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Player Discussion Jayden Struble Part 3 the Greek God Strouble Edition

Rapala said:
The main problem I have with Struble is he is not opportunistic. What I mean by that is he will often pass up the best play for a safer play which sucks the wind out of any O shift we are trying to build on. The worst part is he'll typically end up being the open man as teams tend to give him more space. It gets super annoying when he's out there with our top line which is far too often for my liking.
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I'll watch for that. For now I just want him to not turn the puck over, as he did a couple of times that shift. I think that's what he's focusing on now as he continues to get his feet wet in the NHL.

Habs are playing well.

Great play by Suzuki to dump it into himself like that.

Nice of Struble to get it to the net
 
Tyson said:
Struble has really upped his game recently. He has filled in for Guhle very nicely
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MSL didn't like him earlier this season but Struble has stuck with it and seems much improved.

For the season, his TOI/gp is down compared to last year, 14:43 this year to 16:07 last year. However, in his last 10gp he's at 14:52 TOI mins/game and in his last 5gp he's up to 17:04 mins/game. He's currently our 4th dman... a significant progress from 7th or 8th dman.

For comparison:
Jordan Harris has played 29 games this year and averages 11:07 TOI/game... he's been healthy scratched since Feb 8th

Justin Barron has played 40 games this year and averages 16:06 TOI/game... he's been leaned on quite a bit recently, he's also his team's 4th dman now

Jayden Struble has played 34 games this year and averages 14:43 TOI/game

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Happy that Guhle's injury has allowed him to get a chance to play. He had a very strong training camp but then injuries and rotating with Barron derailed his season. Still unsure if he can be more than a #5. Don't know if there is room for both him and Xhekaj at the same time long term
 
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Victoire HuGo said:
Happy that Guhle's injury has allowed him to get a chance to play. He had a very strong training camp but then injuries and rotating with Barron derailed his season. Still unsure if he can be more than a #5. Don't know if there is room for both him and Xhekaj at the same time long term
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I would be OK if he was a solid #5.
 
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Struble is the kind of D that has a lot of tools (Smooth skater, good hitter and grit, strong passer, disciplined etc) and he generally knows his limits and has been good playing within them. But we have to remember that even though he's only average/decent right now, he's a smart player. He makes good decisions and because he's such a good athlete we have to be patient, because I think once he collects enough games played in the NHL, he's going to be such a steady presence as a depth D. He's going to use his physical tools in a effective way via decision making and experience.

I think about a D like Beaulieu and how he had no toolbox, and I look at Struble and I see so much potential because he strikes me as a real student of the game. A guy that doesn't have the most talent but he's got a rare combo of athletics and IQ. I think in his prime he could be a more physical and mobile Josh Gorges
 
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Struble looking good with Hutson. This is very interesting going forward. GMs value guys who can play top 4 D or top 6 fwd even if they 'get carried'.

His value in the market is picking up.
 
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Skip Bayless said:
Struble looking good with Hutson. This is very interesting going forward. GMs value guys who can play top 4 D or top 6 fwd even if they 'get carried'.

His value in the market is picking up.
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rik schau said:
Not a popular thing to say around here but I like his overall game more than Arbers.
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As of right now, he plays a game that is much more helpful to the team than Xhekaj. He plays faster and more fluid with the puck. While Xhekaj brings the needed physical backbone.

Makes me wonder, if we have to choose between the two, will Struble give Xhekaj a run for his money? Can we keep all of Xhekaj, Struble, Matheson, Hutson, and Guhle long term? Would HuGo use a guy like Guhle or Reinbacher if he had the chance to do so to acquire a 2c at Suzuki's level?

I still only see Struble's trade value peaking at a 2nd round pick, until he has veteran experience at least.
 
WinterLion said:
Do we trade Matheson in the offseason and keep Struble?
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I'm thinking we might try to use one of our D's with trade value to get that really good 2c of the long term, and just a mediocre band aid.

Struble and Carrier have really stepped up. Plus, we could potentially sign Ekblad, Chychrun, Fabbro as a UFA if they make it to market and we want to replace a d sacrificed in a trade for a 2c.
 
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WinterLion said:
Do we trade Matheson in the offseason and keep Struble?
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Even if we trade Matheson I don't see where Struble fits.

Left side has Guhle, Hutson and X. Right side has Carriere and (hopefully) RB. That leaves one more spot on the right and I think we'll go get somebody for that. I think both Matheson and Struble are trade bait.

I like Struble a lot. I'd love to keep him and wish he was on the right side. But X provides a dimension that's sorely needed and I'd keep him instead.
 
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26Mats said:
I'm thinking we might try to use one of our D's with trade value to get that really good 2c of the long term, and just a mediocre band aid.

Struble and Carrier have really stepped up. Plus, we could potentially sign Ekblad, Chychrun, Fabbro as a UFA if they make it to market and we want to replace a d sacrificed in a trade for a 2c.
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He was on waivers this season. We let him pass.
 
26Mats said:
I'll watch for that. For now I just want him to not turn the puck over, as he did a couple of times that shift. I think that's what he's focusing on now as he continues to get his feet wet in the NHL.

Habs are playing well.

Great play by Suzuki to dump it into himself like that.

Nice of Struble to get it to the net
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Exactly.

Struble and Xhekaj are under strict orders to play strong defence and to not turn the pick over. MSL wants them to maximize their defensive impact on the game and to let the offence mature as they develop over the next few years. We all saw both of these players making plays last year that ultimately led to them taking too many risks and getting themselves in trouble. Marty has not hesitated to bench them and/or not dress them to drive the point home.

I think casual fans don't seem to be able to grasp this but it is an important part of developing young defenders who have enough tools to tempt them but will never be offensive players. Both Struble and Xhekaj have elements of their game that will be advantageous in the offensive zone and in transition but they need to show enough maturity and restraint in their game to be trusted to play without the leash that is currently keeping them in line. This will come in time but they are not ready yet, therefore just accept the safe passes and long wristers from the outside into net front traffic.

This is all about learning to walk before they can safely run and respecting the elevated risk level when they stray from the strict boundaries that Marty has set for them.
 
26Mats said:
yeah, that was a mistake.
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Fabbro is undersized and is a below average defender. The last thing we needed was another liability. Carrier was a smarter pick up as he provides the stability that Fabbro could not and is a better fit moving forward on the right side with Reinbacher very likely playing in Montreal next season.

I think Hughes grabs a veteran second pairing RHD with some size and mobility in the off season and Xhekaj might very well be the bait.

Fabbro has certainly been better with Columbus but given his profile at the time that he was waived, he just didn't make a lot of sense.
 
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