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2022-2023 Around The League

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henchman24 said:
If you're talking Kravtsov #9. Weird things can always happen, but the big mistake the Rangers made and never corrected, is they didn't go after a franchise center with any of their top picks. Zibi took a step and is a fantastic player... but they has zero guys who could reach top line center after him. So if they don't make it with Zibi, they'll head to another rebuild. I'm not ready to count them out yet, but it is basically this or next year at most for them. The second Zibi regresses, their window ends.

I really wish teams would learn that centers matter. You build around centers and top defensemen... and you typically need a top end wing too. Seems like Rangers just wanted to pile on a ton of wings hoping it would work.
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Oh shit, I totally forgot about him!

No I was referring to Lias Andersson, whom I believe was taken 11th overall (oops, just looked it up now...SEVENTH overall in 2017, big yikes). Total and complete bust.

Ironically possibly their best pick in the first round during this rebuild would be made 21st overall with Filip Chytil. THAT guy is a player, not great but an ideal 3rd line center, possibly 2nd line guy if he continues to develop, with a great release.

Rangers are like the polar opposite of the Avs amateur scouting. They whiff on their high top-ten picks and find gems in lower tiers.
 
Pokecheque said:
Oh shit, I totally forgot about him!

No I was referring to Lias Andersson, whom I believe was taken 11th overall (oops, just looked it up now...SEVENTH overall in 2017, big yikes). Total and complete bust.

Ironically possibly their best pick in the first round during this rebuild would be made 21st overall with Filip Chytil. THAT guy is a player, not great but an ideal 3rd line center, possibly 2nd line guy if he continues to develop, with a great release.

Rangers are like the polar opposite of the Avs amateur scouting. They whiff on their high top-ten picks and find gems in lower tiers.
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Yeah I think they are overall a pretty good drafting team (not as good as some claim but solid), but they have a very odd fascination with wings who can score and supposedly play physical dominating games.

Andersson was a guy they should have picked up the red flags on during the interview process and was a reach to begin with.
 
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henchman24 said:
If you're talking Kravtsov #9. Weird things can always happen, but the big mistake the Rangers made and never corrected, is they didn't go after a franchise center with any of their top picks. Zibi took a step and is a fantastic player... but they has zero guys who could reach top line center after him. So if they don't make it with Zibi, they'll head to another rebuild. I'm not ready to count them out yet, but it is basically this or next year at most for them. The second Zibi regresses, their window ends.

I really wish teams would learn that centers matter. You build around centers and top defensemen... and you typically need a top end wing too. Seems like Rangers just wanted to pile on a ton of wings hoping it would work.


Oh I know... I'm just being a jokester.
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You'd think teams would just look at Colorado this year and see all the evidence you could ever need on that front.


Its the most important position in hockey, by far IMO.
 
henchman24 said:
What a guy.... :laugh:
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To be honest I was also on the Kako bandwagon but I was also a Hughes fan. I just thought he was a safer pick for where the Avs were at the time. I also thought he would be a great fit here despite is skating. We might never know if I was right on the fit but it certainly looks like I was wrong.
 
Pierce Hawthorne said:
You'd think teams would just look at Colorado this year and see all the evidence you could ever need on that front.


Its the most important position in hockey, by far IMO.
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I mean it is so very evident through the history of the league. You very rarely win Cups without 2 legit top 6 centers. It has happened... but it is a relative rarity. Even those that have done it, have patch worked in guys. You also typically need one of those centers who is 6'1" or bigger... which is kinda bizarre, but the trend holds very consistently.

(I know the reasoning for 6'1"+ just bizarre how well that holds up).
 
AllAboutAvs said:
To be honest I was also on the Kako bandwagon but I was also a Hughes fan. I just thought he was a safer pick for where the Avs were at the time. I also thought he would be a great fit here despite is skating. We might never know if I was right on the fit but it certainly looks like I was wrong.
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I absolutely missed on Kakko myself. By the end of it, I was thinking he was more of the #3 pick sort of guy (Zegras).... but that's still very high praise and would absolutely be a bust by those standards still.

When I look back at it, his issues taught me a number of things... specifically don't overlook what your eyes are telling you because the stats say otherwise. His shot, based on his junior and Finnish play looked like a legit weapon. The hitch and tell in is seemed to not matter because he was always beating goalies.... turns out that was quality of play issue. Also, Finnish ice isn't typically as big as other international ice... but it is still big. Big ice hides a lot of faults in physicality and skating. Those are very clearly evident today. To an extent, this is is plaguing Slafs in Montreal too... you can clearly see he isn't used to playing the NA game where there is less space and guys will drill you on the rush even if you weigh 230.
 
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Pierce Hawthorne said:
You'd think teams would just look at Colorado this year and see all the evidence you could ever need on that front.


Its the most important position in hockey, by far IMO.
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Eh? Yeah, centers are important. But Colorado is devastated by injuries and still in contention for the division. I'm not sure the Avs are the poster child you think they are.
 
Hennessy said:
Eh? Yeah, centers are important. But Colorado is devastated by injuries and still in contention for the division. I'm not sure the Avs are the poster child you think they are.
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They went from one of the top 5v5 teams in the league last year to being literally the worst in the league this year.

And really the only change in our roster was getting significantly weaker at Center by losing Kadri.

Look at how the team has played since the Mack injury. Winning games, yes. But almost exclusively on the back of elite goaltending and special teams goal(Not just PP but 3 on 3).

The team cannot score at 5 on 5 this year and the entire reason is because the Center depth is absolutely putrid.

The injury excuse doesn't work because the Avs were just as injured last year and they still dominated 5 on 5.
 
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Avs are in the 2nd wild card spot in the West. Their points % is tied for 11th in the league. The central is within grasp, but they are basically Rants away from being where the Blues are right now. Advanced metrics wise... Avs are a much closer comparison to Ottawa than they are the Carolina, Boston and New Jersey's. I'm firmly of the belief that the Avs are fine for the regular season and will make the playoffs... but there has been a very strong regression as a team and the Avs will need to add to the team to bring them back up to the contending level.

As the Avs sit today, even if they got health, they are in the high side of the murky middle. The good thing there is the West is pretty terrible, so the high side of that is within the top 4/5 teams. Right now it pretty much looks like Vegas, Dallas, Minny, Winnipeg, and the Avs... each of them have flaws. The teams who best cover up those flaws are likely the teams that meet in the conference finals.
 
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