Line Combos: Will there be a log jam at left defense next season?

ottomaddox

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Oct 31, 2017
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Rielly
Muzzin
Dermott
*Rosen
Sandin
Borgman
Kivihalme

Are the bottom 3 going to remain on the Marlies?

Does Sandin have more of an upside than Dermott?

What will our D look like?
 
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ACC1224

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I would assume there will be some moves over the summer that will answer that question.
 

Buds17

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Nov 29, 2015
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Add Rosen to that logjam as well. I'd expect Rielly, Muzzin, Dermott and Rosen in the top six, with Dermott playing his off hand side. Maybe Borgman makes the team, but not necessarily the lineup every game. Perhaps Kivihalme earns a starting spot and the team goes with a 5-1 LHD/RHD split as they did once Muzzin replaced Ozhiganov.
 
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One of muzzin or Dermott will play the right side.

Rosen is third pairing.

Sandin likely gets a few games later in the year. Probably not enough to burn an elc year.
 
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SprDaVE

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Nope. Kivihalme will be a Marlies. Sandin will start with the Marlies. Borgman is a depth defenseman at best, probably takes over Marincins role as the press box guy.

Rosen can play the right. Dermott can as well. Rielly too. There are options there. This is what it looks like, more or less, at this time:

Rielly - Dermott
Muzzin - Zaitsev
Rosen - Liljegren
Borgman - Holl

I'd expect a trade or two though.
 
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ShaneFalco

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Hopefully babcock learns to play guys. You can't have them sit on the bench for extended periods of time, and then give them a game here and there and expect them to flourish. And you can't complain about depth when you do that
 

JT AM da real deal

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Rielly - ???
Muzzy - Dermott
Rosen - ???

Z will get traded likely.
Hainsey may come back at right AAV for 1 year.
Gards is gone.
Trades will help fill in the ??? spots.
Sandin and Lily will get another year of development but will both get call up duty.
 

Nineteen67

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Who plays D depends on who they acquire and who they trade, expansion protection, starting ELC clocks, and the cap situation.

They have a lot of work to do just to make the playoffs next year.
 

Ziggdiezan

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Apr 10, 2015
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Nope. Kivihalme will be a Marlies. Sandin will start with the Marlies. Borgman is a depth defenseman at best, probably takes over Marincins role as the press box guy.

Rosen can play the right. Dermott can as well. Rielly too. There are options there. This is what it looks like, more or less, at this time:

Rielly - Dermott
Muzzin - Zaitsev
Rosen - Liljegren
Borgman - Holl

I'd expect a trade or two though.
Agree with everything but the lineup.

I would be very hesitant to put Dermott on the top pairing. He struggled during the playoffs and a bit during the later part of the season in his sheltered 3rd pairing role. I think he should play a year at the 2nd pairing level to see how he does before he is tossed to the wolves on the top pairing.

Well I guess it also depends if Babcock uses Muzzin+Z against other teams best players like during the playoffs and therefore are considered the top pairing.
 

kb

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Who plays D depends on who they acquire and who they trade, expansion protection, starting ELC clocks, and the cap situation.

They have a lot of work to do just to make the playoffs next year.
They have zero worries about expansion - with the young D-men, at least.
 
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Spirit of 67

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I think if Dermott is on his wrong side, we have not had a good summer.

Actually look for him to be traded.
I think we must find a partner for Mo. We will have to pay a price for that player. Given that we have Sandy developing well, some other LD noted here, he's probably expendable.
He will also have to be protected in the E-draft.

If he's not traded, he should be LD3.
 
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SprDaVE

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Agree with everything but the lineup.

I would be very hesitant to put Dermott on the top pairing. He struggled during the playoffs and a bit during the later part of the season in his sheltered 3rd pairing role. I think he should play a year at the 2nd pairing level to see how he does before he is tossed to the wolves on the top pairing.

Well I guess it also depends if Babcock uses Muzzin+Z against other teams best players like during the playoffs and therefore are considered the top pairing.

Dermott is ready. I also think he had a bit of a rough playoff series but was very effective throughout the season, at least before he got injured. He can replace Hainseys role to a certain degree to me.

Either way, like I said, it's not what I think will be the lineup come October... At this time it is though.
 

Ziggdiezan

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Dermott is ready. I also think he had a bit of a rough playoff series but was very effective throughout the season, at least before he got injured. He can replace Hainseys role to a certain degree to me.

Either way, like I said, it's not what I think will be the lineup come October... At this time it is though.
He has been playing some of the most sheltered minutes in the league for a defenseman the past 2 years and you want to play him with Rielly who got among the toughest matchups/Qoc in the entire league last year.

I just dont think it is a recipe for success and may be rushing the kid. Personal opinion of course but it is a big ask especially as your also playing him on his offside
 

SprDaVE

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He has been playing some of the most sheltered minutes in the league for a defenseman the past 2 years and you want to play him with Rielly who got among the toughest matchups/Qoc in the entire league last year.

I just dont think it is a recipe for success and may be rushing the kid. Personal opinion of course but it is a big ask especially as your also playing him on his offside

Yes. That's what development is to me. I think his skillset is far superior to Hainsey and I think he'd be well suited for that kind of role with Rielly. With Muzzin around and maybe even Zaitsev, I think minutes will be distributed quite a bit differently next season.
 

96

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Nope. Kivihalme will be a Marlies. Sandin will start with the Marlies. Borgman is a depth defenseman at best, probably takes over Marincins role as the press box guy.

Rosen can play the right. Dermott can as well. Rielly too. There are options there. This is what it looks like, more or less, at this time:

Rielly - Dermott
Muzzin - Zaitsev
Rosen - Liljegren
Borgman - Holl

I'd expect a trade or two though.
Sandin was better than Liljegren this year imo. But I’d rather have both on the Marlies, even the American D we got from Finland.
 

BlueForever75

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Oct 4, 2017
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With Zaitsev and Gardiner likely gone, our D core looking into July 1st is Reilly, Muzzin, Dermott and Rosen. This leaves 2 slots open. I wouldn't be opposed in signing Hainsey to a 1 yr deal to play the right side with Rosen on bottom pair. It is the slot next to Reilly that needs to be filled. Replacing Gardiner with Rosen is a great start, but we need to find a competent RHD to play in the Top 4 which is an upgrade on Hainsey that was there. Hainsey is an upgrade on bottom pairing over who ever we had there this past season (Oz, Holl, Marincin)
 

Ziggdiezan

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Yes. That's what development is to me. I think his skillset is far superior to Hainsey and I think he'd be well suited for that kind of role with Rielly. With Muzzin around and maybe even Zaitsev, I think minutes will be distributed quite a bit differently next season.
I guess I'm more a fan of the linear development side where you bring him into the league on the 3rd pairing for a year or two then move him onto the 2nd pairing to see how he handles top 6 opposition.

I also think asking Dermott to play with Rielly may stunt Dermott's puck moving/offensive development in a way as he will be asked to play a role he shouldnt be (I.e. a defensive defender to cover Rielly like Hainsey has been doing).

Edit: I would prefer something like:

Muzzin-Rielly
Dermott-Z
 

kb

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Without trades? Dermott?
What I was saying is that the only expansion issues they have is with who is currently on the roster. Lily and Sandin are exempt. Right now I only see Rielly, Muzzin, and Dermott requiring protection.
 

Nineteen67

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What I was saying is that the only expansion issues they have is with who is currently on the roster. Lily and Sandin are exempt. Right now I only see Rielly, Muzzin, and Dermott requiring protection.

Muzzin will be gone and Rielly will be a pending UFA but he and Dermott will require protection. If Dermott is still around.
 

kb

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Muzzin will be gone and Rielly will be a pending UFA but he and Dermott will require protection. If Dermott is still around.
I think Muzzin will be around - his wife likes to be close to home. Rielly will have one year left. I can't see them moving Dermott.
 

Nineteen67

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I think Muzzin will be around - his wife likes to be close to home. Rielly will have one year left. I can't see them moving Dermott.

Re-signing Muzzin will depend on whether they make the playoffs next year and how much turbulence there is.
 

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