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How did Gryz look yesterday?
In my best Q voice: Fine
Hey Rico. I tried quoting you, but it got lost in the ether. Regarding del Mastro.
I must be seeing something different. I really like del Mastro, but I’ve seen a very tentative and unsure player in the games he’s played. He’s made some good plays for sure, but he’s been slow on passes and decisions. He worked so hard in Rockford to make quick decisions and drive the puck the other way, it’s been kind of disappointing to see him tentative. Looks like he’s getting this game off along with Murphy.
Pretty much the expected starting lineup playing tonight aside from the Dickinson/Lafferty/Mikheyev line. Lardis, Spellacy, and Savoie playing tonight (not sure on what lines).
……………….
Chunk, what are your expectations for Del Mastro? Mine aren’t high relatively speaking and pts are at the very bottom of the list…… I see a guy who is a balanced enough skater to turn and with his length/weight keep a guy to the outside enough. Balanced enough skater to change an angle. A guy who understands his role and is bought into a smaller role in that his priority is to take care of business inside the dots, the slot and the endwall. And use his size in doing so……. Yes, a nice head up first pass and quick decisions are nice but IMO his simple role doesn’t hinge on that. …..
Really for me, I think a defense needs guys like this and Del Mastro has knocked down every wall along the way. You remember his Canadian WJC story of not getting an invite to replacing an injured guy to taking the big hard minutes on a Gold winning squad…… His simplicity is the beauty of his game for me.
I’m not concerned about points either. I want him to be the defenseman I’ve seen him be in RFD where he knows where he’s going with the puck as soon as (or sometimes before) he has it. He’s just been inconsistent to my eye when I watched him in preseason. Maybe he put pressure on himself being with Rinzel, but while he did have good moments last night (the blocked shots for sure), His consistency wasn’t there, and some of his decisions ended up getting the team stuck in their zone.
Hey Rico. I tried quoting you, but it got lost in the ether. Regarding del Mastro.
I must be seeing something different. I really like del Mastro, but I’ve seen a very tentative and unsure player in the games he’s played. He’s made some good plays for sure, but he’s been slow on passes and decisions. He worked so hard in Rockford to make quick decisions and drive the puck the other way, it’s been kind of disappointing to see him tentative. Looks like he’s getting this game off along with Murphy.
Pretty much the expected starting lineup playing tonight aside from the Dickinson/Lafferty/Mikheyev line. Lardis, Spellacy, and Savoie playing tonight (not sure on what lines).
Can anyone tell me what Happened to the Lardis 1 timer on the PP late in the period? .. Was it on goal, did it go wide behind the net?…… You can see that kid is good at finding quiet ice and lurks on the weakside. Combined with the best 1 timer in the organIzation when his time comes he’s gonna score some PP goals for the club.
Hayes is making some plays. Always liked what he brings. Misiak is in on a lotta stuff, especially below the dots in the Ozone. … My guy Crevier had a couple shifts he’d like back in the 1st. Allan has had some nice reads/pinches. KK too on his reads. No doubting the skill in his hands and feet.. Dach with a couple decent shifts. ……. I like Gryz, a lot for this roster. He’s a savvy vet who can settle things down… A whole yr of Knight is gonna be a treat. His technical game, and demeanor too, is tremendous.
I don’t know, Chunk. I like what I see tonight, much more than Game 1 v DET. More flow, more connected passes, more structure. Couple solid 1-2 pass outs. .. Guessing the fancies will be much better.
Lardis’ stick broke on the one-timer.
After an iffy first period, and first five minutes of the second everyone seemed to come around. The kids need to make sure they are playing faster. A lot of them still are trying to figure out where to go with the puck before they move and it slows them down.
As long as he stays healthy, Hayes should have a much better year in RFD. I think Misiak is going to be a good two-way forward.
I tell you what in my book Lardis and Moore have passed Reichel on the depth chart
Really? I think Reichel has been one of, if not the, best forward tonight. Lardis has looked OK, but he needs to learn how to work off the boards. Reichel’s work in that area this offseason seems to be paying off.
I think Moore starts the year with the big club, IF he can do what he did tonight consistently (aside from leaving his guy on the second goal). It’s going to be hard to send Dach down if he does this every game as well.
Wow. A lot of the kids are struggling to recognize what’s happening. Moore just totally ignored is responsibility on the second goal. Still getting buried in shots. I’m more interested to see what happens with an abundance of vets i the lineup.
Holy crap Barkov out for the whole season.
Everyone is talking about how the Hawks might have a chance to win opening night with Barkov and Tkachuk out but why is no one talking about how much better that 2026 1st rounder could end up being because of said injuries and in a sick draft class no less?! Could potentially go from #30 to #20.
Another thought, this now moves Benny up to 1C and likely push Reinhart or Marchand to 2C but if that doesn’t work out and they have to move Lundell to 2C, Florida is very thin up the middle and will need to look for help outside their organization immediately. Cough **Jason Dickinson** Cough. Clear Throat. Ahem! Another guy we have that would fit their style of play is Bert.Not that he’s anywhere close to Barkov, but Roslovic is still out there, and they wouldn’t need to give anything up.
I’m encouraged to see Greene in the 4C spot at the moment. He’s paired with Dach and Lafferty at the moment, so just an outside shot at offensive production, but I’d like to see him get some run.
Chunk, I agree Lev has never really shown an above average IQ to me and that’s going back to watching him in the USHL and NCAA and that continues in pro. He ain’t a goof 3 times a game brain fart guy but he’s average IQ to me, although I’d say he has solid IQ in the 1/2 court Ozone game. …. And I was alerted to watch this kid from Belarus in the preseason of his first USHL season. Guys who collected a paycheck from the USHL were high on him. I didn’t quite get it the first couple times seeing him that yr but it didn’t take long to think his excellent size/skill traits that are difference making. ….. To me it would always be how far his between the ears game developed cuz this kid ain’t only really big, can really skate, has real skill in his hands and as hard as it is sometimes to see athleticism in hockey players, especially compared to other sports, you can see it with Artie.
It might have even been while he was at Michigan St that I thought at worst Artie would be a Ristoleinen. His floor. Big, rangy, athletic Dman with offensive chops but it’s between the ears that limits him. IMO Risto is a very useful player but reading a lotta Meltzer and even when he was with BUFF the fancy stat folks did not like him……. Again, Risto is a pretty useful player but it’s fair to hope the 2nd overall will be better than that.
I love Arty. I think his game and skills are awesome. I also think he is almost purely a read and react type player. I don’t think he really tries to “see” a play to be made or set anything up. I think (on offense) he just starts doing something, sees what the defense does against him and reacts to counter it.
Similarly on defense, I don’t think he’s trying to read what play the opponents are trying to set up, I think he just says to himself, I’m going to try and completely neutralize the puck carrier, and that should help my team get the puck back.
My guess is that Blashill & Co. will try to get him to be more predictable for his teammates, but that’s probably going to be the max. If I had to guess, he’ll be closer to Burns than Risto, but time will certainly tell.
Very true, although I personally don’t really take draft position into account much.
I agree totally with icing the best team, going with who is better, earning TOI, and moving forward with the rebuild as is best, regardless of draft position.
re: KK, I’m specifically saying it would sting a lot more if they:
1) began the tank by trading away a 30-40 goal scorer entering his prime and,
2) used the acquired #7OA pick to draft a D-man and,
3) they spent years waiting for him to develop and,
4) they gave up on him a year or so too early and,
5) then he got good at NHL hockey soon after…..*if* all 5 of those happened (the first 3 already happened)
…that would be a harsh indictment of management, scouting, player development in RFD and CHI, et, etc.You could pass it off as “well KK 7OA and Rinzel 25OA same draft class, 1 hit 1 miss”, but man, you better be sure KK sucks before giving up.
He is still young (as I pointed out w/ the age comparisons a few posts ago)Hey MH, I really don’t think you are going to have to worry about KK getting traded. It appears that the new FO views Rockford as a place to actually develop prospects. If KK does down there (he’s supposed to work with the “NHL” group today) they will push him to break out of his bad habits. They literally said that they would be using Rockford as a place to develop players not necessarily to win the Calder Cup. Obviously, they will hope to combine those two goals, but development is first and foremost.
The only ones to even mention KK getting traded are in this forum, or a couple of the talking heads who have admitted that they are just spitballing and impatient for the Hawks to get better. If Davidson is going to trade KK, it will be because someone blew him away with an offer.
Chunk, typed out a lengthy quote in your response to Bedard and playing wing specifically but the bastard software jacked me…….. In a nutshell I fail to realize as much as I should we got a new set of eyes with his own way of doing things behind the bench in Blashill. Every assumption we had as far as slotting and trust in players is being looked at by new eyes.
I understand the Hawks want Bedard to be a centerman but as is Bedard has never shown he won’t be a liability without the puck in every zone, not even glimpses. I hope Blashill’s fresh, and unbiased as one can be about Bedard. eyes will see that and move the kid to wing. IMO we get the worst version of Bedard as a centerman. He’s horrid without the puck and the energy he uses with centerman responsibilities depletes his offense. Him playing center keeps him farthest from his offensive ceiling.
I’m encouraged in Game 1 under Blashill he indeed had at least one shift I saw with Nazar centering Bedard and I think Moore. … That’s a good sign IMO.
I’m not really advocating for any move of Bedard to wing, but just stating what I think will end up happening. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that Bedard can greatly improve his defense. Marian Hossa is exhibit A. I just think Frondell is going to be a really good one and that will open the gates for Bedard to concentrate on being a point producing monster. It’s mostly a situational thing in my mind. There will end up being guys that are better equipped to handle that position.
There are plenty of guys that started out big point producers and were horrid defensively that ended up much better in the latter area without sacrificing too much on the former.
Some good and bad news from the scribes:
Anderson is out the rest of the preseason. He’s having a procedure to correct a chronic issue.
Slaggert skated before practice, but will not play in the games this weekend.
Spellacy likely to be ready to go for this weekend. Should get a practice in before hand.
Also, it sounds like Arty had a bit of a struggle today understanding one of the drills.
Blashill said that Group 1 today was indeed the group most likely to start the year in the NHL, but added there are some guys in group 2 that can still push for playing time. (Nightingale ran Group 2 today).
There’s a very real chance of that happening regardless
Yes, I just think if it were to be KK the pain would be even greater due to
his draft position and because they traded away DeBrincat to pick KK.If you traded/waived Allan or Crevier (just for example) and they improved a ton at age 24 or 25, it’d be kinda random (which could be said of Forsling to be fair).
But, giving up on the #7OA pick too early and watching him greatly succeed would be a serious kick in the sack and damaging criticism of management.Very true, although I personally don’t really take draft position into account much. I go more by draft class. If a team can get one good and one serviceable player out of each draft (regardless of where they are picked), I call that a win. The Hawks have Rinzel and Nazar out of that draft. You are also looking at Greene and Thompson, so lots of bullets that can hit the target. 2023 obviously has Bedard and a ton of good possibles. The one I’m most nervous about is last years with Arty. I love him but he’s really a boom or bust type pick. Boisvert and Vanacker both seem like good players, but I’ve got my concerns with how their games will translate. As always, time will tell.
MH, decent enough chance KK doesn’t live up to his draft status but the kid has the traits to be a useful NHL player.
I agree.
To be fair though, you neglected to quote/respond to the info I supplied before that last part, supporting the fact that KK is still very young (compared to Hjalmarsson and Keith).(imho) keep giving him chances until/unless he totally busts out. I don’t want another Forsling situation.
There’s a very real chance of that happening regardless as there are only 6 real spots open on the Hawks backend. It is very likely that at least one of the D-men gets traded and turns into a really good player for another team. That’s one of the main issues with having so many draft choices and building everything through the draft. Inevitably, someone is going to be left out and traded, or leave as a FA and lord help us all when that happens.
