Pete Carroll Shares Future Plans for Maxx Crosby, Outlining Key Role in Raiders' Strategy
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll has officially shared with defensive star Maxx Crosby the team’s future plans for him, making it clear that Crosby will be a central figure in the team’s defensive strategy moving forward. The discussion, which took place earlier this week, focused on Crosby's leadership and importance to the Raiders' long-term success.
Carroll expressed strong confidence in Crosby’s abilities, praising his impact both on and off the field. "Maxx has been a game-changer for us, and we see him as an integral part of what we are building here," Carroll said. "We want him to continue being a leader on the defense and help us take the next steps toward competing for championships."
Crosby, known for his relentless pass-rush ability and tenacious defensive play, has become one of the NFL's premier defensive players. Carroll’s assurance comes at a critical time as the Raiders focus on strengthening their defense to remain competitive in the AFC. The team's commitment to Crosby underscores their long-term vision to build around such a dominant player.
With the Raiders aiming to build a stronger foundation for the future, Crosby will continue to be a cornerstone of their defensive lineup. Fans can expect the linebacker to play a significant role in the team's efforts as they push toward playoff contention in the seasons to come.
Lightning juggle lines in practice as injured player returns
After an off day (at least on the ice) the Tampa Bay Lightning returned to practice on Tuesday with a little different look to their lines. It was encouraging to see a couple of faces skating regular shifts again as Nikita Kucherov returned from his illness and Zemgus Girgensons, out since the pre-season, took regular shifts on the fourth line.
Is this what things are going to look like on Thursday when the Chicago Blackhawks are in town to start the Lightning’s three-games-in-four-days stretch? Possibly. A decision will have to be made on the fourth line between Curtis Douglas and Jack Finley, but other than that, it wouldn’t be surprising if the game starts with something very similar to this line-up.
Let’s start with the first line. After a few games with Anthony Cirelli and Gage Goncalves on the second line, Jake Guentzel, who might be the Lightning’s best player through the first six games, is reunited with Brayden Point. Goncalves, who has most definitely not been the best player on the team, gets a look with them. It is a quizzical pairing considering Goncalves has spent most of his brief NHL career in a middle-to-bottom-six role.
He does show glimpses of being a playmaker and could benefit from the finishing skills of Guentzel and Point, but he will have to make sure to play reasonably in his own zone, something that hasn’t been the case quite as much this season as we’ve seen in the past. The coaching staff is giving him a chance to play to his strengths, and it’s up to him to make the most of the opportunity.
With The Portuguese Pistol on the Point line, that reunites Nikita Kucherov with Cirelli and Brandon Hagel. A very compelling argument can be had that this was the Lightning’s best trio last year, at least when it comes to those fabulous underlying possession stats.
In just over 204 minutes together the trio posted a 13-7 goals advantage, controlled 69.54% of the scoring chances, and a whopping 75.71% of the high-danger chances. Having the defensive acumen of Anthony Cirelli tempers some of Kucherov’s more reckless tendencies, or at the very least, offsets them. Meanwhile Kucherov’s ability to generate offense is suited to the crash-the-net style that Cirelli and Hagel employ on a sometimes literal basis.
The Lightning have seemingly found something with the Oliver Bjorkstrand, Yanni Gourde, and Pontus Holmberg line. In their 40:28 of ice time together (the most of any combination at 5v5 this season), they’ve posted a 3-0 edge in goals and a 57.14% edge in scoring chances. It’s the blend of offense and defensive responsibility that the Lightning have been looking for from a third line for the last couple of seasons, so it’s no surprise that Coach Jon Cooper has kept them together during the team’s recent scoring slump.
The key to their success has been limiting the chances of the opposition. Among lines across the NHL that have spent more than 40 minutes together, they rank second in expected goals against according to Evolving Hockey. Only Florida’s trio of Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Sam Reinhart have been better at denying offense, and that trio was a key part to the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup last season.
As for the fourth line, well, it’s going to be the hit anyone in a different uniform line as currently constructed, especially if Curtis Douglas cycles into the game. Girgensons was playing well in the pre-season prior to his injury, and the Lightning will need him to carry that over into the regular season when he returns if they are going to extract any offense whatsoever out of them.
There was no real change on the defensive sign, which indicates Charle-Edouard D’Astous will likely start his NHL career as the seventh defenseman.
After practice, Coach Cooper updated the media in regards to the injured players, stating that Max Crozier isn’t likely to return during this next stretch of games, but he is hoping that Girgensons is back for the weekend. That would indicate that Jack Finley gets at least one more game at center unless the Lightning make a recall prior to their game on Thursday.
Two weeks into the season and the Lightning are still working on the best combinations for their players. It’s not unusual, and they aren’t the only team still searching for the best mix, but it is something that they need to get sorted in a hurry in order to start working their way back up the standings.
