Eller's shooting percentage is a low 3,85, down from 12,4 last season, he should be due to pot a few.
If he can rebound to last years percantage while maintaining close to 2 shots per game he should get around 7-8 goals in the remaining games.
Seems like whatever line Eller is on these days does well...
Coach must be happy with him....he has been very versatile
I was afraid it was only the first few games after getting benched, but he's been really solid pretty much every game since. Making things happen and playing hard at both ends.
I love how he went from being the odd man out in the first couple games, playing "too soff", to being one of the most effective players in our lineup with this dump and grind style. Sure there are guys who are a bit more effective at the grinding and retrieving the puck thus far, Prust and Bourque come to mind, but Eller hasn't been too far behind recently, and he has better hands/vision once he gets the puck on his stick.
Very impressed, enjoying the way this Habs team is playing right now, especially Eller, who's starting to move towards that potential we knew he had coming over from St.Louis.
That being said, I hope they don't move DD just yet, I really like him as a player as well. Obviously I would keep Eller over him, but that's not a slight to him, but a compliment to Eller. If we want to keep running 3 scoring lines we need to have depth in case of injuries along the way, which I hope we do as it's one of the main factors contributing to our early success. It's tough when you have to sit out a talented player, or push him to the 4th line, but as we're seeing now, it really becomes necessary when someone could drop out of the line-up in a flash.
I was afraid it was only the first few games after getting benched, but he's been really solid pretty much every game since. Making things happen and playing hard at both ends.
I agree.
Apparently a lot of posters in here were wrong when they accused Therrien of “not liking Eller”. Some even mentioned that if Eller was French, he would get more ice time... fun time! Therrien knew what he was doing and he sure pushed the right button.
Eller, as a winger or as a center, is finally finding himself a niche in the NHL.
Heck... when a quality player like Eller is assuming 3rd/4th line duties, you know something is right in Habs land. I really like the mix and depth upfront.
I wasn't saying that's a bad thing, but I mean in the sense that because he's not a Giroux or Malkin, he's undervalued.
Seems that Therrien is showing more faith in him though, but I suspect he will still go back to the 4th line when Gallagher returns.
I don't see the big deal with that because...
1-MT palys the 4th more than most, even moreso in a shortened season
2-Eller gets regular PP and PK time
3-MT often "shortens the bench" late and plays guys taht are going well
Right now Eller is 7th in ice time/game among forwards.
1-MT palys the 4th more than most, even moreso in a shortened season
2-Eller gets regular PP and PK time
3-MT often "shortens the bench" late and plays guys taht are going well
Right now Eller is 7th in ice time/game among forwards.
With Pleks, Bourque and Pacioretty clearly ahead of him and Cole being a grizzled veteran it leaves two of Gally1, Gally2, DD(ugh) and Gionta(ugh) ahead of him any given night and I'm okay with that. Eller just needs some PP time over Gionta I think.
I don't get why he's suddenly everybody's pet project though.
What do you see in Eller that you didn't see in Chad Kilger?
A weaker slap shot!
Seriously, Eller has smoother hands and his compete level, though not his forte, is much higher. So is his hockey IQ. Kilger was an enigma: the guy had all the tools.
Another thought provoking question would be: What do you see in Eller that you didn't see in Jan Bulis?
What do you see in Eller that you didn't see in Chad Kilger?
Wow, what a terrible comparison.
Kilger wasn't a good goal scorer. He also didn't have soft hands when it came to passes. He wasn't a mentally sound player. He was big and imposing but rarely used his potential strength. Kilger had a hard shot and was a big body plus some defensive ability. Lars Eller is a completely different player.
Seriously, Eller has smoother hands and his compete level, though not his forte, is much higher. So is his hockey IQ. Kilger was an enigma: the guy had all the tools.
Another thought provoking question would be: What do you see in Eller that you didn't see in Jan Bulis?
Bigger frame, better on the boards, better defensively, more character. Bad comparison, IMO.
I feel this bulis comparison just came out of nowhere because of the 4 goal game.
Bigger frame, better on the boards, better defensively, more character. Bad comparison, IMO.
I feel this bulis comparison just came out of nowhere because of the 4 goal game.
Bulis was a good two ways player and we often questioned ourselves about his ability to play on the top2 lines. He was a good 3rd line player imo. Just like Eller (and here I know you won’t like me!), he was suffering from a mild case of tunnel vision and, from time to time, he did need someone to light a fire under his chair.
That said, I also prefer, a lot, Eller over Bulis.
Bulis was a good two ways player and we often questioned ourselves about his ability to play on the top2 lines. He was a good 3rd line player imo. Just like Eller (and here I know you won’t like me!), he was suffering from a mild case of tunnel vision and, from time to time, he did need someone to light a fire under his chair.
That said, I also prefer, a lot, Eller over Bulis.
I really don't believe in this tunnel vision stuff. Eller is a good playmaker. He'll never be a pure playmaker like Desharnais, but he has above average vision. The major problem with Eller, imo, is that he has huge confidence issues. He'll go massive stretches of holding his stick too tight and trying to force shots through.
As for lighting a fire under his ass, I don't really find his play is all that different from last year, TBH. He hits more, sure, but I think a large part of his improvement can be attributed to all that muscle he put on in the summer. When a player that good on the boards gets that much stronger, you're gonna see some nice improvement.
As for lighting a fire under his ass, I don't really find his play is all that different from last year, TBH.
Same here. It really pisses me off when people attribute his play to the benching because it sells Eller short. He looks a lot like the Eller of last year except that he his much stronger, which is an important improvement since Eller's game really is centred on puck possession and board work. We saw him play the same game last year, just he wasn't as strong.
It's not like Eller was crap for 10 games before he got benched. He played 1 ****ing game, the first game of the season and was bad like everyone else that night. This myth that Eller is working hard because of the benching attributes the success of Eller to outside factors instead of himself. Eller has always been a hard working player, especially on the boards.
The big difference is that he is now actually playing with a quality linemate. Every time he had played with linemates with some talent Eller has put up points. He did with Andrei, did it with Desharnais, did it with his brief stint with Cammalleri and Plekanec and he is doing it now with Galchenyuk. The potential is there, the coach has to put him in positions to extract that potential and Eller has proven that he belongs in those positions.
Same here. It really pisses me off when people attribute his play to the benching because it sells Eller short. He looks a lot like the Eller of last year except that he his much stronger, which is an important improvement since Eller's game really is centred on puck possession and board work. We saw him play the same game last year, just he wasn't as strong.
It's not like Eller was crap for 10 games before he got benched. He played 1 ****ing game, the first game of the season and was bad like everyone else that night. This myth that Eller is working hard because of the benching attributes the success of Eller to outside factors instead of himself. Eller has always been a hard working player, especially on the boards.
The big difference is that he is now actually playing with a quality linemate. Every time he had played with linemates with some talent Eller has put up points. He did with Andrei, did it with Desharnais, did it with his brief stint with Cammalleri and Plekanec and he is doing it now with Galchenyuk. The potential is there, the coach has to put him in positions to extract that potential and Eller has proven that he belongs in those positions.
I think the " light a fire" model applies more to other sorts of players.
But getting Eller to think about what he can contribute might have been
useful. Even if, as you say, it got him back to what worked last year.
When many players play poorly, the coach still has to choose which
one to sit. I think Therrien made a good decision. I'm also okay with how
Eller is being used. When more injuries strike, or he thinks some veteran has
dragged *** too long, Eller will get a bigger role.
Nothing the coach does is ever the main factor in a players success.
It's always the player that has to actually go out and do it. I'm with
you on that.
Same here. It really pisses me off when people attribute his play to the benching because it sells Eller short. He looks a lot like the Eller of last year except that he his much stronger, which is an important improvement since Eller's game really is centred on puck possession and board work. We saw him play the same game last year, just he wasn't as strong.
It's not like Eller was crap for 10 games before he got benched. He played 1 ****ing game, the first game of the season and was bad like everyone else that night. This myth that Eller is working hard because of the benching attributes the success of Eller to outside factors instead of himself. Eller has always been a hard working player, especially on the boards.
The big difference is that he is now actually playing with a quality linemate. Every time he had played with linemates with some talent Eller has put up points. He did with Andrei, did it with Desharnais, did it with his brief stint with Cammalleri and Plekanec and he is doing it now with Galchenyuk. The potential is there, the coach has to put him in positions to extract that potential and Eller has proven that he belongs in those positions.
Eller is finally finding his niche in the NHL and I think Therrien played a role. I am not sure why you refuse to acknowledge the part played by Therrien. Eller, vs his play last season and earlier this season, is playing with more intensity in every aspects of his game. As a player, he is growing right before our eyes... and it goes beyond the few pounds he gained during the off season.
