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Everything posted by kloubek
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...which by all rights is our better route to take. Niemi has only one year left on his contract which we can absolutely absorb, and isn't even really paid THAT much. Probably around or even less than what Miller will likely want to be paid. It just sucks that the 3OA isn't likely *quite* high enough for us to pick the player we truly want.
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I am happy I was wrong about Horvat. I figured at worst he would be an elite 3rd line center but at best an elite 2nd line center. Now he is already at 1b level and I think with legit high end linemates he would already be a good 1st line center as early as next season. With that said, besides *maybe* Boeser, he isnt going to get those linemates next season so I think some of the hopes lately are a little lofty. I predict a 60 point or low 60s season. This factors in his own improvement as well as that of his likely linemates. I think we see a top line of Baertschi Horvat Boeser next season, but I'm just not confident that either linemate will be able to keep up with him in scoring potential.
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Perfectly valid point. You're right - it isn't unheard of but it certainly is pretty rare. The instances you site were from nearly 15 years ago! In Burrows' case, he obviously benefited from playing with the Sedins but he clearly turned into a far better player than projected regardless. And for Kesler, well, I recall myself thinking - man, this guy is an awesome 3rd line center, but never did I feel he would be better than that. But yet he ended up being a 1b/2a player. I actually see more upside to Virtanen's skillset than I ever did Kesler or Burrows. I STILL think he has most of the tools to be a decent 2nd line winger - which is where I had projected him initially. Where he lacks though is the ability to make quick decisions on the fly, and hockey IQ is even more needed now than it ever has been given how much quicker the game has become. You could see both Kesler and Burrows make great plays when they were first on the scene. Their skills and bodies just took a few years to catch up to their minds. With Virtanen, it is quite the opposite. But at least, the other thing that helped them was their tenacity, and that's something at least that Virtanen shares with them. In short, I like the optimism. I hope he does indeed turn it around.
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Agreed. It is hard for a player to make an immediate impact in the NHL. I'd guess even Benning and Willie would agree he was rushed. But yeah, he's getting to the point that he needs to start showing what he can do. Although aspects of his game improved this past season in Utica, he didnt exactly light it up. At all. It's worrisome for sure in regards to him being a top six player, but I maintain he will have a career in some capacity regardless.
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Gotta disagree with you somewhat. Some didn't like the idea of Eriksson, I will concede that. I was not one of those people. I thought that his previous chemistry with the Sedins and having a very good last year become coming to our team indicated he would likely be able to inject some scoring into our lineup. I know there was a lot of scoffing at the length of contract, which is fair, but I can see why Benning did what he did and if I was GM I probably would have done the same. Virtanen pick: It was obvious that we were lacking size and scoring, and Virtanen had the potential of bringing both. I would have selected Nylander anyway in light of his obvious talents, but I can appreciate where Benning was coming from on this. If Nylander busted, he wouldn't play in the league. If Virtanen busted (and he might) he will at least play a serviceable 3rd line position. Juolevi: Again, I wasn't super stoked about this pick but how it works out remains to be seen. He may prove us both wrong. GudbranSon: He assessed we needed size in our lineup and he does indeed bring that. I wasn't pleased with the trade because I was high on McCann, but it was obvious he didn't see McCann as the player we were all hoping he'd be. In retrospect, it wasn't the worst trade in the world since it looks like his assessment of McCann appears to have been right - even in the minors he isn't doing much. Who's to say he didn't properly scout Tryamkin? While I am as disappointed as anyone to see him pack up for Russia, that's always the risk with drafting Russian players. Same could be said in drafting college players like Boeser - which appears to have been a great move but could have potentially gone the wrong way too. Are you complaining we have Boeser? Don't think so..... Choking on the Kesler deal? (Single S) Kesler handcuffed us by demanding a trade to only one team. In the end, I think we got a reasonable return all things considered. Hindsight is 20/20. GMs will do what they think is best but it is impossible to know for sure how a player will develop. You could rag on every GM for making the wrong selection. Take the 2014 draft.... we did better with Virtanen than the Islanders did with Dal Colle or Carolina did with Fleury. Benning did very well in 2015 with Boeser - getting what is likely a first line player deep into the 1st round. It is easy to hate on him for his mis-steps, but that will happen with ANY GM. I see you made no mention of the obviously GOOD trades, like Shinkaruk for Granlund or Baertschi for a 2nd, so let's not pretend he hasn't made any obviously good trades. Overall, while we might have been one of the worst teams in the least this season, he has taken an old and stale team with almost zero prospects and injected a whole lot of youth and potential into it. We won't fully reap the rewards of that for a couple of years, so those "fans" who are a little short sighted will absolutely be uptight right now. But I imagine in relatively short order you won't be complaining quite so heavily. He has built a good complimentary team - now we just need to keep our fingers crossed at least half of our younger talents like Dahlen, Goldobin, Boeser, Juolevi, Demko, Lockwood, Brisebois, and maybe Gaudette and Gaunce turn into the kind of players we are either expecting or hoping for. Horvat should continue developing from a low end 1st line center into a mid 1st line center next season, and I expect we will see a better year out of Eriksson. Baertschi and Granlund should also be improved. Overall, I am absolutely confident that we make the playoffs next season.
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That's where he was PROJECTED to be, yes. But as time has gone on, he has so far proven to be ineffective in that role. I think we all have HOPES he will become a top six player but that possibility seems less and less likely as time goes on. ...and that's where we come to the Hockey IQ portion that everyone is talking about on this page. I 100% agree - he doesn't always make a lot of good decisions and I've been saying for the last couple of years that if he is limited to a bottom 6 role, this would be why. The kid has the shot, the speed and the size - he just can't figure out what to do when he is on the ice. Given his rather extensive physical abilities, he can guarantee himself an NHL job by just keeping things simple and not trying to overthink or overplay. I am sorry to say it, but I'd say chances are better than not that he indeed will be a Kassian-type player. Which is disappointing given the draft position we gave up for him, but ok to some degree because I think having that 3rd line energy player who can score here and there is always an asset to any team. Look at what Torres did for us a few years ago or what Kassian does for the Oilers now - same sort of thing. In our case, I believe it is even more important because for the most part, our forward lineup looks somewhat void of size otherwise.
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As much as I too am disappointed with Eriksson since he signed with us, let's give the guy a bit more of a chance to redeem himself. 1) We were all expecting good things, considering his international chemistry with the Sedins and the fact he had quite a good last year in Boston. Both points seemed to be in his favour but in the end seemed to do nothing for him with us last year. Perhaps we should have tempered expectations at least a little. He's being paid a lot, granted - but to expect him to save our team by scoring might have been unrealistic. 2) Let's not forget he injured his knee, and I think it had an effect on him through the remainder of the season. So he was basically a write-off after early March. 3) When he first arrived in Boston, he started his first season slowly. (Though not THIS slowly). His point totals increased appreciably the following years until he came here. Perhaps he is the kind of guy who just takes a long time to adjust to a new system. Eriksson hasn't shown us much at all, but you can't deny his reasonable point totals over the years. Prior to this season he had 63 points which simply isn't possible without having high level talent. Let's hope this coming season he can start showing us some of that. Even if he only manages to be a solid 2nd liner, combined with the boost we SHOULD be getting starting as early as next year and absolutely in the following couple of years in our young talent, it should all come together to produce a more exciting team to watch if nothing else.
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Firstly, I don't think I mentioned anything about his "personal life", and agree that anything in that regard isn't really meant for public consumption. And if that is the information that was revealed, then so be it. But I think you guys are missing the point. Do you really think he's going to open up in a few minutes to a complete stranger and reveal something that he is trying to keep quiet to everyone else? His hockey IQ might not be that high but I doubt he is an idiot. I can all but guarantee that he didn't have a revelation and decide he was going to bounce information off a complete stranger that he wasn't willing to have the public know about. Hence, if there is information that BoesersFlow thinks we would like to hear then he is under no obligation (even morally) to keep it withheld. I'm about one of the most moral and loyal people I know. I am not suggesting that BF goes and tells us all sorts of insider information that shouldn't be out there - I'm simply suggesting he doesn't HAVE any information that shouldn't be out there. It might be information that isn't being advertised, but isn't something that is necessarily meant to be withheld.
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Gossip is gossip, and facts (if so presented) are facts. He is under no obligation to withhold any information, and I highly doubt Jake would have told him anything that he knew needed to be kept quiet. I feel it is like going up to someone and saying something like "I know something you would like to know!" but then refusing to tell them. Either tell them, or keep quiet about it.
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....because you have a code of journalistic ethics to uphold...?
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...and he was also a player Benning traded for, valued, and one who dramatically improved as well. I agree, he will absolutely be protected. Someone had suggested some time ago that we ask a Sedin to waive his clause and expose him. (I'd say Daniel). I'm not sure if that is possible, but if so it is unlikely he would be selected given his price/contract ratio, which would force the Knights' hand in taking our other exposed player. As much as I have hated on Sbisa in the past, I feel he has noticeably improved and given that Tryamkin is now gone I think we want to retain his size on the blueline. That leaves Gaunce unprotected. Unfortunate, since I saw him as a solid player for our bottom six.
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Conflicts we are keeping an eye on: North Korea ISIS/Syria/Russia For NK, sabre-rattling is not a new thing. We really don't know what is going on behind the scenes so although things appear tense, there is not a whole lot that has changed between now and say, 5 years ago. North Korea continues to be erratic as they have been for decades, and the only real change to the equation is Trump and his horrible decision making and poor attitude towards almost all other countries. If anything happens, I expect it will be the result of Trump's actions - be it ill-conceived public tweeting to military buildup to a military strike. Regardless, North Korea cannot appear weak and must respond with a show of force no matter what manner of pressure Trump chooses to enforce. To be honest, I'm not particularly concerned about North Korea as I believe smarter people will stop Trump from doing something that pushes it over the edge. (Mind you, I'm also one who felt there was no chance the public would vote in Trump, so who knows) As for ISIS, they are clearly a real problem over there, and to some degree over here. The world certainly has changed with the proliferation of that group, but to a lesser degree this too isn't something we've never seen before. The movement will eventually be stopped but will take several more decades to do so. It isn't like fighting a country where they surrender. These guys won't surrender. They need to be squashed and eventually they will settle down overall, while die-hards continue to bomb and fight here and there for a very long time. As much as that sucks, it isn't really a problem that much can be done about and at least it is (generally) not over here. Syria in itself is inconsequential in the scope of international conflict itself, but their ties to Russia remain strong and the friction between the US and Russia certainly is unfortunate. (Not to mention the absolute horrible things happening to a massive amount of innocent people over there) With that said, this too we have seen before and is nothing new. Russia will do things that provoke the US and the US will do things that provokes Russia, but neither side wants a war. The fact is that Russia is not the powerhouse it once was and they know they would lose - especially if the US gets backing from the UN. This isn't to say conflict won't surpass what they are right now, but even if a few little skirmishes happen I don't see all-out war happening. So yes, things are pretty crappy right now. But really, I don't believe a ton has changed lately. Conflicts have occurred forever, and they come and go. We just happen to be in a timeframe when they are higher than usual.
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Boeser has been looking really good. So happy to see he transitioned to the nhl game without a hitch.... Which was likely, but some players have had difficulty with that. His shooting percentage cannot be sustained in the long haul. But I agree with those who say he should, can, and will improve his skating. He will absolutely score 20 goals next season, and depending on his usage and how much he improves his skating, I see 30 being absolutely in reach. The fact he looks to be first line material is going to make a huge difference for our club.
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Biega is actually growing on me a bit. He will still never be a first pairing guy, but you really can't expect anything more from a 7th defenseman than he provides. He has decent wheels, does land a few good hits, and plays his heart out. Not once did I ever hear any amount of complaining on his part either. He knows his place and seems just happy to have a contract and the opportunity to play in the NHL. (Unlike a guy like, say, Corrado). Of course, leave him exposed, but I hope he remains.
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There's an understatement if I've ever seen one. (Yes, I know you were purposely understanding it). Stecher is amazing. The fact that this guy is as good as he is at such a young age speaks to the very high skillset and IQ that he needs in order to compensate for his smaller frame. If this guy is where he is at already, imagine where he will be if he puts on a bit more weight and gains more experience. I love watching him play - he rarely makes mistakes and his view of the ice and developing plays is absolutely outstanding. Really looking forward to seeing what this kid's ceiling is.
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I've always felt that Horvat was going to be an excellent 2nd line player. But the way he is progressing, he clearly has a higher ceiling. If you factor in that Henrik continues to get top minutes, that means ice time is taken away a bit from Horvat..... thereby reducing his potential points. He is also playing with 2nd line players as well. Get some elite talent on his wings and his totals rise yet again. Even with current factors considered, he is on pace to get 56 points this season. Average production for first liners is about 65 points. So factor in more ice time and better wingers, and he's ALREADY a 1st line center, and he is clearly still improving. So what does this mean to us? Lots of things.... But the first two things that come to my mind are: 1) We had better be prepared to give him a contract worthy of the proof above 2) Our rebuild becomes easier. Now we need a legit 2nd line center instead of a 1st line one. Thats a lot cheaper and easier to come by. Keep in mind thar average 2nd line production is usually around 49 points. Unless we move Dahlen back to center (which seems unlikely) we still have this position to fill in the future. Henrik will fill it nicely for a year and perhaps a year or two after that if the Sedins wish to continue playing after their current contract. And no, Sutter is not a legit 2nd line center. He can fill in, but he is ideally a 3rd line center with special team usage. I'm hoping Benning is able to either draft this center, or trade using one of our D as the main asset. If the Sedins do re-sign to end their careers, that buys us a year or two of development time if needed. And while I know this is a Horvat thread, we certainly have more potential high end prospects now. Our right side is likely solid going forward, and either one of Dahlen and Goldy ought to be capable of a 2nd if not 1st line role, or both. We have the assets in our d to help get that 2nd line center, and I feel there is enough in our talent pool for our bottom 6. In short, I'm far more confident in our future now than I was to start the season, and it all started with Horvats somewhat unexpected level of development. Benning really has done an excellent job if you consider the bare cupboards when he arrived along with being handcuffed by ownership to not go full rebuild.
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That goal at the 1:50 mark was sick. This guy has skill for certain, and if he is confident he obviously has the capability of making plays that some players wouldn't even dream of. I'm excited, peeps. With the addition of Dahlen as well, we are finally building some prospects who have a real chance of becoming big-time players in this league. Will they? Who knows... that remains to be seen, but without the prospects you don't have a chance whatsoever of those kinds of players being available to insert into your lineup. Replacing the Sedins is something we badly needed. Given the success rate of players making and thriving in the NHL, I wouldn't say we're quite where we want to be in terms of high-end prospects yet, but we're a heck of a lot closer than we were a few days ago. Go Benning!
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Thanks for the years Hansen. One of the best combinations of speed and energy we've had lately. You will be missed.
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You said your mock lines were lines that "WERE solid" and "could dominate". To me, that implies you felt the lineup was solid and could dominate... to which I would argue that it only looks that way if you believe these players will hit their potential.
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So you are basically assuming everyone one of our prospects hits their fullest potential? That is a whole lot of question marks, friend. You are likely to be right on about 1/3 of those names. This acquisition absolutely helps our forward depth, but at this point is only help. There is much more work to do - with near sure-fire actual elite forwards still required, and perhaps a bit more size. Horvat may or may not become a 1st line center, and Hischier may or may not become a 2nd line center. Baertschi, in my opinion, will remain a 2nd liner at best. Boeser may indeed become a 1st liner but that all depends on how he translates his game to the NHL. (And I suppose there is still a small possibility he may not even sign with us). I think your 3rd and 4th lines are reasonable at least - though Cassels has done little to make me believe he will ever reach the NHL. I've said it many times before and I'll say it again here - I believe Benning was given a pretty empty cupboard and has done an admirable job of building a complimentary team. But we still lack likely top end talent, without a clear plan on how to get it. At least with Dahlen we have one more potential piece in the prospect pool.
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With the Sens? Not likely. They are lucky to be in the position they are, quite frankly. Not going to be too hard on them of course.... look at where WE are....
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Very sad. Good luck Burrows. Will absolutely miss you. With all that said, happy with the return.
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I like Burrows. Always have. It is clear he isn't the same player he used to be but a lot of what we viewed him as was thanks to the Sedins. It is also what got him his current contract - in conjunction with being UNDERpaid prior to it. Next season I would love to see him sign a 1 or 2 year deal for a fraction of the price so he could play in our bottom 6. With that said, if we can get something for him before the deadline and then I think we really have to. I really don't see him getting the ice time or having the ability to play lights-out hockey, so it is unlikely another team would offer him significantly more than we could, IMO. And if I'm right, I'm nearly positive he would choose Vancouver over another club. This all becomes even more worthwhile if it turns out we lose one of our wingers to the expansion draft, since I'm not sure we have enough forward depth to be able to fill that role with any other player who would likely produce significantly more that he would.
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One of the main reasons we are now in a playoff position is the fact that we are actually getting balanced scoring. We are still not remotely a scoring machine, but I think it is essential that we keep these players who are balancing the scoring if the Sedins and Eriksson aren't going to produce as well as expected. This includes BOTH Granlund and Baertschi - especially at the pace they are both progressing. I know we have no choice but to expose players we would rather not, but I'm hoping Benning weaves his magic to keep both.
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Agreed. I would absolutely be willing to give up Guds for Draisaitl. The fact is that we have a handful of young defensemen that have the potential of being high end players in 1-3 years. We do not, however, have many forward players who are likely to be good enough for our 1st line, and unless Horvat surprises, nobody at center. Besides that, for what Gudbranson obviously brings, I feel that his decision making skills are just plain suspect. The last few games I've been specifically watching him, and when it comes to passing or what to do with the puck when he has it, the guy just seems clueless sometimes and more often than not doesn't make the best available play. Don't get me wrong - I love his size and leadership, plus the fact he leads the team in hits.... but to get a decent sized center for our first line who will likely be close to a point a game player in short order would be far too tempting to give up. I'd even give up Tanev for Draisaitl, which is saying a lot considering Tanev is one of the very premier shutdown guys in the league and I believe is our most important defenseman at this point in time and is not the kind of guy you end up drafting or acquiring often. Despite Edmonton's needs, I don't see Guds being enough to make a trade for Draisaitl happen. Perhaps Gudbranson, our 2nd round from Columbus, and Cassels? I don't think even that is good enough value, but you never know... Edmonton really does need to improve their D still.