TropicalFruitGirl26

I can't remember how often (last season, short as it was for Dumba...but even the year before that as well), without looking up TOI and pairings charts, but yes, he did get time with Suter.

Yep..that's me... 5'5 and power packed...haha. And oh boy....got you going on the grilling thing now, didn't I? Bad, bad, BAD TFG...

I like Dumba as a player. I'd like him to stay, but I also realize the team is not in the best position to win and won't be for a long while...wasting away his prime developing years. Thus, I think he is best as a trade chip...provided the owner actually decides to do a proper rebuild and that the GM can get a good return for him. When I say he can "grow", I mean as a player of his position. It is one thing to become a good defender (he can still do that), but another thing to become a great, WINNING defender....harder to do in his current environment. As you know, defensemen typically mature slower than forwards due to all the extra responsibility they generally have. Especially when a defenseman like Dumba is being asked to provide both offense and defense. He can still go a long way with his own talents, hopefully learn a lot from observation....but without a winning culture to be immersed in, he likely never takes that next step to being top tier at anything he does. I was messing around with make believe trade scenarios, and since I am a fan of the Lightning as well, was thinking of a way both teams could make a trade...…. Dumba would fit in VERY NICELY on TB and the Lightning have quite a number of good young forwards they could trade for a 25 yr old like him. And some of the Bolts young pieces which they AREN'T using on the big club now are centers or top six wingers. Problem is the money doesn't work. Bolts are near the top of the cap, so if they want to take on Dumba's 6M, they would have to move out something similar...and just about all their big money players also have NMC or NTC's.... the younger guys they could spare (including Mikhail Sergachev), all are ELC's, team friendly deals, or about to get raises, but nothing monstrous above the 5 or 6 M mark... So while the player Dumba would fit in well in TB, and guys like maybe Verhaeghe, Sergachev, Raddysh, Sompii, even Cirelli (on the big club now) or Joseph would go nicely towards a solid Wild rebuild, the money, sadly, just doesn't work.

Agree 1000% with this... Dumba is just now entering his positional prime (should peak around 27 or 28), and the Wild are neither good enough to take advantage of what he can bring to the team, nor bad enough to where they can quickly add a bunch of high draft picks and do a quick turnaround and have Dumba still be on the right side of his prime when the team is ready to compete. As much as I hate the idea of trading him, his value might be best as a trade chip. If Fenton was still at the helm, that would scare the crap out of me given past "value" trades, but perhaps Guerin will actually do some research and negotiating and get the best possible deal should he decide to actually trade the budding young defenseman. Yes, Dumba may have been paid too much, too soon based on small samples of work, but unfortunately, that's the way the league is trending....and if any team wants to keep their upper tier talent, big contracts, even somewhat risky ones, appear to be the norm. That said, and to be fair, Dumba at 25 can STILL grow...personally I think he has come a long way from the less confident, spazzy, empty headed player he was when he first came up. While he obviously will still do some dumb things out there (no pun intended ), right now, I will just attribute that to his current support system (not particularly strong), and the fact that he is still a young d-man with lots of room for improvement. If he is still making the same ol, same ol mistakes by age 27, then I think we can officially call him a "talented cement head" If the future was just 2 or 3 years away, then I'd agree. But I think this team needs at LEAST 5 years, maybe 6 to truly turn things around. By that time, not only will his contract run out, but he will be on that dreaded "other side" of the hill....and his best thoroughbred years would have been wasted. Trading a guy like Dumba, IMO, would truly signal the sign of a rebuild. But since many players on the team have NTC's or NMC's, the only way to get them to waive to go elsewhere is to trade away other big movable players for picks and sub 25 yr old players..... the vets simply would not have the stomach to dig in for a 5 or 6 year rebuild.

I'm mesquite flavored.....what about you?

W1- 9-8-1 W2- 8-8-2 W3- 10-4-4 W4- 8-7-3 W5- 8-7-3 Those are the records for the first five weeks for the Green Star Blades. With the exception of week 3, been treading water, just barely nipping my opponents and escaping with the win. Or, I guess I could look at it as, "I've played my opponents tough and in the end, pulled out the victory" Or, I did just enough to win, my opponent didn't do quite enough to win. Or...... You get the idea. My team isn't elite...but it isn't bad. Middling. Better to eek out wins than to lose them or get blown out right? I suppose....but right now, that wouldn't bode well if I had to take on some of the more powerful teams in All Stars (looking at YOU, @yave1964) So I sit in middling 5th, with my middling record, while teams that have fantastic weeks rush on past me in the standings, and those that have bad weeks sink below me in the standings, and the following week, others fall from the top below me, while others below, go right to the top......and there I am....always in the middle...in 5th.... well, sorta top half of the league...errr, yet still, bottom half of the top six needed to stay in the league..... arrrghhh...it is just all so..... middling.... Anyways...this isn't really a rant...but it isn't a boast either. It is a "middle ground" post on the state of the Blades. Average, maybe above average....good enough to perhaps make the post season, but not good enough to win anything. FFS, my team feels like early 2010's Minnesota Wild or 90's St. Louis Blues...….. Well, let's see what we do this week against my frenemy @ruxpin and his Hell Bears. I could do really well...I could just have yet another middling week....or I could be due for a shellacking. If there is ANYONE who knows about being all over the competitive map, it's that man...

I gotta say...I always felt for MacLean. I am sure he and Cherry are friends off air (I dunno, just guessing), but ON the air, I am sure that on more than one occasion, the thought of "oh no...there he goes again!" has HAD to have at least crossed his mind... He won't ever admit it publicly, but I am betting he is looking forward to seeing what new 'newbie' announcer he gets to work with and mold moving forward!

There aren't too many other players I'd be willing to trade the likes of a Nikita Kucherov for, but Mitch Marner definitely is one of them. Some might think that is crazy, but upon closer inspection, it really wouldn't be. Given Marner's playstyle and ice smarts, I would bet 1, 000 gold Puppas that Mitch would make the PERFECT linemate for one Steven Stamkos. Since Martin St. Louis was traded, the Bolts have yet to find a linemate for Stammer with whom he had the same 'magic' together on the ice. Not Tyler Johnson, not Ondrej Palat, not Yanni Gourde, and yes, not even Nikita Kucherov. In fact, Kuch and Stammer do better (and elevate their lines better) when apart, for whatever reason...perhaps they are too similar in their playstyle, or the opposite...their thinking methods are hard wired a certain way and just are not compatible on the ice as a consistent force. Marner on the other hand, shows adaptability and he can seemingly transition very easily from playmaker to sniper and always keep the defense guessing... is he gonna take the shot? Is he gonna pass it to his ultra dangerous sniper linemates? Is he gonna drop it to the point to a blue liner with a cannon? Stamkos could use someone who can read him, feed him the puck consistently, or decide, "hey, they got Stammer covered good...I NEED to make this play happen and snipe it myself".... so far, none of the linemates they've tried with him can do this on the regular....I believe Mitch would be able to. Sure, Marner won't have the raw numbers of Kucherov (two 100 pt + seasons is insane, and he probably has MORE of those coming), but Mitch's numbers going back this season and the last two have been FAR from shabby....and he also has this nice propensity to almost always take AWAY the puck more than he gives it up on turnovers....something Kucherov sometimes can struggle with. The two players' salaries are almost comparable...Marner's cap hit being slightly higher at 10.9M vs Kucherov at 9.5, plus Marner is younger by 4 years, which would theoretically give the Bolts more "prime years starting today" with the current core group, but for what he brings to the table, below Kuch's raw numbers, but still impressive enough, and other skillsets, I'd say the extra 1.4M in cap hit is well used! If all this sounds like I am down on Kucherov and would want him traded...well, no, that not be true. I love having Kucherov on the Lightning, and if he retires a Bolt, I would be happy with that. And of course, there IS NO trade being worked on to swap these two guys. I was just simply pointing out the value I see in a player like Marner….his value not only to his own team, but to many others as well, but particularly to being a potential linemate of Stamkos. If Stammer had gone to Toronto and been paired with Marner, I believe THEY, along with whomever you want to put into the third slot next to them, would be the dominant line in the NHL...over Boston's, over Colorado's, over Vegas' top lines. And if Marner WERE to be swapped with Kucherov on the Lightning, I believe the same would apply...and the Bolts would still have enough forward depth to cover Lines 2-4. Tell me one thing though, @WordsOfWisdom …. Marner is always listed as a center.... yet he seems to play the wing most of, if not all, of the time... he has the mentality of a center, but plays well enough as a winger.... which is he suited better for, in your opinion? Or is he the type of player that can do either without missing a beat? Ironically, Stamkos is often shuttled between winger and center as well, although honestly, I think he does his best work as a centerman….but still, he and the Bolts are in search of "his guy" to be the inseparable linemates on the ice that he and MSL once were.

This is horrible for the Leafs. Like...really horrible. With all the press guys like John Tavares, Auston Matthews, Morgan Reilly, and Frederick Andersen get (rightly so...they ARE mega talents after all), sometimes it feels like Marner gets pushed to the back burner in the news...everything else being equal that is. He doesn't seem to have the higher profile of any of those players (I would even venture to bet that Jake Freakin Gardiner got more press then he did when he was with Toronto...although for probably ENTIRELY different reasons), doesn't have the flash of some of those guys, seems very soft spoken.....but, and I say this from an outsiders point of view, looks to me like HE is the one that really makes things "go" on the Leafs. The straw that stirs the drink, the cog that turns the machine, the lynchpin of a concerted Toronto attack at any given moment...you get the idea. Maybe there are numbers out there to support this hunch of mine, but to me, when Marner is in, and playing well, it allows the other Leafs forwards to be slotted better on lines and he can ALWAYS be counted on to do smart things with the puck and get it to those waiting snipers...and he also always seems to offer a very safe outlet for the much maligned Leaf defensemen when they find themselves in a jam. As good as guys like Tavares and Matthews are up front, I think, should the Leafs lose them for periods of time (we've seen that happen already the last couple seasons including this one), buys can still step in, step up and maybe not completely account for their production, but do good enough...…. but losing Marner, not only his production, but presence, intelligence, and vision on the ice? Not so easy to replace....and IMO, will leave the Leafs forward units in a bit of disarray. Obviously I am a Leaf rival fan, and to be honest, if Toronto were to fall down some competitive hole from which they won't recover in time for the playoffs, I wouldn't bat an eye.... but I think Marner is a HELL of a player, I AM a fan of his, he is not given nearly the credit he should be due compared to many of his teammates, and it is a damned shame he won't be part of the Leafs' quest for a Cup for awhile.

Thoughts!!?? I think the suit companies and tailors employed by Cherry will be in mourning!!

I'll defer to you on how long a leash Toronto fans would give their star players if they underperform. I guess since Toronto is one of those "we must win NOW!" towns, I figured, highly paid players wouldn't be given so much slack....then again, you DID say it was more out of apathy than anything else! As for Nikita Kucherov, I honestly don't think he is anywhere near the stage of "being booed out of town"... I HAVE heard a smattering here and there this season, and believe it or not LAST SEASON of all things, when perhaps Kuch may not backcheck, or seems to float around a bit in the offensive zone waiting for the stretch pass.... and to think, the man STILL puts up crazy numbers! Not all sure what the fans are really wanting from him.... I mean, if he isn't producing, ok, but even in his alleged 'lethargic state', has a pretty good point pace going. But again, I'd rather have fans care enough to boo.... even if it is somewhat ignorantly guided....instead of not caring at all, or wondering when the next Orlando Magic game will be going on, while a Lightning game is going on. As you know, being a Toronto fan, it is how you build a long lasting fanbase.... built on people who are all in with their teams, through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Still...Kucherov being booed is overblown, IMO. If anything, "sky is falling" fans on forums are worse.... but Kucherov doesn't hear them while he is out on the ice.

I am not so sure Kucherov getting "booed" is a big problem. Does it happen? Sure. What superstar player who isn't quite living up to the standards fans set for them hasn't? Regarding getting booed, I mean, in TB it would be mild compared to, oh, I dunno, a place like Toronto, Philadelphia, New York....places where fans are notorious for their impatience with star players who aren't performing. Even if the fans are negatively reacting to Kucherov right now, personally, I think that might be a good thing. And I think even Kucherov may agree it is a good thing. Why? Because it shows fans care. They know they have a superstar player for years to come and just want him to play like it. They want to see leadership out of the highly skilled and highly paid players on the team and no one can blame them. Kuch himself has to understand....he IS a mega talent, he IS getting paid lots of money to perform, and right now, he isn't living up to his abilities on the ice. I'd rather fans get upset about things like that than have apathy. As a Lightning fan since almost the beginning, I have seen my share of that with this team and its players. Times have changed, the Bolts are a big deal in Central Florida, and the fans want a winning product (which they do), that PERFORMS like one. I think Kuch will be fine with a smattering of boos here and there.... maybe Stamkos, Johnson, and Palat could use some of that too. If any player folds under a bit of booing, then one has to question whether they should be on this team. Really, the booing is NOT as bad in Tampa as it could be elsewhere. Not by a long shot. But when you finally get passionate, knowledgeable, caring fans to cheer you on, you best expect that same group to let you "have it" when you don't do what you are paid to do. I consider myself a patient and generally laid back person, yet I have found myself at times disgusted with some of the things I see on the ice from some players......because I really am into my team. I care what goes on. I want a Detroit Red Wing-like perennial contender and win some Cups along the way. Because I want proactive players on the ice....not passengers. And since booing isn't really my style, I just might react instead to letting out a few choice four letter words instead as I switch the channel. Kucherov 11 points in 13 games. Not bad really. But when you look at how lethargic he looks on some nights, one can't help but wonder if he should be PPG player or more even at this early stage. And maybe he will be. But nothing wrong with the fans letting him or any other player know, they want results.....now.

Wow. Price on pace to face over 50 Flyer SOG this game!

Habs looked like world beaters early on, got nothing for it, now clinging for dear life as it's been all Flyers as the period winds down.

Price coming up large now that the Flyers turned the tables.