Looking to trade down, but not until I'm on the clock. Trade will need to include a minimum eight picks, two of which you don't own. Also must be unbalanced.
Ahhh...nice pick, nik. Ratelle has been historically underrated in the ATD relative to the other centers. He was actually a much better two-way player than some people seem to think (indeed, better than I remember as a kid, but then I was young and unlikely to have noticed the kind of checking that Ratelle seems to have been good at):
You do need to protect him physically, though. Cleghorn - Chara's not a bad start in that direction...
edit: those links I posted were all jacked up. Now they work.
thanks
it is not difficult to find a C for jagr, since jagr generally played well regardless of C, but i wanted someone basically like ron francis (originally hoping for delvecchio.) : playmaker, at least responsible defensively, and preferably someone who may be a positive influence, as jagr was sort of moody. ratelle had good work ethic, was not personally abrasive and seems to have been likeable.
i was unaware until just recently that also like francis, ratelle was strong on faceoffs.
a member of boston management described ratelle:
Quote:
"Jean Ratelle got almost 100 points in both his first two years with us," X recalled. "You know, I've often used his name as players have come along since and pointed out what a great defensive player he was without being an aggressive type of forward. He was a terrific checker. A lot of players who don't have an aggressive nature think you're talking body-checking, but Ratelle is a great example of how you can check so well without necessarily being a body-checker. He brought a lot to this team. He was an excellent faceoff man and more of a creative playmaker than a shooter. He'd get 35 goals while Espo would get around 60, but Jean was able to put a lot of points up there with his playmaking."
ratelle was not keon or nighbor, or a contender for selke, and i think boston's style of play helped him, but he was a good defensive player.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDevilMadeMe
Ratelle falls under the category of guys with questionable playoff records
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sturminator
He does a bit, yes, but in Ratelle's case it is extremely clear how to cure that problem. Compare Ratelle's playoff performances in New York to his performances in Boston. Ratelle was much better in Boston, and it wasn't because he was surrounded by more offensive talent there. Actually, his linemates got worse and his primary puckmover from the blueline (Park) stayed the same (Ratelle only played 10 games with Bobby Orr). The difference was that the Bruins didn't let Ratelle get beaten to a pulp in the playoffs like the Rangers did.
You protect Ratelle, and he'll deliver. He had four excellent postseasons in a row for the Bruins until age caught up with him. I think nik's planning on using Ratelle as his 1st line C, meaning that he'll spend a lot of time on ice with that scary first pairing. I would recommend that nik draft at least one pugilistically inclined 2nd pairing defenseman, as well, just to hedge his bets, but this looks like a good environment for Ratelle.
edit: here's an article about the Bruins sticking up for Ratelle
Lack of toughness was a well-known problem for those Rangers teams. Ahhhh...the 70's.
i have heard that before. JFF has mentioned a few times that flyers considered NYR a fairly soft team that could be pushed around, and that some members (likely including ratelle) suffered from the philly flu. but NYR seem to have had a good record vs flyers. apparently, the big bad bruins were also a problem for NYR.
biggest thing is that ratelle's goalscoring in playoffs dropped very much when he played for NYR. ratelle often led NYR in assists and sometimes in points, but his goals per game fell sharply from .44 to .15 in playoffs .
but in boston, the opposite happened. other than in ratelle's last season when he played through injuries, ratelle in boston actually scored more goals per game and points per game in the playoffs than in regular season.
fortunately, ratelle will not be the focus of his line as he was with NYR, and playing with jagr should give him more space.
ratelle was not keon or nighbor, or a contender for selke, and i think boston's style of play helped him, but he was a good defensive player.
He was actually top-10 in Selke voting twice while in Boston, IIRC, in the era when the trophy was given to defensive specialists. But no, he was no Nighbor.
Do you plan on going Soviet for the whole draft?!?
severely limits options
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sturminator
He was actually top-10 in Selke voting twice while in Boston, IIRC, in the era when the trophy was given to defensive specialists. But no, he was no Nighbor.
quick look at the voting thread shows 14th in '78 (age 37) and 11th in '79 (age 38).
67 games in '80 and 47 in '81, so '78 and '79 are the only full seasons ratelle played when selke existed.
With our 5th selection, the 142nd overall in this year draft, l'équipe nationale de France est fier de sélectionner, from Toronto, Ontario, le défenseur Carl Brewer
Stanley Cup Champion (1962, 1963, 1964)
NHL Second All-Star Team (1962, 1965, 1970)
NHL First All-Star Team (1963)
WEC-A All-Star Team (1967)
IHL First All-Star Team (1968)
Governors' Trophy (Outstanding Defenseman - IHL) (1968)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1959, 1962, 1964, 1970)
I'm not sure if I'll play him with Vasiliev or not, but I'm happy to draft a guy with those kind of skills, and who fit my team need, as my #2 defenceman. Seems like one hell of a guy to make a biography on also!
With our 5th selection, the 142nd overall in this year draft, l'équipe nationale de France est fier de sélectionner, from Toronto, Ontario, le défenseur Carl Brewer
Stanley Cup Champion (1962, 1963, 1964)
NHL Second All-Star Team (1962, 1965, 1970)
NHL First All-Star Team (1963)
WEC-A All-Star Team (1967)
IHL First All-Star Team (1968)
Governors' Trophy (Outstanding Defenseman - IHL) (1968)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1959, 1962, 1964, 1970)
I'm not sure if I'll play him with Vasiliev or not, but I'm happy to draft a guy with those kind of skills, and who fit my team need, as my #2 defenceman. Seems like one hell of a guy to make a biography on also!
Leaf Lander thanks you for the bio
As per ATD tradition, the draft moves on after a flubbed pick. Modo is on the clock.
With our 5th selection, the 142nd overall in this year draft, l'équipe nationale de France est fier de sélectionner, from Toronto, Ontario, le défenseur Carl Brewer
Stanley Cup Champion (1962, 1963, 1964)
NHL Second All-Star Team (1962, 1965, 1970)
NHL First All-Star Team (1963)
WEC-A All-Star Team (1967)
IHL First All-Star Team (1968)
Governors' Trophy (Outstanding Defenseman - IHL) (1968)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1959, 1962, 1964, 1970)
I'm not sure if I'll play him with Vasiliev or not, but I'm happy to draft a guy with those kind of skills, and who fit my team need, as my #2 defenceman. Seems like one hell of a guy to make a biography on also!
Oups, sorry about that! I must a miss a complete page of posts, hence why I missed the Brewer pick and others! That's why I thought it was weird that they was six picks until my selection this morning, and after three I was OTC.
Also, I thought LL was not picking Maple Leafs player this time around!
...Wait, what? There's no makeup selection for EB?
He can make it up whenever he wants. It basically means he loses his clock (the same as getting skipped). It's like that because GMs sometimes make a pick then sign off for the day.
If you want to be a nice guy, you are welcome to wait for him (he's obviously here).
.
. Although some solid options still available, shouldn't take too long to decide.
