u/Flyers7914

Bring back Ersson & hope the post Olympic play is what he can be more so than the previous 1.5 year of poor play?

Give Kolosov a shot?

Sign a veteran like Talbot, Reimer, Rittich who are probably an average #2 but are risky due to age?

Sign a higher ceiling but potentially more risky goalie in Skinner, Andersen, Ingram?

Go after a younger goalie who hasn't been given a shot? For that I look at

Devon Levi - once super highly touted. Reported today BUF is trading him this summer.

Sebastian Cossa - former top 20 pick by Detroit. Sounds like they wanna move him with other prospects on the rise.

Dennis Hildeby - has shown flashes but TOR has Stolarz/Woll.

Leevi Meriläinen - has been an excellent AHL goalie. Showed well in NHL last yr, but really struggled this yr.

Ilya Nabokov - former COL 2nd rd pick. Been a great KHL goalie.ll

What a disappointing weekend for Miami, M8s, G2 & Falcons.

All of them at times looked so promising online, or during this weekend and yet none make it to Sunday.

If G2 & M8s were smart (imo) they'd be making some roster changes. The potential is there w/Kremp+Estreal for G2 & then Nep+Ghosty for M8s.

Gotta get better fits around them.

Thought the players nailed it. Thought Tocchet said the right things & Briere did as well.

Doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but they go into the off-season feeling good, confident & itching for more.

Thought they did a terrific job with the Michkov stuff. Especially TK, Sanheim & Coots. Then Matvei had a solid interview, too.

Hope all the guys have a speedy recovery and have normal off seasons!

- He thinks it was a good year. He's happy with how strong the staff & player relationship is after year 1.

- He thinks improving puck possession, board/corner work & finishing are the next steps for them. He mentioned he thinks a few guys need to work on their shot. Brought up how Q. Hughes shot improved 12mph over 1 summer & guys need to put that kind of work in.

- They plan on trying different schemes & doing different type of practices for the PP next year. He felt like at a certain point guys started looking nervous whenever we got a PP. Became a mental thing. If they need to dedicate 30-45 minutes before each practice on it they'll have to do it.

- The young guys were coming to him and the other coaches asking to go over video or in game situations & he loves that. He's totally OK when a guy comes in a little pissed off about their ice time. He'll sit down & go over the game with them & he's not afraid to admit he got it wrong.

- He took Michkov out in G4 because they wanted more speed in the lineup. It was his 2nd season, and his 1st playoff run. had it been any other young guy nobody would've said anything, but it's the pressure around him that makes it bigger. Said we all just gotta let him breathe. He feels he took big strides this year. While he wishes he took a break he loves that he's already out there skating & doing drills. Called it a vengeance tour.

- The olympics changed Sanheim for the better. Confidence, aggression, leadership all went up after it.

- Praised Barkey's hockey IQ & work ethic. He doesn't like changing a guys position often, especially a young guy, but Barkey is one you maybe can because of those things. He thinks he can develop into a top of the lineup player & ended it saying i really believe it.

- On Michkov again he hopes separation speed & his shot are two things he works on & he already plans too. Said the narrative of hard to coach is BS as he's one of the main guys who goes & asks Yogi (assistant coach) to go over video, go over the PP etc.

Overall a pretty solid end of yr presser for Tocchet. Was honest about what they need work on, how some guys (wouldn't name them) need to work on speed or their shot & was blunt about the PP.

Not gonna say above all, but his answers to the Michkov Qs were very good & that's nice to see/hear. It's been a strong 2 days by the players & now the HC backing Matvei.

Interested to hear Danny B speak tomorrow. Odds are not much is said, but wonder what he'll say when asked about adding pieces, if their thinking has changed etc.

Michkov:

- He was frustrated with his playoff play. he saw all the kids wearing his jersey in the crowds & was ashamed he couldn't score for them.

- He thinks playing with Cates helped him a lot. His +/- went from negative to 0 right away playing him with (chuckled when saying it). But mentioned it was tough playing with new linemates so often this year.

- He planned on getting to work right away, as in right after the press conference he was going on the ice to train.

- He's meeting with Tocchet/Danny B on Thursday

Konecny:

- He cant wait for camp next year to see all these young guys flying around. They all played such a huge role in them getting in.

- He needs to play more freely next time they are in the playoffs. He was too concerned with playing perfect, especially after teams would score & start pushing.

- Vladar wins them games in 2 ways. He's such a motivator when things are going poorly & then he has that ability to steal games himself.

- He remembers it being so hard at Michkov's age + you add in the language barrier & he can't imagine how hard it is at times. Continued MM39 is always putting in the work. Shooting pucks, always staying on the ice doing extra work. Said a few times it takes time though & an 82 game schedule is tough.

- He said he's randomly driving & just thinks "F*ck!" because he missed that BA in game 2 vs CAR. It bothers him quite a bit that he & the team have waited so long to make it & he let them down.

Martone:

- He loves playing hockey so much that's why he's going from NCAA, to NHL, to world championships without a breather.

- If he wants to be the player he wants to be he's gotta get better everywhere.

Tippett:

- He doesn't know when the internal bleeding happened. Just knew he wasn't feeling right later in the Pens series. Had the sports hernia going into the playoffs.

- He's gotta have more belief in what he's capable of & what kind of impact he can have every night.

Zegras:

- He would love to sign long term & hopes that happens over the summer.

- The experience in the playoffs playing as a centre was good experience to learn how hard it is every shift.

Sanheim:

- The pressure put on Michkov is higher than anyone else has had & understanding he's just like anyone else is important. They all have had bad times & good times & ultimately learning from them is what makes you a better player.

- He singled out Drysdale as someone who just got better & better this year. He's excited to see what kind of player he could become.

- 4nations & the olympics showed himself how good he is & that he belongs out there vs those elite guys. Doesn't think he does as good a job vs Crosby RD1 without playing in those tournaments.

Drysdale:

- Like Zegras he loves philly & wants to stay long-term. Hope it gets done here soon.

- Confidence is what improved the most for him this year. Coming to the rink knowing you belong/can make an impact translates to everything on the ice.

- He plans to work on puck play. Shooting, making more plays in the offensive zone, hanging onto pucks & going at other teams more.

- He loves Todd Reirdan's (D coach) approach. It involves all the D & they all speak, go over plays, situations. Thinks it makes them all better & more cohesive.

Vladar:

- He's watched the GWG from G4 150+ times & it's gonna fuel him all summer.

- He suffered a legit injury when Rust fell on him in G3. He can't go to the world championships because of it. Said the guys in front of him are the real warriors though, not him (how can u not love this guy)

- He'd love if the other reporters would ask Danny B about extending him when he interviews because he'd love too already.

Cates:

- He thinks with Michkov it's good because he can help Matvei on D, while Matvei helps him offensively. Mich & him would do video sometimes up for an hour going over stuff late nights at the hotel, or at the rink with coaches.

- Broke his foot halfway thru the 1st of game 2. Knew it was broke, but couldn't take the skate off because he knew he'd be done.

York:

- banged up his rib in game 2 vs Pittsburgh. Said the toughest part was there were so little off days.

- He's still pretty giddy about that OT winner vs Pittsburgh. that type of goal is something he wants & needs to be better at. getting puck through from the point.

- He thinks Tocchet fits perfectly with how the group is. The personalities fit seemlessly. Like Drysdale he also really likes how Todd Reirdan coaches the defence.

Foerster:

- He hit a wall at a certain point after returning.

- felt like he was sort of cheated out of his breakout season with the injury.

Barkey & Bump:

- Both guys plan to add muscle & get faster in their first 3 steps.

- Barkey said he doesn't care if he's at wing, or at centre. Just wants to help the team.

Couturier:

- They've gotta raise the standard now that they've made it. Can't be content or satisfied. He brought up early in his career how they were in & out of the playoffs every yr it seemed like.

- He thinks Michkov is feeling more comfortable & communicating better now. He thinks his upside is huge. Sean said it took himself years to feel good in the league let alone with a language barrier. Knowing Matvei & his character he'll use this to make himself a better player & prove people wrong.

Those are the things i thought stuck out the most. Sorry this is such a long post lol, thought about making two but chose not too.

Overall i like what i heard. A lot of happy, but not satisfied talk which is good. It also felt like the vets (TK, Sanheim, Coots) went out of there way to really back, and support Michkov which is really nice to see.

Seems like the players really like the coaching staff. Each D mentioned Reirdan & how much they like his style of coaching & how it helped them. Almost every guy mentioned liking Tocchet & how easy it is to play for him, or just to talk to him/get along with him.

I have too many WRs along with too many NE players. Could use extra RB depth.

Worth it or need a little bit better of a RB.

I know they had some personal stuff happen IRL during the major 2 stage, but I thought they'd bounce back a bit.

They look so many steps below of what they were pre major 1, and then during major 1.

No teamwork, Nep & Sib aren't frying anywhere near as much & their comms sound pretty bad, too.

This wasn't even close.