travel_dude

Bob Hartley was a Jack Adams winner too, wasn't he? We had guys in their final year performing way higher than usual. It worked, but it's not the same team. Sutter has pointed out the differences many times. No high skill. Have to get greasy goals. Shot volume. Get to the blue paint. We had one guy like that last year and he is gone. If the identity is not a given then maybe it's the wrong identity for this club. Lines don't work, but we are staying the same? Chemistry isn't a thing for Sutter; you need to perform to get 2nd line minutes. What if that 2nd line doesn't work. We use a specific model of defending. Needs to have 6 guys on that same page and talking. Doesn't work for every team. The PP, I don't pretend to understand. I think Muller runs that. What I have seen is an odd use of players. And I can't tell by watching if they are executing the plan or not. It's not obvious. There is more than one person at fault. Not the GM only. Not the players only. Not the goalies only. I can't figure out how two goalies go from Jennings candidates to bottom 10.

We keep hearing about all the leaders in the room. Guys with rings. It might get old real quick hearing someone say it while watching them struggle to play some nights. Some lines and PP units seem to not be working, yet we see a repeat of it. Not sure how you fix it, since we don't have a captain to step up or to strip if there are problems.

Any ideas what we could even consider selling from a team that is chronically underperforming. Backlund? Tanev? Hanifin? Those probably have the most value of players I would even consider trading. Players actually performing to their value or higher: Dube, Lindholm, Ras, Pelletier, Ruzicka, Zadorov, Vladar, Toffoli Players with no value in trade: Lucic, Ritchie, Stone, Lewis, Mackey, Gilbert Players that you can't trade due to contract: Huberdeau, Kadri, Weegar, Coleman, Markstrom, Mangiapane? Not a big list of players to sell, and smaller list that are TDL type deals. Players with more than this season remaining. Lots of this and next year players. If we aren't heading to the playoffs, we don't need Lucic, Lewis or Tanev. But I really don't see trade material that gets us anything really from contenders. None are gonna take Backlund or Mangiapane.

I didn't realize who the guy was. Great to hear an agent for JH say things like that (sarcasm). At least he got his percentage.

Do we have a fire the coach thread? I lean towards that tonight.

Ugg, pointing out the obvious. Really, it's just stupid, not insanity. The game plan is lost, the lines aren't working, the goalies look average. Not that Vladar has been better but they ruined him by not playing him when he was hot. Now he is losing whatever he had. Let's go back to the goalie not hot and see ifthat does anything. Any other team, this is fire the coach time. The extension looks bad now, even if he got the team to new heights. Yeah, the players own it too, but they are playing the game told to. Not well, but this is the system that the coach thinks will win. We are on a razor thin edge to try to win games. With a perfect goalie, that might work. With no mistakes that works. The PP is a mess but keep trying. The PK used to be our forte, now it's a mess. I don;t know if there is anything the GM can do. We are locked in with the extra D we have and can't seem to use anyone new but Pelletier. This is just so bad.

Picks the wrong guy too often. Doesn't go with Vladar when he is rolling. Goes to Markstrom and he doesn't do anything. Then back to Vladar, so you know who gets the next one.

The mushy middle against a lesser backup. Playing like crap. PP looks bad again, like they will not even get a scoring chance. The Wings should start to fade a bit in the 3rd, but 2 down with the Flames? Not much chance.

We never have anything resembling a PP these days.

Got one from Dube. More please

No idea what the game plan is.

Hrudey - Hronek is underrated.

Not a great PP. Maybe time to make a change again.

Scooter looks a bit off tonight, not as clean as he normally is.

Gotta get a lead and hold it going into the 3rd. These one goal games are killing me.

Kadri point blank, misses by a foot

Come on Sutter, shorten the bench.

Love seeing Dube on RW

Dube Do Be Doo

Middle period uglyness again

Flames falling into the usual trap. Simple plays messed up setting up chances. Who played last night?

Can we not take penalties at a 2-1 ratio to other teams? Some things never seem to change.

It's a fair thing to ask. Sutter's comment was that Vladar needs more consistency, like playing the same for more than 3. Yeah, it's the same problem, but should not really be looked at the same for a backup. They aren't used to playing strings.

First pass by Hanifin, right to a Wings player.