Young defensively responsible center man with size who has two years played, one with 17pts and the other with 28. Has offensive upside and plays with heart.
Young defensively responsible center man with size who has three years played, two with 26pts and the other with 55. Has offensive upside and plays with heart.
They're basically the same player, at different stages in their progressions, with O'Reilly having the edge because of his production last year. O'Reilly was given an opportunity to produce last year and he did. Eller never was given such an opportunity. You trade one for the other, it's a lateral move and it ends up costing you cap space. You add anything to the deal and its an overpayment. Also, O'Reilly projects as a 2nd line center. You're gonna bump Plekanec to make room for him? Galchenyuk? Makes no sense whatsoever.
Sign ROR to a ludicrous contract after putting Subban through the ringer for a couple mil? That would be a great way to create a rift in the locker room. I would rather keep our picks for this draft.
Sign ROR to a ludicrous contract after putting Subban through the ringer for a couple mil? That would be a great way to create a rift in the locker room. I would rather keep our picks for this draft.
Plus, what has he even done to deserve such a contract?! We have an arguably better young power forward in Pacioretty who's making less money than what that greedy kid was offered. I believe some of you guys really need to put the kid in perspective and compare him to what we already have. He's being over-hyped through the roof.
If we trade Eller - which I think is a wrong move considering the depth we have at center - I want a "Eric Cole" to replace Eric Cole. I do not trust Eric Cole and I feel that him calling it quits at the end of the season would be very bad for the team. It would leave us with Pacioretty and Bourque. I'm not solf on the consistency of Bourque. So it comes down to having Pacioretty. Not sufficient.
no one is untouchable. if some offer came along from some team that's completely in love with lars and offers proven young talent that can thrive under our pressure, then obviously yes.
however, realistically, at this point, and considering the direction we are trying to go, lars is a keeper. it would be a mistake to unload him. he needs both quality time and linemates to help him progress and truly see if he can convert that potential into something viable. i really like this kid. i think he can thrive if given the chance.
we're small down the center, i just find it counter productive to trade him before some others.
Would you guys trade Eller for Polak if the Blues inquired?
I think that's a fit for both teams. Polak's had a tough go to start the year but he's played 3rd fiddle behind Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo, two of the leagues best. Don't look at his +/- .. he's been stuck with Kris Russel and Wade Redden.
Would you guys trade Eller for Polak if the Blues inquired?
I think that's a fit for both teams. Polak's had a tough go to start the year but he's played 3rd fiddle behind Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo, two of the leagues best.
Oooh...
I would. I really, really like Roman Polak. But I don't see St. Louis making the trade.
I would. I really, really like Roman Polak. But I don't see St. Louis making the trade.
They are really weak at C.. they are using Schwartz right now on the 3rd line and he's not ready. I believe their also using Steen as the 2nd line C and he'd be much better on the wing.
Polak is a good defenseman, but when you're playing behind Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo, you're not going to get many minutes if you can't play the left side (if he could, he'd be playing 1st pair with Pietrangelo).
I think something like Polak + D'Agostini for Weber + Polak could work. Weber could eat up the 14-16 minutes a game on the 3rd pairing and they get a 2nd line C or at least a 3rd line C to replace Schwartz.
MTL gets Polak who would be a lot better chewing up 20 minutes a game than Emelin. And we would get D'Agostini, who is a much better two way player now, who can play on the wing in our Top-9.
Would you guys trade Eller for Polak if the Blues inquired?
I think that's a fit for both teams. Polak's had a tough go to start the year but he's played 3rd fiddle behind Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo, two of the leagues best. Don't look at his +/- .. he's been stuck with Kris Russel and Wade Redden.
Markov - Polak
Subban - Gorges
Emelin - Diaz
I like.
As long as you have MT as the head coach, Bouillon isn't going anywhere..lol
As for RoR, yeah I was hyped to get him too but not anymore. He's asking for too much money.
Eller and our first pick for top flight player? Something like Carolina did last year...Sutter and their #1 pick for Staal. Last time there was a stacked draft we got Andrei Kostitsyn in first round, we'll be drafting much later so odds are not great we will get a top player with that pick anyway. We have 2 seconds so makes up for loss of late first
Eller should be traded for no less than Toews, or Giroux, or even Crosby.
Because he is so over rated on this board.
Last game proved once again that DD is a better overall player than Eller.
Unfortunately, many on this board over-rate the skill level of Lars. He is a great skater and a good teammate, but isn't a playmaker. He doesn't seem to read the offensive opportunities like DD can. If Eller was so good, he would be on either top two lines. I must say, Eller played better on the wing during Pacioretty absence.
The only way I see him on the top two lines is as a winger. That's it that's all!!!
Last game proved once again that DD is a better overall player than Eller.
Unfortunately, many on this board over-rate the skill level of Lars. He is a great skater and a good teammate, but isn't a playmaker. He doesn't seem to read the offensive opportunities like DD can. If Eller was so good, he would be on either top two lines. I must say, Eller played better on the wing during Pacioretty absence.
The only way I see him on the top two lines is as a winger. That's it that's all!!!
I wouldn't say DD is a better player overall... at least not that clearly. Both of them bring different aspects. DD is for sure more creative offensively and has better hockey sense, but Eller is bigger, harder to knock off the puck, solid offensively, and great defensively. DD, when on his game, is incredible and very fun to watch. When he's struggling, he's horrifying though. Eller, when on his game is fun to watch, when not on his game, he's just average)
I love both of them.. I'd really consider moving Galchenyuk back to the wing and slotting Eller between him and Cole.
Last game proved once again that DD is a better overall player than Eller.
Unfortunately, many on this board over-rate the skill level of Lars. He is a great skater and a good teammate, but isn't a playmaker. He doesn't seem to read the offensive opportunities like DD can. If Eller was so good, he would be on either top two lines. I must say, Eller played better on the wing during Pacioretty absence.
The only way I see him on the top two lines is as a winger. That's it that's all!!!
since you seems to believe DD is a better player overall... why dont you talk about his defensive game ?
He's not as bad defensively as people make him out to be. He's not Plekanec or Eller, but he's not bad either, IMO.
Actually, he cares about defense, as opposed to many players who aren't good defensively. And he's actually intelligent enough to disrupt some plays and to not make gaffes, like, clearing attemps in end-games in non-desperate situations.
But being small an not very strong means that he can't do everything.
I'm not sure how one game where Eller had the lowest TOI on the team proves much of everything. And if only playmakers can be good centers, then ROR is no center either.
DD is the most creative center on this team. That doesn't make him the best center on the team unless Plekanec was traded without me knowing. Desharnais is a pure passer, what he lacks in athleticism and even puck handling skill he makes up in the ability to pass around the net, and a willingness to pay the price to do so. But he pretty much has to start in the offensive zone to be useful. That's probably why Pacioretty and him have such good chemistry, since Pacioretty can rush with the puck and is a possession beast even when not scoring, even if he lacks creativity.
But what Desharnais is or isn't is irrelevant to the question is if the team is squandering Eller's talents. I don't know how you can compare them when Eller plays on the 4th line.
Actually, he cares about defense, as opposed to many players who aren't good defensively. And he's actually intelligent enough to disrupt some plays and to not make gaffes, like, clearing attemps in end-games in non-desperate situations.
But being small an not very strong means that he can't do everything.
caring about it and being good at it are two different things...
He's not as bad defensively as people make him out to be. He's not Plekanec or Eller, but he's not bad either, IMO.
You will probably disagree but IMO what Desharnais is really bad at is defensive zone play in general. Defensively he does a lot of little things right - the effort is there, he doesn't give up on plays and is smart enough to intercept pucks, which means he's decent at recovery, in the offensive or neutral zone, but when he gets a defensive start, I find he usually gets pinned in his own end. Of course it depends who he is playing with but that's the biggest problem with Desharnais for me. It reminds me of Briere.
