Wayward DP
Well-known member
the overall team numbers are... not great. but it's only one month so whatever, for now.
No Excuses No Limits! The mother fucking goddamn season thread
- Thread starter mbow30
- Start date
Wayward DP
Well-known member
holy fuck our bottom six is fugly.
hockeylover
Well-known member
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
By design because Sheldon is going to Sheldon.
Preston
MBow30 alt account
Matthews and Marner can and should be better, but maybe JT and Willy will regress so we'll call it a wash. Reaves out of the lineup for Robertson opens up a lot of opportunities potentially and gives them 4 playable lines that would at the very least put them on par with last years October for 5 on 5 xgf% . From a nerdy perspective, Bert and Domi have been fine but hopefully Knies gets better. Other that, up front I truly believe a majority of the issues are a result of a combo of Reaves existing + Kampf getting the 3c slot. That can and should change soon enough.
hockeylover
Well-known member
Kampf and Reaves are really disasters.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Kampf really should have 2 roles and 2 roles only. Taking d zone faceoffs against non top lines (with guys who aren't 4th line wingers would be nice) and obviously taking faceoffs to start OT.
Other than that it should be 4th line shifts only and even those should be mixed and matched out based on situation (Double shifting Auston when we're down a goal, etc).
15+ minutes a game last season and even 13+ minutes a game this season in negligence on Sheldon's part.
hockeylover
Well-known member
Domi and Bertuzzi have been fairly disappointing so far as well. I'm glad we're not locked in on either.
WellPlayed
Well-known member
Ya Kampf was brought in to be an 3v3 OT faceoff specialist, and everyone agrees that's an important role that he absolutely excels at. But Keefe needs to reel in the other stuff.
axlsalinger
Well-known member
Our top 6 are already playing heavy minutes. Something like 13 MPG for the 3rd line and 8 MPG for the 4th line is what hockey teams do.
Kampf should absolutely be on the 4th line, but we don't have a 3C. So certainly fair to wonder if Sheldon can do better, but this is the bottom 6 he's been given and none of them have been good (though Gregor looks decent via eye test).
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Why do you hate analytics?
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
I think I found the problem
I'd argue that we have multiple players who have played C at the NHL level who are significantly better suited to a 3C role than Kampf is though. I have a hard time seeing either Domi or Jarnkrok get caved in at the level Kampf is as the 3C, they also come with the added benefit of being offensively functional even if the nerdies didn't turn out to be what we want them to be. Not only does Kampf get fucking caved in at 3C, he relegates the 3rd line to being a bad checking line. Fuck that.
We really have to stop with this shit of doing things the same way we've done them the last few years and expecting the results to be different.
Preston
MBow30 alt account
The bar is low, but no guarantee Jarnkrok, Domi, or even Nylander at C would be a step up. It probably is a step up, but not guaranteed! They are all imperfect solutions I think. That's why I was really hoping Minten would be a thing.. they could use a body there.
My bet is that Nylander is the only really solution but then you risk being forced to spread out icetime more than you'd like and you end up not giving him or JT enough.
My bet is that Nylander is the only really solution but then you risk being forced to spread out icetime more than you'd like and you end up not giving him or JT enough.
axlsalinger
Well-known member
Fair enough, Jarny and Domi have been suggested and I'm down with that, but it's a big ask to make a long-term winger suddenly shift to C so I can see why a coach wouldn't want to make a major "panic" move this early. Not an easy decision but I think we all agree that whatever the answer is here, it's not Kampf.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Eh, I think that one of the 3 being a significant step up in that role is as close to a guarantee as there is. It's not like either of Matthews or Tavares needs sheltering.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Better to be trialing potential answers in October-November than in April.