regardless of stats and contracts and all of the other numbers we confuse ourselves with,
he doesn't pass the eyeball test. He is often seen doing something soft or just wrong, has a low hockey IQ it seems at times. He has had one pretty good year, and is almost 30.
Exactly, they're unproven, and as you said, lots of injuries/ shortened schedule etc.
Why don't we wait until they are regulars and play full seasons before writing the history book on their careers? Maybe one of them is better than we expect?
PROD or PDOI depending on how you want to say it by month for Filppula
January: 20:57
February: 46:15
March: 53:43
April: 72:26
I see a guy with a lot of skill who shows it in flashes, but not consistently enough to merit the money he wants. Maybe I need to get my eyes checked, but he passes the eyeball test for me.
Antropov is skilled, the other 2 guys aren't so much in my opinion.
You say things in many other threads that go far beyond just saying he is a secondary scoring player. Don't feel like searching threads but just in this thread alone you said he is a "sulky player with zero confidence" and a "fluke". LOL. It's usually more of the same in other threads you post about Fil.
Doesn't matter because I agree with you we shouldn't pay him what he is going to ask for, so that's all that really matters.
i'd actually take steen over fil ... antropov and poni are not close though.
i think a comparable player is stalberg, who i think actually is becoming the better player this year. is someone gonna give him 5+? i think fil has really played himself into a 4.5m type of deal, and probably not for the term he would want either. don't see how he doesn't hit free agency at this point because the wings probably think is free market value is lower than fil's camp believes.
Let him go. He's going to get a large payday from somebody, and I certainly hope it isn't from us. I can see him being a "change of scenery" guy even if he SHOULD fit in with Detroit. Put him on a team like Toronto or Ottawa, and I bet he flourishes again.
He doesn't look remotely like the player he was last year, or in the 08 and 09 playoff runs.
I don't know what happened to him, but he appears to have played his way off the roster at this point.
The one thing that makes me think otherwise is that Babcock is still playing him a ton and has him centering the 2nd PP unit. If they had given up on him going forward, I can't imagine he'd still be getting all that prime ice time from Babcock when he's clearly playing like crap.
As for Smith, he doesn't have the hockey IQ to be top defenseman, his destiny will always be the "whipping boy", the guy that "should be great, but never put it together".
Filppula is a proven player. Smith and Tatar are overrated, apparently Smith is the next Kronwall with a mean streak and Tatar is a 35+ goal scorer. If they are really that overrated, then trade their ***** to get some good return. That's good asset management.
I like Tatar as a future 3rd liner that can score, giving Detroit scoring depth... but he will never be a game breaker and he is redundant. I would prefer trading him for a guy with size and snarl to his game over a small skilled guy. As for Smith, he doesn't have the hockey IQ to be top defenseman, his destiny will always be the "whipping boy", the guy that "should be great, but never put it together". I say trade him before other GMs see he is the new Cam Barker of the league. I would love to trade him for a Nick Leddy type guy!
Tatar yes, but it's time to run a tight ship on Smith. He is costing us games. I say give Smith up to next trade deadline, if he doesn't improve to become that dman to run the top 4, then ship his butt out on the first train outta town.
filppula is a perfect player for the KHL or some other Euro league, wide open bigger ice, no hitting, lots of floating and dangling
he needs to go away now as our team is simply not good enough to support such a player at the money he will want
we need to play more like the jackets then the hawks
You don't watch any non-NA hockey leagues, do you?
Filppula is going to Calgary to center Hudler.
I could see Calgary being a strong contender for Filppula that's for sure.