hf101 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Laviolette and Phantoms coach Terry Murray have a mission in mind for Rinaldo and that is to teach him to become an disciplined penalty killer.“We didn’t use him there last season because it was at the end of the season,” said Laviolette, who was observing the opening of the Phantoms training camp Saturday at Skate Zone.“But we do see Zac hopefully, expanding into that role. This is an opportunity for him [with Phantoms] to show what he can do.”Rinaldo says he had a lot of experience on the PK in the OHL. Murray and Laviolette talked about Rinaldo during a game of golf last week in South Jersey. You can get a lot accomplished on a golf course.“Zac has a lot of NHL games under him,” Murray said. “This is a good opportunity for him to come and build on his NHL game in the American Hockey League and get into critical situations.“Get on the ice in penalty kill. Get on the ice on the power play. I can push the envelope here. I can get him ready for those situations in the NHL. Use him with the Phantoms in those critical moments in the game.”http://www.csnphilly...1171&feedID=695It appears to me as if they are planning for Rinaldo to be the next "Darroll Powe". So do you think he will become a regular on the PK? Can he be Powe's replacement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Yes. You have to have speed and tenacity to be a premium PK guy and he has that.I didn`t know he killed in Jr, but not surprised to learn that.The penalty kill also often provides great opportunities for hits, believe it or not. Players on the PP are not doing the normal things, they slow down etc, leave themselves vulnerable to big hits. A succesful PK can turn the momentum of a game.You have to take your spots, and Zac is still learning the control thing, but he`s earned the chance to try.Long-term, I could see him with Cooter. Or Schenn. Maybe Talbot in the short term. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzFlyer Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 If he can stay out of the box. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahophilly Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 He can be but it will be a work in progress. He will make some bad mistakes but so long as everyone is realistic and patient he COULD become a Powe like player. I'd say give a solid chance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackhole Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I say no, because we would continually end up 2 men down via his rep with the refs. He may not log enough PK time for us to judge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Rinaldo was a penalty killer in junior? Who knew? I only remember the Colts killing his penalties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo1917 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 He has the wheels, and has a pretty decent feel for the game, I think he could be an excellent pker . He probably needs to make the off season Matt Cooke style repudiation of his past goonery or something equally stupid for the refs to let him play hockey though and that's a bit of a downer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo1917 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I know his reputation from junior's was Downie-esque , but I have seen him play smart , hard , hockey for much of his NHL stint. Discipline or lack there of has had it's part for making him a liability, but to me many maybe a third of his minutes came from his rep as opposed to his play. Any big hit that was remotely questionable saw him heading to the box, whereas another player might have been given the benefit of the doubt. Zac has far better hands than you'd expect of a guy having that type of reputation. I like his game 1000x more than that disgrace Carcillo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Yes. You have to have speed and tenacity to be a premium PK guy and he has that.I didn`t know he killed in Jr, but not surprised to learn that.The penalty kill also often provides great opportunities for hits, believe it or not. Players on the PP are not doing the normal things, they slow down etc, leave themselves vulnerable to big hits. A succesful PK can turn the momentum of a game.You have to take your spots, and Zac is still learning the control thing, but he`s earned the chance to try.Long-term, I could see him with Cooter. Or Schenn. Maybe Talbot in the short term.I suppose the thing will be .... great players draw you in with the opportunity to hit them. Then they dish the puck past you to the now wide open man because your PK is out of position trying to make that hit. Will he know when to commit and when not to? Will he become a liability BECAUSE he's looking for that big hit? That's where you will see if he's truly smart or just looking for fan approval. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 That's where you will see if he's truly smart or just looking for fan approval.Yeah, for sure, is he smart enough to not get carried awayÉ Hard to say at this point.If by fan approval, you mean getting the fans pumped which, in turn, can help shift momentum, then I`m actually ok with players looking for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 I can see Zac as a pk guy, like others have said, has the tenacity and speed. I still think we are only scratching the surface on Welly's pk talents. He will start to shine this coming year. With Coots, Talbot, Schenn, and Welly we are pretty set on the pk for the foreseeable future. Interested to see what Zac has to offer and I'm sure Ried would be great on the pk with his wheels also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Yeah, for sure, is he smart enough to not get carried awayÉ Hard to say at this point.If by fan approval, you mean getting the fans pumped which, in turn, can help shift momentum, then I`m actually ok with players looking for that. Yeah that's great IF the hits are good and DON'T result in goals scored against because he takes himself out of position. A 5 on 4 is bad enough, but he chases a pointman to the boards for a hit and now you have a 4 on 3 in the center of the offensive zone. That usually means bad things for the penalty killers. That's the kind of hit I would worry about were I a Flyers fan. He takes himself out of the play and the goal is scored against as a result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinorama Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 my vote was yes. I also agree with what most are saying about both sides of the coin really though. If he is out there with the mentality of delivering the big hit all the time then yeah, he will struggle to keep himself in the play. Outside of that, the only OTHER thing that concerns me is his rep with the refs. I thought he had way too many call go against him for plays that I believed others wouldn't get called for. I can't see too many of those happening on the PK though so it wouldn't be that much of an issue. He has the speed and agility. He has decent hands as well so being able to get in there, seperate the player from the puck and then move it ahead/out should be something he can dial into Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahophilly Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 I think he will be our top PK guy this year since there won't be any games... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 That's the kind of hit I would worry about were I a Flyers fan. He takes himself out of the play and the goal is scored against as a result.Agreed. Unless he kills or maims the other player, in which case it might be worth it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahophilly Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Well, if he's on the PK and starts taking penalties then Lavi will rip him off the PK fast. Give him an honest chance but a fairly short leash... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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