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Game #22 – Hawks vs. Panthers: Spotlight – Maybe Dale Tallon Was Born On Third, Too

By Sam Fels 2375 0

Because we’re angry and contrarian, we have sometimes been the lone voice–and certainly the loudest–in pointing out that the Hawks top brass were “born on third.” I.e. they inherited an already-made Cup contender and basically rode the wave by doing the very normal and customary to turn the Hawks what they have become. So while McDonough can go around and do all the puff pieces he likes, and boy does he like them, upon the 10th anniversary of his hiring, most of the hard work was already done for him.

We love to credit Dale Tallon for handing Stan Bowman most of his Cup-winning core–Stan added a piece here or there in ’13 and ’15 of course. And yet it feels like Tallon is doing his best in Florida to also prove he was just the drunk at the craps table who had one night where he kept rolling sevens. Especially this season.

For the past two seasons, Tallon had been kicked upstairs when owner Vincent Viola wanted to hand the reigns over more to a team of more analytic-based guys. That’s when Viola wasn’t reenacting the Battle Of The Bulge on his office floor with thousands of toy soldiers he assuredly has. And that didn’t go particularly well, though the Cats did end up with their second playoff appearance in 17 years in 2016, and their second-ever division title. Didn’t last long as they were bounced by the Islanders. Last year was sunk by injuries and Roberto Luongo’s aging, and in the frustration on not being able to build off of the momentum of the previous season, VIola went a little nuclear and reinstalled Tallon as GM and kicked most of the analytic guys to the curb. Or stripped them of their lapels or whatever it is he would do.

Tallon seems to be basking in “getting one over” on guys who had a different way of looking at the game and building a team. After all, their division-winning outfit of 2016 was still mostly his team. But his intent on destroying what they had has bordered on lunacy. Both Jesse Marchessault and Reilly Smith, who combined for 45 goals last year and were making nothing unreasonable were lost in the expansion draft and never replaced. Useful second/third pairing d-man Jason Demers was shipped out for useful-at-nothing Jamie McGinn. You’ll be stunned to learn that the Panthers are a middling goals-for team. They didn’t have 45 goals to lose. His solution was Radim Vrbata?

Tallon’s drafting record in Florida is spotty. Gudbranson, Bjugstad, Huberdeau, Trocheck, Matheson, Barkov, Ekblad, are all NHL-level contributors, and Huberdeau, Trocheck, Barkov, and Ekblad are almost certainly plus-NHL contributors at least. But over a six-draft period, that’s also a lot of misses. And maybe only Ekblad is a genuine top line/pairing talent? Barkov and Huberdeau are awfully good, but if they were real, NHL top-line talent would the Panthers struggle this much?

But Tallon’s drafting record in Chicago isn’t all that great either. Yes, Toews and Kane were acquired with top three picks, and you can laugh at that all you want but plenty of GMs get those wrong. Keith, Seabrook, Bolland, Bickell, Brouwer, Crawford, Byfuglien were all in the system before Tallon got the top job. He was in the front office as an assistant of course when these picks were made, and maybe had some influence, but the buck stops with the guy cashing the checks that have “G.M.” on it.  Tallon’s first draft was the Skille-over-Kopitar one, which is…less than glowing. Though that draft saw Niklas Hjalmarsson landed.

But past those two, top-three picks, it gets pretty ugly. And with first rounders. Kyle Beach, anyone? Shawn Lalonde, Akim Aliu, Dylan Olsen, Brandon Pirri (who at least fashioned an NHL career). Marcus Kruger was a late-round find, but as far as players that mattered to the Hawks…eeeep. It’s not Tallon’s fault of course that Kevin Hayes wouldn’t sign or Stephen Johns had to be used as the fluffer to get someone to take Patrick Sharp’s contract. So yeah, spotty.

And one wonders how much longer the Panthers can continue to get things wrong before that market is poisoned beyond rescue. They’re middling again this year, with nothing really to suggest they’re going to be much else. Based on this, is Tallon really the one going to have the Panthers break through to a higher level? It’s not a Florida problem, as the Lightning and Steve Yzerman are proving. In fact, their lack of a state income tax should be an advantage. Why wouldn’t players want to play there? But they’re not going there if they don’t think they can win anything. Hard to see how Tallon is the one to convince them he’s the one who can bring them that feature.

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Game #22 – Hawks vs. Panthers: Q&A With Frank Rekas

By Sam Fels 2029 0

Frank Rekas is the editor of PantherParkway.com. Follow him on Twitter @FrankRekas.

Let’s start with just what “the plan” is in Florida. They fired all the guys they hired to take the team in a more modern and analytic direction after about 12 minutes, and brought back Dale Tallon. But the team doesn’t appear to be any better and in fact there have been a couple bewildering decisions. What’s going on here?

The Florida Panthers are good at one thing: Being consistently inconsistent.  When Dale Tallon came to town in 2010 he had his “Blueprint” which was going to steer the Panthers in a winning direction.  Within two years the Panthers won the Atlantic Division and went to the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.  It’s been said they they may have peaked too early, or that a lot of players had career seasons that year and it was just luck.  Regardless, that was as fun of a season as South Florida had seen in years.  But good things in South Florida don’t last forever and that season was followed by the lockout year, and then the wheels fell off in 2013-2014 and Kevin Dineen was fired because, why not?  It must have been his fault.  It was a roster that was put together with duct tape and staples.  Nothing went right other than re-acquiring Roberto Luongo at the trade deadline.  With new ownership in place, changes were going to be made and they were, starting with a new head coach Gerard Gallant.  The team improved by 25 points in Gallants’ first season behind the bench, followed by another division championship and playoff birth in 2015-2016. THAT’S when the demolition began.  The executives lead by what some of us call the Army Math Team and Pentagon Trading LLC decided that even though the team had it’s best season ever, they needed to make changes cause of analytics.  I’m personally not a fan of Corsi and Fenwick, but I do know that it’s a part of hockey.  They don’t measure however things like character, hockey sense and leadership.  After that season, the Panthers traded fan favorite and an up and coming leader in defenceman Erik Gudbranson.  This pissed off Gallant to no end, but he dealt with it. Until he was fired.  Replaced by then General Manager Tom Rowe, who is about as qualified for either of those positions as any one of us is.  We could likely have done better.  The 2016-2017 season was a dumpster fire.  Now to the present, where Dale Tallon is back in as the General Manager left to fix the mess that Rowe left behind.  The Tom Rowe experience in my mind has set the organization back at least two to three years.  The defense is young and inexperienced, except for Keith Yandle who doesn’t play much defense.  If you can stop the top line from scoring, you pretty much have the game won, and they aren’t tough to play against.  Beyond all this, things are great.  We’ve been told to be patient, which I responded with this,
On the plus side, Vincent Trocheck is over a point-per-game and on his way to a career year. Any difference in his game for this or riding the percentages a bit?
Trocheck is one of those special players.  He’s not big by NHL standards, but he plays like he is.  Never takes a shift off and is probably the real heart and soul of the team.  As one of my favorite former NHL coaches would have said, he’s gone through the “maturation process” and he’s producing like he should.  He’s on pace for a career year at a point per game clip so far, and if he had any decent wingers to play with, who knows how much he’d produce.  But he needs help.  This pace that he’s on can’t last with the linemates that he’s been given.  Hopefully that changes cause Vinny is a good kid that deserves better.  It’s been fun watching him progress and develop into the player he is today.  He has a very bright future, but will that future be here?
We tend to separate NHL coaches and GMs on a binary scale, either Idiot or Not An Idiot and that’s it. What is Bob Boughner?  
Well I’m not fond of his attire, something I joke about on Twitter and have offered to take him shopping.  That being said, it’s 21 games into the season, and he doesn’t really have much to work with.  While it’s too early to say he’s one or the other, he’s made some questionable moves for sure, and insists on keeping Keith Yandle and Aaron Ekblad together as the number one defensive pair.  Do you remember when the Hawks had Doug Smolek and Brad Brown on defense?  Dirk Graham was the coach for the Hawks that year and we know what happened to him. For a coach that played defense during his career, Boughner hasn’t been much of an influence.  He needs a better roster, and there are a few players that need to look in the mirror.  Otherwise Boughner is trying to get blood out of a rock.  There are some nights he looks like he’s in over his head.  Learning on the job isn’t fun, especially in South Florida.
Jared McCann has some pretty impressive underlying numbers so far. Did the Cats steal this kid from the Canucks?
I think it’s too early to tell on this one.  Last season he clearly wasn’t ready, and this year, up until his recent injury he looked much better.  He’s been back for a couple games, but he’s also suffering from a mixed bag of linemates.  To be honest, I’d like to reverse the trade.  Gudbranson brings more to the table, despite his poor analytics, than McCann.  The Panthers need Gudbranson’s heart, soul, and toughness.  Let’s see a full season of McCann before we pass judgement on his value.
What’s it going to take for the Panthers not to just spasm a playoff berth every so often, but to be a consistent playoff team to build a platform to something more?
They need to stop with all the changes and decide on a direction, other than a consistent swirl down a drain, only to come up for air once every few seasons.  It’s hard to attract players and coaches to an organization when there’s so much change and a history of turmoil.  Yes, it’s sunny South Florida where there’s no state income tax, but honestly, why do you think so many over 35 year old free agents like it here?  No media attention, South Beach, perfect weather during the season, and a great place to retire. Which some players have done while still under contract.  But there’s no pressure to win.  Mediocrity and complacency are being touted as patience.  With the deal the team has with the arena, they aren’t going anywhere, yet with attendance down again, and the team unable to string together three consecutive wins, it’s depressing.  The owners haven’t been afraid to spend money, that’s not the issue.  It’s how they’ve spent it that’s the concern.  That unfortunately is a much longer discussion. The other issue is that the cupboard is thin.  No one in the minors appears to be ready to step in and contribute.  After having been touted as having a plentiful minor league system just a few seasons ago, there’s nothing.  The fan base deserves and wants more.  Patience is thin.  What’s it going to take?  It’s going to take an attitude that losing isn’t acceptable for starters.  Players will need to be held accountable no matter how much money they’re making.  And it’s going to take a change in culture.  The team has no chemistry and it shows.  They were on the way to respectability just two seasons ago.  But ownership apparently isn’t aware of one of the most common phrases:  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.  Unfortunately they thought things needed to be fixed and they were wrong.
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Game #22 – Hawks vs. Panthers: Douchebag Du Jour – Radim Vrbata, Master Of The Goal That Doesn’t Matter

By Sam Fels 2147 0

Did you know Radim Vrbata has played over 1,000 games in the NHL? We bet you didn’t. He’s been around now for 15 seasons, if you can believe it. And that comes straight, there was never a year where Vrbata bounced between the AHL and NHL. He was called up, and he’s been here ever since.

He’s piled up 282 goals in his NHL career, and how many of them mattered? Well, he has eight career playoff goals in four tries in the postseason. Only once has Vrbata been past the first round, that 2011 Coyotes run you remember so fondly. And even with 16 playoff games that year, Vrbata managed two goals. That three-year run in Glendale comprises almost all of Vrbata’s playoff experience, with a brief glimpse in ’15 with the Canucks when they somehow goofed a playoff spot before getting impaled by the Flames, who themselves weren’t really any good either.

Vrbata has spent a lifetime in the shadows, scoring enough goals for teams that don’t really matter to mark himself out for that team or another team needing somewhat cheap scoring. He’s hockey’s version of Brian Roberts or late-career Adam Dunn or Jhoulys Chacin. He’s hockey’s running back, eminently disposable but effective enough to find work, like Darren Sproles or Marion Barber. If this were the NBA he’d be the shoosty swingman off the bench, a hockey Joe Johnson. He just keeps popping up and doing just enough to be forgotten.

But hey, he had that streak of shootout goals against the Hawks, and all were a deke and a backhand. You, like most of the Hawks fans you know, were screaming at your TV because you knew what was coming. Chances are Corey Crawford did, too. And it didn’t matter. You already knew what it looked like, and yet you sat there watching it unfold again. And then it faded.

Pretty much encapsulates Vrbata’s career.

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Game #22 – Hawks vs. Panthers: I Make A Lot Of Graphs

By Sam Fels 1586 0

All at even-strength except where noted.

Expected Goals: Goals team “should” have scored and given up based on amount and types of chances created and surrendered, given neutral goaltending. 

Time On Ice Percentage: Share of team’s even-strength time player skates

Off. Zone Start Percentage: Ratio of shifts for player that start in offensive zone

TOI% of Competition: Time On Ice Percentage of competition player skates against

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Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight – November 24th

By Sam Fels 1563 0

Lots of afternoon stuff today, so we’ll get this out early to get you ready for your viewing as you avoid going anywhere that might have any retail shops anywhere near it.

First Screen Viewing

Predators vs. Blues – 7pm

Those who would be king against those who simply won’t vacate the throne at the moment. This would be a good time for a “St. Louis and throne-as-toilet” joke, but I’m still coming down from tryptophan and scotch. So you’re going to have to deal with me at less than full speed today. The Blues are head and shoulders above the Central and West as a whole, and if any team is going to haul them in in the division it’s probably Nashville (and maybe Calgary in the conference overall). The Preds have only lost once since Kyle Turris showed up, and they’ve piled up 23 goals in those six games. Pretty tidy. The Blues can’t seem to lose either, and it’s kind of a wonder there isn’t more play about how Mike Yeo is a better coach than Ken Hitchcock right now as he’s doing this with a worse and more injured roster than the one Hitch got himself fired from last year. Food for thought. With all apologies to the Jets (meaning none), these are the two best teams in the Central right now and if the Preds are going to make a charge, they probably need this one as a seven-point-gap even only a quarter of the way through a season is more than miniscule.

Second Screen Viewing

Oilers vs. Sabres – 6pm

First off, it’s funny because both these teams blow when their entitled fanbases thought they could actually be something this year. But really, this is just another chance to bitch about how the NHL markets itself. Here you have a day that the NHL is actively trying to mark out some territory in, as they’ve surrendered Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day to the NFL and NBA, and when the former encroaches on New Years Day the NHL is all too happy to move it’s signature, regular-season event, too. But Black Friday seems to be something where they see an opportunity. And every year, it’s some combination of Rangers, Flyers, Bruins, Penguins. That’s it. Because they’re all in the East and can be shoehorned into the noon time-slot because the NHL is too chicken-shit to try and put it at a real time and NBC also just has to show… looks up…Ellen’s show? And hey, I love Ellen to an irrational degree but come on here.

So here’s a game between two of the game’s biggest young stars, including the best player in the league right now. What would be more interesting? McDavid and Eichel (with the latter playing for a rabid and large fanbase which is the only thing the NHL cares about when scheduling this) or another game between two teams the hockey world has already gotten bored of? I’ll hang up and listen for my answer.

Other Games

Penguins vs. Bruins – noon

Jets vs. Ducks – 3pm (Ha, the Hawks were replaced by the Jets for this traditional game)

Avalanche vs. Wild – 3pm

Islanders vs. Flyers – 3pm

Lightning vs. Capitals – 4pm

Sharks vs. Knights – 5pm

Canucks vs. Devils – 6pm

Red Wings vs. Rangers – 6pm

Senators vs. Blue Jackets – 6pm

Maple Leafs vs. Hurricanes – 6:30

Kings vs. Coyotes – 8pm

Flames vs. Stars – 8pm

 

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Game #21 – Hawks vs. Lightning Preview/Jewelry Heist: Follow Me Light Bulb

By Sam Fels 2925 0

 vs. 

RECORDS: Hawks 10-8-2   Lightning 15-3-2

PUCK DROP: 6:30

TV: NBCSN Chicago for the locals, NBCSN proper for the non-locals

FLORIDA MEN: Raw Charge

The degree of difficulty certainly goes up for the Hawks tonight. While fashioning together a modest two-game winning streak against the hottest team in the league but flawed Rangers and the defending champs but scuffling Penguins, the Hawks will get a face-full of the best team in the league in the Tampa Bay Lightning. If you’re already feeling a small shiver, don’t worry. A) you’re not alone, and B) it’s Blackout Wednesday so either you won’t remember this one or won’t even see it at all as you prepare to spend the day tomorrow with weirdos who share your last name/blood/both.

We’ll start in the obvious place with the Bolts, which is their top line that is simply a boom-stick right now. Namestnikov-Stamkos-Kucherov is probably the best line going, and they’ve only combined for 88 points in 20 games so far. Stamkos is off to the best start of his career, with 35 points in the first 20 games which  puts him on pace for 143 for the season. Kucherov is on a 70-goal pace, and if he gets out there against Seabrook consistently tonight that pace might jump to a 105. Kucherov is an under-the-radar Hart candidate and was last year as well, but will struggle to get votes as the crusty hockey media try and wheel pose their way into handing every award to a Canadian who can barely read but has a name they can pronounce.

But it’s not just a one-line team. Brayden Point has emerged as a weapon for all occasions, being asked to take on the top lines of other teams and providing scoring of his own with Baby Hossa Ondrej Palat and Yanni Gourde, which no is not a physical condition or a Mediterranean dish/singer. Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn are being used in a creative way where they are the line that’s short a winger in their seven-defensemen look, and can be used to boost scoring as a straight up checking line. Ryan Callahan, J.T. Brown, and Chris Kunitz all get a look there, but Kucherov or Palat can also get extra shifts there if the Lightning need offense.

The back end has the same problems it always had, but less of them. There are still definite plodders and creatures in Dan Girardi, Braydon Coburn, Andrej Sustr. But their roles have been relegated to third pairing. Victor Hedman hasn’t hit the heights of the past yet, but is still one of the more dynamic d-men you’ll find. Mikhail Sergachev has been the second puck-mover they’ve always needed behind Hedman, and has allowed Anton Stralman to age into the more conservative partner role.

All of that’s backed up by Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has been a Chicago construction crew in his first full year as a starter, stopping anything that’s in front of him. He’s at .928 for the season.

Clearly it’s an impressive package. There’s a reason they’ve only missed out on eight points of the 40 on offer and are simply horsing the East right now. And they can play it however they need to. Jon Cooper, while not sorting his various oils and balms, is one of the league’s leading #NotAMorons, and usually has the Bolts playing up-tempo and high-pressure. They’re almost always fun to watch, with Hedman and now Sergachev they can run with anyone. But if they have to they can lock it down as well through Johnson, Point, Killorn, Palat, Callahan, and their various clydesdales blocking shooting lanes down low.

So yeah, tall timber here.

For the Hawks, they’ll roll out the same lineup that got one over the Penguins, and there’s no reason to expect that Corey Crawford won’t have a lot of work to do tonight. Cooper will certainly look to get his matchups, and when his top line is out there against… well, really any pairing, it’s going to be an adventure. And it won’t be a slow one. Good way to go into the holiday. Enjoy it.

 

 

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Game #21 – Hawks vs. Lightning: Spotlight – Steve Yzergone

By Sam Fels 2885 0

For most of our existence, we’ve done our best to mock Steve Yzerman’s reign as GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The scars of damage inflicted during his playing days do not heal so fast, or at all, dear friends. We simply wouldn’t relent. And as the Lightning struggled at times, we laughed and pointed and mocked. It was made even better at Red Wings fans cried their usual rivers of tears and motor oil (all of which they dump in Flint) that Yzerman was allowed to leave Detroit at all.

And yet, here we are, and Yzerman is leading the best team in the league at the moment and almost certainly the Cup favorite. And they were that before the season. And we have to admit…hang with us here…this isn’t going to be easy…

Steve Yzerman is pretty good at his job.

His drafting record is among the best you’ll find. The first one in 2010 didn’t go so well, but did provide two NHL-ers in Brett Connolly and Radko Gudas, even if the latter should be sitting in front of a parole board/firing squad at the moment. The following year netted the Bolts Vladislav Namestnikov, Nikita Kucherov, Nikita Nesterov, and Ondrej Palat. The following year saw Slater Koekkoek, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Cedric Pacquette, and Jake Dotchin. 2013 brought Jonathan Drouin, which turned into Mikhail Sergachev. Brayden Point was taken in 2014. That’s 12 players that either are on this team now, have contributed heavily in the past, or were turned into pieces that are contributing now. And in Kucherov he’s got a potential Hart Trophy winner.

Yes, Yzerman inherited Stamkos and Hedman, which are the two big building blocks and any GM should be rated on the the foundational pieces he brings in. But certainly Kucherov and Palat are building blocks as well. Sergachev may well turn into one.

Yes, Yzerman has had a blind spot on his blue line, where contracts have been handed out to Braydon Coburn, Dan Girardi, Jason Garrison, and one or two other overgrown sloths with gloves. That’s been balanced this year by Sergachev and Anton Stralman a few years ago. It clearly hasn’t killed them.

Where Yzerman’s real creativity has come in has been dancing around the salary cap. “CAPOCALYPSE!” has been predicted for the Lightning for a few years now, and it just hasn’t materialized. The big piece was convincing Steven Stamkos that the no-state-income-tax in Florida would benefit him greatly, even if his salary wasn’t as high as it would have been in New York or Toronto or Montreal. Stamkos on pace for 120 points at $8.5 million sure seems value now. Tyler Johnson’s $5 million a season might be a bit of an overreach, but hardly scandalous. Same with Alex Killorn’s $4.4, though the fact that runs from here until President’s Warren’s swearing-in might be an issue.

What’s more is that the Lightning have two or three years more to this window that’s already seen them get to a Final and a Game 7 Conference Final. Kucherov is due new paper after next season, and considering the numbers he’s putting up he could ask for something in the $10 million range. Certainly in the Stamkos range, even if he will be only a restricted free agent. But that same offseason will see the Lightning clear Stralman, Coburn, and Girardi off the books. Only Namestnikov is due an extension after this season of any player who matters. Even if Kucherov needs the moon Yzerman will have $11 million or so to play with to give to him if need be. That doesn’t even factor in whatever raise the cap will have by then.

All told, the Lightning should get a run of four or five, maybe six, years at the top of the league. That’s about the maximum anyone gets in a cap world. You can’t argue.

Of course, this kills us. The orchestrator of so many of our nightmares running a team the way we’d like to see one run. It never ends, the horrors never leave, the pain is always present.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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Game #21 – Hawks vs. Lightning: Q&A George Fitzgerald

By Sam Fels 1667 0

George is a contributor to RawCharge.com. You can follow him on Twitter @GeoFitz4. 

Best record in the league, four guys averaging more than a point per game, with Stamkos nearly at two points per game. Is there anything to complain about in Bolts-land?
– Only real complaint has been the usage of Slater Koekkoek. Jon Cooper has used seven defensemen for all but a handful of games this season. This was actually something I predicted would happen earlier in the off-season. With three young defensemen, it allows Associate Head Coach Rick Bowness to  balance the ice time of the younger kids and protect them. So far, Koekkoek and Andrej Sustr have rotated in-and-out of the 7th defenseman spot. It’s been a little bit frustrating because we feel that Koekkoek has played well in the time he’s been given, while Sustr has regressed and his flaws have been more exposed than ever. Koekkoek is a smooth skater and was once looked on as a potential #3 defenseman. He had three shoulder surgeries (two on one, one on the other) before even starting his professional career and that stunted his development a bit. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a minor complaint.
Brayden Point is already halfway to his rookie point total from last year. What do we need to know about him?
– Recently I’ve seen some comparisons of Point to Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews. Not saying that he’s up to Toews level… yet… but he’s the kind of player that does the little things right. He’s not a master at any one thing, but he’s just a very solid all-around player that plays great defense and produces offensively. His line, with Ondrej Palat and Yanni Gourde on either wing, have been tasked with taking on top lines. Expect his line to be out there a lot against Toews and Saad. Point was overlooked in his draft year despite his offensive output (36-55-91 in 72GP in WHL with Moose Jaw) because of his size and some minor questions on his skating according to reports at the time. Since then, he’s picked up a couple inches and probably 15-20 pounds. That extra size and the work he has put in with renowned skating coach Barb Underhill allowed him to really bring his game to the next level. He was the first AHL-eligible professional rookie to make the Lightning out of training camp under Steve Yzerman. That’s just not something that happens with this organization anymore.
Mikhail Sergachev has 14 points and was the offseason’s big acquisition. Is he already the second puck-moving d-man the Lightning have needed behind Hedman. 
– Most definitely. The Lightning had a bit of a luxury in having three elite forwards on the roster. But they really only had one elite defenseman, as good as Anton Stralman is. Sergachev is proving to be that second player and he has more goals and points than Jonathan Drouin this season. Habs fans though will rightfully point out that Sergachev has a much better supporting cast in Tampa than he would of had in Montreal and he likely wouldn’t be producing like this north of the border. He’s a smart, charismatic kid that has a great work ethic and it comes through in the Russian interviews RawCharge has translated. He’s mostly been paired with Anton Stralman who has proven to be a great compliment to him. Stralman had career offensive seasons when he joined the Lightning but cooled off last season away from Hedman. But what he did with Hedman is the same thing he can do for Sergachev – give him a solid defensive presence that is an excellent communicator and will let him do his thing. He’s also earned his way on to the second power-play unit and has shown a knack for getting pucks on net through bodies.
How is Dan Girardi rocking positive underlying numbers when he was an utter disaster in New York?
– So, funny thing about that. @LoserPoints, our resident advanced stats experts, was just chatting with the rest of the staff about Girardi’s numbers a few days ago. With the Lightning using seven defensemen, it means that everyone is getting a chance to play with everyone else. When Girardi has been with Sergachev, he’s posted some ridiculously good numbers. With every one else, his numbers are mostly in the negative. A lot like his normal partner Braydon Coburn, he doesn’t push the pace offensively, but he has been better at limiting defensive chances for the Lightning. He’s been able to compliment Sergachev in the limited time they’ve played together and Sergachev’s offensive instincts has helped to buoy Girardi’s numbers. Girardi also mentioned in interviews before the season that last year he was slowed down by a nagging foot injury. That’s healed (though it’s only a matter of time before he’s hurt blocking a shot) and that has shown through in his positioning.
If this team doesn’t come out of the East, it will be because….?
– Injuries, particularly to Andrei Vasilevskiy or Victor Hedman. Vasilevskiy in particular is one of the big keys to this team going deep. While the offense is bound to cool off sooner or later, they do have tremendous scoring depth in the top eight forwards. There are some replacement options up front in the AHL in the form of veteran Cory Conacher and prospects Adam Erne, and Matthew Peca. The blue line is a little bit shakier, but the team could weather an injury there, maybe two. Having kept Koekkoek and Sustr, the Lightning are carrying eight NHL defensemen. In the AHL though, the depth just isn’t there. Jamie McBain is the lone defenseman with any NHL experience, though his experience is ample with over 300 games in the NHL. Beyond that, there’s one AHL veteran that could fill-in, one that is already on the bottom of the AHL line-up, a third-year pro, and then two each in their first and second years in the AHL. The goaltending depth picture did get a little bit better with a trade for Louis Domingue to replace Michael Leighton who had been struggling in the AHL. However, a pairing of Domingue and Peter Budaj doesn’t give fans the most confidence unless Domingue can return closer to what he’s shown in the past with the Coyotes.
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Game #21 – Hawks vs. Lightning: Douchebag Du Jour – Dan Girardi Is The Reason We Have Pierre McGuire

By Sam Fels 2846 0

Sure, why not?

One of the most annoying aspects of following the NHL, and writing about it, is having to sift through those who broadcast it and how they view what makes a player valuable. And this spreads to those who make decisions on how to build hockey teams, sometimes directly from the media, which is how you get the mess you have in Montreal right now, for instance.

Dan Girardi is a prime example. For the last few years, whenever the New York Rangers were on national TV, which was far too much (and yes, we know a Hawks fan saying another team was on TV too much is rich beyond all get out and we recognize that), you’d have to listen to at least 10 minutes at varying points combined of Pierre McGuire slobbering all over himself over what a “warrior” and “competitor” and the “heart” of Dan Girardi. He would do this because Girardi would always be involved in battles in the corner or out front of the net or blocking shots (notice these don’t ever involve his team having the puck). McGuire would try and sell you the game through the tales of these guys who were held together by duct tape but couldn’t wait to throw themselves in front of launched frozen rubber at the first opportunity to earn yet another bruise that sends people like McGuire to the height of emotional (and sadly probably physical) tumescence.

What it conveniently ignored was that Dan Girardi sucked. He still sucks. He has sucked for a long time. The Rangers were demonstrably worse when he was on the ice, and his usual partner Ryan McDonagh was assuredly about three minutes away from taking a blowtorch to his locker in the dressing room. McDonagh’s career has certainly been shortened after years of cleaning up whatever mess Girardi continually put him in. His relative-Corsi’s are simply comedy to look up over the years, his coup-de-stupid coming in ’15-’16 when he was a -8.6, one of the worst marks in the league.

But that kind of blathering from media still gets players like him a lot of money, so more power to him we guess. We just wish there were less of his types so there would be less chance of the Milburys and McGuires of the world to mess themselves on our televisions. There’s an image to take you into the holiday.

Game #21 Preview

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Douchebag Du Jour

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