BenedictGomez
Corsi is GROSSLY overrated
Vatanen scored on his own net
Oh yeah, I forgot about that one play. Well that totally changes everything then.
Vatanen scored on his own net
Age and contract have nothing to do with who is a "better player", instead they are things that deal with the relative value of the player.
As a "player", Vatanen is better than Severson. For starters, with 50 seconds left & a 1 goal lead, I dont have to worry about Vatanen doing something risky & stupid to score MOAR!!!!!!!
Vatanen is an average top 4 d man. I would love for him to stick around longer at the right price because I'm a fan of his game but with Subban and Severson in the top 4 on RD we will be ok. Hopefully Walsh or another player can fight for that 3rd pairing spot after next season.
I'm skeptical Vatanen will earn a big pay day.
He's a useful defender, but I think teams will be hesitant to give him term and/or money because he's not really a difference maker. He also lacks the traits teams covet in defenseman (skating & size). Unless a team really, really likes him, I wouldn't be surprised to see him have to settle for a three year 5-6 million dollar deal as a UFA.
Teams have been a lot smarter in free agency straying away from players with injury troubles or don't project to age well. Seems like the only guys who get big deals in free agency are either terrific skaters or have the size a team covets.
I’m not going to poo poo on Vatanen until it’s clear he’s been pushed down the lineup. Frankly right now I believe that Vatanen is the best bet to push Greene down to the second pairing unless we acquire a LHD. I know we are all super high on Ty Smith but the kids never played a minute in the NHL, I believe his future is bright but I’m not sure Id want him starting is career on the first pairing. If he earns it over time that’s fine but I think we need to have realistic expectations.
It’s very very possible that one of the RHD moves to the left side.
Vatanen on LD will definitely be the first experiment going into next year just to get your four best defenders in the top four. I'm just skeptical it will work. Something like the following looks great on paper stylistically though:
Greene - Subban
Vatanen - Severson
Butcher - Carrick
Mueller
I think we may end up being better off balancing the pairings evenly playing Subban heavy PP minutes, Severson heavy 5-on-5 minutes, and Vatanen heavy PK minutes.
Why are people still missing Smith from the top 6? He is a lock to play in the NHL this season and I think he will exceed all expectations.
RHD on the left side is an awful idea. The Devils should not even be entertaining that.
I definitely think we should try and snag Lablanc or Gusev. Both teams are in cap hell and need to clear some salary going forward.
What is your affinity for Greene on the top pair and Smith not in the NHL?Vatanen on LD will definitely be the first experiment going into next year just to get your four best defenders in the top four. I'm just skeptical it will work. Something like the following looks great on paper stylistically though:
Greene - Subban
Vatanen - Severson
Butcher - Carrick
Mueller
I think we may end up being better off balancing the pairings evenly playing Subban heavy PP minutes, Severson heavy 5-on-5 minutes, and Vatanen heavy PK minutes.
Enough passers, this team needs goal scorers. Our top 6 has 4 combined 30 goal seasons and 50% of those are from Wayne Simmonds. Not a single 40 goal season from anyone.
Last season we had only two people break 20 goals...
I'd try müller with pk since he was the only defenseman actually playing defence last season.Vatanen on LD will definitely be the first experiment going into next year just to get your four best defenders in the top four. I'm just skeptical it will work. Something like the following looks great on paper stylistically though:
Greene - Subban
Vatanen - Severson
Butcher - Carrick
Mueller
I think we may end up being better off balancing the pairings evenly playing Subban heavy PP minutes, Severson heavy 5-on-5 minutes, and Vatanen heavy PK minutes.
Palmieri, Hall, and Simmonds are all top notch goal scorers. Bratt and Hischier both have excellent shots for setup men. St. Louis had one 30 goal scorer last season. Worked out pretty good for them.
Palmieri and Hall have had one 30+ season each in their entire careers, not sure that is top notch. Before going down, Hall was on pace for 27 which was slightly above his career average. Wayne Simmonds just had 1 goal in 17 games for Nashville and didn't crack 20 last year.
I'm not sure St Louis is a good comparable to us considering they have far superior defense and goaltending. Not to mention Tarasenko alone has more 30 and 40 goal seasons than our entire top 6 combined.
RHD on the left side is an awful idea. The Devils should not even be entertaining that.