Quote:
Originally Posted by GAGLine
Why, because he's more physical? One of the chief complaints about Boyle last year was that he didn't use his body enough. Artie has been more physical this year than he was last year. He'll probably never be a big banger, but he will get stronger, which will help him when fighting along the boards. He doesn't shy away from contact. He isn't a perimeter player.
Boyle is a lot closer to a finished product than AA is. Boyle's numbers this year are 5 times his previous career high, yet Artie is still outproducing him. He will continue to outproduce him in the years to come. Boyle in no way makes Artie expendable, because Boyle will never be more than a 3rd liner. Artie is already a borderline 2nd liner and still has a lot of room to grow.
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In Artie's defense, you're right, he doesn't shy away from contact. He handles the beatings he gets along the boards and in front of the net like a professional, as he should. No complaints there. But Anisimov's forecheck is nothing like Boyles. He's constantly letting people off the hook. The ONLY time Anisimov ever finishes his check is if he thinks he can actually steal the puck directly. Boyle goes through people just to hurt them, just to finish his check, just to continue to apply pressure like the rest of his linemates do and hopefully cause a turnover for a teammate. I see Boyle as fitting in with our identity because like Cally and Dubi, he'll go through the wall for his teammates. In close games, Boyle has stepped up and tried to be a difference maker. Anisimov is usually invisible in these types of games. In fact, he's been invisible for much of the season. Then he'll score a goal on a really nice wrist shot and his fanboys will make a post about how he's developing into a Selke winner and is the next Datsyuk. I just don't see Anisimov having that edge / snarl / extra "it" that Dubi, Cally, even Stepan has shown on a more consistent basis. Boyle has this. Prust certainly has "it." Staal and Girardi have it. Sauer seems to have it. You know who else didn't hit, but also "didn't SHY away from contact?" Zherdev. He's certainly a better player than Boyle. He can try 50% of the time and outscore Boyle in points. Does that mean we should keep Zherdev over Boyle? Anisimov just doesn't do enough on a consistent enough basis for me to value him more than Boyle, right now. Anisimov will likely produce more points per season than Boyle. That doesn't mean he's a better fit for this team. And honestly, he simply hasn't done enough to separate himself from Boyle to the extent that some of you are reaching.