travel_dude

Kylington has had questionable partners at times. Nesterov was a complete bonehead when they played as a pair. He had to cover his own man and try to cover the hole left by Nessy. I agree there was some plays that he make a bad choice. When your partner is a loaf, those becomes odd man rushes. Perhaps I have a bit more time for the player. Valimaki should be 2nd pairing with Ras or Tanev. But he's been browbeat to a 3rd pair guy. Regardless, use him with Tanev and let him provide some offense; Tanev will help him grow. Kylington can play with Zadorov and not have to worry about guys attacking the net.

I have less tme for the completer pieces they look at at TDL. We weren't a Forbort or Gus away from the cup. You pick up a guy like Coleman at TDL, it's a slightly different discussion. Not that different, but at least closer to a difference maker.

The coach determines who is on the ice. That's not a development fail really. That's a coach that doesn't trust him for some reason. In 18/19, he played a bunch of games once called up. Not great stats, but not that bad. In 19/20, he played most of the season and was sat once we got Gus and Forbort. We were supposedly in need of a shutdown D and a PP QB. I think Peters had a bit more time for him than Ward, but ultimately it was Ward using expensive TDL players. It seems that we have little time for middle of the road prospects. Once they come in, they have to be mistake free. Which is fine, but I would prefer that we give a little if they also make great plays. Lord knows I spent a lot of time yelling at Brodie or Gio. They made up for it.

To be fair, he had 8 games last year. Minutes 8-10 or 13-15 per game.

What he has shown is a result of the way he has been used. Ward was really bad for his ability to get into the lineup. Sutter treated him like a leaper. And he's basically saying to him and Valimaki that you should be perfect, not a work in progress. He's tentative on O because he doesn't want to make a mistake. If him and Stone or Nesterov are both at the the blueline, only Kylington is going to be able to get back. Somehow that's his fault. Yet, Gio was famous for not holding the line and ending up with a penalty because he didn't have Brodie covering for him. I've said this a few times. Kylington played in games and we went 6-1-1 last year, where he was -1 overall. I would be happy that they figure out if they want to invest in the player and provide him a steady partner or whether they just go out and sign a top 4 RD and call him up for injury relief.If the latter is the case, then play him as a top D in the AHL and let him work out the bugs.

I was a little surprised that nobody took a flyer on Josh Williams. But there must be something in his past that is keeping teams away from him. He would have been at the combine a few years ago. As an overager, he should be farther along. I guess I should have been more specific. Fine and dandy signing an undrafted player and spending development on him at the expense of other prospects, but it has to be worth it. Go the Hathaway or Mackey route and they fill a role, and work their butts off to be a top player in the AHL. But that's a long term project. Of immediate need, and why I asked, is that we should be looking at unsigned UFA's that have NHL experience that would be younger than and an upgrade to a guy like Vatanen. He was part of the killer D in Anaheim that gave us fits. He was deemed more expendable than Manson, so they traded him for Henrique. Fell off the rails a bit in NJ, but I think he's still a good D. I get the age argument, but we are three years away from having a RD to fill the void. If we could find a tweener (24-28 year old), that would be more ideal, but the available D in FA are slim.

Well Capmaster Kenny said that they needed to do a stepped approach to being a contender: 1) Bring in a true starter 2) Need some experienced "greaybeards" 3) Improve forward depth #1 - failure, did not buy out Koskinen, focused on Hyman over any available goalie #2 - Keith, is that a win at $5.9m? #3 - Foegele and Ryan, lost Khaira and Kahun (most likely - not qualified) CAR fans are laughing at getting Bear for a guy unable to take a step in CAR. Described as low hockey IQ, poor finishing, bad hands. In return they get a raw D-man that can pass and defend. Ryan was a win for them... two years ago. I liked the player he was, and he's still better than what they have ready to play at C, but he's not a solution. Their depth is putrid past the top 6 - McD, Drai, Nuge, Hyman, Puljujarvi. Yamamoto without Draisaitl can't finish. Foegele on a third line with McLeod and Kassian is going to score about 3 goals.

I would refer to it as a tentative player. Overthinks it, and as a result is handcuffed. I've seen a few instances where he was thinking about pinching. He half commits. And then the puck is past him. No, he's rarely beat back to his own net, but the guy he played with was nowhere in position. Can't have two guys thinking pinch. That's part of the problem when you go with a 7th D-man. Not enough knowing your partner and being able to talk. The age and experience level suggests that we should pair a vet with a young-un. And keep to the side they are best at. Tanev with Valimaki or Ras. Zarodov with Valimaki or Ras. Hanifin is pretty close to being a vet, so I think you either use him with Tanev or Ras. Hainifin-Tanev was golden last year. Hanifin-Ras was really good in the playoffs the Covid year. Conventional wisdom would suggest that Tanev should play with a mobile partner with good skating. Okay, so I'm going in circles here. It makes more sense to use Kylington with Zadorov or Tanev. That means either: Option 1 Hanifin-Ras Valimaki-Tanev Zadorov-Kylington or Option 2 Hanifin-Ras Valimaki-Zadorov Kylington-Tanev Option 3 is maximizing offense at the expense of experience on the 3rd pair: Hanifin-Tanev Zadorov-Ras Valimaki-Kylington

Any suggestions from available UFA's? How about undrafted from this year that we could take a look at?

Button says 150 points possible with Hyman. Then again, he was at that clip this past year anyway. Surprised they havesn't started talking about breaking Gretzky's single season records. Here's the kicker; he will play 24 minutes a night, including about 40% spent with Draisaitl. Whatever his total is for the year, his and DRaisaitl's scoring will account for over 50% of the scoring. How about that 3rd line? An AHL tweener at this point with zero goals to date, a new guy that scored in Carolina pretty well and Kassian. This is the depth that they have up front? Yeah, I know about all these future stars they have in Bakersfield. Nothing impressive has come from there.

As a prospect, he's one of the older ones. Definitely more developed. He's probably capable of playing in the NHL, but I doubt he makes the jump directly out of camp. It's just the way it works here. They want to see what he can do in the AHL, and will likely be buried in the depth chart as a result.

I actually thought we had moved on from the idea of playing a top 6 prospect limited minutes on the 4th line. Ruzicka is not a true defensive player, so he should not be 4th line unless it consists of a couple offensive players to match his skills. Pelletier is a playmaker first and foremost; not quite the same touch as Mangiapane. He's also just turning pro. Not a great fit with Backlund unless there is a finisher with him. The graduate to the NHL part is always the hardest part with this team. Mangiapane, Dube and Ras all played partial season for two years before they graduated. We messed up one year to integrate some AHL players into the mix. Ruzicka and Phillips should have gotten about 10 games last year to try them out in different situations. It's not like we were winning games every night. Mackey played 6 and Kylington 8, though Kylington should have been played over Nesterov. I just don't know what the team is meaning top be. We have good forecheckers. A couple of guys to punish. Okay, but not high level offence from the D. Middle of the road PP. I am actually okay signing guys that are actually worth something. When we get to a TDL and nobody wants our crap, then we have signed crap. It would be nice having a spare defender that we can auction off and get a 2nd or 3rd for, instead of paying a 2nd or 3rd.

I think that is a standard number, but I don't know if it's related to years in the AHL or what. I've seen others with the same terms on 2-way deals. I don't know where he stands in Sutter's mind. It's hard for him to take the next step when he's out more than he is in and doesn't get AHL games. He really should be close to a finished product at this point, but practice only gets you so far. I get and agree that there is less chance every time he gets waived to be claimed. Too many players are in the same category and some don't even have deals yet. Every team is going to waive some D this fall. But, I do think he stands a better chance at being a 7th D than say Mackey, due to waiver status. You can bring in Mackey any time you want and have him play in the AHL as a top defender.

Kylington played 8 games in which the Flames when 6-1-1. Overall -1. Played 5 games arounf 14-17 minutes and 3 games between 7 and 19 minutes. For a replacement level player, he played remarkably okay. He's prone to making mistakes. 90% of the time his skating gets him out of it. 95 NHL games, you think he might actually beat out a KHL retread or player with 6 career games.

Smart asset management, playing him so sparingly and asking him to make mistajes so nobody would claim him. sarcasm off

The only plus thing for him is it's a $300k AHL salary. With waivers, there probably a chance he could get claimed. But, who knows.

It seems like we are confused. AC-DC to bring the team in. Organ music and a cowboy singing an drab version of the anthem. In Tampa, they did a decent enough job of it. Operaman in VAN was better than Georgie. Almost makes you want to riot.

Kylinton re-signed just today. I'm not sure there is as much of an appetite to bring back Stone. I could be wrong of course, but don't think Stone is Plan A. It's not like they dominated with him in the lineup. And with the loss of Gio's scoring, they need a better puckmover more than a pure defender.

^^^^^^ Ok, so Dube hasn't played as a C since junior. Even though the skill is heavy, I don't see them being able to get any space; it's speed on transition hoping for an odd man situation. I don't love the Backlund line; seems a bit of a waste to have Coleman strictly in a defensive role; he will play enough PK as it is. Although I don't mind using Valimaki with Tanev and Ras with Hanifin, I think that 3rd pair sucks. You really want to have a mobile D with Zaddy. Considering we haven't signed Stone, that is telling me we are looking for an upgrade. Or there is a big trade coming where we have to not use on depth pieces for D. Without any changes (I don't believe the roster is set), I would project the following: Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk Mangiapane-Monahan-Coleman Dube-Backlund-Pitlick Lucic-Ruzicka-Lewis I would lean towards a setup on D as the following: Hanifin-Tanev Zaddy-Ras Valimaki-?? Kylington Keep Mackey in the AHL until a injury necessitates him coming up. I would like to see them sign Vatanen. On the down side to his career, but still just 30. Have him come in to stabilize Valimaki.

Well, they are an interesting team to watch how they operate. No matter how bad a team they have, they still manage to find teams to take their garbage. Koskinen and Neal are the first ones they can't seem to find a sucker to take. And they are going to need help. They have to get rid of Kassian. Not to afford just Nurse, but to pay for another short term deal that they bridged. Puljujarvi. By playing him with McDavid and Draisaitl and giving him prime PP time, he's looking more like a 1st rounder. They paid him like a depth player and he would be stupid to want anything less than $5m. Young guys get big bucks. Old men like Nuge get half.

Want a real laugh? Read the Kool-aid drinkers on ON. They mostly seem happy that Kenny has built a contender and locked up one of the best D in the league. None seem to understand cap constraints. https://oilersnation.com/2021/08/06/the-edmonton-oilers-have-signed-darnell-nurse-to-an-eight-year-contract-extension/

What is the plan? Buyout Neal, sign Nuge, get Kieth, lose Larsson, trade Bear, sign Hyman, Barrie and Ceci. Goalie situation not resolved. Nuge and Hyman won't age well after about 4 years. Get out of cap hell only to get back into it worse. This year they are banking on Klefbom not playing a single game. Won't be cap compliant on day 1 without moving him to LTIR. This is the easy year. Next year Nurse's deal kicks in plus something for Puljujarvi.

Well, he's on his 4th deal. ELC - normal 18/19-19/20 - $3.2m 20/21-21/22 - $5.6m They made the mistake twice of not locking him up when he was worth less (or worthless). I don't agree with him getting that much, but that's how it works if you put a player out to score.

There is a set of rules for qualifying offers. For players making over $1m, it's only 100% of the last contract year value. So that is still $9m. Your other points are still reasonable. Gaudreau has scored more p/gp than Tkachuk. Tkachuk plays a defensive game and was on a shutdown line for most of his career, though. Tkachuk is younger. Gaudreau has a bigger impact on scoring.

Supposedly Nurse was looking for $8m x 7 years. Not entirely sure when they could extend him, I assume around the same time as Jones re-signed. I don't consider Nurse to be a top 5 in the NHL. He scores pretty well playing top 2 minutes with McD and Draisaitl. He's no Makar. Only 5 assists in 21 playoffs games. Ras had 4g and 4a in 15 playoff games. This is Hall and Eberle all over again, except a lot older. Unless Nuge and Hyman can help take this team to another level, they will get run out of town. Draisaitl has to show he is more than a winger for McD and just a faceoff specialist. Their best all round D-man is an afterthought (Klefbom).