The main thing I was looking for in this game was how Staal looked. He looked great, which is fabulous news. Richards also looked like he remembered how to skate. Totally different from last year. Kristo, Fast and Lindberg are starting to look like they will be good NHL players with more experience. Pyatt was pathetic. He is is so slow. He clearly has no place on this team. Asham does if they had room. He's actually a good 4th line guy. I would have to think if they don't keep him that they could deal him for a late round pick. Moore was all over the place and looks like he has a chance to be another McDonagh type which would be absurd. To steal 2 defenseman like that in trades is unheard of. Kreider looks as if he is still trying to find his way. To me, the biggest flaw in Kreider's game is hockey sense. I really believe he needs to play with a creative center for a long period of time to develop chemistry so that center will learn how to set him up for scoring chances. He will not be a player that can create offense on his own which is OK. MDZ looks a lot better already. There were a couple of moments where his defense was questionable. However, the reality is that nobody on our defense can make the passes he does when he's confident. That is still something this team needs.
I was thinking when watching Moore, imagine when Skjei makes the team. The defense of Moore, Skjei and McDonagh will have blazing speed. Maybe it was just me but it looked like Staal's skating was 20% better than before. He was flying up the ice all night.
Good calls, Dump. I'm a little worried about Moore. After the kid lost all those teeth in the playoffs, if you touch him in the jaw, that whole area seems to be raw. Teams are gonna torment the young Moore and constantly facewash the shit outta him and try to rattle him. I like his toughness and his speed is ridiiiiiiiiiculous. Having Staal back is IMMENSE. We just need to keep that group healthy. My gawd Stu Bickel is BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD. He's slow and stupid, a deadly combo. I don't wanna be labeled a moron for thinking this, but McIlrath just isn't ready and COULD be a bust. He's basically looking like the aforementioned Bickel. He gets outta position looking for big hits. When he connects, look out, but I'm just not seeing it with Mac 2. Maybe he just needs more time to recover from injuries. I didn't think much of Hrvik, but he's another guy who can fly... I think we are gonna struggle out of the gate a bit, new system, no Stepan perhaps, lot of new faces...but I think by the time we're seeing snowflakes outside, this team will be a really tough club to battle. Can we outlast the initial pain, and trust me --- there will be some. Can we at least build some character during the long stretch away from the friendly confines?
He should be a decent 3rd pair dman with the ability to impose his strength, but he needs another year or two of overall work on defending and certainly offense. That's ok, they have a good enough D without needing him in the short term. They can always add a FA bruiser for a year if needed. Top 15 overall was a little high for taking him, he's probably a late first/early second talent.
Liked the PP puck movement leading to the goal, nice to see 3 Rangers in front of the goal instead of strewn along the boards (wonder if Torts was taking notes or perhaps too busy monitoring Canucks twitter feeds). Even when the Flames turned up the forecheck, AV has already instilled a calm puck clearing system. Staal needs to start hitting the net when he has a wide open shot. It makes a big difference when the defense doesn't have to start a rush from a prone position on the ice, love how they're joining in offensively.
