I'm re-watching last year's SCF. I'm watching game 3 and Marchand's shorty got me thinking how versatile of a player he is. He was so dangerous on the PK last year and he's progressed into what looks like a great 2nd liner. Will he continue into 30 goal territory? What do you see him turning into by the time his next contract is to be decided?
if not for the 5 game suspension and the 1 missed game (flu)... he scored on a 30 goal pace this year. his contract is up after next year, and i can see his value bloating at or around the 4M/year AAV mark... at least on the open market if he weren't an RFA, especially if he continues to show progress next year. i know a lot of it has to do with playing with bergy and segs, but he is real vulture on the puck, protection and pursuit is phenomenal, and with his speed, he generates a ton of chances for that line as well. and he plays in all situations
hopefully we can keep him for many years to come, he plays his heart out and has really gotten his discipline in a good enough place that he picks his spots. 12 pims in 39 games after salo-gate is a great sign. he's much less of a loose cannon than fans of other teams think he is.
I think he is easily a 30 goal scorer if he is getting the ice time. It definitely helps that he is playing with Bergeron and Seguin, but he is also a player that often makes things happen-so if he is getting top 6 minutes with a top 6 center I think he can score 30 on just about any team. A good example of this is how he played in the SCF last year.
In another system with a coach who force feeds him tons of minutes and places little defensive restrictions on his players, probably a 40 goal man, in this system, about where he is, right around the 30 goal mark and I have no issues with that.
Realistically, I think we've seen it. We could see more goals and assists in any one year, but I don't think he's going to add any new dimensions to his play.
Marchand started out as a pestilential diminutive second line scoring wing, with a high compete level and excellent PK skills, and he's going to finish out his career as the same thing, at least if he finishes in Boston behind Lucic.
He could score 40 in a given year, if he's particularly consistent and Julien leans hard on his line, but really would that change what the guy is? No, we already can see where that ability is in him.
Yeah I believe we're looking at it. Not a bad thing by any means, very valuable player to us...but many fans get looped into believing potential is always an upward curve. I believe what we're getting from Marchand right now is what we'll continue to get on average throughout his career
I'm a huge Marchand fan, but I'd say he probably tops out around 30/30 in terms of his ceiling. He's getting pretty much everything out of his abilities now, plays in all situations and is enjoyable to watch.
Yeah I believe we're looking at it. Not a bad thing by any means, very valuable player to us...but many fans get looped into believing potential is always an upward curve. I believe what we're getting from Marchand right now is what we'll continue to get on average throughout his career
This is exactly right. He's giving 100% now. No slight on the guy, but he's what you see.
Marchand and Rask are on great deals. Lucic's deal turned out to be quite fair.
I recall Burke and maybe another GM or two were chirping about the disappearance of the "second" contract, but I think Marchand's deal is proof that some GM's can still make it happen.
In his 2nd year with a 5 game suspension he put up 28-27-55 numbers.
He & Seguin still try to do too many one-on-one moves when it would be better to chip it deep or pass it off. I would think as he matures, he'll get to 30-30-60 status and he'll have a year or 2 with 35-35-70 or more numbers. Along with being a penalty killer and s**t disturber, that's one of the more valuable players in the league.
And I hope his propensity to turn it up when needed continues as well.
Marchand has shown some good offensive improvement this year and definitely looks more comfortable now. I think there is still quite a bit of room for improvement, and look for him to get more and more points over each of the next few seasons. He has a lot more potential to get points than some folks give him credit for. Dude has some serious skill. Of course, who is on his line will play into the equation, but overall I believe he will show increased production over the next couple years.
In another system with a coach who force feeds him tons of minutes and places little defensive restrictions on his players, probably a 40 goal man, in this system, about where he is, right around the 30 goal mark and I have no issues with that.
That seems about right...but not bad for a guy who many wrote off as a fourth line player.
More time on the PP may increase his point totals at some point, but his value is in both his ability to create some of his own offense and all of the other elements he brings to the game (PK, instigating, etc.). So, points might not vary too much from where he is now, but his presence is essential to this team and how they play the game.
Right now I'd say Bergeron and Marchand make Seguin a better player. Down the road I think the opposite happens. If that does I think Marchand has an 80 point season in him just because of the progression of Seguin.
