Jump to content

Best option for Eller?


dlbalr

Eller's best fit  

29 members have voted

  1. 1. If Eller can't crack the top-2 lines with the Habs, what role should he have?

    • 3rd line in Montreal
      20
    • 1st line in Hamilton
      9


Recommended Posts

It was mentioned briefly in the rumour thread but I'll pose the question here for everyone to comment on - is Eller better off as a 3rd liner with the Habs or on the top line with the 'Dogs? (If he can't crack the top-6 with the Habs.)

Personally, I think he may be better suited as the 3rd line C in Montreal. He's lit up the AHL, not a lot left for him to prove there, though as someone who follows the Bulldogs, I wouldn't complain if they got the extra help. Since Eller is supposed to be a two-way C, it may be beneficial to give him some NHL time working on the defensive game, while throwing him some PP shifts here and there so that he still works on that side of his game. It's not a huge risk either as the Habs have a tendency to go best on best with line matchups (though not so often in the postseason) so it's not like he'd be checking the likes of Crosby and Ovechkin nightly.

Your thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was mentioned briefly in the rumour thread but I'll pose the question here for everyone to comment on - is Eller better off as a 3rd liner with the Habs or on the top line with the 'Dogs? (If he can't crack the top-6 with the Habs.)

Personally, I think he may be better suited as the 3rd line C in Montreal. He's lit up the AHL, not a lot left for him to prove there, though as someone who follows the Bulldogs, I wouldn't complain if they got the extra help. Since Eller is supposed to be a two-way C, it may be beneficial to give him some NHL time working on the defensive game, while throwing him some PP shifts here and there so that he still works on that side of his game. It's not a huge risk either as the Habs have a tendency to go best on best with line matchups (though not so often in the postseason) so it's not like he'd be checking the likes of Crosby and Ovechkin nightly.

Your thoughts?

If he doesn't win the 2nd line C job or we bring back Plek don't we still have the option to play him as a second line wing? IF we resign Plek then I would play Eller on a line with him and Cammi and then just trade Plek when Eller is ready to take over at C. I agree that he has already proven himself at the AHL level and needs NHL competition, but he also needs skilled line mates in order to develop properly offensively.

In a perfect world our top two lines would be

FA signing - Gomez -Gionta

Eller - Plek - Cammi

And then when we trade Plek Eller moves into Plek's spot and Pouliot moves into Eller's spot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i really think theirs a god chance plexs wont be back so that would make eller our # 2 C but if not he should be in the ahl...

whos going to trade for plexs 5.5 mil deal after he loses his job to eller??????????????????????????

Edited by KEEP26
Link to comment
Share on other sites

i really think theirs a god chance plexs wont be back so that would make eller our # 2 C but if not he should be in the ahl...

whos going to trade for plexs 5.5 mil deal after he loses his job to eller??????????????????????????

If his deal is more than one year then Edmonton. They have huge problems attracting free agents, and will need someone to pass the puck to Hall and Eberle.

The best situation would be if we signed Marleau. Both he and Eller can play C and wing, so the whoever earns it can play it, plus it would give us a nice safety net in case of a top-2 C going down.

Edited by JacksonJ
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If his deal is more than one year then Edmonton. They have huge problems attracting free agents, and will need someone to pass the puck to Hall and Eberle.

The best situation would be if we signed Marleau. Both he and Eller can play C and wing, so the whoever earns it can play it, plus it would give us a nice safety net in case of a top-2 C going down.

edmonton got alot of young guys at C and if we dont offer him more then one year why would he sign here anyway????to get plexs sign it well take at least a 5 year deal...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3rd line in MTL -

He was set to be St. Louis's 2nd line center and challenge for a Calder nomination. All Blues fans agree that he's NHL ready.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3rd line in MTL -

He was set to be St. Louis's 2nd line center and challenge for a Calder nomination. All Blues fans agree that he's NHL ready.

and this is why i think plexs is a goner..we use his money to sign a big winger or trade for one..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't care where he plays initially (NHL preferred) as long as he stays at center. Even if Plex stays I would like to see Eller with Plex and cammy, but put Plex on the wing so Eller can get better/used to NHL calibre faceoffs.

My choice is the 2nd line C (Plex for picks ! lol)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel like such a super-fan geek, but, I'm over the shock of this trade. I'm looking forward to the future and what Eller might be able to do for us. If his best option is Hamilton, I would have prefered Guy Boucher to be his coach, but that ship has sailed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went back and watched three games he played last year with St. Louis and he definitely belongs in the NHL next year. He'd be our best bet at going to front of the net.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went back and watched three games he played last year with St. Louis and he definitely belongs in the NHL next year. He'd be our best bet at going to front of the net.

I think you need to tone down your expectations. Give the kid a break. Unless Martin has changed, he has limited tolerance for youthful mistakes. It may be 2-3 years before you see a second line NHL ready center. The good news is he may end up being a good first line guy. The bad news is he may never make the NHL as a consistant player. My advice is, let's not ruin this guy with expectations before he gets here. It will play itself out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If we put Eller as our 2nd or 3rd line center then what kind of message are we sending to our prospects in hamilton? Are we not capable of developing players who are NHL ready instead we have to trade or acquire RFA.? So my question is why the heck have they drafted these type of players if they do not fit in with the team? I guess that's why the habs went ahead and fired 6 scounting agents this summer!!!! :unsure:

Edited by nikohab
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If we put Eller as our 2nd or 3rd line center then what kind of message are we sending to our prospects in hamilton? Are we not capable of developing players who are NHL ready instead we have to trade or acquire RFA.? So my question is why the heck have they drafted these type of players if they do not fit in with the team? I guess that's why the habs went ahead and fired 6 scounting agents this summer!!!! :unsure:

I don't really get that logic... Everyone knows Eller was brought in to contribute. He's a top prospect from the Blue's system and a first round pick. If he has a good training camp and starts in the habs's top 9, it will be a surprise to no one,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I voted for the 3rd line in Montreal.

The best situation would be if we signed Marleau. Both he and Eller can play C and wing, so the whoever earns it can play it, plus it would give us a nice safety net in case of a top-2 C going down.

Every single specialist/analyst/commentator agree that Marleau will not leave the west coast. You can forget about him!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

3rd line C seems more plausible the more I thought about it. Halpern might be at kind of a Begin-type stage of his career: 4th line at 5 on 5, but lots of PK time. If Eller is centring the line that gets the 3rd most ice time 5 on 5, sees some spot PP duty, I think it'll work out.

I like a potential combination of Boyd-Eller-Lapeirre. Lots of wheels, some occasional offensive pop, won't get pushed around. Pyatt or Boyd on LW, actually. Either would do. 4th line has a Halpern/Moen veteran presence. They'd see more ice time in the 3rd period in games the Habs are winning than the Eller line, and they'd build up a bit of a rapport for penalty killing.

That said, if the call is to have White on the team than I don't see a spot for Eller. It's really between those two. White would play 4th line RW, Boyd would move to centre, and Moen would play LW if White were to make it.

I think it's fair to say it's between Eller and White. Eller has to be better than probably 3 or 4 regulars to justify a spot. White just has to be better than Darche. That's just how it shakes out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3rd line C seems more plausible the more I thought about it. Halpern might be at kind of a Begin-type stage of his career: 4th line at 5 on 5, but lots of PK time. If Eller is centring the line that gets the 3rd most ice time 5 on 5, sees some spot PP duty, I think it'll work out.

I like a potential combination of Boyd-Eller-Lapeirre. Lots of wheels, some occasional offensive pop, won't get pushed around. Pyatt or Boyd on LW, actually. Either would do. 4th line has a Halpern/Moen veteran presence. They'd see more ice time in the 3rd period in games the Habs are winning than the Eller line, and they'd build up a bit of a rapport for penalty killing.

That said, if the call is to have White on the team than I don't see a spot for Eller. It's really between those two. White would play 4th line RW, Boyd would move to centre, and Moen would play LW if White were to make it.

I think it's fair to say it's between Eller and White. Eller has to be better than probably 3 or 4 regulars to justify a spot. White just has to be better than Darche. That's just how it shakes out.

It doesn't matter where he starts, it matters where he finishes. We will have injuries and all this will shake out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No way that he will be sent to Hamilton. As far as I am concerned, he's already made the team. In a month or two, he should be regular contributor to the offense.

I agree with you personally but I'll play Devil's Advocate for discussion's sake. If Eller's ideal role is to be helping the offence, shouldn't he be honing that skill with what will be a skilled Bulldogs team over playing on essentially a defensive trio with the Habs (and with limited PP time)? That would open a spot for White, whose grit could be useful, particularly at the start of the season as the first few games are usually quite chippy. 6 weeks from now (when one of Pouliot/Kostitsyn struggle), bring Eller up and send White down, that way Eller can contribute offensively.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with you personally but I'll play Devil's Advocate for discussion's sake. If Eller's ideal role is to be helping the offence, shouldn't he be honing that skill with what will be a skilled Bulldogs team over playing on essentially a defensive trio with the Habs (and with limited PP time)? That would open a spot for White, whose grit could be useful, particularly at the start of the season as the first few games are usually quite chippy. 6 weeks from now (when one of Pouliot/Kostitsyn struggle), bring Eller up and send White down, that way Eller can contribute offensively.

If you think AKost can stay consistent for 6 weeks you aren't really the Devil's Advocate, more like the eternal optimist. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you think AKost can stay consistent for 6 weeks you aren't really the Devil's Advocate, more like the eternal optimist. :P

Well they're not going to bench him after 1 bad game...the 6 weeks will eventually lead to the demotion but there will multiple inconsistent games in that time period. I also expect it won't be Kostitsyn dropping, I expect he'll have a near career year (similar to his last contract year).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well they're not going to bench him after 1 bad game...the 6 weeks will eventually lead to the demotion but there will multiple inconsistent games in that time period. I also expect it won't be Kostitsyn dropping, I expect he'll have a near career year (similar to his last contract year).

If he can stay healthy I think AK46 could crack the 30 goal mark. We seem to actually have some continuity in our top 6 and now that the distraction is in Nashville Andrei could really blossom. A couple games back when Andrei picked off that pass the release on his shot was amazing.

If opposing D's focus in on Cammy then AK will eat them alive.

Edited by JacksonJ
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If opposing D's focus in on Cammy then AK will eat them alive.

There was a stretch last year where it seemed as if that line was scoring at a pace of around 5 goals per 4 games. If everyone stays healthy, they could around there again (say 85 goals combined), especially if Plekanec has found another gear as early preseason results may imply. That'd give Kostitsyn a 30-goal season...and a raise. If Eller moves into his spot though, that could really hamper Kostitsyn's leverage for a new deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...