Stepan
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cd211
Registered User
Why?
you know Stepan will be one of our top 6 centers next year..
When your entire team is having a bad year it impacts your best players as well... the way some of you guys talk it seems like you guys have never played a competitive sport let alone hockey in your life at a high level.. this kid is an absolute player.. id take him as a 50-60pt player that plays a 2way game, then a one dimensional 1c that can't play defense.. GIVE IT UP ALREADY, stop hating on this guy..
****en richards making 9m this year and should be the one carrying the heavy burden of scoring and leading this team, hes a ****en waste!! but lets hate on a 23yr old top 2way center that does it all for us.. oh and he made the olympic team by the way
Well i agree stepan has been better tha Richards but stepan hasnt exactly had a good year. Im still not sure he deserved to be on the US team. I feel they picked him because of last year and because the US is thin at C
As a big fan of speed, Stepan's game is certainly lacking IMO. His smarts allow him to cover up defensively but his offensive game hasn't been much more then throwing passes up the ice to streaking wingers. Hes a solid all around player, but id have him on my short of list of guys who I wouldn't mind flipping in a lateral move to get someone with more speed.
Stepan and Nash have not been good this season. Stepan has 26 points, on pace for about 48 points or so. That is really pretty good and solid for a 2nd liner, but being the Rangers top center? Does not cut it. Sadly, none of our centers or anyone on this team are on pace for over 60 points.
I think people are getting confused because the Nash - Stepan - Kreider is not really the Rangers top line right now.
Btw, not saying secondary assists should not count, but around 12 or so of Stepan's points are secondary assists.
Not sure what happened to him this year but he needs to show up every game like he did last year. There are games that he has played in this year that i dont even see him on the ice sometimes, he needs to be more noticeable. Hagelin-Stepan-Nash was a great line last year, can we put it together and leave it alone? Then put Kreider-Brassard/Richards-Zuccarello on line 2
Stepan and Brassard are very similar players. Stepan is stronger defensively while Brassard has more offensive upside. 2014 is a decent UFA center class; if we can sign one of Thornton/Grabovski/Stastny one of Stepan/Brassard would have to get moved. Stepan obviously has more value and is extremely comparable to Brassard so it makes sense to move him over Brassard. Could really fill some holes on this team by moving him
Stastny
Brassard
Miller
Boyle/Moore
I'll take that C group
Stastny
Brassard
Miller
Boyle/Moore
I'll take that C group
The Hagelin - Richards - Callahan line has been good all season , look at their 5 on 5 goals this season and you will agree. Richards and Cally have good chemistry and it showed last night. They had two goals that line. I would not touch that line except maybe put Zucc in replace of Hagelin.
slipknottin
Registered User
How does Brassard have any upside?
Stepan is going to get more points than brassard while playing better defense every season.
Brassard is better with the puck on his stick. He's better at finding seams and entering the zone on the PP. He has a better shot.
Overall Brassard has more offensive tools than Stepan but he needs to use them consistently. If he can do that (which I believe he will with top 6 minutes) the production will follow
Fitzy
Very Stable Genius
- Jan 29, 2009
- 36,350
- 24,134
Tools are nice, but Pouliot and Zherdev have more tools than a Ryan Callahan or Brandon Dubinsky.
In the NHL mentality is 75% of the battle. That's why guys like Bourret never make it while guys like Hagelin have long careers.
Callagraves
Block shots
- Jan 24, 2011
- 6,373
- 2
I think the best thing for Stepan right now would be to get him as far away from Nash as possible.
Stepan's game has never been free-wheeling, dangling, fire-wagon offense. It's been precision strike in the neutral zone, grinding below the hash marks. Goals that come from a sustained offensive presence.
Nash, at the moment at least, is deathly allergic to forechecking, hitting, battling on the boards, really, anything that doesn't involve him having the puck.
Stepan's best play has come when he's involved physically, when he's got an edge; more or less when he's playing pissed. Nash had some fire to him last year, but he's a zombie right now. Krieder is playing very well, and is a good match for Stepan, but the "Superstar" of this team is killing his entire line.
I would try any wing up there. Pouliot has been playing better in the offensive zone (he's still the worst defensive player on this team. He's so soft on the puck in our zone that it's sickening). Zucc has been playing with some fire in him. Hell, Stepan played the majority of last season with Callahan and Hagelin (two grinding two-way forwards like himself), so you could try to throw Cally up there. I thought Cally and Step were fantastic together last year, and I could see Kreider and Cally working well together.
It's insulting that Nash has played himself into a position where he deserves to be scratched, but he has. Even worse, AV threw an "A" on our laziest player, which can't do much for the already lackluster battle level for this team.
Stepan's game has never been free-wheeling, dangling, fire-wagon offense. It's been precision strike in the neutral zone, grinding below the hash marks. Goals that come from a sustained offensive presence.
Nash, at the moment at least, is deathly allergic to forechecking, hitting, battling on the boards, really, anything that doesn't involve him having the puck.
Stepan's best play has come when he's involved physically, when he's got an edge; more or less when he's playing pissed. Nash had some fire to him last year, but he's a zombie right now. Krieder is playing very well, and is a good match for Stepan, but the "Superstar" of this team is killing his entire line.
I would try any wing up there. Pouliot has been playing better in the offensive zone (he's still the worst defensive player on this team. He's so soft on the puck in our zone that it's sickening). Zucc has been playing with some fire in him. Hell, Stepan played the majority of last season with Callahan and Hagelin (two grinding two-way forwards like himself), so you could try to throw Cally up there. I thought Cally and Step were fantastic together last year, and I could see Kreider and Cally working well together.
It's insulting that Nash has played himself into a position where he deserves to be scratched, but he has. Even worse, AV threw an "A" on our laziest player, which can't do much for the already lackluster battle level for this team.
Step and Cally did have great chemistry last year, they finished the season on like a 5 game point streak, problem is who centers Nash and Kreider if Stepan is off that line? Richards? Brassard? Richards has better chemistry with Callahan than he does with Nash.
Anyone else want to put Zucc on Stepan's wing with Kreider? That line was very good for a while. They slowed down, but Zucc has been better since he's been off that line. So maybe that line will be even better than it was the first time.
Hagelin - Stepan - Callahan
That line was solid last season.
Stepan has not really been terrible this season like some people claim, yeah he is on pace for less or around 50 points, but prior to last season, that is his norm for the first two of his career.
I think everyone expected Stepan to be guns blazing this season after last year's success, but did anyone think Stepan has not been like that because of the Nash and Callahan injuries, and not playing with these guys like last season has hurt his production?
The thing is last season Stepan was constantly noticeable now even when he gets points he's quiet.
slipknottin
Registered User
He's playing with two guys who are lone wolf type players.
There aren't going to be many tic tac setups with that line.
Boruto
.
- Jun 27, 2011
- 15,613
- 436
Except he played very well with Nash last year. Cally isn't some sort of playmaking wizard either.
slipknottin
Registered User
He played well with Nash because Nash played well. Nash is a completely different player this year.
