Player Discussion Ales Hemsky

[glovesave_35]

Because we needed a top 6 forward too. I would have much prefered Vrbata though.

He's horrible though, so unimpressed.

That need wasn't as pressing though.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

What D in FA would we have spent that money on instead? Niskanen?

 

[glovesave_35]

Stralman?

Point being Nill was dismissive of adding any help on defense during the entire summer/offseason. The "guys in Texas knocking on the door" comment became a joke around here because of how often he said it. We can now be sure that he didn't really mean they were ready. They're more on the sidewalk than on the porch knocking on the door.

He also didn't necessarily have to use that Hemsky money via FA. Defensemen were traded this summer. We could have been in on those.

 

[Elysian]

Stralman?

Point being Nill was dismissive of adding any help on defense during the entire summer/offseason. The "guys in Texas knocking on the door" comment became a joke around here because of how often he said it. We can now be sure that he didn't really mean they were ready. They're more on the sidewalk than on the porch knocking on the door.

Nill seems to knock it out of the park on offense, but so far he's failed completely on the defensive/backup side of things. We've actually gotten worse.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

Stralman?

Point being Nill was dismissive of adding any help on defense during the entire summer/offseason. The "guys in Texas knocking on the door" comment became a joke around here because of how often he said it. We can now be sure that he didn't really mean they were ready. They're more on the sidewalk than on the porch knocking on the door.

He also didn't necessarily have to use that Hemsky money via FA. Defensemen were traded this summer. We could have been in on those.

Good point, I blocked that out of my mind

And yea, I would have loved to pay for Boychuk with that money.

 

[glovesave_35]

The Boychuck one hurts because he is exactly what we need.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Stralman?

Point being Nill was dismissive of adding any help on defense during the entire summer/offseason. The "guys in Texas knocking on the door" comment became a joke around here because of how often he said it. We can now be sure that he didn't really mean they were ready. They're more on the sidewalk than on the porch knocking on the door.

He also didn't necessarily have to use that Hemsky money via FA. Defensemen were traded this summer. We could have been in on those.

It's a good argument though. You shouldn't give money and term to defensemen who ought to be replaced by our very strong defensive prospects corps.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

It's a good argument though. You shouldn't give money and term to defensemen who ought to be replaced by our very strong defensive prospects corps.

Except he gambled on it and lost. Oleksiak, Klingberg, and Joki weren't ready to be anything more than 3rd pairing D-men, if that.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Except he gambled on it and lost. Oleksiak, Klingberg, and Joki weren't ready to be anything more than 3rd pairing D-men, if that.

Yes but it's as much about the future as it is this season. Like it or not, while this team should have been a playoff contender, even if everything went well we would have been nothing more than a darkhorse finals contender. Signing some #4 defensemen's for three or four years hinders our prospects position on the team long term.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

Yes but it's as much about the future as it is this season. Like it or not, while this team should have been a playoff contender, even if everything went well we would have been nothing more than a darkhorse finals contender. Signing some #4 defensemen's for three or four years hinders our prospects position on the team long term.

Idk, that doesn't jive with what Nill has always said. He wanted this team to take another year forward, not spend another year developing the young D.

Also he preaches earning your spot on the Goaltending... I don't see why the D would be any different.

 

[Elysian]

Idk, that doesn't jive with what Nill has always said. He wanted this team to take another year forward, not spend another year developing the young D.

Also he preaches earning your spot on the Goaltending... I don't see why the D would be any different.

They preached "earning your spot" last year, and that really didn't mean anything then either, other than Connauton apparently didn't earn a spot regardless of how bad other D-men were (Rome I'm looking at you). Jordie hasn't earned his spot, but is in the lineup every night. I don't buy the "earning your spot" talk at this point. Lindback SURELY didn't earn it, and Hemsky hasn't really earned it either.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Idk, that doesn't jive with what Nill has always said. He wanted this team to take another year forward, not spend another year developing the young D.

Also he preaches earning your spot on the Goaltending... I don't see why the D would be any different.

I think the team was supposed to take a step forward (and there is still time to do it), but that doesn't mean we were supposed to be contenders. It's clear we're not quite there yet.

 

[glovesave_35]

Yes but it's as much about the future as it is this season. Like it or not, while this team should have been a playoff contender, even if everything went well we would have been nothing more than a darkhorse finals contender. Signing some #4 defensemen's for three or four years hinders our prospects position on the team long term.

Signing ONE defenseman is not going to hinder anyone's development. Earn your spot and trades will be made to accommodate your NHL career, either here or elsewhere.

 

[jason9090spezza]

Hemsky signing looks bad because he's so cold right now.

During the off season, with the amount of money they paid for him, it was a pretty decent deal. He's experienced and has that upside to his game.

Vrbata being a fit here in Dallas is questionable, but Boychuck would have been a great (even if he wasn't as hot as he is right now).

 

[glovesave_35]

Getting a little OT now, but I think a good case could be made for exchanging the addition of Spezza with Boychuck and seeing this team improve from a team needs standpoint.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Signing ONE defenseman is not going to hinder anyone's development. Earn your spot and trades will be made to accommodate your NHL career, either here or elsewhere.

The history of this league has proven time and time again trades are easier said then done.

We tried to trade Goligoski last year remember.

 

[beepeearr]

Getting a little OT now, but I think a good case could be made for exchanging the addition of Spezza with Boychuck and seeing this team improve from a team needs standpoint.

Its not like they were mutually exclusive, we took a run at Boychuk, but for whatever reason Boston traded him to NYI. We really really need a defensive right D who can make that first pass and would balance out our pairs.

 

[glovesave_35]

The history of this league has proven time and time again trades are easier said then done.

Either way I just don't have the same worry as you. If we get so many good defensemen in here that our team is better but we end up with a bunch of prospects spending a lot of time in the AHL I couldn't care less. I don't follow prospects because I'm really interested in 18-19 year old strangers, I follow them because hopefully they can help my favorite team. If they are good enough they will push out the people in front of them in some form or fashion, that or they themselves become the trade bait.

Trades may be easier said than done but they happen every year. When our D-corps sucks as bad as it does I just have a really really hard time worrying that our prospects aren't going to get their shot if we improve it via other means.

Its not like they were mutually exclusive, we took a run at Boychuk, but for whatever reason Boston traded him to NYI. We really really need a defensive right D who can make that first pass and would balance out our pairs.

Technically, they weren't but we are close enough to the cap that money would have been an issue. That and the fact that the Isles gave up their 2nd rounder this year as part of the trade, a piece we traded in the Spezza deal.

 

[Wheathead]

I'm not surprised with Hemsky's numbers this year.

I disliked him as an Oiler and I was happy when we got rid of him... a few years too late though.

Plays died on his stick. Dangle, dangle, dangle, turn over.

Never impressed me.

 

[Rune Forumwalker]

Getting a little OT now, but I think a good case could be made for exchanging the addition of Spezza with Boychuck and seeing this team improve from a team needs standpoint.

Yeah, I'm not sure about that. Now if the argument is Hemsky for Boychuck, I could go with that. The team needed at least one top six player (preferably a center) at least as much as the upgrade on D thta Boychuck brings.

 

[jason9090spezza]

Getting a little OT now, but I think a good case could be made for exchanging the addition of Spezza with Boychuck and seeing this team improve from a team needs standpoint.

But would this team be scoring...?

 

[Jumptheshark]

Hemsky will wake up--still over come with joy he is no longer in Edmonton.

 

[Troy McClure]

Healthy scratch? Good. He's terrible. The Gonchar contract was a big mistake, and this Hemsky contract is another.

 

[FrailSwan]

Honestly....didn't even miss him tonight.

 

[MBTendy]

Healthy scratch? Good. He's terrible. The Gonchar contract was a big mistake, and this Hemsky contract is another.

I think you're judging rather quickly. It's just 16 games into the season, and Hemsky hasn't looked TERRIBLE. It could easily just be a rough start to the year, I wouldn't panic just yet.