News Article: Training Camp Talk Thread.

[diceman934]

Not so fast now!! Keefe really heaped the responsibility on him and has nothing but compliments about how his game has progressed so much.

His skating is average. Average for a pro. His shot is heavy and he has the intelligence for the pro game. He has a latge frame and is for whatever strage reason come into his own away later than most.

Average pro skater. He gets around with it.

If he was a forward he would pass but as a D man who’s biggest issue is his transition skating it becomes hard to see him be a NHL D man. I watched him closely this playoffs and he was taken advantage of when transitioning from backwards to forwards and from forwards to backwards at the AHL level. I noticed this in the two NHL games as well. He attempts to make up for this by playing with too big of a gap when defending against the rush by protecting the ice behind him and allowing to much ice in front of himself.

 

[Cleetus]

im just pumped there is a training camp thread. it means were getting closer!

 

[Wafflewhipper]

If he was a forward he would pass but as a D man who’s biggest issue is his transition skating it becomes hard to see him be a NHL D man. I watched him closely this playoffs and he was taken advantage of when transitioning from backwards to forwards and from forwards to backwards at the AHL level. I noticed this in the two NHL games as well. He attempts to make up for this by playing with too big of a gap when defending against the rush by protecting the ice behind him and allowing to much ice in front of himself.

Thats some cutting evaluation for a player that took Dermotts spot at the Ahl all star game!!

So his sound positioning and defensive mindset shouldn't be criticized for gap control if he compensates because he knoes his game.

Keefe kept laying more workload on him and speaks highly of him. He is well respected by his teammates and coaches.

I just don't agree and view him as solid depth. Dubas likes him also and thats a leg up.

I just think he will be around and get some playing time with the leafs. I'll just leave it at that because you have seen much more of him than i have by sounds of it. )

 

[Suntouchable13]

I am pretty excited because they did not re-sign the same old mediocre vets like previous Leafs management did.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I can't wait to view the speed of transition game with some young prospects readying for their Nhl careers to take a full time start.

Johnsson and Kappy should be ready without to many more growing painsvwhile they workbtheir way in.

I want to see our possession game in action because i have a hunch only right now.

I think we will be fast on pucks and control more play this season throughout the line up

 

[IBeL34f]

They did good, but they got bounced in the first round of the playoffs. I'm not cheering for this team while hoping for some participation medal, I want the grand prize. I expected them to make the playoffs, to exceed my expectations they would have had to win a round.

A good regular season is fun and all but at the end of the day, it doesn't mean **** if you can't win a playoff round.

Honestly, if you were expecting more than what we got, your expectations were too high - Sure, winning a round would've been amazing, but we absolutely crushed the bars set for us prior to each of the last 2 seasons.

 

[Leafsman]

Honestly, if you were expecting more than what we got, your expectations were too high - Sure, winning a round would've been amazing, but we absolutely crushed the bars set for us prior to each of the last 2 seasons.

Well, obviously, my expectations are too high - I'm a Leaf fan. I used to think we'd win the cup with a team of Matt Stajan, John Mitchell, Jason Blake and Lee Stempniak.

Give me a team of Matthews, Tavares, Nylander and Marner - I have to be careful I don't delude myself into thinking that they will not only win the Stanley Cup but may just go win the Super Bowl and the World Series just for kicks.

My expectations are too high which was the whole meaning of my original post.

 

[DarkKnight]

Thats some cutting evaluation for a player that took Dermotts spot at the Ahl all star game!!

So his sound positioning and defensive mindset shouldn't be criticized for gap control if he compensates because he knoes his game.

Keefe kept laying more workload on him and speaks highly of him. He is well respected by his teammates and coaches.

I just don't agree and view him as solid depth. Dubas likes him also and thats a leg up.

I just think he will be around and get some playing time with the leafs. I'll just leave it at that because you have seen much more of him than i have by sounds of it. )

I put Rosen ahead of Holl odds wise.

 

[IBeL34f]

Well, obviously, my expectations are too high - I'm a Leaf fan. I used to think we'd win the cup with a team of Matt Stajan, John Mitchell, Jason Blake and Lee Stempniak.

Give me a team of Matthews, Tavares, Nylander and Marner - I have to be careful I don't delude myself into thinking that they will not only win the Stanley Cup but may just go win the Super Bowl and the World Series just for kicks.

My expectations are too high which was the whole meaning of my original post.

Ah, ok. Your original post just said 'expectations' rather than 'my expectations' so it seemed like you were referring to the general feelings of the hockey world - Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I put Rosen ahead of Holl odds wise.

This training camp will be giving us lots to watch for from the defense prospects. There is battles to be won there.

Hainsey can't be playing 20 minutes this year if there is a prospect that is even equal in development i believe.

 

[ULF_55]

They did good, but they got bounced in the first round of the playoffs. I'm not cheering for this team while hoping for some participation medal, I want the grand prize. I expected them to make the playoffs, to exceed my expectations they would have had to win a round.

A good regular season is fun and all but at the end of the day, it doesn't mean **** if you can't win a playoff round.

If they don't win a round it is a huge failure.

I like seeing someone come out of the pack ... can't really say that has happened recently. I don't consider 1st. rounders as dogs.

This year, seeing a teenager make the team on defense would be

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I put Rosen ahead of Holl odds wise.

Thats fair because he really crushed it for us in the playoffs and showrd another level of compete.

Oxhiganov gets a long look on the right side also. I think everything he does is slightly better than Zaitsev and he has charisma too.

I'm not knocking Zaitsev but he gets a pass for a two or three month stretch to start the season because injuries teally depleted his game last year.

Hainsey might be the odd man out this year as the 7 th. possibly if things go right anyways.

Ozhiganov had the hatdesy shot at the Khl all stat game a couple seasons ago at 159.47 kilometres per, that approximately 100 Mph.

He shoots hard and its accurate and he has that quick releasr like Franson when its required. It willl be cool to get a look at hom on the smaller ice. He is physical so it could be a easier adjustment for him.

He has a wicked release though.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Ah, ok. Your original post just said 'expectations' rather than 'my expectations' so it seemed like you were referring to the general feelings of the hockey world - Thanks for the clarification.

I think most people believed we could beat either of T-bay or Boston. There was some expectations by the time the season ended and they had a franchise record for points.

Expectations this year gets no pass. They are not allowed to go out in round one and many fans believe the defense needs upgrading.

So trades should be expected to a degree that is high. I love Willy but if he want more than Pastrnak on a deal of kess than 5 years i would trade him like a shot.

Edmonton is starved for offense off the RW and would pay up to get it i am pretty sure. (Just saying) I don't want to trade him. Kadri could get is a boat load right now also!

Its probably a good idea for fans to start viewing the team as the Chicago Blackhawks very soon and don't get to attached to anything but asset management.

We are in win mode now!

 

[Wafflewhipper]

If they don't win a round it is a huge failure.

I like seeing someone come out of the pack ... can't really say that has happened recently. I don't consider 1st. rounders as dogs.

This year, seeing a teenager make the team on defense would be

I think Lilly and Grunny are closer than most suspect to being ready.

 

[Rob Brown]

They did good, but they got bounced in the first round of the playoffs. I'm not cheering for this team while hoping for some participation medal, I want the grand prize. I expected them to make the playoffs, to exceed my expectations they would have had to win a round.

A good regular season is fun and all but at the end of the day, it doesn't mean **** if you can't win a playoff round.

You don't think going from dead last to the playoffs in one season was exceeding expectations?

 

[Cor]

Our defense will be interesting really.

Rielly, Gardiner, Hainsey, Zaitsev, Dermott and Carrick are likely our top 6 at least to start.

Then you have; Calle Rosen, Andreas Borgman, Martin Marincin, Justin Holl, Igor Ozhiganov, and Jordan Subban (depending on who you ask) all competing for 2 spots.

Going to be fun to watch. My guess is Travis Dermott plays most, if not all of the pre-season games to see how each one pairs with him.

 

[IBeL34f]

I think most people believed we could beat either of T-bay or Boston. There was some expectations by the time the season ended and they had a franchise record for points.

Expectations this year gets no pass. They are not allowed to go out in round one and many fans believe the defense needs upgrading.

So trades should be expected to a degree that is high. I love Willy but if he want more than Pastrnak on a deal of kess than 5 years i would trade him like a shot.

Edmonton is starved for offense off the RW and would pay up to get it i am pretty sure. (Just saying) I don't want to trade him. Kadri could get is a boat load right now also!

Its probably a good idea for fans to start viewing the team as the Chicago Blackhawks very soon and don't get to attached to anything but asset management.

We are in win mode now!

The expectation was that we could beat Boston (and we almost did), but the expectation shouldn't have been that we should beat Boston.

Yes, we'd set a franchise record for points, but that itself was outside of pretty much anyone's expectations before the puck dropped in October (with many people still griping about just about anything they possibly could along the way). Hell, some even cited sophomore slumps, improvement from other teams, and less fortune (as far as development and health were concerned) as reasons we could regress in 2017/18. Don't get me wrong, people were excited, with good reason to be, and improvement was certainly expected by most - Some were definitely open-minded enough to think that a season like that was a possibility - but expecting it? I'm not so sure about that.

To be honest, I disagree with pretty much all of the rest of your post - The personnel on our blueline, if utilized properly, is fully capable of winning a Championship behind our forward group, and any need to balance our talent on the back-end can be solved 1) temporarily, by moving Rielly over there instead of Hainsey, 2) long-term with a stud blue-chipper like Liljegren, or 3) through trade with pieces that may not be in our long-term plans (such as an expiring #2/3D in Gardiner) rather than core players.

We're in 'win now' mode, sure, but also 'win for the next 15+' years mode, and keeping guys like Nylander, and patiently developing the youth and prospects that you already have (as opposed to shipping them out as a first possible solution to fill a hole that isn't nearly as large as public perception makes it out to be) is a huge part of that. If you're looking for asset management, trading William Nylander (or Nazem Kadri) would be a pretty bad start, in my opinion.

Frankly, my sights are set even higher than the current Blackhawks - We already have every single thing in-house that we need to build the greatest dyansty since the '90s/'00s Red Wings. My expectation is that we've been on that path basically since Shanahan came on board, and will continue on that path for over a decade, so I'm not gonna stress myself out with things like, "We need to win a Playoff round this year, or else! No exceptions!" while we're still in the early stages of our core players growing together and developing, both despite (and because of) my belief in their ability to already compete with any team in the League on any given night, or over a 7-game series.

'Win now' - with this roster and with this management staff - does not seem to mean 'Win at all costs', and so I don't think that should be the expectation of the fanbase this year (or any, really).

 

[Cor]

Well, obviously, my expectations are too high - I'm a Leaf fan. I used to think we'd win the cup with a team of Matt Stajan, John Mitchell, Jason Blake and Lee Stempniak.

Give me a team of Matthews, Tavares, Nylander and Marner - I have to be careful I don't delude myself into thinking that they will not only win the Stanley Cup but may just go win the Super Bowl and the World Series just for kicks.

My expectations are too high which was the whole meaning of my original post.

I was kinda upset when we traded Matt Stajan and Ian White, but getting Dion Phaneuf was obviously a steal.

Stajan had 55 the year before, and was on pace for 61 points the year we traded him. I definitley thought we were trading someone who could have been a long-term top 6 center for us.

Thankfully, he regressed quiet hard in Calgary, only reaching 30 points once, and barely at that.

Ian White had a 38 point season that year as well. Thought he was going to be a consistent top 4 guy in the NHL, but he bounced around 4 different teams in a 3 year span and then never played in the NHL again.

Funny how things work.

 

[meefer]

My hope is that Babcock investigates the 'less obvious'. Try Nylander at C, Rielly at RD, move Dermott up to 2nd or 1st LD, try Lievo with anyone, move Hyman to RW, throw Pickard in net...anything to find out what we don't know. I know Nylander on Matthews wing is good, as I strongly suspect Tavares will succeed with Marner and Rielly needs a better compliment than Hainsey. Stretch the comfort zone and let's see what we can do.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

The expectation was that we could beat Boston (and we almost did), but the expectation shouldn't have been that we should beat Boston.

Yes, we'd set a franchise record for points, but that itself was outside of pretty much anyone's expectations before the puck dropped in October (with many people still griping about just about anything they possibly could along the way). Hell, some even cited sophomore slumps, improvement from other teams, and less fortune (as far as development and health were concerned) as reasons we could regress in 2017/18. Don't get me wrong, people were excited, with good reason to be, and improvement was certainly expected by most - Some were definitely open-minded enough to think that a season like that was a possibility - but expecting it? I'm not so sure about that.

To be honest, I disagree with pretty much all of the rest of your post - The personnel on our blueline, if utilized properly, is fully capable of winning a Championship behind our forward group, and any need to balance our talent on the back-end can be solved 1) temporarily, by moving Rielly over there instead of Hainsey, 2) long-term with a stud blue-chipper like Liljegren, or 3) through trade with pieces that may not be in our long-term plans (such as an expiring #2/3D in Gardiner) rather than core players.

We're in 'win now' mode, sure, but also 'win for the next 15+' years mode, and keeping guys like Nylander, and patiently developing the youth and prospects that you already have (as opposed to shipping them out as a first possible solution to fill a hole that isn't nearly as large as public perception makes it out to be) is a huge part of that. If you're looking for asset management, trading William Nylander (or Nazem Kadri) would be a pretty bad start, in my opinion.

Frankly, my sights are set even higher than the current Blackhawks - We already have every single thing in-house that we need to build the greatest dyansty since the '90s/'00s Red Wings. My expectation is that we've been on that path basically since Shanahan came on board, and will continue on that path for over a decade, so I'm not gonna stress myself out with things like, "We need to win a Playoff round this year, or else! No exceptions!" while we're still in the early stages of our core players growing together and developing, both despite (and because of) my belief in their ability to already compete with any team in the League on any given night, or over a 7-game series.

'Win now' - with this roster and with this management staff - does not seem to mean 'Win at all costs', and so I don't think that should be the expectation of the fanbase this year (or any, really).

Good post bro! I think lots of fans are comfortable with the low expectations safety blanket though haha )

I think however the team defense needs to improve and the shots against needs to go down significantly.

We can't have players in the lineup that are risky or cheating on offense. Consistent, stable players that have a healthy defensive attitude are needed. Some physical play needs to ramp up somehow also.

This is a great offensive team but the defensive team play will be the determining factor in how far we go in the playoffs.

We need lots of work in them areas and i have expectations that management will be of a mind to recognize it also and act accordingly to fix it now or throughout the season.

Whatever it takes to improve a weak team defense and make us better works for me and like all our players.

 

[meefer]

Good post bro! I think lots of fans are comfortable with the low expectations safety blanket though haha )

I think however the team defense needs to improve and the shots against needs to go down significantly.

We can't have players in the lineup that are risky or cheating on offense. Consistent, stable players that have a healthy defensive attitude are needed. Some physical play needs to ramp up somehow also.

This is a great offensive team but the defensive team play will be the determining factor in how far we go in the playoffs.

We need lots of work in them areas and i have expectations that management will be of a mind to recognize it also and act accordingly to fix it now or throughout the season.

Whatever it takes to improve a weak team defense and make us better works for me and like all our players.

I suspect that Tavares will be a huge influence in creating a more committed defensive attitude with this team. He came here to win and has the chops to 'urge' those not investing towards a more committed style of play. He may not be the best player on the team, but he certainly will be the most respected.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I suspect that Tavares will be a huge influence in creating a more committed defensive attitude with this team. He came here to win and has the chops to 'urge' those not investing towards a more committed style of play. He may not be the best player on the team, but he certainly will be the most respected.

He is a half decent signing )

 

[IBeL34f]

Good post bro! I think lots of fans are comfortable with the low expectations safety blanket though haha )

I think however the team defense needs to improve and the shots against needs to go down significantly.

We can't have players in the lineup that are risky or cheating on offense. Consistent, stable players that have a healthy defensive attitude are needed. Some physical play needs to ramp up somehow also.

This is a great offensive team but the defensive team play will be the determining factor in how far we go in the playoffs.

We need lots of work in them areas and i have expectations that management will be of a mind to recognize it also and act accordingly to fix it now or throughout the season.

Whatever it takes to improve a weak team defense and make us better works for me and like all our players.

JVR/Bozak/Polak out, JT/Johnsson/Carrick in, plus further development from Rielly, Dermott, Zaitsev, Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Hyman, Kapanen, and Brown should all help improve our team D - We've been improving in Goals Against and PK% over the past 4 years, and I expect to see a further improvement in those regards this year. With a different configuration than we used last year (balance the L/R talent better, ease Hainsey's usage, etc.), and with stronger buy-in from our forward group, I think we already have the personnel necessary to be a solid team defensively, especially with our forwards, and a dialed-in Freddy in goal.

I'm a believer in Gardiner, and am happy with the possibility that he'll be retained for at least a few more years, but would definitely entertain the idea of trading him for a RHD. Based on what we have now, I'd be really comfortable rolling pairings like these this year:
Gardiner - Rielly
Dermott/Hainsey - Zaitsev
Hainsey/Dermott - Carrick

As for toughness, I'm always down for adding a banger to the lineup, but I don't care as much about physicality as I do smarts, skills, speed, and competitiveness, so I'm not calling for a big shift in terms of team make-up in that regard. I think the young guys that we have will become more resilient in time as they gain more experience and strength, and we'll see that kind of grit added to their games that's required to win 4 rounds of Playoff hockey.

There's certainly work to be done, but I think a lot has been done already, and people might continue to be surprised by just how good a team we can be this year. It's a very exciting time, I can't wait to see what this group is capable of - But there's also a lot that can be happen between now and April/May/June, so at this point I'm simply looking forward to the ride.

 

[Notsince67]

My hope is that Babcock investigates the 'less obvious'. Try Nylander at C, Rielly at RD, move Dermott up to 2nd or 1st LD, try Lievo with anyone, move Hyman to RW, throw Pickard in net...anything to find out what we don't know. I know Nylander on Matthews wing is good, as I strongly suspect Tavares will succeed with Marner and Rielly needs a better compliment than Hainsey. Stretch the comfort zone and let's see what we can do.

Nylander at C? Why not try Zaitsev at net?

 

[DarkKnight]

This training camp will be giving us lots to watch for from the defense prospects. There is battles to be won there.

Hainsey can't be playing 20 minutes this year if there is a prospect that is even equal in development i believe.

Agreed, Hainsey might also regress this year he's got some miles on him.