Toggle sidebar

Lucas Raymond

  • Xenforo Cloud will be upgrading us to version 2.3.5 on March 3rd at 12 AM GMT. This version has increased stability and fixes several bugs. We expect downtime for the duration of the update. The admin team will continue to work on existing issues, templates and upgrade all necessary available addons to minimize impact of this new version. Click Here for Updates
norrisnick said:
Ray now leads the Wings in scoring. No one this young has done so since Yzerman.

We'll see how the rest of the season plays out...
Click to expand...
I think this year has shown that we may have a very special player on our hands. His compete level down the stretch has been fantastic to see and he has developed into a really solid all around player. Playmaker, shooter, physical and getting better and better defensively as the days go by.

I think Stevie will go short term on his contract but I wouldn't be upset to see him locked up for 8 either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: norrisnick and Lazlo Hollyfeld
On one hand he is scoring and playing decently, but should still be noted he has the worst plus/minus on the team. He does need to work on staying engaged in his own end, especially in games where he doesn't show up on the scoresheet. I don't think of him as lazy defensively, maybe more like not sure how to be good at it.
 
Oddbob said:
On one hand he is scoring and playing decently, but should still be noted he has the worst plus/minus on the team. He does need to work on staying engaged in his own end, especially in games where he doesn't show up on the scoresheet. I don't think of him as lazy defensively, maybe more like not sure how to be good at it.
Click to expand...
Should be noted he’s the youngest player on the team, and isn’t sheltered.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wings95
Oddbob said:
On one hand he is scoring and playing decently, but should still be noted he has the worst plus/minus on the team. He does need to work on staying engaged in his own end, especially in games where he doesn't show up on the scoresheet. I don't think of him as lazy defensively, maybe more like not sure how to be good at it.
Click to expand...

As already mentioned, he's a youngster - and the line combinations/ roster construction we have, isn't ideal. Playing him with Larkin all the time would be best, because Larks is a two-way player..and then you would need a second two-way guy, best case a bigger, more physical forward (yes, the kind of player that the Wings have not managed to sign since.. forever.. ), to round out that line.. and then you probably give up less goals, when Ray is on the ice.

Plus, he'll continue to grow, in all areas, including defense. I'd be concerned (and not so positive about extending him long term) if he'd lazy, lacking effort, stuff like that. But the guy is feisty, doesn't back down, stays on the ice even after very hard hits.. so I guess you can grow him into (at least) a "solid" player on the defensive side.. and with his offense, he should be a clear plus in the future.
 
With a championship roster, he is 2nd line RW based on his play this year. He is only 21.

The next 3-4 years of development are critical.

He needs to be in a winning environment with like minded players. I think there are some good vets on the team, but few like minded players. Most definitely him, Larkin, Kane, and maybe Fischer have that laser drive focus and try to put the team on their backs.

Need more.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wings95
OneMoreTry said:
As already mentioned, he's a youngster - and the line combinations/ roster construction we have, isn't ideal. Playing him with Larkin all the time would be best, because Larks is a two-way player..and then you would need a second two-way guy, best case a bigger, more physical forward (yes, the kind of player that the Wings have not managed to sign since.. forever.. ), to round out that line.. and then you probably give up less goals, when Ray is on the ice.

Plus, he'll continue to grow, in all areas, including defense. I'd be concerned (and not so positive about extending him long term) if he'd lazy, lacking effort, stuff like that. But the guy is feisty, doesn't back down, stays on the ice even after very hard hits.. so I guess you can grow him into (at least) a "solid" player on the defensive side.. and with his offense, he should be a clear plus in the future.
Click to expand...
Ray's defensive play isn't the problem. It's the Perrons, Kanes, Fabbris, etc... that have rotated on and off his line.

Note that Ray is seeing SH shifts and is put on the ice with Cop and Ras to close out games in 5 on 6 situations.
 
Oh, I won't argue against the fact that we have a bunch of players who are a minus on D, not only Ray, and that some are bigger headaches than him, even though he has the worst +- on the team. Especially Perron just needs to be gone, I can already see myself completely freak out if we re-sign that guy.. :rant:
 
Raymond is -10 in the 6 games since Larkin got injured

which is literally half of his negative +/- on the season and shows just how silly hyperfocusing on it can be, especially since Larkin himself has a negative +/- and is his most common linemate
 
  • Like
Reactions: Air Budd Dwyer
..which could lead you to the conclusion, that Larkin would be a clear plus, were he constantly playing with two other two-way forwards. But he's rarely having those, it's almost always the opposite (for his whole career, actually..) - he's usually playing with guys who are defensively worse than him. So he's supposed to drive his linemates on offense while at the same time making up for their mistakes on defense. Amazing.. :eyeroll:

Even more importantly, all our forwards +- suffers from the dumpster fire we call defense. Imagine switching Larkin onto the Canes 1st line, which has guys like Burns, Slavin, Skjei behind them most of the time (and quality depth down to the 3rd pair). I'm pretty sure how it would look like. Maybe not equally good, because Aho is better than Larkin, but the difference won't be as huge as one could possibly think, when comparing the two teams points and standing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom