JoeLassister Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 I think Latendresse would want to kill everyone and push real hard to score some big goals, à la Phil Kessel in round 1. Don't you think ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Iron Lung Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 Latendresse is no Kessel... he lacks the speed and the skill. He rarely plays with any emotion either. I fear he'll be a slightly better version of Turner Stevenson unless he starts playing with passion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 Gui does usually bounce back from this sort of thing but I don't think he has the speed or talent to just create a goal out of his will to prove himself. He may have a good game, but that would probably mean he has 4 hits and a couple of shots on goal. I am patient with this guy but so far he has shown that he has pretty good hands but he hasn't shown me that he has as much offensive upside as we thought when we drafted him. And though we love to compare him to John LeClair and say that we gave up on him too early, if you look at LeClair's numbers, he was actually going at a perfectly good pace in his first couple of seasons here, the expectations were just too high, too fast. *whips out copy of National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2001 (I need to get an updated version of this)* John LeClair 1990-1991 2 goals, 5 assists for 7 points in 10 games (25+20 in 33 ECAC games with U. of Vermont) +1 rating 1991-1992 8 goals, 11 assists for 19 points in 59 games (7+7 in 8 AHL games with Fredericton) +5 rating 1992-1993 19 goals, 25 assists for 44 points in 72 games +11 rating 1993-1994 19 goals, 24 assists for 43 points in 74 games +17 rating 1994-1995 5 points in 9 games - he was traded to Philly and finished off with 25 goals and 49 points in 37 games there. He was a 50 goal scorer and had 97, 97 and 87 points respectively over the next 3 seasons. IMO he was going along at a decent pace for a rookie. In his second season, he had 19 goals and 44 points in 72 games and with a commendable +/-. Is that not about the same as Higgins did in his second season? Not to mention his third? Andrei Kostitsyn will be in his second full season next year, will it be that much of a disappointment if he repeats the numbers LeClair had in his second season? So far, Latendresse has had pretty impressive goal totals in his two rookie seasons with 16 both years. But maybe 5 of those 32 goals have been anything other than garbage goals and it is his assist count and +/- that worries me. LeClair was a pretty complete player in his second season, basically a perfect third line player. But Gui is still struggling to crack our lineup, and play's a grinder's role for us when he does play. As I've said, I like the guy, he has a good attitude and I'm patient with him as he's only a 20 year old power forward - but the LeClair comparisons are anything but reassuring. Gui is still pretty far below what we've seen from LeClair or any of our other recent prospects. He's got the size, he's got the scoring touch, he's got the good hands, he's got good playmaking ability and he's very strong on the puck. If he ever improves his skating he will be in for a breakout year out of nowhere. But if not, I'm not 100% sure he'll ever be more than a third or fourth liner for us and just another one of the boys. That would surely be a disappointment for a guy who was our most hyped up prospect in years when we drafted him. Sorry for the negativity, but if we all just posted "Go Habs Go" or "Fire Gainey, replace me as GM and trade Ryder for Samsonov", this would be a pretty boring place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBHabs_fan Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 I definitely see it happening, and hopefully soon. Obviously we could use a guy like him, playing well. If sitting back watchin his team win without him, at home, in a crazed city doesnt motivate him....I dont know what will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wamsley01 Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 Gui does usually bounce back from this sort of thing but I don't think he has the speed or talent to just create a goal out of his will to prove himself. He may have a good game, but that would probably mean he has 4 hits and a couple of shots on goal. I am patient with this guy but so far he has shown that he has pretty good hands but he hasn't shown me that he has as much offensive upside as we thought when we drafted him. And though we love to compare him to John LeClair and say that we gave up on him too early, if you look at LeClair's numbers, he was actually going at a perfectly good pace in his first couple of seasons here, the expectations were just too high, too fast. *whips out copy of National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2001 (I need to get an updated version of this)* John LeClair 1990-1991 2 goals, 5 assists for 7 points in 10 games (25+20 in 33 ECAC games with U. of Vermont) +1 rating 1991-1992 8 goals, 11 assists for 19 points in 59 games (7+7 in 8 AHL games with Fredericton) +5 rating 1992-1993 19 goals, 25 assists for 44 points in 72 games +11 rating 1993-1994 19 goals, 24 assists for 43 points in 74 games +17 rating 1994-1995 5 points in 9 games - he was traded to Philly and finished off with 25 goals and 49 points in 37 games there. He was a 50 goal scorer and had 97, 97 and 87 points respectively over the next 3 seasons. IMO he was going along at a decent pace for a rookie. In his second season, he had 19 goals and 44 points in 72 games and with a commendable +/-. Is that not about the same as Higgins did in his second season? Not to mention his third? Andrei Kostitsyn will be in his second full season next year, will it be that much of a disappointment if he repeats the numbers LeClair had in his second season? So far, Latendresse has had pretty impressive goal totals in his two rookie seasons with 16 both years. But maybe 5 of those 32 goals have been anything other than garbage goals and it is his assist count and +/- that worries me. LeClair was a pretty complete player in his second season, basically a perfect third line player. But Gui is still struggling to crack our lineup, and play's a grinder's role for us when he does play. As I've said, I like the guy, he has a good attitude and I'm patient with him as he's only a 20 year old power forward - but the LeClair comparisons are anything but reassuring. Gui is still pretty far below what we've seen from LeClair or any of our other recent prospects. He's got the size, he's got the scoring touch, he's got the good hands, he's got good playmaking ability and he's very strong on the puck. If he ever improves his skating he will be in for a breakout year out of nowhere. But if not, I'm not 100% sure he'll ever be more than a third or fourth liner for us and just another one of the boys. That would surely be a disappointment for a guy who was our most hyped up prospect in years when we drafted him. Sorry for the negativity, but if we all just posted "Go Habs Go" or "Fire Gainey, replace me as GM and trade Ryder for Samsonov", this would be a pretty boring place. The only problem with your comparison is that your comparing a 21-23 year olds numbers to a 19-20 year olds numbers. If you look at the fact that when Leclair was 19 he was playing as a sophomore at Vermont while Latendresse was scoring 16 goals at the NHL level as a 3rd-4th liner. Latendresse followed up his first year with another 16 goals giving him 32 career goals before Leclair even played an NHL game. Your comparison will not hold any weight until 2 seasons from now at which point Latendresse would have to put up 19 points in 59 games or 3-4 seasons from now when he will have to put up 43 points in 70+ games. Levels that he has almost reached 4 years before John Leclair. In reality your John Leclair comparison actually bodes well for the future of Latendresse. He does not turn 21 for another month and has learned a ton of NHL lessons before the legal drinking age in the US. Patience is a must with young Power Forwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quebecois Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 John LeClair 1990-1991 2 goals, 5 assists for 7 points in 10 games (25+20 in 33 ECAC games with U. of Vermont) +1 rating 1991-1992 8 goals, 11 assists for 19 points in 59 games (7+7 in 8 AHL games with Fredericton) +5 rating 1992-1993 19 goals, 25 assists for 44 points in 72 games +11 rating 1993-1994 19 goals, 24 assists for 43 points in 74 games +17 rating 1994-1995 5 points in 9 games - he was traded to Philly and finished off with 25 goals and 49 points in 37 games there. He was a 50 goal scorer and had 97, 97 and 87 points respectively over the next 3 seasons. As Wamsley mentioned LeClair was much older during his first few seasons but there's another major flaw. The early 90s were pretty much the same as the mid to late 80s as far as scoring levels go. 1992-1993 saw the 10th leading scorer (Mark Recchi) finish with 123 points. As you know, Ovechkin led the league this season with 112 points. Games were much higher scoring back then and that's going to lead to better numbers for Leclair by comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brobin Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 Lats can't skate.. I don't need numbers to know that... I also don't care how old he is... I am not sure if he will ever break out, but I recommend skating lessons. Even if he does break out eventually, if i was to bring anyone back it would be Ryder. He may not be scoring like we are use to, but he is faster, he hits more, and he is better defensively this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted April 25, 2008 Author Share Posted April 25, 2008 Lats can't skate.. I don't need numbers to know that... I also don't care how old he is... I am not sure if he will ever break out, but I recommend skating lessons. Even if he does break out eventually, if i was to bring anyone back it would be Ryder. He may not be scoring like we are use to, but he is faster than Hatcher, he hits more than Brière, and he is better defensively than Brett Hull this year. fixed that for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFT77 Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 It's my thinking that Carbo will bring at least one of the two back into the lineup. Definitely think Dandy needs to sit the next one out. I wouldn't even mind seeing both of them suit up alongside Laps and have Streit move back to D to replace either Bouillon or Breezer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMPL Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 I think Ryder would have a much better chance to pull a Kessel over Lats. Ryder always has an unbelievable game every 15 or so, like a hatrick or something would be sweet but I doubt he plays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 Anyone that is hard on Latendresse is someone who has not watched big forwards or even just big guys develop it just takes time. Gui could end up scoring 30 goals on a regular basis, he will learn how to dominate down low where speed is a non factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBHabs_fan Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 Anyone that is hard on Latendresse is someone who has not watched big forwards or even just big guys develop it just takes time. Gui could end up scoring 30 goals on a regular basis, he will learn how to dominate down low where speed is a non factor. Yup. Not sure why anybody is so hard on Lats right now. His curve is long and gradual....but he could be a great power forward yet. He's already shown flashes. I wouldnt mind seeing him this series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 Lats lost almost 20 lbs over the summer. That changed his game quite a bit because he couldnt simply lean on defensemen like he used to before. The upside is that he gained speed all throughout the season and he even won a couple races for dumped pucks in the series against Boston. He's also much better along the boards in the defensive zone, so even if his offensive production is stalled, his overall game is much improved. That's what we want to see in a 20-yrs old power-forward. The problem right now is that Lats looks injured. Against Boston he didn't deliver as many hits has he usually does, and somehow shying away from even finishing his checks. Dont know if he somehow hurt himself in his fight against Hnidy or if it's the "neck injury" (possibly a hidden concussion, would already be his 3rd) that's still bothering him, but just like Markov he never looked comfortable in what was a series taylor-made for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wamsley01 Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 Lats can't skate.. I don't need numbers to know that... I also don't care how old he is... I am not sure if he will ever break out, but I recommend skating lessons. Even if he does break out eventually, if i was to bring anyone back it would be Ryder. He may not be scoring like we are use to, but he is faster, he hits more, and he is better defensively this year. Neither could Leclair, neither could Andreychuk. Andreychuk played in the NHL for 20+ years and he was strong on the puck, strong in traffic and was a great finisher. He couldn't skate a lick. As Lats learns the game he will improve and if he is ever paired with a strong playmaker look out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitforming Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 Lats can't skate.. I don't need numbers to know that... I also don't care how old he is... I am not sure if he will ever break out, but I recommend skating lessons. Even if he does break out eventually, if i was to bring anyone back it would be Ryder. He may not be scoring like we are use to, but he is faster, he hits more, and he is better defensively this year. His skating has improved greatly this season. Some of the things you say here Brobin makes me question if you even watch games anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habsfan84 Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 I actualy thought the Lats played very well in the playoff games that he played for us. I was quite surprised that he was scratched. I also thought that Ryder was playing pretty good as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy Ryder Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 Dandenault hasn't done anything to deserve a safe spot in the rooster. But he has three Stanley Cup rings yeah yeah. Nobody bash him, let's find somebody to bash, oh yeah Guillaume easy target he doesn't play so he must be unworthy of playing in NHL, no guts,no defense, no speed. Guillaume can step up anytime give some hard time to Flyers defense being a heavy guy to move around and Biron gives rebound like crazy, Guillaume can catch them. By the way Brisebois play was quite stressfull for fans in the last game. O'byrne would be my call. Breezer out Latendresse would be my call Dandenault out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMPL Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 O'byrne would be my call. Breezer out Latendresse would be my call Dandenault out. Completely agree, but Carbo said there won't be any lineup changs tonight (habsinsideout.com). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Bring back Latendresse AND Ryder for Game 3. Lapierre and Dandenault are both crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Bring back Latendresse AND Ryder for Game 3. Lapierre and Dandenault are both crap. Yeah, and have Streit center the line... BTW, can't you come up with something else than "X is crap" every time you feel the urge to bash on a player/ref/coach/journalist/zamboni driver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMPL Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 BTW, can't you come up with something else than "X is crap" every time you feel the urge to bash on a player/ref/coach/journalist/zamboni driver? BTW, can't you come up with something else than "X is crap" every time you feel the urge to bash on a player/ref/coach/journalist/zamboni driver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Yeah, and have Streit centre the line... BTW, can't you come up with something else than "X is crap" every time you feel the urge to bash on a player/ref/coach/journalist/zamboni driver? I believe I used 'shite' today as well, and have been known to use 'garbage' on occasion too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 I believe I used 'shite' today as well, and have been known to use 'garbage' on occasion too. You should use "poobag" from now on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 (edited) You should use "poobag" from now on. poobag....I like that...let me test it in a sentence: Carey Price was a total poobag tonight. Sounds pretty good...poobag definitely has potential! Edited April 27, 2008 by sbhatt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMPL Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 poobag....I like that...let me test it in a sentence: Carey Price was a total poobag tonight. Or, Dandy was as useless as a poobag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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