Giroux's not even a top 10 player in the NHL yet. He's yet to have a PPG or 80 point regular season and he's not anything special defensively. Guys off the top of my head that are better:
H. Sedin
D. Sedin
Ovechkin
Crosby
Malkin
Zetterberg
St. Louis
Iginla
Stamkos
Toews
That's 10 right there that most would agree are better then him. That's without even getting into guys like Datsyuk, Perry, B. Richards, M. Richards, E. Staal, Getzlaf, Kesler, Selanne, and Thornton.
Do you watch hockey? On your list of ten he is better than Malkin and Iginla now. Also he is better than both Richards and Staal. Ah whatever. We have him and I am glad we do.
Do you watch hockey? On your list of ten he is better than Malkin and Iginla now. Also he is better than both Richards and Staal. Ah whatever. We have him and I am glad we do.
Iginla had 43 goals and 86 points last year. B Richards had 77 points last year, and 91 the year before. M Richards has been a PPG player twice and plays Selke caliber defense. If he regains that point production Giroux would have to score a hell of a lot to surpass him.
I like Giroux a lot, and think he will be a top 10-15 player in the future, but he has not done enough to warrant the lofty praise he gets from some on here.
Once again, only in Philadelphia do fans find ways to have a top 10 league wide talent and look for ways to knock them down.
You take a look at guys who are "ahead" of Giroux and you'll see that they've played their position their entire life in hockey. Giroux was a right winger that was converted to a center just under two years ago. How many players do you know have undergone a position change (especially from wing to center) and have made the transition as smooth as Giroux? Exactly. Imagine what the guy would have done if he played center his entire hockey career.
I think the fact that Giroux is so versatile is something he has over most forwards in the game. To move from wing to center is probably the hardest transition a player can make. Yet, there's Giroux who's done it and made it look seamless. Yes, there's still the little nuances of the position that he needs to pick up on, but the fact that in two years, he basically made Carter and Richards expendable speaks in volumes about his upside.
I think when all is said and done, he's a carbon copy Datsyuk. And Datsyuk really didn't hit his stride until he reached the 27-28 year old mark. I look at Giroux and if he continues the way he has, his upside is going to be real scary. We're just seeing him scratch the surface of his ability. As others have pointed out, enjoy the ride and quit whining about why he shouldn't be considered a top 10 player.
As long is Sidney Crosby is healthy and playing, Giroux will never be the best player in the league, nor will anyone else for that matter (unless a new Sidney Crosby comes around).
As long is Sidney Crosby is healthy and playing, Giroux will never be the best player in the league, nor will anyone else for that matter (unless a new Sidney Crosby comes around).
Unfortunately this is true. The frustrating thing about Crosby is that he isn't good the same way every season. There's always something new being added to his game. I think once he gets playing this season he isn't going to be the Sid that went out last year, but I think next season he is going to be ridiculous. He's going to be peaking soon, gonna be a terror.
As long is Sidney Crosby is healthy and playing, Giroux will never be the best player in the league, nor will anyone else for that matter (unless a new Sidney Crosby comes around).
Have no fear DUHockey. Just think of the enjoyment we will having watching Crosby as a Flyer at age 39. Can't wait
I think Kopitar and Giroux will have huge seasons this year, they are both at 24 an 23 in for their massive break. They will only have Stamkos, Ovechkin, Malkin, Crosby and Sedins as reasonable competition in regular season. Taking postseason into account, Giroux might be ahead of Sedins and Stamkos as well.
I started this thread 2 weeks ago and everyone scoffed.
I guess Jagr read it and agrees with me.
I think Jagr comes back for another season just to play with giroux. Did anyone else see his post game interview? He was on the verge of tears saying how he loves playing for/with giroux, and how he is easily a top 3 player right now...flyers fans should be starting to slowly get more and more excited, this team is the total opposite than last year in that all of the guys seem to be playing for each other not themselves, gonna be a dangerous team come april if this continues.
I started this thread 2 weeks ago and everyone scoffed.
I guess Jagr read it and agrees with me.
I'm still waiting for teams to "figure him out" because it's the beginning of the year when team defenses generally suck (or D men are stupid) and everything Giroux does is the result of these factors.
Last edited by OccupySouthBroadSt: 11-15-2011 at 05:01 PM.
Reason: clean up
Iginla had 43 goals and 86 points last year. B Richards had 77 points last year, and 91 the year before. M Richards has been a PPG player twice and plays Selke caliber defense. If he regains that point production Giroux would have to score a hell of a lot to surpass him.
I like Giroux a lot, and think he will be a top 10-15 player in the future,but he has not done enough to warrant the lofty praise he gets from some on here.
I respect your opinion(just do not agree with it). Every team in the league is trying to shut this kid down when they play the Flyers.And he is still fighting through it. I also disagree with your statement concerning lofty praise. This site is not the only place where he is getting"lofty praise". Check out what the experts on TSN and NHL have to say about him. Like I have stated in the past. I do not concern myself with his ranking. I know what I see and this kid has something that does not come around very often. He has worked on his game and he just keeps on improving. You can put him in any situation and feel comfortable. He is a mixture of Peter Forsberg and Bobby Clarke. Not bad company if you ask me. I am just glad we have him and not the rangers.
I'm still waiting for teams to "figure him out" because it's the beginning of the year when team defenses generally suck (or D men are stupid) and everything Giroux does is the result of these factors.
It's pretty well established that as the season goes on and teams play more, they tighten up, so I don't know why you dismiss that so easily.
edit: ah, your edit negates the first part of my post. Removing.
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Down in the basement, I've got a Craftsman lathe. Show it to the children when they misbehave.
Been saying it for nearly three years now, basically after a month into his rookie season... Giroux would be this team's best player by 2012 (better than Richards, Carter, et al.); turns out he was by 2011. The Flyers knew just how good he could be, and any hockey fan with even a sliver of intuition understood immediately that there's something special about him. Giroux's got IT, to go along with unbelievable, mind-blowing talent. The skill, the grit, the physicality/strength for someone his size, the determination, the edge/nastiness, the ability to dominate a game on his own, and the knack for raising his game when the stakes are highest. He's a rare breed of player, one who doesn't come around often and that not many teams are fortunate enough to enjoy. We are watching the evolution of a legitimate superstar and top-five forward in the game -- a guy who will be the next captain of this team, win at least one Stanley Cup, and one day have his number retired and hung in the rafters. He is our answer to Sidney Crosby, and when Claude Giroux's career is over, he will be on par with Bobby Clarke as one of the best players in franchise history. I know that may seem hyperbolic and unconscionable at the moment, but I firmly believe it.
The fans on this board who a few years ago wrote that they'd be content trading Giroux for a starting goalie can shove it. You know who you are. Now just sit back and marvel at how lucky you are to watch him play hockey for your favorite team.
Edit: Oh, and to the people who never thought Giroux's shot was good enough to be a lethal goal scorer (cough, Jester, cough), hate to say I told you so, but.... yeah. The potential has always been there. His shot has ALWAYS been a sneaky good asset, just got overlooked because of his proclivity for being a pass-first play-maker. However, just like Crosby, G has the kind of shot and one-on-one moves that can make him a 40-50 goal scorer... and now, like Crosby did, he's starting to harness it. That's a scary thing for the rest of the league.
Last edited by Amateur Hour: 11-17-2011 at 05:36 PM.
Touche
