Has him not speaking yet worrysome to any of you? Or am i just an old Jew looking for gossip and things to complain about? (im a jew, i can speak that way)
As long as he is taking phone calls from both teams and maybe a couple friends and does not pull an all out Carter, I guess I am fine with him taking a couple days to talk to the media. It was worrying me yesterday though after Yohe's first tweet about it.
How is Sutter physically? Does he hit or finish hits? How does he take one?
He's not the most physical player out there, it's really not his game. He does most of his damage defensively with his stickwork and his positioning, hence a large number of shorthanded breakaways. He'll throw his body in front of any shot, get right up and block another one. Kid is tough though, he'll get decked from time to time and will get up and keep playing.
One thing about Brandon Sutter is that he stays out of the penalty box, he's very, very disciplined. He's only got 64 PIM's in 286 career games.
He's not the most physical player out there, it's really not his game. He does most of his damage defensively with his stickwork and his positioning, hence a large number of shorthanded breakaways. He'll throw his body in front of any shot, get right up and block another one. Kid is tough though, he'll get decked from time to time and will get up and keep playing.
One thing about Brandon Sutter is that he stays out of the penalty box, he's very, very disciplined. He's only got 64 PIM's in 286 career games.
Is he good in his offensive game or does most of his points come off of odd man rushes?
Sutter is not a physical player, he is scrappy and works hard along the boards but is still a bit coltish and upright when he skated. Isn't hard to knock him over. Great outside speed, he'd make a great winger with his forechecking ability. The year he broke out he just would sprint to a hole in the d and drive. It was impressive. He's less impressive since he uses his teammates more as he isn't an amazing playmaker and they aren't amazing teammates. He's more of a thinking defensive forward than a physical one, good positioning. Not a dangerous face off guy yet, either. He's just solid, works hard, is likable and creates chances with his outside speed. We'll miss him.
I always likened him to young Trevor linden, minus the big numbers.
Con - Flipping ticked we lost Staal (easily one of my favorite players)
Pro - I think we got a good return
I'm really gonna miss Staal though. Even playing hockey in St. Louis, people call me the lost Staal brother (tall, blonde, forward). Now it's just going to be an enemy
I can't agree Staal's presence made a big difference in the matchups Crosby and Malkin drew
It's not really something that's up for debate - Staal routinely took on other top lines. You saw it most nights on the ice and every advanced stat that measures quality of opposition corroborates it. I'll agree that the defensive matchups remained largely the same, but not having to share the puck with another top line is a huge benefit for a player like Sid or Geno.
Quote:
Even if Staal becomes a beast for Car, I'll still be happy because this team is now forced to build around their two superstars and Staal would of never blossomed here like that IMHO as long as C/M stayed in the lineup.
Staal never prevented the team from building around it's superstars. Shero chose to use his resources to stockpile defenseman in free agency and through the draft. And if we nab Suter instead of Parise (not that either is a foregone conclusion) we haven't done anything more to build around our two superstars now that Staal is out of the picture.
To me it is abundantly clear that this team is worse off without Jordan Staal if Parise and Suter do not sign here. It was still 100% the right move to deal him given the circumstances involved, but I just can't agree that this is a good thing for the team moving forward unless one of the big fish in free agency end up signing here.
Maybe I'm the only one, but it was pretty apparent Staal outgrew his role. It's not a coincidence that his defensive game wasn't up to par as in years past when given more of a role offensively. And then struggling altogether when Sid came back up until the playoffs, where we all know he brings it.
I think Sutter is an ideal guy to slot behind Sid/Geno. He's committed defensively, has room to grow offensively, is on a cheap contract and is a RFA after that.
We don't need Parise or Suter in addition to Sutter to make it a successful offseason post-Staal. It is however, in our best interest to surround Sid/Geno with more talent. It's about time we do that.
It's not really something that's up for debate - Staal routinely took on other top lines. You saw it most nights on the ice and every advanced stat that measures quality of opposition corroborates it. I'll agree that the defensive matchups remained largely the same, but not having to share the puck with another top line is a huge benefit for a player like Sid or Geno.
Staal never prevented the team from building around it's superstars. Shero chose to use his resources to stockpile defenseman in free agency and through the draft. And if we nab Suter instead of Parise (not that either is a foregone conclusion) we haven't done anything more to build around our two superstars now that Staal is out of the picture.
To me it is abundantly clear that this team is worse off without Jordan Staal if Parise and Suter do not sign here. It was still 100% the right move to deal him given the circumstances involved, but I just can't agree that this is a good thing for the team moving forward unless one of the big fish in free agency end up signing here.
This year, you are probably right. Next year, I don't know. Staal at 6 mil to be a 3C would have sucked and limited us. Sutter at 2M is much more reasonable for a 3C.
Someone else made a really going point that while Staal didn't necessarily kill us, his salary and his upcoming salary expectations really hurt us. I hate to see Staal with another team but this allows us to better build out our top two lines and insulate our ridiculous top end talent. Hopefully, it works out for both teams in the end.
Has him not speaking yet worrysome to any of you? Or am i just an old Jew looking for gossip and things to complain about? (im a jew, i can speak that way)
It is worrying. He's young, I'm sure he'll get over it--especially since the organization treats its players well. But, still--say something.
To me it is abundantly clear that this team is worse off without Jordan Staal if Parise and Suter do not sign here. It was still 100% the right move to deal him given the circumstances involved, but I just can't agree that this is a good thing for the team moving forward unless one of the big fish in free agency end up signing here.
I hope you mean "or" rather than "and". To me, Sutter plus one of Suter/Parise absolutely makes us a better team.
Moreover, we don't have to land one of those two in order for us to be a better team, though that would certainly clinch it. With the extra cap space and assets we now have, we can afford to go after players like Whitney, Ryan, and Yandle, who could also put us over the top.
The bottom line is that we have options now. Shero has a few ways he could make us a better team, now its up to him to follow through. I think he will.
It is worrying. He's young, I'm sure he'll get over it--especially since the organization treats its players well. But, still--say something.
I'm not worried at all.
I look at a guy like Rod Brind'Amour. The guy bled black and orange, so when he got traded, he was totally distraught. He obviously got over it and completely dedicated himself to the Canes. I can't imagine that a character guy like Sutter would be any different.
Failing that, try to get Nash, but Columbus seems to want the moon.
You gotta go hard after Parise, and I think Shero knows that.
I'm not sure where we rank in those sweepstakes though. What does Parise want? Where does he want to play? Does NJ going to the finals this year help their case substantially? You'd think it might.
Perhaps he's looking at Detroit and NJ ahead of Pittsburgh. You never really know.
He'll make the decision he makes. We can only hope he signs in Pittsburgh, Crosby stays healthy, and we can roll what would easily be two of the best lines in hockey instead of our monsters-in-the-middle combination.
He's not the most physical player out there, it's really not his game. He does most of his damage defensively with his stickwork and his positioning, hence a large number of shorthanded breakaways. He'll throw his body in front of any shot, get right up and block another one. Kid is tough though, he'll get decked from time to time and will get up and keep playing.
One thing about Brandon Sutter is that he stays out of the penalty box, he's very, very disciplined. He's only got 64 PIM's in 286 career games.
I hope you mean "or" rather than "and". To me, Sutter plus one of Suter/Parise absolutely makes us a better team.
I meant or in that sentence. Either of Parise / Suter along with Sutter makes us a better team for sure.
Quote:
Moreover, we don't have to land one of those two in order for us to be a better team, though that would certainly clinch it. With the extra cap space and assets we now have, we can afford to go after players like Whitney, Ryan, and Yandle, who could also put us over the top.
Ryan and Yandle would cost assets I don't think we have. Whitney looked great last year, but he's going to be 41 by the time the playoffs roll around. I can't say I'm thrilled with those prospects (not that I wouldn't still sign him).
Quote:
The bottom line is that we have options now. Shero has a few ways he could make us a better team, now its up to him to follow through. I think he will.
I think the odds of signing one of Suter / Parise are fairly good, and I wouldn't be completely shocked if he was able to get both. Everything's lined up for it, Shero just needs to work his magic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ogrezilla
This year, you are probably right. Next year, I don't know. Staal at 6 mil to be a 3C would have sucked and limited us. Sutter at 2M is much more reasonable for a 3C.
Right. I just don't think to this point that Staal has been the reason behind the lack of top 6 quality wingers over the last several years. Going forward it would be a tougher balancing act, but I still think the team is better off with Staal locked up long term if that was an option. Apparantly Shero did too.
It's not really something that's up for debate - Staal routinely took on other top lines. You saw it most nights on the ice and every advanced stat that measures quality of opposition corroborates it. I'll agree that the defensive matchups remained largely the same, but not having to share the puck with another top line is a huge benefit for a player like Sid or Geno.
I'm talking about who draws the other teams best pairs and checking line. When all three centers were in the lineup, the focus was always on stopping Malkin and Crosby. Staal's presence did little to affect that.
Quote:
Staal never prevented the team from building around it's superstars. Shero chose to use his resources to stockpile defenseman in free agency and through the draft. And if we nab Suter instead of Parise (not that either is a foregone conclusion) we haven't done anything more to build around our two superstars now that Staal is out of the picture.
You need to allocate money to your defense. You don't need to allocate 4m to your third line center. That is a luxury.
Let's also not forget that investing in defense brought Neal, Kunitz and Tangradi aboard. With another 4m to spend who knows who Shero might of acquired/signed. I have very little doubt it would have been enough to help round out the top 6 with more skill than we have seen the last four years.
Also, going fwd Staal's presence and new contract would of really been a roadblock to building around Crosby and Malkin.
I don't see how it could be argued any other way.
Quote:
To me it is abundantly clear that this team is worse off without Jordan Staal if Parise and Suter do not sign here. It was still 100% the right move to deal him given the circumstances involved, but I just can't agree that this is a good thing for the team moving forward unless one of the big fish in free agency end up signing here.
This team went on a ten game winning streak without Staal, and BS seems to be an ideal third line center.
With the new found cap space, the two big fish aren't the only ones who can be brought in to help improve this team.
