komodo0921

Yup, got away with one, but They'll take it as will I. Much like every sports team that's ever existed, they've been burned their share of times. It all balances out.

Blue Jays pitching' staff been great. Unfortunately, the batters have'nt figured out what situational hitting is. They better figure it out or they're going to be sitting on their couches real soon.

Thinking about that one swing has been their downfall, thus far. Giving them a lot of easy outs.

His one weakness is selfishness. He had to plate Donaldson. Choking up and just making solid contact should've been his primary thought. Tomlinson wasn't throwing him anything to pull. Just put it in play and pressure them to make the play. Instead he swung at bad pitches, trying to be a hero with one swing and let Tomlinson off the hook. Just bad decisions which, I believe, will be his undoing in TO. Keep Encarnacion and let JB go.

Just watched Donaldson play for a hit down the right side gap which plated a run. Perfect. They need more of that. Doesn't matter how you get em as long as you get em.

The team's getting a dose of reality. Cleveland pitching is, every bit, as good as ours. They have to learn to hit away from shifts and stop swinging for the fences. Even Pillar seems to be over swinging rather than shooting for the gaps. Too much eagerness to make an, individual difference than a decision that best serves the team. This was their undoing last year.

Nikita is going to be an interesting story going into the season. Does he have what it takes to be a full time NHLer? I think he has just enough to stay and that seems to be enough for management. Let's face it; He's not here for his high end skills. As long as he keeps his game simple and uses his size and power to his advantage, he should have a decent season and as he gets up to, NHL speed, he'll be a good, stay at home, defenceman moving forward. Any kind of scoring ability he develops will be a bonus.

Admitedly, I've missed a lot of the preseason, but from what I've seen of Olli, I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. I expect him to be a top four defenseman and we're getting early gimpses of it. He's smart in the d zone, making high percentage plays and, for the most part, keeping mistakes to a minimum. He's already showing generous amounts of maturity. He's got a great future ahead of him in Vancouver.

I am still hoping he turns into our third line center. The problem is that, right now, we're crowded at that position. I could also see a fit for him on a wing but I don't see a center that he could work well with. He needs to be in a crash and bash role and that's a line we lack. I would like to see him as the center of such a line but, for now, I don't see such a line materializing, with what we have. I do see him having an important role on our team but I think other situations, on our current roster, have to work themselves out first ( ie. Etem, Rodin, Burrows ).

I was just about to post something similar to this. As I see it, we have three players in our system that have done about as much as they can in Utica and Gaunce is one of them (Grenier and Pedan are the other two, maybe Subban being another ). It's time for him to get his shot. There are spots open or could be made available for him. I think it's time for him to put up or shut up. Find out if he's a keeper or someone who needs a change of scenery.

Jake started out guns blazing but, as the season went on, his play faded and the inexperienced kid who wasn't ready for an 82 game schedule, inevitably came out. This is no fault of his but should be placed, squarely, on the shoulders of management. I've said it before; Rushing kids into the NHL in a desperate attempt to speed up a rebuild, not only hurts the team but could, potentially, ruin a prospects career. Yakupov is a clear example of a player with great skills and potential who really could've benefited from some time in the "A". Before him, Alexander Daigle was another player, clearly not ready for the NHL and, quickly, became one of the biggest busts in NHL history. Jake needs time to grow and mature. There are enough vets left on the UFA list to temporarily fill the void until prospects like Virtanen, Boeser and Juolevi are ready to assume full time roles in the NHL. With proper grooming, I see all three becoming stars in the NHL but patience is key. I truly hope, for Jake's sake, that management does what's best for him and not what's best for their own, personal, agenda's.

I'd like to see Sutter as our everyday 2C for two reasons. 1) We really get to see what we have in Sutter and re-evaluate at the end of the season, as to whether he can play 2C or is, truly, a 3C. 2) Management needs to slow down Bo's playing time. Yes, he got his share of points but he really was lacking on the defensive side. He slots in nicely at 3C where he isn't pressured to produce big numbers and can concentrate more on rounding out his game. I believe he has so much more to offer this team and he's far from peaking. I would've preferred him to be in the AHL after his first season (much like Virtanen now) but that's no longer an option. I think 10-12 minutes a game in an every day third line will make him more effective and, imo, make him better in the long run, taking over 2C in a couple seasons on a full time basis.

I'm in total agreement. Juolevi is exactly what we need, moving forward. I think as soon as PLD was picked, their minds were made up. There was no way Edmonton was passing up on Puljajrvi. Olli is going to be the stud defenseman and central piece of our defense for many years. I look forward to seeing him develop and would like to see him in the line up 3-4 years from now. We have no glaring need to rush him. Like Boeser, Olli can only benefit from patience. He has all the tools but needs to bulk up. At 6'3"/180 lbs, he's light for his frame. He needs to get over the 200 lb mark and get used to playing with the added weight. When he does that, he is going to add another dimension to our blue line. I can't wait to start seeing these kids in the NHL. I love what Benning and Linden are creating here.

I agree. There's been a definite shift in JBs defensive strategy and I like it. The additions are going to need some time to gel but our blue line looks a lot better. Tryamkin has all the tools to become a beast but he's got a lot of work ahead of him and expectations shouldn't be too high for him this year. I, like everyone else in Canuck nation, am very excited to watch Tryamkin this year but I don't expect to see a superstar emerge yet. I'd be happy if he just plays a solid defensive game, much like Tanev. Reliable, limits chances and makes few mistakes in our zone. Maybe some offence will emerge in the future but for now, stick to the basics. He definitely looked lost last season with not knowing english and playing a different style of hockey on a smaller ice surface, but I was very impressed with how he handled the changes and the hype that was around him at all times. His maturity level seems to be high and that bodes well for him and us.

I agree. It's going to be very interesting. I love his physical play but he really needs to develop his foot work. Once he gains confidence in his abilities and gets used to the smaller ice surface, the sky's the limit for this kid.