Okay but Yak gets good ice time on a middle ground to poor KHL team on the big ice... Why is he the benchmark for Russian hockey in North America all of a sudden...
I think we've established this, he is no where near the game breaker that zhenya Kuznetsov, or Vlad Tarasenko is, he has skills but not in a way to break the game open like these guys have the ability too.
Yakupov hasn't shown he can single-handedly break a game open like Kuznetsov or Tarasenko. At least not at higher levels yet.
But given a good center and the right offensive game plan, he could still tear apart NHL goalies......especially on a team like Edmonton.
Okay but Yak gets good ice time on a middle ground to poor KHL team on the big ice... Why is he the benchmark for Russian hockey in North America all of a sudden...
I think we've established this, he is no where near the game breaker that zhenya Kuznetsov, or Vlad Tarasenko is, he has skills but not in a way to break the game open like these guys have the ability to. If you think otherwise, please prove it with meaningfull stats.
Nonsense. He doesnt get "lots of good ice time" for one thing, and you are comparing players with two more years of development to an 18yr old.
Okay but Yak gets good ice time on a middle ground to poor KHL team on the big ice... Why is he the benchmark for Russian hockey in North America all of a sudden...
I think we've established this, he is no where near the game breaker that zhenya Kuznetsov, or Vlad Tarasenko is, he has skills but not in a way to break the game open like these guys have the ability to. If you think otherwise, please prove it with meaningfull stats.
He is no slouch either. I think you may be overhyping Tarasenko and Kuznetsov. In their KHL season in the year following the draft they had 9 & 17 goals respectively in 40+ games. Yakupov has 10 in 13 games and it doesn't look like he is on a very good team. Those stats would indicate to me that he is some kind of game breaker. He doesn't have the international pedigree of the other two, but he's still young.
My completely unscientific read on Yakupov is that he likely suffered some sort of injury in the first period when he got sandwiched and his skate went up and hit the glass, because he really wasn't on the ice very much after that. I mean, there were some long stretches where he wasn't on the ice.
BTW, Sportsnet coverage is awful. I understand Morgan Rielly is a good player, but the way they kept harping on him all night, the poor kid is gonna bust so bad if he isn't the next Brian Leetch. There were plays where he literally did nothing, and the announcers were so busy talking about how good he was, that they were neglecting the great play of some other players.
I really thought Hunter Shinkaruk was the best player in the game, taking the puck hard to the net, making great passes, hitting, coming back to help out. Then he scored that key first goal in the shoot-out that got the crowd out of their seats.
Also, who here is sick of that Shreddies commercial: "Honey, honey, you're so sweet, you know I love you head to feet!" I'm pretty sure it runs on an endless loop in hell. Good God!
you are right on all fronts.
I will never eat Shreddies after this.
I now have pencilled in Shinkaruk in my team, but i still only see two from the Dub at forward.
My thirteeth forward is either Lowry,Wilson or decide to go with Drouin because we need all the help we can get on PP.
Overall, Mackinnon,Huberdeau,Hudon,Danault,Schiefile,Jenner ,Strome,Gravoac,Monahan,
Ritchie,Rattie,Shinkaruk, (Drouin)
you are right on all fronts.
I will never eat Shreddies after this.
I now have pencilled in Shinkaruk in my team, but i still only see two from the Dub at forward.
My thirteeth forward is either Lowry,Wilson or decide to go with Drouin because we need all the help we can get on PP.
Overall, Mackinnon,Huberdeau,Hudon,Danault,Schiefile,Jenner ,Strome,Gravoac,Monahan,
Ritchie,Rattie,Shinkaruk, (Drouin)
- Ryan Murray - logged a lot of minutes, it's like he was on for half a game.
- Broissot - Wall
- Shinkaruk - talented offensively and showed his gritty side, solid along the boards as well
- Rielly - Dynamic and competitive, desire to make something happen every shift he was on. - Makarov - same as Broissot, Russian Wall.
- Nichushkin - He was arguably the only bright spot Russia's end aside from Makarov.
Future replacement for Miller good or just decent looking?
Morgan Rielly is unbelievable. What a talent: his skating, maneuvering, vision, offensive AND defensive awareness are off the charts. He's going to be a very special / unique player in the NHL in a few years.
Future replacement for Miller good or just decent looking?
Wait till Makarov gets out of the CHL. He has the talent and skill level to be very good, we all saw it last night. However he hasn't had the greatest of starts to this season. Luckily, in a way, being behind Miller and Enroth will give Makarov time to develop. In 3-4 years Makarov should be NHL ready or close to getting some starts at least in the role Enroth is now.
Morgan Rielly is unbelievable. What a talent: his skating, maneuvering, vision, offensive AND defensive awareness are off the charts. He's going to be a very special / unique player in the NHL in a few years.
He's got amazing escapablity, if that's a word. There are times when he looks trapped and he's able to feint and spin away or go around a player or make a great pass. Whether he can do that in the NHL is another story, but he's impressive.
Morgan Rielly is unbelievable. What a talent: his skating, maneuvering, vision, offensive AND defensive awareness are off the charts. He's going to be a very special / unique player in the NHL in a few years.
...the kid deserves all the praise he is getting. definite fun player to watch and someone you pay to see!
Mapleleafs are going to be exciting to watch that is for sure
Don't worry about the obvious agenda when it comes to players who played junior in Russia and continue in the KHL and those who came to North America and planned to stay.
Anyway, Russia continues to disappoint outside of the goaltenders, both of whom look great. Brossoit also looked good for Canada, but it was kind of surprising to see just how poor the older forwards are for the WHL. Murray wasn't as good as I expected, Rielly was and G. Reinhart did not look like a guy who belongs in UFA.
Don't worry about the obvious agenda when it comes to players who played junior in Russia and continue in the KHL and those who came to North America and planned to stay.
Anyway, Russia continues to disappoint outside of the goaltenders, both of whom look great. Brossoit also looked good for Canada, but it was kind of surprising to see just how poor the older forwards are for the WHL. Murray wasn't as good as I expected, Rielly was and G. Reinhart did not look like a guy who belongs in UFA.
I thought the Russians played somewhat better than they did on the previous nights, but Brossoit absolutely slammed the door on them. Man, that guy is so big that he covers the entire net. How can you even wedge a puck in there? It looked to me as though he made a statement that he should be the starting goalie for Canada in Ufa.
Anyway, Russia continues to disappoint outside of the goaltenders, both of whom look great. Brossoit also looked good for Canada, but it was kind of surprising to see just how poor the older forwards are for the WHL.
I think you're shortchanging the Russians. Their overall defence has been better than maybe any Russian team I've ever seen and that's the main reason the Canadians forwards have looked poor. It's not all goaltending. Other than Game 2 against the QMJHL, it's been very difficult for Canadian forwards to get near the net.
Okay but Yak gets good ice time on a middle ground to poor KHL team on the big ice... Why is he the benchmark for Russian hockey in North America all of a sudden...
I think we've established this, he is no where near the game breaker that zhenya Kuznetsov, or Vlad Tarasenko is, he has skills but not in a way to break the game open like these guys have the ability to. If you think otherwise, please prove it with meaningfull stats.
He was expected to take on the role of leader, with everyone else stepping aside when he was on the ice. From my eyes, he has been a complete failure in every facet of hockey in this series. He has been selfish, a showboat with no recognition that there are other players out there with him. He has been blind to the notion that if he is drawing a crowd, that must mean other people are wide open. He has been a detriment to Russia, not an asset. I'm wondering whether Edmonton might be thinking that he could use another year in junior hockey, and maybe a year or two in the AHL before he is ready for the NHL.
My point is best illustrated by his penalty shot last night. From the time the whistle blew, his penalty shot took about 7 minutes, because he was skating so slowly that i honestly thought that he might fall asleep before he reached the net. Obviously, he has been very successful in a CHL environment in the past, but I can't believe that his stock hasn't plummeted after this series.
I thought the Russians played somewhat better than they did on the previous nights, but Brossoit absolutely slammed the door on them. Man, that guy is so big that he covers the entire net. How can you even wedge a puck in there? It looked to me as though he made a statement that he should be the starting goalie for Canada in Ufa.
The Russians looked great in the second period, but outside of the first game they haven't put together a 60 minute effort. I am guessing that they might already be looking ahead to the actual tournament, which is understandable. Brossoit did look like a monster last night. I don't know what to make of him after last night and his poor performance in the summer challenge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Macman
I think you're shortchanging the Russians. Their overall defence has been better than maybe any Russian team I've ever seen and that's the main reason the Canadians forwards have looked poor. It's not all goaltending. Other than Game 2 against the QMJHL, it's been very difficult for Canadian forwards to get near the net.
The Russian tactics have been quite effective, but unlike the OHL forwards the WHL seemed unable to generate any consistent chances. Clearly the Russians are a big part of that, but the WHL forwards outside of Shinkaruk and Reinhart looked far worse than their OHL counterparts.
I think you're shortchanging the Russians. Their overall defence has been better than maybe any Russian team I've ever seen and that's the main reason the Canadians forwards have looked poor. It's not all goaltending. Other than Game 2 against the QMJHL, it's been very difficult for Canadian forwards to get near the net.
I agree with you 100%. The Russian defense has been far better than what we saw in the 2012 WJC and even the August series. As you correctly state, Game 2 against the QMJHL was the only game in which the Russian defense was dominated.
The Russian tactics have been quite effective, but unlike the OHL forwards the WHL seemed unable to generate any consistent chances. Clearly the Russians are a big part of that, but the WHL forwards outside of Shinkaruk and Reinhart looked far worse than their OHL counterparts.
The OHL couldn't put together scoring chances to save their lives. The OHL games by far have been the most complacent in the Subway Series. The QMJHL games were pretty high scoring, the WHL game had lots of scoring chances, just that the goalies were on their game. Didn't see anything worth remembering in the OHL games. The last 30 seconds of the second OHL game was the closest thing to being exciting in the OHL games.
He was expected to take on the role of leader, with everyone else stepping aside when he was on the ice. From my eyes, he has been a complete failure in every facet of hockey in this series. He has been selfish, a showboat with no recognition that there are other players out there with him. He has been blind to the notion that if he is drawing a crowd, that must mean other people are wide open. He has been a detriment to Russia, not an asset. I'm wondering whether Edmonton might be thinking that he could use another year in junior hockey, and maybe a year or two in the AHL before he is ready for the NHL.
My point is best illustrated by his penalty shot last night. From the time the whistle blew, his penalty shot took about 7 minutes, because he was skating so slowly that i honestly thought that he might fall asleep before he reached the net. Obviously, he has been very successful in a CHL environment in the past, but I can't believe that his stock hasn't plummeted after this series.
He seems disinterested to me, for whatever reason. It looks like he doesn't want to be here, which is inexcusable for any game let alone ones where you're representing your country.
The Russians looked great in the second period, but outside of the first game they haven't put together a 60 minute effort. I am guessing that they might already be looking ahead to the actual tournament, which is understandable. Brossoit did look like a monster last night. I don't know what to make of him after last night and his poor performance in the summer challenge.
The Russian tactics have been quite effective, but unlike the OHL forwards the WHL seemed unable to generate any consistent chances. Clearly the Russians are a big part of that, but the WHL forwards outside of Shinkaruk and Reinhart looked far worse than their OHL counterparts.
It would be comforting to think that they were just looking ahead to the WJC, but what seems more likely is Canada is playing tough, sound defense, and the Russians haven't been able to do anything to overcome it. There is an obvious motivation issue, they are not fighting as hard as they could, and I always go back to what the coach demands of his players. I think Varnakov has failed to win their attention and respect, and their lackluster play is a by-product of that.
He seems disinterested to me, for whatever reason. It looks like he doesn't want to be here, which is inexcusable for any game let alone ones where you're representing your country.
True, and I see that as a coaching issue as well. The coach should enforce the same rules with him as everyone else - no prima donnas - and if he is disinterested, he should be benched.
Love how Morgan Rielly played. It worries me all the hype hes getting though. I hope he plays the whole season in MooseJaw just to stay out of the spotlight a little longer!
...the kid deserves all the praise he is getting. definite fun player to watch and someone you pay to see!
