2019-20 Quest for the cup(The Carter Hart era begins)

[lasgop8]

Yea I am good with the moves. 2 vets to replace some guys that probably need more minutes in the AHL. Nate Thompson has a decent amount of playoff games under his belt (62 i believe) so that was probably part of the reason we got him.

I like the size down the middle which we needed.

 

[lasgop8]

Both in he line-up tomorrow per AV. Big bodies. Loading up for playoff run.

Dam Bruins got Ritchie and got even bigger.

 

[lasgop8]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/rockfo...-spirited-but-unexpected-fight-010326282.html

 

[JBM73]

Shesterkin in a car accident last night, out "weeks" with a non-displaced rib fracture. Wonder if the Rags become sellers after all? Never like to see things like this, but the rest of the Eastern Conference should be breathing a little easier today.

 

[awaz]

I like the Thompson add as 4C. Grant also is a little odd to me. Not really sure where he fits.

 

[lasgop8]

Shesterkin in a car accident last night, out "weeks" with a non-displaced rib fracture. Wonder if the Rags become sellers after all? Never like to see things like this, but the rest of the Eastern Conference should be breathing a little easier today.

They still have Georgiev and Lundqvist so i do see them becoming sellers.

 

[awaz]

I like the Thompson add as 4C. Grant also is a little odd to me. Not really sure where he fits.

Oh shit. Grant's got 14 goals this season. That's not bad.

 

[lasgop8]

1 hour to go and Thorton hasn't been traded.

 

[awaz]

Grant and Thompson both good PKers and sound defensively.

 

[JBM73]

I like the Thompson add as 4C. Grant also is a little odd to me. Not really sure where he fits.

I guess they figure they've got 20 games to see if they can come up some chemistry amongst the spare parts and catch a little lightning in a bottle.

 

[Chris p Bacon]

I guess they figure they've got 20 games to see if they can come up some chemistry amongst the spare parts and catch a little lightning in a bottle.

I think the chemistry is working pretty well don't you? Not sure why you would start experimenting? Pitlik, NAK, Farabee, and Bunnamen have played so well and have earned the playing time over the new guys IMO. Hope it is just to rest the others until playoff time then send them down.

 

[Chris p Bacon]

Both in he line-up tomorrow per AV. Big bodies. Loading up for playoff run.

We've beat all the big body teams this year, Wash, Boston, St.Louis etc. Let play now and rest the other guys then only in emergency situations in the playoffs. Northern is an upgrade right now from what were rolling for four lines IMO.

 

[awaz]

Seems to me that the plan is to basically have a bottom 6 that's extremely difficult to score against. Thompson, Grant, Laughton, Raffl, NAK, Pitlick; all of them are good defensively and can forecheck the crap out of you. They may not score a bunch, but they're going to frustrate the hell out of the other team and probably keep their offensive output to a minimum.

Add in the fact that the Flyers PK is already really good before adding two of the best shot suppressing PKers in the league (per twitter folks) and you're basically putting teams in a position where they have to score against the Coots and/or Hayes lines to beat the Flyers. And that goal output has to exceed what the Flyers do in total. I think that's a pretty good strategy. Especially considering the numbers Coots has put up against elite first lines in 2020. I don't remember the numbers exactly, or what the time frame was, but it was something like outscoring other teams' top lines like 18-2.

 

[Chris p Bacon]

Seems to me that the plan is to basically have a bottom 6 that's extremely difficult to score against. Thompson, Grant, Laughton, Raffl, NAK, Pitlick; all of them are good defensively and can forecheck the crap out of you. They may not score a bunch, but they're going to frustrate the hell out of the other team and probably keep their offensive output to a minimum.

Add in the fact that the Flyers PK is already really good before adding two of the best shot suppressing PKers in the league (per twitter folks) and you're basically putting teams in a position where they have to score against the Coots and/or Hayes lines to beat the Flyers. And that goal output has to exceed what the Flyers do in total. I think that's a pretty good strategy. Especially considering the numbers Coots has put up against elite first lines in 2020. I don't remember the numbers exactly, or what the time frame was, but it was something like outscoring other teams' top lines like 18-2.

So where does that leave a guy like NAK? Dude has been more valuable than what's on a score sheet.

 

[JBM73]

I think the chemistry is working pretty well don't you? Not sure why you would start experimenting? Pitlik, NAK, Farabee, and Bunnamen have played so well and have earned the playing time over the new guys IMO. Hope it is just to rest the others until playoff time then send them down.

Well, Laughton has never in the past shown the ability to provide sustained success at 3C, and Bunnaman has, what, 2 points in 20 games when you know that you need the occasional goals from every line if you want to go deep in the playoffs? I don't know. It's a toss-up between doubting the playoff success of the current situation vs. disrupting what is working at least for the moment...

 

[awaz]

So where does that leave a guy like NAK? Dude has been more valuable than what's on a score sheet.

Sounds like he’s earned spot. Bunnaman and Farabee were the guys sent down. Bunnaman is probably a permanent because he’s clearly the weakest link.

Farabee may just be temporary to make him eligible to go back down at some point before the end of the season. But even if he is, NAK was not. So he’s apparently higher on the pecking order.

 

[Chris p Bacon]

Two more things then I'll shut up lol. For the last 2 years we've all talked about this young team getting a chance to start Jelling and now they are under the right coach. If you take a guy like NAK out of the line up for either new guy what message does that send to the team and to NAK? Or to Farabee and Frost for that matter? I also believe we have two real good healthy goalies going into the playoffs which we haven't had in years. I also believe our defense is pretty solid 1-6. IDK just seems like we don't have faith in what's working.like I said use the new guys sparingly and only when you absolutely need to.

 

[Chris p Bacon]

Sounds like he’s earned spot. Bunnaman and Farabee were the guys sent down. Bunnaman is probably a permanent because he’s clearly the weakest link.

Farabee may just be temporary to make him eligible to go back down at some point before the end of the season. But even if he is, NAK was not. So he’s apparently higher on the pecking order.

Well I hope Farabee doesn't become a permanent fixture down there. He's come a long way this year to.

 

[lasgop8]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/nhl-trade-deadline-flyers-acquire-165200526.html

 

[awaz]

Well I hope Farabee doesn't become a permanent fixture down there. He's come a long way this year to.

It probably depends on your definition of a permanent fixture. Grant and Thompson are both UFAs that they won't re-sign. Pitlick will also be an UFA this summer. So you've got potentially 3 spots that will open back up in the summer.

I expect they'll go with:

Giroux-Couturier-Voracek
JvR-Hayes-Konecny
Laughton-Thompson-Pitlick
NAK-Grant-Raffl

For tomorrow and see where we go from there. If Grant or Thompson, or any of the other guys aren't pulling their weight, Farabee is waiting in the wings. Frost is there if they need something up the middle. If there's one thing AV/Fletch have been pretty good about is ensuring guys that are playing poorly or aren't a fit, don't play. Vorobyev, Stewart, Twarynski, even Frost and Farabee have sat when their play dropped off.