!

Hoping Matheson and Keselvich can develop some quick chemistry. This is a bit of worry but Pysyk should/could slide back in and be better this year if Keselvich can't hang, I believe he will be a good surprise though.

Going to be a bit of a revolving door on 3rd pairing but they are familiar with the system so consistency is the key here. Let them fight for time.

Praying Lu can play at least 50 games and not break if we make playoffs. Reim needs to have his best year in a Panthers jersey.

Depth is key, ya it's not Cup contender on paper but the team believed in itself enough to be the 2nd hottest team the 2nd half of season.

If we start off the season rocky like usual, trade McGinn or Petrovic to send a message, but after 10 games instead of 20-30.

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

Tippett should be sent back to Mississauga for one more year. Build that confidence up a bit more. Really hope he benefits from his final junior year and hits 40+ goals/85+ pts.

Come on now, he's probably bored to death already and you wanna send him back to the hell hole. Don't you have any compassion for the guy?

Tro loves to shoot, simple as that

I think that the Dalé and the Calculator will get a wild idea of putting Barkov and Trocheck together during the spring and the Cats will ice Barkov - Borgstrom - McCann as their 1-3C. Bjugstad is over his head with 1st line duties, Hoffman a perimeter player and can't stand the thought of participating playing the heavy that Barkov and Dadonov plays.

The goat lending is the Cats' Achilles heel for the upcoming season. Lu tweaks his groin again while making a routine save, Reimer can't handle the pressure and goes into sieve-mode registering .900 save% & 2.9 GAA, and Hutchinson stumbles his couple of games when trying to scramble some wins but can't pull a miracle with .910% and 2.75 GAA. And then Dalé calls Kinnear if they've got anyone else than Hutch and Monty, and then Monty is fed to the wolfs when the defense has given up the season already by mid-February.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

Come on now, he's probably bored to death already and you wanna send him back to the hell hole. Don't you have any compassion for the guy?

Without his AHL slide eligibility, dont feel he will get a ton of minutes anyhow, Malgin has shown enough to get more time than him, Bjugstad and Dadonov may be the top two RWs depending on BB's thought process.

Tippett is the youngest of the prospects I feel would make the team, let him work that much harder for a spot. If he earns one then so be it but unless Malgin or Bjugstad is traded, I see Owen back in the OHL.

I think that the Dalé and the Calculator will get a wild idea of putting Barkov and Trocheck together during the spring and the Cats will ice Barkov - Borgstrom - McCann as their 1-3C. Bjugstad is over his head with 1st line duties, Hoffman a perimeter player and can't stand the thought of participating playing the heavy that Barkov and Dadonov plays.

The goat lending is the Cats' Achilles heel for the upcoming season. Lu tweaks his groin again while making a routine save, Reimer can't handle the pressure and goes into sieve-mode registering .900 save% & 2.9 GAA, and Hutchinson stumbles his couple of games when trying to scramble some wins but can't pull a miracle with .910% and 2.75 GAA. And then Dalé calls Kinnear if they've got anyone else than Hutch and Monty, and then Monty is fed to the wolfs when the defense has given up the season already by mid-February.

that was quite the rollercoatser comment. I'd prefer to keep the two headed monster at 1C and 2C, mainly because they're the two best Cs, proven production/growth, faceoff % and Borgstrom isn't ready yet. Why expose the rookie and shake his swagger. Let him earn some winger minutes, learning both on ice and from press box, same with Frankie V.

Reimer stole a good 7-8 games last year, was average for 25 and brutal for 10-12 but so was the defense.
Reim seems to have a split personality like most backups, one decent year and one brutal. Look at his numbers, he's due for a decent year.

 

[RogerRoger]

Hoffman - Barkov - Dadonov
Huberdeau - Trocheck - Malgin
Borgstrom/Vatrano - McCann - Bjugstad
Mamin/Mcginn - Mack - Sceviour

Hoff-Barkov-Dadonov
Vatrano-Tro-Malgin
Huberdeau-Borg-Bjugstad
McGinn-McCann-Sceviour
Mamin

I wonder if Vatrano's game wouldn't fit well with the north and south game of Trocheck. He also has the speed to keep up with him. It certainly wouldn't be a good line defensively (unless Tro turns it around) but it could be really productive. Borg with Bjugstad and Huberdeau would be covered defensively and there's a good passing-shoot combination if Bjugstad believes in his shot again. (Replacing Borg with McCann would work also imo.)

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

Hoff-Barkov-Dadonov
Vatrano-Tro-Malgin
Huberdeau-Borg-Bjugstad
McGinn-McCann-Sceviour
Mamin

I wonder if Vatrano's game wouldn't fit well with the north and south game of Trocheck. He also has the speed to keep up with him. It certainly wouldn't be a good line defensively (unless Tro turns it around) but it could be really productive. Borg with Bjugstad and Huberdeau would be covered defensively and there's a good passing-shoot combination if Bjugstad believes in his shot again. (Replacing Borg with McCann would work also imo.)

I trust Malgin in the top 6 a little bit more than Vatrano who I view as a Pirri type player with better speed and stockier build.
Malgin has the playmaking ability and the shot and figured it was best to surround Tro with two playmakers.

I also like McCanns game and feel it may ruffle some feathers if we give 3C to Borgstrom. If McCann faulters or gets injured then give the Artist a go, otherwise shelter him and Vatrano who have the least experience in the system. Just haven't seen Vatrano enough to know how good his defensive side of things are.

Curious how BB will line them up and we know he was more willing to move guys around, a lot more than GG would.

 

[PanthersHockey1]

Do we think Borg will dress all 82 games this year? I hope so...

 

[I am not exposed]

Do we think Borg will dress all 82 games this year? I hope so...

No.

He will probably spend of his time in the AHL.

 

[Gentle Man]

So.....not Borgstrom anymore?

 

[pb1300]

We have to make a move for Patches now. I know he is another LWer, but he is a 30 goal scorer, can play both ends of the ice, and would really put our offense into the elite status. He wouldnt necessarily have to play in the top six either, we can run him on the 3rd line, and spread out the minutes a bit more evenly. Other teams might have the better top line talent, but few would be able to match our 3 lines, with each line potentially having multiple 20+ goal scorers.

 

[Gizmo Tkachuk]

So.....not Borgstrom anymore?

They'll be lucky to get Bjugstad at this point lol.

This also likely means no sign and trade, so any deal would be for 1yr of Patches

 

[pb1300]

They'll be lucky to get Bjugstad at this point lol.

This also likely means no sign and trade, so any deal would be for 1yr of Patches

Which would seriously hurt his value. He wants to play for the Panthers...Dale, make it happen!

 

[GermanPanther]

Is today the Big Nick Media Day, try to give him a better more known Face?? NHL.com speaked with him tonight. How he and the other now the leader in the Room and how he adjusting his Game to be a Winger now.
Also today his Agent spoke today with KFAN, that he speaks with his his Buddy Dave Tallon. And tallon told him he loves the Kid and he never will trade him. But maybe if the Wild make the right offer for Bjugstad, then Tallon will think about it. But it listen more that Big Nick, will stay with Panthers aslong Dave Tallon is GM.

 

[Bobblebee]

I feel like McCann is a piece that goes the other way if we get Patches. I have no idea why I think that. But I can see it.

 

[RogerRoger]

I feel like McCann is a piece that goes the other way if we get Patches. I have no idea why I think that. But I can see it.

Borgstrom better be ready if they open the spot for him by trading McCann.

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

I would rather just wait a year and get him for free, I think Florida is the only team hes expressed interest in (for some reason )

 

[FrolikFan67]

the plus side of getting him now is getting an extra year because he still has that 1yr left on his 4.5per contract. with dads and hoff only with 2yrs left id like to run that insanely amazing top-6 for 2yrs instead of possibly only 1yr (when those guys need extensions). plus, we need to move out a contract like bjugstad to make room for him regardless, so if it takes bjugstad + 2nd to get him for example then it makes more sense to do it now, having him for an extra year at the cost of a 2nd is worth it to me.

Bjugstad + 2nd
or
Bjugstad + Malgin

 

[Olax]

I am not fully sure about Montreal's roster situation, but here are some things that need to / should be fulfilled if a deal for Pacioretty were to take place:

a) Salary going back. (Basically needs to be Bjugstad or McGinn as a pure cap dump.)
b) Some of our younger roster forwards going back. (McCann, Malgin, Vatrano...)
c) Maybe one of our depth defensemen going back to help them cope with Weber injury. (Petro / Pysyk)
d) Draft pick or prospect depending on the pieces chosen above.

If I were to make a move for Pacioretty, I would like to "unload" some of our forward depth. Again not sure what Montreal's needs/interests really are, but my trade suggestions would be:

Trade option 1
McGinn + Petrovic/Pysyk + 1st round pick / Good prospect (not Borgström / Denisenko)

Trade option 2
Bjugstad + Malgin / Vatrano / 2nd rounder or equal prospect


Trading one of Petrovic / Pysyk would of course require us to acquire a D from somewhere else via trade, but we would otherwise have minimal negative effect on our current forward group by only "losing" McGinn. Bjugstad + for Pacioretty is a little bit closer to a lateral move while possibly messing up our chemistries a little bit, but might be closer to what the Canadiens would want.

-L-

 

[Chino Oscar]

Huberdeau- Barkov - Dadonov
Hoffman - Trocheck - Malgin
Vatrano - McCann - Bjugstad
McGinn - Sceviour - Mamin

Yandle - Ekblad
Matheson - Pysyk
Weegar - Petro/Kiselevich

Malgin and Bjugstad interchangeable, with Mamin capable of playing 3rd line minutes as well. Darkhorses to make team Hawryluk and Repo. Tippett and Borg still have time to develop, no need to rush them unless they completely blow others away in pre-season.

 

[MintyFresh88]

Is Tippett eligible to play in Springfield?

 

[Sparkman112]

Is Tippett eligible to play in Springfield?

Nope. He will be for the 2019-2020 season

 

[I am not exposed]

Is Tippett eligible to play in Springfield?

No, even though it is the best place for him this year.

 

[MintyFresh88]

Nope. He will be for the 2019-2020 season

No, even though it is the best place for him this year.

Here's my guess opening night:

Hoffman - Barkov - Bjugstad
Huberdeau - Trocheck - Dadonov
Vatrano - Malgin - Tippett
McCann - MacKenzie - Sceviour
Haley/McGinn

Yandle - Ekblad
Matheson - Pysyk
Kiselevich - Petrovic
Weegar

Lu
Reims

Borgstrom/Mamin/McCoshen start in Springfield.

 

[pb1300]

Hasnt Dale mentioned a couple of times already the idea of Hoffman playing with Trocheck? I think unless Dale moves Bjugstad, I think we could see:

Dadonov - Barky - Bjugstad
Huby - Trocheck - Hoffman

 

[BeezKnees]

I remember hearing Tallon mentioned he likes having "line pairs" with the third guy being a moveable part. I think he mentioned Dadonov-Barkov and Huby-Trocheck as examples, where they should stay on a line and move other pieces around throughout the year to see what fits