KoZed Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 No. FORWARDS 22 Steve Begin : B- : Needed to be a healthy scratch to get back to what he does best. 28 Kyle Chipchura : B : The spotlight is on Price, but Chips is playing like a vet already. 54 Mikhail Grabovski : D : Showed very little despite numerous chances. 21 Christopher Higgins : B+ : Had a slump but kept working harder than anyone else on his line. 11 Saku Koivu : B : Slumped like the entire 1st line, still has defensive shortcomings. 46 Andrei Kostitsyn : B- : Alternated with Grabs before proving he could be a regular 6 Tom Kostopoulos : B- : Bounced back from an aweful game-costing blunder. Since then he's a good role player. 27 Alex Kovalev : A : The surprise of the season so far. Looks inspired and inspiring. 84 Guillaume Latendresse : C : More was expected, though a sophomore slump isn't unsurprising from a 20 yrs old. 14 Tomas Plekanec : A- : Picked up where he left last season once he got the 2nd line spot again. 73 Michael Ryder : D+ : Had an horrible scoring slump, which is disastrous from a player with no other quality. 20 Bryan Smolinski : C- : Doesn't play like a stabilizing veteran should. 25 Mathieu Dandenault : B : Basically stole Lapierre's speedy-checker's job. His speed makes him dangerous. No. DEFENSEMEN 51 Francis Bouillon : C- : Age might be catching up with this small guy since he needs to give his all just to match up. 71 Patrice Brisebois : C+ : Brought the little that was expected of him: PP specialization and passing from the blueline. 26 Josh Gorges : C : The 7th D-man that plays like one: capable of the best or the worst. 44 Roman Hamrlik : A : Quickly made people forget about Souray by being a stabilizing force on D. 8 Mike Komisarek : A : Raised his game up a big notch; and still has room to grow offensively and defensively. 79 Andrei Markov : A+ : Leads the D in All-Star voting in the East, and deserves it. 32 Mark Streit : C : Shows Breezer Syndrome a bit too often. Maybe not fit to play lots of minutes in the NHL. No. GOALTENDERS 39 Cristobal Huet : A- : Proved that last year's All-Star form wasn't a fluke, even if he still allows softies from time to time. 31 Carey Price : B+ : Earns points just for playing through mediatic pressure. Otherwise a good 1B goalie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFT77 Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Very good analysis. I would have to agree with you on most of the players. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOHABSGO22 Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 How can you give Ryder a D+. He deserves an F. Maybe a D+ if you compare him to an AHLer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 How can you give Ryder a D+. He deserves an F. Maybe a D+ if you compare him to an AHLer. Agreed...Ryder is an F F is the lowest grade there is, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Nice post. I agree with just about everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 (edited) Hmmm. It's the grade to Kostopolous that puzzles me. B-? On the one hand, if Sidney Crosby is an A+, then calling Kostopolous a B- flatters him. But is he really only a 'B-' as a grinder? I see a player who is one of the better pure grinders we've had on this club in the past decade. As a pure grinder, then, I'd give him a B+. I'd also give Brisebois better than a C+ in the role he's been given. A B- or even B wouldn't be too great a stretch. The question is whether you're grading all players on the same scale, with an A+ being The Complete Package, or whether each player is being graded according to their effectiveness at fulfilling the role they've been allocated on the team. Then again, this ain't university Edited November 25, 2007 by The Chicoutimi Cucumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted November 25, 2007 Author Share Posted November 25, 2007 The question is whether you're grading all players on the same scale, with an A+ being The Complete Package, or whether each player is being graded according to their effectiveness at fulfilling the role they've been allocated on the team. Then again, this ain't university The grade is a mix of both. For example Markov is a total package and he plays up to those expectations. So that's a A+. Lats could play up to a B or B+ at this stage of his development, but he's playing below that so it's a C... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habs rule Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 good post I agree with you. And I think if you look at who is not playing up to potential you will see why we have lost more games than we should have.Higgins Koivu Ryder and Latendresse are all supposed to be goal scorers. We lack goals. Had they put a few more goals on the board we would have 2 or 4 more wins than we have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Hmmm. It's the grade to Kostopolous that puzzles me. B-? On the one hand, if Sidney Crosby is an A+, then calling Kostopolous a B- flatters him. But is he really only a 'B-' as a grinder? I see a player who is one of the better pure grinders we've had on this club in the past decade. As a pure grinder, then, I'd give him a B+. I'd also give Brisebois better than a C+ in the role he's been given. A B- or even B wouldn't be too great a stretch. The question is whether you're grading all players on the same scale, with an A+ being The Complete Package, or whether each player is being graded according to their effectiveness at fulfilling the role they've been allocated on the team. Then again, this ain't university If it were going by the player's role, than Dandenault would be given an A+. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortHanded Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I agree with almost all your assessment, and where i disagree it's very minor. Great post KoZed. Thanks. On Chips specifically, I wanna add that I've been VERY impressed with how he's playing, and that I suspect he's got more offense in him than anyone thought he'd bring. It's never gonna be the main component of his game, but it's there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 If it were going by the player's role, than Dandenault would be given an A+. Dandy has been great but he is paid 1.5 million to defend not be a 3rd or 4th liner so the highest he would get from me is a B-. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habsfan Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Great assessment. I agree with pretty much all your grades! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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