deczola
Registered User
So many negative posters here, so many crazy comments about players who play solid roles being garbage etc etc etc
This team is VASTLY BETTER than last year.
Let's start off in net. This season MAF has played about as well as he had in his career. But when we talk about him we only think postseason. In past years I was horrified at him being our backstop but something changed this year, maybe the DB cancer leaving was what he needed. Mike J runs a more structured system and MAF has flourished this year. I'm expecting him to play as well in the regular season as this coming postseason. Our backup is better from last year. He fights off everything and never looks truly solid in net but he has fight in him. We are better here than last year.
Defense: No more Engelland, he was a truly awful D man. No more Borts, who I once thought could be solid but just runs around the ice looking for hits and playing bad D. No more Despres, no more waiting for him to be something, no more having to watch him play dumb hockey like Borts. Letang is greatly improved and healthy from last year, too many negative things said about him here (Cole) when every team in the NHL would love to have him. Martin is still rock solid. Cole is an ok #6 D man. Lovejoy is better suited for our team. Scuds does what they pay him for. DP I truly believe we will see great things from within two seasons. Erhoff is another solid puck mover when IF healthy will help this team. Last year we had Matt N who was greatly overpaid by Caps and is over rated and Orpik who was better than given credit for. This D core is better than last year due to no longer having to run out DE and RB. If we had Maata this would be a near elite D core.
Offense: We are light years better here than last year. I think our bottom six last year was Sutter, Adams, Glass, Vitale, Stepniak and Gibbons. That was painful to type. Sutter is a solid #3 center, does his D role well, if he ever had strength this dude would be perfect for this role. Tanner Glass was garbage. Gibbons had speed and that's it. Vitale was a borderline #4 center on his best day. Only Step I rated as solid. We no longer will have to watch Neal commit dumb penalties in the playoffs.....praise the lord. Perron will get some post season goals for us. Hornqvist was traded for what he can bring in the postseason than what he can bring during the regular season. Kunitz will be his normal unselfish self. Players like Winnik and Comeau will chip in some goals. BB has been playing a solid game recently, eventually he will get some points. Maxim/Adams/Downie each bring a certain aspect to their game and they are our rotation as our 11th and 12th players. Spaling is solid for what he is.
Coaching is light years better than last years.
You need a lot of things to go right to win a Cup. You need solid play in all three zones, someone solid in net, luck (some bounces) and not the greatest talent, but a group of players that have an ability to chip in towards making it all happen.
This team heading into the postseason is a few steps better than the team last year. I know we look bad at times and play some bad hockey in the months of Jan and Feb, but let me remind you that the Kings were hard pressed to score 2 goals during a long stretch last year and they won the Cup. I've been around long enough to know that Cups are not won in February but in April/May/June.
This team is VASTLY BETTER than last year.
Let's start off in net. This season MAF has played about as well as he had in his career. But when we talk about him we only think postseason. In past years I was horrified at him being our backstop but something changed this year, maybe the DB cancer leaving was what he needed. Mike J runs a more structured system and MAF has flourished this year. I'm expecting him to play as well in the regular season as this coming postseason. Our backup is better from last year. He fights off everything and never looks truly solid in net but he has fight in him. We are better here than last year.
Defense: No more Engelland, he was a truly awful D man. No more Borts, who I once thought could be solid but just runs around the ice looking for hits and playing bad D. No more Despres, no more waiting for him to be something, no more having to watch him play dumb hockey like Borts. Letang is greatly improved and healthy from last year, too many negative things said about him here (Cole) when every team in the NHL would love to have him. Martin is still rock solid. Cole is an ok #6 D man. Lovejoy is better suited for our team. Scuds does what they pay him for. DP I truly believe we will see great things from within two seasons. Erhoff is another solid puck mover when IF healthy will help this team. Last year we had Matt N who was greatly overpaid by Caps and is over rated and Orpik who was better than given credit for. This D core is better than last year due to no longer having to run out DE and RB. If we had Maata this would be a near elite D core.
Offense: We are light years better here than last year. I think our bottom six last year was Sutter, Adams, Glass, Vitale, Stepniak and Gibbons. That was painful to type. Sutter is a solid #3 center, does his D role well, if he ever had strength this dude would be perfect for this role. Tanner Glass was garbage. Gibbons had speed and that's it. Vitale was a borderline #4 center on his best day. Only Step I rated as solid. We no longer will have to watch Neal commit dumb penalties in the playoffs.....praise the lord. Perron will get some post season goals for us. Hornqvist was traded for what he can bring in the postseason than what he can bring during the regular season. Kunitz will be his normal unselfish self. Players like Winnik and Comeau will chip in some goals. BB has been playing a solid game recently, eventually he will get some points. Maxim/Adams/Downie each bring a certain aspect to their game and they are our rotation as our 11th and 12th players. Spaling is solid for what he is.
Coaching is light years better than last years.
You need a lot of things to go right to win a Cup. You need solid play in all three zones, someone solid in net, luck (some bounces) and not the greatest talent, but a group of players that have an ability to chip in towards making it all happen.
This team heading into the postseason is a few steps better than the team last year. I know we look bad at times and play some bad hockey in the months of Jan and Feb, but let me remind you that the Kings were hard pressed to score 2 goals during a long stretch last year and they won the Cup. I've been around long enough to know that Cups are not won in February but in April/May/June.
