Player Discussion Drake Batherson (RW) - Part II

[NyQuil]

Batherson is a hot and cold player wrt putting up points .. He can look elite and he can look pedestrian . With him I am not sure its a coaching thing. Could be a psychology thing. He improved his 2 way play a lot under Green and he seems very coachable.

Cozens I do think can make improvements with coaching and he will need and benefit from some tough love. I am sure the Sens will give him things to focus on in the off season and I am hopeful that starting the season here will make a difference to seeing improvements in his intensity and consistency and dzone coverage. He'll get time in the film room.

One thing about the Leafs in the past is that guys like Nylander and Marner weren't committed to both sides of the puck.

Obviously Nylander had that gaffe on the PP, but overall, they played a much more mature and patient game.

Cutting ties on guys early because we think they're done developing is a mistake. I think players continue to develop long into their careers even if their offensive stats don't support it.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

One thing about the Leafs in the past is that guys like Nylander and Marner weren't committed to both sides of the puck.

Obviously Nylander had that gaffe on the PP, but overall, they played a much more mature and patient game.

Cutting ties on guys early because we think they're done developing is a mistake. I think players continue to develop long into their careers even if their offensive stats don't support it.

For sure .. For a lot of it .. they have it in them , they just don't have the discipline or they don't prioritize it .. They have to embrace it.

 

[bicboi64]

At $5M?

Will NYI use up a retention slot on a guy with one year left?

fingers cross that they do if they move Pageau, Nelson's retention is coming off and it'd be easier to retain on a guy like him for 1 year compared to someone like Mayfield who's got loads of time left on his.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Nylander sucked in that series

 

[Icelevel]

If he has a big off season and comes back as a reliable defensive and consistently physical player then great.
Points need to be secondary right now. He needs to focus on the other side of the puck.

60 points is good enough if he’s on the second line and if he plays physical and responsibly.

I don’t care what anyones salary is, if they’re likely going to be a liability defensively and can’t learn then get them out of here. (Not saying that’s Drake. But it could be)

 

[Tuna99]

Respect for Drake Batherson not speaking today to avoid any extra attention on the WJC scandal. What a f***ing nightmare for a guy who seems to be a really great guy and who loves his sister.

I think he did the right thing by not fueling that fire and I’m excited to see him play next year.

You owed us a playoff game winner Drake, next year I expect multiples and I know you’ll deliver.

 

[GCK]

Compare Batherson today to the Batherson pre-Jacques. Night and day difference. I’m not ready to cut bait on him unless it a clear upgrade like the Chychrun trade.

 

[Icelevel]

Compare Batherson today to the Batherson pre-Jacques. Night and day difference. I’m not ready to cut bait on him unless it a clear upgrade like the Chychrun trade.

Night and day AND he was a big part of why we just lost to the leafs in round one. Ouch

That’s the improved version.

They’ll have a better idea of whether or not he can become what we need.

 

[Xspyrit]

No, we just can't afford to trade Batherson, unless we'd be taking a bigger salary as some teams always look to create some cap space but we can't really afford that these days as well.

Batherson progressed a lot this year., particularly defensively. Let's not forget that for most of these guys, it was their first full season with real NHL coaching

Cozens should be a winger

Yes, exactly what I was saying when acquired. It reduces his defensive responsibilities so he can focus more on offense.

We should get Pageau to play with Greig and Amadio and move Cozens to 1RW and Pinto to 2C.

I absolutely love Pageau but he is not needed. He's also going to be 33 y/o next season. I wouldn't mind adding him at 50% but even then, you already have Cozens, Pinto and Greig for 2 C spots. IMO, Our center line should be Stutzle-Pinto-Greig (and need a Kastelic type for the 4th line)

Crouse

That'd be very Dorion-like. Batherson outscored Crouse by 50 pts this season. We need to add skill, not remove some.

Compare Batherson today to the Batherson pre-Jacques. Night and day difference. I’m not ready to cut bait on him unless it a clear upgrade like the Chychrun trade.

What does that mean? You think Jensen is a clear upgrade on Chychrun? I mean, Chychrun blew Jensen out of the water this season, he scored 20 goals. Just need pro management/coaching who will use a guy like Chychrun properly. The only good thing is Jensen is more of what we needed and a real RHD, which we lacked. But he's just a stop gap he doesn't bring more than 20 pts a season

 

[bicboi64]

What does that mean? You think Jensen is a clear upgrade on Chychrun? I mean, Chychrun blew Jensen out of the water this season, he scored 20 goals. Just need pro management/coaching who will use a guy like Chychrun properly. The only good thing is Jensen is more of what we needed and a real RHD, which we lacked. But he's just a stop gap he doesn't bring more than 20 pts a season

Chychrun can't play on the same roster as Chabot and Sanderson. No coach is going to turn him into a competent RD. Its one thing if we moved Chabot for Jensen to have Jensen beside Chychrun, but Chychrun was always a poor fit because Dorion gambled on him being able to play on his offside.

Staios should've gotten more for Chychrun, but Jensen is an upgrade on Chychrun because he fills a hole we had even with Chychrun (2RD).

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Compare Batherson today to the Batherson pre-Jacques. Night and day difference. I’m not ready to cut bait on him unless it a clear upgrade like the Chychrun trade.

Which I think is entirely possible and what we should pursue.

Peterka wants out. Drake and Josh back together. It's a no brainer.

 

[Ice-Tray]

No, we just can't afford to trade Batherson, unless we'd be taking a bigger salary as some teams always look to create some cap space but we can't really afford that these days as well.

Batherson progressed a lot this year., particularly defensively. Let's not forget that for most of these guys, it was their first full season with real NHL coaching



Yes, exactly what I was saying when acquired. It reduces his defensive responsibilities so he can focus more on offense.



I absolutely love Pageau but he is not needed. He's also going to be 33 y/o next season. I wouldn't mind adding him at 50% but even then, you already have Cozens, Pinto and Greig for 2 C spots. IMO, Our center line should be Stutzle-Pinto-Greig (and need a Kastelic type for the 4th line)



That'd be very Dorion-like. Batherson outscored Crouse by 50 pts this season. We need to add skill, not remove some.



What does that mean? You think Jensen is a clear upgrade on Chychrun? I mean, Chychrun blew Jensen out of the water this season, he scored 20 goals. Just need pro management/coaching who will use a guy like Chychrun properly. The only good thing is Jensen is more of what we needed and a real RHD, which we lacked. But he's just a stop gap he doesn't bring more than 20 pts a season

Obviously not a 1 for 1

 

[Xspyrit]

Obviously not a 1 for 1

ok but even then, we'd get a combination of Crouse and Jack McBain, Barrett Hayton, Josh Doan or Matias Maccelli... doesn't make the team better

Chychrun can't play on the same roster as Chabot and Sanderson. No coach is going to turn him into a competent RD. Its one thing if we moved Chabot for Jensen to have Jensen beside Chychrun, but Chychrun was always a poor fit because Dorion gambled on him being able to play on his offside.

Staios should've gotten more for Chychrun, but Jensen is an upgrade on Chychrun because he fills a hole we had even with Chychrun (2RD).

In the Chabot, I was suggesting having Chabot-Sanderson as a pairing and Chychrun anchoring the 2nd pair with a defensive guy like Zub

Chabot for Jensen would have been an even worse trade.

Jensen is a better "fit" but he's not an upgrade on Chychrun in any way, shape or form. I can't see any other hockey fans outside of Sens fans saying that.

 

[bicboi64]

ok but even then, we'd get a combination of Crouse and Jack McBain, Barrett Hayton, Josh Doan or Matias Maccelli... doesn't make the team better



In the Chabot, I was suggesting having Chabot-Sanderson as a pairing and Chychrun anchoring the 2nd pair with a defensive guy like Zub

Chabot for Jensen would have been an even worse trade.

Jensen is a better "fit" but he's not an upgrade on Chychrun in any way, shape or form. I can't see any other hockey fans outside of Sens fans saying that.

I wouldn't play Chabbot-Sandy because I want Sanderson in a position to succeed. He might pull it off, but he'll be more prone to error as well.

Chychrun is a better player than Jensen, but on the roster, Jensen at 2RD is a better fit than Chychrun at 3LD (which is the only place he's playing), and therefore to me, an upgrade because he'll fill a role Chychrun can't.

 

[Xspyrit]

I wouldn't play Chabbot-Sandy because I want Sanderson in a position to succeed. He might pull it off, but he'll be more prone to error as well.

Chychrun is a better player than Jensen, but on the roster, Jensen at 2RD is a better fit than Chychrun at 3LD (which is the only place he's playing), and therefore to me, an upgrade because he'll fill a role Chychrun can't.

Why Sanderson wouldn't be a in a position to succeed? Chabot would actually help him to produce more at ES and seriously, we'd always have the puck with that pairing on the ice.

Better FIT, not "a clear upgrade" like it was initially said. Anybody outside of Sens land would call you a gigantic homer on that take (which was not your take)

 

[bicboi64]

Why Sanderson wouldn't be a in a position to succeed? Chabot would actually help him to produce more at ES and seriously, we'd always have the puck with that pairing on the ice.

Some defenders can succeed on their offside, but is it really something worth risking for us considering how poor our D depth is and how much we need for someone to break out on the blueline? Chabot is also the type of player who needs a good partner to excel. If Sanderson is not at his best, I don't think Chabot would succeed.

I'm fine to have them both on the ice when its a PP or 6 on 5, but regularly, there's risks to having two of the same shot on the same pair on the long run.

 

[Cosmix]

If he has a big off season and comes back as a reliable defensive and consistently physical player then great.
Points need to be secondary right now. He needs to focus on the other side of the puck.

60 points is good enough if he’s on the second line and if he plays physical and responsibly.

I don’t care what anyones salary is, if they’re likely going to be a liability defensively and can’t learn then get them out of here. (Not saying that’s Drake. But it could be)

If a player is a defensive liability, he better an offensive asset and come out on top on the positive side of the ledger.

 

[UglyPuckling]

Compare Batherson today to the Batherson pre-Jacques. Night and day difference. I’m not ready to cut bait on him unless it a clear upgrade like the Chychrun trade.

Bath seemed to forget how to play good defensive hockey in the playoffs, but he did embrace it early with Jacques Martin and for a chunk of the season under Green.

 

[Ice-Tray]

ok but even then, we'd get a combination of Crouse and Jack McBain, Barrett Hayton, Josh Doan or Matias Maccelli... doesn't make the team better



In the Chabot, I was suggesting having Chabot-Sanderson as a pairing and Chychrun anchoring the 2nd pair with a defensive guy like Zub

Chabot for Jensen would have been an even worse trade.

Jensen is a better "fit" but he's not an upgrade on Chychrun in any way, shape or form. I can't see any other hockey fans outside of Sens fans saying that.

I agree that we need another upgrade on RD. Chabot Sanderson pairing seems like a move to facilitate Chycrun. Better to have our top D properly slotted and just find a way to get a better RD.

I do think that a combination of those forwards do make us a better team. I don’t think Bath is capable of playing the brand of hockey that is becoming our identity, but we shall see.

 

[GCK]

What does that mean? You think Jensen is a clear upgrade on Chychrun? I mean, Chychrun blew Jensen out of the water this season, he scored 20 goals. Just need pro management/coaching who will use a guy like Chychrun properly. The only good thing is Jensen is more of what we needed and a real RHD, which we lacked. But he's just a stop gap he doesn't bring more than 20 pts a season

I 100% believe Jensen was a clear upgrade on Chychrun. Chychrun was a train wreck here, while Jensen was quite good.

 

[aragorn]

Depending on how Yakemchuk plays in Belleville it's quite possible & most likely that eventually Yakemchuk will replace Jensen at some point. I could see him subbing in for Matinpalo maybe after Xmas to get the NHL experience & then replacing Jensen the following yr. I doubt they re-sign Jensen given his age unless Yak is a train wreck in his first pro season in Belleville. Guennette RD is in Belleville too who should be getting closer, if he is ever to make the NHL.

 

[jbeck5]

Chychrun can't play on the same roster as Chabot and Sanderson. No coach is going to turn him into a competent RD. Its one thing if we moved Chabot for Jensen to have Jensen beside Chychrun, but Chychrun was always a poor fit because Dorion gambled on him being able to play on his offside.

Staios should've gotten more for Chychrun, but Jensen is an upgrade on Chychrun because he fills a hole we had even with Chychrun (2RD).

I still think they should have just played all 3 on the left side with a competent simple demelo/zub type for each guy on the right side but maybe target some physicality.

Roll the pairs. Each gets ~20 mins a night. Keeps them fresh. No overusing guys 25+ mins a night unless they're having a hell of a game...and maybe just Sanderson lol.

At 20 mins, they have enough ice time to get into the game, but not too much that they lower their intensity to pace themselves (like we've seen Chabot do many times)

It should have been just about finding the proper 2-3 million dollar physical RD that compliments Chabot/Sanderson/chychrun.

But what's done is done.

Always having someone who can get 40-60 points on the ice is very valuable over a long playoffs. No guy gets overworked and injuries happen.