Player Discussion Adam "the Magician" Larsson

[belair]

I would love to see a team managed by Fourier, oilerbear and someone like dawgbone from the oilersnation/lowetide/coppernblue sphere.

I'd like to see a game between two teams both managed by Oilerbear. The puck would stay perfectly still for all 60 minutes.

 

[Redline]

Defensemen ranking #35, about where I have him. He is tied for the lead, vote on poll if you want him to win:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=2107299

Aren't you the one starting those polls?
I was wondering why all the votes showed up out of nowhere all of a sudden.

 

[McGoMcD]

Defensemen ranking #35, about where I have him. He is tied for the lead, vote on poll if you want him to win:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=2107299

hmmm, where does Hall get voted in forwards. do that have that one?

 

[syz]

I would love to see a team managed by Fourier, oilerbear and someone like dawgbone from the oilersnation/lowetide/coppernblue sphere.

You will; they're called the Arizona Coyotes.

 

[McOvechking]

More like a Mustang for a Ford pickup, and we have a lot of junk to haul.

Probably the best analogy I've heard so far. This is just brilliant, and how I see it too.

 

[McFlyingV]

The more I watch of Larsson, the more excited I am for him coming into this team, and the more I think he would be a great match with Klefbom. Pretty much never see him misfire on a pass, they're always on the tape and always the right play. Makes some great stretch passes too. The thing I like the most about him though is his gap control and positioning. He closes puck carriers off the blue line every opportunity he has which pretty much kills easy zone entries for opposing teams. He's also pretty much flawless on the penalty kill defending the backdoor pass. Knows how to block the lane perfectly without deflecting the puck into his own net and his active stick is beautiful to watch.

If people can deal with the fact that he'll never be the most flashy guy and learn to appreciate all the subtle things he does that limits scoring chances and defensive zone time, then I'm sure a lot of people are going to be happy with this player.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

He's a "zero" player. It's a sports philosophy where you try your absolute best to minimize mistakes rather than trying to get points, playing a system, or some other goal. It works well at the professional level. He should be a rock for us.

 

[BlowbyBlow]

He's a "zero" player. It's a sports philosophy where you try your absolute best to minimize mistakes rather than trying to get points, playing a system, or some other goal. It works well at the professional level. He should be a rock for us.

He's a defensive defenseman with a good understanding of the game. The biggest issue is people want a Keith, Doughty type d-man (fully developed d-man with no flaws) when even the so called solid offensive d-man have holes in there games (ex. Subban, Karlsson, Ekman Larsson, ect)

Ekblad may be the next franchise d-man, but when people talk about Larsson it makes me cringe thinking that

a) they felt Hall was going to get you any of the best d-man there, without failing to consider how long it takes to develop a d-man. (An analogy would be if you were to build a car from scratch you know that labour is the part that makes you inflexible of lowering price when in some jobs it's the meat and potatoes of the job).

b) they make it like it's all or bust. Ask Oiler fans what it would take to move Mcdavid, or Pittsburgh Crosby. Then ask teams with #1 d-man what it would take to get Doughty, Ekblad, even second tier highly rated d-man like Faulk, Hanifin, Bogosian.

Last year you seen it with Bogosian, Seabrook teams will lose forwards, before losing a d-man. Count how many forwards Chicago has lost from there first cup run then d-man. They retained 50% of there d-man (Keith, Seabrook, Hjalmarsson) forwards - Kane, Toews, Hossa (25% of there forwards). Ironically the best d-man in the league also come with NMC. Now that they are the template, don't be surprised if the Oiler's develop similar or close type players to have them have NMC.

 

[Fourier]

I would love to see a team managed by Fourier, oilerbear and someone like dawgbone from the oilersnation/lowetide/coppernblue sphere.

Despite what it might seem I am actually very much an old school, "seen 'em good" sort of guy.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

hmmm, where does Hall get voted in forwards. do that have that one?

That is the big question that people just aren't looking at properly.

Most want to say we traded a top 3LW in the game for #35 dman in the league.
In a fantasy draft of forwards (pick these players if you want to win a cup), Hall probably comes in around the same mark.

#35dman for #35ish forward.

Edit: I'm probably missing some names, but here is a list of about 40 forwards that are either for sure better than Hall, are debatable with Hall, or will probably soon be better than, and teams wouldn't do that swap.

Perry
Getzlaf
Pavelski
Couture
McDavid
Gaudreau
H. Sedin
D. Sedin
Kopitar
Seguin
Benn
Toews
Kane
Tarasenko
R-Jo
Neal
Mackinnon
Duchene
Laine

Ovechkin
Backstrom
Kuznetsov
Crosby
Malkin
Kessel
Tavares
Giroux
Voracek
Simmonds
Matthews
Eichel
O’Rielly
Patches
Krejci
Bergeron
Stamkos
Drouin
Johnson
Barkov

 

[Nostradumbass]

There are a lot of players on that list that aren't better than Hall.

 

[MettleMcOiler]

 

[Draiskull]

some pretty stupid questions in this interview.. Hopefully he doesnt have to answer many of the same ones the next few months..

Seems like a reserved kid. A healthier and slightly more polished Klefbom..

 

[McWeber]

some pretty stupid questions in this interview.. Hopefully he doesnt have to answer many of the same ones the next few months..

Seems like a reserved kid. A healthier and slightly more polished Klefbom..

Nowhere near as dreamy though.

 

[Spawn]

Nowhere near as dreamy though.

You were saying?

 

[ohheyhemsky]

Nowhere near as dreamy though.

 

[McPuritania]

wut.

 

[Sempiternal]

I'm so excited to have Adam Larsson on the team. Larsson + Klefbom are going to rock!

 

[Stud Muffin]

Perry
Getzlaf
Pavelski
McDavid
Gaudreau
Kopitar
Seguin
Benn
Toews
Kane
Tarasenko
Ovechkin
Backstrom
Crosby
Malkin
Tavares
Giroux
Stamkos
This better

Top20 no question

 

[ghostnights]

Worst case scenario : Larsson and Klefbom fall madly in love while patrolling the blue line . They get married in Las Vegas after a game and a messy divorce ensues leaving one of them demanding a trade .

 

[oilinblood]

i am really disappointed in our sports reporters.
i can understand hfboard posters not following other teams etc...but as a sports reporter or video host you should really have the background of knowledge of other teams players

larsson was drafted as an offensive dman--just look at his passing under pressure and you will see the skills. he is what we need and his contract is terrific/.

 

[Cheddabombs]

i am really disappointed in our sports reporters.
i can understand hfboard posters not following other teams etc...but as a sports reporter or video host you should really have the background of knowledge of other teams players

larsson was drafted as an offensive dman--just look at his passing under pressure and you will see the skills. he is what we need and his contract is terrific/.

Sorry, but no he wasn't. There was certainly more hope in his offensive game out of the draft but that wasn't what he was heralded as. He was more of a two-way Dman in the scouts' eyes. The extent of his offensive was, and still is, his outlet pass and vision/hockey IQ. Doesn't seem like much but those two parts of his game are remarkable and combined with the offensive talent on the Oilers I can easily see him reaching ~40 points this season.

Anyway, I just wanted to stop by to say how much you all will love Lars. I just saw bits of that segment on Sportsnet this morning and it made me really sad. I love Larsson, he'll be an excellent addition to your team. The Oilers definitely gained a fan in me, I'll watch as many games as I can this season.

 

[LaGu]

Sorry, but no he wasn't. There was certainly more hope in his offensive game out of the draft but that wasn't what he was heralded as. He was more of a two-way Dman in the scouts' eyes. The extent of his offensive was, and still is, his outlet pass and vision/hockey IQ. Doesn't seem like much but those two parts of his game are remarkable and combined with the offensive talent on the Oilers I can easily see him reaching ~40 points this season.

Anyway, I just wanted to stop by to say how much you all will love Lars. I just saw bits of that segment on Sportsnet this morning and it made me really sad. I love Larsson, he'll be an excellent addition to your team. The Oilers definitely gained a fan in me, I'll watch as many games as I can this season.

I think people are talking in relatives here, let's just say that he was definitely not drafted as just a shut-down D, but rather a two-way D as you say. Many reports did point out his offense before the draft but that is overlooked a lot here (which makes sense to an extent but the underlying numbers tell a bit of a different story imo).

Please note that I am not talking about what he is or what he will be, I am just referring to what was said pre-draft since that was the issue here.

The Hockey News

Can play the game with exceptional poise. Has a great point shot and an ideal frame for an NHL defenseman (6-3, 205 pounds). Oozes all-round ability and can be a big minute-muncher, too.

The Hockey Writers

What makes Larsson such a hot commodity? Great size. Superior hockey sense. Strong skater. Accurate point shot. Recoverability. Outstanding outlet passer. All around defenseman.

NHL Player(s) Comparison: A more offensive Alexander Edler. He’s been also compared to the likes of Nik Lidstrom, Victor Hedman and Ray Bourque.

TSN

" 'Great tournament," one scout said of Larsson's WJC, which was all the more impressive because he was battling through a groin injury. "He stepped up and made himself a factor. He was moving his feet more, just a lot more involved than we had seen him. From the blueline in, he's a lot more dangerous offensively than Hedman at the same age."

HF

He is the complete package, capable of taking over a game with his size, skating and elite two-way skills. He’s likely not going to ever contribute elite offensive numbers from the backend, but he is more than capable of rushing the puck end-to-end, making great stretch passes with his superb vision and unleashing a hard and accurate point shot.

... and one of the more negative ones from USA Today:

I see him more as a number two who’s going to eat a lot of minutes and be maybe a 40-45-point scorer. I don’t see him being that number one guy who’s going to come in and get 60-70 points and really lead a top power play. He makes a great first pass out of his own end. He plays solid, he plays physical.

Gordie Clark

“Larsson is going to be a top offensive defenseman,” said Clark, whose team is slated to pick 15th overall. “If a team feels that their priority is an offensive power-play D, if he goes one, it’s not a problem with me. I love Nugent-Hopkins. I wish I was picking there. But I don’t think it’s a set No. 1, let’s put it that way, and they’re very high quality-players.

 

[HotToddy75]

That is the big question that people just aren't looking at properly.

Most want to say we traded a top 3LW in the game for #35 dman in the league.
In a fantasy draft of forwards (pick these players if you want to win a cup), Hall probably comes in around the same mark.

#35dman for #35ish forward.

Edit: I'm probably missing some names, but here is a list of about 40 forwards that are either for sure better than Hall, are debatable with Hall, or will probably soon be better than, and teams wouldn't do that swap.

Perry
Getzlaf
Pavelski
Couture
McDavid
Gaudreau
H. Sedin
D. Sedin
Kopitar
Seguin
Benn
Toews
Kane
Tarasenko
R-Jo
Neal
Mackinnon
Duchene
Laine

Ovechkin
Backstrom
Kuznetsov
Crosby
Malkin
Kessel
Tavares
Giroux
Voracek
Simmonds
Matthews
Eichel
O’Rielly
Patches
Krejci
Bergeron
Stamkos
Drouin
Johnson
Barkov

Exactly this. We trade the 35th best forward for the 35th best dman and everyone goes ballistic. It's a fair deal that shows how valuable RD's are compared to wingers.

 

[Jejune]

Exactly this. We trade the 35th best forward for the 35th best dman and everyone goes ballistic. It's a fair deal that shows how valuable RD's are compared to wingers.

Perhaps 35th best forward for 35th best dman, but, where does Larsson rank among Right-handed dmen? That might be more interesting.