At 6'2 201lbs, 81 pts in 70 games played, it's been said he's a man playing in a kid's league, which doesn't leave lots of place for improvement. I might very well be wrong, but rumor has it that he might fall all the way down to the end of the first due to that.
This is the company line that has been parroted in the last few days because, I guess, with no hockey left to watch, people have to start looking for flaws. If we pass on a big, gritty RH centre who can score because "he might have topped out already", that's just dumb on so many levels. He's still a concensus top-15 pick according to virtually every scouting service I've looked at so far...barring some dramatic development in the next 11 days, I don't see any reason that would change.
Torres is an agitator, but he's not punishing...hits hard but i wouldnt put him in the same breath as lucic hartnell and horton (when he's actually playing a goon style) in terms of punishment
as for konopka, he can actually play hockey and shut down guys so i dont think he would be more usefull that the others you mentioned....
Konopka played defense but he's not good enough to play shutdown against guys that matter. Which is why he gets lots of defensive faceoffs but on average doesn't face guys that are any good (he had the second lowest quality of competition measurements of an Islander forward ahead of only Sim and actually behind Gilles aka worst player in the NHL). When the Islanders needed a defensive match up they sent out an actually good player in Nielsen, not Konopka. The defensive use of Konopka was just to win draws in his own end not play actual defense against good players.
You can't send out a guy that isn't at least a top-9 forward in his own right to matchup against the Lucic and Hartnells of the league and win the exchange. Konopka's not a good hockey player, he's basically just fists and faceoffs
Last edited by Talks to Goalposts: 06-14-2011 at 07:57 PM.
Torres is an agitator, but he's not punishing...hits hard but i wouldnt put him in the same breath as lucic hartnell and horton (when he's actually playing a goon style) in terms of punishment
as for konopka, he can actually play hockey and shut down guys so i dont think he would be more usefull that the others you mentioned....
Watching Torres real close for the first time,there isn't a guy in the league who hits as hard and often as he does.And he's a multiple time 20 goal scorer.
I would love it if we drafted Jensen actually. A hulking right winger is something we lack, the fact that we already have one Danish helps, and will make us the future hot spot destination for Danish superstars. Same with our Swiss collection. We'll be the Detroit of Switzerland and Denmark.
Watching Torres real close for the first time,there isn't a guy in the league who hits as hard and often as he does.And he's a multiple time 20 goal scorer.
There are plenty of guys that hit harder and throw more hits than him in the league (he wasn't even in the top 100 for hits this year) and he hasn't scored over 20 goals since 5 years ago.
Brooks Laich is better overall. Kostitsyn has no game when he doesn't have the puck on his stick while Brooks Laich is one of the good 2-way fowards in the NHL and a great PKer.
He took one of the worst teams in the SEL, everyone and their mother thought AIK would be demoted , to the SEL PO where they won one series. Fasth then grabbed the starting job for Sweden at the WC where he was really good before imploding in the third period of the final vs the Finns.
I like Victor, he uses his size well, is quick post-to-post and seems to be mentally tough.
Is he good enough for the NHL? Maybe.
EDIT: I doubt he will sign with the Habs and dont really know I think we should sign him. Auld is doing a good job in backing up Price and I'd rather gamble on a younger prospect to play in Hamilton
I've seen Zibanejad play a couple of times this year and the guy is and will be a beast in the NHL i think he plays in one of the toughest if not the toughest leagues out there in Europe and he may not have put up great numbers but he was pretty good in the 5-6 games i saw him play. It's hard to follow the SEL but it,s a great league i learned to like it when the lockout was there.
I think it would take one year in the AHl for him to learn the north american style like Eller but would be great with the bulldogs in his first season.
i think he could be available at the 11 th spot and i would take a crack at him for sure.
Like i said earlier in the thread to sign Laich gauthier must be smart and place an offer he cant refuse when every team is busy trying to sign Richards.
I think laich would fit in perfectly with the habs and would look good with the jersey. I would probably buy a Laich jersey along with a Subban.
Kopecky i like also as a mid term option on the 1st or 3rd line if Kostitsyn fails to deliver.
Leino also but more short term on his case, i don't know why but i see the ducks getting him maybe because he's a finn as Koivu and Selannee.
IMO the habs will sign Markov and probably a bottom six guy like Mcormick or Ward but not more. But Laich would be a great solution to the habs. A power forward with grinding abilities.
I hope you don't mind me giving my thoughts Analyzer
--I've said my piece about Leino over the last month or so, i don't think he's a top-6 forward. He played very easy minutes last year with ample offensive opportunities and given his scoring totals he's going to probably be overpaid in salary & term for the type of player he is.
-- I like Laich a fair bit though I don't think he's an upgrade on any of the wingers in the top-6. If nothing else signing him probably bumps Kostitsyn to easy minutes though which would give the Habs some very nice forward depth. Good addition, but I worry about the length of contract he will demand given that he's more of a 2nd-line guy who can probably handle top-line opposition beside
--Upshall would be an excellent addition to the forward group: played against good opposition and his metrics look good in doing so, brings the size/toughness/trolling that everybody would like.
--Gagné/Connolly both have injury worries and I have some concerns about Gagné's play last year but either would be a nice, short-term gamble on adding some quality forward depth.
--Kopecky: I don't think he's an upgrade on Desharnais, nevermind a top-6 forward. A lot of offensive-zone faceoffs (unlike Desharnais who actually started more in the defensive zone than offensive), opposition comparable to what Desharnais had at even-strength, not spectacular possession-metrics considering the weak opposition and o-zone faceoffs. This is the first time I've taken a good look at him, but I'm not a fan.
Bottom-6:
Not a fan of any of the guys on your list with the exception of Torres, who would be outstanding. Kenopka was used in an ultra-defensive role and did alright in it, but he takes too many penalties for my liking... I think he would have been the second-most penalized Hab forward behind Plekanec last year (minor penalties only... fights don't put you shorthanded so fighting majors aren't a big deal to me).
Winchester is a liability and Rupp doesn't look to be an upgrade on Pyatt. Torres though, would be a great pick-up and I could live with Kenopka thoguh I'm not really a fan. I'd rather see Desharnais centering the 4th-line and beating up on opposition goons on the scoreboard.
I should have clarified with Kopecky. He'd be a top 6 for us like Travis Moen is. Is Moen skilled enough for top 6 ? **** no. Would Martin play him there cause of his size ? Yup.
If I were Martin and the habs signed Leino, I, too would make him play on the 3rd line, but the money he could command would mean top 6 minutes for him. imo.
Laich and Upshall. We seem to agree that both should be the targets (I don't think we could get both for the money they might want, but one of them would be great)
Subban took 40 minors, or so. You also have to remember with Kenopka is that he was playing on the Islanders. A team that isn't very skilled right now, so they're mostly chasing the puck rather than controlling. He's not the best offensively, but he can fight and win faceoffs. Our pk is pretty good, so the 2 benefits he brings are outweighed by the negative, imo.
If it's not Begin, Lapierre, or Pouliot someone has to be the token player to take stupid penalties. At least with Winchester you expect it. However, like Pouliot (well, sometimes) he'll take the penalty being overly physical, and not just hooking a player because he's tired.
Rupp would be on the 4th line kind of switching in and out with Pyatt. If we play Detroit, we don't really need Rupp, but a team like Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto, or even the Rangers we would. Fredik Sjorstrom is my proposed idea as a player to replace Pyatt.
Aportzline Aaron Portzline
by nhlupdate
Dispatch: Talks underway between #CBJ and D Jan Hejda, who can become a free agent on July1. However, RW Scott Upshall likely off to market.
It's pretty hard to tell actually.
When Jonas was at his best in the SEL he was phenomenal, lights out. But, he played on one of the best teams in the league, if not the best. I havent followed him closely since he came to Toronto, but his development seems to haltet. Maybe his heart issues and his mother's passing has gotten to him, I don't know. I still think he has untapped potential, he still needs work on his rebound control, right? Something he could get away with on a strong SEL team but will burn him in the NHL.
Victor's game doesnt seem to have any real flaws really and he can also completely shut out a team, and did it on a weak team.
Today, I'd give an edge to Fasth, but he has never played on the smaller ice surface.
Maybe Gustavsson could use a change of scenery to get going again, I think he can do better than he has so far.
Only two years separetes them, I actually thought Gustavsson was younger.
This was posted in another thread by poster Pierre Jr(?) but I think it deserves to be posted here as well, if it hasn't already, I might have missed it then..
This all but guarantees that Gomez will be back next year, in a contract year kind of situation. Obviously, PG must have a decent read wheter a Compliance Buyout Clause will be added in the new CBA. If so, I don't see any reason for him to ship Gomez out of town unless he gets a good deal, which we all have pretty much has ruled out.
A compliance buyout clause could also mean that PG could try a Spacek-for-Souray move. Souray isn't signed to a 35+ contract and will thus come off the cap if sent to AHL, as opposed to Spacek who might fill a need with the Oilers?
So while I think we are stuck with Gomez for another season, we can only hope he will rebound with unemployment hanging over him, and the need to fill out the top six, I would go hard after Wisniewski.
We've got a head start and we might get a home discount (likelier with Wiz than with a FA forward).
A top three D-squad of Markov-Wiz-Subban could help jump start the offence and will give us a deadly PP.
I'd hesitate at throwing 5+M after Wiz on a longterm contract but maybe now is the time to gamble and he gives us insurance if Markov goes down again. And he takes some heat of off Subban in his sophomore year.
Reunite the ATM-line, play Max-Gomez-Gionta and hope that work out. Throw in 1-2 bottom six forwards in the $1-2M price range and work the lines out along with DD, Eller, Pouliot, White, Pyatt, Moen...
Few, if any, NHL teams are perfectly balanced, this will give us a strong D-squad and a thinner top 6, but I think it is pretty realistic and do-able and will bolster our offensive production.
Of course, getting Jagr at $2M will put things in a different light.
Admittedly, a lot of "hope" and "might" but i guess that's the nature of the game for an NHL GM.
