I agree but this is a common theme with the officiating. - hunter3333
That's a by-product of lack of skilled depth, the conference we play in, the system Hitch is playing (less in-zone possession) and the team that we've built. I think teams that build more physical teams (Anaheim and LA, for example) tend to see less PPs as the refs have to let a bit more go by virtue of what they're seeing.
Might not be a bad thing....inject a little bit of winning attitude and work ethic into this club....they could really use it - RatedR80
And some scoring pedigree Hard to imagine our AHL top-6 producing less than our NHL bottom-6 has. If 5 or 6 guys graduate, that'll open the requisite spots for Maksimov, McLeod, Berglund, Samorukov, Persson and any available college UFAs.
And some scoring pedigree Hard to imagine our AHL top-6 producing less than our NHL bottom-6 has. If 5 or 6 guys graduate, that'll open the requisite spots for Maksimov, McLeod, Berglund, Samorukov, Persson and any available college UFAs. - MaximumBone
I think they could out produce our bottom 6 with way less of a cap hit.....didn’t sound like you watched the Oilers tonight but that’s as bad as you can play.....probably wouldn’t be a stretch to say Malone was our best forward in that game
I don't disagree with the sentiment of securing our top-4 long term to force our prospects to have to earn their way in. There's merit in that route.
That having been said, if I'm to remain consistent on my belief that the forward corps is the bigger problem, I can't then support trading Draisaitl. I believe his high end is sufficiently well above Nuge's that he should be treated as almost untouchable- despite having his share of flaws.
Further, as depth is a big problem for the team, I think securing some cheap depth is the necessary and the Nuge trade brings precisely that. Given where Carolina's 1st would likely end up (13-18), I'm confident in my own ability to pull a great player out of that pick. Wallmark/Faksa are already NHL depth that have some offensive pedigree, Bean is producing well in his rookie pro season and Kuokkanen/Hintz have been trending positively for 3 years now; I believe that trend will continue even though development is non-linear. Depth supplies versatility that shouldn't be underestimated even if it's at the expense of a higher value asset like Nuge. - MaximumBone
There is merit in what you're proposing as well.
It all comes down to what route we want to go with individually.
A good deal of fans are once again blaming our best players for the team's myriad problems. They deserve this team. - MaximumBone
I couldn’t agree more....yes McDavid and Drai didn’t have a great game....in fact Drai had a pretty bad one but when you look at the big picture those two have held up thier end of the bargain for this season
I think you guys should hire this guy as the new GM - AdamFrench
Since I'm not convinced that he's even half as dumb as the media tries to make him out to be, that already makes him smarter than our management so why not? He's a God Emperor, after all!
I couldn’t agree more....yes McDavid and Drai didn’t have a great game....in fact Drai had a pretty bad one but when you look at the big picture those two have held up thier end of the bargain for this season - RatedR80
McDavid only has a 50% goal share under Hitch. These types of games have been more common under Hitch.
Location: Isn't Cooley 5"11? You know who else is 5"11? Sydney Crosby. - Scabeh Joined: 04.06.2011
Feb 10 @ 2:19 PM ET
Since I'm not convinced that he's even half as dumb as the media tries to make him out to be, that already makes him smarter than our management so why not? He's a God Emperor, after all! - MaximumBone
A good deal of fans are once again blaming our best players for the team's myriad problems. They deserve this team. - MaximumBone
It's more the team around them... everyone is entitled to have a bad game once in a while. Drai, RNH and McD shouldn't have to drag the entire team every single night.
Which was to be expected given Hitch has that effect on players - RatedR80
Hence why I don't view bringing him back as an option under any circumstance. No more old school veteran coaches; now that we've seen what "hockey people" consider two of the better coaches of the modern era can do, it's time to try a different approach.
It's more the team around them... everyone is entitled to have a bad game once in a while. Drai, RNH and McD shouldn't have to drag the entire team every single night. - Reveen.
Given the minutes they're playing, I don't blame them for being tired.
Hard to imagine our AHL top-6 producing less than our NHL bottom-6 has. If 5 or 6 guys graduate, that'll open the requisite spots for Maksimov, McLeod, Berglund, Samorukov, Persson and any available college UFAs. 
