2024 Salary Cap and Beyond
- Thread starter EspenK
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My thoughts are that Severson is a better player than Provorov, and I can’t wrap my head around people thinking Severson is overpaid, yet, seemingly are happy with giving Provorov a larger/longer contract…
People have penciled in guys like Boqvist/Peeke and Jiricek next to Werenski on the top pair the last few years, and many can’t stand Gudbranson, and now act like we have some need to dump Severson, or even have the defensive depth to cover for losing him?
It’s almost like they’ve completely forgotten his time with the CBJ before this year. Werenski is the guy who improved his fitness and looks like a different player. The TEAM is what is making Provorov look so good, IMO, he’s the same player. Severson would look just as good next to Werenski, and where is his credit for helping out/meshing with Christiansen??
Out of all the guys people have wanted to make room for over the years, Denton Mateychuk might be the MOST deserving and NHL ready prospect we’ve ever had. He’s NOT Jiricek.
Is this ALL about Severson and his breakout passes and clears that sometimes don’t work out? He’s literally still better than Provorov at it. And why are people only vilifying Severson for things nearly every player makes, not to mention it what THE FANS want, aggressive offensive plays….
My thoughts are Provorov is the better player. You run with things anytime someone calls out a player you like. Just like the Nashville game, I called out Severson for an undeniably horrible game and you go on some rant about Columbus fans being up and down as though you can't make game by game analysis. A fan can call out a bad game and can also congratulate good games.
I'd rather have Provorov out there on the PK, protecting a lead or any number of scenarios. That said it doesn't have to be a 1 or the other scenario, there is room for both
As for Christiansen, the credit goes to the kid himself. He's playing good, mostly mistake free hockey and has done nothing but work and improve these last few years. It's good for the pair of them they work well together
“Run with things”??
You like Provorov and I like Severson, that’s all that’s going on here. And the group here is extremely high when people are playing well, and extremely low on others when they are playing poorly. And that’s all that’s going on here, besides the fact that Severson ISN’T actually playing bad, and Provorov isn’t actually playing that good. He’s getting the opportunity to play with the best defenseman on the team.
And it should be noted, that I believe the Christiansen-Severson pair is many times actually getting the “tougher matchups”?
Crazy, IMO. While I don’t think either guy is necessarily that great defensively, and part of why I think Provorov isn’t needed AT ALL, I think Severson clearly the better defensive player. If I’m honest I think he’s better at literally everything, other than skating. With Gudbranson out, we have a HOLE and NEED for something neither Severson or Provorov can bring. We lack defensive toughness overall.
Well, even if it’s 1 single post from a different person, my point is Severson deserves more credit for what Christiansen looks like than Provorov does for what Werenski looks like.
Simply being paired or playing with good players doesn't mean it will work. The fact Provorov is getting those minutes and playing better is a positive not a negative. We have 3 veteran defensemen that are actually making positive impacts on the ice, I personally would not rather see that go down to 2. Add to that Severson and Christiansen being a good pair just means we actually have 2 decent pairs now, it's kind of nice.
I like that you mention skating because I think that's been the biggest benefit to Provorov this year, Evason is asking guys to skate and be aggressive. Both Provorov and Severson can get pucks out of the zone or make aggressive reads to keep it in the offensive zone. Severson was always the guy who could make nice breakout passes, we just gave him no options last year. Provorov is a guy who can go out for a skate and be a 1 man exit/zone entry at times. I keep making reference to it but it's literally what made him a top pick his draft year, he could carry the puck and make plays.
I'm not judging either too much on what happened last year because I hated the way the team was being asked to play and it neutered their best traits. Both have had good and not so good games this year as is expected for basically any defenseman. Both have been a net positive to the team and even if Mateychuk is ready there is a very obvious spot waiting for him at 3LD. Would be nice to have 3 legit pairs and maybe not run Werenski into the ground. I don't doubt he can handle the minutes but naturally fatigue increases the risk of injury to some degree
koteka
Registered User
While that is true today, it won’t be true for all of the next 6+ years. But there is nothing we can do about it now.
Focused / giving a crap Provorov > Severson
I don’t want either one, but I can accept that we are stuck with Severson. Signing Provorov would be a colossal mistake. I am 100% on board with keeping him paired with Werenski to improve his trade value. Any team that gives up more than a 2nd for Provorov is stupid, but we can always hope there is a stupid team or two out there.
$3m is like #5D money today and will be #6D money soon. Severson is a great skater and could place above that caliber well into his mid 30s.
I have seen many worse D-men fetch 1st rounders at the deadline. Many.
Provorov is the exact sort of highly durable defender who can play big minutes and do a bit of everything that teams will need at the deadline. He should be worth a late 1st.
koteka
Registered User
I probably won’t comfortable with this team until Severson is knocked down to 6/7. But then I like defensive hockey.
