Around the NHL - (Off-season edition)

Aug 11, 2011
29,061
24,287
Am Yisrael Chai
Is this NHL trying to spread games out this season?

Caps start at 3pm PST
We start at 7:15
Kings start at 8
Looks like almost every hours has x:15 and x:45 starts.
Today is “Frozen Frenzy,” where the goal is for every team to play. I don’t think this is a season-long thing or anything. Just for today, lots of games to watch.
 

gunnergunther

Registered User
Jul 3, 2010
817
896
Put me in the camp that we’re not going to finish with a better record than the preds or avs, and just like the oilers last season.. their talent will pull them up eventually.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DavidBL

Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
28,260
16,969
watching the caps-flyers and drysdale looks terrible defensively

it'd be hilarious if both he and cutter and up busting
 

Sol

Smile
Jun 30, 2017
24,506
20,636
What the f*** happened to Drysdale? Ducks fans I need your opinion on this.
 

Sol

Smile
Jun 30, 2017
24,506
20,636
ducks rushed his development + injuries
I am reading the Flyers board and they pretty much hate him. It’s crazy to see since he seemed like such a competent OFD with a great shot. He was considered to have the best shot in 2020 draft
 

Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
28,260
16,969
I am reading the Flyers board and they pretty much hate him. It’s crazy to see since he seemed like such a competent OFD with a great shot. He was considered to have the best shot in 2020 draft
he's a great skater but nothing else about him really stood out to me. he's undersized, terrible defensively, and his shot isn't great at all

but hard to call him a bust already given how much time he's missed with injuries. if it makes flyers fans feel any better, gauthier hasn't done shit so far this season either
 

JAHV

Registered User
Sponsor
Oct 3, 2023
1,363
2,107
Anaheim, CA
I think Drysdale has very good skating...and that's it. His shot is ok, his compete is ok, but he's small and he is low in the hockey IQ department, which explains why Verbeek was fine trading him. He just doesn't seem to be in the right places or make the right plays.
 

Kalv

Slava Ukraini
Mar 29, 2009
24,158
12,103
Latvia
zach hyman has 0 pts in 7 games so far this season
Oilers again start slow. I haven't watched him closely but dont feel like people should worry about him, he already proved he's a great player under that new contract. This might be just a slump
 

Hockey Duckie

Registered User
Jul 25, 2003
18,958
14,141
southern cal
I think Drysdale has very good skating...and that's it. His shot is ok, his compete is ok, but he's small and he is low in the hockey IQ department, which explains why Verbeek was fine trading him. He just doesn't seem to be in the right places or make the right plays.

I think you're overspeculating the reason for Drysdale being traded with the knowledge of how Drysdale's been playing in Philly.

Here is Drysdale's MyNHLdraft page full of scouting report snippets from several scouts/media outlets:


What I liked about Drysdale during the draft process was videos of him taking defensive lessons outside of his OHL team. At least he was dedicated to go above and beyond to improving his craft.

Drysdale earned AHL rookie of the month as an 18-year old (over Zegras!) and promptly got promoted to the NHL level in the shortened COVID season. The jump to the NHL was steep defensively, but not offensively for Drysdale's full rookie season: 81 NHL games, 32 pts, and a -26 rating as RD1. His next two seasons have been marred with injuries, deterring growth on the ice.

  • 2021-22, Anaheim: 81 NHL games, 32 pts, and -26 rating (Rookie season)
  • 2022-23, Anaheim: 8 NHL games, 0 pts, and -3 rating
  • 2023-24, Anahiem: 10 NHL games, 5 pts, and -2 rating
  • 2023-24, Philly: 24 NHL games, 5 pts, and -18 rating

Last season, we can see a stark difference in production between Anaheim and Philly. The offense popped Drysdale in Anaheim, but became muted in Philly. Drysdale has to unlearn man defense from Anaheim and learn zone defense under Torts. Torts wasn't lying about Drysdale has a lot to learn for zone defense.

I hope for the best for Drysdale.
 

FiveTacos

Registered User
Oct 2, 2017
1,040
1,825
The Twilight Zone
Last season, we can see a stark difference in production between Anaheim and Philly. The offense popped Drysdale in Anaheim, but became muted in Philly. Drysdale has to unlearn man defense from Anaheim and learn zone defense under Torts. Torts wasn't lying about Drysdale has a lot to learn for zone defense.

I hope for the best for Drysdale.

I don't feel like his offense ever "popped". It was ... okay at times, I guess. But he never seemed all that dynamic or aggressive. If you're gonna be a speedy little dman in the league, you gotta be in attack mode all the time, and that's never been Drysdale. Not even in junior. Thought he might turn it up in Philly as they compared him to Karlsson, so I thought they were gonna let him gamble and roam and live with the defensive consequences, but to be successful at that you have to make great offensive reads.

And sure, he's still learning and adjusting defensively. But the reality is that for guys like him, size will always be a limitation in terms of reach and puck battles. He can still become a good transition defender, puck retriever, and good at skating or passing into transition ... but he's not even put it together on that yet. Now add in the inability to stay healthy, and boy it's hard to justify any positivity.

If he doesn't show some significant progress at some point this year, I'd give serious consideration to moving on if I were Philly. Because if he stalls out next year too, he won't even be worth qualifying at another 2.3m and you gotta let him walk, or trade him for a pittance to some rebuilding team taking a one year flyer on him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr Rogers

Mr Rogers

Registered User
Jul 11, 2010
20,923
10,532
Calgary
I think with defensemen it's a little easier to tell if somebody has a lot offensive acumen just with the eye test than it is with forwards. Maybe it's because you don't expect offensive ability quite as much with dmen as with forwards. When i watch Drysdale, it looks offense just doesn't come naturally for him. He may still put up 30-40 points, but i don't see him being anything close to a 'big scorer'.

He doesn't really make plays that would indicate he's got great vision or hands and he doesn't have the acumen or instincts to force himself into dangerous areas with the puck on a whim like you see a lot of the greats doing. And his shot isn't great either.

When he first came up after that nice run he had in the AHL, he had a similar profile to Dan Boyle i thought - smaller RHD, a good skater, but he just doesn't have anywhere near the vision, shot, or creativity that Boyle had
 
  • Like
Reactions: The Duck Knight

Kalv

Slava Ukraini
Mar 29, 2009
24,158
12,103
Latvia
I love Jamie so I don't mean to dunk on him at all. If we could trade back for him, I'd be interested.

But I remember in the juniors and in the pros, he seemed to play so well, agressively pinching, skates like the wind, but once deeper in the ozone he did not know what to do. He would turn on the jets and you'd think "oh, here it comes..." And a second later you'd be like "oh... well, maybe next time". And obviously he does not make it up defensively enough.

I hope Philly is good about it and Jamie can put it together. I certainly cheer for that.
 

TheGoodShepard1

Dongle Digits.
Nov 26, 2017
10,626
15,589
The Kings’ PxP guy sounds like a hybrid of Bob Miller and Steve Carroll

Nick Nickson is an institution, he's been around forever, and apparently, he's retiring at the end of the season. I was surprised he didn't get promoted to the TV booth immediately after Bob Miller hung it up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr Rogers

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad