Well then you have no understanding of the defensive side of being a center.
All you see if playmaker potential and want to put a 20 year old at the #1C spot, its a recipe for disaster. Properly developing a player is not some sort of myth.
Theres no way I put Stepan up against the top centers/defensive pairings in the league at even strength and watch him get smoked on the defensive side of the puck all night. Its not fair to him or his development.
He is best served playing the 3rd line at even strength with power play time right now.
Double-edged sword.. Drury on the 1st line means you have no play-making center so less offensive production, but more defensive responsibility.
Stepan on the 1st line means more offensive production, but a defensive liability.
Neither of them are like Datsyuk (imo best two-way fwd in the league)... this team needs more goals than it needs $7m PKers.
The only way we'd see Avalanche Drury is if we could trade him to the Avalanche. Hopefully Drury can at least be somewhat effective playing with an elite winger and Frolov.
Good to see Eminger out of the line up because he has been terrible. Gilroy to get his chance hopefully he grab it with both hands.
It would really just make my day to see Drury take this great opportunity and run with it. Be more like the guy in that video, or the Buffalo days.
I'm a big Drury supporter, a big fan, before he signed, and I'm really hoping for the best.
Unfortunately hoping and believing are two different things... and if he fails on the first line now I'm sure people will ride him even harder then before...
The only way we'd see Avalanche Drury is if we could trade him to the Avalanche. Hopefully Drury can at least be somewhat effective playing with an elite winger and Frolov.
Good to see Eminger out of the line up because he has been terrible. Gilroy to get his chance hopefully he grab it with both hands.
Eminger should have never been playing in the first place. If Torts didnt want to use Gilroy over him, he should have kept McD or Vtank on the roster. We have enough capable young d-men to not be using a scrub like Eminger on a daily basis.
Eminger should come with a label that says "use when necessary." Necessary being when one of our guys needs a rest or in case of injury.
Eminger should have never been playing in the first place. If Torts didnt want to use Gilroy over him, he should have kept McD or Vtank on the roster. We have enough capable young d-men to not be using a scrub like Eminger on a daily basis.
Eminger should come with a label that says "use when necessary." Necessary being when one of our guys needs a rest or in case of injury.
I said it all pre-season
But he had to be our vet according to some even though he makes the mistakes a rookie should be making.
This is Gilroy's chance to keep him out the line up.
I think Fro and Drury complement Gaborik well. Not saying I want Drury on the top line at all, but two guys who are defensively reliable and pot in the garbage goals next to an elite sniper like gabs may work out well.
Plus the second and third lines have been great, so i don't wan tto mess with them either.
Drury can center the 1st line just fine, if (i) Gaborik starts to really take responsibility all over the ice and (ii) the D's on that line really moves the puck well.
The problem is if Drury is relied upon to take the puck up ice.
with regards to
(i) - What do you mean by "all over the ice?" Drury is as defensively responsible as it gets. If anything, it takes pressure off Gaborik on the defensive side.
(ii) - Agree with you. Enter Del Zotto. Also, Gaborik likes to skate the puck into the zone.
neither drury nor frolov seem to require a playmaker based on their playign style...frolov is a boards and in front of the net guy, gabby is a speed guy who can pretty much do anything with the puck, pass, shoot, score, set up, play the boards, etc...drury might work, id be interested to see how it goes..esp with Drurys defensive game those 2 might be able to cherry pick a bit.
Well then you have no understanding of the defensive side of being a center.
All you see if playmaker potential and want to put a 20 year old at the #1C spot, its a recipe for disaster. Properly developing a player is not some sort of myth.
Theres no way I put Stepan up against the top centers/defensive pairings in the league at even strength and watch him get smoked on the defensive side of the puck all night. Its not fair to him or his development.
He is best served playing the 3rd line at even strength with power play time right now.
To be fair to Stepan, he actually is a pretty good defensive forward and has been breaking up passes and plays, although I do agree, he shouldn't be rushed in.
I can see drury thriving in this role. two super talents can do all of the cute things and he can just park himself where there's open space and clean up the trash.
Drury has always been a player who produces best when he plays with players who are more talented than he. When he plays on a line with Callahan and Avery or Higgins he is surrounded by guys who play a similar game (offensively) to him and no one is a big playmaker or capable of drawing coverage to themselves. Drury has always thrived by getting to the open spaces created by his more talented linemates and having a nose for loose pucks and burying garbage goals. He could look good between those two.
I have some serious doubts that Drury is going to work well with Gaborik and Torts is putting Gaborik in the role of playmaker here when he's our best shooter. I as well have doubts about Drury's ability to keep up with the better skating Gaborik. I guess we're going to see--though it reminds me of Renney's occasional experiments putting Betts as a center on a scoring line. Christensen certainly is a pedestrian player in a lot of respects but I'd rather see him with Gaborik than Drury. Oh well--up to Chris to prove me wrong.
