The problem with a bridge deal is that they don't happen anymore for great defenders. McAvoy, Makar, Fox, the list goes on. For young defenders who show legitimate potential to eventually win a Norris, they just go straight to the 7+ year deal at big money. I really doubt that Faber will be any different.
Speculation: Summer 2024 Extension Predictions
- Thread starter Dr Jan Itor
- Start date
I just don't see him as much (if at all) of an upgrade over Steel or Rask (the adv stats with/without Kap back this up) at center. Move him to wing and I might feel differently.
I don't like or dislike Rossi. He's more of just a cheap roster filler to me; it's why I don't care if they trade him or not this offseason. Give him a $2m/yr or less a year fine with that. Anything more than that and he starts heading into the dislike column.
There are just too many other players/contracts on the team that I put energy into like and disliking for me put any energy into caring much about Rossi.
I know you won’t mind but I think you’ll be eating crow on this one.
This isn't just a defender thing. FWDs are getting the same treatment (Kap and Boldy with MN).
It's the current fringe to middle of the lineup players that get the bridge deals. JEE, Fiala (1st contract in MN), Greenway, Addison, etc.
Dr Jan Itor
Registered User
He's a 22 year old rookie that matched Eriksson Ek's 5v5 production (both spent similar time with Kaprizov). The only difference between the two, offensively, was that Ek played on PP1.
He's just not your guy, and hasn't been since the draft. I guess we all have them to some extent.
Eriksson Ek and Rossi play very similar games. Rossi is basically mini Ek.
Dr Jan Itor
Registered User
Yeah. Not sure what he’ll end up being. He could very well just stagnate at/around what he is now. But currently he’s just flat out better than Ek was at the same age.
JEE+Kap (5v5) on ice was statically better (by a lot) in almost every category.
JEE+Kap: 5.78% CF%, 7.58 FF%, 10.13 SF%, 1.52 GF/60, 5.68% GF%, 1.17 xGF/60, .20 xGA/60, 13.05 xGF%, 9.16 SCF/60, 7.24 SCF%, 3.5 HDCF/60, 1.0 HDCA/60, 8.95 HDCF%, .08 HDGF/60, .37 HDGA/60, 9.52% HDGF%, 1.07sh%
Rossi+Kap: .37 GA/60, .25 SCA/60, 2.1% sv%, .014 PDO, 3.95% O-zone FO%
The without Kap stats favor Rossi (I don't want to math and type anymore), but I attribute a lot of that to the 13.45% high o-zone FO% rate for Rossi and tougher QoC/usage JEE faced.
JEE also PKed and Rossi didn't. The PK was terrible, so not sure if this helps or not.
Dr Jan Itor
Registered User
Ek is in his prime and Rossi is a rookie. Not surprising in the least, those numbers. But actual pucks in the net are what they are.
Didn't Ek only get 4th line minutes at the same age? Hard to compare their similar age seasons when he's playing behind Staal, Coyle, and Koivu at the same age as Rossi.
JEE and Rossi (without Kap) on ice stat lines are pretty similar, outside of points, for their 22yo seasons.
This surprised me. Rossi somehow had a worse on ice sh% than JEE (who couldn't hit the broadside of a barn the first half of that season).
Dr Jan Itor
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- Mar 19, 2023
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The thing about Rossi that I think most people are overlooking is his corona issues. He lost a significant amount of time in his development on that, but he's proven that he's willing to put in the work to overcome that. Give him some time, and I think next year is his real sophomore year, and then we got to see where he's at.
JEE was a better d-zone player than Rossi is at the same age.
Rossi is a much better o-zone player than JEE was at the same age. JEE was lost playing with skill players back then (it was tried) and very passive in the o-zone. He was trying to play the Koivu high center cheat towards the d-zone role, not the net front role he does now. The coaching change from BB to DE is what really seemed to bring JEE's o-zone game to life.
I don't have time to go through all the list, but Adam Fox played three years on his ELC, one of which was when he won a Norris, before he got his deal.
Faber has had one really nice year, but comparing him to three years of a Norris winning Fox is a bit much, no?
McAvoy had a 3 year ELC, then another 3 year deal before he signed his big contract.
Badly run teams like the Sabres hand out huge deals to their young Dmen before they have done anything(Power), not well run teams like Boston and NYR.
JEE is far bigger and stronger. Rossi will never be his size and strength, or even close to it. Rossi is a better passer and puck possessor than JEE was at the same age. I don't think that they are similar at all.
Not really, no. JEE is a D first player(IMO should be a Selke candidate) with a good shot, and does his best work around the crease offensively. Mediocre passing and vision. He plays netfront on the PP.
Rossi is ok defensively, but his main talent is handling and distributing the puck. While he has done a good job(for him) trying to play inside compared to what he was previously( a complete non factor inside), he is at his best as a perimeter player picking apart defenses with his passing. He plays on the outside on the PP - usually on the wall, sometimes on the point.
I mean, in one sense you are correct. Your physical attributes tend to dictate what you can, and can't do out on the ice.
You're still talking about attributes. They both play a grinder cycle style of game, where most of their goals come in and around the front of the net. Saying that Rossi is a perimeter player that picks apart defenses with his passing ability is simply not true. He's not Granlund or PMB.
Look no further than Rossi not meshing well with Johansson and Zucc. Those guys don't play the cycle possession game.
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You have to think rossi has more passing ability in him, his ahl and Jr numbers say pass first, last year was more of an anomaly than anything.
Dr Jan Itor
Registered User
Yeah, he was pretty on point as far as what I was hoping for points-wise this season, but the distribution was much different. I believe my guess was something like 12+29.
Sam Reinhart was the same way when he broke into the league. It’s kind of eery how similar their starts in the NHL were.
Rossi’s playmaking is fine, but he’s not going to rack up assists playing next to Johansson and Zucc. They had 15 total goals at 5v5 this past season. Rossi by himself had 18 5v5 goals, tied with Boldy and 3 behind Kaprizov.
Why do I feel like Guerin is going to make a smart remark about Rossi and try to get the media to focus on someone like Hartman or Gaudreau and why we aren't talking about how good of a season they had that the numbers don't show.
Spurgeon
Registered User
Have a strong feeling whatever extension Middleton gets is going to be a mistake.
In a perfect world, he’s a 3LD that can fill in for an injury to a Top 4 defenseman.
In a perfect world, he’s a 3LD that can fill in for an injury to a Top 4 defenseman.
