Plus with all the winning they are doing now at that level, I think these guys are going to come in with a different confidence level. The last time the Griffins were this good Kopecky, Filppula, Hudler and Kronwall were down there for chunks of time. When they came up they had a different belief than the guys that followed them. Yes they were actually probably better which also explains the winning, but developing on a winning team instead of a just continue improving your own game while taking humbling losses is a much better route to go.
Well Kronner's had a nice run in Lids' shadow but the bright lights seem to be causing him to shrink. Val Filppula's showing some good signs he's ready to move into Z/Pavs territory, let's see if he can handle that pressure. Kopy and Huds were pretty much told to pound sand.
All this is just a way of saying the over-ripe thing can have it's downsides. And it can be over-rated! Don't forget Ken Holland tried to bury Fil in GR during his rookie season. He ended up having a nice campaign of 10 goals and the following season he was a solid contributor on a Stanley Cup winning team. Some hoodrat named Darren Helm was on that Cup winning team.
Youth will be served, let Babs have what he asks for and worry about the salary cap implications somehwere down the line. Has Val Filppula ever been a tough guy to sign? How about Darren Helm? Winning a Cup should result in the franchise being loyal to that guy, but the guy will also be loyal to that franchise as he achieved his boyhood dreams early on in his pro career.
Not surprised Bäckman is right up there with Ouellet and Sproul, obviously Håkan's kind words bumped him and Marchenko up the rankings. Athanasiou no higher than #17 is a small surprise, not that there are many guys ahead of him that should be lower.
Not surprised Bäckman is right up there with Ouellet and Sproul, obviously Håkan's kind words bumped him and Marchenko up the rankings. Athanasiou no higher than #17 is a small surprise, not that there are many guys ahead of him that should be lower.
15. D Alexei Marchenko (+5), CSKA Moscow (KHL), 42-4-5-9-6, even, 45 SOG. The two-way defenseman is expected to sign and play in the AHL next season.
nice to hear,gonna be an amazingly crowded defense in the AHL next year though
Cant say I agree with Jurco ahead of Ouellet or even Ferraro at this point. Ferraro was a second rounder but is proving he can do something at the pro level. Ouellet is just plain better. Until Jurco does smething with that first round skill set he shouldnt be that high
Man, some of our prospect values are just soaring. Ouellet's stock has risen quite rapidly, and Sproul is STILL ahead of him. Aside from that, I think Jurco is too high, Ferraro too low, and Almquist pretty underrated as well. Almquist might not have high-end NHL level tools in him, but I liked what I saw from about 20 games in GR.
edit: I also REALLY don't see how Paterson's stock falls. That's a puzzler.
Cant say I agree with Jurco ahead of Ouellet or even Ferraro at this point. Ferraro was a second rounder but is proving he can do something at the pro level. Ouellet is just plain better. Until Jurco does smething with that first round skill set he shouldnt be that high
Agree. For now he's just potential. I kinda like the rest of it, except as always I wouldn't rank a goaltender second, not in a pool like we got.
Now, I may be raw in the talent evaluation department, considering I don't really try all that often to evaluate talent... but...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Leach on Mattias Backman
“The thing we liked most is that his skating ability is very, very good, and he’s always skating with his head up and making the right play at the right time and not over-handling it. His decision-making under pressure was very good. He played a very solid and steady game defensively and he’s always in the right position at the right time. He’s not a heavy banging defenseman but he can separate his man from the puck. He just puts himself in the right position and makes people go into bad areas.”
Doesn't this sound like a certain someone who retired last June?
Yes it does. Problem is we all know he won't be and if we set to high of expectations it will only lead to let down.
I'm not expecting him to become Lidstrom, however if I were to describe #5, those are the exact words I'd used. I'm actually not getting the Edler comparison, however. Edler has a physical game and has registered 100+ hits before.
Now, I may be raw in the talent evaluation department, considering I don't really try all that often to evaluate talent... but...
Doesn't this sound like a certain someone who retired last June?
Yeah, I've been a Backman fan since he was drafted due to the way he plays the game. The good news is his offense is coming along nicely. If he can be the leading scorer among d-men in the SEL next season he'll be just about everything you could want: great skater, very good size, excellent defensive game, with a burgeoning offensive skill set. I'm glad he's being compared to Edler because being compared to Lids would be too much too soon. However I do hope we have Nick working with him and telling him everything he knows about playing defense. Sort of like an upgrade to a kick ass operating system no one else is equipped with.
