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Post by CentreHice on Dec 16, 2014 22:02:46 GMT -5
Dicey at times as the Canes were outplaying us for long stretches, especially after we took the 2-0 lead.
But....an important 2 points in the bag and Galchy gets his first hatter! Get ready for the Ducks.
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Post by jkr on Dec 16, 2014 22:19:43 GMT -5
I hope the Ducks are as bad on Thursday as they were tonight against the leafs.
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Post by PTH on Dec 17, 2014 0:16:14 GMT -5
-Subban was iffy tonight, and flubbed on many simple little plays. He needs to learn to keep it simple on bad nights -Gilbert.... I can't get over how he basically created a turnover under minimal pressure. -Pacioretty was the real star of the top line, setting up Galchenyuk on all 3 goals. I expect Pacioretty might turn into a 30-30 guy instead of being a one-dimensional scorer. MT is his presser mentioned Pacioretty as a leader, on two separate occasions. I think there's a "C" in his future. -Desharnais had a strong game, being away from the top line and top defensemen means he'll have some leeway on offense, though he won't have much in terms of linemates. -Malhotra's lack of offense means that moving him out of the lineup for Eller has to be an option. With 4 solid centers, rolling 4 lines becomes an option. 4 lines that might actually score. -Bournival is, in my mind, slowly losing his roster spot, he didn't get anything done. Weise and Andrighetto weren't stellar, but they got something done with limited ice time. Bournival just skated around a lot. -Solid game by Beaulieu, with some offense but not taking stupid risks. -I really don't like Gilbert. With Weaver returning, I think Gilbert has to be the one being left out. And Bryan "Pylon" Allen is really a complete waste of space, I think it's time to consider the AHL for him. -Emelin was OK. Not particularly physical, but quietly efficient, which is all I really want. Gonchar was a beast. And I had to wonder about re-signing him for another season.
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Post by habsorbed on Dec 17, 2014 0:37:12 GMT -5
With score 2-1 in the third the Canes were dominating. Very scary given they are the worst team in the NHL (don't count the Oilers who are not a team).
Very nice to see Chucky show his scoring flare. He's had so many great chances this year but not quite finishing.
But the most promising aspect of tonight's game was Max's passing. Who knew? Has he been holding back knowing DD can't shoot? The general thought process was that Chucky and Max wouldn't work on the same line yet they certainly had some magic tonight. i've never doubted that Chucky can pass and shoot. But Max showing some hockey sense was very impressive.
DD playing well on his new line. Perhaps Max's characterization of "stale" was bang on. But no credit to MT. The only reason we're seeing this refresh is Eller's injury and MT being forced into making a move. Putting Chuck at centre was long overdue. Any moron could see that.
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Post by habsorbed on Dec 17, 2014 0:38:04 GMT -5
I hope the Ducks are as bad on Thursday as they were tonight against the leafs. Were the Ducks that bad or was it their goalie up against a hot Bernier?
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Post by seventeen on Dec 17, 2014 0:56:28 GMT -5
Until 2010/11, Pacioretty's scoring was always almost twice as many assists as goals. After that, he started shooting more and because he was playing with DD, who almost never shoots, and with wingers who don't often score, his goals were more than his assists, but he's always been a good passer.
Habs Eye on the Prize made some comments that made me chuckle, but also make you think. With Eller coming back, the question of who sits or gets sent back to Hamilton is rearing its ugly head. Presto....MT puts Andrighetto on the 4th line tonight, gives him little ice time, and that with Malhotra and Bournival and suddenly, gee, there's no real decision. That sort of thing really bugs me because its dishonest. I would have sent Andrighetto down, but I wouldn't have broken up the Pleks, Ghetto, Sekac line as it was functioning just fine. Instead, he pulls that stunt. Why? #BecauseTherrien.
That sort of thing is what sits in players butts, like a burr, and aggravates and annoys and makes it really hard to go through a wall for that guy.
I was trying to watch the game via internet feed, so it wasn't that great, and I couldn't see players numbers that well, as well as missing at least half of it. PTH mentioned PK wasn't that good tonight. Habs Eye on the Prize mentioned that Therrien sat him down for a bit in the 3rd period, and oddly enough, when they put up the graph of the fancy stats for the game, Carolina took over exactly during that period when PK wasn't playing, in the 3rd. Why? #BecauseTherrien.
I'm preparing myself for a first or second round loss this year. #Whateverittakes
DD looked good in the offensive zone tonight, not so much in the defensive zone. But I may have missed his best hockey in the first half of the game. That was a great set-up to Prust for the first goal.
Wild game between Washington and Florida. Twenty rounds in the shootout. You know its crazy when Willie Mitchell is taking a shootout attempt. (He was stopped and I don't think Holtby had to move on it). Washington would go ahead and Florida would tie it up the next shot. It was actually entertaining.
I hope Eller makes it back Thursday. I'm really interested in seeing how MT resolves his too many centres problem. I should be able to guess though. He'll probably choose whatever annoys me the most, so I'm not going to suggest a solution. Figure it out for yourself, Michel.
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Post by seventeen on Dec 17, 2014 0:58:18 GMT -5
I hope the Ducks are as bad on Thursday as they were tonight against the leafs. Were the Ducks that bad or was it their goalie up against a hot Bernier? Both. TO outshot 42-20 and Andersen was weak on a couple. 21 out 0f 31 games played at home for the Leafs.
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Post by PTH on Dec 17, 2014 0:59:49 GMT -5
Habs Eye on the Prize made some comments that made me chuckle, but also make you think. With Eller coming back, the question of who sits or gets sent back to Hamilton is rearing its ugly head. Presto....MT puts Andrighetto on the 4th line tonight, gives him little ice time, and that with Malhotra and Bournival and suddenly, gee, there's no real decision. That sort of thing really bugs me because its dishonest. I would have sent Andrighetto down, but I wouldn't have broken up the Pleks, Ghetto, Sekac line as it was functioning just fine. Instead, he pulls that stunt. Why? #BecauseTherrien. He was asked about Weise on the 2nd line in his presser, and explained that it was a matchup question; Plek was going to play against Staal and he preferred a bigger, more defensive-minded player, and he also said that if he were trailing and looking for offense, he'd want Ghetto in that slot.
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Post by habsorbed on Dec 17, 2014 1:06:10 GMT -5
17, to think that MT would have a logical solution to the too many centres dilemma would be preposterous. If not for Chucky's hat trick he would probably be back on the wing with Eller's return. Altho it still wouldn't surprise me given MT's thought(less) process. I like the idea of Malhotra dropping out of the rotation and going with 4 offensive centres. Perhaps have Manny as a winger on the 4th line and let him play pk and take key face offs. He's got some speed so don't see him as a liablitly on the wing.
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Post by GNick99 on Dec 17, 2014 2:12:16 GMT -5
-Subban was iffy tonight, and flubbed on many simple little plays. He needs to learn to keep it simple on bad nights -Gilbert.... I can't get over how he basically created a turnover under minimal pressure. -Pacioretty was the real star of the top line, setting up Galchenyuk on all 3 goals. I expect Pacioretty might turn into a 30-30 guy instead of being a one-dimensional scorer. MT is his presser mentioned Pacioretty as a leader, on two separate occasions. I think there's a "C" in his future. -Desharnais had a strong game, being away from the top line and top defensemen means he'll have some leeway on offense, though he won't have much in terms of linemates. -Malhotra's lack of offense means that moving him out of the lineup for Eller has to be an option. With 4 solid centers, rolling 4 lines becomes an option. 4 lines that might actually score. -Bournival is, in my mind, slowly losing his roster spot, he didn't get anything done. Weise and Andrighetto weren't stellar, but they got something done with limited ice time. Bournival just skated around a lot. -Solid game by Beaulieu, with some offense but not taking stupid risks. -I really don't like Gilbert. With Weaver returning, I think Gilbert has to be the one being left out. And Bryan "Pylon" Allen is really a complete waste of space, I think it's time to consider the AHL for him. -Emelin was OK. Not particularly physical, but quietly efficient, which is all I really want. Gonchar was a beast. And I had to wonder about re-signing him for another season. Good analysis....there's a few like me who never watched the game. Good to see Galchenyuk respond well playing with Max. Next year those two with Schebak...make killer line. Also, be good to listen to the morning show's tomorrow with DD playing well after leaving Patches. He's been taking a lot of heat on there this last month.
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Post by seventeen on Dec 17, 2014 2:49:44 GMT -5
Habs Eye on the Prize made some comments that made me chuckle, but also make you think. With Eller coming back, the question of who sits or gets sent back to Hamilton is rearing its ugly head. Presto....MT puts Andrighetto on the 4th line tonight, gives him little ice time, and that with Malhotra and Bournival and suddenly, gee, there's no real decision. That sort of thing really bugs me because its dishonest. I would have sent Andrighetto down, but I wouldn't have broken up the Pleks, Ghetto, Sekac line as it was functioning just fine. Instead, he pulls that stunt. Why? #BecauseTherrien. He was asked about Weise on the 2nd line in his presser, and explained that it was a matchup question; Plek was going to play against Staal and he preferred a bigger, more defensive-minded player, and he also said that if he were trailing and looking for offense, he'd want Ghetto in that slot. I have a hard time with Therrien's explanations, PTH. He stated that he sat Sekac down to rest him because of the various training camps he'd been to. This is a guy who pulled 14 in what they all the beep test, when most guys are down around 10, if that. It's some kind of strength, cardio, endurance exercise and he blew it away. Even if you wanted to rest the guy, 7 games? Really? That's what I mean about dishonesty. He has an answer for what he's done, but they don't always make sense. In this case, his explanation makes more sense than usual, but hopefully you can understand my skepticism.
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Post by seventeen on Dec 17, 2014 2:54:19 GMT -5
17, to think that MT would have a logical solution to the too many centres dilemma would be preposterous. If not for Chucky's hat trick he would probably be back on the wing with Eller's return. Altho it still wouldn't surprise me given MT's thought(less) process. I like the idea of Malhotra dropping out of the rotation and going with 4 offensive centres. Perhaps have Manny as a winger on the 4th line and let him play pk and take key face offs. He's got some speed so don't see him as a liablitly on the wing. There's a danger that we are not fully appreciating what Malhotra is doing, compared to what he is not doing. He is definitely not scoring. But he has improved the face off percentage of every centre on the team, which really improves our possession time and cuts down how much time we spend in our own end. It's not a surprise that every centre has better stats than last year. They didn't suddenly learn how to take faceoffs. They're now paired up against the second, third or fourth best faceoff guys on the other teams instead of the first, second and third. It makes a difference, so one should be careful before changing that mix. Whoa, I was just about to say what I'd do and then caught myself. Cheers.
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Post by UberCranky on Dec 17, 2014 3:15:05 GMT -5
WOAH.....
I'm seeing a very disturbing pattern. I deleted the last three games that I could get for free because we lost them and now, that I can't see them, we win.
If this evil continues, I'm waterboarding it......
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Post by franko on Dec 17, 2014 7:22:01 GMT -5
Wild game between Washington and Florida. Twenty rounds in the shootout. You know its crazy when Willie Mitchell is taking a shootout attempt. (He was stopped and I don't think Holtby had to move on it). Washington would go ahead and Florida would tie it up the next shot. It was actually entertaining. I hate the shootout. but I watched it all. quite entertaining. the announcers were having a blast. if it had kept going much longer the Holtby and Luongo would have taken a turn.
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Post by jkr on Dec 17, 2014 7:42:36 GMT -5
-Subban was iffy tonight, and flubbed on many simple little plays. He needs to learn to keep it simple on bad nights -Gilbert.... I can't get over how he basically created a turnover under minimal pressure. -Pacioretty was the real star of the top line, setting up Galchenyuk on all 3 goals. I expect Pacioretty might turn into a 30-30 guy instead of being a one-dimensional scorer. MT is his presser mentioned Pacioretty as a leader, on two separate occasions. I think there's a "C" in his future. -Desharnais had a strong game, being away from the top line and top defensemen means he'll have some leeway on offense, though he won't have much in terms of linemates. -Malhotra's lack of offense means that moving him out of the lineup for Eller has to be an option. With 4 solid centers, rolling 4 lines becomes an option. 4 lines that might actually score. -Bournival is, in my mind, slowly losing his roster spot, he didn't get anything done. Weise and Andrighetto weren't stellar, but they got something done with limited ice time. Bournival just skated around a lot. -Solid game by Beaulieu, with some offense but not taking stupid risks. -I really don't like Gilbert. With Weaver returning, I think Gilbert has to be the one being left out. And Bryan "Pylon" Allen is really a complete waste of space, I think it's time to consider the AHL for him. -Emelin was OK. Not particularly physical, but quietly efficient, which is all I really want. Gonchar was a beast. And I had to wonder about re-signing him for another season. I haven't seen Allen in the lineup for about 5-6 games now. I think Therrien has already decided he's not going to play.
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Post by blny on Dec 17, 2014 7:44:11 GMT -5
17, to think that MT would have a logical solution to the too many centres dilemma would be preposterous. If not for Chucky's hat trick he would probably be back on the wing with Eller's return. Altho it still wouldn't surprise me given MT's thought(less) process. I like the idea of Malhotra dropping out of the rotation and going with 4 offensive centres. Perhaps have Manny as a winger on the 4th line and let him play pk and take key face offs. He's got some speed so don't see him as a liablitly on the wing. There's a danger that we are not fully appreciating what Malhotra is doing, compared to what he is not doing. He is definitely not scoring. But he has improved the face off percentage of every centre on the team, which really improves our possession time and cuts down how much time we spend in our own end. It's not a surprise that every centre has better stats than last year. They didn't suddenly learn how to take faceoffs. They're now paired up against the second, third or fourth best faceoff guys on the other teams instead of the first, second and third. It makes a difference, so one should be careful before changing that mix. Whoa, I was just about to say what I'd do and then caught myself. Cheers. Malhotra doesn't come out imo. His impact on our face off stats is huge. For a team that struggles sometimes to get puck possession back, his ability to consistently win it outright is vital. His taking as many key draws as he does against the other teams best is exactly the same as moving DD to a lower line and away from the top checkers. It allows our other centers to take draws against lesser f/o guys, and hopefully win more. The fact numbers are up for all our centers this year certainly goes to that. The more Malhotra can take against a guy like Bergeron, the better.
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Post by habernac on Dec 17, 2014 8:30:31 GMT -5
I'm too cheap to pay for it, didn't see the game, is Chucky still playing centre?
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Post by blny on Dec 17, 2014 8:36:33 GMT -5
I'm too cheap to pay for it, didn't see the game, is Chucky still playing centre? Yes. Max fed him a couple of beauty passes for his goals.
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Post by blny on Dec 17, 2014 8:37:52 GMT -5
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Post by PTH on Dec 17, 2014 8:43:00 GMT -5
I'm too cheap to pay for it, didn't see the game, is Chucky still playing centre? Yup, between Pacioretty and Gallagher, and got a hat trick off of Pacioretty passes - two on the rush, and one that sent him in on a breakaway. --- On RDS, one of the analysts thought that Sekac would be the top line RW by the end of the season, Gallagher being better suited to 2nd line duty, and Sekac having everything needed to complement the other two. I'm not sure about all that, since Gallagher's spunk creates opportunities and we want the best out there to take advantage of those opportunities. --- As to everyone who's skeptical about MT's intention to put Galch at center, he's said it going back 2 years that he had a plan and wanted to take things step by step, let Galchy get comfortable playing in this league, and get him used to being center when he was ready. I just watched an old PVR'd game from the series against the Sens in 2013, and it was the same speech....
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Post by Boston_Habs on Dec 17, 2014 8:47:13 GMT -5
I was all set to write an angry post about what was a lacklustre effort for much of the night and then WOW! Galchenyuk's offensive instincts are at an elite level, he's very strong on the puck, and quick hands on the finish.
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Post by PTH on Dec 17, 2014 8:47:15 GMT -5
There's a danger that we are not fully appreciating what Malhotra is doing, compared to what he is not doing. He is definitely not scoring. But he has improved the face off percentage of every centre on the team, which really improves our possession time and cuts down how much time we spend in our own end. It's not a surprise that every centre has better stats than last year. They didn't suddenly learn how to take faceoffs. They're now paired up against the second, third or fourth best faceoff guys on the other teams instead of the first, second and third. It makes a difference, so one should be careful before changing that mix. Whoa, I was just about to say what I'd do and then caught myself. Cheers. Malhotra doesn't come out imo. His impact on our face off stats is huge. For a team that struggles sometimes to get puck possession back, his ability to consistently win it outright is vital. His taking as many key draws as he does against the other teams best is exactly the same as moving DD to a lower line and away from the top checkers. It allows our other centers to take draws against lesser f/o guys, and hopefully win more. The fact numbers are up for all our centers this year certainly goes to that. The more Malhotra can take against a guy like Bergeron, the better. But Malhotra generates zero offense. Wouldn't we be a better team with Eller in his slot, winning still quite a lot of faceoffs and generating offense on each line ? With guys like Andrighetto or Bournival on the 4th line, there's some potential there for offense from that line as well. It's not as if we had a 4th with zero skill...
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Post by franko on Dec 17, 2014 9:00:05 GMT -5
and . . . we're back to (or officially at) the "what do you do with that extra centre" discussion. Eller and DD must be wondering about their futures.
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Post by blny on Dec 17, 2014 9:00:20 GMT -5
Malhotra doesn't come out imo. His impact on our face off stats is huge. For a team that struggles sometimes to get puck possession back, his ability to consistently win it outright is vital. His taking as many key draws as he does against the other teams best is exactly the same as moving DD to a lower line and away from the top checkers. It allows our other centers to take draws against lesser f/o guys, and hopefully win more. The fact numbers are up for all our centers this year certainly goes to that. The more Malhotra can take against a guy like Bergeron, the better. But Malhotra generates zero offense. Wouldn't we be a better team with Eller in his slot, winning still quite a lot of faceoffs and generating offense on each line ? With guys like Andrighetto or Bournival on the 4th line, there's some potential there for offense from that line as well. It's not as if we had a 4th with zero skill... Eller's offensive production as a 4th line center would be minimal, not to mention he's collecting a $4 million pay check. Malhotra's face off ability, second unit PK, and cheap salary mean he's a lock there for me. When Eller returns, it will force Berg's hand. We know Eller can't play LW. Galchenyuk is ready for prime time center work. Pleks is a fixture. DD? Unlikely. Something will have to give.
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Post by BadCompany on Dec 17, 2014 9:10:42 GMT -5
Some great finish on some rather brutal defensive breakdowns from the Canes. Take them when they give them to you I guess.
I'm worried about Galchenyuk though; the way he opens up his knees coming across the middle is just asking for trouble. He needs to be careful doing that...
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Dec 17, 2014 10:09:48 GMT -5
I only saw a little less than half of the game but after reading this thread I got the impression we might not have deserved anything last night ... I saw the third and after that Carolina first goal (a roller off Price) I really thought the Canes were going to tie it up ... really happy for Galchenyuk ... saw the kid side of him come out after that third goal ... Prust was firing on all cylinders last night ... from what I seen of the game, he found a lot of open ice ... ditto Galchenyuk ... not sure about sitting out Malholtra ... he's one of the best faceoff centres in the league ... Habsorbed suggested moving Malhotra to the wing and if PTH's assessment of Bournival is on then the solution might present itself there ... Toronto is pissing me off ... just sayin' ... they'll go as far as their goaltending takes them and their goalies are still facing a lot of shots ... liked what I saw from Sekac (in the short time I saw him last night) ... the western teams continue to have problems with their eastern road swing ... simply have to take out Anaheim no ands, ifs or buts ...
Cheers.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Dec 17, 2014 10:11:45 GMT -5
But Malhotra generates zero offense. Wouldn't we be a better team with Eller in his slot, winning still quite a lot of faceoffs and generating offense on each line ? With guys like Andrighetto or Bournival on the 4th line, there's some potential there for offense from that line as well. It's not as if we had a 4th with zero skill... Eller's offensive production as a 4th line center would be minimal, not to mention he's collecting a $4 million pay check. Malhotra's face off ability, second unit PK, and cheap salary mean he's a lock there for me. When Eller returns, it will force Berg's hand. We know Eller can't play LW. Galchenyuk is ready for prime time center work. Pleks is a fixture. DD? Unlikely. Something will have to give. From what I understand Malhotra also has a good dressing room presence ... very well respected wherever he's played ... Cheers.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Dec 17, 2014 10:28:11 GMT -5
Some great finish on some rather brutal defensive breakdowns from the Canes. Take them when they give them to you I guess. Relieved to see this from other teams, too ... Cheers.
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Post by Boston_Habs on Dec 17, 2014 11:08:53 GMT -5
Eller's offensive production as a 4th line center would be minimal, not to mention he's collecting a $4 million pay check. Malhotra's face off ability, second unit PK, and cheap salary mean he's a lock there for me. When Eller returns, it will force Berg's hand. We know Eller can't play LW. Galchenyuk is ready for prime time center work. Pleks is a fixture. DD? Unlikely. Something will have to give. From what I understand Malhotra also has a good dressing room presence ... very well respected wherever he's played ... Cheers. Sadly, I don't trust Therrien to handle this well. Despite how Therrien has treated the guy, Eller's usage speaks volumes about what he means to the team. He takes the most defensive zone draws, he's good on faceoffs, big and strong, and he's still a positive Corsi player. His play has allowed Plekanec to play in a more offensive role. He's probably the most important center on the team when you think of what his contribution allows Therrien to do with his other lines. I don't think his offensive ceiling is as high as it should be (below average hockey IQ, IMO) but he was still on pace for 20 goals this year. I keep coming back to DD and trying him at the wing. He's played OK without Pacioretty, but I want no part of a line that features DD and Parenteau when it comes to crunch time in a playoff game. My hope for DD is he can morph into a player like Mark Recchi, who was one of the best "playmaking wingers" I have seen. DD is a savvy offensive player and I see no reason why he can't use his vision and passing skills from the wing. Now that he's off the Pacioretty line (hopefully for good) it's time for Therrien to ask DD to be flexible and try something new rather than Eller.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Dec 17, 2014 11:43:40 GMT -5
From what I understand Malhotra also has a good dressing room presence ... very well respected wherever he's played ... Cheers. Sadly, I don't trust Therrien to handle this well. Despite how Therrien has treated the guy, Eller's usage speaks volumes about what he means to the team. He takes the most defensive zone draws, he's good on faceoffs, big and strong, and he's still a positive Corsi player. His play has allowed Plekanec to play in a more offensive role. He's probably the most important center on the team when you think of what his contribution allows Therrien to do with his other lines. I don't think his offensive ceiling is as high as it should be (below average hockey IQ, IMO) but he was still on pace for 20 goals this year. I keep coming back to DD and trying him at the wing. He's played OK without Pacioretty, but I want no part of a line that features DD and Parenteau when it comes to crunch time in a playoff game. My hope for DD is he can morph into a player like Mark Recchi, who was one of the best "playmaking wingers" I have seen. DD is a savvy offensive player and I see no reason why he can't use his vision and passing skills from the wing. Now that he's off the Pacioretty line (hopefully for good) it's time for Therrien to ask DD to be flexible and try something new rather than Eller. Right on ... I've been on Therrien's case for a while now but I'm trying hard to consider other opinions ... I like Malhotra and what he brings to the club ... I thought moving Desharnais off the top line could have happened a lot sooner (kinda reminds me of Higgins/Ryder a few years back) but Therrien gave him more than enough opportunity to make it work with Pacioretty ... he afforded other veterans, Rene Bourque, the same respect ... I also like what Eller brings to the table and I don't want to see him off the team, so if it were up to me I'd make room ... Desharnais to the wing? ... I guess it's worth a try, but I'd insert Malhotra back in somewhere just as soon as our faceoff success starts to ebb ... thing is, Desharnais commands a lot of respect from his peers, too ... that's another thing to consider ... Cheers.
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