So you think a C that had 77 points at 24 years old last year and pacing for 82 at 25 so far isn’t worthy of a 1C role?
At his size, ideally no, not on a cup contender and pacing means nothing a dozen games in, or do you think Adam Gaudette will actually score 50 goals? Most players hit their offensive ceiling by 24/25, so he'll likely never b an elite #1, but that's not to say he's not good. He's a good #1 for a rebuilding team
So what do we make of his 77 points last year at 24? That’s not pacing that’s on a full season.
Ideally, perhaps not, but given his obviously higher offensive ceiling, he's certainly far more suited to the role. Not to mention the fact he is 3 years younger, hasn't likely hit his offensive ceiling yet and still has room to fill out in his frame. 31 fanbases & 32 front offices would prefer him over Suzuki, you can be assured of that. And again, his 77 points is less than 1 ppg and is more likely to be his offensive ceiling than Timmy's 90 points.
What does size have to do with being #1C on a cup contender?
And Bedard is 5' 9", but those are are generational talents out SEVERE outliers, not the Timmy's and Suzuki's that are the actual subject of my comments. And for real are you seriously asking what size has to do with being a great hockey player?? Like seriously??
I don't see the link with size and being a #1C on a contender, if the player is 5'11 and large framed like Suzuki. I gave you Point as an example too who is not generational. Datsyuk was even smaller at 5'10.And Bedard is 5' 9", but those are are generational talents out SEVERE outliers, not the Timmy's and Suzuki's that are the actual subject of my comments. And for real are you seriously asking what size has to do with being a great hockey player?? Like seriously??
I guess you didn't read my other comments then cause yes, Suzuki not having a high enough offensive ceiling was the main thrust of my initial point. And I always choose my words carefully and I have been saying ideally for a reason. Of course there's multiple examples of smaller centres winning cups, but that doesn't make having an undersized centre ideal. JG Pageau was a great 3C but at 5'9" his height is a drawback and something he had to overcome and no, is sure af not at all ideal.
Also, the Caufield's and DeBrincat's of the world are next level tiny who's heights are huge drawbacks that only those with the most elite of skill sets could ever hope to overcome. Hockey is a physical sport full of high speed collisions, so size is a HUGE issue and the bigger the better is the default starting point. Mario would not have been Mario if he weren't 6.5' tall, regardless of his insane skill. Take a foot off his height and he's Theo Fleury, a late rounder, fringe HOF'er, not a first ballot, multi cup winner, first overall type of guy
Jack Eichel won the cup as the #1 C with a career high 82 points
Yup and all those guys tower over Suzuki, not to mention being being better 2 way players so you're just proving my point, which was not that you need 100 points to win the cup. My point was Suzuki's lack of elite offense combined with him being undersized makes him better suited as a 2C, unlike every guy on this list, save for ROR. If you want to disprove me, make a list of guys that are under 6' tall & never broke 1 ppg, but still won a cup as a team's #1C. Of course it's happened, but it's not the norm, nor is it ideal
The only guy on that list who weighs more than Suzuki is Kopitar. Talk about being undersized. Suzuki has gotten Selke votes since he was 22 years old with last year being #13 in votes despite being on a rebuilding team. He also plays PK1 (which Stutzle doesn't do btw).
Yup. Very important the centres play equally well defensively as they do offensively. Suzuki is definitely great defensively. But he doesn’t exactly play with defensively conscious wingers and stout D.
You clearly rate Suzuki MUCH higher than I do, so agree to disagree then. If you are happy with him and don't think having a big rangy elite #1C matters, then more power to you. I very much hope Montreal stays the course and builds around him, Caufield and Hutson and pursues as many sub 6' guys as they can, they certainly have my full support
It’s not that I don’t value big rangy elite #1 C.. it’s just that there’s maybe 4 or 5 of them in the league and unless you get lucky and draft then, you’re not going to get a sniff at them.
Fair, but again, I was and still am talking about ideals and Suzuki is not now nor will he ever be the ideal #1 C, imo. They can be had outside the draft (Eichel?), but it's so rare that we basically agree there. EP40 is quite possibly available, given his fall off since the day he signed his monster deal, but it would likely take a big overpay, rightfully so and carries a boatload of risk. At the end of the day, Nick has the job and isn't going anywhere, so having a big guy like Dach behind him makes tons of sense, though I think he's too fragile tbh, so time will tell
