GDT: Wings @ Avs | 7pm MT | Emergency Throwback GDT

[Pokecheque]

I dunno, I'm just not sure what happened. Mikko went from powerhouse in 2023 to power play merchant to the bottom effectively falling out. I can't rule out the possibility he simply got complacent though.

If he DID get complacent, what a weird time to do so. Nazem Kadri and most other players do the exact opposite.

 

[CobraAcesS]

I dunno, I'm just not sure what happened. Mikko went from powerhouse in 2023 to power play merchant to the bottom effectively falling out. I can't rule out the possibility he simply got complacent though.

If he DID get complacent, what a weird time to do so. Nazem Kadri and most other players do the exact opposite.

That's why it's complacent, not lazy, because he was not really aware his life would change. He was producing 100 point seasons with minimal effort. He thought he was that good, and deserved to be paid like it.

Both the fan base and the organization could see paying him wasn't going to result in building a winning roster.

 

[the_fan]

Watching Mikko both with the Canes and the Stars, he never wants the puck unless it’s in the offensive zone. He doesn’t do any zone entries and stuff with the puck trying to create offense for his line. He just waits around in the o zone for his line mates to set him up.

It was the same with the Avs but it wasn’t as noticeable because he was still putting up bunch of points because of Nate, but those other teams don’t have Nate. I’m just curious as to why Mikko stopped carrying play. Is it laziness or he just got used to playing the way he’s playing now.

He did a lot of play driving few years ago when Nate would be out with injuries. Mikko had the ability of carrying the team. He doesn’t do it anymore

 

[AvBuff]

Mikko is like Dante Bichette or Andres Galarraga - groove a fastball into their wheelhouse and they'll hit it to China. Hit Mikko standing on the right dot with a cross-ice pass, and he'll put a hole in the back of the net.

Marty Necas simply has more tools in his toolbox. Including raw speed.

 

[Avs2022]

I dare to say, and I'm scared to say it, but it might be the truth. Sometimes, the truth does hurt. Their might be a denial period, but most of you will accept it. So just take a long look in the mirror and realize what I am saying.

Necas is better than MacKinnon with zone entries. And, many times, when skating around with the puck.

 

[Pokecheque]

Mikko is like Dante Bichette or Andres Galarraga - groove a fastball into their wheelhouse and they'll hit it to China. Hit Mikko standing on the right dot with a cross-ice pass, and he'll put a hole in the back of the net.

Marty Necas simply has more tools in his toolbox. Including raw speed.

Okay now, come on, let's not get all revisionist here. In no way was Mikko a one-trick pony. He was (and is, if he can find his form again) an elite scoring winger. He had a blistering one-timer, yes, but he could also score goals in close and was as gifted a playmaker as he was a finisher.

Necas is a much, much better skater, no doubt whatsoever and the Avs are taking full advantage. But Mikko is still the better player when all things are said and done. Not THIS YEAR apparently, but I guess it depends on how the Big Finn bounces back next year.

El Gato Grande was much better defensively than The Moose, BTW. Of course Dante was like, the Keaton Middleton of outfielders.

 

[Murzu]

I feel like he's a lock for the Norris now. Hughes getting hurt pretty much sealed it. Now we hope for 30 goals.

Werenski cooled also down. 0 points in his last 5 games.

 

[dahrougem2]

I dare to say, and I'm scared to say it, but it might be the truth. Sometimes, the truth does hurt. Their might be a denial period, but most of you will accept it. So just take a long look in the mirror and realize what I am saying.

Necas is better than MacKinnon with zone entries. And, many times, when skating around with the puck.

This probably isn't a hot take? Lol.

Necas is one of the best in the league at zone entries.

 

[Pokecheque]

I dare to say, and I'm scared to say it, but it might be the truth. Sometimes, the truth does hurt. Their might be a denial period, but most of you will accept it. So just take a long look in the mirror and realize what I am saying.

Necas is better than MacKinnon with zone entries. And, many times, when skating around with the puck.

WHAT!?!?

Nah, you're probably right. The man just knows how to do it. Nate obviously knows how to carry the puck but I'd argue Necas just knows how to find the soft areas of the ice and the speed to exploit it. Nate's more about making space where there isn't any, so he'll go full bore between two defenders and squeeze past them, but he might also turn it over. This is why, IMO, it took so long for him to figure out how to play 3-on-3 OT properly. He'd go charging with the puck in between two or even all three opposition players and ignore the vast amounts of open ice around him.

So did Carolina, like, just not use him for that? Like, ever!? They just always dumped the puck in? I could kinda see why Marty wanted out if that was the case.

 

[JoeSakic13]

Would have been nice to finish the season winning the division, but the team looks just as scary the last few weeks as they did during 2022.

Oh, you shut down our top line? Would be a shame if we had 3 other lines that could make you look silly. Not to mention the 2nd line with Necas and Nelson is yielding some crazy chemistry early on.

We’re going to waste 8 days for some teams if we keep this momentum going into the playoffs.

 

[flyfysher]

Okay now, come on, let's not get all revisionist here. In no way was Mikko a one-trick pony. He was (and is, if he can find his form again) an elite scoring winger. He had a blistering one-timer, yes, but he could also score goals in close and was as gifted a playmaker as he was a finisher.

Necas is a much, much better skater, no doubt whatsoever and the Avs are taking full advantage. But Mikko is still the better player when all things are said and done. Not THIS YEAR apparently, but I guess it depends on how the Big Finn bounces back next year.

El Gato Grande was much better defensively than The Moose, BTW. Of course Dante was like, the Keaton Middleton of outfielders.

Depends on what you mean by better player? For the team and its aspirations? In terms of contract value? Individual performance? In the system he’s playing in? It really doesn’t matter. Mikko may be the better overall player in terms of skill. Necas is the RIGHT player for this team now in terms of what he brings. Balance, value, offensive production, effort level, etc. all factor into that. Rants may be the better individual player. But hockey is a team sport. Necas is the better player for the Avs. That’s the only standard that really matters.

 

[Foppa2118]

Love beating the Wings, but I'm still pissed at that hit on Lindgren. Another game where the refs prove their incompetence.

The same ref (Corey Syvret) who watched Raymond leave both feet, hit Lindgren in the head, and then slam his head off the glass without calling a penalty, also put his hand up to his face to blow the whistle earlier in the period, but he somehow didn’t realize the whistle wasn’t wrapped around his finger, it was in his pocket, so it took an extra 10 seconds to blow the whistle after Blackwood froze the puck. f***ing morons.

That’s also why Cale was pissed at Raymond and turned around to give him a shove on the icing his next shift. The whole team was pretty pissed at Raymond too, you could tell.

Great game though. Wish we could blow the Wings out more so all those Wings fans would stop coming to games. Way too much red in the stands and cheering on their goals.

That shift by MacKinnon was absolutely insane. One of the craziest I've ever seen. Starts the shift before where he dangles Seider and leaves him looking for his jock to draw the penalty that wasn't really a slash on the hands. Then on the PP it's just not working. He finally goes to take a shot and his stick breaks. He goes and gets a stick, Drouin waits for him, passes to him wide open in the slot coming in late and it hits the broken stick and goes out of the zone.

Then he goes back and gains the zone again and gets his shot blocked. Then Compher almost gets a breakaway that he hustles his ass off to negaate and kind of eases up because he's tired, but the puck goes in the same corner he's skating toward with Compher, so he wins that battle again, skates the puck up ice, passes to Necas, who passes to Drouin for a one timer but it also gets blocked.

Nate hasn't moved one inch since he passed to Necas, and you can see for a split second he's like WTF at another shot block, but the puck comes right to him on edge, so he just grabs it and flings it in the wide open net. Like the hockey gods knew they owed him one, and he just stands there exhausted with both hands on his stick like he just scored in practice. Absolutely crazy.

 

[the_fan]

On the orher hand, Nate does this once in a while which I don’t think Necas can do

 

[flyfysher]

Love beating the Wings, but I'm still pissed at that hit on Lindgren. Another game where the refs prove their incompetence.

The same ref (Corey Syvret) who watched Raymond leave both feet, hit Lindgren in the head, and then slam his head off the glass without calling a penalty, also put his hand up to his face to blow the whistle earlier in the period, but he somehow didn’t realize the whistle wasn’t wrapped around his finger, it was in his pocket, so it took an extra 10 seconds to blow the whistle after Blackwood froze the puck. f***ing morons.

That’s also why Cale was pissed at Raymond and turned around to give him a shove on the icing his next shift. The whole team was pretty pissed at Raymond too, you could tell.

Great game though. Wish we could blow the Wings out more so all those Wings fans would stop coming to games. Way too much red in the stands and cheering on their goals.

That shift by MacKinnon was absolutely insane. One of the craziest I've ever seen. Starts the shift before where he dangles Seider and leaves him looking for his jock to draw the penalty that wasn't really a slash on the hands. Then on the PP it's just not working. He finally goes to take a shot and his stick breaks. He goes and gets a stick, Drouin waits for him, passes to him wide open in the slot coming in late and it hits the broken stick and goes out of play.

Then he goes back and gains the zone again and gets his shot blocked. Then Compher almost gets a breakaway that he hustles his ass off the negagate and kind of eases up because he's tired, but the puck goes in the same corner he's skating toward with Compher, so he wins that battle again, skates the puck up ice, passes to Necas, who passes to Drouin for a one timer but it also gets blocked.

Nate hasn't moved one inch since he passed to Necas, and you can see for a split second he's like WTF at another shot block, but the puck comes right to him on edge, so he just grabs it and flings it in the wide open net. Like the hockey gods knew they owed him one. Absolutely crazy.

That Mack shift should be a primer for Rants to review as to what giving max effort really means when you’re playing for the Avs.

 

[Foppa2118]

Necas is great at zone entries, but Nate is better. Haven't seen the numbers, but it feels like Necas gets more broken up at both 5v5 and on the PP.

Marty benefits a lot from less attention on him than Nate. The entire team game plans for, and swarms Nate, to try and prevent his zone entries. And he still pulls them off most of the time.

Not sure I've seen anyone have the kind of lightning quick hands to protect the puck after gaining the zone with players on him either. It's like a basketball player making a bunch of between the leg dribbles at high speed. They should be able to take the puck away they're so close, but they just can't.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Okay now, come on, let's not get all revisionist here. In no way was Mikko a one-trick pony. He was (and is, if he can find his form again) an elite scoring winger. He had a blistering one-timer, yes, but he could also score goals in close and was as gifted a playmaker as he was a finisher.

Necas is a much, much better skater, no doubt whatsoever and the Avs are taking full advantage. But Mikko is still the better player when all things are said and done. Not THIS YEAR apparently, but I guess it depends on how the Big Finn bounces back next year.

El Gato Grande was much better defensively than The Moose, BTW. Of course Dante was like, the Keaton Middleton of outfielders.

100% this. Necas is better this year and probably for the foreseeable future. But for as skilled as Necas is, I don’t believe he has the ability to teach the heights Mikko did at his best. But idk if people want to admit that how they Necas is the new shiny toy.

 

[the_fan]

Mikko and Nate produced more together than Nate and Necas have so far. The numbers prove that, but we are getting more value from Necas now because he’s actually driving the 2nd line and producing without Nate

 

[Foppa2118]

Mikko and Nate produced more together than Nate and Necas have so far. The numbers prove that, but we are getting more value from Necas now because he’s actually driving the 2nd line and producing without Nate

This is fair. Necas looks great with Nelson. He needed someone to carry the puck for him, especially in transition.

Val and Drouin are just ok at this. Drouin is a great playmaker, but he's more of a quick give and go guy.

Not like 90% of us haven't been screaming for them to try Marty and Nelly together. They finally do it and it works great and have two top lines clicking again. Plus a third and fourth that are playing pretty well too.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

Necas is great at zone entries, but Nate is better. Haven't seen the numbers, but it feels like Necas gets more broken up at both 5v5 and on the PP.

I think a fingerless man could count on one hand how many players are better at zone entries than MacKinnon

 

[Foppa2118]

I think a fingerless man could count on one hand how many players are better at zone entries than MacKinnon

Maybe a one fingered man. McDavid. That's about it IMO.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

Maybe a one fingered man. McDavid. That's about it IMO.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Mikko and Nate produced more together than Nate and Necas have so far. The numbers prove that, but we are getting more value from Necas now because he’s actually driving the 2nd line and producing without Nate

Well damn son... how many games did Nate and Mikko play together compared to Nate and Peaches?

 

[the_fan]

Well damn son... how many games did Nate and Mikko play together compared to Nate and Peaches?

That’s a fair point, but what I was trying to say is that even if Nate and Necas never put up the same amount of points together playing on the same line, Necas brings other values to the team, like driving his own line.

 

[missionAvs]

That’s a fair point, but what I was trying to say is that even if Nate and Necas never put up the same amount of points together playing on the same line, Necas brings other values to the team, like driving his own line.

Where does he drive his line to?

 

[the_fan]

Where does he drive his line to?

I don’t know. Maybe they’re all just doing lines with Val