Popular Post Nuxfanabroad Posted April 13, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted April 13, 2019 Was just thinking about this, discussing the Lindros deal(s) in another thread. The hunger to land Big Eric, was partly driven by the superstar-dominance of the 80's. Human nature produces GM's influenced by recent history, & this would be a pretty good example. Yet the game goes through periods where it evolves, & style/team-composition can look markedly different. Then factor in a (somewhat) equalizing system, where teams have a cap floor/ceiling. Just another variable to complicate the winning equation. For example, does emphasis on ELC youth mean teams will continue the trend towards getting younger? Adjust for that, & a new CBA(sudden league-pivot) might screw over some clubs..they seem to love changing rules/parameters at the drop of a hat(see: cap-recapture). With the budding youth & opening cap of the Canucks, I'd call this a key, significant juncture. Better the franchise is visionary today, not reactionary to recent past. With that in mind... 1- Will the strongest teams become the Jackets, Bruins model? Balanced, rolling 4 heavy, young(er)lines. Or will they trend towards the developed speed/skill of TBay, TO types? 2- Taking the latter model, doesn't cap become more of a nagging matter? Strategies here? 3- Build from "the net out"? (then D, fwds, etc...). Or simply collect young stars(whichever position) & assemble around them? 4- Toughness/intimidation..going the way of the dodo? What if "2 rulebooks" continues? Best way to counter? 5- Patience with youth(eg: Jake V). Do you give kids ample time to become what is needed? Or... 6- Turnover? Exhibit less patience today. There are more ways/countries(college FA's) to source talent/supply. Also kids are training younger..so you'd better acquire youth that'll mold into the need, relatively quickly. 7- Scouting. With relevance to the last 2 points, do we throw more resources at this area? ********************************************************************************************************** 8- Please add any/all initiatives where Van might get the jump on our competitors. What current roster/40, 50 contracts franchise(& their approach) is the best model for where we should take this? Why? Or just ignore them 30 rivals & carve a new way(some magic bullet)? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianRugby Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 You need elite players in their prime, with a good supporting cast. It doesn't matter if your great players are big, small, forwards, D or a goalie. A lot of teams win with a great goalie and defense. Last time Pens won their only top end D (Letang) hurt the whole playoffs. Though obviously the game is getting faster. So it will be harder and harder to win just by playing a all out defensive game. Also, your D needs to be more mobile than ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erkayloomeh Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Personally I like a deep team than a team that's top heavy with superstars .....rolling four strong lines that can play at both ends of the ice . Three great centers is what I like . I like the fact we are.getting deep with goalies When was the last time a team won the cup without great goaltending ? Defense is the part of the game that I think has changed the most. Like the previous poster said they need to be very mobile and getting the puck out of your own zone in a hurry has become a defensive system. Gone are the days of Garth butcher and Harold snepts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kloubek Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 43 minutes ago, CanadianRugby said: It doesn't matter if your great players are big, small, I agree with your post, though not quite this. Yes, you can win with your stars not being big, but they need to be durable. I don't believe that if we somehow made the playoffs that Petey would be enjoying himself much. He would be a physical target and I would be SO worried about injury. We also don't have the size overall that would be ideal to punish the stars on another team either. So I think size itself does help. I also agree that you can win largely with a good d and goalie. In fact, I view goaltending as THE most important position. An elite goalie can steal you games virtually singlehandedly. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 I think elite mobile defensemen will be how this league will be going. Good defense means there is secondary scoring. Good defense will almost automatically be very competent goaltending. Crappy defense core almost always mean the goaltending feels suspect and the top-6 being unable to generate sustained pressure. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
We Are All Cucks Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Good post and food for thought. Just off of recent memory there are a number of 'models' that have been admired for replication. - Cup winners can influence that. When the 2011 Bruins and 2012 Kings sent a message that you had to be tough and strong. That it didn't matter how skilled you are if you didn't have BIG, MEAN players. - Then there's today where everybody wants their small, speedy skill-guy. - Developmentally, the failure of the Oilers "proved" that you couldn't just have young players thrown together without putting them in a winning environment. So, enter Lindennig saying that we had to win and develop at the same time. - Well, how well did that work out? Our re-jig became a retool became a reboot became a rebuild and we're nowhere. - For a while, the Detroit model was looked up to: slowly introduce players only after they have payed their dues in the minors, even if your high picks are there until their 20's. - Now...get your kids in as soon as possible. In our case, Utica isn't even being used, really. We just go the college route. Point is, a lot of this stuff seems reactionary, and in many cases that fails. You have to be proactive, and (just as you said) determine what the future is going to be like. Problem there? What if you're dead wrong? These people (scouts, GM's, etc.) are excellent at their jobs, but their not prophets, and don't possess a crystal ball. So, basically, if you guess wrong, you're hooped. Like in a lot of situations, I doubt there is only one way...but there are more and less effective ways. And after all that...I can't claim to know them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ButterBean Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Hot goaltending, good defense, and rolling 4 lines is a given. Some people think the NHL is moving towards pure speed and skill but that is far from it. Almost every team right now in the playoffs is balanced with speed/skill/toughness throughout their fwd lines and defense. Hughes, Pettersson, and Boeser will have targets on their backs and we need guys who will protect them. Tom Wilson, Josh Anderson, Evander Kane, etc. type players who can play top 6, hit hard and chuck the mitts when the whistles blown. Right now our team is too soft to even make it a reg season without key injuries, IMO it isn’t a fluke that this happening year after year there needs to be a culture change. Play with a pack mentality and Start drafting/developing some players who are strong on the puck, hit to hurt, and don’t stand there when Petey or Boeser are on the wrong end of dirty hits. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6string Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Short cut don't use the Edmonton model. Even with McMoses ( like Lindros and the Flyers ) in a lineup with a couple of other stars can not match the chemistry, structure and balance of other teams. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teepain Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 To build a winner we need 6 top line forwards 4 strong gifted dman decent goalie with timely saves hmm what do we have currently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teepain Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Edmonton messed up when they clearly gad scoring power , with Hall and Eberle. They should have stayed the course and added a bonified goalie instead of taking chances on a talbot,darling type goalie. Bad management haha , makes me proud to see other canadian teams fail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Surfer Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Your stars are opportunity driven. Grab them when you can & be thankful. Build around them. The balance is systematic. The rest of the team includes a balance of vets to show the way. And youth on ELC to make the team sustainable. But also sustainable in terms of athleticism. Role players, see Tanev, ultimately get worn out. Younger, faster, stronger players need to be in waves. Carefully constructed by management & deployed effectively to counteract opposing stars.Speed and size on its own wont stop Ovechkin? But can make it harder for him to operate. Enough speed and athleticism on ELC's? Allows you to compliment you stars qith the odd strategic UFA. Draft as many outstanding athletes as possible. Outstanding athletes that compete their arses off to fill out the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wai_lai416 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 you need a defenseman that can eat up 25+ mins a night that can produce at both ends aka the norris caliber ones... or you need at least 3 "good" defenseman that's capable of playing around 20 mins a night.. you also need bottom 6 forwards that can chip in here and there not a bunch of top 6 that are just shutdown players that doesn't provide offense.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
189lb enforcers? Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 The best role players win teams cups. I think the 96 Avs and same circa Wings showed us that. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuck73_3 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 4 hours ago, 189lb enforcers? said: The best role players win teams cups. I think the 96 Avs and same circa Wings showed us that. Draper, Lemieux, Maltby, Yelle, Lapointe, Krupp, Kocur, Klemm to name a few. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 4 hours ago, 189lb enforcers? said: The best role players win teams cups. I think the 96 Avs and same circa Wings showed us that. That’s true providing the teams’ elite guys are a saw-off. A team still needs their elite guys to be close to as good as the other teams’. Plus, the goalie needs to be playing well. The more you examine the equation, there is a lot that goes into winning a Cup, isn’t there? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stawns Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 13 hours ago, We Are All Cucks said: Good post and food for thought. Just off of recent memory there are a number of 'models' that have been admired for replication. - Cup winners can influence that. When the 2011 Bruins and 2012 Kings sent a message that you had to be tough and strong. That it didn't matter how skilled you are if you didn't have BIG, MEAN players. - Then there's today where everybody wants their small, speedy skill-guy. - Developmentally, the failure of the Oilers "proved" that you couldn't just have young players thrown together without putting them in a winning environment. So, enter Lindennig saying that we had to win and develop at the same time. - Well, how well did that work out? Our re-jig became a retool became a reboot became a rebuild and we're nowhere. - For a while, the Detroit model was looked up to: slowly introduce players only after they have payed their dues in the minors, even if your high picks are there until their 20's. - Now...get your kids in as soon as possible. In our case, Utica isn't even being used, really. We just go the college route. Point is, a lot of this stuff seems reactionary, and in many cases that fails. You have to be proactive, and (just as you said) determine what the future is going to be like. Problem there? What if you're dead wrong? These people (scouts, GM's, etc.) are excellent at their jobs, but their not prophets, and don't possess a crystal ball. So, basically, if you guess wrong, you're hooped. Like in a lot of situations, I doubt there is only one way...but there are more and less effective ways. And after all that...I can't claim to know them. You don't how the last three years would have worked out had they been able to stay healthy. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spur1 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 I think last night we learned that the refs will still put the whistle away in the playoffs to let goon teams win. We need a few players that can play that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuck73_3 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 8 minutes ago, spur1 said: I think last night we learned that the refs will still put the whistle away in the playoffs to let goon teams win. We need a few players that can play that way. Depends on officials honestly some series have had really minor stuff called over and over while others seem like anything goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spur1 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 3 minutes ago, canuck73_3 said: Depends on officials honestly some series have had really minor stuff called over and over while others seem like anything goes. Just depends on who they want to win. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 2 minutes ago, spur1 said: Just depends on who they want to win. “They” being the league? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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