smilinjoefission wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025 21:57 pm
Blues play shorthanded on D; Mailloux isn't a NHL caliber Dman and Fowler is Leddy 2.0
Same thing I heard over and over about Mikko and Walman 100 times around here.
He made a mistake pass (as did snugg) and played a +1...his progress is undeniable.
I agree. None of them have been great at passing all season. Mailloux also won some keep puck battles.
And yes, Hofer played well.
Too many missed opportunities by the team...in almost every game.
I generally do not agree with overreaction and disruption just for the sake of it, and prefer long-term patience...it helps everyone to believe and have confidence/trust in everyone around them and to focus on the task at hand. The easy way out is to fire the Coach. I think that is overdone in the NHL. It may be time to make a blockbuster trade that's not necessarily a hockey trade?
Or maybe there already have been private discussions with players/agents and that's weighing on their minds?
I'm not familiar at all, are there Privacy Clauses in their contracts wherein they are required to not reveal if there have been any requests/discussions about waiving NTC clauses, so as not to disrupt other noninvolved teammates?
smilinjoefission wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025 21:57 pm
Blues play shorthanded on D; Mailloux isn't a NHL caliber Dman and Fowler is Leddy 2.0
Same thing I heard over and over about Mikko and Walman 100 times around here.
He made a mistake pass (as did snugg) and played a +1...his progress is undeniable.
I agree. None of them have been great at passing all season. Mailloux also won some keep puck battles.
And yes, Hofer played well.
Too many missed opportunities by the team...in almost every game.
I generally do not agree with overreaction and disruption just for the sake of it, and prefer long-term patience...it helps everyone to believe and have confidence/trust in everyone around them and to focus on the task at hand. The easy way out is to fire the Coach. I think that is overdone in the NHL. It may be time to make a blockbuster trade that's not necessarily a hockey trade?
Or maybe there already have been private discussions with players/agents and that's weighing on their minds?
I'm not familiar at all, are there Privacy Clauses in their contracts wherein they are required to not reveal if there have been any requests/discussions about waiving NTC clauses, so as not to disrupt other noninvolved teammates?
I wasn't a big fan of the tying goal by Tuch. Unobstructed shot. Maybe the D man's stick ticked it a bit, but I didn't think so.
He is getting a bit brazen with the stick handling and it's been getting him into trouble. There are times to jump out and times to stay in the cage. Just becasue you can play it, doesn't mean you always have to.
smilinjoefission wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025 21:57 pm
Blues play shorthanded on D; Mailloux isn't a NHL caliber Dman and Fowler is Leddy 2.0
Same thing I heard over and over about Mikko and Walman 100 times around here.
He made a mistake pass (as did snugg) and played a +1...his progress is undeniable.
I agree. None of them have been great at passing all season. Mailloux also won some keep puck battles.
And yes, Hofer played well.
Too many missed opportunities by the team...in almost every game.
I generally do not agree with overreaction and disruption just for the sake of it, and prefer long-term patience...it helps everyone to believe and have confidence/trust in everyone around them and to focus on the task at hand. The easy way out is to fire the Coach. I think that is overdone in the NHL. It may be time to make a blockbuster trade that's not necessarily a hockey trade?
Or maybe there already have been private discussions with players/agents and that's weighing on their minds?
I'm not familiar at all, are there Privacy Clauses in their contracts wherein they are required to not reveal if there have been any requests/discussions about waiving NTC clauses, so as not to disrupt other noninvolved teammates?
I wasn't a big fan of the tying goal by Tuch. Unobstructed shot. Maybe the D man's stick ticked it a bit, but I didn't think so.
He is getting a bit brazen with the stick handling and it's been getting him into trouble. There are times to jump out and times to stay in the cage. Just becasue you can play it, doesn't mean you always have to.
I believe some get mixed up with Joels quantity of puck handling versus his quality of puck handling.
smilinjoefission wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025 21:57 pm
Blues play shorthanded on D; Mailloux isn't a NHL caliber Dman and Fowler is Leddy 2.0
Same thing I heard over and over about Mikko and Walman 100 times around here.
He made a mistake pass (as did snugg) and played a +1...his progress is undeniable.
I agree. None of them have been great at passing all season. Mailloux also won some keep puck battles.
And yes, Hofer played well.
Too many missed opportunities by the team...in almost every game.
I generally do not agree with overreaction and disruption just for the sake of it, and prefer long-term patience...it helps everyone to believe and have confidence/trust in everyone around them and to focus on the task at hand. The easy way out is to fire the Coach. I think that is overdone in the NHL. It may be time to make a blockbuster trade that's not necessarily a hockey trade?
Or maybe there already have been private discussions with players/agents and that's weighing on their minds?
I'm not familiar at all, are there Privacy Clauses in their contracts wherein they are required to not reveal if there have been any requests/discussions about waiving NTC clauses, so as not to disrupt other noninvolved teammates?
I wasn't a big fan of the tying goal by Tuch. Unobstructed shot. Maybe the D man's stick ticked it a bit, but I didn't think so.
He is getting a bit brazen with the stick handling and it's been getting him into trouble. There are times to jump out and times to stay in the cage. Just becasue you can play it, doesn't mean you always have to.
smilinjoefission wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025 21:57 pm
Blues play shorthanded on D; Mailloux isn't a NHL caliber Dman and Fowler is Leddy 2.0
Same thing I heard over and over about Mikko and Walman 100 times around here.
He made a mistake pass (as did snugg) and played a +1...his progress is undeniable.
I agree. None of them have been great at passing all season. Mailloux also won some keep puck battles.
And yes, Hofer played well.
Too many missed opportunities by the team...in almost every game.
I generally do not agree with overreaction and disruption just for the sake of it, and prefer long-term patience...it helps everyone to believe and have confidence/trust in everyone around them and to focus on the task at hand. The easy way out is to fire the Coach. I think that is overdone in the NHL. It may be time to make a blockbuster trade that's not necessarily a hockey trade?
Or maybe there already have been private discussions with players/agents and that's weighing on their minds?
I'm not familiar at all, are there Privacy Clauses in their contracts wherein they are required to not reveal if there have been any requests/discussions about waiving NTC clauses, so as not to disrupt other noninvolved teammates?
I wasn't a big fan of the tying goal by Tuch. Unobstructed shot. Maybe the D man's stick ticked it a bit, but I didn't think so.
He is getting a bit brazen with the stick handling and it's been getting him into trouble. There are times to jump out and times to stay in the cage. Just becasue you can play it, doesn't mean you always have to.
I believe some get mixed up with Joels quantity of puck handling versus his quality of puck handling.
He needs to work on communicating with his teammates but to say he doesn't have quality is unfair. What other goalie have you ever watched that has broken up a team's possession while they are in the zone by intercepting a puck behind the net like Hofer has done? My jaw dropped literally as I had never seen a goalie do that before.
I'd agree he needs to calm it down a bit but I wouldn't want to put too big of a muzzle on his puck handling. It can be invaluable. Binnington almost signlehandedly beat the Avs with puck handling. They had no answer for it.
smilinjoefission wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025 21:57 pm
Blues play shorthanded on D; Mailloux isn't a NHL caliber Dman and Fowler is Leddy 2.0
Same thing I heard over and over about Mikko and Walman 100 times around here.
He made a mistake pass (as did snugg) and played a +1...his progress is undeniable.
I agree. None of them have been great at passing all season. Mailloux also won some keep puck battles.
And yes, Hofer played well.
Too many missed opportunities by the team...in almost every game.
I generally do not agree with overreaction and disruption just for the sake of it, and prefer long-term patience...it helps everyone to believe and have confidence/trust in everyone around them and to focus on the task at hand. The easy way out is to fire the Coach. I think that is overdone in the NHL. It may be time to make a blockbuster trade that's not necessarily a hockey trade?
Or maybe there already have been private discussions with players/agents and that's weighing on their minds?
I'm not familiar at all, are there Privacy Clauses in their contracts wherein they are required to not reveal if there have been any requests/discussions about waiving NTC clauses, so as not to disrupt other noninvolved teammates?
I wasn't a big fan of the tying goal by Tuch. Unobstructed shot. Maybe the D man's stick ticked it a bit, but I didn't think so.
He is getting a bit brazen with the stick handling and it's been getting him into trouble. There are times to jump out and times to stay in the cage. Just becasue you can play it, doesn't mean you always have to.
I believe some get mixed up with Joels quantity of puck handling versus his quality of puck handling.
He needs to work on communicating with his teammates but to say he doesn't have quality is unfair. What other goalie have you ever watched that has broken up a team's possession while they are in the zone by intercepting a puck behind the net like Hofer has done? My jaw dropped literally as I had never seen a goalie do that before.
I'd agree he needs to calm it down a bit but I wouldn't want to put too big of a muzzle on his puck handling. It can be invaluable. Binnington almost signlehandedly beat the Avs with puck handling. They had no answer for it.
I believe you are mistakenly making my point because I do not compare the quality of puck handling between the two.
Never said Joel was bad, just not great in the true sense of the word.
smilinjoefission wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025 21:57 pm
Blues play shorthanded on D; Mailloux isn't a NHL caliber Dman and Fowler is Leddy 2.0
Same thing I heard over and over about Mikko and Walman 100 times around here.
He made a mistake pass (as did snugg) and played a +1...his progress is undeniable.
I agree. None of them have been great at passing all season. Mailloux also won some keep puck battles.
And yes, Hofer played well.
Too many missed opportunities by the team...in almost every game.
I generally do not agree with overreaction and disruption just for the sake of it, and prefer long-term patience...it helps everyone to believe and have confidence/trust in everyone around them and to focus on the task at hand. The easy way out is to fire the Coach. I think that is overdone in the NHL. It may be time to make a blockbuster trade that's not necessarily a hockey trade?
Or maybe there already have been private discussions with players/agents and that's weighing on their minds?
I'm not familiar at all, are there Privacy Clauses in their contracts wherein they are required to not reveal if there have been any requests/discussions about waiving NTC clauses, so as not to disrupt other noninvolved teammates?
I wasn't a big fan of the tying goal by Tuch. Unobstructed shot. Maybe the D man's stick ticked it a bit, but I didn't think so.
He is getting a bit brazen with the stick handling and it's been getting him into trouble. There are times to jump out and times to stay in the cage. Just becasue you can play it, doesn't mean you always have to.
I believe some get mixed up with Joels quantity of puck handling versus his quality of puck handling.
He needs to work on communicating with his teammates but to say he doesn't have quality is unfair. What other goalie have you ever watched that has broken up a team's possession while they are in the zone by intercepting a puck behind the net like Hofer has done? My jaw dropped literally as I had never seen a goalie do that before.
I'd agree he needs to calm it down a bit but I wouldn't want to put too big of a muzzle on his puck handling. It can be invaluable. Binnington almost signlehandedly beat the Avs with puck handling. They had no answer for it.
I believe you are mistakenly making my point because I do not compare the quality of puck handling between the two.
Never said Joel was bad, just not great in the true sense of the word.
Just my opinion.
It seemed you were saying people think Hofer is a good stickhandler just because he handles the puck a lot (i.e. quantity) and I disagree with that. If that is not what you meant, then yes I read it wrong.
smilinjoefission wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025 21:57 pm
Blues play shorthanded on D; Mailloux isn't a NHL caliber Dman and Fowler is Leddy 2.0
Same thing I heard over and over about Mikko and Walman 100 times around here.
He made a mistake pass (as did snugg) and played a +1...his progress is undeniable.
I agree. None of them have been great at passing all season. Mailloux also won some keep puck battles.
And yes, Hofer played well.
Too many missed opportunities by the team...in almost every game.
I generally do not agree with overreaction and disruption just for the sake of it, and prefer long-term patience...it helps everyone to believe and have confidence/trust in everyone around them and to focus on the task at hand. The easy way out is to fire the Coach. I think that is overdone in the NHL. It may be time to make a blockbuster trade that's not necessarily a hockey trade?
Or maybe there already have been private discussions with players/agents and that's weighing on their minds?
I'm not familiar at all, are there Privacy Clauses in their contracts wherein they are required to not reveal if there have been any requests/discussions about waiving NTC clauses, so as not to disrupt other noninvolved teammates?
I wasn't a big fan of the tying goal by Tuch. Unobstructed shot. Maybe the D man's stick ticked it a bit, but I didn't think so.
He is getting a bit brazen with the stick handling and it's been getting him into trouble. There are times to jump out and times to stay in the cage. Just becasue you can play it, doesn't mean you always have to.
smilinjoefission wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025 21:57 pm
Blues play shorthanded on D; Mailloux isn't a NHL caliber Dman and Fowler is Leddy 2.0
Same thing I heard over and over about Mikko and Walman 100 times around here.
He made a mistake pass (as did snugg) and played a +1...his progress is undeniable.
I agree. None of them have been great at passing all season. Mailloux also won some keep puck battles.
And yes, Hofer played well.
Too many missed opportunities by the team...in almost every game.
I generally do not agree with overreaction and disruption just for the sake of it, and prefer long-term patience...it helps everyone to believe and have confidence/trust in everyone around them and to focus on the task at hand. The easy way out is to fire the Coach. I think that is overdone in the NHL. It may be time to make a blockbuster trade that's not necessarily a hockey trade?
Or maybe there already have been private discussions with players/agents and that's weighing on their minds?
I'm not familiar at all, are there Privacy Clauses in their contracts wherein they are required to not reveal if there have been any requests/discussions about waiving NTC clauses, so as not to disrupt other noninvolved teammates?
I wasn't a big fan of the tying goal by Tuch. Unobstructed shot. Maybe the D man's stick ticked it a bit, but I didn't think so.
He is getting a bit brazen with the stick handling and it's been getting him into trouble. There are times to jump out and times to stay in the cage. Just becasue you can play it, doesn't mean you always have to.
I believe some get mixed up with Joels quantity of puck handling versus his quality of puck handling.
He needs to work on communicating with his teammates but to say he doesn't have quality is unfair. What other goalie have you ever watched that has broken up a team's possession while they are in the zone by intercepting a puck behind the net like Hofer has done? My jaw dropped literally as I had never seen a goalie do that before.
I'd agree he needs to calm it down a bit but I wouldn't want to put too big of a muzzle on his puck handling. It can be invaluable. Binnington almost signlehandedly beat the Avs with puck handling. They had no answer for it.
I believe you are mistakenly making my point because I do not compare the quality of puck handling between the two.
Never said Joel was bad, just not great in the true sense of the word.
Just my opinion.
It seemed you were saying people think Hofer is a good stickhandler just because he handles the puck a lot (i.e. quantity) and I disagree with that. If that is not what you meant, then yes I read it wrong.
I believe he is a good stick handler compared to his peers but not a great one. I further believe he is one of the more active stick handlers in the league and I did try to convey the distinction with my comment to imply he goes too far at times.
smilinjoefission wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025 21:57 pm
Blues play shorthanded on D; Mailloux isn't a NHL caliber Dman and Fowler is Leddy 2.0
Same thing I heard over and over about Mikko and Walman 100 times around here.
He made a mistake pass (as did snugg) and played a +1...his progress is undeniable.
I agree. None of them have been great at passing all season. Mailloux also won some keep puck battles.
And yes, Hofer played well.
Too many missed opportunities by the team...in almost every game.
I generally do not agree with overreaction and disruption just for the sake of it, and prefer long-term patience...it helps everyone to believe and have confidence/trust in everyone around them and to focus on the task at hand. The easy way out is to fire the Coach. I think that is overdone in the NHL. It may be time to make a blockbuster trade that's not necessarily a hockey trade?
Or maybe there already have been private discussions with players/agents and that's weighing on their minds?
I'm not familiar at all, are there Privacy Clauses in their contracts wherein they are required to not reveal if there have been any requests/discussions about waiving NTC clauses, so as not to disrupt other noninvolved teammates?
I wasn't a big fan of the tying goal by Tuch. Unobstructed shot. Maybe the D man's stick ticked it a bit, but I didn't think so.
He is getting a bit brazen with the stick handling and it's been getting him into trouble. There are times to jump out and times to stay in the cage. Just becasue you can play it, doesn't mean you always have to.
I believe some get mixed up with Joels quantity of puck handling versus his quality of puck handling.
He needs to work on communicating with his teammates but to say he doesn't have quality is unfair. What other goalie have you ever watched that has broken up a team's possession while they are in the zone by intercepting a puck behind the net like Hofer has done? My jaw dropped literally as I had never seen a goalie do that before.
I'd agree he needs to calm it down a bit but I wouldn't want to put too big of a muzzle on his puck handling. It can be invaluable. Binnington almost signlehandedly beat the Avs with puck handling. They had no answer for it.
I believe you are mistakenly making my point because I do not compare the quality of puck handling between the two.
Never said Joel was bad, just not great in the true sense of the word.
Just my opinion.
It seemed you were saying people think Hofer is a good stickhandler just because he handles the puck a lot (i.e. quantity) and I disagree with that. If that is not what you meant, then yes I read it wrong.
I believe he is a good stick handler compared to his peers but not a great one. I further believe he is one of the more active stick handlers in the league and I did try to convey the distinction with my comment to imply he goes too far at times.
I think he id good woth his stick. What he is not good at is passing and decion making of when to play the puck. He passes the puck into his teams skates in the defensive zone.
smilinjoefission wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025 21:57 pm
Blues play shorthanded on D; Mailloux isn't a NHL caliber Dman and Fowler is Leddy 2.0
Same thing I heard over and over about Mikko and Walman 100 times around here.
He made a mistake pass (as did snugg) and played a +1...his progress is undeniable.
I agree. None of them have been great at passing all season. Mailloux also won some keep puck battles.
And yes, Hofer played well.
Too many missed opportunities by the team...in almost every game.
I generally do not agree with overreaction and disruption just for the sake of it, and prefer long-term patience...it helps everyone to believe and have confidence/trust in everyone around them and to focus on the task at hand. The easy way out is to fire the Coach. I think that is overdone in the NHL. It may be time to make a blockbuster trade that's not necessarily a hockey trade?
Or maybe there already have been private discussions with players/agents and that's weighing on their minds?
I'm not familiar at all, are there Privacy Clauses in their contracts wherein they are required to not reveal if there have been any requests/discussions about waiving NTC clauses, so as not to disrupt other noninvolved teammates?
I wasn't a big fan of the tying goal by Tuch. Unobstructed shot. Maybe the D man's stick ticked it a bit, but I didn't think so.
He is getting a bit brazen with the stick handling and it's been getting him into trouble. There are times to jump out and times to stay in the cage. Just becasue you can play it, doesn't mean you always have to.
I believe some get mixed up with Joels quantity of puck handling versus his quality of puck handling.
He needs to work on communicating with his teammates but to say he doesn't have quality is unfair. What other goalie have you ever watched that has broken up a team's possession while they are in the zone by intercepting a puck behind the net like Hofer has done? My jaw dropped literally as I had never seen a goalie do that before.
I'd agree he needs to calm it down a bit but I wouldn't want to put too big of a muzzle on his puck handling. It can be invaluable. Binnington almost signlehandedly beat the Avs with puck handling. They had no answer for it.
I believe you are mistakenly making my point because I do not compare the quality of puck handling between the two.
Never said Joel was bad, just not great in the true sense of the word.
Just my opinion.
It seemed you were saying people think Hofer is a good stickhandler just because he handles the puck a lot (i.e. quantity) and I disagree with that. If that is not what you meant, then yes I read it wrong.
I believe he is a good stick handler compared to his peers but not a great one. I further believe he is one of the more active stick handlers in the league and I did try to convey the distinction with my comment to imply he goes too far at times.
I think he id good woth his stick. What he is not good at is passing and decion making of when to play the puck. He passes the puck into his teams skates in the defensive zone.
Agree.
It's usually the decision as the problem and confirmed by the execution that follows.
On edit I'm pleased with his overall performance but he needs to work on this aspect of his game.
Think of a goalie playing the puck the same way you think of a golfer. In other words - "long game" vs. "short game"
Ron Hextall was lauded throughout the league for his long game. But a guy like Kirk McLean had a superior short games. It wasn't flashy, but he excelled at little chips up the wall and had the abiity to avoid opponent forechecker sticks. At the end of the day, that is the key role of goaltender puck management.
I view Binnington and Hofer in the same vein. Binnington's short game is superior and it makes him the best puck manager in the NHL. Binner frustrates forecheckers because he is equally adept on forehand or backhand. He chips well and has a deft touch. Pucks land on the D's tape flat and easy to handle for a quick transition. Hofer doesn't yet have the touch.
How does this manifest itself? Well, we've seen it in the past several games in missed exchanges to the D resulting in chaos in front of the net, or to extended possession time in the Blues' zone. All avoided with a clean hand off.
