There is a certain player that was 25th in the league in ATOI for defensemen, 13th in goal scoring for defensemen, and 33rd for overall scoring from a defenseman that is getting looked over.
There is also a newly acquired player, though familiar, that will be getting in excess of 20 minutes per night back there next season. Likely more than that aforementioned player and Gleason will.
Those two are also going to be incredibly important.
There is a certain player that was 25th in the league in ATOI for defensemen, 13th in goal scoring for defensemen, and 33rd for overall scoring from a defenseman that is getting looked over.
There is also a newly acquired player, though familiar, that will be getting in excess of 20 minutes per night back there next season. Likely more than that aforementioned player and Gleason will.
Those two are also going to be incredibly important.
Agree. It baffles me how people continue to overlook the importance of Nic Wallin, Bryan Rodney.
On a serious note - I agree with you. I believe if we didn't have Corvo, we'd find out the hard way (again) what its like to not have a player of his ilk. He's no ace, but he's pretty reliable from a lot of angles back there, both offensively and defensively. He's a big piece to our defence core and I think we'd really suffer without him. Especially when you consider the defensive, less mobile defenceman we have back there - Gleason, Ward, Alberts, Wallin. Aside from Pitkanen, Corvo is our only other true puckmover and offensive defenceman. And without Seidenberg and Babchuk, we're going to rely on Corvo even more for his shot on the PP (minus Babchuk) and mobility (minus Seidenberg).
As for Ward, he could end up averaging more minutes than Gleason. We'll see who coach Mo warms up to, i'll bet it's Ward. This is a big season for Gleason however. I expect him to really solidify himself on a consistent basis this year. If he can, a trip to Vancouver in February may not be entirely out of reach. This is the year for me that I expect Gleason to round out, polish up and endure the consistency needed from his role. Having Ward back there should help him and even mentor him. I think that is something Gleason has missed with the retirement of Wesley and pretty well since his arrival here. He has been our go-to guy defensively and our defensive specialist of the future, but he has had nobody to lean on and teach him while learning the curve on a game-to-game basis. He'll now have somebody back there with an almost identicle game in Ward.
I'll give my vote to Timmy here. I expect big things from him this year.
#1 - He brings a physical game that few others on the team can match, especially scorers. He's a pure power forward who loves to cut in and then drive to the net.
#2 - He raises the level of the team's play. He makes other players better, especially Staal. Look at how the team performed when he was in Edmonton, compared to when he returned.
#3 - His defensive play has improved. Watch the Boston series, it's a showcase of Erik's great backchecking and defensive play.
#4 - This poll is called "most valuable Hurricane". How many players have been as valuable as Cole over the past few seasons?
Chad LaRose can't reach the scoring numbers Cole can put up. Rod Brind'Amour is the heart and soul of the team, but he's in the twilight of his career. Tim Gleason is solid and valuable, but he would be easier to replace than Cole, who has a more unique skill set.
Jokinen and Samsonov are up-and-down, not consistently proven threats over the long term.
I think #26 deserves the #6 spot. If he was gone he'd leave a bigger hole than most players on the roster.
Even though I am not a huge Cole fan, I voted for Cole. I think it isn't what he does in terms of scoring, but what he opens up for Staal. IMO, Staal is a much more effective player when Cole is playing with him.
2nd choice would be Corvo or Gleason. I think I'd go with Corvo. Last year, with fewer physical players on D, I would have said Gleason as he brought that aspect. This year, with the make-up of our D, I think what Corvo brings is more valuable and harder to replace.
Even though I am not a huge Cole fan, I voted for Cole. I think it isn't what he does in terms of scoring, but what he opens up for Staal. IMO, Staal is a much more effective player when Cole is playing with him.
What did Cole do for us last year? Absolutely nothing. The man was invisible throughout the entire playoffs.
As I have argued with my girlfriend about this I have to admit that yes he didn't show up on the scoresheet but what he did for us at the end of the regular season is what was evident. He added depth to our team that allowed Samsonov to play on the third line. He added that speed and grit. I think without him we may have made it into the playoffs but would have most likely made it or lost it at the end of the last game of the season.
What did Cole do for us last year? Absolutely nothing. The man was invisible throughout the entire playoffs.
Ah, I didn't realize we were supposed to value a player based on only last year's playoffs. Interesting though. Cole's playoff point total (although not impressive) were higher by 1 than Ruutu's.
Cole had 15 points in 17 games and was a plus 3 with the canes. Yes, he didn't put the puck in the net as much as I would have hoped, but I disagree he did absolutely nothing for us.
The whole team turned around after that trade was made. I thought Staal also played a much better game (all around game, not just scoring) when Cole came back.
As I have argued with my girlfriend about this I have to admit that yes he didn't show up on the scoresheet but what he did for us at the end of the regular season is what was evident. He added depth to our team that allowed Samsonov to play on the third line. He added that speed and grit. I think without him we may have made it into the playoffs but would have most likely made it or lost it at the end of the last game of the season.
Agree and you make some good points about Samsonov that I neglected to mention.
Again, I'm not a big Cole fan and he drives me nuts sometimes (like when he doesn't skate back hard after losing the puck..or when the tries the same move over and over trying to get by the defense), but I cannot deny the impact he had on this team when he returned.
Cole resigning with us rejuvenated the entire team and led to that 13-1 tear late in the season.
In the playoffs, I believe Cole was beset by nagging injuries that went unreported. He still did valuable work esp in the Boston series. Defensively and offensively.
I predict a lot of Cole's critics will be eating their words next season.
