On a side note, I'd do anything for Sasha Barkov. He's incredible.
Really? I saw a lot of positive things out of him in that game but he doesn't move his feet. It's like Grigorenko in slow motion. It was my first viewing of him and my expectations were high but I was really disappointed.
Really? I saw a lot of positive things out of him in that game but he doesn't move his feet. It's like Grigorenko in slow motion. It was my first viewing of him and my expectations were high but I was really disappointed.
He's not a fantastic skater from what I've seen but he uses his size really well. Things happen when he has the puck. Simple as that. I'm super high on this kid.
Barkov is incredibly quietly effective. Does all the small things exceptionally well. There are some videos floating around of all of his shifts in a couple of different games. Basically isolation cam. You'd never know he is seventeen. Looks like Mikko Koivu does right now. Crazy.
Barkov is such a subtle player. Imagine plugging him into Langkow's spot and then funneling the rest of the money toward a UFA replacement for Steve Sullivan/Ray Whitney. Without changing the budget or making a single trade, this club could be dramatically better in both the short and long term with a gift at the draft.
And in a shortened season, anything can happen. One bad slump and you're likely to miss the playoffs. We're basically a Mike Smith injury away from a top 10 pick in a 48 game season. On the other hand, riding on the Maloney/Tippett magical mystery tour for this long, you have to wonder if they wouldn't just win a Stanley Cup in a shortened season.
Just finished watching Moscow & St. Petersburg. Moscow won 2-1 in OT. Prucha scored the goal for SKA.
Tikhonov played center and did an ok job, but he just doesn't seem to have much knack for offensive creativity, even when he's got high quality wingers on his side. They usually matched his line up against Datsyuk/Grabovski's line and he was on the ice when Datsyuk scored on a nice feed from Radulov, but it was no fault of his own. Although it doesn't look like he's developed much more, I do still see an effective defensive specialist bottom-6 type player at the NHL level in him. If a half season starts back, I'd be willing to give him a last look in that bottom 6 (I'd rather try to throw the season and get a top 5 pick than try to compete in the madness of a 48 game schedule that runs through June). The stipulation would be that he needs to get a haircut. His hair was sticking out through the earholes of his helmet making him look like Yoda. I don't know if he was trying to do Jedi mind tricks or terrify his opponents, but it came off looking ridiculous. Someone must have told him, because the next time the camera panned to him, he'd fixed his lid.
CSKA sure has a lot of talent on it. Bryzgalov, Radulov, Grabovski, Shirokov, Datsyuk. SKA isn't a bad club either with Kovalchuk, Bobrovski, Tarasenko, and guys like Tikhonov, Prucha and Kalinin. Pretty good squads.
Murphy is not at all like I expected. He doesn't fit the scouting reports. He's actually a lot like Gord, but with a big shot and the urge to pinch offensively. I agree he's been solid on the PK. Even 5on3.
Murphy is not at all like I expected. He doesn't fit the scouting reports. He's actually a lot like Gord, but with a big shot and the urge to pinch offensively. I agree he's been solid on the PK. Even 5on3.
We saw a lot of praised heaped upon Canadiens d prospect Tinordi last year after he was drafted by Montreal and I would say that Murphy's growth spurt may have elevated his status amongst defensive d men with size (ahead of Tinordi). Murphy isn't playing the PP much at the WJC but he does have a deadly accurate shot as well so his offensive abilities are there. He's a legitimate top 3 D at the NHL level.
Samuelsson score a hatty last night. 1 Assist too.
Had an uneventful game last night but he still sits top 20 in league scoring.
I was watching the 2012 entry draft again recently and I would occasionally look up some of the stats of the forwards who were selected ahead. I suspect that if the draft were re-held today that Samuellson at the very least would move up 10 spots. He's exceeded my expectations offensively at this stage of his development to the point that I view him as a 2nd line center and not someone that we would simply bring in to replace Hanzel down the road on our 3rd line.
Conner Murphy has been extremely solid on the blue line; especially on the PK. If this is him playing hurt then I think we did alright.
Not trying to be a homer, but from the start of the tournament Connor Murphy had been the most consistent defensively reliable dman for team USA since the beginning. Now the other dman have come on really strong as the tournament has gone along, but I don' think anyone has shown the poise that Murphy has in his end. Maybe McCabe? I also seem to remember hearing on one of the broadcasts, that the injured dman was actually Sieloff and he was the reason they were holding up the final roster announcement.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rt
Murphy is not at all like I expected. He doesn't fit the scouting reports. He's actually a lot like Gord, but with a big shot and the urge to pinch offensively. I agree he's been solid on the PK. Even 5on3.
Remember during the draft they had him comparable to Goligoski. Haven't seen that side of his game, but he does handle the puck very well for a big guy and has a pretty buttery back hand saucer pass. Big guy with a very active stick, very aware of his guy in front of the net. Not the most fleet of foot but his positioning is excellent. I liken his playing style to someone like Marc Staal. Considerable offensive upside but will likely never reach that playing for our organization with the depth we do have. I do remember hearing during the draft that Maloney mentioned he sees Gormley and Murphy being a true shut down pair in the future.
Miele will get a consideration I bet, same with Rundblad, Stone, Murphy and Summers obviously.
Miele will definitely get a look. Depends a lot on his progress in the defensive end and faceoffs. Don't see Murphy getting any real consideration this year.
Who do you think gets a look in training camp? Samuelsson? Murphy?
Don't see too many young prospects getting looks for this years camp. I see guys like Bolduc and maybe Klinkhammer getting long looks just because with a short season you can't afford the growing pains that come with most young players
I meant guys in junior, not AHL. I should've been more clear. I have heard that most teams aren't going to invite many/if any junior players. I still think Samuelsson and Murphy should be invited if for nothing more than to see how far they are.
I meant guys in junior, not AHL. I should've been more clear. I have heard that most teams aren't going to invite many/if any junior players. I still think Samuelsson and Murphy should be invited if for nothing more than to see how far they are.
I wouldn't bring in anyone that doesn't have a legit shot at making the team. Don't think Murphy or Samuelsson fall in that category. Camp is too short this year and we have too many roster decisions to make in that time. With the short season I'd like to make sure we spend enough time making sure we pick the right guys to start the season. A bad start and we could be toast.
