If this shit team has any hope of making the playoffs, Igor better get hot and they need a 11 win out of 14 stretch soon.
I wrote it pre-season, and I'll write it again now, I don't like the makeup of this team. Only way they could be legit SC contenders is if the kids all took big steps up. That has not happened. I also said I hate how Drury finished off the team this summer, and I hate it even more now. Paid no mind to chemistry and what the team did in the playoffs. Went with Trocheck over Copp for more years and money (edit to add - and over Strome as well for more years and money). Let Vatrano and Motte walk for nothing. I know we are/were cap space limited, but you couldn't find a way to bring any of these guys back? They all fit well here, and none broke the bank. Copp was a multi-dimensional player, Vatrano actually shot the puck and fit well with Z and K, and Motte was very good on the 4th line and PK. You just moved Reaves, you could have moved useless Blais to open cap space, but instead he let them all walk. Now we once again are short on quality depth upfront. And unlike last year we don't have a ton of open cap space to use to improve and add depth at the trade DL. Drury had a great trade DL last year (with the advantage of a ton of cap space), full credit for that, but he submarined it by letting every one of those guys walk despite how well the team gelled. And I am still of the belief he is working off of Groton's great job (with a JD assist), and he has a lot left to prove to show he is up to the job IMO. Okay he added some grit in Goodrow and Reaves, but I firmly believe Gorton/JD were going to add grit for last season also. The jury is still very much out on Drury.
You can add Strome to that list. He had his faults but was a big part of this team's chemistry. It's a much different club that's not working.
Strange thing was that even after a long run, I hated this team from the pre-season this year. A lot because they are fucking up developing Lafreniere and Kakko. Some to do with the fact that the veterans making a lot of money are getting worse and worse at even strength. The defensive system sucks ass. Now our coach is so dumb that despite the PP sucking with overpaid vets, he still won't put the kids on it. The way I set up the 2 pp units, they had one time options on both wings and on both defense spots. This coach is so fucking stupid he can't even manage that.
The kids are underwhelming anyway you slice it and whatever excuse you want to make for them. Showing absolutely nothing and that includes Chytil.
I would lump this game in the lucky to get a point pile, this team lacks a leader, Trouba as the Captain doesn't seem to have had a positive effect. Motte was the only guy I thought Drury had a chance to resign since Copp got $5.65, Strome got $5, Vatrano got $3.65 which were out of Drury's budget. The youth have really let the team down. They are only hurting themselves come contract time but it's small consolation for their offensive sputtering. Whenever Laf and Kakko get PP time they repeatedly turn down open shots and recycle the puck, guess puck shooting takes a while to develop.
Anyway you slice it you don't comprehend how to develop young forwards. All you do is make excuses for the dumb fuck coach and organization. It's very simple but you lack the brain power to grasp it. Young offensive forwards don't develop when they don't get lots of ice time and tons of pp time. Again, you were presented the facts and like a child, you don't want to read them. Look at Lafreniere's ice time the past 5 games. It's a fucking joke. I can't wait to see what you and other dumbasses say when both these kids are dealt and are putting up 60 to 80 points in two or three years.
The excuses are bullshit. These guys had huge roles in a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Yet, are back this season looking like the same lazy skating timid players. Kakko was a minus 2 without a single SOG last night but the fix is PP1 time and more minutes?
Tall on insults, short on facts with a long history of being dead wrong, stop loving on our prospects Dumby, your adulation of them curses their professional careers. It may be that playing in NY is too much pressure for these pampered pouters. Development is for low round picks (like one of your many old flames Morgan Barron), fast track to the big club is for #1s to start showing their skills. Last night with 3 minutes left Laf received a perfect outlet pass to start an odd man rush. After easily being caught all he could do was peel off along the blue line and make an impossible pass instead of dropping his shoulder and using that strength to create a scoring chance. Kakko gets the puck with under a minutes left in the game and circles the ice for 20 seconds without getting off a shot - that's a snapshot of their careers so far. Kravstov is showing more promise with 28 games under his belt.
Morgan Barron is on pace for 32 goals for Winnipeg this year. No he isn't. But he is really smart, so coaches don't like him.
