Right now DD is ahead of him for offensive centre positions in the top 6.
Right now Pleks is ahead of him for offensive centre positions in the top 6.
Right now Pleks is ahead of him for defensive specialist centre faceoffs.
Leblanc will be knocking on the door for 3rd line centre position real soon.
Galchenyuk is almost a lock for a top 6 centre position in 2 years
For Eller to remain a centre in the future for Montreal, he'd have to earn a spot over Pleks & DD for the 2nd top 6 centre spot.
Or he'd have to stymie offensively and excel defensively to keep the 3rd line centre spot over Leblanc.
The reality is he probably doesn't have a long term future in Montreal unless he learns to play wing. Or if he does, it means Leblanc busts and he takes the 3rd line centre role. I don't see him ever being better than Pleks, it's also a small stretch to see him be a more offensive force than DD.
There are too many people knocking at the door for his job. He'll unfortunately likely be the odd man out at least 75% of the time unless Leblanc busts but he's already shown that he can play in the NHL in a bottom 6 centre role.
Right now DD is ahead of him for offensive centre positions in the top 6.
Right now Pleks is ahead of him for offensive centre positions in the top 6.
Right now Pleks is ahead of him for defensive specialist centre faceoffs.
Leblanc will be knocking on the door for 3rd line centre position real soon.
Galchenyuk is almost a lock for a top 6 centre position in 2 years
For Eller to remain a centre in the future for Montreal, he'd have to earn a spot over Pleks & DD for the 2nd top 6 centre spot.
Or he'd have to stymie offensively and excel defensively to keep the 3rd line centre spot over Leblanc.
The reality is he probably doesn't have a long term future in Montreal unless he learns to play wing. Or if he does, it means Leblanc busts and he takes the 3rd line centre role. I don't see him ever being better than Pleks, it's also a small stretch to see him be a more offensive force than DD.
There are too many people knocking at the door for his job. He'll unfortunately likely be the odd man out at least 75% of the time unless Leblanc busts but he's already shown that he can play in the NHL in a bottom 6 centre role.
Leblanc's game seems to be much more suited to the wing than Eller's
Guys like Bolland and Staal played 3rd line C while being integral parts of their teams' Stanley Cup championships. I consider someone like Hanzal a great 3rd line C as well.
People see "3rd line" and interpret it as unimportant and that it therefore downplays Eller's abilities, when really they're the one's having trouble understanding the value in the position.
At least that's what I think. Maybe some people actually are trying to say Eller's a scrub. In which case I probably wouldn't care about anything thay have to say about the team anyway.
When the Hawks won the cup Bolland was 3rd on the team, for forwards, in ES minutes per game. Jordan Staal has routinely been among the top 30 or so centers in the league for ice time, Hanzal was the 4th most used PhX forward during the season.
If Eller can put up 35ish+ points and play that much during games on a regular basis he really isn't a 3rd line center at all
Right now DD is ahead of him for offensive centre positions in the top 6.
Right now Pleks is ahead of him for offensive centre positions in the top 6.
Right now Pleks is ahead of him for defensive specialist centre faceoffs.
Leblanc will be knocking on the door for 3rd line centre position real soon.
Galchenyuk is almost a lock for a top 6 centre position in 2 years
For Eller to remain a centre in the future for Montreal, he'd have to earn a spot over Pleks & DD for the 2nd top 6 centre spot.
Or he'd have to stymie offensively and excel defensively to keep the 3rd line centre spot over Leblanc.
The reality is he probably doesn't have a long term future in Montreal unless he learns to play wing. Or if he does, it means Leblanc busts and he takes the 3rd line centre role. I don't see him ever being better than Pleks, it's also a small stretch to see him be a more offensive force than DD.
There are too many people knocking at the door for his job. He'll unfortunately likely be the odd man out at least 75% of the time unless Leblanc busts but he's already shown that he can play in the NHL in a bottom 6 centre role.
The fact that you still think leblanc will make it as a center in the NHL says all anyone needs to know.
Dave Stubbs @Dave_Stubbs
Just asked one of Eller's good friends on #Habs for value of Larry's contract. He hasn't a clue & jokes that everyone's asking him
Uh, ok. 'cause I CLEARLY said THE BEST MOMENT EVER.....As far as I'm concerned, nobody here is 100 years old. And also, I'm probably older than most of the people here. Yet, a 4-goal performance, with the way he did, and the celebration at the end, will be remembered as one of the best moments ever. Where? Top 20? Top 30? Top 50? Top 100? Don't know. But as far as moments that most of the people witnessed? Yes, it will be up there.
Eller's big night was certainly a top ten hilight for a young Hab prospect amongst quite a few these last few years.Carey Price,PK Subban and Max Pacioretty as young prospects along with David Desharnais is proof that the Montreal Canadiens are becoming a force to be reckoned with in the near future.
Right now DD is ahead of him for offensive centre positions in the top 6.
Right now Pleks is ahead of him for offensive centre positions in the top 6.
Right now Pleks is ahead of him for defensive specialist centre faceoffs.
Leblanc will be knocking on the door for 3rd line centre position real soon.
Galchenyuk is almost a lock for a top 6 centre position in 2 years
For Eller to remain a centre in the future for Montreal, he'd have to earn a spot over Pleks & DD for the 2nd top 6 centre spot.
Or he'd have to stymie offensively and excel defensively to keep the 3rd line centre spot over Leblanc.
The reality is he probably doesn't have a long term future in Montreal unless he learns to play wing. Or if he does, it means Leblanc busts and he takes the 3rd line centre role. I don't see him ever being better than Pleks, it's also a small stretch to see him be a more offensive force than DD.
There are too many people knocking at the door for his job. He'll unfortunately likely be the odd man out at least 75% of the time unless Leblanc busts but he's already shown that he can play in the NHL in a bottom 6 centre role.
Yeah...nothing there at all indicates anywhere close to a "sure" thing that Eller doesn't have a long term place with this team.
If Galchenyuk progresses as we all hope, he would be far more of a "replacement" for Desharnais, at least in his early years, than for Eller.
Also, until Desharnais does that again in a full season wiht a team playing meaningful hockey and not in a situation wehre he has the best wingers and gets the prime minutes of every game he's a question mark.
Eller is bigger, and better defensively than Desharnais. Also a couple of years younger.
He also fits far better as a potential 3rd line center than Desharnais would.
Oh, and Leblanc has been playing wing a lot. Why is it anywhere close to certain that he'll not only become a center full time, but become a better one than Eller?
Sounds more like you just don't like Eller and are making up "reasons" why you're so certain he's not part of their long term plans.
I did thoroughly enjoy you claiming it was a "reality" though, all of that stuff you said there. That was....an enjoyable "conviction" you had in your beliefs.
Dave Stubbs @Dave_Stubbs
Just asked one of Eller's good friends on #Habs for value of Larry's contract. He hasn't a clue & jokes that everyone's asking him
Out of all the moments this city has thrown at the fans, in this incredibly historic franchise.. this Eller moment is the one that sticks out in your mind? Uh, ok.
who took a steaming dump in your corn flakes this morning? oh wait what morning hasn't took a steaming dump on your corn flakes every morning? uhhh welcome to the ignore list sunshine. Tired of the useless posts you post. It used to be entertainment but now its just annoying.
He was drafted 5 years ago.. that's not a late bloomer.
Well, it kind of is. I'd have to double check, but it seems to me that a LOT of high draft pick forwards (centres in particular) who eventually fulfill their top 6 (or above) scouting reports, started jumping ahead in the depth chart (especially on weaker teams) by/at/around their early 20s.
Think about guys slightly older than Eller who were projected to turn into top forwards, and how many are already semi-permanent major contributors to their team's top 6. How long have Crosby, Kopitar, Neal, Stastny, Malkin, Zajac, Wolski, Krejci, Staal, Toews, Backstrom, Kessel, and Giroux (all "high" draft picks and currently in their respective top 6s) already spent at/near the top of their depth charts? Heck, I think the oldest of those guys might be 24 or 25, but I think you'd agree that they could probably already be considered within a couple years of their "absolute prime".
So yeah, to still be proving yourself at 22, without having spent time in the NCAA as an "excuse", could be considered "late blooming" - assuming he eventually proves himself to be a "legit" top 6 guy, factoring more heavily into the outcomes of his team's games, in the first place. As such, I certainly consider DD to be a late bloomer, for example (assuming he continues to earn his top 6 role).
I get some people don't like Eller as a prospect (we all have our own reasons for liking/disliking players), but it always gets me when someone who had a 4 goal game, doubled his point total in two seasons despite playing with grinders in limited minutes (and minimal PP time), missing proper offseason training because of a shoulder injury, and being rushed to the NHL, who is already a better puck carrier than anyone on the team besides Scott Gomez and already a good defensive player, has no upside.
If Eller blossoms into a second line forward it would be epic, to have two Big offensivly gifted center with Gally. Damphouse'n Tuergon all over again.
