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-AJ-

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Everything posted by -AJ-

  1. Yeah, on that last play, his skating was clearly a league ahead of the d-men. Seeing these clips just makes me want him in Utica even more. He really looks like he could dominate, much like Baertschi did.
  2. He has taken by far the least face-offs out of those five, which is worth noting. Number of FOs Hank - 274 Sutter - 300 Bo - 256 Gaunce - 90 Granlund - 39 His sample size is small, so hopefully that explains some of the variance.
  3. It was planned that he'd only be down there for two games, so anything else would be surprising.
  4. Hey, good to know. I didn't know the details of how that worked, so thanks for sharing.
  5. While you're point is valid, Bo is doing poorly even when compared to his teammates, meaning that even by low standards, he's not doing well. Many of his teammates are with better numbers than he, which would seem to imply that perhaps Bo is more the issue than anyone else. That or perhaps he just happens to be on the receiving end of the bad plays by others but others get off the ice in time to avoid the negative numbers.
  6. Question here, though it may have been answered somewhere earlier in this thread--Stecher is on an ELC, yes? Will we be faced with the decision of whether or not to burn the first year of his contract come game 10? Or are things difference because he was a free agent signing and not drafted?
  7. I'm noticing that Horvat seems to be faltering a bit in some common defensive metrics. His face-off percentage is the worst among centres who regularly take face-offs (so excluding Granlund) and his +/- is looking poor again this year. I'm just taking a look at his other defensive stats now and they're slightly better--he has three blocked shots, but only three giveaways to seven takeaways. He has one of the lowest Corsi and Fenwick numbers on the team as well. Is all of this just a product of how he is used or has he completely changed his game to an offensively-minded game? Perhaps it's the team's fault and his stats are being dragged down by others? Even then, relative to the rest of the team, his numbers look poor. I'm not meaning to hate on Horvat, as he's actually one of my favourite Canucks, but his defensive numbers are concerning.
  8. I'm hoping Loui catches on fire and starts lighting it up.
  9. -AJ-

    Ryan Miller | #30 | G

    I would honestly be okay with this, but like you, I'm not sure if Miller would be willing to take that kind of pay cut.
  10. I personally feel that Rodin fits well with Baer and Bo. I think that Jake and Jack basically have until Rodin comes back to determine which one gets sent down...a because I believe Jack would have to clear waivers, the onus is on Jake to impress. Rodin looked strong in the pre-season and very ready for an NHL role.
  11. Hansen has, in my mind, been one of the best checking forwards in the NHL for years now. It's an underrated role, but one that playoff teams highly value. Because of this, I wouldn't be overly surprised if we get ridiculous offers for him at the TDL. I really don't want to lose Hansen, but I am curious as to what kind of ludicrous offers we might get at the deadline from contending teams. Every team who's made it far in the post-season knows that guys like Hansen are huge in the playoffs.
  12. One thing worth noting in regards to our defense is the depth we have. I would argue that our depth surpasses the depth of many teams so that in case of injuries (which will inevitably happen), our #7 and #8 guys will surpass ones of other teams. Another thing to note is the potential for improvement. Hutton in particular seems like he could become a solid #3 or maybe even #2 guy by the end of this season if he continues on what appears to be his current trajectory. Gudbranson as well is young and I believe he has the potential to be a #3 guy. Aside from that we have dark horses in guys like Larsen and especially Stecher. Currently Stecher isn't ranking on your list, which is fine given his lack of NHL experience; however, I think he has the potential to mimic the potential that Hutton has, making him a #4 guy this year if he continues to surprise.
  13. I'd agree that the Edler hate is too much, though it does seem to be dropping off a bit as Edler has had a pretty strong pre-season. I look forward to having two competitive defense pairings. I'm also excited to hear that Tanev is still working on developing his game. It's good to see a guy who's willing to learn like Tanev is.
  14. Man, this guy really seems like he fits in really quickly with the team. I guess having extensive international experience with the twins helps a lot.
  15. -AJ-

    Ben Hutton | #27 | D

    Yeah, Rodin has definitely surprised me with how well he's fit into the NHL game.
  16. Indeed. We'll see. Looks like he might at least earn a spot to start off.
  17. I wasn't really counting on Granlund to perform at all, but he's making me re-evaluate his worth to the team. I'm glad to see him putting in some work.
  18. I'd say he would, though his contract would surely be a deterrent. Actually, I just looked it up and realized I has his mixed up with Sbisa's deal. While 2.65 is too much, he's not massively overpaid. With regards to Burrows, I thought he looked good and energetic tonight. Gives me hope for him being a huge checking forward for us, similar to how Hansen was one of the best third liners in the league a few years ago.
  19. -AJ-

    Ben Hutton | #27 | D

    I definitely agree. To me, he and Baertschi are the biggest X-factors and it looks like Hutton at least is poised to improve even more this year. I can't help but dream of a top two offensive defenseman.
  20. To me, he had a pretty rough first two periods. He was a bit better in the third, but not the best showing. That said, the choice to pair him with Guddy may have not been the best decision.
  21. Raffi Torres had 43 goals in the OHL too and was drafted 5th overall. They are eerily similar when you also factor in the fact that they have very similar sizes as well. To be honest, I wouldn't mind it if Virtanen turned into a better Torres. One that: 1) Didn't make dirty hits 2) Has more than two 40-point seasons To me, if Virtanen can bascially be Torres in his prime, but for a much longer period of time (ie. scoring 20-25 goals, 40-50 points), I'd be happy. All that said, the one main thing Virtanen has over Torres is his speed, and that may be what makes him the better player in the end.
  22. Personally, I think if Stecher has any success in the NHL this year, it will be on the bottom pairing. Based on what I've seen in the past, a lot of more inexperienced defensemen can thrive as long as they aren't going up against the top lines. I noticed it with Tanev--he was really strong on the 3rd pairing, but once he became a top 4 guy, I noticed him struggling a bit more, simply due to the higher level of competition. Of course, now he's adjusted and is fully capable, but I'd be surprised if Stecher can perform on the first pairing against other teams' top lines.
  23. While I see your point, I still think the fact that they are two distinctive players merits having two separate threads. I suspect the lack of discussion is more due to their age and pre-fulfilled potential as compared to guys like Gudbranson, Horvat, Virtanen, etc.
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