Originally Posted by hailtopitt (Post 14989152)

:lol you're an idiot

Originally Posted by hailtopitt (Post 14989154)

i hope the other 29 teams were looking at the pens blue line depth last night, trade bait

also, robert bortuzzo says "hello, NHL"

Originally Posted by Rebecca De Mornay (Post 14989156)

:lol it is interesting that the only time this thread turns into every tailgate thread is when the beard avatars show up.

Originally Posted by Roose13 (Post 14989193)

Every time I watch him play it hurts. Flyers could have drafted him, and instead picked Laughton.

Originally Posted by fonzz41 (Post 14989559)

Fonzz41 HOFD (Hard-On For Defensemen) Report #235

Subject: Olli Maatta

With him only being 19 years old, it's really hard to give a clear-cut idea of just what kind of player Maatta will mature to be. As of right now, I see him in much the same boat as Erik Johnson back when he was drafted: similar physically as well as in skill set, but without as much hype or expectations. Over the next 3-4 seasons we'll get a clearer picture, but he'll most likely go one of three ways: 1) Round out into a steady shut-down defenseman like Johnson has finally done; 2) Focus on his offensive game and allow that to flourish, perhaps at the expense of defense; or 3) become one of the premier two-way defensemen in the game. Frankly, with his frame and skills, the sky is the limit for him.

What does he do well?
The first thing you notice is his offensive instincts. Many defensemen either don't know when exactly to jump up into the play, and others do but are tentative to do it for fear of getting caught out of position. Not Maatta. He follows his instincts and knows when exactly to jump in; and when he does, he goes balls to the wall, 100% committed. This throws off opposing defensemen, who usually don't anticipate that kind of spirited attack from a point man. He's a tremendous skater who can go 0-60 in about a stride and a half, and that combined with his size means defenders have to give him room when he attacks. This makes him very valuable as a trailer who can pick up juicy rebounds off shots from the forwards. His quick skating means he rarely gets caught out of position, as he's able to make it back up to the point before the opposing team manages to break out.

He's less noticeable in his own end, which is exactly how it should be. He plays a quiet, smart game where he relies on good positioning to get the job done. It's a distinctly European trait for defensemen - being in the right position to take away space from forwards, get in passing lanes, and always be ready for a breakout pass. Maatta does all of those very well and is showing signs of Lidstrom-esque wisdom. I desperately hope his offensive instincts don't outweigh his defensive qualities as his career develops, because he's very smart in his own end. He also moves well through the neutral zone and is adept at picking up his guys at the blue line before. His size and smooth skating makes him difficult to maneuver around.

What can he work on?
As is the case with many young defensemen, he's a bit tentative physically. Yes, he plays a game of smarts, but he's too talented and well-built to not let his physicality develop. At 6'2, 206 lbs, he's got room to bulk up without sacrificing too much of his speed, and being able to punish and intimidate opponents in his own zone will add another element to his game where mentally, forwards know that not only could he pick their pocket at any time, but also put them through the glass if they aren't paying attention. Believe it or not, that kind of stuff absolutely goes through a forward's mind and affects their decision-making. If Maatta can round out his physical game, he may well become one of the greats in the game over the next 10 years.

He also needs to work a bit on his mobility. He's incredible fast as a north-south power skater, but isn't particularly agile. This may be - more than anything - a result of his large frame, but I think it's something that can be improved and WILL be improved as he adjusts to NHL speed.

This is also a case of being young, but he also just needs to work on his patience in his own end. I saw a couple times where he tried to rush a play and get caught out of position. Once he's out of position, he has a difficult time recovering as he's trying to overcompensate and do something big to make up for his gaffe. Calming down a bit (which I believe will come with time) will benefit him greatly. And to his credit, he's already a lot calmer than other teenage NHL defensemen.


Overall, the sky is the limit for Maatta. With his size, instincts, and natural skill set, he has everything he needs to become one of the top rear-guards in the game.

Originally Posted by bradshaw06 (Post 14990912)

:thumbsup Excellent analysis. His instincts are what got me to really notice him. He just plays so smart

Originally Posted by ~Crashintome89~ (Post 14990932)

The Capitals are the worst.

Do they even have fans?

Originally Posted by lockman21 (Post 14990802)

In all seriousness (we can't always talk about Evander Kane's shirtless postgame interviews), I've been absent from this thread for a little while, and we from we were talking about it in the Winter Olympics thread, but I wanted to post this here. I wanted to really wait until we got a good way in to the season to do these, but I love doing this so here it is now. Here is my Canadian roster projections (assuming Stamkos is good to go...since he's already skating "without pain"):

Skamkos - Crosby A- Eric Staal
Sharp - Toews C- Rick Nash
John Tavares - Patrice Bergeron - Corey Perry
Jamie Benn - Ryan Getzlaf - Logan Couture
Martin St. Louis A- Claude Giroux

Duncan Keith A - Shea Weber
Bouwmeester - Pietrangelo
Brent Seabrook - Drew Doughty
Dion Phaneuf - PK Subban (not that I would want him, but he'll make it)

Luongo
Price
Holtby?

The more I look at that group of forwards, the more and more ridiculous it is. I couldn't find a spot for Giroux, and you have a third line of Tavares - Bergeron - Perry...WHAT. I don't know if Stamkos will be ready or not, if he isn't, that really opens the door for guys like Duchene, Jeff Carter, Neal and Kunitz (in that order, in my opinion). I don't know what else there is to say about these guys that you don't already know. I'll talk about my boy Jamie Benn who is slipping under the radar right now, but as Matty and I have pointed out multiple times in this and other NHL threads, he's a hockey player's hockey player. Dude has attitude, grit, lots of skill, size, speed...he's everything you want. Him and Sharpie are two incredible versatile options that can really just be a plug and play type players that helps complete rosters.

As far as defenseman, Duncan Keith is playing the best hockey of his career. Better than his Norris season, and is just getting better as the season goes on. Him and Weber as the top pair is fucking scary for the rest of the Olympics. That's probably the best top pair I can even think of in the entire world. Pietrangelo is a legit top pair defenseman on any other squad, so fittin him on the second pair to eat up minutes behind Keith and Weber is freightening. His ability to move the puck and make things happen is an absolute weapon for Canada. Seabrook has really, really been coming on as of late, and I think his ability to throw the body will be important, but ultimately, his most valuable asset is his ability to complete the stretch pass. On that big ice, Seabs is a great choice. He's also probably playing the best hockey of his career.

This is Luongo's crease. This is a really solid group of goaltenders, but is clearly the weakest point of the Canadian roster. That's not to say it's bad, the rest of the roster is just THAT good. Everyone talks about the "depth" between the pipes of the red, white, and blue...but you really only need one goaltender. So depth goes out the window if Bobby Lou can get hot. He was more than good enough in 2010, and Price is a MORE than capable backup. The third tender, basically a formality, will maybe be Holtby? I don't know. The injury to Crawford throws a wrench in the whole thing, as I thought he had the third slot locked up with his playoff performance last year. I thought all he needed was a solid 2013 campaign, and he'd make it, but who knows now. Honestly, who cares? It's Lou and Price and then some other guy.

I will try a write-up on USA in the next couple of days.

Originally Posted by bonzo48280 (Post 14990874)

KANER is otherworldly. He had a 12-game point streak, took a game off, and is now on a 10-game point streak. And his goal tonight.....AROOOOOO

Originally Posted by bradshaw06 (Post 14991065)

Looks like Tom Wilson will be getting a call from Shanny.

Originally Posted by bradshaw06 (Post 14991129)

Oates on Wilson’s hit: “He’s a big strong guy, he hit him hard, yeah. To me it’s a clean hit. I don’t even think it’s a penalty. At all.”

Originally Posted by fonzz41 (Post 14991053)

Can't wait to see it :thumbsup. I've brought mine up about a million times already but will do once more as well. My canada team won't look too different from yours (no surprise).

Originally Posted by bonzo48280 (Post 14991157)

Holy hell. That's one of the more reckless hits I've seen in a while. What an idiot.

Originally Posted by lockman21 (Post 14990802)

In all seriousness (we can't always talk about Evander Kane's shirtless postgame interviews), I've been absent from this thread for a little while, and we from we were talking about it in the Winter Olympics thread, but I wanted to post this here. I wanted to really wait until we got a good way in to the season to do these, but I love doing this so here it is now. Here is my Canadian roster projections (assuming Stamkos is good to go...since he's already skating "without pain"):

Skamkos - Crosby A- Eric Staal
Sharp - Toews C- Rick Nash
John Tavares - Patrice Bergeron - Corey Perry
Jamie Benn - Ryan Getzlaf - Logan Couture
Martin St. Louis A- Claude Giroux

Duncan Keith A - Shea Weber
Bouwmeester - Pietrangelo
Brent Seabrook - Drew Doughty
Dion Phaneuf - PK Subban (not that I would want him, but he'll make it)

Luongo
Price
Holtby?

Originally Posted by lockman21 (Post 14991163)

It's really not.

Originally Posted by ~Crashintome89~ (Post 14991452)

The Wilson hit is more of a charge than a board. Schenn has to protect himself a bit more, but there is no reason for Wilson to take five strides into Schenn.

Originally Posted by swordo84 (Post 14991589)

Regarding the 3rd goalie at the Olympics. Everyone knows you're not even going to dress for a (meaningful) game (only if the team shits the bed and its a "why not" situation, or injury of course). As such, I like the idea of bringing a younger guy along to get the experience of being at and preparing for an Olympic Tourney/World Championship/World Cup etc. Prepare for the future, ya know?

Originally Posted by fonzz41 (Post 14991601)

Certainly not a bad idea and something I thought about. I was going with Crawford, but then decided on Smith - even if he's older. Chris's choice of Holtby is not a bad choice either, but no guarantee he would even be Canada's "goalie of the future".

Your thoughts on who it should be?

(Also, lulz that we're discussing Canada's 3rd string goalie situation :lol - but hey, hockey talk is hockey talk!)

Originally Posted by swordo84 (Post 14991650)

I had mentioned MAF, or Ward in a previous post, but they go against my theory. To fall in line with it, I'd like to see them bring along Bernier or, to a lesser extent Scrivens.

I think Crawford would have been a lock for #3 had he not been injured.

Originally Posted by swordo84 (Post 14991816)

Radio guys up here (Hockey Central @ Noon) brought up a vaild thought... what country doesn't have questions in goal?

Canada - has been discussed above, no clear #1 and every choice has reason for pause.
USA - With Quick hurt does this fall back to Miller (who's been less than stellar), or Schneider?
Russia - Bob is hurt, Bryz is a huge wild card.
Sweden - Lundquvist hasn't been up to his best, will he turn it around in time for the games? Who do they go to next?