I think whatever unit has Giroux would be better... the whole PP runs through him and we've seen that if a team can make him struggle on the PP (by playing him aggressively or if he's just having a bad game) then the rest aren't able to compensate.
Ghost is great, but I don't have much faith in the other 3 when it comes to making good decisions with the puck.
Obviously they're not changing up the top unit, but Giroux with Provorov, Konecny, Patrick/Hischier, and Filppula wouldn't be bad at all.
I agree. Giroux's still a great PP player, but on the PP even the best player is only as good as his support. It's not a one man unit when he only has 5 PP goals.While G is monster in dishing the puck, Simmer is monster in net front play, Jake at zone entries, Ghost in keeping the puck in the zone and Schenn scored every way imaginable, plus he had a nice little play set up with G at gaining the zone when everyone would focus on Jake and forget about him. That's why whole top unit is in top30 in PP scoring and I don't think anyone is riding the cotails.
While G is monster in dishing the puck, Simmer is monster in net front play, Jake at zone entries, Ghost in keeping the puck in the zone and Schenn scored every way imaginable, plus he had a nice little play set up with G at gaining the zone when everyone would focus on Jake and forget about him. That's why whole top unit is in top30 in PP scoring and I don't think anyone is riding the cotails.
Voracek's good at getting the puck into the zone but then past that he's unreliable. Ghost is great, like I said, but he needs someone to set him up. Schenn and Simmonds can score, but how often do they do that without the puck coming from Giroux in some way or another. His passing and decision making makes a massive difference when it comes to creating space for the other guys on the ice. They each have their role, and Im not saying the units success is 100% on Giroux, but I'd say any of the others could be more easily replaced. I wouldn't say merely riding coattails, but each of them have their job made much easier by having him run the power play.
ill put the over/under at 3 games before folks start complaining about the type of PP he runs
I agree. Giroux's still a great PP player, but on the PP even the best player is only as good as his support. It's not a one man unit when he only has 5 PP goals.
Konecny led our #2 unit in PP points....with 5. Next best was Couts and Weise with 2.
I am willing to bet that just changing Giroux and Konecny brings those 2 PP units closer together. Giroux is the straw that stirs the drink. He is the QB. Has nothing to do with his goals. The other 4 guys thank their lucky stars they have Giroux on their PP.
In the end, it's our 2nd unit that I hope he fixes. To put it into perspective:
Couturier was 6th in PP points for forwards on the Flyers with 2.
N. Kadri was 6th in PP points fir forwards on the Leafs....with 15.
Obviously the entire Leafs 2nd unit was able to produce, ours did not.
Hell, Brian Boyle had as many PP points as Konecny. Has nothing to do with individual talent at times. It's set up, plays, schemes, having guys in right spots, etc...
Voracek thinking he's a one time threat from the right half board is the problem with pp1, teams don't even cover the guy and he still can't make anyone pay.
Moving Giroux to the right side and adding Hischier to the left side like Torontos PP1 with Nylander/Matthews would fix a lot of problems in my opinion.
Boyle plays in front of the net. You don't really need a great player for that role. You can plug a big body with decent hands in there & get production out them if the guys on the perimeter are worth their salt.
Yet we had Provy, Konecny, Couts, Weal, Flip, MDZ in those perimeter spots and could not produce. As I said, bad system, setup, players out of place, etc...are important. Sometimes it's not about individual talent.
I'd be fine overpaying Weal on a 1 year "prove it" deal. 1 year, $2 million.