I cannot recall a 4th line center being as big of a lightning rod for controversy as Marcus Kruger is. It's pretty weird.
What's so great about Stalberg in the playoffs? Oh yeah, goal less once again.
How did the line AND the team play in either's presence? Case closed.
If the ultimate goal for the Chicago Blackhawks is to roll four lines, I see no benefit whatsoever of removing Kruger from the fourth line center role.
There's nothing wrong with putting Handzus, who's a much older player, in a lesser role that requires less minutes. While there's nothing wrong with (necessarily) leaving Kruger in the 4C role, the Hawks are much better suited to expand his presence as a young player entering his 3rd season of NA hockey. At some point we have to figure out exactly what he can/can't do, and discern if he's making measurable progress. That will be hard to assess if given 4th line minutes.
What's so wrong with Kruger as the fourth line center?
See above
Kruger has the weakest wrist shot on the Chicago Blackhawks aside from Dan Carcillo. Great vision? Where all these tap in goals for the Chicago Blackhawks when Kruger is centering a line?
Kruger's never going to have the best shot. Okay, we get it (nobody's arguing this fact either). You act as if that's the end all, be all, in determining what kind of player he may/may not become. That's very short-sighted.
Bickell-Toews-Kane
Sharp-Pirri-Hossa
Saad-Shaw-Morin
Kruger-Handzus-Smith
Carcillo, Bollig
Keith-Seabrook
Hjalmarsson-Oduya
Rozsival-Leddy
Brookbank
Crawford
Khabibulin
I've got that team at $648,205 of cap space. The team is healthy and looks good on paper.
It's not even short-sighted, it's just dumb. Kruger will never be a sniper. Ever. Most of his goals will come from within 6 feet of the net. There's nothing wrong with that.
If Kruger can be a 15G, 40Pt third line centre, who plays great defense and is a key PKer, that's a damn good player to have on your team. And make no mistake, Kruger's more than capable of being that.
If Kruger can be a 15G, 40Pt third line centre, who plays great defense and is a key PKer, that's a damn good player to have on your team. And make no mistake, Kruger's more than capable of being that.
1.325M for two years, and he's still an RFA afterwards.
And people seriously thought Kruger was going to get overpaid
Finally a good deal from Stan after overpaying Frolik, Habby, Seabrook, Leddy, and Bickell. I guess Handzus, Roszival, and even Oduya were pretty decent. Nice job Stan.
He didn't overpay Frolik and Seabrook and Bickell would most definitely have gotten more on the market.
This
Why don't more people see Kruger as a 3rd line center? A line centered by Kruger with Shaw and Saad as wings could be a very good shutdown line that still has some offensive punch. And a 4th line with some mix of Leblanc, Morin, Smith, Carcillo, and Bollig. Mix Handzus in there 50 games a year or so.
Bickell's contract looks amazing compared to what Clarkson and Clowe got.
Im sorry but i very much disagree. Shaw and Kruger did not play "shutdown center" roles last year. Putting them together to try and do that now would be a mistake. The Hawks will likely do something similar to what they did last year and play the top two lines against the toughest competition.
True! but that's not saying too much.
Obviously, at the end of the day, Bickell is overpaid. But that's what the markets like and Bickell could have gotten more money elsewhere.