Sole Survivor
Registered User
Who will be better offensively this year? and who will have the better offensively3-5 years down the road?
Couldnt have said it better.Gags1288 said:Zidlicky for next year, Pitkanen in 5 years. Marek is a very good offensive defenseman, but Joni is oozing with talent and as he begins to realize his potential, he'll be capable of scoring 60+ points in a season, imo.
rob_paxon said:Pitkanen for sure in the long term. Could be close next season but Zidlicky gets the edge.
markov` said:Same here. But I would take Pitkanen over Zidlicky in my team anyday.
nomorekids said:I think a lot of people make the mistake of thinking Zidlicky's points this year were some sort of fluke..or...a matter of being in the right place at the right time, or something of that nature. Having seen him play over 82 games this past year...I can't disagree more.
Vlad The Impaler said:Evidently buy this thread, it looks like nobody thinks it's a fluke.
I am not so sure of that.
nomorekids said:but why? it's just TOO unrealistic that this guy could have flown under the radar\exploded so fast-easily in the NHL? It's like I said...it wasn't as if he were Andy Delmore, being spoon-fed the perfect pass by Kimmo Timonen time and time again...he was bursting out of the corners with these insane moves, creating plays by himself. It just seems unreasonable to think that...he'll "lose" some of his skill.
That's true and he'll get there rather quickly - he had 27 pts in 71 games as a 21 year old rookie. That translates to 31 pts in a full 82 game schedule.SmokeyClause said:Pitkanen has a ways to go to reach the level of offense that Zidlicky put up last season. .
I think people do appreciate the numbers Zidlicky put up, but they are also quite cautious to laud him with too much praise. Why ? Because if the NHL has taught us anything it is that many players can be great for one year, but not all can keep it going year after year. So why are people more cautious with Zidlicky ? Well for one he is 27 and has just finished his rookie year. For another, he really had everything go right for him in Nashville and he did have an excellent situation to step into it (being able to be first in ice-time among the entire team, having so much powerplay time, etc).SmokeyClause said:I don't think people appreciate the numbers Zids put up as a rookie. Jovo, who is considered top flight offensively, has never achieved Zids level of points. Niedermeyer, who is one of the best (if not the best) offensive Dmen in the league has only a scored as many points as Zids twice (outscoring him once by 1 point, and once by 4), and that's in something like 13 years in the NHL. And I'm sure Flyers fans would die to have Niedermeyer-esque offensive production out of Pitkanen.
nomorekids said:I think a lot of people make the mistake of thinking Zidlicky's points this year were some sort of fluke..or...a matter of being in the right place at the right time, or something of that nature. Having seen him play over 82 games this past year...I can't disagree more. There is something supernatural about his skill with the puck\vision. Let's put it this way...if his shot was a bit more accurate...he would likely have had 20 goals. That's his big drawback, maybe even more than his defensive play...but he's got the moves and the hockey smarts to make it happen, regardless. He should consistently be in the top ten, top five for points by a defenseman.
this year zdlicky in the future pitkanen, dont forget there is like a 6 year differnece in age zdl is like 27 or 28 and pitkanen is like what 21 or something in 3 or 4 year pitkanen will be in his prime and zdlicky will be getting older.so yes to answer your ? pitkanen willl be better in 3or 4 years. for now zdlickySole Survivor said:Who will be better offensively this year? and who will have the better offensively3-5 years down the road?
no u didnt read the thread right he said whos better now and who will be better 3-4 from now. so i dont think anyone forgot anything04' hockey said:Everyone seems to forget it was Pitkanens FIRST year in the NHL.
On Defense.