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Future of Tom Sestito (Merged)


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Id like to see him stay and be rotated in and out of the lineup on a needed basis... its easy to say oh don't dress him and the other team won't dress their goons but there are a few teams which that simply won't happen.. IE Calgary has 3 big monsters in their lineup. Dorsett won't cut it against any heavy. This team ain't build tough yet... we have to have a little deterrant.

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I would rather have Lain, he's faster, a centre, smarter and a better hockey player. He's not the fighter Sestito is or the 'goon' Sestito is but Lain is the more useful player IMO. Sestito is a good 13th forward and all but he's too slow for my liking, he can make smart plays sometimes like flipping it out of the zone but I would rather have Lain who is faster since he can get a hit in there, faster to the forecheck and all that. He is also the better hockey player I think.

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I think he's gonna battle Dorsett for the role o 4th line plug. Both are capable of putting up a minor amount of points and Tom "broke out" with 5 goals last year. That said, Dorsett has had 20 points in a season before, so Tom has his work cut out for him.

Thing is, Dorsett isn't a 4th line plug. He has a history of putting up 15-20 points playing ~10-11 minutes per night, the stats of a solid fourth liner who can be trusted in all phases of the game.

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Sestito seems ok when he has the puck in the offensive zone on the cycle, he makes plays and can cycle the puck, its just retrieving it that he struggles. I noticed a lot last season that he would have he puck with time and space in the neutral zone and then dump it in the offensive zone. Is that a coaches order or do you think he lacks the skills to take it in effectively. With our new 'puck possession' thinking if Sestito takes it in and tries to hold it rather than dumping it do you think he will be more effective? But then he doesn't get the chance to hit the opposition D, so I don't know just a thought. He seems to have ok hands in tight though, and some vision, were we using him as best we could last season.

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Sestito is a LW. He will be battling other LW's and one or two centers for his spot. Dorsett and Grenier are RW's and shouldn't be challenging Sestito's place at all. Archibald and Lain are the only likely challenges Sestito has for his position as I think the younger players will be given time to develop in the AHL. IMO, he is a more effective NHLer than either player and will retain his place unless a trade is made.

A lot of people are trying to say that Matthias will play that position but are not taking into account how unhappy he was with his minutes (average @ 12 minutes/game) and reduced role in Florida. Yes Desjardins will run four lines, but the fourth line still won't be playing more than 10 minutes a night and that is 2 minutes a night lower than the average icetime Matthias was unhappy with. If anyone is going to be gone, I think it will be him (unless he ousts someone else by having an outstanding camp).

Sestito is one of the few willing to protect his teammates and doesn't hurt the team by taking stupid penalties, all while getting paid peanuts (freeing up cash to be spent elsewhere). You can bet his teammates and the coaches appreciate his presence on the ice.

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Sestito seems ok when he has the puck in the offensive zone on the cycle, he makes plays and can cycle the puck, its just retrieving it that he struggles. I noticed a lot last season that he would have he puck with time and space in the neutral zone and then dump it in the offensive zone. Is that a coaches order or do you think he lacks the skills to take it in effectively. With our new 'puck possession' thinking if Sestito takes it in and tries to hold it rather than dumping it do you think he will be more effective? But then he doesn't get the chance to hit the opposition D, so I don't know just a thought. He seems to have ok hands in tight though, and some vision, were we using him as best we could last season.

That was pure Torts. Sestito could can easily use his size to take the puck towards the net.

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Whether Sestito makes it as the 12/13th forward is entirely up to him. If he's in shape, can keep up with the pace, can get in on his forechecks, and is able to backcheck hard, then he's got a spot on a the 23 man roster. The most important thing for Sestito is to be able to have the fitness level that is demanded of him to play in the NHL, which is something that has been questionable during his time here...if he can't do that, send the hobo packing.

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The general feeling is he will stick and is needed for protection. I agree. There are some tough teams out there who of course are going to be as usual targeting our top guys. Having Tom draw into the line up makes other teams take notice. Tom seems fine with the role and last year he took care of business.

You cut him and he will be picked up for sure.

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I like Tom, I think he is a good hockey player, and has great fighting abilities. My first impression of Tom was back on March 2nd, 2013. Kings vs Canucks. It was first period, and all of the sudden he is fighting Jordan Nolan. He has fought Nolan before, but this time, it was so amazing, maybe to see it in person at the game. After that, he became one of my favorite Canucks players.

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It's easy for people to say things like 'waive this plug' or 'trade him for a bag of pucks' at this point in the year, but wait until punks like Jordan Nolan are having their way with the sedins..who's going to rise to the occasion like sestito did all of last year? It's not like he's making David booth money;ultimately he's a great team guy and a serviceable player-an ideal if not perfect 13th forward. With that said, many have noticed flashes here and there of his potential for higher level play and I am sure that we will be able to see more of that this year if he's given the chance

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The general feeling is he will stick and is needed for protection. I agree. There are some tough teams out there who of course are going to be as usual targeting our top guys. Having Tom draw into the line up makes other teams take notice. Tom seems fine with the role and last year he took care of business.

You cut him and he will be picked up for sure.

Wouldn't that change the entire makeup and strategy of our team though? You simply can't be rolling 4 lines with Sestito on the roster, I like the guy but he has never played near those sorts of minutes in the NHL not by half. We should be dictating how we play, and not changing our entire style of play based on whether we think we have to slot Sestito in.

If another team wants to pt plugs out against a line of Matthias-Richardson-Dorsett, they can go wild... welcome to getting scored on.

If anything, I think that us getting a 3rd pairing RD who can play a solid stay at home game and chuck the knuckles when needed would serve the plan the coach says he is trying ti implement more.

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A lot of people are trying to say that Matthias will play that position but are not taking into account how unhappy he was with his minutes (average @ 12 minutes/game) and reduced role in Florida. Yes Desjardins will run four lines, but the fourth line still won't be playing more than 10 minutes a night and that is 2 minutes a night lower than the average icetime Matthias was unhappy with. If anyone is going to be gone, I think it will be him (unless he ousts someone else by having an outstanding camp).

I agree that the Matthias minutes are a worry, his issue was apparently that he was put behind young guys he was outperforming on the ice simply because it was more important for the team to develop them. If he outplays Vey or Higgins, he gets to be on the 3rd line here. I think it is a big difference when you know you can earn it vs. knowing no matter how much you earn it, you won't get the spot.

I don't see him being gone because Benning has made more than one comment about having tried to trade for him in the past. The only issue is whether he is happy enough here at season end to want to stay.

If any forward goes before the season I could see it being Richards (or even Hansen in a trade).

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I wouldn't mind seeing him slim down a little to see if it increases his speed and play a little. Maybe he could work on contributing a little more on the ice other than fights and spirit.

Sestito came into camp 10 lbs lighter and in great shape.

WD had a chat with him and told him that he doesn't want him to just play the fighter role on this team....He said he had a lot of faith in Tom and thinks that he has solid skills. It was up to Sestito this summer to come prepared and show the coach that he is more than just a fighter, he will be given the chance to show it. He didn't want Sestito to fight unless it was absolutely necessary, he rather have him play tough and WD wants the penalties so we can have the PP's. He can be used on the forecheck, play tough, hit and still has skills.....plus he is there to enforce when needed.

Personally, I'd rather keep him....

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Wouldn't that change the entire makeup and strategy of our team though? You simply can't be rolling 4 lines with Sestito on the roster, I like the guy but he has never played near those sorts of minutes in the NHL not by half. We should be dictating how we play, and not changing our entire style of play based on whether we think we have to slot Sestito in.

If another team wants to pt plugs out against a line of Matthias-Richardson-Dorsett, they can go wild... welcome to getting scored on.

If anything, I think that us getting a 3rd pairing RD who can play a solid stay at home game and chuck the knuckles when needed would serve the plan the coach says he is trying ti implement more.

Rolling 4 lines doesn't mean as you know giving every line the same amount of minutes. As you pointed out the 4th will on many nights be under 10. I think the nucks as most seem to agree need someone like Tom. This doesn't give him a free pass though. He needs to show that he can play as well. I think as most on this site agree that Tom does have some hockey sense and long term he will need to show that if he wants to stick.

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