Emerson Etem | RW/LW

[GB5]

1 hour ago, Alflives said:

At least we didn't have to give up another second or third rounder to get the guy.  I accept JB is filling the void of 22 to 25 year old players left by Gillis, but giving up picks for those guys was irritating.  Etem is a bottome six guy, so why not just bring up Gaunce for that spot?  And for Baer we could have had Shink, thus saving the pick.  Vey could have been some other young guy.  We need picks!  

Yes, all reasonable arguments. I'm not sure what it will take for Shink and Gaunce to get a fair chance.

[Alflives]

3 minutes ago, GarthButcher5 said:

Yes, all reasonable arguments. I'm not sure what it will take for Shink and Gaunce to get a fair chance.

Sadly, it might mean they are traded to another team to get that fair chance.

[RyIe]

14 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Sadly, it might mean they are traded to another team to get that fair chance.

If they do get traded it's fairly good asset management by Benning to build up their value without exposing them in the NHL. 

[NameFaker]

3 hours ago, Alflives said:

At least we didn't have to give up another second or third rounder to get the guy.  I accept JB is filling the void of 22 to 25 year old players left by Gillis, but giving up picks for those guys was irritating.  Etem is a bottome six guy, so why not just bring up Gaunce for that spot?  And for Baer we could have had Shink, thus saving the pick.  Vey could have been some other young guy.  We need picks!  

Because Gaunce is a left-winger and Etem plays the right side...? 

Because Etem has more potential to be a dynamic scoring threat who could play in the top-6...?

The Baer trade was fantastic. The kid's playing great and he's only going to get better as his confidence returns and his linemates grow and improve. Besides, Shink has issues. He's not ready yet, and that's not even my opinion, it's Green's.

Vey was a little sketchy, but lately he's looked to show some potential as a third line centre. If Sutter never works out, we need someone to play that spot for at least a few years. I'd rather have a young guy on his way up than Santorelli on his way down.

Maybe we just see things differently (the fur might be an issue).

[aGENT]

3 hours ago, Alflives said:

Etem is a bottome six guy, so why not just bring up Gaunce for that spot?  And for Baer we could have had Shink, thus saving the pick. 

Depth and upward pressure/competition. That's why.

[86Viking]

i know there is the vey etem connection. But I would try him on a different line. maybe move virtanen to the Vey line, and etem on one of the top 2 lines. Now I am sure I will get flack for saying that. We should be moving Vrbata out so everyone gets bumped up a spot.

I know hansen is a good fit with twins, but he can play anywhere and be good. Does Etem deserve a top 6 chance, answer is no, but it is WD.Etem has the speed and skill, I would like to see him with the Sedins or BaerBo for a couple games. Even McCann would be a decent fit.

My only drawback on Etem is for him to be effective he has to use his body and hit, doesnt need to be a bone crushing hit but he needs to finish his checks, he has the wheels to get in fast on the opposing D, if he starts hitting them they may force the puck quicker knowing that when he is coming after the puck he is gonna hit them.

I just think Etem has shown high end skill and finish at every other level why not try him with a top 6 role with skilled players for a trial period of time, not like we are a scoring machine right now and dont want to mess with the lineups...

[Alflives]

23 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Depth and upward pressure/competition. That's why.

So we gave up two second round picks for that?  Often the elite d comes from the second round.  

[chon derry]

the vey etem experiment is good but how about trying him with different lines.

[aGENT]

10 minutes ago, Alflives said:

So we gave up two second round picks for that?  Often the elite d comes from the second round.  

We didn't 'give up' anything. We have current NHL players out of those picks, that's better than you get out of most 2nd's 4 years down the line.

[austy]

his skating style is a bit strange, maybe a bit top heavy? He is obviously fast but I wonder if he could do with some skating tutelage to get him to the next level. Might make him a bit more effective at using his stick when he is moving. I like his instincts, expecialy how he moves the puck forward and out of the zone. Would it ever be worth trying him with the sedins?

 

[Tavrohorvat53]

Has anyone else noticed a bit of a change in Etems skating? It's less of a crouch style. He seems to stay upright a bit more. Or I must be seeing things.

 

But maybe he's a healthy scratch to give him some time to work on his skating. After all the management &coaches know he's a young player that needs a bit more time to polish up his game. 

[Stormriders]

It’s now been two months, and for me, until Etem proves differently, he is at best a bottom 6 player on a weaker team, and a fourth liner on a decent team.  I know the season is basically over and it is audition time, but he has been auditioning now for two months without results [remember it’s the ‘get it done’ league.]

In 23 games, he has 3 goals and 2 assists, BUT 1 of the goals is an empty netter and on that night he had two goals.  So, in the other 22 games he has 1 goal and 2 assists.  That is despite having been given huge, unearned opportunities, and playing some of the time in the top 6.

In a few months he is 24, so while not old, he was drafted 6 years ago [2010], and has been a pro for 5 years.  From a production standpoint he can’t seem to get it done in the NHL, which is why this is already his third NHL team.  At this point, it’s irrelevant what he did in junior or the AHL, because as we all know some players simply can’t transfer that into the NHL, and with Etem I think that is the case. 

He reminds me in some ways of a younger Hansen, who because of his speed got lots of chances, but couldn’t convert them, and we called him stone hands.  Well Hansen’s hands got better and maybe Etem’s will too, but for now to me he is a fourth line player.  Let's give the offensive opportunities and auditions to those with more offensive flare.

When he first came here I was impressed.  He was Mr. Hustle and flash, but alas no finish.  I thought of him as the Tasmanian devil, partly because of his flash and his unorthodox skating style. I do like his speed, his size, and his ability to use his body.  All of that would look great on a high energy 4^th line and maybe the PK.  He may prove to be more, but for now that is where I think he belongs, and where he could contribute to the team.

[JamesB]

1 hour ago, Stormriders said:

It’s now been two months, and for me, until Etem proves differently, he is at best a bottom 6 player on a weaker team, and a fourth liner on a decent team.  I know the season is basically over and it is audition time, but he has been auditioning now for two months without results [remember it’s the ‘get it done’ league.]

 

In 23 games, he has 3 goals and 2 assists, BUT 1 of the goals is an empty netter and on that night he had two goals.  So, in the other 22 games he has 1 goal and 2 assists.  That is despite having been given huge, unearned opportunities, and playing some of the time in the top 6.

 

In a few months he is 24, so while not old, he was drafted 6 years ago [2010], and has been a pro for 5 years.  From a production standpoint he can’t seem to get it done in the NHL, which is why this is already his third NHL team.  At this point, it’s irrelevant what he did in junior or the AHL, because as we all know some players simply can’t transfer that into the NHL, and with Etem I think that is the case. ...

 

 

Good analysis. Hard to disagree. A lot could change in the next 15 games. Benning likes Etem because he has decent size and decent speed and Benning wants more of both.

 

But I agree, on a good day he is noticeable but is not able to finish. On a bad day he is not noticeable.

 

Personally, I have Vey on the depth chart ahead of him at RW, and of course Jake is ahead of him on the depth chart as well.

Etem can also play LW as he is a Left shot. On the left side he is obviously behind Baertschi and might end up fighting for a spot with Gaunce or McCann or Zalewski. (I see the four centers next year as Henrik, Sutter, Horvat, and Granlund).

[aGENT]

10 hours ago, Stormriders said:

It’s now been two months, and for me, until Etem proves differently, he is at best a bottom 6 player on a weaker team, and a fourth liner on a decent team.  I know the season is basically over and it is audition time, but he has been auditioning now for two months without results [remember it’s the ‘get it done’ league.]

 

In 23 games, he has 3 goals and 2 assists, BUT 1 of the goals is an empty netter and on that night he had two goals.  So, in the other 22 games he has 1 goal and 2 assists.  That is despite having been given huge, unearned opportunities, and playing some of the time in the top 6.

 

In a few months he is 24, so while not old, he was drafted 6 years ago [2010], and has been a pro for 5 years.  From a production standpoint he can’t seem to get it done in the NHL, which is why this is already his third NHL team.  At this point, it’s irrelevant what he did in junior or the AHL, because as we all know some players simply can’t transfer that into the NHL, and with Etem I think that is the case. 

 

He reminds me in some ways of a younger Hansen, who because of his speed got lots of chances, but couldn’t convert them, and we called him stone hands.  Well Hansen’s hands got better and maybe Etem’s will too, but for now to me he is a fourth line player.  Let's give the offensive opportunities and auditions to those with more offensive flare.

 

When he first came here I was impressed.  He was Mr. Hustle and flash, but alas no finish.  I thought of him as the Tasmanian devil, partly because of his flash and his unorthodox skating style. I do like his speed, his size, and his ability to use his body.  All of that would look great on a high energy 4^th line and maybe the PK.  He may prove to be more, but for now that is where I think he belongs, and where he could contribute to the team.

 

Nothing wrong with a young, big bodied guy with speed and some as yet untapped potential on your 4th line.

 

Were you expecting him to come here at such a low price, at a young age and instantly become a top 6 guy?

 

We're in no need to rush him, he's a serviceable bottom 6 guy who can play a bit up and down the lineup and if it ever 'clicks' for him...

 

My hope is, like you say, he becomes our new Hansen (with more size) if he reaches his likely potential/ceiling. An elite/near elite 3rd liner with speed, relentless checking, good on the PK, can pitch in on offense and play up and down the lineup with injuries. But that's a ways off yet.

[Boudrias]

1 hour ago, J.R. said:

Nothing wrong with a young, big bodied guy with speed and some as yet untapped potential on your 4th line.

 

Were you expecting him to come here at such a low price, at a young age and instantly become a top 6 guy?

 

We're in no need to rush him, he's a serviceable bottom 6 guy who can play a bit up and down the lineup and if it ever 'clicks' for him...

 

My hope is, like you say, he becomes our new Hansen (with more size) if he reaches his likely potential/ceiling. An elite/near elite 3rd liner with speed, relentless checking, good on the PK, can pitch in on offense and play up and down the lineup with injuries. But that's a ways off yet.

While his speed can be deceptive at times Etem has not shown anything close to what Hansen did at his age. He is curious to watch as he does most everything right except he seems 1/2 second slow on how he sees the play developing. With enough TOI he might develop but whether he gets that time is questionable as other players push for his spot.

 

It seemed to me that Vey's game took another step up when Etem arrived. Very likely coincidental but their line had games where they were the best on the ice. 

[Gstank29]

I dont think Etem gets a contract unless he finishes the season really strong. Whenever he gets the puck he never drives the net and always keeps it on the perimeter. He needs to take the puck to  the net and use his speed but he hasn't shown us that yet. It might be a confidence thing but either way with guys like Gaunce and Grenier coming up the ranks he needs to elevate his game.

[Alflives]

Just now, Gstank29 said:

I dont think Etem gets a contract unless he finishes the season really strong. Whenever he gets the puck he never drives the net and always keeps it on the perimeter. He needs to take to to the net and use his speed but he hasn't soon that yet. It might be a confidence thing but either way with guys like Gaunce and Grenier coming up the ranks he needs to elevate his game.

Gaunce is better.

[higgyfan]

I know a lot of fans get frustrated with Etem, as he seems to have a great skillset but hasn't been able to score the much needed goals.  Not using his size is also annoying.

 

Whenever I see him play, he reminds me of Hansen (and I remember how people complained about the Honey Badger years ago).  He is speedy, moves the puck well and is hard to knock off the puck.  AND always fumbles when near the net.  "Hands of stone" as they say.

 

What's interesting, is that if you compare Hansen and Etem's career stats, they are very similar (except Etem had incredible hands as a Jr. with 107pts in 65 games).  They had similar stats in the AHL.  It took Hansen 6 years to find his place on the team and then he steadily improved to become the awesome player we see today (minus the horrible season with Torts).  I think Burr and Kes had a tremendous influence on Hansen's tenacity and perseverance.

 

Etem was a point a game player in the AHL, so he does have the ability to score goals.  He lacks the fiestiness of Hansen, but I wonder if that could be related to his lack of confidence in his NHL game.  Perhaps the Honey Badger might have the same effect on Etem, that Kes & Bur had on his game years ago.

 

I would like to see him given another season to prove what he can do.  This may be a case of a player that has finally realized the work he has to do to reach his potential in the NHL.

[aliboy]

Patience is required, but Etem is coming along nicely.

[aGENT]

1 hour ago, higgyfan said:

I know a lot of fans get frustrated with Etem, as he seems to have a great skillset but hasn't been able to score the much needed goals.  Not using his size is also annoying.

 

Whenever I see him play, he reminds me of Hansen (and I remember how people complained about the Honey Badger years ago).  He is speedy, moves the puck well and is hard to knock off the puck.  AND always fumbles when near the net.  "Hands of stone" as they say.

 

What's interesting, is that if you compare Hansen and Etem's career stats, they are very similar (except Etem had incredible hands as a Jr. with 107pts in 65 games).  They had similar stats in the AHL.  It took Hansen 6 years to find his place on the team and then he steadily improved to become the awesome player we see today (minus the horrible season with Torts).  I think Burr and Kes had a tremendous influence on Hansen's tenacity and perseverance.

 

Etem was a point a game player in the AHL, so he does have the ability to score goals.  He lacks the fiestiness of Hansen, but I wonder if that could be related to his lack of confidence in his NHL game.  Perhaps the Honey Badger might have the same effect on Etem, that Kes & Bur had on his game years ago.

 

I would like to see him given another season to prove what he can do.  This may be a case of a player that has finally realized the work he has to do to reach his potential in the NHL.

Agreed. He very much reminds me of a Hansen with more size. I hope we hang on to him, in a few years he's going to be a beast 3rd liner IMO.