I'll make a fun prediction, as long as no one holds me to it:
RNH will at one point in his career score 90 assists in a season. Joe Thornton had 96 and 92 in 2006 and 2007. Francis, Gilmour, and Oates all did it in the 90s.
...it's an outside chance, but he does have ridiculous vision and hockey sense, and he's only a rookie. By his mid 20s, assuming everything goes well, he should be a phenomenal talent. Of the three, I think he has the most potential.
I personally don't see Hall getting an even split in goals and assists once he hits his prime. I think we're looking at a 45-30 player with Hall.
I think Hall can get more helpers than that. He should finish this season with 30+ assists despite missing some time. I don't think 40 assists in his prime is a stretch at all.
Edit - By the way, Eberle is just a freak of nature. We'd all be laughed at if we were predicting these totals two years ago, but right now most of them seem pretty reasonable.
This but if Hall stays healthy will be capable of out preforming them all and pull a Malkin Sedin 110 point season he Imo is the least matured hockey sense wise while having the highest skill set.
I don't think Hall has the hands to get that kind of production right now.
His breakaway moves are poor, which are probably going to cost him 3-5 goals/year because he gets so many of them. He needs to work on that.
RNH and Eberle have superior hands and more accurate shots. Even if they don't have the raw athleticism of Hall, I think their point production ceiling is higher because they simply can finish better.
Right now I'd say Hall will be a 30-35g/30-40a player. Those numbers may be buoyed by RNH though.
If he can develop a more accurate shot and a few go-to breakaway/2-on-1 moves, then I think he can break that barrier consistently, but if he never does, I doubt it.
It's very, very, very hard to consistently score 40 goals/season in this league. Prove me wrong, kid.
The OP is suggesting a line that would average over 100goals a season. Something almost unheard of in the NHL.
How many times do you guys think an NHL line scores over 100 goals in a season. Any season.
Alfredsson-Spezza-Heatley had a couple of seasons in which they all scored more than 100 points.
210 combined points would translate roughly into 80-90 goals. I think Hall is a potential 40 goal scorer. Eberle will score 30 goals one day. RNh can score 20-30 goals. I don't think it's unrealistic to expect 35/30/20 year in year out. They probably will come close to that this year. They have combined for 53 goals thus far.
If you were to put together the brain and vision of RNH with the drive and heart of Hall and the hands, finish and clutch ability of Eberle into one player... you'd have a Frankenstein hockey player rivaling a Gretzky/Lemieux/Messier combo.
The lucky thing is the Oilers DO have those 3 all on one line together. I have no idea what their upside will be but it certainly looks really promising.
Secretly (or not so secretly if you look above my avatar ) I wanted the Oilers to pick in the lottery this year and next and get 2 more like Yakupov and MacKinnon. I honestly think the team would be disgustingly good and rip the league apart if that were to happen.
Short term pain for very LONG term gain... but "unfortunately" the Oilers will be too good to get another 2 lotto picks.
You're saying you think all 3 will have PPG AVERAGES?
This means they'd all be in the top ten producers in the entire NHL during their prime.
Count me in. If this was what they'll AVERAGE you can start counting Stanley Cups.
In their prime I see no reason why they couldn't be the best line in hockey. How many lines do you see anymore with this kind of talent? Add in some PMD and the kids will be lethal out there.
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If by "one day" you mean some point this season, probably in mid-to-late-March then you're bang on.
In his prime? Eberle's a 50-goal guy. He can score from anywhere. On the rush, one-timer, wristers from the slot, greasy goals, you name it.
I doubt it, though I admit Eberle has always exceeded expectations. Last year people were talking about how hes's a 50-60 point player in his prime. It looks like he has a chance to be a PPG player in his 2nd year.
You're saying you think all 3 will have PPG AVERAGES?
This means they'd all be in the top ten producers in the entire NHL during their prime.
Count me in. If this was what they'll AVERAGE you can start counting Stanley Cups.
He is talking about what they accomplish in their primes. Which wont necessarily happen at the same time.
Right Now 18 players have a PPG or more (having played 8 games or more). This includes Eberle already, he is at 6th in the league. hall and RNH are tied for 30th with 0.9 PPG(27th if you remove the 3 players who have 1 point in 1 game).
I think it is very reasonable for all 3 of these players to average a PPG in their prime. They are almost doing it now.
Imagine what that top line of Hall-RNH-Eberle could do with a Weber-Suter type combo on defense.
If the Oilers can ever develop a good PP point man (or acquire one) this team will be deadly with the man advantage. I mean they are already #3 in the league on the PP with a rag tag crew of Petry/Potter/whomever else isn't broken at the moment.
) I wanted the Oilers to pick in the lottery this year and next and get 2 more like Yakupov and MacKinnon. I honestly think the team would be disgustingly good and rip the league apart if that were to happen.
