Player Discussion Ridly Greig (LW) 28th Overall

[Hun]

Pinto has played RW, he played RW at the WJC where he quickly became one of the best players

Pinto never played RW at the WJC. He was 1C throughout the tournament.

 

[GCK]

No way. There is almost zero percent chance of that happening.

So you want Stu moved to wing once Greig becomes a full time NHL player ? That’s a big mistake IMO.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Pinto never played RW at the WJC. He was 1C throughout the tournament.

Yea, I don't know why I keep seeing this repeated. He was their top line and most used C in that tourney.

 

[Xspyrit]

Am I way off in thinking the Sens are close to being really Good?

I think you have tons of pieces to trade for a top veteran player or two...for example a player like Scheifele.

Yes very close, a lot of talent is actually NOT in the lineup. Batherson, Norris, Pinto, Sanderson, Greig, Sogaard... will eventually come back or make the team in the near future.

I believe Ottawa has the best U-25 (under 25 y/o) talent in the league.

However, ownership and management is the worst in the league IMO, and comfortably. I'm on the fence about coaching, I see strengths and weaknesses. I like DJ and how the players seem to buy in what he sells but it takes a lot of time at the beginning of the season to instill some kind of defensive structure (last season ~30 games, this season ~20 games)

 

[Tuna99]

We have zero idea of Boucher’s ceiling. He really hasn’t played many games in over 2 years. There are definite red flags but Mann deserves the benefit of the doubt until we find out.

Boucher also deserves the benefit of the doubt. He might be a bigger version of Connor Brown and that’s still a really good pro

 

[Heldig]

Yes very close, a lot of talent is actually NOT in the lineup. Batherson, Norris, Pinto, Sanderson, Greig, Sogaard... will eventually come back or make the team in the near future.

I believe Ottawa has the best U-25 (under 25 y/o) talent in the league.

However, ownership and management is the worst in the league IMO, and comfortably. I'm on the fence about coaching, I see strengths and weaknesses. I like DJ and how the players seem to buy in what he sells but it takes a lot of time at the beginning of the season to instill some kind of defensive structure (last season ~30 games, this season ~20 games)

I agree. I am surprised the team struggled this badly.

So, is it time to trade for a top line talent like Scheifele?

 

[swiftwin]

I agree. I am surprised the team struggled this badly.

So, is it time to trade for a top line talent like Scheifele?

The team hasn't struggled badly when they've been healthy.

Well, for starters, players like Sanderson, Grieg and Sogaard haven't even played a game with the Sens yet. Pinto only has about a dozen games before he got hurt.

On top of that, the Sens season got completely derailed by covid in November. They were one of two teams that got hit by delta (the other one is the Islanders, who are also having an off season), and were forced to play with 15 players out of the lineup at one point. After most of the players returned, they had to go straight to a grueling Cali road trip, depite not having practice for over a month. The Sens only had 2 practices the entire month of November. Brutal for a young team trying to learn to play in the NHL. After that road trip, they flipped a switch and have been playing great. The Sens are 11-7-3 (.575) since December 2nd despite the injuries to Batherson and Norris. Last season, they also finished extremely strong. They had the 2nd best record in the entire league in the last 10 games of last season.

 

[God Says No]

So you want Stu moved to wing once Greig becomes a full time NHL player ? That’s a big mistake IMO.

Huh? When did I say that? I'm saying Greig has zero chance to unseat Norris, Pinto or Stutzle from C. Greig will be a winger in the NHL.

 

[Sweatred]

Huh? When did I say that? I'm saying Greig has zero chance to unseat Norris, Pinto or Stutzle from C. Greig will be a winger in the NHL.

Agreed - he’s not even good on draws in junior hockey.

 

[GCK]

Huh? When did I say that? I'm saying Greig has zero chance to unseat Norris, Pinto or Stutzle from C. Greig will be a winger in the NHL.

I think you are jumping the gun a little. We have zero evidence Greig can play wing. Some players are much better at centre than wing while others have a seamless adjustment. My opinion just based on how they play is that Norris and Pinto could be very effective wingers while Stu is diminished on the wing. So basically all I am saying is that all 4 will play top 9 in a couple years and the team will have to figure out how the top 9 is at its best.

 

[GCK]

Agreed - he’s not even good on draws in junior hockey.

What is “good”.

 

[DJB]

Agreed - he’s not even good on draws in junior hockey.

I dont see C when I watch Greig play honestly. He looks much better suited to play the W but I've said that from day 1 as well

Unless he's playing 4C he ain't playing C here in Ottawa

 

[Micklebot]

What is “good”.

Is having the best FO% on your team good?

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

Is Greig basically Boucher's ceiling?

No, Greig is better’

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

Is Greig basically Boucher's ceiling?

Totally different players and skillsets. Greig is more similar to Sillinger than Boucher.

 

[OD99]

Is having the best FO% on your team good?

This fascination with FO% is really something.

Yes it can be important in certain instances but having a C that plays 200ft, can score and make his teammates better are by a wide margin more important than dominating the dot.

You can learn to be better at FO much easier than all the other items as well.

Jimmy has some heads spinning it seems.

 

[Sweatred]

Is having the best FO% on your team good?

No ... not all all. I'd say thats a fairly irrelevant stat for a player eval. For perspective he is 108th in the WHL as a D+2.

 

[Micklebot]

No ... not all all. I'd say thats a fairly irrelevant stat for a player eval. For perspective he is 108th in the WHL as a D+2.

I think it's relevant in that anyone who has ever taken a faceoff knows that wingers play a not insignificant role in winning or losing a draw. In the context of his team, he is the best, it's not always an apple to Apple comparison when looking at players on different teams. Look at Pageau for example, he went from around 53% each year in Ottawa to 56 every year in NY,

He's certainly not elite in that regard, but I also wouldn't chalk it up as a weakness disqualifying him from being a center at the NHL level.

 

[aragorn]

Winning faceoffs usually means you have possession of the puck for another 15 seconds & if it's in the offensive zone can result in an opportunity to score a goal. If it's in the defensive zone it means you probably prevented a goal against. It's an improtant part of a game, it's not the be all or end all, but it certainly helps & most successful teams have at least a couple of very good faceoff guys. And there are several instances in every game where winning a faceoff at critical times in games can mean the difference between winning & losing. And in the playoffs faceoffs become even more important & critical in certain situations.

 

[Sweatred]

I think it's relevant in that anyone who has ever taken a faceoff knows that wingers play a not insignificant role in winning or losing a draw. In the context of his team, he is the best, it's not always an apple to Apple comparison when looking at players on different teams. Look at Pageau for example, he went from around 53% each year in Ottawa to 56 every year in NY,

He's certainly not elite in that regard, but I also wouldn't chalk it up as a weakness disqualifying him from being a center at the NHL level.

Ya … no… being the best on a junior team that is bad at face offs doesn’t mean anything.

Being good at face offs means your good at face offs…. In the NHL that means at least +50% vs good opponents . I have zero clue where your going with your “not insignificant role” but every hockey player in the world has taken a face off and most aren’t good at them at whatever level they max out in.

 

[Micklebot]

Ya … no… being the best on a junior team that is bad at face offs doesn’t mean anything.

Being good at face offs means your good at face offs.

He's actually about average in faceoff %, for perspective, 108th in the league is pretty misleading when the first 50 guys on that list combine for under 200 total faceoffs. He ranks about 40th if you only consider guys actually playing center and taking draws. He's not elite at it by any means, but he's also not bad. He's likely to be pretty average at the dot should he play center in the nhl.

 

[Sweatred]

He's actually about average in faceoff %, for perspective, 108th in the league is pretty misleading when the first 50 guys on that list combine for under 200 total faceoffs. He ranks about 40th if you only consider guys actually playing center and taking draws. He's not elite at it by any means, but he's also not bad. He's likely to be pretty average at the dot should he play center in the nhl.

He D+2 and average in a junior league where he’s older then most. Enough said (or should be) …

I don’t want some average WHL kid taking face offs in 1-2 years when we have 22+Year old Norris, Brady, Paul, Kestelic, Stutzle, and Pinto to choose from.

I like him, he tracks nicely in the middle of the ice but he’ll be nice on LW too. I’m sure we will keep his Center development path open.

 

[Micklebot]

I like him, he tracks nicely in the middle of the ice but he’ll be nice on LW too. I’m sure we will keep his Center development path open.

I don't disagree with this, I think he'll to go to the AHL as a center, where he lands in the NHL will depend on a lot of things, I'm just not convinced his faceoff prowess will weigh heavily into it (unless he really struggles). The numbers game might push him out though, particularly as he plays pretty well on the wing too. It's nice to have organizational depth at center.

 

[God Says No]

I think you are jumping the gun a little. We have zero evidence Greig can play wing. Some players are much better at centre than wing while others have a seamless adjustment. My opinion just based on how they play is that Norris and Pinto could be very effective wingers while Stu is diminished on the wing. So basically all I am saying is that all 4 will play top 9 in a couple years and the team will have to figure out how the top 9 is at its best.

We have more than zero. He played the wing in pre-season. Anyways, most (not all) centers start at wing in the NHL. I think he's too small, not good enough in the dot, and is not a prototypical center hence he'll play on the wing in the NHL. Playing Norris/Pinto/Stu on the wing is fools gold. They play better in the middle and they'll most likely never play wing again. Like I said, there is almost zero chance Greig usurps one of the top 3 C positions.

 

[GCK]

We have more than zero. He played the wing in pre-season. Anyways, most (not all) centers start at wing in the NHL. I think he's too small, not good enough in the dot, and is not a prototypical center hence he'll play on the wing in the NHL. Playing Norris/Pinto/Stu on the wing is fools gold. They play better in the middle and they'll most likely never play wing again. Like I said, there is almost zero chance Greig usurps one of the top 3 C positions.

You say Greig is not good enough at faceoffs but I can’t figure out what facts you are using to come to that conclusion. There is also a fair bit of analytical evidence that face offs are not nearly as important as many would have you believe.