JM_ Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 Watching Motte step up this playoffs has made me wonder.... could we possibly have our next 3C in Motte? Its a small sample size to work from, but he did have a great college career and has shown he clearly has the defensive capability and he looks to have some offensive capacity in the NHL as well. He doesn't have much of a face off history tho, so Malholtra would have a real project there. If we're "stuck" with Sutter going into next year I wonder if we should think about grooming Motte to take over the 3C role. Maybe a line of Sutter-Motte-MacEwan? Just wondering if anyone else thinks we might have an in-house answer to our next 3C. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HorvatToBaertschi Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 We need depth scoring and solid defensive play to complement our young core. He 100% has his spot on the team. 3C is more suited for a player like Gaudette, who has very decent offensive potential. Motte has not proven much in the way of 3rd line production, however, I do think he is worth playing 15 mins a game, no matter what line he is on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maniwaki Canuck Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 He does seem capable of a bigger role than he currently has. But I'm still optimistic about Gaudette as a 3C, so I'd rather play Motte as a winger higher up the lineup. A question I'd have about him as a centre is whether he's got the vision and passing ability: it might be there but hasn't exactly jumped out while he's playing on our 4th line. With wingers like Hoglander and Podkolzin on the way, 3C might be his best shot for a permanent place in the top 9 though. Agree that he has the motor and defensive awareness for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Provost Posted September 9, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted September 9, 2020 (edited) Don’t fix what isn’t broken is my thoughts on this. He has played as a winger in the NHL and the transition to centre is tough. I am not sold on Gaudette at all in that spot though. We need a better 3C who can take on defensive responsibility from Horvat. We have seen what Bo can do when put into a more offensive role, and that changes our team drastically. It was like Kesler taking off once Malhotra came and started taking the defensive workload. Our scoring suffers when one of our best players is always matching up in the defensive zone. I would be interested to see if Motte can be like Hansen and play higher up in the lineup as a puck hound with skilled players. Edited September 9, 2020 by Provost 1 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patel Bure Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 21 minutes ago, Robert Long said: Watching Motte step up this playoffs has made me wonder.... could we possibly have our next 3C in Motte? Its a small sample size to work from, but he did have a great college career and has shown he clearly has the defensive capability and he looks to have some offensive capacity in the NHL as well. He doesn't have much of a face off history tho, so Malholtra would have a real project there. If we're "stuck" with Sutter going into next year I wonder if we should think about grooming Motte to take over the 3C role. Maybe a line of Sutter-Motte-MacEwan? Just wondering if anyone else thinks we might have an in-house answer to our next 3C. If Motte has past experience as a center in juniors, then I’d definitely be all for experimenting. I remember when Motte first got traded here which prompted me to watch tapes of the guy, I saw a lot of Kris Draper in him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettyWhites44 Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 I might be out to lunch on this but I’d like to see him on the wing with petey and miller next year, he reminds me a lot of burrows when he was starting out. He’s got the wheels to get in on the forecheck to retrieve pucks while having the skill/IQ to create offence and after his playoff performance this year I think he deserves a chance to show what he’s got in a larger role. 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted September 9, 2020 Author Share Posted September 9, 2020 19 minutes ago, Provost said: I am not sold on Gaudette at all in that spot though. We need a better 3C who can take on defensive responsibility from Horvat. these are the two things running through my mind. I like AG as a winger, I don't see a lot of C potential in him tbh, I don't see the next Sutter in him. But Motte does seem to carry that kind of attitude. Defensively I have no concerns about Motte, he's proven that. He seems capable of putting in 10 goals or so. So not great but not nothing. His line would be a rush/forechecking style which with a guy like MacEwan might work out very nicely. 22 minutes ago, DarkIndianRises said: If Motte has past experience as a center in juniors, then I’d definitely be all for experimenting. I remember when Motte first got traded here which prompted me to watch tapes of the guy, I saw a lot of Kris Draper in him. he's listed as a C/W from his college days but he didn't take many draws at all, so this would be the area where he'd need to be feathered in to that skill. Thats why I was thinking of pairing him with Sutter so Motte could be eased into that. https://mgoblue.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/tyler-motte/4100 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6of1_halfdozenofother Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 22 minutes ago, DarkIndianRises said: If Motte has past experience as a center in juniors, then I’d definitely be all for experimenting. I remember when Motte first got traded here which prompted me to watch tapes of the guy, I saw a lot of Kris Draper in him. Funny you should mention that. I was thinking of Draper/Cleary/Maltby when I saw him go at it this playoffs too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithers joe Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 i’ld prefer seeing motte along side bo. bo could use motte’s hustle and heart to compliment his game. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 Yes, Motte in the Bo line is a good idea. Green could try it. However, I still think Motte is outstanding in wing of 3rd line or 4th line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriGold2.0 Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 Realistically I see us losing Gaudette to the expansion draft. Motte will fit that roll seamlessly. That Vanek trade was quietly an excellent one. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted September 9, 2020 Author Share Posted September 9, 2020 59 minutes ago, AriGold2.0 said: Realistically I see us losing Gaudette to the expansion draft. Motte will fit that roll seamlessly. That Vanek trade was quietly an excellent one. I'm also wondering if he's one of the RFAs on the potential trade block as well? not that I'm lobbying for it but if there's an offer by a GM for a RHD RFA it might be hard to turn down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattJVD Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 (edited) I'd rather not. The center is on the wall less and isn't the 1st forward in on the forecheck. Motte, for his size, is really good as the 1st guy in on the forecheck, the dude is tenacious. It's fine if he stays as the 4 LW on paper, he's still getting 15 minutes of ice per night. Edited September 9, 2020 by MattJVD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Nuckle Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 I see Gaudette as a Linden Vey. Should trade him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BPA Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 3 minutes ago, Moose Nuckle said: I see Gaudette as a Linden Vey. Should trade him. Ouch. Not mincing any words. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Nuckle Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 Just now, BPA said: Ouch. Not mincing any words. Lol. Vey was good, just not great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted September 9, 2020 Author Share Posted September 9, 2020 21 minutes ago, MattJVD said: I'd rather not. The center is on the wall less and isn't the 1st forward in on the forecheck. Motte, for his size, is really good as the 1st guy in on the forecheck, the dude is tenacious. It's fine if he stays as the 4 LW on paper, he's still getting 15 minutes of ice per night. I'm thinking MacEwan takes over as F1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VancouverHabitant Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 I'd prefer to keep Motte on the wing as that plays to his strengths more (forechecking, speed). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonMexico Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 How about just keeping in his current role and ice time? We've probably seen the sweet spot for him. Let's keep him there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_314 Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 Agreed that he should stay where he is. I feel like his perceived value is inflated given his highlight reel goals, but make no mistake, he's not a guy who's shown he's suited for more offensive minutes, at least not yet. It's not like he's JT Miller who's scored 40 points multiple times but has just been buried in the lineup due to superior depth-- his career high is 16 points in 74 games. While he may have found a successful niche as a PK/ shorthanded scorer and started scoring in bursts (I think Daniel Cleary is an astute comparison, given similar trajectory), unless he puts up more than 30 points and really takes off, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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