conundrumed

Why is this necessary? One thing we need to remember is that vets, including most goalies, don't look for success in the preseason. They get into game shape and they build it up slowly. They have nothing to prove, they've done this year after year. What I see year after year, is the NHL looks like the AHL for the first 10-odd games. Then the men get separated from the boys. The NHLers from those that need more seasoning. It pays to be patient and not look at preseason as anything more than scrimmage games. Detroit just went 7-1, for example. Preseason is no time to make judgment on the play. It's just trying things.

Let Smith know who is in charge. Should be interesting to see Smith's preseason reps. Half games, maybe? Should surprise no one when Rittich takes the backup. If Smith gets injured...that was last year. What really surprises me with Rittich is struggling with consistency. He's a good goalie .Keep him in the moment. lol

I hear you. I'm much the same. The game is inconsistent, stats are trying to show consistencies. It's become an industry over the last decade. We went from terrible Corsi, happy-go-lucky and fun to watch with a playoff birth. To respectable Corsi, boring as all get out, no success and incredibly frustrating to watch. The possession game is waaay over rated if you aren't playing with the lead, for example. I hope Peters' sock drawer is in disarray. Not neatly refined right down to day of the week. So to speak. Let your horses run, stats be damned. Hoping Peters knows where the line is, unlike GG. Hopefully Peters isn't so sensitive to their needs to stay out of the locker room after games. You win and lose as a team, including the coach.

I'd say it's more that his mind never stops racing. If he doesn't have a shrink, he needs one. Great mind, but he has to come down a ways before he explodes.

Peeps, fake news. He didn't actually inhale. He puffs and blows it out immediately. Makes him cool with the kids though, cutting move on his part. Forefinger to the established, good on him. I'd call it an eventual victory.

It is camp. Why is anyone getting hung up on it? Having a good camp doesn't mean never give up a goal or "hey that guy scored 8". This is getting your cars tuned up, not winning the Indy. The vets know. It's a long season, why go hard in preseason? I've been watching games all over, it's <ECHL hockey to start camp. It's about learning things. Wins gets you 0 points. TBay could go 0-6 in the preseason. It only tells me that they're working hard with different things. It means nothing.

Just to break up what I think will be a really *yaaawwn* compelling internet fight read... I think you're right. It's McIlhenny or Pickard imo. McIlhenhy was so solid last year, it's a tough call. Pickard is borderline 4th on the depth chart, I'd lose him on the cheap personally. Unless he prefers A backup or E starter. As for that other thing, get lighter is my only advice...

But I do apologize Horsman, didn't mean to jump all over you. Not a Dominion Bridge fan. Thought they were out of business, honestly. Are they back? And still Quebec-based? They were bought out and eventually shut 'er in I thought. Quebec has a bunch of great companies, so it isn't being Quebec-based. The tech coming out of Quebec is our research province, hands down. World class. A pretty good chance they are at or near 1 for the public sector internationally in a variety of fields regarding technologies. Big fan of them not separating Transfer be damned, they built something world class in innovations. It wasn't all wasted.

Dominion Bridge is/was a Quebec-based company. Remember how hosting the Olympics almost destroyed Montreal's economy? Yes, that Dominion Bridge. I personally know equipment operators that would paint one backhoe 4 times and charge for 4. In '93, Dominion Bridge personnel offered me a payoff, as I was an inspector. They did not build the Confederation Bridge in PEI, trust me on this one. Not a chance. IF they're building bridges in Africa, they found a place with lower standards and should stay there. I'll stop there...but if that is your example, it isn't a good one. I've worked around them, and at least a 1/2 dozen friends worked on the Confederation Bridge. That project was a dutch company.

Hallelujah. Can't raise $5bil to feed and shelter the homeless, advance the educational system, health care and societal infrastructure. But we can raise $5bil to host an international sporting event for a few weeks. Sadly, if we win the bid, all I want is an ongoing investigation into how the money is spent and which contractors/land use are connected to which politician. WhichHunt?

Can't say I agree with McDavid here. I'll never get sick of it! https://www.nhl.com/news/oilers-connor-mcdavid-frustrated-sick-of-losing/c-299998332

Not at all. 3 goalies have to go to China and need 4 goalies for the split squads at home. So: Smith Rittich Gillies Parsons MacDonald Schneider Glass Covers all of the required bases. The first 6 are under contract so reporting to camp is mandatory.

Ummm, yeah... That's one of my old goalie coaches The nicest and biggest confidence builder I ever had. Also the best drills and angles coach. He'd always have an old-skooler with him to be the bad cop. Tim Bernhardt is exceptional in my books.

He also needs to build his mass. He's gets knocked off the puck too easily. Outside of that, you are absolutely right. He's an excellent prospect.

A red hot goalie can do it, but you're right. The other 21 play out of their minds. It's out of a goaltenders hands.

The additions of 2 late rounders in Datsyuk and Zetterberg don't hurt, coming off the 1st team to really get Russians. They had some teams under Lidstrom and Stevie no doubt.

You forgot to mention, and it was awesome. The Ilitch's sure pour a lot back to Detroit. It's not like they take the money and run. Real owners, that's why it's hockeytown. Trust me on that one, it is Hockeytown. Who else has amazing life size bronze sculptures of Howe, Lindsay, Lidstrom, Yzerman? Storied franchise, they definitely celebrate it. Big respect to Detroit for being a huge hockey town.

That would sure change the team. We need him to be able to make plays for important goals when the opposition is carrying the momentum. That's a big part of the mental weakness imho, just don't have enough guys that can do that. I really want to see Bennett be one of those guys. Not getting frustrated, taking a bad penalty and compounding the problem. Last year the team was frustrating to watch, simply because they were constantly frustrated imo. From Smith being a drama queen every time the puck goes passed him to a bunch of guys looking at their laces. GG's whole, "emotional investment". All you deposited was frustration and withdrew the whole works too. So to come full circle back to topic, that was what our GM bought. He didn't like Hartley's pond hockey, but let's face it, for the group he had that's not a bad call in retrospect. In retrospect again, I'd have preferred BT had have given Hartley another year to just let your young dogs run. See what you've got. We weren't competing anyway. But no, Ronco sold you GG on 4am television, apparently. Are you sure? You know how players respond to coaching? You won't find it in analytics. You hired GG on what, resume? Because if you bought that line, maybe you should stick to being frustrating in contract negotiations. BT should have said with that hiring: "We're glitching out seeing GG as our coach on NHL 15". If that's back on topic enough...

Deaf ears for me on pulling out the linemates card when you can just watch them play. Marner can be just as annoying to watch as Gaudreau. The talent is unquestionable, so it likely elevates the frustration level as I expect mistake-free hockey. As for Bennett, he's a 2 way guy. His finish is questionable and his IQ is questionable. The linemates thing is so played out. He can set the pace, or should be able to, but he's always in a race. He forces it way too much. When he learns to let the game come to him, rather than over-trying to force himself on the game, he'll improve a lot, imho. He's frustrating himself, it's not his linemates, at this point.

I'm hoping a bridge personally. Longterm would be more affordable if he's good in the long run, but it needs to be established so more gamble than I'd be comfortable with. I think there needs to be due diligence. If you end up paying more in the long run, at least it's knowing what you have as Gio puts a few more yrs behind him.

They aren't affordable under the cap for us though, no? We can throw out names all day, but the numbers have to work. We've finally (hopefully) addressed more needs at F. Do we start slashing again to work on the backend for the nth year in a row?

Gawd just give me the dryland training already. "okay you louts, here's the dryland training gear. Red spandex flashdance asspants, white leg warmers and a white PROPERTY of the CALGARY FLAMES halter top. Embarrassing? Perfect. We'll revisit weekly who has worked their way out of it. Some of you might never". Lol, I had some great coaches

Reminds me of a comic's line: I always wanted to be good at sports, until one day I realized that you can just buy trophies, now I'm good at everything. lol

I guess my question kehatch would be have you already written off Rittich and Gillies? Did they have one chance and it's over? I'm not asking to argue, just wondering if your conclusive is all. Great arguments both ways, just proves the unpredictability for me.