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Post by MPLABBE on Oct 27, 2002 18:31:42 GMT -5
One of the things I have noticed is how much this team lacks energy and spark when the Koivu and Juneau lines are not on the ice. Nothing seems to happen.
A team filled with veterans needs a few kids. Even guys like Dykhuis said this before camp started. When you have kids around to bring some fun to the team, the veterans show more energy and play better.
The Leafs and Rangers are other good examples of this. Them, like us, are filled with veterans and have about 1 rookie on their team. No wonder teams can look disinterested when you have a bunch of 30 year olds on the ice struggling to do anything.
I still don't understand how Ottawa can add a kid or two or three every year(and give them plenty of ice time...see Spezza and Schaslitivy) and still be a very competitive team while we can't play a kid because we ''must'' go with veterans to make the playoffs. Bullcrap.
Play the kids!!! wake up AS and MT!!
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Oct 27, 2002 18:53:31 GMT -5
Ottawa has an excellent future ahead of them, Marc. I think Spezza will develop into a future assistant captain for them. I honestly believe that Wade Redden will eventually be the captain in Ottawa. What more can you say?
And what about this Russian kid, Anton Volchenkov? Another character kid ready to leave his mark.
They have finesse youngsters like Martin Havlat, but they have their character kids as well. Good scouting and drafting are still in place in Ottawa.
Cheers.
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Post by Patty Roy on Oct 27, 2002 19:18:45 GMT -5
I was thinking the exact same thing...sit any 2 of Petrov, Gilmour, Chow or Audi and call up Hossa and Ward. Of course i know we would have to send 2 players down, which would make such a move difficult to say the least...but lets pretend, ok?
Zednik-Koivu-Hossa McKay-Perreault-Czerkawski Bulis-Juneau-Dackell Kilger-Gilmour-Ward
Dykhuis-Brisebois Markov-Rivet Hainsey-Quintal
I'd personally prefer to see this group take on the Ducks Tuesday night than the group we are likely to get...
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Post by KR on Oct 27, 2002 19:26:19 GMT -5
Quintal, Gilmour, Audette and Czerkawski all need to take a seat. The problem is there aren't enough players on the roster to take their place. Until the 3 goalie situation is solved, the Habs are only going to carry 13 forwards. Ok, so you can play Lindsay, but how do you get Hossa or anyone else into the lineup. When Ribeiro comes back things will get worse. Someone will have to go down if Garon is still up and Ribs would have to clear waivers. Makes you wonder if AS isn't working hard on a Hackett deal as we speak.
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Post by BadCompany on Oct 27, 2002 19:50:23 GMT -5
Its that age old debate we have been having on this board, the kids versus veterans argument. Some people said it was because our kids were no good, others, like myself, believe the organization just doesn't trust themselves and the kids to give them a chance.
Andre Savard said he wanted to get into the Ottawa habit of having one 18-19 year old on the team every year. And yet, our youngest forward is 24, pushing 25, and our youngest defenseman is pretty close to being demoted (in my opinion). We are an old team, and with every trade, getting older. Is that by design, or just coincidence?
Detroit breaks in kids every year (Datsyuk, Zetterberg), Colorado does it (Tanguay, Skoula, Vrbata) Philly does it (Williams, Gagne, Brendl, Seiderberg), all kinds of teams do it. If these "depth-ridden" teams can do it, why can't we? Are our prospects really that much worse than theirs? Or does having the stars they have on their teams really make all the difference? Would a Zednik-Koivu-Balej line really been a horrendous gamble to take to start the year? Is Bill Lindsay that much better than Jason Ward? Was Quintal's toughness worth losing Robidas? I don't know.
Savard's next move will be the difference maker for me; if its another 2nd tier, 30 something player, I'll be officially off the Savard bandwagon.
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Post by MPLABBE on Oct 27, 2002 20:22:03 GMT -5
Ottawa has an excellent future ahead of them, Marc. I think Spezza will develop into a future assistant captain for them. I honestly believe that Wade Redden will eventually be the captain in Ottawa. What more can you say? And what about this Russian kid, Anton Volchenkov? Another character kid ready to leave his mark. They have finesse youngsters like Martin Havlat, but they have their character kids as well. Good scouting and drafting are still in place in Ottawa. Cheers. I know our kids are probably not as good as those...but still can we give them the chance those Ottawa guys get? Spezza was always on the 1st powerplay unit last night. Playing with Alfie, Hossa, Havlat,etc. Same thing for Schastlivy. Volchenkov same PP and PK time I mean I know they are a small market and they need kids to produce, but why don't we give the same chance to OUR kids?
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Post by MPLABBE on Oct 27, 2002 20:26:42 GMT -5
Detroit breaks in kids every year (Datsyuk, Zetterberg), Colorado does it (Tanguay, Skoula, Vrbata) Philly does it (Williams, Gagne, Brendl, Seiderberg), all kinds of teams do it. If these "depth-ridden" teams can do it, why can't we? Are our prospects really that much worse than theirs? Or does having the stars they have on their teams really make all the difference? Would a Zednik-Koivu-Balej line really been a horrendous gamble to take to start the year? Is Bill Lindsay that much better than Jason Ward? Was Quintal's toughness worth losing Robidas? I don't know. last week...I started a ''how sad it is'' thread talking about how the Wings with their HOF lineup could bring in young talent while we couldn't with ''team 46 million$ not even a lock to make the playoffs''. It just doesn't make any sense. And you could add teams like Los Angeles(Frolov), Boston(Huml and Girard, Boynton last year), San Jose(Cheechoo, Jillson).etc. Teams that are like us, not sure things to make the playoffs in the tight conferences. Come on AS. You are better than this.
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Post by PTH on Oct 27, 2002 22:54:04 GMT -5
Andre Savard said he wanted to get into the Ottawa habit of having one 18-19 year old on the team every year. And yet, our youngest forward is 24, pushing 25, and our youngest defenseman is pretty close to being demoted (in my opinion). We are an old team, and with every trade, getting older. Is that by design, or just coincidence? I think AS would want to do that, he might just not have realised that it can be a tough decision to make, that of letting go of a veteran to let a kid make the team and play fairly regularly. And he doesn't have the cohones to make that call. Playing a Quintal won't get you fired, playing one too many kids might. AS doesn't want to be the GM who puts together a solid team for his replacement... (which, BTW, is what Houle did, at least in part) I think the quality of core players is the key thing. Detroit can give a few kids a chance, knowing full well that if they all fail, they could afford, both cash and asset-wise, to go and get a few spare part veterans and that their current core guys can get them to the playoffs. AS doesn't trust our playoff hopes enough to put them in the hands of a few talented kids, even if they are those he chooses. More than anything else, IMO, it's a question of putting the kids in a position that the kids can hope to make the team. Balej never had a hope of making this team, he would need to be Chow, Petrov AND Audette. If he had to beat out on talented players and a couple of grinders, he might have had a chance. But right from day 1 he was AHL bound. And he knew it as well as we did. I actually think this team lacks spare parts, and has too many "core" players, players who can't be bumped without it becoming an issuem if only because of their contracts. Ever since the Audette deal I've been leery, and now with the summers' moves, I'm very much an AS watcher rather than an AS fan. I'm worried he's making us into the Hurricanes, to use BC's favourite analogy - a generally mediocre team for several seasons, never absolutely awful and capable of the odd special effort, but every year a marginal playoff team.
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