Dicdonya
Registered User
- Jul 21, 2011
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Zetterlund was a 24 year old with 81 career games played over the previous 2 years, I know the definitions are nebulous but that's someone I'd consider a roster player and not a prospect
Mukhamadullin was not ready for NHL time, he demonstrated as much with his uninspiring play in 3 games
But the larger point is that, even if you're right, what does that get you? We had "5 prospects play that were ready for NHL" and it resulted in the worst 82 game season any team has seen since the institution of the salary cap, which was the goal last year, but with actual prospects of value graduating like Celebrini and Smith that CAN'T be our aim this year, we NEED to improve as a team, and playing a bunch of 19 and 20 year olds isn't going to accomplish that unless they're McDavid or Crosby level prospects, which we don't have waiting in the wings
Signings like Wennberg and Toffoli are the only natural path to marked improvement, they're not "blocking prospects", they're raising the floor of our nightly level of play
If a prospect forces the issue and steals a job from a bottom-sixer that's awesome, let them take it, but they have to TAKE it, it can't be reserved for them, that's just asking for the team to underperform even our low expectations
Yeah its nebulous, that's why the original comment by STL was pointless and something that was not done in the interest of having a meaningful discussion.
I consider Zet a prospect, last year at least, sure an older one. However 24 with less than 100 games played....that's certainly not a vet or even a seasoned player so what else would you label him than an older prospect. I dunno
What does it get me? Nothing more than proving that STL pretending no team in the history of the NHL has played 5 NHL ready prospects at once is beyond absurd. I bet I could find 5 on Chicago last year, Anaheim for sure has 5 etc. The idea that no team ever had 5 good prospects to play in the NHL at once is just stupid as hell.
Also I do not care about the Toffoli or Wennberg signings at all, never said I did. I actually LOVE the Toffoli signing because if we want Celebrini on the team this year we needed to actually get him a legitimate linemate to play with. Its signings like Kunin, getting Dellandrea, Grunsdstrom etc that I care more about, as I figured guys like Graf, Bysted, Musty, Gushchin etc IF they were ready to jump into the NHL would do so in a scoring third line sort of situation, not directly into the top 6, especially since we are hoping to get Celebrini and Smith to jump into the mix up there this year.
We had to spend to the floor, it was inevitable we had to sign at least a couple guys, I was just hoping we would let all the bottom 6 riff raff from last year leave that were on expiring contracts, overpay on short term deals for guys like Toffoli, and a right hand PMD/TWD, trade a few of the defenseman in the logjam of the bottom pairings, and then see where things shake out by the end of camp.
Bordeleau and Mukhamadullin were clearly not ready for a full NHL season, Emberson was 23 years old and sent through waivers (typically a sign that a player’s prospect status is done), Zetterlund had a full NHL season under his belt already. Thrun got absolutely trampled by NHLers all season and there is not a single other team in the NHL who would have given him a full-time role. The only “prospect” that deserved to make the team 100% was Eklund.
See the problem is, as stated above, the terms are simply too vague, and interpretations will be to varied.
You see Eklund as being the only one deserving to play, yet frankly I think he didn't look ready for the entire NHL season either, which you knocked Bords for. I also think he got trampled quite a bit during the season as well, which you knocked Thrun for. For crying out loud he was a team leading -45, and barely outscored Zetterlund who I consider to be a third line, maybe low end 2nd line talent. Did Eklund show glimpses of what he can do as he learns and grows in the NHL, did he have stretches where he looked like he belonged in a top 6 of the future, hell yes, but lets not pretend the he came in and looked solid and 100% ready for the NHL all year long, because he really didnt.
So why again does Eklund get the defacto seal of approval as a NHL ready prospect, when he clearly had plenty of his own warts, deficiencies and struggles, but guys like Bords and Thrun you have such a low opinion of. Seems like Eklund is getting a bit of grace thrown his way because of where he was drafted, not because he was gang busters all year and was only being held back by a bad roster.