Player Discussion Adam Larsson: Part III

[TheNumber4]

Wanted to bump this thread to add that Breakway Pass by Larsson. Don't know about anyone else but I think Larsson's puck moving ability has hit another level in these playoffs. All series long he's been making crisp, quick, and smart passes to get the puck moving north. NJ fans said it was part of his game but I was left wanting more alot of the times during the regular season. Happy to see him finally showing off that skill.

His offensive zone activations have also been much improved in these playoffs. If he could add a bit more mustard to his shots maybe he still has the potential to hit those pre-draft offense expectations? I didn't think he could just due to the lack of quickness, but he's shown an ability to be real quick in the O-zone too recently as well. I still feel he breaks out in a big way and announces to the world that he's arrived in these playoffs.

Also. Nuge deserved an assist on that breakaway goal no?

Been saying since Game 3 that Larsson was gonna break out offensively. Said he'd get a point Game 6.

What a game by him tonight!!! Glad I bumped this thread. Let the Larsson love continue!!

Woooo! What a game!

 

[space321]

Okay Larsson's actually a god lmao

 

[CupofOil]

Okay Larsson's actually a god lmao

Good to see you coming around. It's virtually impossible for anybody to not like this trade now and the beauty is that he still has growth potential and is locked up to one of the best contracts in the league for the next 4 years.

One thing is that I wish people would stop bashing Hall. Larsson is so good that we don't need to knock Hall down a notch to feel better about the trade. Larsson justifies it with his own play.

 

[vsove]

Our D contracts are looking better every game of these playoffs.

Larsson is becoming exactly the player I thought he had the potential to be. So happy we pulled the trigger.

 

[Aerchon]

Good to see you coming around. It's virtually impossible for anybody to not like this trade now and the beauty is that he still has growth potential and is locked up to one of the best contracts in the league for the next 4 years.

One thing is that I wish people would stop bashing Hall. Larsson is so good that we don't need to knock Hall down a notch to feel better about the trade. Larsson justifies it with his own play.

You could tell everyone thought of the Hall trade after the snipe let alone the wrap around.

Still early in terms of careers but as it stands right now, not only did we win the trade we fleeced NJ. Larsson is a gem. Completely underrated.

 

[grego]

I won't bash Hall, never did. Getting the gift of mcdavid allowed me to accept sacrificing Hall to receive a good dman.

 

[Aerrol]

Two goals tonight. IIRC he had 12 in his career before tonight!

He looked way more offensively aware and had more speed. I finally see this untapped offensive potential people were talking about! Hope he can keep it up.

 

[McBaevid]

You could tell everyone thought of the Hall trade after the snipe let alone the wrap around.

Still early in terms of careers but as it stands right now, not only did we win the trade we fleeced NJ. Larsson is a gem. Completely underrated.

We absolutely did not "fleece" New Jersey. It was a win-win trade, the hate Taylor Hall gets is unbelieveable.

 

[tinfish]

We absolutely did not "fleece" New Jersey. It was a win-win trade, the hate Taylor Hall gets is unbelieveable.

I'd agree that hall gets some unjustified criticism, but you can't call this w/w when nj just finished dead last in the east. It could change, but it's looking like a pretty big win for edmonton so far...

 

[McBaevid]

I'd agree that hall gets some unjustified criticism, but you can't call this w/w when nj just finished dead last in the east. It could change, but it's looking like a pretty big win for edmonton so far...

They would've finished dead last with or without Larsson. New Jersey has the most dreadful offense in the entire league, taking away an offensive player in Hall and adding a defensive player in Larsson wasn't going to change that.
The Oilers improved because their need for defense was obvious across the league. Jersey was and still is in dire need of more offensive players
You can't just look at a trade from one perspective and deem it a fleecing.

 

[tinfish]

They would've finished dead last with or without Larsson. New Jersey has the most dreadful offense in the entire league, taking away an offensive player in Hall and adding a defensive player in Larsson wasn't going to change that.
The Oilers improved because their need for defense was obvious across the league. Jersey was and still is in dire need of more offensive players
You can't just look at a trade from one perspective and deem it a fleecing.

I certainly wouldn't call it a fleecing myself, but I do think it's been a net gain for the oilers. Whether or not it helps out nj remains to be seen.

 

[PeakMcOil]

Two goals tonight. IIRC he had 12 in his career before tonight!

He looked way more offensively aware and had more speed. I finally see this untapped offensive potential people were talking about! Hope he can keep it up.

I think he had 1 in 11 playoff games coming in. Pretty sure he has more than 12 goals, but I could be wrong.

Edit: He had 13 career goals before this.

 

[Zaddy]

They would've finished dead last with or without Larsson. New Jersey has the most dreadful offense in the entire league, taking away an offensive player in Hall and adding a defensive player in Larsson wasn't going to change that.
The Oilers improved because their need for defense was obvious across the league. Jersey was and still is in dire need of more offensive players
You can't just look at a trade from one perspective and deem it a fleecing.

Well Hall doesn't seem to have helped much in terms of actually fixing that dreadful offense. NJ scored 184 goals last year, while allowing 204 goals against. This year NJ scored 183 goals, while allowing 244 goals against. Same amount of goals scored, but allowed 40 more. They went from 9th in GA last year to 26th this year.

That's what happens when you move one of your only two defensemen that is able to play tough, heavy minutes without having someone who can properly replace him. Adding "offense" just doesn't help or even remotely negate that fact, which should be obvious to anyone who watched the Oilers for the last number of years.

Oilers won this trade. Perceived "value" means nothing. What means something is that this trade made Oilers a better team and the Devils a worse team. It's not more complicated than that. Defense > offense in this league and good defense facilitates more offense than "good offense" and no defense.

A fleecing may be taking it too far, but Oilers definitely won this deal IMO, and it's fairly likely that it'll look even better for the Oilers as Larsson enters his prime years. D-men tend to hit their prime much later in their careers than wingers.

 

[Cloned]

There's actually a fairly good possibility we may have seen and had peak Hall. There's no guarantee he ever goes PPG over ~80 games in a season again.

A lot remains to be written however.

 

[sportsdynasty]

We absolutely did not "fleece" New Jersey. It was a win-win trade, the hate Taylor Hall gets is unbelieveable.

The love Taylor Hall gets is unbelievable. He is a flawed player, with a poor attitude. Larsson >> Hall

 

[MoonDragn]

I told you guys that you were getting the higher value in this trade. Defensemen like Larsson are hard to find and Shero just traded him away. Lou knew what he was doing when he drafted Larsson.

Hall while a great scorer, was not the solution NJ needed. What we needed were better puck moving defensemen. Trading away Larsson and not re-signing David Schlemko pretty much did NJ in. You guys definitely won that trade.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

The love Taylor Hall gets is unbelievable. He is a flawed player, with a poor attitude. Larsson >> Hall

This narrative needs to die.

the amount of "SEE LARSSON IS BETTER THAN HALL THE OILERZ WON THE TRADE" that is going on in this forum, social media and mainstream media, is borderline sickening.

Having to bastardize a player to prop up another is not a good way to go, especially a player that was not the problem on the Oilers.

I love Adam Larsson. I've been a booster of his since the trade happened. I disagree very strongly when somebody points out that he's overrated because he doesn't produce a good Corsi or suggest he's only a number three defenceman because he doesn't lead in TOI on his team. What he brings isn't really quantified yet in Advance Stats (IMO). He's a top pairing guy who plays against top competition and often starts in his own zone. He brought a much needed element that the Oilers lacked, which was balance and you know, a strong defensive game.

That said, the constant downplaying of Taylor Hall is getting pretty bad. For example, a poster above corralates that New Jersey didn't get better because they added Hall. Hall was injured, still managed to contribute 53 points, despite missing 8 games. He was part of nearly 30% of New Jersey's total offence.

Instead of blaming Hall for the lack of offence, where were other pieces like Michael Cammerleri? He had only 10 goals and 31 points in 61 games.

Or then the same poster mentions how the Devils went down in Goals allowed. However, was there any mention of their goaltender, Cory Schneider, having a down year with a bad 0.908 save percentage? No. Apparently that's Hall's fault too.

I'm happy with the trade that it's worked out, but let's not say that the Oilers fleeced the Devils. Both teams got a really good player. Right now, the narrative that Larsson> Hall looks like a desperate validation.

 

[A91]

I told you guys that you were getting the higher value in this trade. Defensemen like Larsson are hard to find and Shero just traded him away. Lou knew what he was doing when he drafted Larsson.

Hall while a great scorer, was not the solution NJ needed. What we needed were better puck moving defensemen. Trading away Larsson and not re-signing David Schlemko pretty much did NJ in. You guys definitely won that trade.

This is only year one there is still lots of time, I think that trade ends up being pretty even when it' all said and done as long as NJ can build a contender before Halls contract expires. Otherwise I firmly believe he walks as a UFA meaning the Oilers easily won the trade.

Also, David Schlemko is terrific I really wish the Oilers could've signed him over a guy like Gryba. Local talent and at 2 million for the next 3 years SJS got an absolute steal.

 

[Aerchon]

I honestly can't believe some people are still trying to put thier spin on the Hall for Larsson trade.

My post said nothing bad about Hall. Didn't bash him at all. Never have. He was my favorite Oiler during his time here. Drafted him in my pool even, although I did have to bench him cause he was my worst LW in terms of fantasy points but I still drafted him.

But the Oilers very obviously won the trade. By a landslide. It is currently not even close. Could change down the road but right now people need to stop "defending" Hall. Just accept the Oilers are currently MUCH better team without Hall and with Larsson.

Elite Rd shutdown defender greater than elite one dimensional left winger. You can make arguments about how maybe the Oilers might have still been good with him, but thats weak. What no should be able to argue is Halls inability to help a team win, primarily due to playing the least impactful position in hockey by a Longshot.

Larsson contract >>>>>>>>>> Hall contract. Its not even close.

The Oilers are winning the Devils are losing.

And all that without "bashing" Hall.

But since the obvious seems to be eluding some on here let me point out that Hall had a terrible year stats wise. A 50 point left winger -9 with numerous defensive miscues that I personally seen in the games I watched or picked up in highlights.

Hall drives possession and scoring chances and shots and... All the stuff that just dont matter without quality defense.

 

[MaxR11]

This narrative needs to die.

the amount of "SEE LARSSON IS BETTER THAN HALL THE OILERZ WON THE TRADE" that is going on in this forum, social media and mainstream media, is borderline sickening.

Having to bastardize a player to prop up another is not a good way to go, especially a player that was not the problem on the Oilers.

I love Adam Larsson. I've been a booster of his since the trade happened. I disagree very strongly when somebody points out that he's overrated because he doesn't produce a good Corsi or suggest he's only a number three defenceman because he doesn't lead in TOI on his team. What he brings isn't really quantified yet in Advance Stats (IMO). He's a top pairing guy who plays against top competition and often starts in his own zone. He brought a much needed element that the Oilers lacked, which was balance and you know, a strong defensive game.

That said, the constant downplaying of Taylor Hall is getting pretty bad. For example, a poster above corralates that New Jersey didn't get better because they added Hall. Hall was injured, still managed to contribute 53 points, despite missing 8 games. He was part of nearly 30% of New Jersey's total offence.

Instead of blaming Hall for the lack of offence, where were other pieces like Michael Cammerleri? He had only 10 goals and 31 points in 61 games.

Or then the same poster mentions how the Devils went down in Goals allowed. However, was there any mention of their goaltender, Cory Schneider, having a down year with a bad 0.908 save percentage? No. Apparently that's Hall's fault too.

I'm happy with the trade that it's worked out, but let's not say that the Oilers fleeced the Devils. Both teams got a really good player. Right now, the narrative that Larsson> Hall looks like a desperate validation.

Most people who are against bashing Hall usually concentrates on his point production. I really think it's partly irresponsible play on the ice and attitude off the ice that really derails his team. Or at least prevents success and inhibits team growth. That being said he has this negative effect on his teams because he will likely be one of your more talented players and looked upon as one of your better players.

 

[shoop]

Most people who are against bashing Hall usually concentrates on his point production. I really think it's partly irresponsible play on the ice and attitude off the ice that really derails his team.

Agreed. I think Hall will eventually figure it out though. I would guess he is watching the Oilers playoff run. Hopefully for his sake he is smart enough to draw lessons from watching how this team plays and compare it to how they played when he was here.

 

[Pengu]

Hall was a very good winger on an imbalanced Oilers team hellbent on only drafting small forwards. Oilers had a ton of offensive talent which means losing 1 forwards mean very little in the grander scheme. Larsson was an insane talent playing in the SEL when he was 16 years old. Very few swedes has ever done that. He was a great talent which imo NJ misused for a few years with de Boer the big culprit. But there was no way that talent was going to be denied and he was stellar for NJ in his final season and Edmonton got something that hadn't had for a decade, a great stabilizer at the back. That doesn't take anything away from what Hall is as a player, but it was someone that was way more expendable than a player like Larsson. For the simple reason that Edmonton desperately needed that type of players.
So while the Oilers managed to plug a hole on their ship, NJ plugged one hole and at the same time created a new one making no progress.
The Oliers have so much forward depth they could trade one more forward for a good d without suffering much.

 

[Zguy370]

The love Taylor Hall gets is unbelievable. He is a flawed player, with a poor attitude. Larsson >> Hall

There definitely has to be some truth to that. Even dumb and dumber were smart enough to figure that out, by not stitching a C on his jersey.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

I honestly can't believe some people are still trying to put thier spin on the Hall for Larsson trade.

My post said nothing bad about Hall. Didn't bash him at all. Never have. He was my favorite Oiler during his time here. Drafted him in my pool even, although I did have to bench him cause he was my worst LW in terms of fantasy points but I still drafted him.

But the Oilers very obviously won the trade. By a landslide. It is currently not even close. Could change down the road but right now people need to stop "defending" Hall. Just accept the Oilers are currently MUCH better team without Hall and with Larsson.

Elite Rd shutdown defender greater than elite one dimensional left winger. You can make arguments about how maybe the Oilers might have still been good with him, but thats weak. What no should be able to argue is Halls inability to help a team win, primarily due to playing the least impactful position in hockey by a Longshot.

Larsson contract >>>>>>>>>> Hall contract. Its not even close.

The Oilers are winning the Devils are losing.

And all that without "bashing" Hall.

But since the obvious seems to be eluding some on here let me point out that Hall had a terrible year stats wise. A 50 point left winger -9 with numerous defensive miscues that I personally seen in the games I watched or picked up in highlights.

Hall drives possession and scoring chances and shots and... All the stuff that just dont matter without quality defense.

lol what? Possession and scoring chances and shots don't matter? In what sport? Certainly not hockey. I mean, that's how you score goals.

The Oilers are winning and the Devils are losing are not mutually about Larsson and Hall alone. That's the problem here. It's very short sighted. Are you saying that a healthy Klefbom, a healthy McDavid, a Vezina like season from Talbot all less important than having Adam Larsson? Because I'd have a tough time believing that. I think Larsson has been important but let's not kid ourselves.

Hall was a 53 point winger, on pace for 60 points, which would have been a team lead. On the Oilers, he would have been third behind McDavid and Draisaitl.

Again, you're making it sound like Hall was responsible for the team's "inability to win". The problem here is the following:

Hall's teams had defencemen like Andrew Ference, Andy Sutton, Jim Vandermeer, Cam Barker, Nikita Nikitin, Anton Belov, Nick Schultz, Alex Plante, Colton Teubert, Brad Hunt, Mark Fistric, Theo Peckham and much more bad on the backend.

Hall's teams had goaltending gems like an old Nikolai Khabibulin, Jason Labarbera, Devan Dubnyk before being outstanding, Ben Scrivens, Viktor Fasth,Ilya Bryzgalov.

The argument that the team couldn't win with Hall is crap. Of course they couldn't. They didn't supply his core with actual NHL players. That's on management, not Taylor Hall.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

Most people who are against bashing Hall usually concentrates on his point production. I really think it's partly irresponsible play on the ice and attitude off the ice that really derails his team. Or at least prevents success and inhibits team growth. That being said he has this negative effect on his teams because he will likely be one of your more talented players and looked upon as one of your better players.

Well, if you read the post I was alluding to, apparently Hall was responsible for the Devils not producing enough offence and not stopping enough pucks