And the view of CMac and DMac is not just Monday morning quarterbacking. There was quite a bit of howling on this board regarding both of those moves at the time.
GDT: Game 15: Columbus at Washington | 11/11 7PM EST
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WannabeFinn
Beloved One
Yep. He could rack up the hits but never impressed me. Didn't have the tenacity of DMac and didn't have the scoring ability of Letestu. Took dumb penalties. At least he only cost us 1m.
JacketFanInFL
Brick by Brick
Yep, absolutely. Comeau was awful last season and an even bigger penalty risk than Jared Boll.
Double-Shift Lasse
Just post better
Brian Gibbons was on their playoff roster but couldn't crack the CBJ lineup out of camp. Go figure, indeed!
WannabeFinn
Beloved One
Probably because the Pens have terrible wingers outside of Kunitz and Hornqvist.
Mark is a huge presence for this team down the middle, and his absence is even more pronounced when you are missing Dubinsky and Anisimov. He has quietly become a core part of the team. Remember as well that he led this team in scoring in the lock out season.
I posted this elsewhere, Nordique, but it fits well with what you just posted:
http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/1...ing-three-centers-is-killing-the-blue-jackets
Spot on, the lack of skill and experience at center is brutal right now. I thought Jenner did a decent job there last night, but even he is more of an asset on the wing. You get those 3 and Bob back on the ice and healthy, and there is no telling how good this team can be. The loss of McKenzie is very apparent right now.
Again, the loss of Mackenzie is magnified because of our center situation. He would "help", don't get me wrong, but him being our 2nd best center(top 2 center minutes) wouldn't change much I don't think.
And even though they're young, I see BOTH Wennberg and Jenner as long term wingers.
And even though they're young, I see BOTH Wennberg and Jenner as long term wingers.
WannabeFinn
Beloved One
Is that because you think we retain Anisimov for a long time? We draft a big time center prospect? Sign a UFA?
Hard to imagine that one of them doesn't slot in either right above or below Dubinsky in the near future.
We Want Ten
Johnny Gaudreau
He's a playmaker no doubt. But which of those plays he made can't be made from the wing? Pick up the puck near the boards and bull it towards the front of the net, that's a wingers playmaking.
yeah but in the defensive zone, him being at center allows him to roam over the ice a lot more, allowing him to use his physicality better instead of being stuck up high guarding the points. I mean really overall it allows him to a lot more freedom to open up the ice in all zones. Wennberg however I could see converting to wing if Jenner converts back to center this year like ive been saying.
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Thanks for sharing this. I think it nails our biggest challenge created by all of these injuries.
Anisimov is part of it. I really do think we're set up the middle for the near future with Johansen, Dubi and AA. Dubinsky and Anisimov are still WAAYY ahead of Jenner and Wennberg if we're talking about a center role. Jenner and Dubi are more similar as are Wennberg and Anisimov. But all 4 play a pretty different "unique" way. The defensive games and intensity of Dubinsky and Anisimov is what trumps Wennberg at the moment. You might say "Anisimov? Intensity?" But what some see as a negative I see as a positive. Its never good to see your guy get hit hard/banged up/concussed so much, but it shows something. Its not that he can't see the ice well or that he isn't a smart player, because he is. I'd argue there's games where Arty is our "smartest", most reliable player. It proves to me that he's not afraid to dig, to get into those dirty areas. Right now my main issue with Wennberg is that he wont get into these areas at all really. The way our team is, we need a "presence" up the middle. When Mark Letestu is a bigger physical presence than you, you could toughen up a bit. He's a very good skater but again, he rarely ever attempts to cut to the middle of the ice into the dirty areas, always staying to the perimeter. So him being on the wing for the next few years at least I think would help the team and him. Let him get stronger and more confident. To me he's a lot like Voracek, or a Huselius that can skate but not shoot. Playmaking winger.
Jenner on the other hand, TO ME, is a power winger all day. He's good enough at all the little things where he CAN play center, I just think his game and overall value is stronger with him on the wing. They are young and things could or WILL change within their game. I just don't know if either guy will be "ready" or "more suited" for a full time center spot in the "near future". Maybe in 3-4 years.
I don't think we should be that concerned what they were drafted as. It's way easier for a junior center prospect to convert to wing than it is for a wing prospect to convert to center.
