Dipsy Doodle
Rent A Barn
- May 28, 2006
- 76,568
- 21,103
Last review of the night...
*First of all, it's great to have Champagne Wishes/doctordark back in the draft.
Thanks for the warm welcome GBC, and double thanks for writing all these reviews. It must be terribly time-consuming, but the ATD's better off for it. Your effort and critical eye are very much appreciated.
And it's good to be back.
*Second of all, that's the best 1-2 centre punch in the draft. Morenz is an elite first line centre. No. 4 on my list. Schmidt's No. 10 on my list for centres. And you don't have to worry about line-matching, either. Morenz is very good defensively. Schmidt's as good defensively as any centre in the draft. And he's really, really good offensively, too.
*It's a scary thought when Guy Carbonneau might be the second-best defensive centre on a team. But he might just be that with Schmidt on your squad.
*raleh and I are big Glen Skov fans. We were prepared to pick him until you snuck him out from under our nose. (Wasn't the first time you did that). That's a very tough fourth line to play against.
*Neal Broten's a fine 13th forward. Good character. Will handle the role well. And he have to love his hockey sense when he gets in the line-up.
Last ATD I was a little thin down the middle and I've ensured that won't be an issue this time around. This group can go toe-to-toe at both ends of the ice with any center group in the draft.
In the line-up, Broten's technically the 13th forward, but I think he and Skov will rotate depending on how much offense I'll want from my bottom 6 vs. the need to have a big defensive center in the mix.
*That first line is probably the best in their own zone of any first line in the draft. It's a big asset to have. I don't quite buy into Datsyuk as a front-line LW. He's had a couple big years and a big playoffs, but that's it.
In the strictest sense, because of his relatively short career Datsyuk wouldn't be a 1st line LW at this point. But the peak he's had is incredible. Over the last half-decade, he's the league's best stickhandler, the best defensive forward, one of the best skaters, and one of the best playmakers. He's among the most potent combinations of elite offense and defense at LW in the draft, and has no shortage of smarts, grit, or playoff experience.
For all Ovechkin's All-Star Team selections and scoring exploits, if I wanted to win the Cup today, I'd take Datsyuk's all-around game, teamwork, and post-season poise.
Moreover, he was one of the best fits for Morenz after Joliat was taken (two-way LWs with speed, toughness, passing, character, dangle, and offense aren't too abundant), and my primary objective for that line is to create the ideal environment for Howie to work his magic. I mean, is Chris Kunitz really a top line NHL player? Probably not. But he's a better fit for Crosby than any number of more legitimate 1st line LWs in the league.
Aurie had two seasons in the top 10 for goals, three seasons for the top 10 in assists, and top in the top 10 for points. That's the resume for a good second line RW.
All top 10 placings are not equal though. He finished 1st in goals one year, almost certainly would've finished 1st in points in a different year if he hadn't been injured at the end of the season, and finished 1st in playoff points. Between '33-'34 and '36-'37 he was an elite goal scorer, playmaker, and defensive conscience, and the two times he didn't finish in the top 10 in scoring, he only missed the cut by a couple points. Guts and feistiness to spare too.
I figure he's a bottom-end 1st liner, but could click well with Morenz playing as a much better version of Johnny Gagnon.
I like Punch Broadbent more, and while Broadbent might not be as skilled as Aurie, he'll muck, grind and hit, and allow Morenz to concentrate on offence.
Broadbent and Aurie strike me as more similar than most people would give Aurie credit for, both in playing style and accomplishments. Broadbent's more of a punisher and board-man and Aurie more of a well-rounded offensive player, but otherwise quite comparable.
While conventional wisdom would put Punch at 1st LW because of his bulldog mentality and ability to create space, I'm not sure if that's what Morenz needs. Both Joliat and Gagnon have said that passing wasn't Morenz' strong suit, and they generally played with one another until they could get the puck to Morenz for a rush. It's less aesthetically appealing to have 3 smaller guys on the top line and 3 bruisers on the 2nd, but Morenz never needed a bruiser to make room for him; he played with fast, tenacious players who needed quality passing to get him the puck on the fly.
That said, if the speedball line starts getting muscled too much (though none of Datsyuk, Morenz, or Aurie seem the type to get intimidated or limited by physical play - Morenz injuries aside), I won't hesitate to move Old Elbows up and have Aurie play a Bobby Bauer role alongside Schmidt.
*If you do keep those lines, I like what you've given for Schmidt. Broadbent's tough and mean. He's small, but a lot of small guys are picked for their grit. He plays big. That's the important thing. Northcott has a pretty good track record for performance. But that line is all about Schmidt - one of the best two-way players, and one of the smartest players, to ever play the game. (He was top 30 in my HOH Top 100 list. I think he's top 20 for pappy).
They should be hell for opposition defenses to handle along the boards (what with Northcott and Broadbent both listed as the best corner men for their respective decades and Schmidt's renowned aggressiveness and determination), and they don't give up anything in their own zone either.
What the Morenz line can't fly by, Schmidt and Co. should run over.
*Interesting to see the first and the third pairings. Savard-Cameron and Burrows-Sjoberg are polar opposites. Savard's the supremely steady two-way defenceman. Cameron's an offensive force out there who has one of the most dangerous weapons in the draft: a curved shot. Burrows is the quintessential steady third pairing guy. Sjoberg's a small, ultra-skilled pappy favourite.
I usually shy away from pairings with only one specific purpose - each duo should be able to hold their own in the defensive end and keep the opposition honest in transition.
Each pairing of mine has a player who could be considered the best defensive defenseman of his era (Savard, Mantha, Burrows). As for their partners, Cameron's a gamebreaker from the back end, Heller's size, strength, and speed make him tough to handle in any situation, and Sjoberg's a smart QB who can dictate the pace of the game as well as just about any 5-6 defender in the draft. And none of them are a liability either.
*Don't know if Regehr's good enough for this level, but I love what he brings to the table as a No. 7 in terms of character and a hatred of losing.
I dunno. Has there been a better pure shutdown defenseman this decade? He's in the discussion, at the very least. I'd take that on my team as a #7 any day.
*From the start of the draft, the goalie tandem we envisioned was Smith-Lehman. raleh really wanted Smith for the fourth round, and this is the first time he hasn't had Lehman. It's sacrilege. I think Lehman's an outstanding back-up, one of the best in the draft. Smith never had a heavy workload. Give him 50 games, give Lehman 30 games, and then let Battlin' Billy do his thing in the playoffs.
Definitely on the same page here.
*Pete Green's an excellent coach. Again, a solid, second-tier coach with a history of winning.
I only wish there were more info on him.
Ultimately, I wanted my team to have no shortage of fortitude or responsible play, and I figure we can role 4 lines that are as good defensively as any in the draft, with Morenz, Schmidt, and Cameron leading the offensive charge and surrounded by players who can bring out the best in them.