I talked about Vancouver and how they already have the elite 1C in place but they also have the elite 2C (who's really a low-end 1C) in Horvat. This is a huge part of winning the Cup in today's game. Aside from Chicago, all of the recent winners have essentially had two first-line centers.
Horvat is 23. Zibanejead is only 25. Pretty crazy how young he is. We've got that piece in place without having the draft it. If we do the other **** right, the Zibanejad trade is going to be looked back on as the start of our success.
That's only because Quinn matches 1st lines. Doesn't mean in any way that Zib is is better defensively.
the draft is soiled. SOILED.
thanks for nothin clark .
I talked about Vancouver and how they already have the elite 1C in place but they also have the elite 2C (who's really a low-end 1C) in Horvat. This is a huge part of winning the Cup in today's game. Aside from Chicago, all of the recent winners have essentially had two first-line centers.
Horvat is 23. Zibanejead is only 25. Pretty crazy how young he is. We've got that piece in place without having the draft it. If we do the other **** right, the Zibanejad trade is going to be looked back on as the start of our success.
I agree that we aren't at a full tear down place, and the team isn't bad enough to pick as high as they would need to under that direction.with kravtsov and panarin on the edge
plus 93 13 and 21 down the gut
and a "rebuilt" defense (smith and mcquaid gone) and a hank like this years hank
i continue to believe this roster would be very very good and still very young.
and the rebuild would be close.
we aren't at a full tear down place.
My guess is Hayes gets 6 x 6 or 7 x 5.7 on the open market.
If the Rangers move on from Hayes, it isn't because he's not very good. It's because he's not a next-level player.
You're either elite, or you're depth. The Rangers don't seem willing to spend on players in between anymore.
I agree that we aren't at a full tear down place, and the team isn't bad enough to pick as high as they would need to under that direction.
But I'm not sure I like 93, 13, and 21 down the gut.
Not only do cup winners generally have an elite center, the last team to win one without a Hall of Fame center was a long time ago. We need to do better there, or we're heading right back where we were (good but not good enough).
You are right, but to some extent, that is also because you become an elite center if you win a Cup...
Nobody claimed that Patrice Bergeron was an elite center before he won, everyone said the opposite, ie BB can’t be seen as a legit contender with Bergeron/Krejci 1-2 punch.. If we win a cup against LAK, Derek Stepan goes legend over night.
My point is just, you actually don’t need a top 5 talent at center to win a Cup. Bergeron, Toews, and co. Sure Kopitar is really good, but so was the players around him. Those guys have won 5 of the recent cups. Creating a circle around them won’t result in the conclusion that you need a generational type center to win.
Because that was definitely the case before 05’, where NJs trap wins more were the exception that confirmed the rule...
Hayes will get $, sure. But Stastny has been a PPG 1C in the past. Hayes might never be that.I would bet a lot of money on Hayes getting no less than 6.8m as a UFA.
Like Paul Statsny just got 6.5m per. There are never any UFAs available. Young 6’5 center.
Granted, Hayes could be moved to wing, but now that's Kreider, Chytil, Kravtsov, and Hayes.
Are you committing to that being your top 6 for the next 6 years?
Then there's a scenario where it comes down to Hayes OR Kreider. The choice there is clearly Kreider.
with kravtsov and panarin on the edge
plus 93 13 and 21 down the gut
and a "rebuilt" defense (smith and mcquaid gone) and a hank like this years hank
i continue to believe this roster would be very very good and still very young.
and the rebuild would be close.
we aren't at a full tear down place.
point taken, but Wheeler and Hayes are two different styles of player. Wheeler IMO was exhibiting signs in his play of a potentially greater upside. I didnt think it'd be as good as he is now. Hayes OTOH is finding some new offense, but a lot of his development has been defensively and as a play generator. Sure, he could have a higher upside that what he is doing now. I don't see him ever being a PPG player though.Boston traded Blake Wheeler at the age of 25 when he has 27 pts in 54 games, for a bunch of crap more or less.
7 years later BW is well over a PPG player and have been that the last 4 years. Only getting better. Does he have 2-3 years left? 3-4? Something like that.
You must know what you are doing as a NHL GM. And from my POV it got a lot harder with the shelf life of a NHLer getting shorter, players starting to break down earlier. Everyone aren’t, and won’t. Some will still peak when they are 32 and play at top level until they are 35, while some will head down fast at 28.
The science and at least general knowledge of factors deciding how long a player can play at the top level is pretty bare. But there certainly is a HUGE difference between the value of a player if he has 2-3 peak years left or 8-10...
Gorton must make the right call on these things.
I think you're right about the perception, but Bergeron should have always been considered a top 10 center, because in retrospect, he always was.
Stepan never was.
point taken, but Wheeler and Hayes are two different styles of player. Wheeler IMO was exhibiting signs in his play of a potentially greater upside. I didnt think it'd be as good as he is now. Hayes OTOH is finding some new offense, but a lot of his development has been defensively and as a play generator. Sure, he could have a higher upside that what he is doing now. I don't see him ever being a PPG player though.
point taken, but Wheeler and Hayes are two different styles of player. Wheeler IMO was exhibiting signs in his play of a potentially greater upside. I didnt think it'd be as good as he is now. Hayes OTOH is finding some new offense, but a lot of his development has been defensively and as a play generator. Sure, he could have a higher upside that what he is doing now. I don't see him ever being a PPG player though.
To this point, I'm looking forward to the prospect of more Kreider/Zibanejad/HayesYeah and like Wheeler from my POV has just really really found a great spot for him and his development in Winnipeg. Hayes has unique abilities, but I can’t seen him alone ever driving things. But of course, if he ends up with absolutely killer linemates somewhere and can tag along those guys and get some synergies things could look better.