The Canadiens Offensive Prospect Fallacy

[angry pirate]

Originally Posted by Teufelsdreck

Would you forgive me if I said that that plenitude is not so apparent?

Kristo, Leblanc, Eller, Desharnais, Avtsin, Palushaj, Gallagher, MacMillan

are all players with 2nd line upside, to fill 3 expiring contracts that are 3 seasons away.

[Lafleurs Guy]

Originally Posted by angry pirate

The Grass is greener argument just doesn't hold up. Dallas, Detroit, LA, Phoenix, San Jose, Nashville, Detroit, Chicago just to name a few Western teams who's offensive prospects are similar to ours. Most teams aren't stacked with these kinds of prospects, and very few have elite level talented offensive prospects waiting to emerge.

Detroit, SJ, Chicago have all recently won cups or are contenders. Chicago has Toews and Kane... are you actually being serious here? LA has Kopitar and Richards for the next several years. You can't just ignore who's on the rosters... Please stop being silly.

Originally Posted by angry pirate

But that's my entire point! We haven't tried to avoid having it. We have Cammy and Gionta locked up for 3 more years. Pacioretty showed last season he's a top 6 player. Pleks is 1 season removed from a 70pt 25 goal season and we went out and snagged Erik Cole for 4 years.

We haven't drafted forwards because our top 6 is locked in until 2014. When those contracts Expire we will have 6-8 guys who will be in their development window for breaking into second line roles. We will only need 2 to 3 of them to make it. With another 18 Million in Cap space available. All assuming we don't resign any of those contracts. Still assuming that we don't draft a forward in the next season who isn't capable of stepping right in.

Do we have a "sexy" offensive prospect in our system. No. But we do have plenty of offensive prospects with upside to fill our needs in the top six when these contracts expire.

We have a bunch of secondary scorers in our lineup just like we've had for most of the last two decades. There isn't anyone in our system that looks like a top line scorer anytime soon. Cammy is the only guy who's even close to a legit first liner and he keeps on getting hurt. Feel free to sit there and try to convince yourself that our forwards look great... they don't.

[angry pirate]

Originally Posted by Lafleurs Guy

Detroit, SJ, Chicago have all recently won cups or are contenders. Chicago has Toews and Kane... are you actually being serious here? LA has Kopitar and Richards for the next several years. You can't just ignore who's on the rosters... Please stop being silly.

The point made was that almost every team in the league as top flight offensive prospects or elite prospects on tap, not about stars currently on their rosters.

Also, we've gone to the conference finals 2 seasons ago, and took the Cup Champion Bruins to a game seven OT this season. That's contending.

Originally Posted by Lafleurs Guy

Just like we've had for most of the last two decades. There isn't anyone in our system that looks like a top line scorer anytime soon. Cammy is the only guy who's even close to a legit first liner and he keeps on getting hurt. Feel free to sit there and try to convince yourself that our forwards look great... they don't.

Gionta tied for 30th in the league for goals last season qualifys as a 1st line player.
Plekanec is 1 season removed from a 25 goal 70 pt campaign, also a 1st line player.
Pacioretty put up 14 goals in 37 games, over a 30 goal pace. At 22 years old, 1st line potential.
Cammy isin't close, he is a legit 1st line player.

I never claimed we had a top flight scorer in our system, have you read anything I've posted in here? I've claimed that, contrary to popular belief, we actually have forwards in our system. There are few superstars to be had where we draft anyways, and taking more and more project forwards becomes redundant when we already have 6-8 guys who are projected to have 2nd line ceilings.

[Teufelsdreck]

Originally Posted by angry pirate

Kristo, Leblanc, Eller, Desharnais, Avtsin, Palushaj, Gallagher, MacMillan

are all players with 2nd line upside, to fill 3 expiring contracts that are 3 seasons away.

Eller and Desharnais shouldn't be counted as both roster players and prospects.

[angry pirate]

Originally Posted by Teufelsdreck

Eller and Desharnais shouldn't be counted as both roster players and prospects.

I'm counting them only because they are players who, if continue to develop will challenge for a top 6 to 2nd line roles even though they are currently in 3rd or 4th line roles.

[Teufelsdreck]

We don't know whether the Habs' non-roster prospects, such as Leblanc, Avtsin, and Kristo, will score as much as the first or second line players they're supposed to replace. Forget about the Dman-weighted 2011 draft.I 'm looking still farther into the future, namely, forwards who haven't even been drafted, for that.

[QuebecPride]

Originally Posted by SouthernHab

Wont happen until Martin is gone. Martin is too conservative on offense.

Look at how the Bruins effectively utilized their DMen for offensive purposes (and I am not talking about the PP). And then look how often our DMen were playing behind the blue line so that basically it was one shot and done.

Possession of the puck in our offensive zone is pitifully poor. Unless Martin is willing to change his philosophy and make this team more aggressive on offense, we will still be one of the bottom feeders when it comes to offensive output.......regardless of talent on this team.

Habs were more agressive when they had Markov in the lineup. Hamrlik, Subban and Markov were pinching. After Markov's injury, JM asked the D's to not take any chance. With Markov on the team we're a different team.

[Moester]

Originally Posted by hogtownhabsfan

We have 2 potential superstars in Price and Subban.

What he means is a top 5 scorer in the league. The type of guy who can bring in the rocket Richard every year. Nothing else will do for guys that. Doesn't matter that not only are these guys at a massive premium but more often than not don't win championships. Look at the Sedins for crying out loud.