Yzerman Has Some MAJOR Work To Do

[Flat Ronnie]

After watching this game against Pittsburgh tonight you can see how much better that team is than us. No question about it.

We have major holes in our bottom six and on defense. Not only do we have to massively upgrade the defense (somehow) but we have to replace Boyle and upgrade our forward depth.

It is also concerning that guys we needed to rely on once Stamkos went down in Killorn, Palat and TyJo (although he has come on the last few weeks) have been very disappointing.

Yzerman has A LOT of work to do to get us to the level of Pittsburgh or Washington.

Click to read more...

 

[Sky04]

Wouldn't compare to Pittsburgh in play style, they love dominating the offensive zone and pinning down defenses, we don't and won't have the players capable of that.

We however should be playing MUCH more like Chicago who plays a counter attack type offense to perfection. Pittsburgh played exactly like this against Chicago the other day and pinned then in for extended time only to have Kane catch them on one bad change and turned the game over completely.

Talent wise we should match Chicago up and down the lineup, except they have a coach that caters to their very makeshift. We have a coach trying to play like Pittsburgh with a Chicago roster. Yzerman doesn't have to do much, add a piece of two, we already have a ton of talent but a coach that uses it wrong.

 

[Bolt 45]

Wouldn't compare to Pittsburgh in play style, they love dominating the offensive zone and pinning down defenses, we don't and won't have the players capable of that.

We however should be playing MUCH more like Chicago who plays a counter attack type offense to perfection. Pittsburgh played exactly like this against Chicago the other day and pinned then in for extended time only to have Kane catch them on one bad change and turned the game over completely.

Talent wise we should match Chicago up and down the lineup, except they have a coach that caters to their very makeshift. We have a coach trying to play like Pittsburgh with a Chicago roster. Yzerman doesn't have to do much, add a piece of two, we already have a ton of talent but a coach that uses it wrong.

I agree. I thought we actually looked like the more dangerous team until Pittsburgh scored, then we just backed off. For no reason. Not sure if that was on Coop or the players. Pittsburgh's defense is very beatable on the counter, but once their team gets back in position they just wall off their net, and nothing from the perimeter gets through. Then they just Crosby and Malkin you to death if your D can't skate well enough to play the body. I actually thought we started to get that part right in the third, but Sustr couldn't help himself.

 

[dechire]

Teams like Pittsurgh and Washington fired their underperforming coaches before they had a turnaround. Yzerman should start with that.

 

[DFC]

At the same time, I don't think this is really fair. Not only do those teams have the benefit of generational players, but Ovi is what? 31? Crosby and Malkin are closing in on 30. It took those teams a long time to get where they're at, and we've actually had more success than the Caps in the playoffs.

It's been a rough year, but we have some good building blocks here and our key pieces are still very young.

Not that I would mind a new coach.

 

[Sky04]

At the same time, I don't think this is really fair. Not only do those teams have the benefit of generational players, but Ovi is what? 31? Crosby and Malkin are closing in on 30. It took those teams a long time to get where they're at, and we've actually had more success than the Caps in the playoffs.

It's been a rough year, but we have some good building blocks here and our key pieces are still very young.

Not that I would mind a new coach.

One thing of major concern is that Crosby/Penguins and Toews/Chicago got one or two chances at the cup early in their careers and capitalized which set the foundation for their teams ever since. Crosby won in his 4th year after going back to back finals, he didn't fail twice. The Blackhawks went to the WCF for the first time as a young team in 2009, then came back in 2010 and took the whole thing.

Tampa blew both chances they had in 2015 and 2016 ironically to both those teams. Winning it all on that 2nd chance at a young age was extremely important for both teams, because after continuous failures going deep all you do is get a bigger monkey on your back every year. At this rate, we're more likely to fall in line with the Rangers/Capitals/Sharks playoff history than we do with the Penguins/Blackhawks.

 

[DFC]

One thing of major concern is that Crosby/Penguins and Toews/Chicago got one or two chances at the cup early in their careers and capitalized which set the foundation for their teams ever since. Crosby won in his 4th year after going back to back finals, he didn't fail twice. The Blackhawks went to the WCF for the first time as a young team in 2009, then came back in 2010 and took the whole thing.

Tampa blew both chances they had in 2015 and 2016 ironically to both those teams. Winning it all on that 2nd chance at a young age was extremely important for both teams, because after continuous failures going deep all you do is get a bigger monkey on your back every year. At this rate, we're more likely to fall in line with the Rangers/Capitals/Sharks playoff history than we do with the Penguins/Blackhawks.

You might be right about the effect of failure, but I think it's also worth noting that both of those teams spent some years in the wilderness in between runs as contenders (or, in the Hawks' case, a borderline dynasty).

 

[The Gongshow]

D needs improvement, add another depth forward plus a return of Stamkos next year and we should be loads better

Our top 6 with Stamkos is already a lot better than it is now. Our bottom 6 is... questionable...

100% need a new coach, Cooper is a dud. He's not able to adapt on the fly and hasn't made smart coaching decisions whether it be with starting goalies, who to scratch and bench, as well as line juggling or combo's. Right now he's relying only on TKO and by that I mean Kucherov.

 

[Rschmitz]

Our top 9 could be very impressive if Yzerman signs Gusev. You still have to keep either Point or Namestnikov at #3 though.

Who would you all add to the bottom line?

 

[Flat Ronnie]

Our top 9 could be very impressive if Yzerman signs Gusev. You still have to keep either Point or Namestnikov at #3 though.

Who would you all add to the bottom line?

Preferable someone with size.

 

[Rschmitz]

Preferable someone with size.

My personal favorites to pick up would be Viktor Stalberg, Daniel Winnik, or Dwight King. Obviously we all want Boyle back though.

For righty defense Cody Franson

 

[HoseEmDown]

If we sign Gusev and he goes all Panarin then we're in trouble. He's gonna wanna get paid. We are trying to clear up cap space for this summer, we will have to for next summer for him then the following year for Kucherov. We will be in some serious cap hell a few years. Callahan is around the next 3 years and those will be years we could use that 5.8 a lot. No Callahan we could have Gusev go Panarin with him we can't. We also won't have much money to fix the defense.

 

[Volodya Krutov]

If we sign Gusev and he goes all Panarin then we're in trouble. He's gonna wanna get paid. We are trying to clear up cap space for this summer, we will have to for next summer for him then the following year for Kucherov. We will be in some serious cap hell a few years. Callahan is around the next 3 years and those will be years we could use that 5.8 a lot. No Callahan we could have Gusev go Panarin with him we can't. We also won't have much money to fix the defense.

That's a luxury problem pal. If Gusev is that good you either make room for him by moving a well-paid but lesser winger, Killorn or even Palat... Or you just use him as one shot and let him walk (if you make the playoffs) at season ends. There's nothing wrong with that and one year is better than nothing.

But discussing Gusev seems more and more like a pipe dream anyway. The complete silence surrounding his future in the NHL doesn't make me optimistic at all.

 

[Todd1a]

Teams like Pittsurgh and Washington fired their underperforming coaches before they had a turnaround. Yzerman should start with that.

Yes

 

[Todd1a]

After we sign palat, drouin and Johnson we will be capped out again! So really we won't improve at all. We could sign gusev if he decided to come over then that would help!

 

[Leonardo87]

After we sign palat, drouin and Johnson we will be capped out again! So really we won't improve at all. We could sign gusev if he decided to come over then that would help!

To improve defense need to move Garrison and Coburn. That is plenty of cap there to bring in someone. Don't need a top pairing guy just a 3 or #4, and what Shattenkirk wants good thing he likely won't sign with Tampa. Too much for a questionable top pairing guy and too much if he will be Tampa's 3 or #4.

 

[FDfranklin]

After we sign palat, drouin and Johnson we will be capped out again! So really we won't improve at all. We could sign gusev if he decided to come over then that would help!

Well Palat shouldn't be getting much of a raise after the season he's having.

 

[Master P]

I think the biggest thing is not having Stamkos. If he's in the line up then that changes the whole dynamic of the game imo.

 

[These Are The Days]

There's a few housekeeping moves that we need to make but I'm optimistic about next year's roster.

What we have to remember is that our defense was/is predicated upon zone possession by our forwards. If we're hounding the puck in the offensive zone then the defense doesn't have anything to really do out there. The guys we have like Stralman, Garrison and Coburn aren't gonna cut it when every series on offense is a one and done. Simply put the defense was not/is not built to sustain offensive onslaughts and that's why everything has become such a fire drill.

So I approach next year with the following moves

1a. Get Stamkos and Callahan healthy enough to play next year
1b. Sign Gusev to a 3 year deal at least so Callahan's hit comes off the book in time for Gusev's raise
2. Do no re-sign Sustr
3. Pay off Vegas to not take either Coburn or Garrison
4. Let Namestnikov be taken via expansion
5. Re-sign Boyle if he's willing to come back
6. Re-sign Budaj if he's successful as our backup for this year

*drumroll please*

HOPEFULLY Sunny's team next year despite having no clue about who will be playing the right side on the defensive pairs

Drouin-Stamkos-Kucherov
Palat-Johnson-Gusev
Killorn-Point-Callahan
Erne-Boyle-Brown

Hedman-Stralman
Garrison-Coburn
Koekkoek-Dotchin

Vasilevskiy
Budaj

It's a good lineup. It's a playoff caliber team for certain

 

[DFC]

I think the biggest thing is not having Stamkos. If he's in the line up then that changes the whole dynamic of the game imo.

I don't think even that's as big as our ineffective breakout.

 

[These Are The Days]

Now perhaps Cooper's greatest fault as a coach was that too many guys on this team did not a clearly defined role. Think about 2004. Torts had the top 6 (whom he mixed amongst each other) and a bottom 6. It was cut and dry and I think that was a pivotal part of our success. Fast forward to 2017 and guys like Point, Namestnikov, Killorn, Filppula float up and down the lineup so much that I can't be certain that it's not a major fault for their inconsistencies. However, Killorn is the only guy I can say that this really has an effect on and I've watched the other pass-happy forwards enough on the ice to know that's the kind of players they are anyway.

But I don't get on Coop about this too much because if they were just slotted in the top 6 and bottom 6 and they just stayed there, then Cooper would be failing to make any on-ice adjustments to his team. When you're down 2-1 with 10 minutes ago you don't have 3 games for guys like Filppula and Killorn to warm up with their new linemates. For the last few years we've had about 9 guys we can mix up and it has not gone well. However, I think if Callahan comes back healthy we need to just pair him with Killorn (with whom he plays fantastic) and Point and clearly define their roles as 3rd line players who can get power play time and PK duties. As for the bottom guys, Erne would just be paying his dues like everyone else before him playing 4th line.

But with all that said, an offseason to mentally recharge their batteries and heal up is what the doctor ordered for these guys. And if my dream team actually comes to fruition and Coop can't get us back to the playoffs then I say off with his head.

I'm willing to be patient because I don't think anyone would have succeeded behind the Lightning bench this year under these conditions. It seemed like from the very first night with that crazy ass bounce that was scored on Bishop that this was the year that wasn't meant to be.

 

[Todd1a]

There's a few housekeeping moves that we need to make but I'm optimistic about next year's roster.

What we have to remember is that our defense was/is predicated upon zone possession by our forwards. If we're hounding the puck in the offensive zone then the defense doesn't have anything to really do out there. The guys we have like Stralman, Garrison and Coburn aren't gonna cut it when every series on offense is a one and done. Simply put the defense was not/is not built to sustain offensive onslaughts and that's why everything has become such a fire drill.

So I approach next year with the following moves

1a. Get Stamkos and Callahan healthy enough to play next year
1b. Sign Gusev to a 3 year deal at least so Callahan's hit comes off the book in time for Gusev's raise
2. Do no re-sign Sustr
3. Pay off Vegas to not take either Coburn or Garrison
4. Let Namestnikov be taken via expansion
5. Re-sign Boyle if he's willing to come back
6. Re-sign Budaj if he's successful as our backup for this year

*drumroll please*

HOPEFULLY Sunny's team next year despite having no clue about who will be playing the right side on the defensive pairs

Drouin-Stamkos-Kucherov
Palat-Johnson-Gusev
Killorn-Point-Callahan
Erne-Boyle-Brown

Hedman-Stralman
Garrison-Coburn
Koekkoek-Dotchin

Vasilevskiy
Budaj

It's a good lineup. It's a playoff caliber team for certain

Gusev won't do three years he will do a two year entry so he can get paid faster . Far as I know he is under contract to the khl for 2017-2018

 

[Todd1a]

There's a few housekeeping moves that we need to make but I'm optimistic about next year's roster.

What we have to remember is that our defense was/is predicated upon zone possession by our forwards. If we're hounding the puck in the offensive zone then the defense doesn't have anything to really do out there. The guys we have like Stralman, Garrison and Coburn aren't gonna cut it when every series on offense is a one and done. Simply put the defense was not/is not built to sustain offensive onslaughts and that's why everything has become such a fire drill.

So I approach next year with the following moves

1a. Get Stamkos and Callahan healthy enough to play next year
1b. Sign Gusev to a 3 year deal at least so Callahan's hit comes off the book in time for Gusev's raise
2. Do no re-sign Sustr
3. Pay off Vegas to not take either Coburn or Garrison
4. Let Namestnikov be taken via expansion
5. Re-sign Boyle if he's willing to come back
6. Re-sign Budaj if he's successful as our backup for this year

*drumroll please*

HOPEFULLY Sunny's team next year despite having no clue about who will be playing the right side on the defensive pairs

Drouin-Stamkos-Kucherov
Palat-Johnson-Gusev
Killorn-Point-Callahan
Erne-Boyle-Brown

Hedman-Stralman
Garrison-Coburn
Koekkoek-Dotchin

Vasilevskiy
Budaj

It's a good lineup. It's a playoff caliber team for certain

Forwards and goalies are great but the defense is not resolved got to upgrade from coburn or garrison!

 

[DFC]

There's a few housekeeping moves that we need to make but I'm optimistic about next year's roster.

What we have to remember is that our defense was/is predicated upon zone possession by our forwards. If we're hounding the puck in the offensive zone then the defense doesn't have anything to really do out there. The guys we have like Stralman, Garrison and Coburn aren't gonna cut it when every series on offense is a one and done. Simply put the defense was not/is not built to sustain offensive onslaughts and that's why everything has become such a fire drill.

So I approach next year with the following moves

1a. Get Stamkos and Callahan healthy enough to play next year
1b. Sign Gusev to a 3 year deal at least so Callahan's hit comes off the book in time for Gusev's raise
2. Do no re-sign Sustr
3. Pay off Vegas to not take either Coburn or Garrison
4. Let Namestnikov be taken via expansion
5. Re-sign Boyle if he's willing to come back
6. Re-sign Budaj if he's successful as our backup for this year

*drumroll please*

HOPEFULLY Sunny's team next year despite having no clue about who will be playing the right side on the defensive pairs

Drouin-Stamkos-Kucherov
Palat-Johnson-Gusev
Killorn-Point-Callahan
Erne-Boyle-Brown

Hedman-Stralman
Garrison-Coburn
Koekkoek-Dotchin

Vasilevskiy
Budaj

It's a good lineup. It's a playoff caliber team for certain

I think we're gonna need more balance. Unless by some miracle we can get everyone under the cap and still have room for a defenseman, one of those forwards is going to have to go to acquire one. That line up is basically the Dallas Stars + Hedman.

Also, I think Sustr has some value and we can probably get a pick for him, if only for the intrigue/project factor. I'm hoping we move on, if only so we can save a few bucks. (I'm assuming he'll want a raise.)

 

[Maelmoor]

To sort out bottom six is not something I'm worried about, that is the "easy" part. Goaltending is a concern but we have Vasy so it will be up to him, just need to have a decent back-up, Budaj or someone else.

Main area of focus needs to be the defense which will be the tricky area to sort out and the most crucial one..