Player Discussion Shane Pinto (C) - PART 2

tstracuzza

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Jan 18, 2017
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I think he has a higher ceiling than whats believed around here. He already looks better than most centres in the league every game and he is still under 10 games in. Excited to see what he does next year with the work he puts in on the off season.

I'm a big fan and I hated the draft pick at the time.
Exactly my thought. People pegging him as a ceiling 3rd liner are going to be extremely thrilled with how this kid progresses. I wouldn’t be shocked if he worked his way to a top line C eventually. But 2nd line C is a distinct possibility and looking likely IMO
 

Sun God Nika

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Exactly my thought. People pegging him as a ceiling 3rd liner are going to be extremely thrilled with how this kid progresses. I wouldn’t be shocked if he worked his way to a top line C eventually. But 2nd line C is a distinct possibility and looking likely IMO

I feel he is going to be a 1B Centre. 55-60 pts a season 55% + on draws gives the opponent nothing offensively
 

Cosmix

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I’d imagine Jesse Winchester helps with that. He was good on draws and is in a player development role.

Perhaps. But if so, then why are they not winning more draws? Physical size and weakness? Inexperienced? Not enough training time? Could be all of these reasons.
 

Korpse

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I think he has a higher ceiling than whats believed around here.

Absolutely. He quickly has me rethink my projection for him. I had questions on how his offense would translate most notably his ability to play with the puck on his stick, but I think he has shown enough to erase those doubts. He has played with pace and played in traffic, still finding his way in the offensive zone but that will come in time.
 
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Cosmix

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Pretty impressive.

Canada has 19 of the top 20 and 40 of the top 50.

For face-offs I think the key prerequisites include: strength, quickness, anticipation and techniques. :)

I was surprised to see Konopka near the top of the list.
 

cudi

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And his hands, IIRC. LOL. Wasn't he the guy who would sometimes just lock up the opposing C and then take one hand off his stick to shovel it back to his D? Obviously only did this in the D zone.

I was gonna say hands too but I couldn't 100% remember if that was him haha. Sounds very correct tho.
 

playasRus

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Exactly my thought. People pegging him as a ceiling 3rd liner are going to be extremely thrilled with how this kid progresses. I wouldn’t be shocked if he worked his way to a top line C eventually. But 2nd line C is a distinct possibility and looking likely IMO
This thread is full of comparisons from Fisher being the most common one, to "Bergeron-lite".

It gets a little boring to peg every 2-way center Bergeron but those are pretty lofty projections. That's between a 50 pt score-first elite 2C and a 70 pt Selke hall of famer. I don't think people are short selling him becuase they don't see the talent in him, just being realistic. Calling him an "elite 3C" is just a conservative way of saying "I think he's a 2C but I don't want to be disappointed if he doesn't develop into one".

His floor is definitely a 3C and he's basically 100% likely to hit that, with a good chance from what he's shown to be a good 2C, and rare 1 in a thousand chance develops into a 1C.

Other comparisons in this thread have been Couturier and Kopitar by the way.

It'll be fun to see who takes the reins as our 1C next year between Pinto, Norris, and dark horse Stutzle.

I'm hoping the playmaking/possession develops a bit more and we get a poor man's Anze Kopitar.

I think he has a high ceiling. Doesn’t mean he’ll reach it, but he has a Bergeron-lite feel to him. Ice water in his veins, great faceoff guy with underrated offence.

Worst case scenario he will be a better version of Pageau imo

Check your rear view, Bergeron
 
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bicboi64

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loved seeing him get that goal, hope he learns as much positioning as he can to be able to succeed in cleaning up rebounds at the nhl level
 
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Cosmix

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Perhaps he knows a few new legal cheating tricks. :)

I think one of the major keys for our Centers to get better at face-offs is a lot of practice using many different strategies and techniques. Should have a summer school for centers! :)
 

GCK

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I think one of the major keys for our Centers to get better at face-offs is a lot of practice using many different strategies and techniques. Should have a summer school for centers! :)
Our centres have really improved on draws, other than Tierney.
 

Cosmix

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Our centres have really improved on draws, other than Tierney.

My main issue with Tierney is that he is too slow, not big and not physical. The Senators need bigger and faster players to compete with the bigger physical teams in the playoffs. Tierney is simply not fast enough, not good enough offensively to be in the top 6, and not big or fast enough for the bottom 6. Unfortunately he has been one of our better centers since he got here but it is time to get better.
 
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GCK

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My main issue with Tierney is that he is too slow, not big and not physical. The Senators need bigger and faster players to compete with the bigger physical teams in the playoffs. Tierney is simply not fast enough, not good enough offensively to be in the top 6, and not big or fast enough for the bottom 6. Unfortunately he has been one of our better centers since he got here but it is time to get better.
DJ is giving Tierney 4th line minutes so I think he agrees with us.
 
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aragorn

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Ottawa has a great first line with Tkachuk, Norris & Batherson & now need to find a good 2nd line to compliment & challenge the top line for most pts. Pinto IMO could be this team's future 2nd line centre, he has all the tools to be that good of a player. Ottawa needs someone to play with Stutzle that is going to deter the number of cheap head shots he takes each game. He needs to change the way he plays too, he's too much of a cry baby & needs to toughen up if he wants to survive the NHL.

Tkachuk - Norris - Batherson
Stutzle - Pinto - Paul
Formenton - White - C. Brown
 
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Samsquanch

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He has potential to be better.

Its silly that this statement isnt that wild or outlandish at all....Pinto has a really, really undefined celling as a player right now...

We've seen the hype come and go before with young players before. And its not like Pinto's debut is one for the record books or the best we've ever seen before. But it feels different for me with Pinto, personally. I see a fully engaged player thats thinking as hard as he's working at all times.

I see a supremely gifted athlete with the right mindset/work ethic (bless UND and their program), an elite skillset/tool bag, and the high IQ and intelligence to exploit and excel in the NHL. Hes cerebral yet aggressive in how he approaches the game. Oh and he and Norris both get off being defensive stalwarts and matchup beasts - like a couple of sick in the mind mad-lads.

Like the Senators scouts, I admire the US development program in a lot of ways tbh...Despite being "America", in the hockey realm/bizzaro world - Canada is the super power that has no equal. America cant ice three seperate teams in a best on best tourney that are able to medal at any given time like Canada could.

But the US is fighting the war as smartly as they can given the task at hand - aka beating a juggernaut thats icing a team full of all stars and future hall of famers - but conveniently bound by a 23 man roster limit (and unable to flex their full muscles).

And so the US builds an aggressive team that plays responsibly, hard, and as fundamentally sound as possible. The goals will come by committee, and by shutting down and counter punching when a mistake is made. They have no disillusions of beating Canada in an all out pitched battle melee/run and gun race to outscore them. They choose to dig in and get ready for a battle of attrition.

Now look a the Sens - and Im sure you can draw some parallels by now. Were never going to beat a team like the Leafs that have Matthews and Marner flanked by a 2nd line of Tavares and Nylander in an all out shootout. Were outgunned and always will be. So we need to fight smart. Pinto and Norris as 60pt two beasts are actually a perfect fit towards what the Sens are building towards.

Like it or not, if the Sens somehow win a cup and make our dream come true, it will be a damn gritty pathway that got us there to the ultimate goal. Those hoping for a Picasso are going to get a Pollack in reality.

So the conclusion here is that while Im sure there are no shortage of people that will continue to prefer Kaliev to Pinto, or Drysdale to Sanderson. Svechnikov to Tkachuk. But I do believe they are misguided, and that the Sens brass are onto something here, and this model they've chose is our best chance at bringing home the bacon someday.
 

OD99

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I want to see him take the left wall position on PP2.

Against the Habs they had him on the right and C. Brown on the left and despite Brown having a great year and improving a ton he wasn't comfortable and took too long to make decisions.

Pinto has excelled in that spot and can rip onetimers comfortably from there. Stützle set him up 5-5 once but his shot deflected off a defenders stick.

Let's put Pinto in his natural habitat and see how he does.
 

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