The Full Tank (Part 1)

[72hockey guy]

I think they have an open mind they sent down people to let them develop properly, which is as it should be. if the team shows it capable they will act accordingly and add if it shows itself to be less than competitive they will subtract. its as it should be. the defense is Poor and injury prone and I doubt it is going to withstand the rigors of the season. so I figure in the end we will like water, find our true level.

Leddy - Pulock
Boychuck-Pelech
Hickey- Mayfield
Sbisa- Seidenberg-Toews

is bad and when injuries come it will be laughable

yore only as good as your weakest link

this is ours

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

yore only as good as your weakest link

this is ours

Have you seen the goalies?

 

[YearlyLottery]

Tanking? Getting rid of Tavares was addition by subtraction. I think they might win the Cup!

 

[72hockey guy]

Have you seen the goalies?

RDC, goalies are only as good as the D in front of them. Jacques Plante couldnt save this defense. wait til boychuck gets banged up as usual

 

[danteipp]

I think Lou wants to be competitive most nights and see the young players make progress. Figure out the vets (Lee, Eberle and/or Nelson extensions) and add one more big piece.

If the Isles end up in the lottery, he will look at Bettman and the Isles will end up with a top-three pick. Add that 2C and go to battle next year with Dobson and Wahlstrom ready to the existing core.

Hopefully the bottom six gets sorted out and the Isles find a franchise goalie (Sorokin?).

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

RDC, goalies are only as good as the D in front of them. Jacques Plante couldnt save this defense. wait til boychuck gets banged up as usual

I get ya. Just, in this case, the goalies are so bad, they make everything else pale in comparison.

 

[eoin92]

Remember when the Seattle Mariners lost the best player in the game at the time to free agency and proceeded to suck the next season? Oh wait, they won 116 games that year. WITHOUT A-rod.

I posted about the “Ewing Effect” in another thread. It talks about teams losing their best player and then going on to play even better. Mentions Seattle situation.

Sports Guy: Ewing Theory 101 - ESPN Page 2
3. Seattle Mariners, 2000: After allegedly "giving up on the season" by dealing their marquee player (Junior Griffey) eight months after dealing their marquee pitcher (the Big Unit), the Mariners cruise to an AL wild-card berth and shock the White Sox in the first round.
7. Boston Red Sox & Seattle Mariners, 2001 (ongoing): Written off after Nomar Garciaparra's wrist injury and Alex Rodriguez's departure, both teams cruise to the top of their respective divisions during the first five weeks of the seasoN.

 

[MikeyMike01]

I'm worried that Lou is trying to turn this franchise into a replica of his old New Jersey Devils who were without question the most boring team in the league to watch. No surprise he didn't jump at JHS and Bellows even though he talked about the importance of speed and youth. You can tell he wasn't the main architect in Toronto but now that he has the power it's going to be a slow, hard hitting, grinding team. Only problem is the refs are calling a closer game these days. Not to mention we don't have the hall of Fame goaltender who was necessary for all of New jersey's 2-1 or 3-2 wins.

I'd be cool with an extremely boring Stanley Cup championship

 

[danteipp]

I posted about the “Ewing Effect” in another thread. It talks about teams losing their best player and then going on to play even better. Mentions Seattle situation.

Sports Guy: Ewing Theory 101 - ESPN Page 2
3. Seattle Mariners, 2000: After allegedly "giving up on the season" by dealing their marquee player (Junior Griffey) eight months after dealing their marquee pitcher (the Big Unit), the Mariners cruise to an AL wild-card berth and shock the White Sox in the first round.
7. Boston Red Sox & Seattle Mariners, 2001 (ongoing): Written off after Nomar Garciaparra's wrist injury and Alex Rodriguez's departure, both teams cruise to the top of their respective divisions during the first five weeks of the seasoN.

To me, one of the biggest examples of this was the University of Tennessee in the late 1990's. They had Peyton Manning, one of the greatest college and pro QBs of all time but couldn't win the big game, especially against the University of Florida.

Manning goes to the NFL and Tee Martin steps in and wins the national championship. Tee Martin went 13-0 his junior season and took down Florida State doe the title. He also went 11-1 in two seasons against his top SEC rivals.

After Manning left, the very good talent at UT just seemed to come together and elevated their game to the next level. And, as a UF fan, that was not fun to watch, lol.

Maybe the Isles can do something similar, bond and gel as a competitive team that is hard to play against and grinds out wins. There is talent on the roster and in the system after all.

 

[Quickdraw2828]

I'd be cool with an extremely boring Stanley Cup championship

Well all we need is the next Brodeur. No big deal.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

I just think he's open to all possibilities, brought a lot of guys on one yea deals to use as assets if we stink and also is willing to see how the team performs.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

I posted about the “Ewing Effect” in another thread. It talks about teams losing their best player and then going on to play even better. Mentions Seattle situation.

Sports Guy: Ewing Theory 101 - ESPN Page 2
3. Seattle Mariners, 2000: After allegedly "giving up on the season" by dealing their marquee player (Junior Griffey) eight months after dealing their marquee pitcher (the Big Unit), the Mariners cruise to an AL wild-card berth and shock the White Sox in the first round.
7. Boston Red Sox & Seattle Mariners, 2001 (ongoing): Written off after Nomar Garciaparra's wrist injury and Alex Rodriguez's departure, both teams cruise to the top of their respective divisions during the first five weeks of the seasoN.

Is there an article about teams that lose their best player then proceed to stink? I'm guessing that article would be 1099023498 times longer.

 

[eoin92]

Is there an article about teams that lose their best player then proceed to stink? I'm guessing that article would be 1099023498 times longer.

Yeah, but this theory gives me straws to grasp at.

 

[Bird Boys]

I just saw the lineup on paper for this first time and was shocked! I believe that management is not tanking, and that is what I'm most frightened of.

 

[LeapOnOver]

I posted about the “Ewing Effect” in another thread. It talks about teams losing their best player and then going on to play even better. Mentions Seattle situation.

Sports Guy: Ewing Theory 101 - ESPN Page 2
3. Seattle Mariners, 2000: After allegedly "giving up on the season" by dealing their marquee player (Junior Griffey) eight months after dealing their marquee pitcher (the Big Unit), the Mariners cruise to an AL wild-card berth and shock the White Sox in the first round.
7. Boston Red Sox & Seattle Mariners, 2001 (ongoing): Written off after Nomar Garciaparra's wrist injury and Alex Rodriguez's departure, both teams cruise to the top of their respective divisions during the first five weeks of the seasoN.

I think you are missing a big piece of the Ewing Theory. The Ewing theory does not state that sucky teams lose their best player and are still competitive. The Ewing Theory states that good teams could lose their best player and become better than what they were. We are nowhere near as competitive a franchise as groups on that list. The Ewing Theory has nothing to do with us, lol.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I don't believe its in Lou's DNA to tank. Saying that, unlike his last years with the Devils. He is being patient by not trading picks, and not rushing his prized prospects. I also believe he is adding character to instill a winning culture that will pay off in time. Lou knows he is not going to win a Cup this year, but a longer range plan is in play here. In the end it's hard to tank for a 18% chance of drafting Hughes. You could be on the other side of 82% of not getting him too. I believe he will try to win with what he's got, without sacrificing the future. Let the chips fall where they may.

 

[NC 1972]

I don't believe its in Lou's DNA to tank. Saying that, unlike his last years with the Devils. He is being patient by not trading picks, and not rushing his prized prospects. I also believe he is adding character to instill a winning culture that will pay off in time. Lou knows he is not going to win a Cup this year, but a longer range plan is in play here. In the end it's hard to tank for a 18% chance of drafting Hughes. You could be on the other side of 82% of not getting him too. I believe he will try to win with what he's got, without sacrificing the future. Let the chips fall where they may.

There was a time when the devils could have tanked under Lou and would have been guaranteed Mario but instead settled for second to last and wound up with Kirk Muller. That should tell you something.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

There was a time when the devils could have tanked under Lou and would have been guaranteed Mario but instead settled for second to last and wound up with Kirk Muller. That should tell you something.

Mario won 2 cups. Lou won 3. Both did well. But I don't think Lou would trade the extra cup even for a player as great as Mario. That should tell you all you need to know about that.

 

[NC 1972]

Mario won 2 cups. Lou won 3. Both did well. But I don't think Lou would trade the extra cup even for a player as great as Mario. That should tell you all you need to know about that.

The point was Lou doesn't tank even when there's a player of Mario's caliber available. At that time he had no cups and had no knowledge how many he or anyone else for that matter would win.

 

[ndgolden]

How do you to cultivate a winning tradition with your players if they feel their coach and GM are putting them in a position to lose?

It would completely undermine everything they are trying to change with this organization. 100% commitment from every player, every nite, regardless of their role is what they are asking for IMHO.

This team is short quite a few pieces, but passengers will will have a very short ride if effort is questioned. That will be this seasons redeeming theme I believe.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

It seems like just another approach to competing.

It's the opportunity to use Tavares' departure to change culture, evaluate players throughout the organization, and watch hopefully important future cogs mature in a manner where management & coaching get to introduce them at their pace.

I still think this team will battle for the 8th PO spot in a season where improvement will come incrementally throughout.

I also still think that the roster will look a LOT different next year at this time.

 

[sabremike]

There was a time when the devils could have tanked under Lou and would have been guaranteed Mario but instead settled for second to last and wound up with Kirk Muller. That should tell you something.

That was in 1984 and I believe Lou didn't join the Devils organization until 1987.

 

[aronjudge11]

It seems like just another approach to competing.

It's the opportunity to use Tavares' departure to change culture, evaluate players throughout the organization, and watch hopefully important future cogs mature in a manner where management & coaching get to introduce them at their pace.

I still think this team will battle for the 8th PO spot in a season where improvement will come incrementally throughout.

I also still think that the roster will look a LOT different next year at this time.

The amazing thing is, if JT had signed, last summer or before the end of this season, Malkin probably keeps his buds, snow and weight, since all decisions were going through JT. If Snow is kept, most of these other people never get hired as snow preferred yes men, who were generally unqualified for their position and inexperienced at best.

 

[Uncle Duke]

I think we all have to admit that we really don't have a clue what LL is trying to do in the short run. I do know what he is trying to accomplish in the long run; the same thing every other GM is trying to accomplish in the long run. Whether he will be as successful an architect now as he was during the no-cap/trap era remains to be seen.

 

[eoin92]

I think you are missing a big piece of the Ewing Theory. The Ewing theory does not state that sucky teams lose their best player and are still competitive. The Ewing Theory states that good teams could lose their best player and become better than what they were. We are nowhere near as competitive a franchise as groups on that list. The Ewing Theory has nothing to do with us, lol.

Obviously you haven’t been paying attention, we have Tanner Fritz! He’s the good Fritz.