henchman21
Mr. Meeseeks
- Feb 24, 2012
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And Mitts has been fantastic in the playoffs. Nobody should have the narrative that he's been disappointing.
Prospect Info: Avs draft F Calum Ritchie (2023 #27 overall)
- Thread starter RoyIsALegend
- Start date
SoundwaveIsCharisma
Moderator
On top of that, expecting Calum to come in and score goals as another primary playmaker is kinda funny
henchman21
Mr. Meeseeks
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Yup... I don't blame people for not watching a ton of junior hockey, but expectations have gotten way too high around him. He's a good prospect and had the year you should expect out of a good prospect. There isn't much to say he's NHL ready or that he can step in and be a 30g #2C in the NHL next season... there's actually a lot against that idea.
Chiarelli
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I never thought the above but do you think he could hold down a 2nd or 3rd line wing role at some point next season?
henchman21
Mr. Meeseeks
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He could probably break in on the wing. I don't think it would be best for him, but I also don't think it would be a big deal. I wouldn't slot him in on the 3rd line though, not unless the Avs change their style of 3rd line. He's not a high energy, crash and bang guy. He'd be wildly out of place trying to make that work.
cccoltsicehockey
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Chiarelli
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lol no pressure. No way he becomes this level of player imo.
The Abusement Park
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I mean… dudes playing with the corpse of Parise, has 8pts in 9 games and defensively has been fantastic this postseason. Pair him with a damn shooter and quit giving him scraps and he somehow looks even better.
Ararana
Registered User
I'm not denying that Mitts has been on the crap end of getting good wingers. It's not all his fault, but the end result is the same. Dallas is just daring the second line to do something and they're not.
Exactly. He is not Kadri. Kadri is more of a goal scorer. Mitts needs guys who can score with him. He is pass first.
expatriatedtexan
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Avs could use a 1C, 1RW, 1LW, 1D, 2D who can also put the puck in the net.
I don't get why you would call Mitts out for this when the entire team is playing like shit and there have been stretches where he's the best top-six forward we have.
Doesn't Cogs have 2 assists in the last 3 games?
He's the best scoring forward at this point.
The Abusement Park
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I mean we could look at the top line/Makar who have been way worse than Mitts this series than Mitts. I mean shit Mitts has the same amount of goals and less point than Mack this series with no PP time. Mitts is so far from a problem right now.
ABasin
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But could he come in and be a 18g 2W in the NHL next season? That could be very interesting.
Or (given the Avs could have their 1C/2C lined up for a number of years with a Mitts extension) is he trade bait?
expatriatedtexan
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Ritchie + Rantanen + Nuke for Sidney. I could get behind that. MacK would just have to be Rantanen's replacement at RW to make the cap work.
niwotsblessing
Registered User
In the game I watched last night Mitts had the only goal scored by the Avs.
- Oct 24, 2008
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More likely to be a Wyatt Smith.
niwotsblessing
Registered User
How about Wyatt Earp?
expatriatedtexan
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He will forever be "Wyatt Smith, superstar" in my memory.
Was it you that gave him that moniker?
He's apparently been placed in stage 3 of the player assistance program.
Perratrooper
Registered User
Does he have the ability to play at a good third line level (either at center or wing) ignoring how our third line is currently constructed?
The tape I’ve seen of him, nothing really stands out as being phenomenal. He seems to be good at most things, but not necessarily great at anything.
expatriatedtexan
Habitual Line Stepper
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You never know when a kid is ripe, but I don't think you can ever tell if a kid is up to the challenge. I feel there is a difference. When a kid is ripe, it's obvious there's nothing left for him at any other level. He needs to be moved up. Ryan O'Reilley was up to the challenge. He forced his way on to the team. I don't think anyone truly believed, other than ROR and his family and maybe RIAL, until the regular season started and he got games against actual NHL teams and continued to be an absolute defensive stud.
Is Ritchie up to the challenge? Who the heck knows, but I certainly wouldn't pencil him in the lineup any higher than the 4th line. You can easily snag a passable regular season waiver replacement and move him down in nine games if necessary. Not so easy to do that if you went and penciled him in on the second or third.
henchman21
Mr. Meeseeks
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Yeah in a system like Dallas employs where it is a more skilled third line he could handle himself well enough. Not sure it would be best for him, but I don’t think he’d be horrible either.
Yeah he doesn’t have a ton of standout skills that look like a thing to rely on at the top level.
IMO the biggest question for him is utilizing his frame and being a dirty area player. He doesn’t like to be leaned on and won’t love in those areas. If he develops there, there is enough skill to be a good 2nd liner. If he doesn’t develop there, he’ll disappoint a couple orgs before being a middle 6 guy on a bad team. Fine line, but certainly something he’s capable of.
Perratrooper
Registered User
I will say that from what I’ve seen he has improved on going to those dirty areas this year. Still a large area to work on, but I wonder if there’s something to be worked on with a Landeskog type winger.
