ClamRussel wrote:
Thank God MG signed all those blueliners because if we were going into the season w/ O'Brien as our no.5 and some combo of Rome/Baumgartner/Oberg/McIver as our 6th and 7th D we'd be royally screwed, glued & tatooed.
I think we need to be careful when we're judging these guys after they play 23-24 mins/game. I'm pretty sure if some of those guys were asked to play 8-10 minutes of limited-mistake hockey they would be okay. Also, it's preseason game #1... nuff said.
Lukowich looked awesome imo, guaranteed this guy is in our top 6 if he keeps hitting like that!
Agreed. His experience definitely showed.
Grabner is rapidly losing his destiny to Mr. Shirokov....he has flashes but just can't put it all together. I'm predicting Shirokov makes the team and Grabner goes back to Manitoba. Now if he pouts and throws in the towel then he's done here and maybe for his career. If he goes to the Peg and rips it up then perhaps there's still hope. He had a better than average season last year but he has yet to dominate. The time is now. I however have my doubts that he has the skill required to play a top 6 role in the bigs....not sure if he can reinvent himself to play a checking role. Hansen on the other hand could play that checking role but he is still far from spectacular at any specific skillset imo...he'll be in tough to make it and will probably be lost to waivers. Very mediocre but w/ decent defensive awareness and good speed.
It will be tough for either of those guys to make the roster, I think. Shirokov was good around the net, but he'll have to dominate a few more of these exhibition games before we can say he's suited to a top 6 role. Keep in mind, those goals weren't exactly spectacular... so while he's got a nice nose for the net, he reminded me a lot of what Wellwood did last season. Get it by the goalie and it all counts, but he'll have to do more before we can annoint him a top 6 winger.
Grabner wasn't very visible offensively, but you can definitely tell he's trying to focus on the "AV" side of the puck. He broke up an offensive rush playing as a defenseman at one point, and was mucking it up on the backcheck. I was impressed by this. Here's a guy that was lambasted for years about being a one-way dynamo, and last night he played a rather complete game. I think coaching and management will most certainly notice that. I'm assuming the staff already knows what he brings to one end of the ice, and he wants to prove he can at least hold his own at the other.
Petrovicky has little to no hope. Scatchard is a shell of his former self...I love the idea of having him back but he's no where near the player he was on the Islanders. We'll see how he progresses.
No thanks to both. Nice to have the experience and the toughness to make exhibition a little more exciting. If these guys crack the roster something is wrong.
Sauve *needs* to go back to junior BUT he will have a very solid season down there and turn into one of our top blueline prospects. I hope he can start putting up some decent numbers.
He's young and he looked it. Certainly a bright future ahead of him and should be on the big squad in a couple years.
the toucan kid wrote:I'm not sure if this game means ANYTHING though.
Exactly. Especially for those that weren't at the rookie camp, one or two sessions on the ice and then into a televised game? What are we expecting? Seriously... there weren't any standouts save Shirokov and Wellwood imo, and that's to be expected, not having played a real game-like situation since the spring.