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Zuccarello makes his linemates better

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Idlerlee said:
Put him on a line with Brass and someone who can actually get the puck in the net: potential for 60+ season.

Put him on thirdline with Richards and Kreider/Pyatt/Thelikes: 30+, Cobwebs start forming in oppositions net
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Crazy as it sounds Richards became one of the hotter players around when he was paired with Zooks in the last 10 games or so.
 
I think Zuke's "skills" are vastly overrated. He can't finish, and I don't see great vision passing the puck either. It's good. Sometimes very good. But rarely.

I do, however, think that the parts of his game that are supposed to be bad (defense, and everything his lack of size is supposed to hold him back doing e.g. Possession, toughness, work on the boards) is really underrated.

So I think he is a useful player. Being a playmaker on a third line, getting some time on the 2nd unit of the PP, things like that, having Zuke would be a nice luxury. I just wouldn't expect him to turn into a Top Six guy, letalone Martin St. Louis.
 
Zamboner said:
I think Zuke's "skills" are vastly overrated. He can't finish, and I don't see great vision passing the puck either. It's good. Sometimes very good. But rarely.

I do, however, think that the parts of his game that are supposed to be bad (defense, and everything his lack of size is supposed to hold him back doing e.g. Possession, toughness, work on the boards) is really underrated.

So I think he is a useful player. Being a playmaker on a third line, getting some time on the 2nd unit of the PP, things like that, having Zuke would be a nice luxury. I just wouldn't expect him to turn into a Top Six guy, letalone Martin St. Louis.
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The comparison to MSL is absurd. Even Zuke himself has been asked about this an just stated that he wasn´t even close to him.

I do not know why, but Zuccarello is a guy that seems either to be hated or loved. The Zucc-lovers praise him as a genious, and the haters thinks he sucks no matter how good or bad he plays.

IMO Zucc is a good hockey player that is good enough for the Rangers NHL. He has a lot to work on, especially the defense, and he should work on his shots too. Way to often we see him try to look for this last great pass (which he often succeeds with too), in stead of taking the shot when he actually is in a great scoring position.

I hope he stays fit and that the coach gives him ice time. Maybe he will burst into a great NHL star, maybe not. Either way, let him play his game, and judge him by that.

For us norwegians it is of course great to have him back with the Rangers.
 
I'm not going to write him off, but I'm unconvinced that he's a legit top 6'er at this point.

The MSL comments are insane. I almost wish that MSL never played the game, because every short player gets compared to the guy. No one says the likelihood to be a successful scorer at that size is extremely small, they just always throw out the name of a superstar - one of the best offensive players of his era. No one says that it's impossible - it's just extremely unlikely. Zucc is what he is, a creative guy who could be a top 6'er.
 
Zamboner said:
I think Zuke's "skills" are vastly overrated. He can't finish, and I don't see great vision passing the puck either. It's good. Sometimes very good. But rarely.

I do, however, think that the parts of his game that are supposed to be bad (defense, and everything his lack of size is supposed to hold him back doing e.g. Possession, toughness, work on the boards) is really underrated.

So I think he is a useful player. Being a playmaker on a third line, getting some time on the 2nd unit of the PP, things like that, having Zuke would be a nice luxury. I just wouldn't expect him to turn into a Top Six guy, letalone Martin St. Louis.
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Disagree. Along with Brassard and Stepan he has got the best hands on the team imo. And his vision of the game is far above average I'd say.

He's not a very good finisher, but I haven't seen many people around here saying so, so little hard to call that a "vastly overrated skill".

I think very few people are expecting him to be as good as MSL. But saying a MSL type of player is another thing. It means a player that despite his size manage to produce at a high level. I don't think that is an unrealistic expectation to have.
 
Ilovemymum said:
I'll eat my hat if he doesn't get 60 points this season.

(It's tiny, and made out of chocolate, but nevertheless.)
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Whoever of you turns out to be wrong (I'm hoping he gets 60+),

The loser, will be sent one Top Hat directly to your home, for eating. Bon apetit

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I'd say 50(15/35) points is doable if he's on the 2nd/3rd line with some pp time. Doubt he'll be able to go higher, but if he can bring his point totals to that level without causing goals against that's just fine.
 
SixGoalieSystem said:
I'd say 50(15/35) points is doable if he's on the 2nd/3rd line with some pp time. Doubt he'll be able to go higher, but if he can bring his point totals to that level without causing goals against that's just fine.
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If Zucc can keep playing like he did in his 15 regular season games (I don't think he will unfortunately) he'd probably score 70 points and I'm not even joking.

He was on the ice for 43% of our 5v5 goals during that 15 game stint. Though there were two clear halves. The first 8 games he was on for 23% of the goals, in the final 7 he was on for 54% of the goals.

Of course these numbers are inflated by the small sample size, but our team was buzzing with him on the ice and were dominating the opposition by every available measure. His point totals weren't impressive because for some reason his linemates kept whiffing on his setups and scoring when he was the third assist. His IPP (percentage of goals scored when he was on the ice that he had a point on) was abnormally low due to a small sample size, the same thing happened to RNH this past season. No one is expecting them to continue to have points on less than 50% of the goals scored with them on the ice.

Now I don't think he'll be able to keep up that level of on-ice dominance. But if he can bring even 80% of that over the entire season, he is a lock for at least 50-55 points.
 
Zucc has maid average 0.5 PPG since he played in the NHL (0.51 in regular season and 0.54 in the playoffs)

Season 2013/2014 he will make something about 0.65-0.7 PPG. He is more settled now and the new system will be better for him than the old (Torts)

As many other have mentioned he does not have a good shot. MSL has better wrist-and slap-shot and make more goals. I wish Zucc could shoot more and develope his shots more.

So if he plays 82 games he will end up like 18+38 - 56 Points (my guess)
 
Why is it MSL or bust?

Why is it even top 6 or bust?

Do we score so many goals that a guy who will get around 40-50 points while making 1.2 mill is not a valuable asset?

Zooks makes 1.2 mill but he gets held up to a standard that guys who make 3-7 times as much do not get held up to.

Is Richards as good as MSL? Is Nash even as good as MSL? Is Stepan? Is Hagelin? Is Cally?

How many forwards were better in the playoffs? How many were better in the preseason?

Zooks is a good asset. He is not an all star. He is not a scrub. He is a good serviceable player that helps the team.
 
NickyFotiu said:
In my opinion the implication has been there by a few posters for a while. Some have flat out said its top 6 or nothing.
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Well, if AV plans to stick with the third line as a pure energy/checking line it probably is, don't you think?

Also I don't think the Zuccarello sceptics were the ones who started making the MSL comparisons. :)
 
I would rather compare him to Napoleon. Both performing above their size, Meditarranian roots. Both been a quick visit to Russia. Experienced a rough post season. It goes on. MSL is just size.
 
SixGoalieSystem said:
Well, if AV plans to stick with the third line as a pure energy/checking line it probably is, don't you think?

Also I don't think the Zuccarello sceptics were the ones who started making the MSL comparisons. :)
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If we plan to have 2 lines that do not have any scoring responsibility than why even change coaches? I had not seen AV say he wants his third line to be a pure energy/checking line. Can you provide a link to that? I'm disappointed to read that.
 
NickyFotiu said:
If we plan to have 2 lines that do not have any scoring responsibility than why even change coaches? I had not seen AV say he wants his third line to be a pure energy/checking line. Can you provide a link to that? I'm disappointed to read that.
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I'm not saying he will, but that is pretty much what he did in Vancouver. Not a line with no scoring responsibility, but a line focused on energy and checking.
 
NickyFotiu said:
If we plan to have 2 lines that do not have any scoring responsibility than why even change coaches? I had not seen AV say he wants his third line to be a pure energy/checking line. Can you provide a link to that? I'm disappointed to read that.
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SixGoalieSystem said:
I'm not saying he will, but that is pretty much what he did in Vancouver. Not a line with no scoring responsibility, but a line focused on energy and checking.
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AV wants a dedicated checking/energy line, but that doesn't prevent him from having three decent offensive lines away from it.
 
SixGoalieSystem said:
I'm not saying he will, but that is pretty much what he did in Vancouver. Not a line with no scoring responsibility, but a line focused on energy and checking.
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Does Pyatt bring more energy than Zooks?

How many scorers did AV have access to on his 3rd line in Van that he chose a non scorer instead?
 
SixGoalieSystem said:
Also I don't think the Zuccarello sceptics were the ones who started making the MSL comparisons. :)
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Brad Richards was the one who made the comparison this time around, according to the msg announcers.

The Norwegian record for assists in an NHL season is 42. Espen Knutsen did that in 66 games playing for a weak CBJ team in 2000/01.:bow: I do believe Zuccarello will beat that record, but I'm not sure it will happen this season. Never the less i am gunning for a 60p season, 17+43 would make me very happy:) If he plays a full season i will be disappointed if he gets less than 45 points.
 
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