Ongoing NHL thread - Part deux

[DragonfromTO]

Or they're all, for the most part, not that good

The OHL has the fewest defencemen of the 3 CHL leagues in the top 50 of central scouting's final rankings. Not exactly a defensive hotbed. Also, Strome still played a third of the season as the #1 offensive option and still held his own.

You know that most of the top players (and the guys trusted with top roles) in junior are 19 and 20 year old guys, right?

 

[DragonfromTO]

Is Dylan Strome's Success All Because of Connor McDavid?

I'm good with Strome, and you'd be crazy to pass up a 6'3 centre who scores 1.9 PPG, including 1.67 per game while McDavid was injured.

And in doing so you'd be passing on a lightning fast 2.00 PPG guy, including 3.13 per game while Domi was at the WJHC (my rough overall count is 2.60 per game in 10 total games without him). I'll bet there are a lot more stars who are a little small but can skate like Marner than there are big guys who skate like Strome.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

You know that most of the top players (and the guys trusted with top roles) in junior are 19 and 20 year old guys, right?

Okay, and there were only 6 OHL defencemen taken in the first two rounds of the past two drafts and of them 4 played in the O this season. Age doesn't automatically equal talent, and the talent by all accounts seems rather thin.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

And in doing so you'd be passing on a lightning fast 2.00 PPG guy, including 3.13 per game while Domi was at the WJHC (my rough overall count is 2.60 per game in 10 total games without him). I'll bet there are a lot more stars who are a little small but can skate like Marner than there are big guys who skate like Strome.

Hey, I can totally respect wanting Marner over Strome, but the Leafs have needed a skilled centre with size for almost a decade and they have a very real shot of getting one now. I just wouldn't pass that up and I doubt the Leafs do so.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

It's only 21 games. I already acknowledged that he didn't fall off much when McDavid missed time, but it was only 21 games.

And I see this line right in the middle of that piece

"Many would now say that Strome didn’t have to face the opposing team’s top D pairing. That may be true."

Here'the real problem I have with it though... there are so many unsupported conclusions! And those conclusions are the basis for the argument. There are plenty of points that I've made regarding Strome that I don't have hard evidence for (detailed junior data is obviously a lot tougher to get unless you work for a team), but I'm not stating them as if they're facts.



OK, now show me how! Show me something to support that.



What else would we expect McDavid to say? From hearing him talk I get the impression that if asked he'd talk up the equipment guy's contributions to his season. And for that matter, where in that quote did he say or imply that Strome "helped (him) become a better player" anyway?

There's very little evidence (either way) of anything in that piece. It's more of an opinion piece than an analysis piece. Which is fine, but not something that's going to sway me.

Was posted more for the evidence that he can hold his own without McDavid than anything else. He put up numbers similar to Seguin, Duchene, better numbers than his brother Ryan and Sean Monahan and those guys are all doing just fine in the show.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Okay, and there were only 6 OHL defencemen taken in the first two rounds of the past two drafts and of them 4 played in the O this season. Age doesn't automatically equal talent, and the talent by all accounts seems rather thin.

The drafted players are also not necessarily the best players in the league, merely the best projected future NHLers. An undrafted friend of mine (well, probably better described as a friend of a friend I guess) won the OHL scoring title as an overage player. He was certainly one of the best players in the league that year.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

The drafted players are also not necessarily the best players in the league, merely the best projected future NHLers. An undrafted friend of mine (well, probably better described as a friend of a friend I guess) won the OHL scoring title as an overage player. He was certainly one of the best players in the league that year.

I understand that, but that's very different re a forward vs. a defenceman who will stop the best players and keep the puck from them. Those guys usually get taken, no?

 

[DragonfromTO]

Was posted more for the evidence that he can hold his own without McDavid than anything else. He put up numbers similar to Seguin, Duchene, better numbers than his brother Ryan and Sean Monahan and those guys are all doing just fine in the show.

And those guys all skate significantly better than he does. Like I said, you've really gotta have incredibly elite level awareness to be a star in this league without speed. A guy like Joe Thornton does it, but he's a guy that's got that kind of awareness. And he still skates much better than Dylan Strome.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

All I know is Ryan Strome scored a sweet game winner for the Isles last night.

 

[johnny_corbeau]

Lol, I was on rt 175, she must be local.

Dibs.

 

[GenJac]

Sharks ownership quite plainly needs to clean house. This is a team with a lot of life to it and without irreparable problems. But Wilson's not the one to fix them, he's making it worse, and McLellan needs to move on too. The new GM has a few easy calls, like letting Scott and Hannan walk, and should also think about upgrading in goal, as Niemi is sometimes great but not very consistent. Get the kids more icetime, and put Burns back to forward full time.

I hate the Sharks, but they're a better team than we saw last year.

 

[Comeds]

Dibs.

Well played sir. Well played.

 

[GenJac]

I know Pens fans are optimistic but no depth, little to no secondary scoring and shaky goal-tending is no recipe for success. Rangers have two solid goalies one being elite, 3 defense combos that could be top pairings on other teams and four lines that can score. Rangers in 5 and that's being generous. Pens are a proud and great franchise that unfortunately got the injury bug and is in Salary cap hell. I have no doubt super Mario will rectify the situation ASAP though.

 

[dare2be]

I know Pens fans are optimistic

wut

 

[Nasty_Magician]

I know Pens fans are optimistic but no depth, little to no secondary scoring and shaky goal-tending is no recipe for success. Rangers have two solid goalies one being elite, 3 defense combos that could be top pairings on other teams and four lines that can score. Rangers in 5 and that's being generous. Pens are a proud and great franchise that unfortunately got the injury bug and is in Salary cap hell. I have no doubt super Mario will rectify the situation ASAP though.

What Pens fans have you been talking to?

 

[GenJac]

What Pens fans have you been talking to?

I actually meant to say "have to be optimistic"

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

What Pens fans have you been talking to?

Crosby's parents

 

[forty_three]

Crosby's parents

And Pierre McGuire

 

[dash]

Johan Franzen is having a tough time with his latest concussion...

...Johan Franzen, out since January with his latest concussion, almost surely out for the season no matter how deep Detroit goes, and very questionable to ever resume his hockey career.
Only in the last few weeks has Franzen been able to put on skates….

Franzen was blindsided by Edmonton’s Rob Klinkhammer on Jan. 6. ... He stayed in the game, but the symptoms struck—hard—on the bus back to the hotel. He said he believes it was his fourth concussion, but isn’t totally sure.

For about two months, Franzen says, he could barely get out of bed. “I got up and tried to do whatever and got a migraine and had to shut right down.” Even now he says he has to go back to sleep in the afternoon or he’ll be debilitated by a headache.

The 35-year-old Franzen still has five years left on his contract, but he sounds like he wouldn’t be shocked if his career has already ended long before he was ready.

Johan Franzen's Brain Is Not Healthy

 

[dash]

Stars have innked John Klingberg to a 7 year deal (4.25 AAV)

Source: Stars and John Klingberg have agreed to terms on seven-year extension | | Dallas Morning News