Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Shafer
Not true. I'd rather have Staal than Briere on this team, but right now Briere is the better player.
In fact, the only four forwards I'd rather have on our team than Staal are Richards, Carter, Giroux, and JVR.
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Last three years
150 pts, -25
v.
126 pts, +19
So sure Briere is the better player? A 44 pt swing in +/- is rather demonstrable.
Last year:
Giroux: 16-31-47 -9
Staal: 21-28-49 +19
Now, you could argue that Giroux will get better... but then you run into the problem that they're the same age, so Staal should get better, too. Not only that, Staal is the exact type of style and size that takes longer to develop in the NHL generally... so, he could theoretically get more better. Add in that it sounds like he's going to play a larger role for that team offensively this year, and you could see a real jump in his numbers.
Staal is a much better player than Giroux as of right now all-around. Just brings more to the table and you can do more with him, and is a *ing hammer situationally.