Projected Roster

[bois]

hockeyfan99 said:

bois said:

Snowie was cut at 18 not 19.. he would be 19 this year if he had attended camp

and KMac was traded not cut loose

I am telling you once again if they cut Paynter they will alienate fans once more and send a terrible message to young players trying out for the club as well

Coon-Come lasting past the CEGEP deadline indicates to me he will make the team

the addition of Little could be a good thing.. nothing wrong with adding some size and we need at least one 18 year old on the backend IMO

Gelinas was added to replace Waye,, good move there tho throwing away a draft pick to acquire someone to last a month or so is a bit wasteful

I still wouldn't be at all shocked to see Malouin cut

Malouin is also a CEGEP player and I can't believe some people are believing this guy could get cut or is expendable. I am personally a huge fan of his and think he will become a solid top 4 defenseman.

KMac was traded because he wasn't going to make the team. You are right on Snowie who was 18 maybe I categorized it wrong as they have shown a history of cutting a contributing member from the previous team. (Lee, K-Mac, Snowie, now I'm guessing Paynter).

With regards to Paynter the message that the Rocket should be sending is that they want the players who are the best fit for this team regardless of status, draft position, or home province.

I love Paynter's style but the reality is that he is 19 yrs old and the Rocket have decided to add Main to fill Paynter's 4th line role which based on the 2 games I saw was an upgrade. And it doesn't make sense to keep 2 19 yr olds playing a similar style as 12/14th forward ahead of guys like McKinley, MacLean and Street or even Coon-Come.

Personally I don't care where a player is from and as hard as Paynter worked last season my opinion is the best possible roster for the Rocket is the following:

Walker-Morrison-Locke
Kana-Doyle-Latal
Cliche-Lachaine-Schmidt
MacLean/McKinley-Street-Main

Coon-Come



Lessard-Southorn
Gervais-Clow
Swit-Malouin
Deighan
Little

Lafleur
Mosher


I have heard lots of people saying they would keep Paynter but I have only seen Score suggest who he would cut to make room. And IMO cutting Street to keep Paynter would be a poor choice.

If you want to send a message saying you don't care about status or place of birth but only about what you bring to the team.. cut Lachaine... as he's done very little for 2 years now

Paynter has an exemplory work ethic, is a great energy player who WILL NOT take development time away from younger players and shows the kids what hard work really means

Cutting him would be foolish and while I agree I dont care where a player is from the fact is many fans do.. cutting a fan fav from PEI would be stupid

Street should make the team actually instead of MacLean IMO but I feel the first rounder is virtually automatic so Mac is here to stay I think

I know you're a huge fan of Malouin... I just don't understand why

[bois]

1barney22 said:

BOIS.....don't think Clow will make opening night lineup?

ooops my bad of course he will.. thanks for pointin that out

[1barney22]

Bois.....I can relate with your point about laChaine....but I doubt it will happen. Do you not see Clow in the opening night roster though??

[1barney22]

Sorry Bois...wrote that before I read your post

[bois]

1barney22 said:

Bois.....I can relate with your point about laChaine....but I doubt it will happen. Do you not see Clow in the opening night roster though??

I know it wont happen.. Lachaine is the golden boy who can do no wrong

and yes Clow is definitely in opening lineup

[IslandersHKY]

bois said:

If you want to send a message saying you don't care about status or place of birth but only about what you bring to the team.. cut Lachaine... as he's done very little for 2 years now

Interesting suggestion. On one hand I agree that Lachaine may not produce as much offensively as I was hoping when he first joined the team however, I do think that he should be a quality 3rd line centre as he is a smart player with some good skills and a solid penalty killer. And maybe the biggest difference in our opinion is i can't see Paynter filling a 3rd line role and on the 4th line he is taking away development time from our younger developing players.

bois said:

I know you're a huge fan of Malouin... I just don't understand why

I have never met Malouin but I really liked his package of skills and think he has great potential. I guess it just bothers me that so may people appear to be undervaluing him when I think he will become a great defenseman for us. That is why I probably have been sounding a lot like a cheerleader for him lately.

Once the season gets going I guess we will have a better opportunity to see what Malouin has.

[bois]

I wanna say something that's sorta bothered me for oh the past 3 years.. when everyone talks about lineups and trades etc and draft picks they all say how so and so should make the team to "develop" .. can you name me anyone in the history of the PEI Rocket who played on the 4th line and has actually developed into a player for us?

I think you put far too much importance on keeping a 16 or 17 year old to fill in bottom depth positions at the expense of a matured player who knows his role and is happy to fill it

I think you should develop most of your legit prospects on the 3rd line and slide them into some scoring roles occasionally

I really don't see much point in developing a scorer by playing him 40 games and 4-6 shifts a game

Just my opinion

[1barney22]

I think you make very valid pointsd Bois. Also, a team will never win a Presidents cup if they do not actually build the best team they can. every year cannot be a development year. Thats one reason why a team loses their fan base. Look ar Rimouski. They built a Mem cup team with veterans and depth....and now they are rebulding with youth for the nest couple of years to make another run. The strategy of developing draft picks every year will lead to a middle of the pack team every year. PEI has the base to contend this year with a couple of good additions. Its time to do that now.....because next year will be another development year with our core of Morrison, Walker, Latal, Lessard and Lafleur gone. Just my opinion

[IslandersHKY]

bois said:

I wanna say something that's sorta bothered me for oh the past 3 years.. when everyone talks about lineups and trades etc and draft picks they all say how so and so should make the team to "develop" .. can you name me anyone in the history of the PEI Rocket who played on the 4th line and has actually developed into a player for us?

I think you put far too much importance on keeping a 16 or 17 year old to fill in bottom depth positions at the expense of a matured player who knows his role and is happy to fill it

I think you should develop most of your legit prospects on the 3rd line and slide them into some scoring roles occasionally

I really don't see much point in developing a scorer by playing him 40 games and 4-6 shifts a game

Just my opinion

The difference is perspective.

A rebuilding/developing team which the Rocket has been the last 3 yrs has the room to put these guys on their 3rd line or 2nd pairing defense. But a strong team doesn't have the room.

Just for example look at Gatineau who is pretty well recognized for developing their players.

In their rookies years
Frechette as a 17 yr old rookie only played in 25 gms and likely limited minutes and was a top defenseman at 19 & 20.

Morrison played in 51 gms as a 17 yr old and looks like as 4th line centre behind Krejci, Fergus and Brophy. That didn't stop him from developing into a top player.

Petite's rookie year he played 55 gms with 9 pts in 4th line minutes and last season he scored 35 goals as a 19 yr old.

Walker also started his career on Gatineau's 4th line.

There is also Lessard (48 gms), Carrier (55 gms) and Desile (56 gms) on defense who had to work their way into the lineup and earn their minutes.


And think about Halifax this year if they want to start their top draft pick Gilbert 3rd line ice time they will have to demote/move a guy like Prindham, Peters or Corsi (doesn't make sense).


If anything I think some rookies development like Lachaine, Skyorkh, Korpinen, Locke and Lund were hurt by giving them too much responsibility before they were ready which foced them to be demonted. I mean Lund started his career playing with Gragnani on the first pairing and by last season was playing limited minutes as our 6th. Lachaine's rookie year he was centring our top line with Trukhno's line and last season spent some time as a 4th line centre. That is tough on a kid's motivation and mindset.

That's why I think its a lot better to start rookie's at the bottom and work their way up then start in the middle and get dropped down.

And the difference I see in this year's team vs the previous 3 is that the Rocket have finally started to develop some forward depth so they aren't forced to pencil in rookies into larger roles than they may be ready for. And I think there is nothing wrong with starting your 16 and 17 yr old rookies as 11 - 13th forwards and developing them with hard work and practice. If they perform then they can move up into larger roles. But make them earn their ice time rather than hand to them and find out later if they can handle it.

[bois]

wow thats completely irrelevant

the PEI Rocket are not Gatineau or Halifax

I asked who we've ever seen develop from the 4th line into a significant Q player

Nobody is suggesting someone be handed anything.. but you're almost suggesting handing a roster spot to a kid (because he was a high draft pick) rather than giving the roster spot to someone who has actually worked for it

I look at our development of kids the past 2-3 years who made the team as the spare forwards.. Boivin, Dubuc, Snowie, KMac, Praught etc.. not very pretty

Doyle came in and got good icetime and dveloped nicely.. imagine if we'd have done the same for a skilled sniper like Dubuc? our offense would be set this year

[1barney22]

Its also important to note that 1990 born players were a much more talented and deeper core than the 1991's. I agree you have to ease 16 year old rookies into the roster....but they should be the 13thand 14th players getting about 40 games. We are very close to having a contender this year....and if we don't go for it this season...then when? Whos gonna carry the team next year? You have Doyle, Kana, Southorn and Clow. We will have to go out and buy a team ver the next couple of years to win. We HAVE the core needed now. Why not go for it? Add 2 impact players, cut some irrelevant vets, and go for it. At the very least the team will end up more profitable because they will go deeper into the playoffs.

[P-O]

I like the PEI roster...

IMO should finish 2nd after Halifax (even if I know a lot less about eastern teams..)

What about Morrisson... What are his chances to go AHL?

[ugluk]

poquebec said:

What about Morrisson... What are his chances to go AHL?

Better than we'd like to believe IMO.

[wingman]

If the Rocket are going to make a run for it, I think they will have to do it either this year or next.

On one hand next year looks good because players like Doyle, Southorn and Clow will have another year under their belts and will be entering their "junior prime". But to go for it next year they are going to have to build around those guys because players like Morrison, Walker and possibly Lessard and Lafleur will be gone. And they can't start building for that next year or at the Xmas trading period of next year. They are going to have to start building for that now or start at this year's Xmas period at the latest.

If they want to make a championship run this year knowing Walker, Morrison, Lafleur, etc will be in the lineup, they are going to have to make some changes because this season's projected lineup is not a championship team.

With these latest moves I am getting the impression that they don't have a definite plan as to which way they want to go in the next year or so. They made moves but not ones that is going to help push the team over the top. But either way they are going to have to make up their minds and do it soon because taking the "wait to see how they are Xmas" approach has never worked for them and it won't again this season. Because deciding on which direction to go in with only 3 months left on the season is too late to decide whether or not a team is good enough to be a contender.

[dogpound]

wingman said:

If the Rocket are going to make a run for it, I think they will have to do it either this year or next.

On one hand next year looks good because players like Doyle, Southorn and Clow will have another year under their belts and will be entering their "junior prime". But to go for it next year they are going to have to build around those guys because players like Morrison, Walker and possibly Lessard and Lafleur will be gone. And they can't start building for that next year or at the Xmas trading period of next year. They are going to have to start building for that now or start at this year's Xmas period at the latest.

If they want to make a championship run this year knowing Walker, Morrison, Lafleur, etc will be in the lineup, they are going to have to make some changes because this season's projected lineup is not a championship team.

With these latest moves I am getting the impression that they don't have a definite plan as to which way they want to go in the next year or so. They made moves but not ones that is going to help push the team over the top. But either way they are going to have to make up their minds and do it soon because taking the "wait to see how they are Xmas" approach has never worked for them and it won't again this season. Because deciding on which direction to go in with only 3 months left on the season is too late to decide whether or not a team is good enough to be a contender.

One thing the Rocket have this year and which they haven't had in any of their previous years here on PEI is solid goaltending from the get-go, i.e. the beginning of the season.

That SHOULD make a difference, and help the whole team build confidence for a possible extended playoff run eons from now, in April 2008.

I say if Morrison is here, build the team around him and Doyle and go for it this year.

If Morrison isn't here, then wait till.....some other year, I guess.