Originally Posted by uofmehockey
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Hey marty I caught the game last night vs CBJ and wanted to see if you concur with what I saw.
-Varlamov is going to steal quite a few games if he can stay healthy.
-The lack of offense has to do with i) a lack of mobility on the blue line and ii) a lack of cohesion amongst the forward lines.
-In getting bigger/tougher on the blue line, they've sacrificed some offense.
O'Brien is completely redundant. While he's steady, he does nothing great. Quincey is as reliable but provides more offense, O'Byrne is as physical but blocks more shots, Wilson is as tough but skates better.
I'd expect to see Elliott or Barrie back up sooner rather than later. Quincey does not belong on the PP on a good team. He can hold his own but does not create any chances for others while he's out there.
Johnson's shot is a bomb but he's not the D you want rushing the puck up the ice - just doesn't make the smart decision required to gain the zone and setup the attack.
-As far as the forwards go, their bottom-6 were their best 2 lines.
Duchene looks like he's trying to do far too much on his own. I read he's trying to shoot more this year, but he looks often like he's trying to force plays that aren't there off the rush instead of waiting for teammates to provide support. Probably doesn't help that Mueller is playing a bit tentative and Hejduk seems to have lost a step (or 3).
Stastny played his usual game but has to CARRY his wingers (Jones, Kobasew). Jones didn't seem to have his usual jump. Kobasew is only good when he has LOTS of time and space.
I'd expect Landeskog or Galiardi to move into the top-6 sometime soon as both looked good and showed decent offensive instincts. And would prefer if they moved Hejduk onto Stastny's line and gave Duchene a winger who can keep up with him on the rush.
Appreciate your thoughts...
