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[Smiley90]

Everyone's favourite Av is in net for the Swiss :3

The news say that Genoni got a shutout? Not Berra? What are you talking about man

 

[calder]

I'm looking at the guys in the range of the Jets first pick (16th-ish, won't know for sure until the Flames are eliminated) and I see this...

17. Daniel Sprong
RW, Charlottetown (QMJHL)
DOB: 3/17/97 | Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 192
2014-15 GP: 68 | G: 39 | A: 49

I can't say how tough it was for me to put Sprong this "low," even though I suspect he'll go lower on draft day. A part of me wanted to get him into my top 10. Sprong put up a lot of points this season, and while he wasn't among the very top scorers in the QMJHL, he is one of the most dynamic players in the league. Whichever team drafts him, Sprong will become a favorite of that fan base because he's so fun to watch. He's an explosive skater who can push the tempo very well and has smooth mechanics to generate a lot of power from each stride.

He has a high skill level with the puck, making a lot of difficult plays and displaying good coordination. He sees the ice well and regularly sets up chances for his teammates. He also has a very good shot, generating a lot of torque through his windups. Sprong needs to bulk up, work on his defense a bit, and gain more consistency in his play. His upside is fantastic, though, and if he ends up as one of the best players from this class, I would not be at all surprised.

Colour me intrigued.

 

[Fata1moose]

CC and DU are playing at Coors Field a week before the Avs, bummer they didn't get Air Force too.

 

[Unhandled Exception]

The news say that Genoni got a shutout? Not Berra? What are you talking about man

Yeah don't worry, he's still fucking terrible.

 

[zroid]

The news say that Genoni got a shutout? Not Berra? What are you talking about man

I thought I heard the commentators say Berra. I wasn't really watching. Maybe it was a reference to him not playing. :lol

 

[ZeroGravity]

TSN Drive ‏@TSNDrive
Former #Lightning Head Coach Guy Boucher told @TSNDaveNaylor that he HAS been approached by an NHL team. Listen for the interview at 4:30pm.

Wonder who it is.

 

[lamaroo]

Wonder who it is.

Montreal I hope.

 

[Quick]

I'm doing a massive cleanup and found some Gundam figures I assembled years ago.

I figured I'd just throw them out, but it cost some money.

 

[Smiley90]

 

[lamaroo]

The make a wish foundation is really great.

 

[Acid08]

I'm doing a massive cleanup and found some Gundam figures I assembled years ago.

I figured I'd just throw them out, but it cost some money.

Which ones?

 

[Zombie James]

Wonder who it is.

1-3-1'ing his way back into the league. Probably St. Louis because a regular trap just isn't working.

 

[Acid08]

bae

 

[zroid]

Dreger may be a masive tool but his Mike Babcock impression is un-fucking-believable

 

[Quick]

Which ones?

A couple of Wing Gundams, one Deathscythe, another one I forgot the model of.

You want them?

 

[Yawnier]

How far down does he have guys like Zacha and Kylington?

Where does he have the Q defensemen ranked? (Roy, Chabot, Zboril)

This is an unusually strong draft class for Q defensemen. Personally, after Roy I really like Zboril and Meloche who both contribute a lot to each of their teams. I like Chabot too but not as much as those two.

In Pronman's March projections (not rankings) he had Zboril going ahead of Sprong and Chabot which I can see happening tbh. One note on Meloche though, is that Baie Comeau who were in the Q playoffs would be lost without someone like him eating huge minutes and quarterbacking their PP.

 

[RC]

http://youtu.be/NL_SL73iNFE

 

[BigJonsson]

Would you guys trade Phaneuf for Mike Richards + prospects?

 

[zroid]

Would you guys trade Phaneuf for Mike Richards + prospects?

not unless there's a blue-chip prospect involved

 

[KernelPanic]

Finally finished Daredevil.

I want more, like NOW.

 

[Zombie James]

Would you guys trade Phaneuf for Mike Richards + prospects?

Yes.

 

[shadowkat]

That hair.

 

[Lone_Prodigy]

Would you guys trade Phaneuf for Mike Richards + prospects?

This would benefit Toronto way more than LA. The Kings would never agree to it.

 

[bonesmccoy]

Would you guys trade Phaneuf for Mike Richards + prospects?

No. Phaneuf's game has big issues to be sure, but Richards - at least by his own team's reckoning - is a fringe NHL player at this point. LA would need to include *a lot* of extras for it to make sense.

 

[Kave_Man]

Dreger may be a masive tool but his Mike Babcock impression is un-fucking-believable

Months ago I tuned into Mike Richards when Dreger was doing the impression, absolutely threw me off.

"when the fuck did Mike Richards get so high profile that he could interview Babcock?"

 

[Red_Man]

that's an awfully odd thing to say publicly about your top prospect in his first year as a pro?

If he was born one day earlier, he would have been part of the 2012 draft class. His +1 draft production looks a lot less impressive when you consider he was the age of most players in their +2 draft seasons. He's overrated, and this season has shown it.

This. There was a lot of hesitation towards him in his draft year which is why he went as late as he did. Still has all the tools to turn out as a beast, but he's got a ways to go. That being said, publicly saying that stuff is pretty stupid.

 

[Curufinwe]

Wonder who it is.

It could be Philly.

 

[ZeroGravity]

Actually sounds like it was Toronto:

Darren Dreger ‏@DarrenDreger
Leafs still looking at gm + coaching options. It's believed Tor contacted Guy Boucher. Boucher told TSN 1050 an NHL team had made contact.

 

[Quick]

Actually sounds like it was Toronto:

In the back of my head, I figured it might be the Leafs.

What's the word on Boucher, ZeroGravity?

 

[ZeroGravity]

In the back of my head, I figured it might be the Leafs.

What's the word on Boucher, ZeroGravity?

Biggest issue with Boucher is that I think he rushed too quick to the NHL. Once teams figured out his system, he had no experience to fall back on to adjust to it, and then lost the team.

Hopefully he learned enough since then to handle coaching on the NHL because he's definitely smart enough for it. He's also ridiculously good at coaching special teams. Our PP was never the same after he left.

 

[Red_Man]

Actually sounds like it was Toronto:

Fuck. It would be Toronto.

 

[Samyy]

Fuck. It would be Toronto.

Is Guy Boucher even good? I have no idea what to expect.

 

[Red_Man]

Is Guy Boucher even good? I have no idea what to expect.

He's progressive at least, and adaptable which is more than you can say for a lot of current NHL coaches.

 

[Quick]

Biggest issue with Boucher is that I think he rushed too quick to the NHL. Once teams figured out his system, he had no experience to fall back on to adjust to it, and then lost the team.

Hopefully he learned enough since then to handle coaching on the NHL because he's definitely smart enough for it. He's also ridiculously good at coaching special teams. Our PP was never the same after he left.

I can get behind this if he can fix the Leafs' special teams.

 

[Smiley90]

He's progressive at least, and adaptable which is more than you can say for a lot of current NHL coaches.

Can he fix this though?

 

[ZeroGravity]

In the short term at least I think he'd be good for the Leafs, since he would know how to get them to play better defense.

 

[Red_Man]

Can he fix this though?

I laugh at this every time. It's so perfect, it's Phil Kessel in a nut shell. Better than every other guy in that room, but he can barely keep up on an exercise bike.

 

[Samyy]

He's progressive at least, and adaptable which is more than you can say for a lot of current NHL coaches.

I think he would be hesitant, obviously the Leafs are looking for a coach that will help develop younger players, stick around for a few years but I don't think Boucher wants to risk signing on to a rebuilding team and potentially getting fired due to intense market pressures (which I think would be extremely unlikely under new leadership but still a tiny chance) as that may end his chances in the NHL for good.

If I was him I would be very careful and patient with regards to accepting a new coaching job.

 

[KernelPanic]

I laugh at this every time. It's so perfect, it's Phil Kessel in a nut shell. Better than every other guy in that room, but he can barely keep up on an exercise bike.

Is it that he can't keep up or he doesn't give a shit? Lol

 

[Red_Man]

Is it that he can't keep up or he doesn't give a shit? Lol

A lot of both.

 

[Samyy]

A lot of both.

He can keep up, he doesn't care.
He was one top performers at the beginning of training camp in all those fitness tests they do.

 

[Smiley90]

He can keep up, he doesn't care.
He was one top performers at the beginning of training camp in all those fitness tests they do.

Golfing isnt a fitness test tho

 

[zroid]

I'm gonna make Jeff O'Neill avatars for you lot

 

[Red_Man]

Golfing isnt a fitness test tho

He won the Toronto hot dog eating contest, give the man the respect he deserves.

 

[Quick]

Y'all fools better respek Phil "The Thrill" Kessel real soon.

Watch Babcock or Boucher take his game to the next level: Super Saiyan Kessel, where he's an even nicer guy, trys even harder, loves the game more.

 

[Fata1moose]

Y'all fools better respek Phil "The Thrill" Kessel real soon.

Watch Babcock or Boucher take his game to the next level: Super Saiyan Kessel, where he's an even nicer guy, trys even harder, loves the game more.

You mean after he's traded right?

 

[lamaroo]

Is Guy Boucher even good? I have no idea what to expect.

He had seriously awful goaltending during his time with Tampa, I'm not sure what their advanced stats were like though.

 

[megachao24]

The last time the Nassau Coliseum crew dismantles the ice surface and rink. In picture form.

End of an era folks.

 

[Plinko]

that's an awfully odd thing to say publicly about your top prospect in his first year as a pro?

Devellano is terrible. He shouldn't be calling out guys publicly like this, let alone a guy who broke his leg and had it derail his start in the AHL.

What a dumb comment by the front office.

 

[zroid]

Cam Charron (now employed by the Leafs) wrote this about Guy Boucher in 2013:

For most hockey fans, the above image is the lasting reminder of the 1-3-1 systerm employed by Boucher in the 2010-2011 season. It's easy to forget now, given how poorly Tampa has finished over the last two seasons, that back during the spring of 2011 the Bolts came within a goal of the Stanley Cup Final, losing 1-0 on a late Nathan Horton tally in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. They were a Cinderella team, but not a super unlikely Conference Final opponent. They won 46 games and were the 5th seed in the East, and were 23-12-6 after the acquisition of Dwayne Roloson, a goaltender who had a very strong half season with Tampa.

Tampa was 13th in the league in Corsi Tied at 51.2%. Not great, but a massive improvement from the previous season's 45.7% performance. Unfortunately, in 2011-2012, the Lightning posted Corsi Tied rates of 47.6% and 45.3%. The 1-3-1 was a one-hit wonder, I guess. Tactics expert Tony Gallagher tried to shoe-horn a critique of systemic defensive hockey into a column which didn't exactly endorse such candidates like Boucher:

Yes, he reached a conference final in 2011, the same year that Vigneault was behind the bench when the Canucks reached Game 7 of the Cup final, but he had the 1-3-1 going for him and that was about it.

When people figured it out the Lightning weren’t able to get much done five-on-five and it was downhill from there.

Not get anything done five-on-five? Are you mental? The Lightning were 9th in the NHL in goals per 60 at five-on-five in 2011. If they had an issue, it was in net, and most of that hanging in the first half of the season. Once Roloson came around and posted his .925 save rate, the Lightning were a veritable force. They had offensive talent in Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier, and a huge host of supporting players that bought into a specific defensive system that had a large amount of success.

Then, that damn Philly game.

...

But how defensive was the 1-3-1? The player it most suited was Sean Bergenheim, a possession superstar that had a good offensive run in the 2011 playoffs, which guaranteed that Dale Tallon would throw a lot of money at him.

...

The 1-3-1 wasn't a boring, Jacques Lemaire-esque defensive system. The 1-3-1 was a counter attack formation, the middle guy not there to shadow the puck carrier but to prevent East-West movement. If you made a mistake carrying the puck, the high forward was quick on the puck to create a rush. Skaters were allowed to skate. The point of the system was to minimize the amount of times the opponent got through the neutral zone with control.

Sure, it's not free-wheeling hockey, but if you don't want a coach and want to leave everything up to the talent on the ice, you're probably going to lose hockey games. Every good coach has some defining tactical quality. In Tony Gallagher's mind, perhaps coaches walk into a room and say "play offence" or "sit back on the lead" and give a motivational speech. I wouldn't suggest that's really what happens.

What happened to Boucher, well, he stuck around Tampa and was fired midway through this season, and the Bolts are again a lottery team. They will probably select Jonathan Drouin, who will promptly become one of the better possession players on the team and have offensive skill to boot. The team will turn around because they have some real good prospects in the system and, behind Stamkos and Drouin, make it back to the playoffs and everybody will hail Yzerman as a genius. That's so long as their goaltending holds up...

No sale, though. The Lightning had a good thing during a transitional period when they were rebuilding the farm system to surround their young stud with talent. Boucher went to the Conference Final with Teddy Purcell as his No. 1 centre, and a checking line that had Nate Thompson and Adam Hall. His player deployment was creative and ensured contributions out of every skater. His system was beatable, but provided opportunity.