gr8daygo wrote:
X-pensfan wrote:
PuckSniperPensel wrote:
X-pensfan wrote:
gr8daygo wrote:
CriminallyVu1gar wrote:
It's probably a pipe dream, but I would love a deal that involved us snagging Colin Wilson from Nashville. 12g, 15a, 27 pts, a +10, and he's 6-1, 219 pounds and 21 years old.
am i allowed to be cautiously optimistic about the trade deadline? Darcy with no Quinn... Will he shake and bake.... or make the single token move of the past couple years...
All I know is that they will be looking for immediate improvement, and probably less likely to shop for anything long term. I think they could stand to gain a center and maybe another defense man, Morrisonn has been a disappointment IMO. Kevin Klein could help the PK out a lot while playing a smart dependable style the rest of the time. Stephen Weiss of Florida is an underrated player who would likely thrive on a Lindy Ruff team. Both of those guys are pretty young though, so I don't know if they are attainable.
More likely you will see them go after the likes of Jason Arnott, who would probably be a great fit. And I have to wonder if Chris Phillips will be shopped by the Sens, if so he would be a must have.
Morrisonn will blossom next season. He hasn't been lock down, but he hasn't been bad this year. Lately, he's done a nice job breaking up plays and blocking shots. And I like the chemistry that he an Weber are building.
For all of Darcy's faults, he's done a nice job of signing defensemen just before they blossom. Look at what Montador has become. Morrisonn, I think, will be next. And if Weber keeps progressing... Talk about a shut down pair.
I like Stephen Weiss, though.
That wasn't a bad player to sign by the GM, but I don't think he was brought here to do anymore blossoming. This is as good as Morrisonn gets.
I think I have to disagree with this... if the GM gets it right you should blossom at some point with a new team, its just getting the chemistry, learning the guys, learning the system. When you have confidence in all those areas your game picks up a bit... that Morrisonn has been hurt a bit which has stunted that growth a bit, but I do like what he is putting together with Weber and if that tandem continues to flourish, that could be a very very good thing for the Sabres...
How about a vet D man for Myers? Do you like the Sekera/Myers pairing? Or would Myers benefit from a vet, like he did with Hank? Are there any "Hanks" out there that may be a few years younger?
I think that where we differ on this topic is with the terminology. I don't use words like "blossom" and "growth" when talking about 28 year old, 8 year NHL veteran players. If you replace those words with "adjustment period" then I think we are pretty much on the same page. He IS a veteran defense man, he was brought there to provide steady, physical play and maybe even be a stay at home partner for Myers. He was given the opportunity for more ice time in Buffalo, and he simply hasn't played well enough to be a top 4 defense man. Ironically, it seems to me that Weber is the stay at home partner for Morrisonn, because now you see him moving into the offensive zone and stepping up more at the blue line.
I think they still need a penalty killing, shot blocking maniac like Lydman on the blue line. A player like that can really bail out the team when it's under siege by bad penalties. Which as we all know, will happen. So instead of whining about it later and using it for an excuse all summer I think they should try and address it at the deadline, and prepare to overcome it. It's easier said than done but if after the deadline, they have a blue line that looks like this:
Greene/Myers
Leopold/Montador
Sekera/Weber
Butler
Rivet
Well that might work out swell.
Both Greene and Arnott are upcoming UFAs for the cap stressed Devils. Greene figures to make a million or so more than Morrisonn will, and they were not going to resign Arnott anyways because they need to work out an RFA deal with Parise somehow. So maybe Morrisonn+2nd rounder+prospect for Arnott and Greene.
Greene isn't a stay at home type but he's good, and a legitimate top 4 d-man.
Regarding Sekera, I like his game a lot and I think he has a great future in the NHL and for the Sabres. But if I'm looking to fortify my roster for a potential playoff run, that's an area to upgrade.