Comments for January 16, 2012 at http://hockey.dobbersports.com , comment 1 to 36 out of 20 comments http://hockey.dobbersports.com Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:19:43 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18975 @Dobber Marincin has stalled a bit and is most likely 4 years away. Kefblom is 2 years away. Musil is a shutdown defenseman about 4 years away. Heskerth is a total bust and mentioning him as a prospect just shows how pathetic the Oilers pipeline in the near future (2-3 years) really is. Once these defensemen finally break into the big league, it will take them another 2-3 years before they are effective at the NHL game. - Chris Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:39:35 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18973 No shit Tambellini should have listened to his head scout (which should be given full marks for the Oilers drafting, not Tambellini) and picked Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, and Eberle. The point is Tambellini has done NOTHING to put a defense together. He knew he was going to get those kids then why not make a trade to obtain 2-3 high potential defensemen furhter along in development? If this rebuild is going to work, it needs this part of it. The longer he waits to obtain the blueliners to match his emerging forwards, the more it is going to cost. Fire the moron. - Chris Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:31:43 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18965 I wholeheartedly agree with you. In hindsight it is easy to say that the Oilers should have grabbed Ellis, who imo was the one player I sort of wanted them to take at the time, but I certainly wasn't disappointed that they took Paajarvi, who I felt was a bit of a steal at that point considering all the hype around him at the time. By no means have I written off Paajarvi, but of the 4 young guns on the Oilers he is the one guy who hasn't panned out (yet). - SeaDawg Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:11:19 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18960 The Oilers drafting is almost like a classic case of how do you draft. Do you draft what the team needs or do you draft the best possible player in the draft? I'm in the camp of drafting the best possible player that is out there. I can see maybe an Ellis over MPS but at the time of the draft I did not here any uproar where the Oil took MPS. - Mr Sausage Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:55:36 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18958 I'm sure the Capitals would fall all over themselves to trade Carlson to the Oilers if the others were offering Eberle (which they would never do). I get your point that the Oilers need a dman, but they can't be faulted in the least for taking RNH, Eberle, or Hall. I'd argue if anything that they should have taken Ellis, Kulikov, or Leddy instead of Paajarvi. - SeaDawg Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:47:32 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18957 While it is true that Hopkins, Hall, Eberle, and Paajarvi are all special players. To say that Edmonton should not in at least one of those drafts have taken a defensemen in the first round is in my opinion a mistake. Eberle is a great player no doubt, but give me John Carlson any day. In the NHL there are two things you can't win without, strength up the middle and quality defensemen. - Karl Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:29:18 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18955 Good thing the NHL can't boast an 85% rule as a good showing. ;) - Heaton Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:41:48 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18953 Those real time stats like hits, blocks, giveaways, takeaways have been shown to be inaccurate depending on who is tallying them. I am from Buffalo and watch nearly all the games, it could only be 29 giveaways/game that he has but the multiple ones I've seen in games and resulting in goals adds that much more effect to it. I would not lose sleep if he was in the AHL - Chris Bieniek Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:37:05 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18951 Im not ready to put Tambellini in the Sam Pollock category- but it will be a few years yet before we can truly judge the job he's done drafting. I can see Chris' standpoint- dmen and goalies take longer to develop,but can you blame him for taking Hall or Hopkins? While I would give Tambs an incomplete on the drafting side of his job, in the trading and FA signing- he hasnt shined. 1 mediocre goalie prospect (Roy) until adding Perhonen this year (neither A+ prospects)wont do when youre starter is pushing 40yrs old. If he is able to turn Hemsky into something with some major upside- and sign/trade for a younger true #1 goalie (Harding,Bernier,Schneider,Rask) then I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Lets face it, the Oil had a long way to go. Lecavalier wont recieve any discipline from Shanaban, I wouldnt have minded a fine- gutless act by Vinnie. A bigger 'story' according to TSN anyways is Subban supposedly spitting at Del Zotto- only no one outside of the media noticed it. The camera angle makes it look like something, when in fact Im sure its nothing. No magic loogie here,more like TSN looking for controversy and Subban is a magnet for that(much like CBC vs Burrows), but when you look at some of the dirt being thrown his way- you wonder if its just because hes an immature free spirit- or something else.... - Larry Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:22:06 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18949 Dobber - I fully respect your opinion, but Gragnani was handed the keys to the #1 PP unit from game 1. Ehrhoff was the trigger man and Gragnani was running it. I'm not going to look through every single game but here are his PP ice-time listing (and ranking among dmen) for the first few games: 3:13 (1st) 2:51 (1st) 7:07 (2nd) 1:11 (T-1st) 0:49 (4th) 2:25 (3rd) 3:47 (1st) 2:34 (2nd) 1:42 (2nd) 4:58 (2nd) He was on the #1 unit for each and every one of those games. The only guy to consistently rival him is Ehrhoff. He was given every opportunity to succeed, Ruff fed him a lot of top PP time and gave him easy minutes at even strength. He simply pissed away his opportunity. Thats not to say that he can't rebound at some point, but he was given way more than his fair share of chances and he simply did not cash in. - Buffalo87 Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:12:53 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18948 R - Marty is a second half stud year after year. I don't care if he's playing with Dominic Moore and Joe Crap. S-T-U-D. Chris (another Chris) - So what you're saying is, instead of drafting Hopkins he should have drafted Larsson and instead of Hall he should have drafted Gudbranson. And because he didn't do those things, he's backwards. Right? In his first three draft picks in the last three years - nine picks in all - FOUR were defensemen. The D are on the way. Klefbom, Musil, Marincin, Hesketh. And Chicago stumbled ass-backwards into Duncan Keith, come on - the guy was taken 54th overall. What a bunch of 'what have you done for me lately' hockey fans are. A GM is often closest to being fired in the fifth year of a four-year rebuild...but then in the sixth year he's a superhero. Watch. - Dobber Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:49:40 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18947 Gragnani is being jerked around a bit and not being sent to the AHL because if he doesn't play 65 NHL games this season he becomes a UFA at the end of the year. He should be in the AHL because they aren't using him properly in the NHL, but I guess they don't want to lose him for nothing. I fully expect him to be dealt soon. - SeaDawg Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:43:36 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18946 Big Ev - what did Tamby do wrong? Or what didn't he do? Shed some light? Should he not have selected Hopkins? Hall? Eberle? Maybe not bring MPS over? Maybe try harder to sign Vokoun so they could be out first round? "where have we heard that before"? Not from me sir. I said they would win within a couple of years but I've never said "next year". Not once. That statement made its debut today. - Dobber Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:41:15 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18945 Buffalo87 - all the ice time in the world won't change the fact that he was never given top PP time. Not once. Not unshared. No way, I was watching for it. At his peak PP time, the other d-men still cannibalized it. And my point with him is - AHL or 20 minutes and 4 PP minutes. Not somewhere in between. Send him to the AHL and end his NHL career, because anything but 20 and 4 is a waste of time and will prove nothing. - Dobber Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:39:30 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18944 Gragnani was given every opportunity in the world to prove his worth early in the year and he failed pretty miserably. He only played fewer than 15 minutes once through all of November and December, including topping 20 minutes five times. Gragnani was gifted-wrapped the #1 PP QB job from day 1 and kept it until he essentially forced Ruff to take him off the #1 unit because he wasn't getting the job done. He's still 2nd in dman PP time on Buffalo, only behind Ehrhoff. This demotion in TOI was long, long overdue. Ruff gave him absolutely every chance (and way more than he should have) but Gragnani failed to seize the opportunity. I'm talking over a 25 game span as well so it was not a short-live 3 or 4 game span. Bottom line, I was really excited for him coming into this year but he has not earned any of the ice-time he was afforded by Ruff. He was given even more opportunities than he should have and did not take advantage of it. - Buffalo87 Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:33:55 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18943 "the winning will start next year". haha, when I have heard that before? Tambellini doesn't have a plan for this team. Time to go. - Big Ev Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:56:21 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18942 Fact: Gragnani does not average like four bad give-aways per night. He averages less than one give-away per night. He has 29 give-aways in 38 games this season. That's not good but it's not as bad as was exaggeratedly expressed. If I were to offer a criticism it would be Gragnani's pitiful 29-8 give-away/take-away ratio. - steve laidlaw Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:30:32 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18940 Have you seen Gragnani play? He is more of a liability than an asset. He averages like 4 HORRIBLE giveaways per game. - Chris Bieniek Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:58:11 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18939 Lecavalier was after Malkin for a few shifts, and tried to draw him into a fight earlier. You can't just look at the one hit and following scuffle. I hope Shanny doesn't get involved here. Vinny got the penalty he deserved, and it should there. - duducks Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:56:27 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4294-january-16-2012#comment-18938 @Dobber I can't find Tyler Myers on the 3 year peaks in your mid-season guide. He's that bad ? - Mathieu Houle Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:43:37 +0100