AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > January > 06 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USThe Good, The Un-Good And The Ugly
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The 5-2 win over Buffalo was just what the doctor ordered for the Thrashers given the let-down that was Friday night’s aggravating loss to Carolina. The win brings Atlanta to .500, again, placed Atlanta in sole possession of second place in the division, (3 behind Carolina), and a single point behind Philadelphia and the New York Islanders who are tied for the eighth spot in the conference. The Flyers pay Blueland a visit Tuesday night.
So with that, we delve into another segment of The Good, The Un-Good and the Ugly within Blueland.
THE GOOD
Marian Answers The Call
Jeff Schultz called out Marian Hossa in his recent article. The basic point of the piece was that the Thrashers are an average team…and so was the forward’s play. It was a fairly candid write-up on the man who many called to have the captaincy placed upon his shoulders prior to the season. So, how did Hoss respond? Why, with 2 goals on 9 shots and a +2 against the Sabres, that’s how. That’s a good, …actually… outstanding effort…the kind that needs to be on display more often.
Jeff, feel free to call out anyone else!
What Was That Blur?
Was it just me, or did it almost look like there was a cape flapping on the back of Colin Stuart as he blew through center ice and past the Buffalo players on his way to that coast-to-coast goal in the third period? I think the only ones more in awe of his speed then those watching the game were the Sabres he left flat-footed on the blue line…BOTH of the blue lines!
In four games, the kid has 2 goals and 2 assists and is a +6. There were a lot of people, yours truly included, that were scratching their heads when he was called up to replace the ailing Jim Slater.
Now the only ones left scratching their noggins are the Sabres who only saw a blue blur just before the red light went on.
Stuart, Perrin, Hossa - I’m A Fan!
Gotta love that line Don Waddell put together by moving Stuart up with Eric Perrin and Hossa. The reason given for the switch by the Executive Vice President/ General Manager/ Head Coach/Ticket Taker/Popcorn Seller/Water Boy/Usher, (what else does he do)?…was that he wanted his forechecking skills on that line. Well, his speed doesn’t hurt either.
The line accounted for three of the four goals in which a Buffalo goalie was involved.
Hard Work Paid Off
It was a solid 60 minutes of hard work and hustle by the Thrashers Sunday. It brings to mind a quote by Thomas Jefferson, “I’m a firm believer in luck. And the harder I work, the more of it I seem to have”.
Sneak In To Sneakers
I always like to give props to great eating establishments when I run across them. Last Friday night, while in Jacksonville, Florida, I took the tax exemptions to a place called Sneakers off of Bay Meadows Drive. They put us in a nice corner area with multiple viewpoints of the Thrashers game vs. Carolina. They even made sure that we were able to catch the last minutes of Sweden’s 2-1 win over Russia in the Junior’s, knowing we were hockey fans.
So, if you’re ever in the area and need to find a place to catch the game and chew on some good food that is served up by good people, sneak on into to Sneakers! Ask for Kristi…she’ll take good care of you!
THE UN-GOOD
Up By 2 And Not Feeling So Good
Speaking of Stuart’s goal, it put the Thrashers ahead 3-1 one at the time. Raise your hand if, after you settled back into your seats, you noticed the two goal lead that Atlanta possessed and got a cold chill down your spines! Uh-huh…. I knew it!
We’ve seen that movie all too often the past four games. Starting in Boston last Monday and every game since, the Thrashers have at some point in the game built up, and then blown a two-goal lead. Two of those games ended in losses, Wednesday’s took overtime to ultimately provide a win.
Monday’s loss to the Bruins bugged me the most. Here we have a team that was on a slide…a team we had throttled 5-0 less than 48 hour prior…had them down 2-0 after the first period….we had the Thrashers playing 4 consecutive solid periods…..and then…PLOP! We get flushed like a logo on an Islander jersey!
So, as Yogi Berra once quipped, “It was like deja vous all over again”. Only this time, Atlanta kept playing hard and was rewarded later with Hossa’s second goal of the game.
Here’s hoping that ends the un-good trend.
Getting No Help From The Zebras
Over the past three games, the Boys of Blueland have been on the power play a total of 6 times while having to kill off nineteen. In fact, of the three man advantages Atlanta had Friday night, one was abbreviated after a 4-4 and the third was with 11 seconds left in the game.
So, the Thrashers have returned to their bad habit of taking some un-good penalties at inopportune times, (see Klee’s 4-minute slash followed by Holik’s clear over the glass that lead to Carolina’s game winner Friday). Regardless, 19-6 is quite the un-good stat.
THE UGLY
Lastly, it was just pointed out to me by the divine Mrs. R upon the return from our trip to her mom’s house, that the Thrashers had a winning record…going 2-1…while visiting my in-laws. She followed the observation quickly with, “So, seeing how superstitious you are, maybe we should visit mom more often during the season”!
Cue: Creepy ‘Psycho’ music
AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaugggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Brendan
January 6, 2008 9:44 PM | Link to this
Loved Hossa’s performance today, anyway.
By Brendan
January 6, 2008 10:02 PM | Link to this
Colin Stuart’s goal was the stuff for which highlight reels were spawn.
By stendec
January 6, 2008 10:23 PM | Link to this
Who shook Marian Hossa until he woke up? Good job! Thrashers needed this one after stinking out home ice in last appearance. Moose was loose. Only two goals. Nice job wildlife guy! Play Moose. Keep Hossa scoring. Go on a tear! PLEASE. GO BLUE!
By Brendan
January 6, 2008 10:28 PM | Link to this
Rawhide, Colin Stuart’s goal made the “On The Fly’s” Top 5 plays of the day. It’s a gem, allright.
By Brendan
January 6, 2008 10:31 PM | Link to this
Uhh, make that … Colin Stuart’s goal was THEE Play of the Day. By the way, the #2 play of the Day was Moose stone-cold robbing Jason Pomminville.
By Wreckin & Thrashin
January 6, 2008 11:03 PM | Link to this
Rawhide, I want to know how you get off thinking that you’ve earned a few days away from us. How dare you ditch us and take time off as if you have a life. I heard that you made poor Garnet Exelby cry when he logged onto this website and saw a non-updated blog these past few days. I hope you’re happy.
By Pucksdeep
January 6, 2008 11:06 PM | Link to this
Great win today. I’m pretty pumped that Hossa appears to have woken up as of late, I just hope he remains with our team…
First time in a while Ilya hasn’t scored at least a point, correct?
Anyone heard just what “undisclosed illness” Slater has been stricken with?
Nice post, RH.
By R. Stroz
January 6, 2008 11:17 PM | Link to this
The main difference between the two goal lead today and the two goal leads that turned into loses was the MOOSE between the pipes instead of the former ice cream scooper.
By Smoothie
January 6, 2008 11:30 PM | Link to this
MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEE!!
Nuff said. Ride the Moose till he breaks down…sorry Kari but that’s how you make the hi-lite reel! Moose OWNS the top of the paint and the Sabres know it.
How about Colin freakin’ Stuart?? Why have the Thrashers been hiding this guy from us for so long?? WOW! Just ask Ryan Miller what he thinks of Mr. Stew-ART! He is the perfect grinding, work-your-tail-off kind of guy that line needs. A very nice complement to the scrappy Frenchmen, Eric Perrin. Should open up a lot of ice for one Marian Hossa. Perhaps Colin will be the one who earns Marian that extra cool mill in his next long-term contract.
I also want to give some props to Pops who put in a very solid effort. He should stay in the lineup as he possesses the speed, the wits and the savvy to play at this level. Never thought he was once out of position and he shoots the puck from the point when it is timely…not when the defender has moved in for the blocked shot.
Can we please bring this effort on Tuesday against the gol darn Flyers?? God I hate the Flyers!!
Welcome home Rawhide!! Apparently, Jeff Schultz missed you as much as we did!
By Jeff
January 6, 2008 11:34 PM | Link to this
Waddell needs to get Hossa signed long term…and the sooner the better. The Thrashers will once again be buyers come the trade deadline, and dealing Hossa is clearly not the best option for the franchise in both short term and long term scnearios. The longer Waddell strings this thing out, the worse its going to be. Sign Hossa ASAP!
By Sara
January 7, 2008 8:45 AM | Link to this
pucksdeep Ilya did get a point - the empty netter at the end of the game.
Jeff maybe you need to go read Schultz’s article. Waddell isn’t the one dragging this out - Hossa is. And at this point I say Don should take all offers off the table and ship his butt to the West Coast somewhere. It’s funny really how everyone seems to have soured on Hoss at the exact same time. Friends of mine and I talked about it at length at the game on Friday night - do we really want to pay $8 mil to a guy who just turns it off whenever he feels like it? We can do a LOT with $8 M a year - like get that ever elusive top center. Sign one of those for Kovy, keep White and Perrin, drop Holik (or drop-kick, whichever works for you) and Slates (or sign him cheap for depth - I do still like him but this undisclosed illness thing has gotten rather interesting - one wonders what he could possibly be sick with that no one is telling?), bring Little back up. Then replace Hossa with another FA talent perhaps or bring up another ready youngun’. That simple.
For those of you wondering why no d-man got mentioned, there’s a reason for that. We aren’t going to be upgrading on D for next season. Won’t happen. Our two weakest links are still under contract through next season. No one else is going to take that headache off our plates, which means we’re stuck with ‘em. Zhit in particular. He isn’t going to get paid to ride the pine (otherwise that would have already happened this year) nor are we going to buy him out (which should have happened with Rucchin this year). So we’ll have to wait for one more year to upgrade the blueline. Hopefully by then some of our prospects will be ready to swim at that point - Oystrick or Valabik, for example.
On the other plus side, barring some miracle run at the end of the year + playoffs, Kari is going to be really cheap to re-sign again as well (relatively speaking). We should probably see another 2 year deal for the kid.
Hoss can say all he wants that we’re just a .500 club (which, technically, is accurate). But honestly, where would we be right now if our vets like himself, Kozlov (remember him?), Holik, and Zhitnik actually played worth a darn this season? They have all been varying degrees of absent on the ice or completely bone-headed with occasional flashes of excellence sprinkled in just often enough to tease. One begins to think that what this team is missing most is character.
By Pucksdeep
January 7, 2008 8:52 AM | Link to this
Thanks Sara. Missed that. The man continues on his tear.
By GaVaHokie
January 7, 2008 9:13 AM | Link to this
The latest from “Grain of Salt” Eklund has Hossa going to either Pittsburgh for Jordan Staal or to Minnesota for Demitra and for depth players on both sides.
Just speculation, but which do you prefer? I’m leaning towards Demitra and depth players… just thinking about what a line of Kovalchuk Demitra and Recchi would do.
By Concerned Season Ticket Holder
January 7, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this
HOW ABOUT THAT,,,,WE WALKED THE TALK AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED
In the past, I have been quick to point out that our team did,nt, wouldn’t, couldn’t walk the talk. I have also said that unless this team played a full 60 minutes they would not be a consistent winner.
I have also said that Hossa’s contract was starting to become a distraction and if Marian wanted to play on a winning team all bhe had to do was play up to his abilities and score some goals so we would be a winner.
Yesterday’s game was a pleasure to watch. We skated for almost all 60 minutes, played solid defense, forwechecked well and won the game. It also proved to me that this team, if it wants can play and be competitive with any team on any given night. They just need to give themselves a chance
Hossa had, to me, what seemed to be his best game. He game out skating and demonstrated vintage Hossa. However, Hossa needs to make a decision on whether he wants to be a Thrasher or not. This team can be a winner with both Kovie and Hossa. Hossa has to have the desire to play here.
Let’s see if this team has the desire to come out skating for tomorrow evening’s game. If we do and the team realizes they have the ability to play for all 60 minutes, making the playoffs will be a breeze
By Sara
January 7, 2008 9:53 AM | Link to this
Hokie of those two given scenarios, I’d rather have Staal than Demitra. While theoretically I’d rather ship Hoss to the other conference, I think Staal is a much better return on investment. He’s going to be an RFA for a while that we can hang on to for relatively cheap. He’s got the goods. He’s also likely to make all future Carolina games very interesting as he goes head-to-head with his brother to prove “who’s dad’s favorite.”
That said, I can’t see Pittsburgh parting with him for a Hossa rental. Unless of course they feel they could keep him (and if I were Hoss I’d consider it hard - that team is going to be sick-good for a long time).
I’d say a Hoss trade might be our best shot at getting a good center. I’m not sure there are going to be some high-calibre ones available on the FA market this year.
By GaVaHokie
January 7, 2008 10:17 AM | Link to this
Sara… Jordan Staal is on the books next year for only $850,000… another plus. He’s also still RFA status for 2009/2010
Demitra will be a UFA this year, so we can wait until summer and pick him up that way… but I like his value greater in the short term. He’s a smart player, and could do a lot of damage on either Kovy or Kozy’s line. I don’t think you’d see a lot of drop off from Hossa to Demitra.
By Maal
January 7, 2008 10:32 AM | Link to this
deja vu actually ;-)
2 goal lead is the hardest to hold in hockey. I’d much prefer a 1 goal lead. Someone should do a study on why this is, because it’s a fascinating truth.
By Brian
January 7, 2008 10:48 AM | Link to this
PJ - ok, sorry it is a little late, but great game yesterday
Rawhide - as I told you already, if Jimmy Slater could use his speed to finish a play and score a goal, his name would be Colin Stuart. Seriously, did anyone, ok, no one thought this guy was going to do anything. First thing I thought (besides Colin who?) when he was called up was, well, keep the rookies developing in Chicago, any grinder will do up here to replace Slater. This guy looks great. And he’s playing on the 2nd line.
Brendan - from your other blog, Darren Elliot was in a time period between Robitaille and Ray. So he couldn’t be a teammate of Roby. Roby was a teammate of the orginal Walt Tkachuk though (that’ll give you an idea of how long ago he played).
Rawhide - I think Mrs. R is on to something. Perhaps if we make the playoffs, we should send you back to visit your mother-in-law for our second trip to the post season
By J
January 7, 2008 10:54 AM | Link to this
I would actually be ok with packing Hossa off to the west for a bunch of prospects/draft picks. Then we can turn around and send those to another team for our top notch center, or centre as the hockey people say.
Because of a wedding I missed my 2nd and 3rd home games of the season this weekend. No more of that!!! My new goal of going to 38 home games + playoffs is within reach! Starting with 3 games this week. We need all 3 of these! End the Phlyers streak against us!!!! PLEASE?????
By Brian
January 7, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this
Hokie & Sara - I usually agree with both of you, so I gotta pick sides here. Unless you’re talking about Demitra from when he was still in St. Louis, he won’t compare to Hossa. Of course, the way he is playing now, Hossa doesn’t compare to Hossa. Staal would be ok, but I want a center, not another winger. Is there no chance we can throw in a ton of sweetener and get Malkin?
By Brian
January 7, 2008 11:08 AM | Link to this
Maal - deja vu actually ;)
As for the 2 goal lead, it’s because a team will sit back more with a 2 goal lead whereas with a 1 goal lead they will continue to forecheck and apply other pressure. A great analogy is look at a football team that is up by a field goal and see how many yards they give up. Then look at a team that is up by 2 touchdowns and see how many yards they give up. Not that there is a prevent defense in hockey per se, but it’s the mentality of continuing to aggressively attack (1 goal lead) or sit back and let the other team come to you (2 goal lead). And if you sit back, the puck is going to spend more time in your zone and you will get scored on eventually.
By J
January 7, 2008 11:09 AM | Link to this
I think Jordan Staal IS a centre?
By Sara
January 7, 2008 11:11 AM | Link to this
Brian that Staal is a natural center.
But even if we use him as a wing, fact is in losing Hoss he has to be replaced, both positionally and productively. Of course, that doesn’t have to be with just one player either.
Either way, especially given the source, I’m not holding my breath on this one. ;p
By UpperDeck4Life
January 7, 2008 11:12 AM | Link to this
Hokie, I’d personally rather have Malkin than Staal, but if they threw say Letang, I’d at least listen to the offer including Staal.
Another name I want to throw out there is one that I read about on another board this past weekend when someone was talking about trading Hossa. Alex Edler, a young defenseman playing for Vancouver. Here are his stats: 34 games played, 9 pts, +17, 14 pim, 19+ minutes per game.
By Brian
January 7, 2008 11:16 AM | Link to this
J - nice catch, I know Eric is a center, I didn’t think they both played the same position. Do we trade for this year or future years then?
By GaVaHokie
January 7, 2008 11:22 AM | Link to this
Brian… the only way we could even fathom getting Malkin is if Hossa signs the contract extension first. Even then, I don’t see why Pittsburgh would do that.
By GaVaHokie
January 7, 2008 11:33 AM | Link to this
UpperDeck… Alex Edler would be a nice pick up, but we’d have to take on much more than that if Vancouver is going to take Hossa under the cap… most likely Brendan Morrison.
Edler would be the benefit of the trade, but no one could ignore Morrison coming over at $3.2 million at no better value than Todd White.
Naslund and Edler for Hossa… now we’re talking.
By J
January 7, 2008 11:50 AM | Link to this
I can see Hossa agreeing to a sign and trade to Pittsburgh. In which case I’d rather have Whitney & Staal than Malkin.
By Sara
January 7, 2008 11:52 AM | Link to this
Hokie I hope you just mean Naslund as a rental for this year. Cause at 34 yo, I’m thinking nuh-uh.
By GaVaHokie
January 7, 2008 12:19 PM | Link to this
Again with the age issue… how many points does Recchi have at age 39? How’s Mats Sundin doing in Toronto (age 36)? Brindamour (36) Sakic (37)
Other players who are 34… Kovalev, Murray, Alfreddson and Nylander
There are some players that age doesn’t apply to… Naslund is one of them. The guy has 34 points playing with the Sedin twins… imagine what he’d have playing with Kozlov, Kovy, Recchi and White.
By Rawhide
January 7, 2008 12:35 PM | Link to this
Brian - I think Mrs. R is on to something. Perhaps if we make the playoffs, we should send you back to visit your mother-in-law for our second trip to the post season - For the love of GOD and all things holy, NOOOoooooooooo!!!!!!
Maal - Correcting me now, eh? It has been noted and logged, thank you!
Wreckin and Thrashin - Buddy, where do you think I would RATHER have been last week? :o)
Concerned STH - Let’s see if this team has the desire to come out skating for tomorrow evening’s game. If we do and the team realizes they have the ability to play for all 60 minutes, making the playoffs will be a breeze - See that’s just it. The Thrashers have shown flashes of this all year long….but we need to see it for WEEKS at a time of not MONTHS! Win one, lose one, win two, lose two…ain’t gonna cut it!
By UpperDeck4Life
January 7, 2008 12:44 PM | Link to this
Hokie I agree the Thrashers would have to take some salary back. Sara and HokieThe question becomes in my opinion, not why would we want Naslund, but is Vancouver willing to upgrade Naslund at the price of Edler? Naslund and Hossa make the same amount of money, so the money issue becomes moot. But I do kind of like getting Naslund instead of Morrison in this trade for 1 decent reason and one far fetched dream reason. Reason 1, getting Naslund does not say that you are completely throwing the season away. He is a compatent top 6 winger who can score and be your 2nd line RW for the rest of the season on a playoff team. Reason 2 (we’ll call this the Pipedream reason), Forsberg is making waves that he wants to come back when he gets the doc’s OK about his foot. He and Naslund are very close friends. Maybe Forsberg would be willing to come play with his friend and give Atlanta a playoff boost? Like I said, it’s a pipe dream reason.
By GaVaHokie
January 7, 2008 12:55 PM | Link to this
Upperdeck… great point… I completely forgot about the Forsberg/Naslund connection. And what better place for Forsberg to return and focus on “just playing” than the hockey wasteland of Atlanta?
That’ll leave Hossa scratching his head. :) “I didn’t sign because I wasn’t sure Atlanta was a contender, so they traded me for Naslund, signed Forsberg and now they’re a HUGE contender.”
By Boulton's Bruisers
January 7, 2008 12:58 PM | Link to this
Hossa and Zhit to Vancouver for the Sedin Bros.
By Sara
January 7, 2008 1:03 PM | Link to this
Hokie valid points for certain but I get tired of seeing our annual FA upgrades toward the higher ends of the age bracket. Being the oldest team in the league isn’t so much fun. It just feels like the Thrashers are becoming the old folks’ home of the NHL - every player wants to come retire here (see recent article on the afore-mentioned Recchi). It gets old, no pun intended.
By GaVaHokie
January 7, 2008 1:06 PM | Link to this
Okay… let’s see the pipedream through.
Kozlov Forsberg Naslund
Kovy White Recchi
Stuart Holik Dupuis
Thorburn Perrin Boulton
By GaVaHokie
January 7, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this
Sara… Some of my favorite (and most productive) players in the league are 30-36 yo… it’s the perfect balance of skill and experience. Those are the players teams scramble for at the trade deadline to complete their rosters for the playoffs… ala Keith Tkachuk.
By Christy
January 7, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this
Greetings All.
Just for the sake of argument on the pipedream -
Hokie - why does Perrin get bumped to 4th line instead of White? I know that White has been there all season, but I think Perrin has outplayed White and would like to see his speed with Kovy, feeding him and Recchi some of those pretty passes.
By GaVaHokie
January 7, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this
Christy… until it breaks, don’t fix it. I think White has better hockey sense and awareness.
By Brian
January 7, 2008 1:39 PM | Link to this
Christy - don’t break up that line that is doing well, that’s why I would keep White up there.
Boulton’s Bruisers - I think if anyone from the Canucks blog read that they would laugh hysterically. Why don’t we trade Enstrom and Bryan Little for Federov? Surely you feel it is a fair trade to give up bright young talent for an aged, past his prime star. If you had the Sedins, would you give them up for Hossa & Zhit? That is worse than all the scenarios dreamers were floating on how we would land Camarelli & Kopitar.
By Christy
January 7, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this
True enough on the adage. That’s why they become cliches, no?
I can’t speak about the sense and awareness, but sometimes I wonder if White isn’t a little, not timid, but maybe thinking too much about whether he should pass to Kovy or Recchi or take the shot himself…
By Smoothie
January 7, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this
GVH — gotta agree with Christy on this one w/r/t your dream scenario. Give me Perrin over White, um, er I mean Charmin any day of the week and twice on a Sunday matinee. If Stuart keeps providing that kind of forechecking presence, he will make selection of lines quite interesting even after any “dream” trade scenario. I really like Perrin and Stuart together. White is just too tentative and, well soft!
By Rawhide
January 7, 2008 1:59 PM | Link to this
DON’T SQUEEZE THE CHARMIN!!!
By UpperDeck4Life
January 7, 2008 3:05 PM | Link to this
Not really a fan of either White or Perrin to be perfectly honest. But with that said, let’s go to the Stats.
White: 10G-17A-27P -6 47% Face off Win
Perrin: 7G-18A-25P +2 55% Face Off Win (Oh, and 7 assists are shorties)
Gotta say numbers say Perrin stays and White moves down; in pipe dream of course
By Rawhide
January 7, 2008 3:26 PM | Link to this
In the whole “who starts tomorrow against the Flyers” debate, let’s look at the numbers…
Moose is 11-8-1 with a 3.13 GAA and .900 SV%. Against the Flyers he is 1-4-1 with a 3.62 GAA and .872 SV%.
Kari is 7-10-0. (7-6-0 post injury), sporting a 3.15 GAA and .902 SV% for the season. Against the Flyers he is 0-4-0 lifetime with a 3.32 GAA and .881 SV%.
None of those are very good and none have the edge given those stats.
To me, it comes down to who DW is serious about being the #1 starter. If that’s the case, Kari gets the nod…IF Don is serious about him being the true #1.
If he goes with Moose, then he is indicating he is simply going to go with the hot hand until it burns out.
By Brian
January 7, 2008 3:31 PM | Link to this
UD4L - if you take away those 7 assists Perrin got on the PK, White should start. Why figure in points on the PK when Perrin is going to play those minutes regardless if he is #1 or #2 center? How many points did each player get while with their normal linemates? That clearly goes to White.
As for the difference in FO%, that is minimal over a course of a full season.
By Christy
January 7, 2008 3:55 PM | Link to this
Brian,
following same logic though, or at least my version of it, because after 8 hours of looking at numbers the logic is a little iffy….
if you’re going to take away Perrin’s PK assists, don’t you take away White’s OT and PP goals - something like 2 of each, no?
By Thrasher Ryan
January 7, 2008 4:05 PM | Link to this
Perrin over Charmin.
Moose over KL.
Stuart over Larsen/Slater.
Perrin could also have a future centering the Dupuis line. Those 2 work great together.
RH—Please don’t start the KL/Moose debate. We all know Moose deserves the next start. WE MUST GET THIS WIN. No taking chaces with KL. He can start against the Pan-Turds.
By Smoothie
January 7, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this
Go get ‘em Christy! Charmin’s a superstar in OT! I’m not saying White is awful as he is a very savvy player who makes pretty good decisions. It’s just that this team needs a guy like Perrin who is willing to mix it up once in awhile. That’s why I would prefer him playing with Kovy since he needs space as much as he needs a playmaker. White isn’t a great playmaker anyway so I’d prefer to have Perrin’s grit and intangibles pivoting our top line.
Rawhide — gotta say those stats are quite frightening! Perhaps we should call up Pavs since the Wolves seem to do so well dressed in Thrashers’ clothing of late. I would give the nod to Hedberg because I want KL rested and sharp for the last two games of the week at home. Plus, he OWNS the Panthers. Although I would understand the logic of Kari in the next two and Moose against the Pens.
By Brian
January 7, 2008 4:12 PM | Link to this
Christy - good point, although an argument would be made that the only reason White got those was because he was the 1st line center. If he gets bumped from that, he would also get bumped from the 1st PP unit. PK on the other hand has no effect on who is #1 and who is #2.
By Smoothie
January 7, 2008 4:25 PM | Link to this
Okay, here’s a solution:
Kovy — Perrin — Recchi
Kozzie — Stuart — Hossa
Dupuis — White — Thorburn
Larsen — HOLIK — Slates / Boults
Didn’t I read where Stuart has played center before or am I getting him confused with his brother? Hell, he can’t be any worse at offensive zone face-offs than White!
Stuart = superman!! j/k
By Brian
January 7, 2008 4:30 PM | Link to this
Smoothie - Hell, he can’t be any worse at offensive zone face-offs than White! Upper Deck had White at 47%, that’s not too shabby.
I think you are mixing up too many lines there. If you want Perrin with Kovy & Recchi, just put White to the 2nd, don’t tinker with too many lines at one time when we don’t need to hit the panic button.
By Buzilla Baby Blues
January 7, 2008 4:31 PM | Link to this
assuming we do trade Hossa. What would be an acceptable trade? I doubt we would get back much NHL ready talent. Assuming all we get are draft picks…what would be the minimum that we should take?
By Smoothie
January 7, 2008 4:43 PM | Link to this
I hear ya Brian but I am talking about OFFENSIVE zone F/O. I’d like to see that breakdown. I’d be willing to be he is 54-55 in the defensive end and about 40% in the offensive circle. Plus, he doesn’t forecheck much at all. I hate that.
As for tinkering with lines, you’re right. Don’t think you would want to mess with the chemistry like that but I was just throwing out my .02 based on what I think each player deserves based on performance and blending of skill-sets. Obviously, you can’t have a 4.5 mill captain playing on your 4th line. Bad enough he is relegated to 3rd.
By Sara
January 7, 2008 4:46 PM | Link to this
Buzilla I don’t think we can put a price tag on Hossa. All Don can do is take the best possible offer he gets for him. Hossa’s worth is liable to be different to different teams depending on their own needs. Some might give us a 3rd liner plus 2 top picks. Another might give a prospect plus 3 draft picks. It’s going to depend. But one thing seems certain - Don IS going to move Hossa if he doesn’t sign a contract so even if all we get is one 1st round pick for him it’s better than the nothing we’ll get when he leaves in July.
By Christy
January 7, 2008 4:50 PM | Link to this
Brian,
I know, vis a vis the PK and PP. I just like to dip into the role of devil’s advocate from time to time. And given that… what if Perrin had been playing on a line with Hossa all season? The way White has been with Kovy and then with Kovy and Hossa for what, 10, 15 games? Would you add 5 or so Even assists or goals to Perrin then?
And, just to be clear, I don’t necessarily want to tinker with the lines. This all started off of Upperdeck’s pipe dream of Forsberg and Naslund which would have bumped someone down to the 4th line, assuming Holik remains center of the 3rd, “checking” line. Perrin would fit on the 4th “energy” line because that is one thing he brings to the ice, I just found it interesting that Perrin would be bumped and not White.
By Hockeyfan
January 7, 2008 4:50 PM | Link to this
Rawhide the 4 minute call on Klee was BS. A Canes player lifts Klee’s stick causing it to hit the ugly kid Staal in the face and didnt draw any blood. I am used to have calls against us cuz we arent in Canada or an original 6 team but against Carolina that shouldnt be a factor…
Here is a couple for your list you missed. Good Stevie Mac sitting in the press box Sunday. Ungood his +/- number hasnt improved (now at a -18) which means there is nobody that will consider taking him as a part of a trade.
By TR
January 7, 2008 5:25 PM | Link to this
Smoothie—You and I have been pressing for Perrin to Center Kovy for about a month now! Brian is right about not mixing up too many lines, although I agree we need to swap Perrin/White.
By TR
January 7, 2008 5:30 PM | Link to this
Kovy—Perrin—Recchi
Stuart—White—Hossa
Kozlov—Holik—Thorburn
Boulton/Larsen—Slater/Doell—Dupuis
By R. Stroz
January 7, 2008 5:36 PM | Link to this
Charmin needs get on a roll.
By BG33Brown
January 7, 2008 6:44 PM | Link to this
The perfect Hossa trade is Hossa for Marleau. We get a 2 year play at about 6.5 Mil, a center, and he is only 27.
There has been a lot of talk about taking the C off his jersey in San Jose and you can’t do that unless you trade him. I would take that straight up in a heartbeat.
New Lines
Kovy-Perrin-Recchi Stuart-Marleau-Haydar Kozlov-White-Dupuis Larsen-Holik-Thornburn
By Brian
January 7, 2008 6:58 PM | Link to this
BG33 - White & Perrin on paper are basically equal, so since Kovy is still doing fine I say if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, leave White there. It’s not like Perrin is a whole level above White. Recchi is doing well also, why tinker? However, Marleau is a step above both White & Perrin, he would take precedent over both. He would get to play with Kovy.
By BG33Brown
January 7, 2008 7:22 PM | Link to this
Brian there in no doubt that Marleau is a better player, but as I hope we have learned, this league is about secondary scoring…which is Marleau and Kovy are on the same line, who is are secondary scoring line?
By BG33Brown
January 7, 2008 7:31 PM | Link to this
is are….nice….me real edumacated.
By The Janitor
January 8, 2008 6:29 AM | Link to this
Hey…what’s all this toilet paper doing all over the floor???
RStroz!!!!!!
Ya’ll scoot to Rawhide’s new blog while I clean up this mess!
By GaVaHokie
January 8, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this
Buzz and Brown… they most likely scenario with San Jose would be Pavelski and Bernier for Hossa. San Jose won’t want to disrupt their team dynamic too much.
The most likely situation is a team like Pittsburgh that’s way under the cap who wants to load up for the playoffs. They can give us someone like Jordan Staal and a first or second round pick without disrupting their team dynamic as well.