All-Time Draft #7, Part IV

[MXD]

My two cents? Dallas Smith might have been a solid D-Men ; I think having him on a Top-3 means ... a VERY, VERY, VERY average D-Men corps.

I know I've, me too, one of the worst defensemen corps in the draft this time around (but say whatever you want, my 1st pairing is rock-solid defensively, no matter what Eddie Shore said about Tom Johnson, those guys were just too different in their game styles anyways... And Shore was a Bruins... And he was probably jealous about the fact Johnson got the coaching job after Sinden left Boston... AND whatever other reason to discredit Shore).

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Sorry for the late notice, started a new job today.

Will be back with more details later, but the Philadlphia Flyers select - C - Slava Bykov.
The #2 center on the famed Red Army and Soviet National teams of the 1980's.

 

[shawnmullin]

You had me at hello.... but past that the reason that I enjoy "picking" on you for lack of a better term is that I know you can make a solid arguement and that you will defend your team in an articulate manner. At the same time we have some different viewpoints on issues, to a certain degree I feel as though players have evolved over time and that needs to be taken into account, hell look at Roy Worter's beer belly in that picture that was posted a while back. The real debate is whether greatness can easily be transfered from era to era... and what could amount to from sport to sport considering the changes in the rules of the game.

The thing about the "players have evolved" argument is of COURSE they have evolved. Technology evolves, health care evolves, workouts and diet plans evolve... but Joe Malone scored 7 goals in a game and was that much better than his competition, so why if he were given the same advantage would his natural ability not translate? In that same way, if Gretzky didn't have th eadvntages he had I am sure he'd still dominate in the old NHL.

 

[shawnmullin]

My two cents? Dallas Smith might have been a solid D-Men ; I think having him on a Top-3 means ... a VERY, VERY, VERY average D-Men corps.

I've made this point and I'll make it again now... Smith plays in the "top 3" because he fits a need. He's a lights out shut down defenceman who will play with our top puck mover. He is not going to get PP minutes. He's not going to play 30 minutes a game. We will lean heavily on Savard and Burrows against top oppositions AND the other important thing to note is that our D is not built to have top end talent up high and some lower talent in bottom pairings. It's a depth unit built on smart, defensive hockey... no mistake hockey... and we've drafted low risk player who don't make mistakes.

Is it the top group in th eleague? No, but with our two-way forwards it doesn't have to be, because we're going to have a unit of forwards that will outclass almost anyone with their play in both ends.

It's funny though that people mention top 3 top 3... for example, Chris Pronger played some of his best hockey last season with Marc-Andre Bergeron as his partner. Do you think MAB was one of the Oilers' top D-men at the time? No, he was like 5 or 6 on the depth chart. They just fit well and worked well together.

 

[MXD]

It's funny though that people mention top 3 top 3... for example, Chris Pronger played some of his best hockey last season with Marc-Andre Bergeron as his partner. Do you think MAB was one of the Oilers' top D-men at the time? No, he was like 5 or 6 on the depth chart. They just fit well and worked well together.

The thing is.. that argument works for very few defensemens, as very few (ATD) teams have real-life partners. You can sorta guess that some guys would mesh well together -- that's my guess for Wally Stanowski and Behn Wilson on my 3rd pairing -- but that's only because of their respective styles, and it is somewhat "untested". And Pronger/Bergeron were a pairing on the 2005-2006 Edmonton Oilers edition weren't playing against star-studded teams like we do. I think that MAB could be considered potent candidate for, well, Top-4 minutes(NHL-wise), should he be paired with someone to cover his lapses...

That's why coaches exists, and that's why a great coach his extremely valuable to his team. Every player has his uses, should he be used efficiently. Take the all-time PP goals leader in a season(in case someone is really screwed on D, he could be drafted...). This guy was used efficiently this year (PP, PK) and also not so efficiently (25 mins. a game, lots of time of ES when he cannot hold/clutch/grab anymore, with no D-Men to speak of able to minimize his flaws - the best one at this was Mark Streit who was used as forward - ... ***). But there was no way to keep him out of the ice, and it's ultimately brought his team demise this year.

 

[Evil Sather]

In support - Jeff Beukeboom was a great fit for Brian Leetch. Talent wise he was a 5-6th defenseman.. but that doesn't mean he wasn't a great guy to pair Leetch up with at even strength.

 

[shawnmullin]

I can all ready see the arguments coming out about D and that's inevitable when people take their guys way earlier than we took ours they're going to prioritize theirs ahead... all we can both say is it's a strategic move based on both our feelings towards these very strong, reliable, mistake-free defenders and how they tend to slip through the cracks.

With Bowman and with our forwards we think it works extremely well.

 

[MXD]

I can all ready see the arguments coming out about D and that's inevitable when people take their guys way earlier than we took ours they're going to prioritize theirs ahead... all we can both say is it's a strategic move based on both our feelings towards these very strong, reliable, mistake-free defenders and how they tend to slip through the cracks.

With Bowman and with our forwards we think it works extremely well.

I did pretty much the same bet as you -- only two D's in the Top-300 -- the only thing I wanted was a PP specialist amongst my "last" five D's selected.

 

[pitseleh]

The Nanaimo Clippers are proud to select RW Marian Hossa as our thirteenth forward.

A two time top-10 goal scorer, Hossa provides good all around play. He can fit in anywhere from our second to our fourth line if need be and chip in offensively while playing solid defense.

 

[Evil Sather]

The Nanaimo Clippers are proud to select RW Marian Hossa as our thirteenth forward.

A two time top-10 goal scorer, Hossa provides good all around play. He can fit in anywhere from our second to our fourth line if need be and chip in offensively while playing solid defense.

Should probably ride VICIOUS PINE in the playoffs though

 

[pitseleh]

Should probably ride VICIOUS PINE in the playoffs though

He was pretty terrible this year, but he's been better in years past.

I definitely think there were better players available, but I wanted a RW - Bentley is capable of filling in at center, and I can move Cyclone Taylor or Babe Siebert to LW if need be. He definitely won't be above the third line on the depth chart, as I'd move others up the depth chart if need be and sub him in on the third line.

 

[God Bless Canada]

I have #66's pick. The Quebec Aces are pleased to select a former 100-point scorer and a CIS alum: RW Paul MacLean.

"After a solid junior career, MacLean was drafted by the St.Louis Blues late in the 1978 Amateur Draft. Disillusioned at not making the Blues right away, he decided to attend Dalhousie University in Halifax and play for Canada's Olympic Team rather than play in the minors. The decision was sound, and MacLean feels that the year playing college hockey and for his country fast-tracked his hockey abilities, allowing him to excel once he stepped into the NHL on a full-time basis.

After appearing in but one game for the Blues, Paul MacLean was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in 1981. While playing regularly in Manitoba, the big winger blossomed on a line with Dale Hawerchuk. In his rookie season (1981-82), he scored 36 goals. In fact, in his seven seasons with the Jets, MacLean enjoyed three 30-goal seasons and three 40-goal campaigns.

During the 1984-85 season, he went on a tear and finished the season with a career-best 41 goals and 60 assists for 101 points. Winnipeg traded MacLean to Detroit for much-traveled Brent Ashton in 1988, and that season he added another 30-goal season to his resume."

 

[Spitfire11]

Smith was a good pick at where he was taken. I certainly wouldn't want him in my top 4 but he does pair well with Leetch.

I looked at taking him in both minor league drafts after seeing his stats. I asked my mom about him since she grew up a die-hard Bruins fan in Cambrigde,Mass during the 60's and early 70's. She said insisted he was ok, not great, along with Vadnais and another undrafted Bruins D, and that Ted Green was the best Bruins defenseman after Orr.

 

[shawnmullin]

Smith was a good pick at where he was taken. I certainly wouldn't want him in my top 4 but he does pair well with Leetch.

I looked at taking him in both minor league drafts after seeing his stats. I asked my mom about him since she grew up a die-hard Bruins fan in Cambrigde,Mass during the 60's and early 70's. She said insisted he was ok, not great, along with Vadnais and another undrafted Bruins D, and that Ted Green was the best Bruins defenseman after Orr.

*nod* well no insult intended to your mom, but I'll take Team Canada's opinion (in inviting him to join the 72 team) over hers

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Bottom line:

Dallas Smith's comb over >>>>>> Paul MacLean's 'stache

 

[LapierreSports]

Should probably ride VICIOUS PINE in the playoffs though

Haha...well said !

 

[Spitfire11]

*nod* well no insult intended to your mom, but I'll take Team Canada's opinion (in inviting him to join the 72 team) over hers

Well if that's the standard, then there are still quite a few 'great' defensemen left

 

[Pwnasaurus]

Sorry for any delays guys I had to work today. The Kansas City Scouts are pleased to round out their defensive corps with D - George McNamara

 

[VanIslander]

Well if that's the standard, then there are still quite a few 'great' defensemen left

actually, only one defenseman who played in the Summit Series rivalry between the Soviets and Canada remains undrafted.

As for the strategy of shawnmullin and I, yeah we would have liked to have gotten Rod Langway, but once such superstars were gone we felt that our team strategy would be to add some of the several underappreciated-at-Dave's defensive defensemen around our two Conn Smythe blueliners and our planned two-way forwards (as Bowman would insist on anyways, we just made it easier on him) who'll backcheck with speed and determination. When the time comes, we hope our team will be judged based on 5-man units (Bowman's infamous wing-lock might at times apply) and three balanced lines harder to defend against (one superduper line doesn't fit with bowman philosophy or our strategy, though we think we'll have a few great lines),

Anyways... when I looked at #66's pick I thought for a moment it was Ron MacLean. (I remember now that MacLean sure had wheels)

 

[shawnmullin]

You know considering that (thought it was Ron) it'd almost be fun for us at the end to draft a broadcast team too Clearly your victories and defeate would NOT be determined by said broadcast team. It'd just be fun.

Foster Hewitt calling a game with Pierre for example.

 

[God Bless Canada]

You know considering that (thought it was Ron) it'd almost be fun for us at the end to draft a broadcast team too Clearly your victories and defeate would NOT be determined by said broadcast team. It'd just be fun.

Foster Hewitt calling a game with Pierre for example.

I select shawnmullin as the play-by-play guy for the Trail Smoke Eaters. Sometimes art does imitate life.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Another quick pick with comments to follow: LW Andrey Khomutov

 

[EagleBelfour]

I'm definitely taking Pierre Houde and Yvon Pednault! I'm the biggest fan of: ''Ma parole Yvon!"

 

[God Bless Canada]

I have pappyline's pick. The Barrie Flyers are pleased to select G Eddie Johnston.

 

[kruezer]

Seattle is proud to add some toughness and skill, in RW Gary Dornhoefer.