Christian Marti was absolutely awesome the games I saw him - a big body defenseman that can do the same things Kolesnikovs did, but is more mobile. It really is a shame he got injured, and even though he will be out for 4 more weeks I HIGHLY doubt Bouchard will replace him.
We have a very decent top-4 on D with Ouellet, Picard, Carrier and Marti but it gets thinner (and younger) after that. Not a good idea if we replace Marti by Culek (a forward).
As for Jevpalovs, he is 18 and will get better. I'm sure Bouchard will give him until until Christmas to breakout.
I'm also waiting for Hodhod to breakout... he has so much offensive skills, he is really fun to watch but he doesn't seem to be able to put points on the board. He is small but very quick and has very sweet dangling skills.
Jevpalovs did well in pre-season but suffered a concussion. He has been very slow to produce so far since the start of the real season. But he has all the tools to be a player in this league.
I certainly hope we did not trade Lebel + Jevpalovs for Culek...
I don't think Bouchard will act too quick and I don't think he will go after a european overrager, it just doesn't make sense. Withtout Lebel we still have a very good and deep offense.
Guys like Martel, Hodhod, Sanche and Hinds will be able to get more ice time and further developp. By Christmas, I expect Bouchard to pick up an all-star forward in the Huberdeau/Danault mold and perhaps a veteran forward and defenseman to add to our depth for our hopefully lenghty playoff run.
I do not believe Jevpalovs is in the plans beyond this year, came over-hyped from the start & everything I hear point to the fact he is not in their future plans. Using Jevpalovs as trade bait is better than releasing him outright at the end of the season. Hodhod will be a star in the future, Hinds has some good traits and well worth holding on to, Sanche terribly small in any league so while he can come in handy for the interim his number may already be written in next years aquisitions or soon thereafter.
I see that Matteau has produced a lot of points after his second suspension. How has he looked overall though?
He's still a force game in , game out. Although he might not look like he's doing much as per the gamesheet , his play makes a difference in the outcome of their games. He brings a very physical aspect and good two-way effort everynight. He's a considerably hard worker and you can tell the other players look up to him. He plays on both special teams units. He's a reliable player that the coach can put on in sudden death if needed.
He's still a force game in , game out. Although he might not look like he's doing much as per the gamesheet , his play makes a difference in the outcome of their games. He brings a very physical aspect and good two-way effort everynight. He's a considerably hard worker and you can tell the other players look up to him. He plays on both special teams units. He's a reliable player that the coach can put on in sudden death if needed.
Really am happy with the pick. 10 g and 18 pts in 19 games is nothing to sneeze at in a strong Q this year. When you factor in his physicality and two way play, it's hard not to be. At worst, it seems like he's gonna be a great bottom six forward, but he has the potential to be a Lucic or Callahan type guy
Really am happy with the pick. 10 g and 18 pts in 19 games is nothing to sneeze at in a strong Q this year. When you factor in his physicality and two way play, it's hard not to be. At worst, it seems like he's gonna be a great bottom six forward, but he has the potential to be a Lucic or Callahan type guy
IMO, as a Leafs fan, I think he's comparable to Tyler Biggs. They play similar styles and have top 6 upside but most like will make good third line NHLers.
This would be a pretty damn good lineup. Of course, I expect Bouchard to make a couple of moves at Christmas and so a couple of kids could be gone. Also, a guy like Clapperton could be included to Saint John in a deal for Huberdeau (at the draft of course). So, as the Armada try to win the Memorial Cup this year, the lineup will be weaken a bit next season.
I still think we will be quite competitive next season. We have Saint John's 1st this year (Roussel trade) which is pretty valueable. A guy like Marcoux could be traded for a big return with Phaneuf ready to take over.
So basically, this is a team that not only should be able to compete for the Cup this year, but next season will also be pretty good, and as Bouchard continues his goodwork, there isn't really a full out rebuild in the plans.
