conundrumed

Ummmm?....because...we..do..it every year? Insurance vs risk, I wish BT would for just once leave 1 or 2 spots dedicated to risk. I really believe he always overcompensates for weaknesses he perceives, along with the staff. Grow from within. Take risks with young players. "Ruining development", in 2019, is laughable.

For me, it's one of those things. 2 guys with an opportunity are going to look great off the hop, but where will the consistency settle out? Hopefully see lots of Yelesin tonight, even though SJ is sending the Barracuda lineup. Disappointed Gillies will get the full start tonight. Why not split the start? Kinda points to Zagidulin getting the Rittich kid-gloves treatment perhaps. Alternatively, hopefully it's more about Gillies getting the meat grinder treatment. Zag's initial interview when camp started was getting used to how fast the puck gets to him due to smaller ice, harder shooters. I'm looking forward to camps winding down and hoping both are here for a closer to NHL look. Both seem to be showing that the competition so far has been maybe below their standards. So that's a good sign.

He definitely skates better than Stone already.

4 things for me so far. 1. He's pretty fast 2. He angles players off of the puck well 3. He likes being physical 4. He's got a bomb of a shot. Still adjusting to the smaller ice and speed, but I doubt it'll take long. He plays with a sneer. My guess is he'll be a fast learner.

Just as I was typing peeps. lol It's up to Yelesin. He's looked good in transition so far.

I notice Yelesin getting overlooked. He was a KHL all star last year representing Yaroslavl. He's the one I''m paying most attention to, and he's only 23 and RHS. Stay at home Dman (my fave), but also has good wheels. Hoping he shows better than Stone and AMac, as I don't subscribe to the, "has to season in the A"...just because.

First game of preseason. Split squads. Should be self explanatory.

Gio has been looking like a guy who just won the Calder. Dominant dman. a lot of people ran down the length of his contract. Not seeing it being a problem.

Thanks. So forget all of that other stuff I said. lol

Re: Mangiapane Are you sure about that? I don't think he has enough NHL games under his belt for waivers, but close.

It's more that he extended Stone on a 3 yr overpayment that we had to buy out. We all knew it was a head scratcher. The re-sign, not that shocking. Bought some cap space and it's a 2 way.

I agree that he should lose Winters. But in the sense it should have been a softer negotiation. $850,000 on a 1 way is not a heavy ask, when your system is working. Or better, when you believe in your system and stop throwing wrenches into it. UFA is an insurance policy, Is how I would treat it. Overpays every time. We somehow bungled our way into 4 years of Lucic...yet can't draft anyone over 5'11... Big time mixed message for me. I've loved Rittich from Day 1, he has to be the guy for us, imo. That would be a huge win for BT, imo.

But you have to admit, you're cherry-picking on one trade. If Gaudreau is putting up 100 pts and helping Mony put up 40 goals, how do you reinvent that? My guess is you don't.

So in that sense, Mangia shouldn't really be put down for hoping he could hold out for a 1-way. I get all of the semantics around it, but I'd assume he has to think Czarnik got the contract that Mangia feels he earned. I get the UFA vs RFA thing and bargaining positions, but still. I'm starting to look at Treliving in a different light. He does stuff in UFA that you can look and say is a disaster. He plucks and over-extends in UFA and leaves me thinking, you've just diminished that youngster's (whomever) chance to have an impact. The "just in case" ufa signings tend to blow up in his face. So Mangiapane on a 2 way now, it's going to be the same sad story, You made the team, but you're the easiest to send to the A. And goaltending has generally be in crises mode since BT arrived. My eye is getting a lot sterner on him now. He's not believing in the system is my biggest complaint. You have what you have, and it's pretty darn good. Promote from within, and shelter those guys, and don't go sideways when they falter. Teach and grow. As an aside, super excited Stevie Y took over the Wings and cap jail will dissipate from Holland's constant vertigo with the cap world. And Holland took his constant cap problems to the Oilers. Cap = live within your means. Don't trade picks, you're going to need them.

That's a really tough call if his numbers keep rising, if he's a 40G/70A player, are you really going to get the value in trading that? People pay to see Johnny. He puts fans on the edge of their seats. If he stays at last years level, I have no idea how you consider trading him.