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Originally Posted by SLAPSHOT723
Crawford is the worst starting goaltender in the NHL, Neuvirth is definitely an upgrade.
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And the year prior you would have said he was middle of the pack with potential to get better. Crawford had a bad year and the team played like **** defensively infront of him.. he's more than capable of bouncing back and despite only playing two seasons, he's a much more proven starting goaltender than Neuvirth..
And, P.S, Neuvirth had worse numbers than Crawford last year..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Halpysback
Johansson was the caps' 3rd highest point scorer last year (though Backstrom would have surpassed him if not for injury), scoring 46 points on a team that couldn't buy a goal. He's also good defensively and has gamebreaking speed that constantly catches the other team off guard. Between Sharp and Hossa I'd be very surprised if he's not a 60+ point scorer, while also making that the fastest line in the league.
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Problem is, Sharp's heading the other way in the deal. As I said, I like Johansson and I've love to add him to the Hawks.. but not while giving up Sharp and not with the amount of talented centre prospects Chicago has, with one having played last year in the NHL (Kruger) and another knocking on the door (Pirri).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Halpysback
Carlson plays on the Caps shutdown pairing even though he's the puckmoving half. He doesn't skate the puck much, just has a good outlet pass, good shot and good offensive instincts. Since he doesn't roam he's generally in position defensively and plays defense aggressively. Very comparable to Weber in style though obviously not as good yet.
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Again, not saying he's bad defensively.. was just pointing out he's not a shutdown Dman.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Halpysback
Neither Galiev nor Saad have great draft pedigree or proven much in the big leagues. Saad looks better but Galiev looks like he's developing into a solid top 6 player as well. I just find it funny how Johansson, who has actually been very impressive at the NHL level is brushed aside in comparisons with Kruger or Pirri, while Saad is put on some pedestal above Galiev despite not having anywhere near Johansson's NHL pedigree.
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Saad was touted as a top-10 pick during his draft season and up until the 2nd half of that year.. he fell because of a lingering injury and boucned back in a huge was last year. Galiev's a nice prospect, but every team in the league has a prospect like Galiev.. a great offensive player with questions about size, defensively play, etc.. not too many teams have a player with the size and talent of Saad.
I didn't mean to brush Johansson's NHL play aside.. but Kruger has played in the NHL and I expect him to have a solid jump in production this season, and he already has a near-30 point NHL seaon under his belt (he had the same amount of points as Johansson did in his rookie season).