Comedy CowPies in the 'Lumbus

[forty_three]

In my opinion, the first mistake was not canning Richards at season's end. The run the Jackets made at the end of last year fooled Jackets management into giving him another chance. There were some pretty good coaches available during the off-season.

The second mistake was the Torts hiring. 'Nuff said.

Every time I see Laviolette behind the Preds bench, I die a little inside. Richards should have been gone then, and seeing what Lavy has gotten out of that crew...

I don't even want to think of a coach like McLellan being available last summer.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I was looking a little beyond the current season when I described them as "scrappy". Second half of last year and the preseason indicated there was a lot more to this team than showed up when the bell rang. One thing this team did was get along and fight for each other, even when they didn't have anything else going for them. Made last year bearable. And hid a lot of the weaknesses you speak of.

I think the slight bit of success they had under Tortorella at first really is just that "dead cat bounce". I believe in my heart that had they just fired Richards and let Hartsburg take over as interim, they'd be in the exact same spot. Maybe a bit better because Hartsburg would at least probably keep lines together and develop chemistry. When you arrive at the rink for game day meal and you don't know who you are playing with that night, how do you prepare?

Jarmo has to be feeling the pressure. And ultimately the panic move of hiring Torts is probably gonna be his downfall. I just hope that JD takes the wheel before he trades any one of Joey, Jenner, Hartnell or a prospect like Werenski, Rychel, Paliotta or Milano. This is a lost season, especially if Bob's collarbone is broken as is speculated. Trade some useless D men for picks and be patient. The forward corps is solid, and there is hope on the horizon on D. The season is lost, so they don't need to make a trade to improve now.

And they need a fucking backup goalie.

Like I said in response to dash's post, the whole "we ended last season strongly" thing is a god-awful predicator to hang your hat on for the new term. It's garbage time, not prove it time. I get it was different in Columbus because of the injury nightmare but they were still fresher bodies going up against guys who were not only beat up after 65 games but also gearing up for playoff runs. There's just rarely ever any correlation between "finished the season hot" and it continuing into the next campaign. And the preseason's an even worse indicator.

I get that you don't want to trade prospects, but like I keep telling the Isles fans, how long do you want this team to be rebuilding for? If you draft a core over a five year period and allow them to develop and rest solely on those laurels, by the time the ones drafted in year 4 and 5 are ready to play for real the guys you drafted in year 1 and 2 are too expensive to keep around and the year 4/5 guys just wind up replacing them instead of complimenting them. GM's seem to have adapted a mentality that if you keep drafting and drafting and neglect trades and the free agent market everything will just somehow work out. What's the point of waiting on Werenski if by the time he's ready to go he's replacing Murray? Of course you hang on to some prospects, but you gotta move some too to pick apart teams that are fading and need to re-start.

And the Leafs have 4 NHL goalies right now, apparently, if you're interested.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Every time I see Laviolette behind the Preds bench, I die a little inside. Richards should have been gone then, and seeing what Lavy has gotten out of that crew...

I don't even want to think of a coach like McLellan being available last summer.

I got 99 problems but a coach ain't one

 

[forty_three]

Like I said in response to dash's post, the whole "we ended last season strongly" thing is a god-awful predicator to hang your hat on for the new term. It's garbage time, not prove it time. I get it was different in Columbus because of the injury nightmare but they were still fresher bodies going up against guys who were not only beat up after 65 games but also gearing up for playoff runs. There's just rarely ever any correlation between "finished the season hot" and it continuing into the next campaign. And the preseason's an even worse indicator.

I get that you don't want to trade prospects, but like I keep telling the Isles fans, how long do you want this team to be rebuilding for? If you draft a core over a five year period and allow them to develop and rest solely on those laurels, by the time the ones drafted in year 4 and 5 are ready to play for real the guys you drafted in year 1 and 2 are too expensive to keep around and the year 4/5 guys just wind up replacing them instead of complimenting them. GM's seem to have adapted a mentality that if you keep drafting and drafting and neglect trades and the free agent market everything will just somehow work out. What's the point of waiting on Werenski if by the time he's ready to go he's replacing Murray? Of course you hang on to some prospects, but you gotta move some too to pick apart teams that are fading and need to re-start.

And the Leafs have 4 NHL goalies right now, apparently, if you're interested.

I disagree in this team's case. Everything all last year was shit. Every player that came in got hurt and every momentum swing died on the vine. Then, everything came together, some guys came back and they stood shoulder to shoulder and went for it. For each other, and apparently without any intervention from the coach. Yeah, you can say some guys were rested when the league wasn't, but you can also say those guys were rusty.

I think the way the team pulled together in the face of a completely dead eyed coach says a lot about the character in the room. And that character should have carried over. The problem was they believed their press and spiraled fast out of the gate. Now, when you would hope that the character that pulled them together last year when all else was lost could come out, you have a coach whose only talent is destroying character. Makes it hard to watch. Foligno was the catalyst last year, he's miserable. Hartnell took the kids under his wing, now he gets no ice time with them. Johansen grew up before our eyes, now he's being treated like a petulant child. And the only one above reproach is a guy who cross checks people in the head for fun. Locker room = neutralized.

When you don't have the skill, all that's left is heart. And I had every reason to believe coming in that heart would come through. That ended when Fonzie got hired.



And if the Leafs have NHL goalies, why aren't they using them?

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I disagree in this team's case. Everything all last year was shit. Every player that came in got hurt and every momentum swing died on the vine. Then, everything came together, some guys came back and they stood shoulder to shoulder and went for it. For each other, and apparently without any intervention from the coach. Yeah, you can say some guys were rested when the league wasn't, but you can also say those guys were rusty.

I think the way the team pulled together in the face of a completely dead eyed coach says a lot about the character in the room. And that character should have carried over. The problem was they believed their press and spiraled fast out of the gate. Now, when you would hope that the character that pulled them together last year when all else was lost could come out, you have a coach whose only talent is destroying character. Makes it hard to watch. Foligno was the catalyst last year, he's miserable. Hartnell took the kids under his wing, now he gets no ice time with them. Johansen grew up before our eyes, now he's being treated like a petulant child. And the only one above reproach is a guy who cross checks people in the head for fun. Locker room = neutralized.

When you don't have the skill, all that's left is heart. And I had every reason to believe coming in that heart would come through. That ended when Fonzie got hired.

Still seems very much like a "everything has to go right" situation. Those are never good.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

And if the Leafs have NHL goalies, why aren't they using them?

They are:

James Reimer | NHL.com - Players
.935 sv%, 2.01 GAA

Garret Sparks | NHL.com - Players
.921 sv%, 2.20 GAA


Okay, so maybe 3.

 

[forty_three]

Still seems very much like a "everything has to go right" situation. Those are never good.

Unless they do.

 

[forty_three]

Can't wait until we get rid of the non-shot blocking twat.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Can't wait until we get rid of the non-shot blocking twat.

Was there some reason he didn't just put his head down and slam into the defenseman and the goalie instead?

I swear, sometimes you wonder if these guys are even listening when coach tells them how a real pro does it.

 

[forty_three]

Was there some reason he didn't just put his head down and slam into the defenseman and the goalie instead?

I swear, sometimes you wonder if these guys are even listening when coach tells them how a real pro does it.

I understand that in the locker room after the game Torts berated him for 20 minutes and said "Dubinsky would never try that dipsy doodle shit! YOU DIDN'T EVEN GET A SHOT ON GOAL!"

 

[forty_three]

David Clarkson activated off IR

Brandon Saad, healthy scratch. Book it.

 

[dash]

David Clarkson activated off IR

It's a Xmas miracle

/Festivus for the rest of us?

 

[DevilishWon]

David Clarkson activated off IR

Brandon Saad, healthy scratch. Book it.

Now you guys are ready to make a move

 

[forty_three]

Jackets' Bobrovsky To Miss Three Weeks

RIP (what remained of) Jackets (very slim) hopes.


At least the play he detonated his groin n was a blocked shot so he didn't have to worry about it affecting his save percentage...

 

[DragonfromTO]

Jackets' Bobrovsky To Miss Three Weeks

RIP (what remained of) Jackets (very slim) hopes.


At least the play he detonated his groin n was a blocked shot so he didn't have to worry about it affecting his save percentage...

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I can see Clarkson becoming a Torts favorite ... maybe he becomes a less skilled version of Tom Sestito

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Jackets' Bobrovsky To Miss Three Weeks

RIP (what remained of) Jackets (very slim) hopes.


At least the play he detonated his groin n was a blocked shot so he didn't have to worry about it affecting his save percentage...

Do the Jackets not develop goalies? I mean, it's been 3 years of Bobrovlaw and Tobasco, do they not have anyone in the system they can give some cuts to?

 

[forty_three]

Do the Jackets not develop goalies? I mean, it's been 3 years of Bobrovlaw and Tobasco, do they not have anyone in the system they can give some cuts to?

They have three promising goalies, two of which are having decent seasons in the A.

Joonas Korpisalo got the call up, but it seems Tortellini wants to run with Tabasco, which I can't figure out why.
Joonas is 5-4-2 with a 2.12 GAA, .928 SV%, two shutouts at Lake Erie.

They also have Anton Forsberg in Lake Erie, He's 8-2-1 with a 2.218 GAA, .906 SV%.

The other is Oscar Dansk, who plays for Rogle in the Swedish league. He's not having such a good year, but his team stinks at 8-17 - Dansk is 7-11 but has a .913 sv% and 2.55 GAA.

All three are big and decidedly European goalies. Of the three, I like Forsberg the best after seeing all three at the last 3 dev camps. I just feel he has the best movement and reflexes. He's the most consistent. He's also the oldest at 23. The other 2 are 21.

Forsberg got some games last year and Richards put him in for 5 games and he got shelled. He got in against like the Rangers and the Caps or something. He left the Jackets with a near 5.00 GAA last year. I wanted Richards' head then if I recall correctly. Tabasco got games against Buffalo and Carolina, the kid got the powerhouses.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

They have three promising goalies, two of which are having decent seasons in the A.

Joonas Korpisalo got the call up, but it seems Tortellini wants to run with Tabasco, which I can't figure out why.
Joonas is 5-4-2 with a 2.12 GAA, .928 SV%, two shutouts at Lake Erie.

They also have Anton Forsberg in Lake Erie, He's 8-2-1 with a 2.218 GAA, .906 SV%.

The other is Oscar Dansk, who plays for Rogle in the Swedish league. He's not having such a good year, but his team stinks at 8-17 - Dansk is 7-11 but has a .913 sv% and 2.55 GAA.

All three are big and decidedly European goalies. Of the three, I like Forsberg the best after seeing all three at the last 3 dev camps. I just feel he has the best movement and reflexes. He's the most consistent. He's also the oldest at 23. The other 2 are 21.

Forsberg got some games last year and Richards put him in for 5 games and he got shelled. He got in against like the Rangers and the Caps or something. He left the Jackets with a near 5.00 GAA last year. I wanted Richards' head then if I recall correctly. Tabasco got games against Buffalo and Carolina, the kid got the powerhouses.

Yeah, I'd definitely put in the Joonas. Worth a shot at the very least.

Or trade for Reimer

 

[forty_three]

Winnipeg with 3 goals on 5 shots 10 minutes into the first.


Torts needs to tell McIlhiney to block shots too.