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Herberts Vasiljevs

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Everything posted by Herberts Vasiljevs

  1. I went with Petey but going with Podz was tempting despite the fact he hasn't even played a game with us yet.
  2. Couldn't have put it any better.
  3. Is Mika Zibanejad the most underrated premier player in the game? He got off to a rough start last season because of COVID, but the floodgates eventually opened as soon as he got back into shape. What type of season are you all expecting from him?

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. Drakrami

      Drakrami

      That's kinda the opposite.. The Ranger's been allocating 8-9million cap space so they can re-sign him next year. Hence the undervalued Buchnevich trade. 

    3. Coconuts

      Coconuts

      He's an underrated top liner, certainly. But I'm not sure I'd consider him a premier player. He's only been ppg once his entire NHL career, although he's had seasons that weren't far off. 

       

      I imagine it'll be more of the same, particularly if the Rags top end youth can take steps forward. It's mind boggling how Ottawa shipped him out. They lost that trade the moment it was made. 

    4. CRAZY_4_NAZZY

      CRAZY_4_NAZZY

      I've always been a big fan of Mika. I think being healthy will help - he really had this uncanny chemistry with Panarin and Buchnevich. I do wonder how that will be impacted because Buchnevich was a big part of that line. I fully expect Zibanejad to dominate this season could even contend for the art ross this season.

  4. That must have been the chief reason why Hoglander fell all the way to 40th. That probably left many teams' scouts concerned.
  5. Well he plays with a ton of range, has good hockey IQ, borderline top-6 skills (at least for now), and a booming shot. Yes, there IS upside there. I think it was bullish of the Canes to offer him 6 mil+, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he will develop into a top-6/9 centre with two-way acumen that should at least be a 45-50 point player every season. Maybe Kesler is a nice comparable here. Yes, I know their styles are different (Kesler brought more of the snarl and agitation (amongst other things)), but Kesler didn't necessarily set the league on fire well before he turned into the player he did. Funny enough, he also signed an offersheet. This comparison is based on development trajectory and the fact that they are/were both indisputable top-9, two-way centres who are more than capable goal scorers. As far as him getting 'mishandled' goes (which I think may be a reach in some respects), the Habs didn't even start Caufield in the playoffs which says something. Sure, he could have gotten more rope in Montreal, but teams handle their players differently, and I don't even think Kotkaniemi was treated too unfairly. I think Kotkaniemi would have been able to manage in Montreal had he stayed, but I think that Carolina will be a better fit for him playing with other skilled two-way forwards like Aho, Necas, and Svechnikov - all of whom are surefire top-6 players. I like what Carolina did here, and even though they paid big money to sign Kotkaniemi, I think he's under less pressure to have to cement himself immediately as a top-flight centre. With the way things were shaping up in Montreal, he would have had to immediately fill the 2C role, and that could have very well set him up for failure. Now he'll be more sheltered on a team like Carolina in the same way that a guy like Podkolzin will be with us (both will likely start on the 3rd line). In fact, Kotkaniemi will likely start on the wing. Kotkaniemi, like Podkolzin, is expected to be a core piece), but both guys can be brought along slowly while they hone their crafts and just play their games. Both play on teams who are rising at very high trajectories, and both are being put into positions where they can evolve organically with their respective teams. I know one is getting paid 6+ while the other is on their entry-level deal, but both players have been drafted a year apart from the other and are big, skilled forwards with a refined two-way game, etc. Kotkaniemi is more set up for success as a Hurricane than he was as a Hab. Again, I can't stress enough that the price the Canes paid for him is a high one (right now), but to acquire a player like him that will grow nicely with this Canes' core, is either by trading a king's ransom to acquire him or to draft him 3rd overall.
  6. Funny enough, that's the new number Kotkaniemi chose.
  7. That's my favourite hockey number next to #86. Excellent choice.
  8. I just loved his style and the way he played. Also, we need to bring back Gary Thorne and the late 90's/early 00's. I feel hockey just ain't as entertaining as it once was. Anyways, if Podkolzin turns out to be anything like Lehtinen, he'll be more than just a core piece. He'll be a legend.
  9. There's a name you don't hear anymore. Wasn't Murray more of a goal scorer though? Otherwise, I can see it. I personally like the Jere Lehtinen comparison. I think people forget just how much of an ox that guy was.
  10. Beautifully done. Hoping I can land him in my pool this coming season.
  11. Who is the first player who comes to mind when you think of the dead puck era? For me it's Mike Leclerc. :P

    1. Show previous comments  3 more
    2. Alflives

      Alflives

      Leaping Puck:  “what fools these hockey players be”.

      image.jpeg.b3a2d4b76b74b7f44bc7107344141200.jpeg

    3. Phil_314

      Phil_314

      Scott Stevens, Marty Brodeur, Langenbrunner, John Madden... all the NJ Devils of that era.

    4. canucklehead44

      canucklehead44

      I used to trade Brendan Witt to the Canucks in NHL 2002 for some reason 

  12. I wouldn't consider that a hot take at all. That's more or less reality.
  13. The Isles are actually my early pick to win the cup next year.
  14. But a special shoutout to the Bure dancing with the Devils goal though. That has to be one of the sickest goals I've ever seen.
  15. It was between Bure and Burrows for me, but I had to go with Bure. I wasn't even born yet when Bure scored in OT vs. the Flames, but ever since I saw that move that's been my go-to whenever I play.
  16. He's so underrated I didn't realize how underrated he was. What a wonderful NHL career!
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