Your preference for Nate Danielson next season? | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League

Your preference for Nate Danielson next season?

Where would you like to see Nate Danielson play next season?

  • Grand Rapids - heavy mins, all situations

    Votes: 26 56.5%
  • Detroit - bottom 6 center, PK'er

    Votes: 20 43.5%

  • Total voters
    46
  • This poll will close: .

Run the Jewels

Make Detroit Great Again
Jun 22, 2006
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In the Garage
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Let's get a temperature check on where we stand with Nate Danielson.

His offense hasn't materialized up to this point, so if you think he's got more development runway, it may make sense to play him in Grand Rapids this upcoming season and give him heavy minutes in all situations. The hope is he becomes a point per game player, maybe hits 20-25ish goals, thereby restoring faith he can become a scoring line center.

However, you may think his calling in the NHL is as a really good defensive forward - recall Connor Bedard claiming he was the toughest opponent to go up against in the WHL - and if that's the case he could play this year in Detroit, giving us absurd depth at center while helping improve our awful PK from last season. The idea here is we focus on developing him into a Selke caliber defensive center.

So which path do you prefer: continued development in Grand Rapids, or filling a clearly defined role in Detroit?
 
Do you think he'll score enough to be a 1st line winger? I quite like the idea of having Larkin, Kasper, Copp and Danielson as our centers. That would be remarkable depth and they are all legit centers, not wingers masquerading as centers.

well, he's a rookie, so the offense you can expect is probably pretty limited. The best rookie goal scorers typically are in the 20-25 range, but I do think Danielson could give us 40 points there and he's good enough defensively to not hurt us. I think a lot of what Danielson could give us there wouldn't necessarily be reflected in a stat line.

But I'm also just a fan of starting rookie centers off at wing, I think it makes the transition easier for them and lets them acclimate to the league without all of the added responsibilities of the center position. We've had it work really well with Z, Larkin, and I think it really helped Kasper last year to have that stint at wing.

I want him at Larkin's wing because I don't want Danielson being a rookie wing next to a second year 2C in Kasper, and I don't like him at wing on the third line because I want him exposed to higher competition and playing with better linemates. If he's not on Larkin's wing, I think I might rather see him in GR lining up next to Nygaard.
 
Really depends on how he looks at Camp and what kind of summer he has.

If he makes a lot of progress, fine with him making the opening night roster.

If not, fine with him starting as the #1 center for Grand Rapids.

Either can be good for his development, it will just depend on gauging where he’s at a few months from now.

I do like the idea of him playing with Larkin-Raymond on the top line potentially, with Cat-Kasper-Kane as the 2nd line… similar to what @Winger98 mentioned.
 
They need power forward on the first line. Don't think Danielson is ready for second line center. Third line center with Lombardi and Tarasenko , if he gets his confidence back
Yeah, we need proven scoring in our top 6, not another square peg in a round hole which is what we've been forced to resort to while we wait for our prospects to develop. So that would be my concern with shifting Danielson to wing.

I don't have any concern with him holding down a bottom 6 center spot and in that scenario we would have fantastic depth at center. We would go from Larkin and Copp playing a 2C role he's really not cut out for last season, to two legit scoring line centers in Larkin and Kasper and then Copp playing a 3C role where he should have much better matchups, with Danielson starting off as a 4C who can PK. Hopefully Danielson would eventually overtake Copp as the 3C so Copp gets bumped down to 4C where he should excel.

I'm very bullish on our depth at center if we bring Nate into the mix this season. No one would be slotted above their capabilities and we'd be much better 5v5.
 
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I think he should be playing big minutes. I'm okay if that means a top 6 winger role in Detroit or 1st line in Grand Rapids.

That said, Kasper started the season as a bottom 6er for Detroit and eventually thrived in a top 6 role. I can see a similar path working for Nate.
 
Both Datsyuk and Zetterberg started on the third line behind 2 solid and super 4th line. Id rather see Danielson playing less minutes , but in NHL.
 
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It depends on what we add in the offseason, if we add significant pieces he may be an odd man out. If we trade someone like compher (which we should) I’d like to see Danielson up. Another season in GR might not be so bad for him, I feel like he will be a guy who will come into the league immediately an impact player if we have him in GR for another year.
 
Hoping he starts in the NHL. He's got the tools to possibly put a jolt in our bottom 6 and make them respectable. I've said all along secondary scoring was a back breaker for the team last year. Todd Mc is good about giving the young'uns a look higher up the lineup ala Kasper and Soderblom so Nate Dawg should get his chance to shine.
 
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I think Danielson should be on the roster as a wing in the top nine. Depending on how active Yzerman is in trades and FA, it would make a lot of sense to have a guy on an ELC playing a big role.
 
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Both Datsyuk and Zetterberg started on the third line behind 2 solid and super 4th line. Id rather see Danielson playing less minutes , but in NHL.
Zetterberg started on a line with Fedorov and Shanahan. Z was never in a bottom 6 role. By the time two kids n goat mk.II started that was the 2nd line.
 
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If his only hope in Detroit is bottom six, he can stay in GR and cook a little longer. If we don't trade away enough of the current crop of bottom six we have, we full on that type of player.
 
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The team is too devoid of talent to make him a grinder. Put him in the top 6 even if it means sacrificing the season for his development. Let's see what we have sink or swim commitment.
 

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