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How long will Drouin last at centre?


zumpano21

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Honestly, I think Trizzak and Stogey are the closest to being on the mark. It's hard to imagine Drouin playing second line center and we don't have a first line center caliber player with high end skill outside of either him or Galchenyuk. So the combination of the two factors mean he should slot into the role unless the organization changes its perspective on Galchenyuk or we acquire a(nother) first line center in which case he might move to right wing. I don't exactly know what the line of thinking is but at this point in time we have to consider the reality that the thought from the organization based on the way things have played out is that he is the 1st line center we've been waiting for.

 

What I'm not sure about is why Drouin and his -13 last season would be considered sound defensively when we've apparently seen enough of Galchenyuk to know he's not a center in this league. Team stat aside, is Drouin really good defensively? I love Galchenyuk and Drouin from what I've seen but it just seems like we're placing someone into a role he's no better qualified for simply because he's a new face.

 

The fact this is even a thread points to that possibility. I wish him the best, and regardless, I think he does have to stick it out there if Galchenyuk is not the guy.

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2 hours ago, kaos said:

Galchenyuk wasn't a 200 ft player.

Drouin is even less of a 200ft than Galchenyuk. Theoretically it shouldn't last long.  

 

I wouldn't say that. Drouin was known to backcheck when he had too and has the foot speed that Galchenyuk does not have to be effective at it.

 

His size IMO is more concerning but we will see.

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Part of the difference is that management is committed to Drouin in a way they never have been to Galchenyuk. Now there seems to be no reason for this other than the fact that Drouin's growing pains occurred in another organization - but rational behaviour is not MB's strong suit. Therefore, expect to see Drouin given the endless rope that has been withheld from Galchenyuk and his defensive weaknesses treated with infinite patience. The 'patience' part is fine by me, since I strongly feel that players' strengths should count for at least as much as their weaknesses. It's just too bad this theory isn't applied to gifted players developed within the organization.

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Guest Stogey24
13 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Part of the difference is that management is committed to Drouin in a way they never have been to Galchenyuk. Now there seems to be no reason for this other than the fact that Drouin's growing pains occurred in another organization - but rational behaviour is not MB's strong suit. Therefore, expect to see Drouin given the endless rope that has been withheld from Galchenyuk and his defensive weaknesses treated with infinite patience. The 'patience' part is fine by me, since I strongly feel that players' strengths should count for at least as much as their weaknesses. It's just too bad this theory isn't applied to gifted players developed within the organization.

I was going to say the same thing.

 

Bergevin loves this kid. I don't know if it's because he's from Quebec, or what, but he's calling Drouin"Joe" in interviews and can't wipe the shit eating grin off of his face when he talks about him. 

 

 

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32 minutes ago, Stogey24 said:

I was going to say the same thing.

 

Bergevin loves this kid. I don't know if it's because he's from Quebec, or what, but he's calling Drouin"Joe" in interviews and can't wipe the shit eating grin off of his face when he talks about him. 

 

 

 

Well, Drouin is an elite youngster with explosive potential. In hockey terms, he's a huge asset. He is also a gigantic PR asset who will help MB keep his job irrespective of middling team results - no doubt a major priority. The double standard is pretty irksome, however. If Drouin had done to MB what he did to Yzerman, he'd have been run out of town long ago. But now he's a franchise cornerstone of outstanding character :rolleyes: 

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Guest Stogey24

Biggest p.r move in years. Great player, no doubt, but if this kid is from Minnesota and pulled the shit Drouin did in Tampa, Bergevin doesn't even look in his direction 

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1 hour ago, Scott462 said:

 

I wouldn't say that. Drouin was known to backcheck when he had too and has the foot speed that Galchenyuk does not have to be effective at it.

 

His size IMO is more concerning but we will see.

Why is his size concerning?

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26 minutes ago, Stogey24 said:

Biggest p.r move in years. Great player, no doubt, but if this kid is from Minnesota and pulled the shit Drouin did in Tampa, Bergevin doesn't even look in his direction 

Adding mind-reading to your resume?:unsure:

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3 minutes ago, DON said:

Why is his size concerning?

 

Well he is not the biggest guy and might be easy to knock off the puck when going up against the Getzlaf and Malkins but Drouin is crafty so it might not be an issue, we will see.

 

Not that Galchenyuk was known to use his size he is still young and might improve to start using his strengths more effectively.

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33 minutes ago, Stogey24 said:

Biggest p.r move in years. Great player, no doubt, but if this kid is from Minnesota and pulled the shit Drouin did in Tampa, Bergevin doesn't even look in his direction 

 

Idk I think both parties might have been at fault with Drouins troubles in Tampa.

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3 hours ago, Scott462 said:

 

Well he is not the biggest guy and might be easy to knock off the puck when going up against the Getzlaf and Malkins but Drouin is crafty so it might not be an issue, we will see.

 

Not that Galchenyuk was known to use his size he is still young and might improve to start using his strengths more effectively.

Drouin is 4lbs lighter than Galchenyuk 

(was noted he was 188 last year, so 15lb gain will be interesting to see how translates in his play)

Edited by DON
2nd thought
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I excited to see him quarterback the pp. The kid looks like Backstrom on the power play. Scary good on the half wall. If your hockey pool has extra power play points, you might want to go off the board in the early rounds for him. Depending on who is available. 

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What I don't fully understand is why it's up to Bergevin to decide these things. If you have a player like Pacioretty, you know he's a left wing. If you have a player like Getzlaf/Toews, you know they are centermen. Players like Drouin and Galchenyuk have played both positions throughout their careers and so it's not as clear cut a situation.

 

I'll be the first to admit that the main reason I was willing to include Galchenyuk in a deal

that sent a bonafide center back our way was simply because the narrative seemed to be changing from "Galchenyuk could be a versatile player who could play a variety of positions" to "this Galchenyuk position thing is becoming a distraction". Some have pointed out that they are happy with Bergevin putting it to rest and to an extent I can understand that perspective. What I would much rather, however, is hear Julien be the one with such a firm stance. He seems to have a similar opinion but has also still left the door open by stating that it's the coach's job to have options and if that involves playing Galchenyuk at center in the future, so be it.

 

I'm all over the place on the topic because I would request that Bergevin and Julien communicate when it comes to their vision of where players fit in the lineup. That makes it a lot easier for Bergevin to assess what holes need to be filled throughout the lineup. On the other hand, there's nothing worse than someone breathing down your neck and telling you how to do your job. I'm saying it now that when injuries come up or even if they don't we might end up seeing Galchenyuk at center again this season. It is a lot more difficult to do that however, when your GM and boss has made such a firm claim that he doesn't belong there.

 

I watch every game and while I'm not going to argue that Galchenyuk is the best defensive center in the league or even close to it, I don't think he absolutely destroys our team with his defensive play. Furthermore, as CC wrongly (:P) theorized, Bergevin has constructed a team with solid defensive minded players and so if any team could cover for Galchenyuk, it would be us. 

 

Finally, I watched a half hour show on NHL Chanel and the topic went from Bergevin's comments about Galchenyuk to what Nico Herschier and Philly's new center prospect, Nolan Patrick, would have to do to excel with their respective teams at center at such a young age after Bergevin's comments about Galchenyuk. What does it take to be an effective center, was the question.

 

Mike Rupp, who I don't exactly agree with on everything ignored the Galchenyuk topic but immediately claimed that Devil's prospect Hischier and Philly's prospect were in different boats. He said that the Devil's struggle with scoring and so if he was Hischier coach he would simply say "go play offense, kid". Philly on the other hand has a player like Giroux and so their young prospect may need to play a better 200 foot game in order to show his worth to the team. 

 

The Habs have not had a Giroux and have had trouble scoring and so I personally feel as though (in the past) Galchenyuk should have been given a longer leash. We're not a team that struggles defensively in general and so it seems to be the wrong way of treating an offensively gifted kid. 

 

7 hours ago, Scott462 said:

 

Well he is not the biggest guy and might be easy to knock off the puck when going up against the Getzlaf and Malkins but Drouin is crafty so it might not be an issue, we will see.

 

Not that Galchenyuk was known to use his size he is still young and might improve to start using his strengths more effectively.

I agree and to me it's actually the main reason that I would feel comfortable with having acquired another top 6 center.

 

If Plekanec can return to form, which is such a massive if, then a team with Drouin, Plekanec and Danault up the middle is probably not the worst depth wise at center in the league, truth be told.

 

I see Toews, Gezlaf, Thornton, Malkin, Kopitar and so many others out there though and wish we had a center like that on this team. Even Johanssen has some size.

 

On the other hand, I've seen Drouin outplay Crosby in the past in some individual matchups. Crosby also doesn't have size on his side but is still the best all-round player in the league. 

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