Commandant Posted June 16, 2021 Author Share Posted June 16, 2021 4 hours ago, DON said: How so, havent you watched him play? What myth is there? We have seen him put on Souray-like defending one on one (seems bit better in last year or two) and we all see his stupid costly turnovers...which he seems to really do poorly when wide open in own end with puck, for some reason. That is a pretty low bar isnt it? i would take Edmundson or Weber defending in own end over him anyday. without Petry they had all of 0 shots in game 1, so he should help there, if he can shoot and pass, otherwise let him sit. How so? 1) his ability to move the puck up the ice in transition and keep the puck in the offensive zone is far better "defence" than blocking shots in his own end. 2) he consistently is the top defenceman on the team in terms of both preventing scoring chances against and creating scoring chances at the other end of the ice. 3) I don't see souray-like defending one-on-one very often. It is pretty rare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Boagalott Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 5 hours ago, tomh009 said: Fair enough. And yet I think he has improved somewhat already after arriving, and I think he can be better yet than he is today. Do you think a credible third-pair D (with PP skills) is beyond his ceiling? In a sense, Gustafsson has definitely improved since arriving, but he actually didn't really. I would argue that when the Habs got him he wasn't in game shape that is a direct result of him being a health scratch for the Flyers. That was a big part of why he made numerous comical errors in the regular season like falling down several times which caused breakaways. His 1st games with the Habs he didnt even look like he could make a AHL team, but he's gotten a lot better, yet he still makes defensive blunders, and that likely wont change. However, Gustafsson being in game shape should also improve his offensive upside. 4 hours ago, Commandant said: I don't see him being in big demand. You could probably re-sign him on a one year deal for cheap. I mean it was clear that he was available going into the trade deadline and all Philly could get was a 7th round pick and that was with 1/2 his salary retained by the Flyers. He's not going to be in high demand as there are a lot better LHD in free agency, especially when salary cap concerns mean some RFAs don't get qualified. I agree that Gustafsson wouldn't be in high demand and that he could be resigned for cheap. ex: 1.5-2 mil/year, for 1 or 2 years. Even 3 years @ 4.5mil might make sense, because if he doesnt work out after 2 years it would still be economically viable to buy him out of his last year. He could probably get upwards of 40 pts playing 12 mins/game, which would be worth 3.5-4 mil/yr of production. That would put him at the same point pace as his outlier 60 pts year where he played 18 mins/game. i.e. 2/3 of his Hawks ice time for 2/3 of the points = same pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 1 hour ago, alfredoh2009 said: Out of the UFAs , he is one of the few with high PPG at a reasonable cap hit... just saying And we're going to be close to the cap once again. If Ducharme can improve him and make him more reliable, I for sure would be happy to have him on the PP for the next few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 57 minutes ago, Commandant said: How so? 1) his ability to move the puck up the ice in transition and keep the puck in the offensive zone is far better "defence" than blocking shots in his own end. 2) he consistently is the top defenceman on the team in terms of both preventing scoring chances against and creating scoring chances at the other end of the ice. 3) I don't see souray-like defending one-on-one very often. It is pretty rare. Sure, he still pisses me off way too often with stupid soft turnovers, from blue line out, love his game. Anyways, hope he can handle puck and is upgrade on whomever sits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredoh2009 Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 53 minutes ago, tomh009 said: And we're going to be close to the cap once again. If Ducharme can improve him and make him more reliable, I for sure would be happy to have him on the PP for the next few years. He was on the ice for the first Habs goal on game 2 against VGK he is often on the ice when scoring chances are generated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 11 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said: He was on the ice for the first Habs goal on game 2 against VGK he is often on the ice when scoring chances are generated By advanced 5-on-5stats, which admittedly don't tell the whole story, the contrast with Merrill is quite stark: Gustafsson 5 high-danger chances for, 1 against Merrill 0 high-danger chances for, 5 against If Ducharme can polish him a bit more, I do think he can be quite a useful piece on our D corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredoh2009 Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 31 minutes ago, tomh009 said: By advanced 5-on-5stats, which admittedly don't tell the whole story, the contrast with Merrill is quite stark: Gustafsson 5 high-danger chances for, 1 against Merrill 0 high-danger chances for, 5 against If Ducharme can polish him a bit more, I do think he can be quite a useful piece on our D corps. I think he is a better version of Mete, Rielly and all the puck moving LDs tried with Weber Chiarot is a shutdown LD, a lesser version of Weber on the left side, or a lesser version of Edmundson. If the Habs want to have some production from both their top pairs, Gustafson is as good as it gets without breaking the salary cap balance. and Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 1 hour ago, tomh009 said: By advanced 5-on-5stats, which admittedly don't tell the whole story, the contrast with Merrill is quite stark: Gustafsson 5 high-danger chances for, 1 against Merrill 0 high-danger chances for, 5 against If Ducharme can polish him a bit more, I do think he can be quite a useful piece on our D corps. One thing to look at is how sheltered they are though. Gustafsson is basically only put on the ice for offensive zone draws, where Merrill would be used in more defensive situations. That will effect the numbers. Also who is on the ice with them, and who the opponents have out there (less controllable on the road of course). Gustafsson is still doing better, but his numbers are a bit inflated and Merril's deflated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 16 minutes ago, Commandant said: One thing to look at is how sheltered they are though. Gustafsson is basically only put on the ice for offensive zone draws, where Merrill would be used in more defensive situations. That will effect the numbers. Also who is on the ice with them, and who the opponents have out there (less controllable on the road of course). Gustafsson is still doing better, but his numbers are a bit inflated and Merril's deflated. Yeah, as I said, the stats as is are not the whole story. You can see who they play with or against, but actually utilizing that to quantify the impact is substantially more work. I do expect the teams actually do this kind of analysis, though, as they have paid analytics specialists on staff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCHabnut Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 Ducharme missed the morning skate due to irregularities with a covid test! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHT120 Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 4 minutes ago, BCHabnut said: Ducharme missed the morning skate due to irregularities with a covid test! Paging Joel Bouchard ... paging Joel Bouchard Don't see Burrows stepping up as HC ***IF*** DD can't be behind the bench ... and Richardson seems too integral to managing the D-rotation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 Evans, non contact jersey again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Even if Evans is ready to go, not a chance Lehkonen, Byron or Staal are being scratched to make room...barring couple losses. But hope he is good to go soon, as injuries are fact of life and gonna crop up if keep rolling along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 3 minutes ago, DON said: Even if Evans is ready to go, not a chance Lehkonen, Byron or Staal are being scratched to make room...barring couple losses. But hope he is good to go soon, as injuries are fact of life and gonna crop up if keep rolling along. I would consider sitting KK for a 100% Evans. I think KK is struggling a bit - no he isn’t a disaster but he is struggling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 3 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: I would consider sitting KK for a 100% Evans. I think KK is struggling a bit - no he isn’t a disaster but he is struggling That's the spot I see him potentially getting as well. That third line has been the weak link and while they were better last night, Kotkaniemi took a couple of penalties and was quieter than his wingers. Evans doesn't have the raw upside that Kotkaniemi does but in his very limited action in the playoffs, he has made a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neech Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 KK wasn't worse than Staal last night. It really is ridiculous how KK has been officiated throughout the playoffs, it's as if has a different set of rules than everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 1 hour ago, Neech said: KK wasn't worse than Staal last night. It really is ridiculous how KK has been officiated throughout the playoffs, it's as if has a different set of rules than everyone else. There is certainly truth here. The penalties on KK have been largely bullshit He just seems to be hanging on and Evans might work a little harder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 1 hour ago, Neech said: KK wasn't worse than Staal last night. It really is ridiculous how KK has been officiated throughout the playoffs, it's as if has a different set of rules than everyone else. That's true. I just don't see them wanting to mess with the Armia-Staal-Perry line given how well it has performed in the playoffs in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 3 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: I would consider sitting KK for a 100% Evans. I think KK is struggling a bit - no he isn’t a disaster but he is struggling No way do I sit a guy capable of producing, and who has contributed offensively in key situations like KK, on an offensively starving team. I’d sit Stall if Evans is ready to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCHabnut Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 1 hour ago, hab29RETIRED said: No way do I sit a guy capable of producing, and who has contributed offensively in key situations like KK, on an offensively starving team. I’d sit Stall if Evans is ready to go. Staal is 2nd on the team in assists and tied for 4th in points. Edit. Tied for 4th in points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revvvrob Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Injury question - anyone know what is wrong with Stephenson and any idea how long he may be out? Asking for a friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 1 hour ago, BCHabnut said: Staal is 2nd on the team in assists and tied for 4th in points. Edit. Tied for 4th in points. How much of that is the strong play of his line mates? Im actually not sure myself either, but from the eye test, I’ve noticed Perry and Armia do more good things than Stall. Only recall two good players by Stall. On the other hand, I’ve noticed more good things and I think Evans and KK’s speed is more of an asset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 1 hour ago, revvvrob said: Injury question - anyone know what is wrong with Stephenson and any idea how long he may be out? Asking for a friend. Not official but it sounds like concussion-like symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 2 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said: How much of that is the strong play of his line mates? Im actually not sure myself either, but from the eye test, I’ve noticed Perry and Armia do more good things than Stall. Only recall two good players by Stall. On the other hand, I’ve noticed more good things and I think Evans and KK’s speed is more of an asset. This is the question, isn't it? Perry-Evans-Armia sounds pretty promising, but it really depends on how much Staal is contributing vs riding on the coattails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 1 hour ago, tomh009 said: This is the question, isn't it? Perry-Evans-Armia sounds pretty promising, but it really depends on how much Staal is contributing vs riding on the coattails. Just such a difference in speed between Staal-Evans, have to be tempting to slot in if healthy, but aint happening next game obviously, hopefully Staal makes some smart veteran plays and wins every faceoff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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