Popular Post austy Posted October 14, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 14, 2020 Time for a kooky offseason thread. As per the thread title. Is is possible to move Jake to defense? Disclaimer, yes this is a terrible idea but its off season and I'm sure we can have some fun discussion around other players who could move around positions. Pros: Skating, Jake skates well, he is fast, wheeling out from the goal line seems to be once of his strengths. Shot: good, powerful shot, has played the point of PP2 on occasion. Strength: big strong dude, checks well. complexity: I think Jake plays better with the game 'in front of him', he seems to get a bit bamboozled in the offensive zone, he doesnt seem to participate in the cycle and doesnt use his team mates that well on long shifts in the ozone, better on the rush. NYR Brendan Smith who plays both positions says that D verses F "there is so many more moving parts when playing forward, knowing where to be at the right time." Cons: Backwards: Can Jake skate backwards? Who knows....probably. He does play competitive roller hockey which I understand is a bit like basketball in that players cycle around and play all positions. Complexity: is D harder than forward? While the sensible answer is yes...playing D would simplify some aspects of the game. Ie get the puck back, if your back is turned, get the puck back, listen for instructions from either Demko or Edler, they will tell you what to do. Sideways: Can Jake walk the line? never seen it, he might need to stay back after practice to learn that one. One on One board/puck battles: rubbish, he gets walked a bit, we all know that. But for the sake of this thread I am going to blame him being paralyzed with indecision due to the complexity of being a forward being a defender would simplifly this aspect of the game IMO. Discussion: Players who changed from D to forward or vice versa. Brent Burns, Byfuglien, Howe are some of the big ones, didnt Burrows play D for one period back in 2010's? Thoughts, criticisms? :) 2 1 2 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 Burrows was very focused on playing defense-first. He also have good vision of the game. Virtanen seems to get tunnel vision at time, poor positioning, weak along the boards, etc... not a good recipe for a defenseman. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khay Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 9 minutes ago, austy said: Time for a kooky offseason thread. As per the thread title. Is is possible to move Jake to defense? Disclaimer, yes this is a terrible idea but its off season and I'm sure we can have some fun discussion around other players who could move around positions. Pros: Skating, Jake skates well, he is fast, wheeling out from the goal line seems to be once of his strengths. Shot: good, powerful shot, has played the point of PP2 on occasion. Strength: big strong dude, checks well. complexity: I think Jake plays better with the game 'in front of him', he seems to get a bit bamboozled in the offensive zone, he doesnt seem to participate in the cycle and doesnt use his team mates that well on long shifts in the ozone, better on the rush. NYR Brendan Smith who plays both positions says that D verses F "there is so many more moving parts when playing forward, knowing where to be at the right time." Cons: Backwards: Can Jake skate backwards? Who knows....probably. He does play competitive roller hockey which I understand is a bit like basketball in that players cycle around and play all positions. Complexity: is D harder than forward? While the sensible answer is yes...playing D would simplify some aspects of the game. Ie get the puck back, if your back is turned, get the puck back, listen for instructions from either Demko or Edler, they will tell you what to do. Sideways: Can Jake walk the line? never seen it, he might need to stay back after practice to learn that one. One on One board/puck battles: rubbish, he gets walked a bit, we all know that. But for the sake of this thread I am going to blame him being paralyzed with indecision due to the complexity of being a forward being a defender would simplifly this aspect of the game IMO. Discussion: Players who changed from D to forward or vice versa. Brent Burns, Byfuglien, Howe are some of the big ones, didnt Burrows play D for one period back in 2010's? Thoughts, criticisms? lol first NHLer to not be able to skate backwards? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austy Posted October 14, 2020 Author Share Posted October 14, 2020 14 minutes ago, Lancaster said: Burrows was very focused on playing defense-first. He also have good vision of the game. Virtanen seems to get tunnel vision at time, poor positioning, weak along the boards, etc... not a good recipe for a defenseman. 12 minutes ago, khay said: lol first NHLer to not be able to skate backwards? yikes this is quickly turning into "Burrows....do we really need him?". re the vision. you are right, he lacks the IQ. But I think the blue line and the net create focal points that simplify this part of the game to an extent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 i had this debate with a buddy the other day. Its a fun hypothetical. he can skate, has great take away skills, great zone entries, shoots right.....can hit when he wants to....but i get the feeling theres a lot more "programming" involved to get a winger to play D....unlikely...but he does have a lot of the assets that a good d man should have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austy Posted October 14, 2020 Author Share Posted October 14, 2020 2 minutes ago, Darius said: i had this debate with a buddy the other day. Its a fun hypothetical. he can skate, has great take away skills, great zone entries, shoots right.....can hit when he wants to....but i get the feeling theres a lot more "programming" involved to get a winger to play D....unlikely...but he does have a lot of the assets that a good d man should have. this is more like it. :). what was big Buff like as foreward? I cant remember apart from him planting himself in front of Luongo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL'er Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 Not a bad suggestion!! We need a Right Shot D. Virtanen doesn't cut it as a Right Shot Forward... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timråfan Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 44 minutes ago, austy said: Time for a kooky offseason thread. As per the thread title. Is is possible to move Jake to defense? Disclaimer, yes this is a terrible idea but its off season and I'm sure we can have some fun discussion around other players who could move around positions. Pros: Skating, Jake skates well, he is fast, wheeling out from the goal line seems to be once of his strengths. Shot: good, powerful shot, has played the point of PP2 on occasion. Strength: big strong dude, checks well. complexity: I think Jake plays better with the game 'in front of him', he seems to get a bit bamboozled in the offensive zone, he doesnt seem to participate in the cycle and doesnt use his team mates that well on long shifts in the ozone, better on the rush. NYR Brendan Smith who plays both positions says that D verses F "there is so many more moving parts when playing forward, knowing where to be at the right time." Cons: Backwards: Can Jake skate backwards? Who knows....probably. He does play competitive roller hockey which I understand is a bit like basketball in that players cycle around and play all positions. Complexity: is D harder than forward? While the sensible answer is yes...playing D would simplify some aspects of the game. Ie get the puck back, if your back is turned, get the puck back, listen for instructions from either Demko or Edler, they will tell you what to do. Sideways: Can Jake walk the line? never seen it, he might need to stay back after practice to learn that one. One on One board/puck battles: rubbish, he gets walked a bit, we all know that. But for the sake of this thread I am going to blame him being paralyzed with indecision due to the complexity of being a forward being a defender would simplifly this aspect of the game IMO. Discussion: Players who changed from D to forward or vice versa. Brent Burns, Byfuglien, Howe are some of the big ones, didnt Burrows play D for one period back in 2010's? Thoughts, criticisms? I would rather shift Hughes to a winger. I don't want one of our best players to have to get back to defend instead of looki g for oppurtunities to score. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austy Posted October 14, 2020 Author Share Posted October 14, 2020 I always wondered what Hansen would have looked like, Kesler too maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhukini Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 Doesn’t have it up there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austy Posted October 14, 2020 Author Share Posted October 14, 2020 6 minutes ago, Zhukini said: Doesn’t have it up there true but remember when Biega was put into winger duties, he didnt look that dynamic, not as good as Virtanen I reckon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlinkas wrister Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 1 hour ago, khay said: lol first NHLer to not be able to skate backwards? I think I remember from the combine that Jake was the fastest skater going forwards and backwards that year. Jakes got some holes in his game but skating isn't one of them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austy Posted October 14, 2020 Author Share Posted October 14, 2020 2 minutes ago, hlinkas wrister said: I think I remember from the combine that Jake was the fastest skater going forwards and backwards that year. Jakes got some holes in his game but skating isn't one of them. cool, put backwards skating into the pros list, now anyone got a 'sideways' take? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucker 67 Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 I don't trust Virtanen to make the right play under pressure in his own end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whysoserious Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 1 hour ago, austy said: yikes this is quickly turning into "Burrows....do we really need him?". re the vision. you are right, he lacks the IQ. But I think the blue line and the net create focal points that simplify this part of the game to an extent. Speaking of Burrows, does anyone remember the thread from back in the day about moving Burrows to defence to be our PMD? Pretty much this exact post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuckin_futz Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 He'd have to learn in Utica. Would be a negative for the big club in the meanwhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AV. Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 The laziest player on the team playing defence 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tre Mac Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 Oh God no. If anything Virtanen should play on his offwing. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rekker Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 15 minutes ago, Tre Mac said: Oh God no. If anything Virtanen should play on his offwing. Been saying that for years. You lose a bit in your own end, but would love to see him rushing up ice with a right shot on the left side. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewbieCanuckFan Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 (edited) Going from defense to forward is one thing. Going from forward to defense? It has been done to a high level but it's VERY RARE because of the difficulty involved. With the acquisition of legit top pairing D from Vegas, I fail to see the need for such a drastic experiment. Edited October 15, 2020 by NewbieCanuckFan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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