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Post by SteveUL on Oct 12, 2007 11:45:05 GMT -4
I guess I watched a different game than everybody else ... I wasn't pleased with the outcome ... I was frustrated by the lack of offense generated ... but I felt most of our guys worked hard for the entire game ... we were very physical and actually had BC backing off the puck several times. We just don't have the skill to rack up big offense ... and so when we play against a tight defensive team we are in trouble. WE have very few offensively skilled players ... Mangan and Marquardt are the best ... Mangan shows up every night and works his ass off ... Marquardt is an embarassment. When a team is having trouble scoring or having a run of bad luck ... the veterans need to step up and lead by example ... Mangan does what he can ... Morehouse does what he can but he is a grinder ... Marquardt watches them do what they can. I'd sit Marquardt in the stands for the next game. Eagles gives you 100% everynight ... he will probably score 30 this year ... but when Matt Eagles is one of your "offensive weapons" you don't have much to work with. Cameron ... I'm sorry but I've never understood what all the fuss was about him ... I look at him and see just an average Q player ... not sure what separates him from the pack and gets him NHL drafted. I think he'd be better suited as a winger than a center. Lessard is sort of like Marquardt but with a better work ethic ... big guy that can shoot the puck but not the greatest or fastest skater ... at 18 I like what I see but he won't be counted on to carry the offense anytime soon. Bezak ... I like the way this kid competes ... we'll consider him still in that adjustment phase and hopefully the offense will come. He isn't blessed with blinding speed (just good speed) and so that limits his ability to be explosive. I can't complain with the effort he brings ... but he doesn't create much in the way of offense. Brannon and Sill are hard working kids that take the body well but they are grinders ... I don't expect either of them to top 15 goals on the year. Brown and Macausland are 16 and I expect nothing from them other than learning and developing. Labelle ... had his best game last night because he was finally willing to work hard in all zones. Last year we would expect that he would be close to a ppg guy this year ... 25 goals perhaps. He won't get that playing 4th line with 16 yr olds and Matt Brenton. Ted Stephens ... same as Brown and Macausland ... looks good for the future. Murdoch Maclelland ... if there is ever kid that I want on the ice in the final minute of any period (unless we need to score) its Murdoch ... hard working and smart defensively ... great team guy and I think the early favourite to be captain next year ... assuming he makes it as a 20. But Murdoch is a grinder. Matt Brenton ... same as Maclelland ... same as Morehouse ... same as Brannon and Sill ... grinder that works his ass off and generates very little offense. We have too many grinders and not enough skilled players. We play the game along the boards in the offensive zone and rarely get the puck to the front of the net ... hence very few shots. So ... it might be time to re-evaluate the 20 yr olds ... we need more offense because we just don't have it now. Scratch Marquardt for a game ... and look to add another offensive forward at the expense of Morehouse. I like Morehouse but we have several guys doing the same job he does ... drop Lessard back into the 3rd line and add an offensive forward to the top 2 lines. Or ... add an offensive 20 YO Dman and move Labelle into Lessard's slot. Marquardt has to wake up and be a leader ... he can change a game by himself with the way we have seen him play in the past. He'll play minor pro all his life until he figures out that hard work wins games. I don't see the offense improving very much with the group of guys we have ... too many grinders and not enough skill. We also have too many forwards on the roster (and Dmen) and some guys can't get any chemistry going as they are in and out of the lineup. Since when is having a 30 goal scorer among your top forwards a bad thing? Nobody said it was ... what I'm saying is that when your top offensive weapon is Matt Eagles your team is going to struggle to score. Eagles does what he can and gives you 100%. If we had 3 or 4 guys just like him ... Mangan is like him ... then we'd suddenly have some offense. But Cameron, Lessard, Bezak aren't showing that they will score 30 ... and will likely struggle to 20. Who knows what Marquardt will do ... 20 ? ... 60 ? |
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Post by lirette on Oct 12, 2007 12:09:11 GMT -4
Since when is having a 30 goal scorer among your top forwards a bad thing? Nobody said it was ... what I'm saying is that when your top offensive weapon is Mike Eagles your team is going to struggle to score. Eagles does what he can and gives you 100%. If we had 3 or 4 guys just like him ... Mangan is like him ... then we'd suddenly have some offense. But Cameron, Lessard, Bezak aren't showing that they will score 30 ... and will likely struggle to 20. Who knows what Marquardt will do ... 20 ? ... 60 ? I agree, mike eagles might be a little too old to keep up with the teenagers.  |
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Post by SteveUL on Oct 12, 2007 12:10:40 GMT -4
Nobody said it was ... what I'm saying is that when your top offensive weapon is Mike Eagles your team is going to struggle to score. Eagles does what he can and gives you 100%. If we had 3 or 4 guys just like him ... Mangan is like him ... then we'd suddenly have some offense. But Cameron, Lessard, Bezak aren't showing that they will score 30 ... and will likely struggle to 20. Who knows what Marquardt will do ... 20 ? ... 60 ? I agree, mike eagles might be a little too old to keep up with the teenagers. oops ... |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2007 13:11:14 GMT -4
Since when is having a 30 goal scorer among your top forwards a bad thing? Nobody said it was ... what I'm saying is that when your top offensive weapon is Matt Eagles your team is going to struggle to score. Eagles does what he can and gives you 100%. If we had 3 or 4 guys just like him ... Mangan is like him ... then we'd suddenly have some offense. But Cameron, Lessard, Bezak aren't showing that they will score 30 ... and will likely struggle to 20. Who knows what Marquardt will do ... 20 ? ... 60 ? Marquardt is good player, not great, but good player, but very inconsistant. I'll be suprised if he gets 30 this year considereing you have a very weak offence. |
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Post by jimmy on Oct 12, 2007 13:15:45 GMT -4
Nobody said it was ... what I'm saying is that when your top offensive weapon is Matt Eagles your team is going to struggle to score. Eagles does what he can and gives you 100%. If we had 3 or 4 guys just like him ... Mangan is like him ... then we'd suddenly have some offense. But Cameron, Lessard, Bezak aren't showing that they will score 30 ... and will likely struggle to 20. Who knows what Marquardt will do ... 20 ? ... 60 ? Marquardt is good player, not great, but good player, but very inconsistant. I'll be suprised if he gets 30 this year considereing you have a very weak offence. Our offense was just as weak last year and he manged to get 40 plus ... he will come out of his current slump eventually. I think he will get dealt at Xmas to a contender. |
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Post by catnut on Oct 12, 2007 14:47:25 GMT -4
Having seen the team last year (unlike Flynn), I would be tempted to switch Cameron and Mangan. Mangan and Marquardt complemented each other pretty well last year.
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Post by jimmy on Oct 12, 2007 15:07:18 GMT -4
Having seen the team last year (unlike Flynn), I would be tempted to switch Cameron and Mangan. Mangan and Marquardt complemented each other pretty well last year. Not a bad idea ... the thinking in splitting them up is probably to avoid having all your offensive eggs in one basket - but if as a result you end up with two lines that are not scoring, why not try and build one really strong line? How about Mangan centring Marquardt and Eagles, and a second line featuring Cameron, Lessard and Bezak? If that doesn't work out, you could try flipping Lessard and Brannon spots, or possibly trying Labelle or MacAusland in place of one of Bezak, Cameron, or Lessard ... |
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Post by catnut on Oct 12, 2007 15:27:02 GMT -4
I'm not convinced with Lessard as an offensive player yet. The guy works hard but the offensive flair is not there... yet.
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Post by jimmy on Oct 12, 2007 15:33:36 GMT -4
I'm not convinced with Lessard as an offensive player yet. The guy works hard but the offensive flair is not there... yet. Agreed, I think he would make a good third liner... of course the same could be said for about 10 other forwards on our current roster ... |
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Post by mbastarache on Oct 12, 2007 15:42:40 GMT -4
I personally would try many line combos during a game instead of keeping the same 4 lines the whole time. Try macasland with with marquard and lessard for a shift and keep juggling.
Its worth trying it for a game anyways.
Plus, I would go with 4 forwards on a powerplay instead of playing Wilson and Gomes.
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Post by Optimus Reim on Oct 12, 2007 16:08:32 GMT -4
I personally would try many line combos during a game instead of keeping the same 4 lines the whole time. Try macasland with with marquard and lessard for a shift and keep juggling. Its worth trying it for a game anyways. Plus, I would go with 4 forwards on a powerplay instead of playing Wilson and Gomes. It was Gomes and Eastman on the PP. Wilson only played on the 5 on 3 for a bit I thought. |
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Post by hockey1981 on Oct 12, 2007 16:11:06 GMT -4
Gomes is last guy I'd put on PP
I'd put 5 Forwards out there before Gomes!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2007 16:32:36 GMT -4
I'm not convinced with Lessard as an offensive player yet. The guy works hard but the offensive flair is not there... yet. Agreed, I think he would make a good third liner... of course the same could be said for about 10 other forwards on our current roster ... Your team is full of 3rd liners...what you need is more 1st and 2nd liners to help score some goals...Riopel can't do it all by himself...he'll be burnt out before playoffs start. |
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Post by Captain Obvious on Oct 12, 2007 17:00:34 GMT -4
Since when is having a 30 goal scorer among your top forwards a bad thing? Nobody said it was ... what I'm saying is that when your top offensive weapon is Matt Eagles your team is going to struggle to score. Eagles does what he can and gives you 100%. If we had 3 or 4 guys just like him ... Mangan is like him ... then we'd suddenly have some offense. But Cameron, Lessard, Bezak aren't showing that they will score 30 ... and will likely struggle to 20. Who knows what Marquardt will do ... 20 ? ... 60 ? Eagles is only the 3rd biggest "weapon" after Marquardt and Mangan. Bezak, you have to give him the customary 5-6 weeks it takes for Euros to get comfortable. Cameron is more of a playmaker, that's why he is with Marquardt. Lessard started out strong but he's struggled to score lately...maybe him and Brannon should be switched. Labelle is another possibility. They have 8 guys that can possibly play on a scoring line. The offensive struggles may be as a result of the change of systems, last year they created a lot of turovers and won battles by using speed to ovverload the puck, this year they are playing more man on man offensively on the forecheck, not using their collective speed, more of a read and react vs blitzing the puck carrier. |
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Dugger
Blue-Chip Prospect
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Post by Dugger on Oct 12, 2007 20:59:43 GMT -4
The Wildcats as the exist right now are like a Chevy Cavalier, no matter how much you pimp it out it's still a Cavalier, that's not say you won't enjoy the ride occasionally but no matter how much you want it to be a Porche it isn't.
We need top end talent and we don't have the means to get any fast, we'll have to draft well and hope for the best and maybe one of our 16 year olds turns into something special.
We will have to get used to having grinders and hope they can 'grind' out a win for us, there's nothing wrong with that but after a while it's like eating dry toast and you yearn for an omelette.
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