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Saku Koivu: The leagues most underrated player?


Leafs Suck

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For years I felt Saku was underrated and right now he's proving it. He is playing the best hockey of his career IMO. He's scoring at over a point per game, and has scored 9 points in his last 5 games including two tonight,

I think a big reason why he doesn't get enough respect is because of his past reputation of being injury-pron. Well since he came back from cancer in 2002, he's been pretty healthy. Missing only a total of 14 games. He scores 71 points in 02/03, and I think he could very well hit 90 this year if he stays healthy.

Saku is a proven #1 centre in the league. He isn't an offensive force like other European forwards like Forsberg and Alfredsson but he's having a solid year and it's time people stood up and realized it.

[Edited on 2005/11/6 by Leafs Suck]

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He is underrated no doubt. He is so underrated that stupid kids at my high school say he isnt even a top 30 center. that is a joke, they are complete tools. I say wait till the end of the season when he has 80-90 points

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Above his offensive talents, which he have in spade, he's a true competitor and thats what make him do all the other stuff wright,...Finnland's and the Canadiens captain for all the good reasons such honnor's command and..... might be Don Cherry's favorite Euro player as he once said,..'' I'll take him anytime in my team'',...(fantaisy team, I suppose ha,ha,).

Is Koivu underrated ? Well he never been underrated by the players in this League that play's against him and neither by the Canadiens players that voted him Captain early on in his carreer.....and they're the ones that know better.

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I suppose he's underrated but I wouldn't say he was the "most underrated" in the NHL.

Anyway I have always contended he is an elite talent, this year more people will realize that because Saku has very good wingers for the first time in his Habs career!

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Originally posted by GoHabs2002

And he's going to be a UFA :o

Good point, but in the new NHL that may not make as much of a difference, teams can't just start bidding wars for UFAs, most don't have the cash to do so.

Plus I think Saku has his heart in Mtl and will stay here, I mean as long as he gets a reasonable price of course. Habs stuck with him through some tough times, I don't imagine he is the sort to forget that.

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Originally posted by JeanLucPilon
Originally posted by GoHabs2002

And he's going to be a UFA :o

Good point, but in the new NHL that may not make as much of a difference, teams can't just start bidding wars for UFAs, most don't have the cash to do so.

Plus I think Saku has his heart in Mtl and will stay here, I mean as long as he gets a reasonable price of course. Habs stuck with him through some tough times, I don't imagine he is the sort to forget that.

Boy, I certainly hope you're right on that point. I expect that he won't forget the support he had during his cancer crisis but will that be enough to have him stay? I don't know. We'll find out next year as he comes up for contract renegotiations.

I know that I would be terribly disappointed if he and our team parted ways. He's been a fixture of my Canadiens since I heard his name called from the podium at his draft year. He's gone from 'Who the heck is Saku Koivu?' to boy, am I glad we have HIM on our team. What a heart player! :king:

3010 - sounds like an Arthur C. Clarke book. :D

[Edited on 2005/11/6 by shortcat1]

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Very underrated yes. Not THE most underrated.

I don't know why they signed a 1-year deal. Maybe it's because he has Kovalev this year so he thinks he'll rack up some points (which he will) and then sign a bigger contract next year. It won't matter though because next year we get to resign Rivet and Bonk for less. Hopefully the rookies won't ask for much.

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Originally posted by habsfan88

He is underrated no doubt.  He is so underrated that stupid kids at my high school say he isnt even a top 30 center.  that is a joke, they are complete tools.  I say wait till the end of the season when he has 80-90 points

That just proves the point about Leaf fans not knowing ANYTHING about hockey. They listen to Mojo Radio and the CBC where they're feed Leaf propoganda 24/7. They figure that if his name isn't Sundin and he isn't playing in Toronto, he must suck.

Centres who currently have more points then Koivu:

-Staal

-Spezza

-Forsberg

-Thornton

-LeCavalier

-Datsyuk

-Crosby

Koivu is also tied with the likes of Richards, Yashin, and the greatest player in history Mario Lemieux.

[Edited on 2005/11/6 by Leafs Suck]

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Originally posted by JeanLucPilon
Originally posted by GoHabs2002

And he's going to be a UFA :o

Good point, but in the new NHL that may not make as much of a difference, teams can't just start bidding wars for UFAs, most don't have the cash to do so.

Plus I think Saku has his heart in Mtl and will stay here, I mean as long as he gets a reasonable price of course. Habs stuck with him through some tough times, I don't imagine he is the sort to forget that.

yeah, but you have to remember that its tough to keep guys after stanley cups... ;)

BTW - in case anybody was wondering - the tornado missed me... had some fun sirens throughout the night though.

[Edited on 11/6/2005 by simonus]

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Saku is pure heart and character. He has proven this his entire career. Sure he isn't big and he takes the smurf comments thrown at him by the imbeciles in the leafarazzi. I truly hope he has a fantastic, injury-free season and decides to play his entire career as a habs. (Maybe get Mario, Yzerman or Beliveau to talk to him).

elf and its media enjoy rabidly booing/slagging Daniel Alfredsson because he scares the sh!t out of them. Right now Alfie is the league's MVP.

As for my Habs, Saku is and has been my team MVP for a long, long time.

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The scary (and tragic) thing about Saku is how good he could have been if he hadn't destroyed his knees. I still remember what he was like in---was it 1995?---when he was the LEAGUE'S LEADING SCORER 2/3 of the way through the season before his first and most significant knee-shredding. He is still a terrific player, but I don't think he's ever recovered the extra level of explosive speed that he had before that injury. In a perfect world, he'd have been a superstar.

(Of course, Rejean Fool contributed to this minor tragedy by dealing away Turgeon that year, thus making Koivu the primary target of the opposition).

In any case, Koivu is a super player when healthy, but that's a big qualifier, and explains Gainey's reluctance to sign him for the long run.

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Definitley not the most underrated, but yes because of his injuries, nobody is quite sure what to expect.

And he has't always been surrounded by the best talent especially with guys like Audette, Berezin, Corson, Bulis, Hossa, Bure and Mariuz Czerkawski as a few examples as linemates over the years...not exactly 1st line material.

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Originally posted by Bulis_the_Habbie

Very underrated yes. Not THE most underrated.

I don't know why they signed a 1-year deal. Maybe it's because he has Kovalev this year so he thinks he'll rack up some points (which he will) and then sign a bigger contract next year. It won't matter though because next year we get to resign Rivet and Bonk for less. Hopefully the rookies won't ask for much.

Bonk and Rivet are already under contract for next year at the same price as this year. Its the last year of their contract.

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Yeah I remember that game against Chicago that Koivu injured his knee I was at that game and he not only led the league in points but power play points as well. It was a shitty thing that happened to him and no one remmebers how good he truly was except for a select few habs fans.

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Originally posted by Komisarek the Cruncher
Originally posted by Bulis_the_Habbie

Very underrated yes. Not THE most underrated.

I don't know why they signed a 1-year deal. Maybe it's because he has Kovalev this year so he thinks he'll rack up some points (which he will) and then sign a bigger contract next year. It won't matter though because next year we get to resign Rivet and Bonk for less. Hopefully the rookies won't ask for much.

Bonk and Rivet are already under contract for next year at the same price as this year. Its the last year of their contract.

Oops. My mistake. Then they run out after next season right?

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