DIBdaQUIB

He did have a strong game. had the puck a lot, protected it well, was a physical force, dominated the face-off circle. His penalty killing shift after the Russians went up 2-0 was (I believe) a turning point at that time with the energy and o-zone pressure it has. Canada scored shortly after. I really liked what I saw.

Detroit has had more success than the Nucks but still manages to draft well. The secret is knowing when to move players for prosepcts/picks. Gillis has let quality/key players walk while trading away prospects/picks on rentals. His strategy has been the opposite of what long-term successful teams do. Another issue has been the treatment of the youth under the Gillis/AV years. The entitlement of the core made it impossible for young guys to break-in and get a meaningful role until after they had slogged it out on the 4th line and paid their dues. Other top teams put their young players in apposition to succeed with the kinds of mature/talented players that compliment their skill-set. Any wonder the Nucks didn't land Schultz? That Cody wanted out? They had everything in their favour and Schultz chose Edmonton.

For a team with the mature core of the Nucks, the lack of leadership is alarming. Hank is a great guy/human being but these kinds of revelations have to call into question the leadership of the team. The senior "leaders" aren't leading and are the biggest reason the team is struggling. The support players are trying to do their part but with limited minutes/talent, they aren't ever going to carry the team. Torts was bang on when he referred to no leadership after last night's game. I have to think that is at the heart of the Nuck's problem. Too many comfortable guys that feel they are entitled to be on the team and play just well enough not to not be benched.

So we're just over 1/4 of the way into the season, and we're having to rely on other teams starting to play bad in order to have a chance? Is that what contending teams do? Looking forward to 2014/15 and watching the kids. I expect they at least will give it everything they have and play with emotion unlike our current crew.

Yup. The offense is old and tired. That's why Santorelli has stood out so often. He attacks with speed and creativity, something sadly lacking on this roster.

The Sedins were never fast but they have gotten slower. Having Torts use them like mules for 25 minutes per game isn't helping them produce. Hopefully the young guns mature really fast and we can get 3 or 4 of our prospects into the lineup next year. Right now, there are a lot of guys that haven't earned the right to be playing.

Seen this movie before!! Speaks to the character of the team and why some core pieces need to be moved. Perhaps Torts is starting to figure that out.

They're playing like a team that has no identity. They want to be a Torts team, with a crushing fore check but they're not built for it. If the Sedins are going to play 23 minutes per game, you will never have a dominant fore check. As for being harder to play against...the Florida announcers were frequently commenting on how little physical presence the Nucks have...allowing the Panthers to stand around in front of the net and get to pucks. So if the Nucks aren't 1) a physical team (they're not even close) 2) a tenacious checking team 3) an offensively talented team 4) a defensive "shut-down" team...what are they?

Really nice for them to acknowledge that but how does that happen after losing 4 straight!! What exactly does it take to get this group to show up and actually care?

Brilliant deduction. How many years have these guys played pro hockey? AVERAGE is the word that best describes this team. An average goalie with average (though overpaid) d-men with below average offensive talent and an abundance of average players. All of these playing with average enthusiasm and effort in an average system.

I think you are right.

Have you ever read a thread on here that talks about a lack of offensive talent on the Nucks?

oh...well in that case, who's worried?

It is now a 61 game season and we're starting from 9th place! A bit of a concern.

I wouldn't know. I've never said that.

Every creature has a purpose under the sun. Congrats!

Optimism I can understand...claiming to have overcome a scoring drought after 2 goals against the weakest defensive team in the league is delusional.

No. They are not driving the slot...at least not with any regularity. On their last PP, the entire center of the ice was bereft of blue sweaters while they played around the boards. Scoring one from there just goes to show what could happen if they did that more often.

Yeah///they've actually doubled their usual output. Very impressive against the team in the league that gives up the most goals. Go pour yourself another one.

Avoiding the inevitable "reset" question? The guy has failed. He talked big about what he was going to get for Lu and completely failed. Then he talks about the bold "reset"...how's that going with Dalpe, Welsh etc?

As had been said by many, our D lack the ability to skate the puck out. It's a good thing that is offset by their inability to make a good break-out pass

Yup. A supposed "contender" (in many minds) is barely able to hold its own against the 28th placed team in the league. The future looks rosy indeed.

Couldn't hurt. Even in full goalie gear he'd likely skate faster than our forwards. Absolutely the slowest, least talented rushing team in the NHL, bar none! Sedins on the PP is an embarrassment.

True! Good thing we aren't paying our D core big bucks...oh wait!!

You apparently didn't watch the Rangers tonight. The way they play was anything but boring!! They lost but totally dominated the Bruins and played responsible in all zones and dynamically offensively. Maybe it wasn't so much AV as it was the personnel MG gave him that Torts now has to deal with?