Confirmed with Link: Avs claim Patrik Nemeth, D from Dallas Stars

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

In the past the bottom pair and sometimes even a guy on the second pair were marginal AHL players. Nemeth is solid but not amazing. He's also young and should be cheap for years.

That puts him in the top 15 percent of defenders the Avs had iced this decade.

 

[Pokecheque]

I'm not going to post here after every one of his games down the stretch, but I thought he was quite good today.

 

[The Kingslayer]

I'm not going to post here after every one of his games down the stretch, but I thought he was quite good today.

Hes been pretty solid the last 3 games now. Great to see.

 

[CobraAcesS]

I'm not going to post here after every one of his games down the stretch, but I thought he was quite good today.

I don't have any problem with him when hes playing where he should be. In fact I don't have a problem with any of our fill in guys. Warsoft is an adventure but he moves the puck well, Duncan provides a physical steady presence. For what these guys are they have done well, and played an NHL game for the most part.

In the end they all shouldn't be the first options to dress every night. That includes Nemeth.

 

[MarkT]

I see Nemeth totally as a fill-in player until our young guys are ready. Is he great? No, of course not. Remember, before this the most games he played in an NHL season was 40. It's not about him being a waiver pickup - it's about him being a relatively young, inexperienced player. I think because he looks and plays like a more experienced guy people have unrealistic expectation for him. His play has been solid overall but he's obviously not suited to a top 4 role. I personally hope they re-sign him and he ends up as the 6th/7th guy who can step in now and then as our younger guys struggle.

 

[21]

I see Nemeth totally as a fill-in player until our young guys are ready. Is he great? No, of course not. Remember, before this the most games he played in an NHL season was 40. It's not about him being a waiver pickup - it's about him being a relatively young, inexperienced player. I think because he looks and plays like a more experienced guy people have unrealistic expectation for him. His play has been solid overall but he's obviously not suited to a top 4 role. I personally hope they re-sign him and he ends up as the 6th/7th guy who can step in now and then as our younger guys struggle.

Well, I'm not sure where you from but it's also a possibility that Nemeth is slightly better than you may think, his capacity and potential.

First he was part of an extremely successful junior team (Hammarby) in Stockholm together with Landeskog and a couple of other future NHLers.

Then debuted in AIK (SHL) being very young and played very well.

Won a world junior championship gold and was really, really good in this tournament and clutch in the final game.

Won Calder Cup Trophy gold for Texas Stars played good in important games and clutch in the final game.

His years in Dallas was up and down but we cannot close our eyes for the fact that he also had some injuries including one unlucky very serious freak injury which came at a time when he was playing good and on his way establishing himself in the NHL.

Nemeth has tons of potential becoming a really good stay at home defenseman and stellar PK player but he need to improve his hockey IQ and play a bit more intelligent/smart out there.

 

[MarkT]

Hey, if he proves me wrong and develops into a genuine top 4 shut-down guy I'll be very happy. But NHL history is full of guys who had very successful junior careers and never amounted to much in the big league. I'm looking at his current ability, and his skating and offensive instincts lead me to believe he's not suited to a top 4 role. In the modern NHL, even a shut-down defender needs to be at least capable offensively and needs to be able to skate well. Nemeth is a middling skater and a complete black hole offensively. He gets the puck and it's very reliably either make the least creative pass/shot possible, shoot it in deep, or carry it down the wall and lose it. Again, that may all change and if so I'll be very happy. A major reason I want him re-signed is because he could develop into a better player than he is now. But even if he doesn't he's still a valuable, useful player.

 

[Foppberg]

Yeah I don't see Nemeth becoming a top 4 D he's forced into that role due to having bad defensive depth. I'd like him for the bottom pairing and the PK, but not a top role.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

He definitely does not have "tonnes of potential" to become a great Dman.


He's 25 years old. He is what he is now. A solid bottom pairing guy who can kill penalties well and chip in a few points occasionally, but he's limited offensively and prone to some poor decision making defensively.


He has a place in the lineup and he's probably the best bottom pairing Dman we've had in a long time. But he's not anything more then that and you're just being completely blinded by who he is if you think he's more then that.

 

[Murzu]

He might be 26 years old but he has just 160 NHL games on his belt. There is a little room for growth but not much IMO.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

One thing I like about Nemeth is that he doesn't just give the puck away. Yeah he had a series of dumb icings every game for two weeks, but for the most part he's actually very patient with the puck and understands possession. Remember the classic Beauchemin dump in? You know, when our team is on a delayed offside and instead of waiting for the guys to clear the zone Beauchemin would just rip the puck deep which was basically just handing the puck to the other team since we couldn't do anything? Well Nemeth is the opposite of that which is something I appreciate in a defenseman. He's bought into Bednar's patient system. If you don't have a play up ice, back off and wait for one. Use your partner. Do whatever you have to do to keep the puck and wait for the right play to generate.

Our entire team in general has bought into that system and Nemeth is part of it. It was probably what I was most frustrated about with the Avs over the last 7/8 years. For some reason we always tried to force plays. Now we move the puck around as a unit until something becomes available. Any player who plays into this system is a player I'll appreciate. Nemeth doesn't do anything great, but he's a catalyst of that system and for that reason I'm fine with him getting the minutes he's currently getting.

He's good defensively, and plays don't die on his stick offensively. That's all I can ask out of a depth defenseman.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

but he need to improve his hockey IQ and play a bit more intelligent/smart out there.

OMG are you calling him stupid? How dare you

 

[S E P H]

He might be 26 years old but he has just 160 NHL games on his belt. There is a little room for growth but not much IMO.

Agreed, but I don't know if he would ever get better, just more consistent if that makes sense.

 

[Murzu]

Agreed, but I don't know if he would ever get better, just more consistent if that makes sense.

That's getting better in my books, so I agree with your view.

 

[Chileiceman]

I like Nemeth. For a defensive-defenceman, he does well in the offensive zone keeping plays alive and makes smart pinches. He has jumped up in the play several times to create odd man rushes, or to be the trailer on a 3 on 1. When partnered with a guy like Girard or Barrie, it gives them a bit more liberty to jump up into the play. He's no speedster but he's certainly not Beauchemin. Ideally he'd be a 5-6, but he's been an acceptable stop-gap in the top 4.

 

[Pokecheque]

This might be kind of a tangent, but part of the big problem with depth defenders IMO is that coaches still prize shot-blocking way, WAY too much, and teach accordingly. Frankly, and this might be me skewing things a bit in my mind, but I seem to remember Nate Guenin being an okay third-pairing guy who laid down some mean hits and provided energy to the lineup when he started in Colorado, and soon devolved into a shot-blocking boat anchor on skates. Instead of charging into the corner to take care of business, he awkwardly hovered between the crease and half-wall in a lame attempt to block any shot/pass attempts, which usually failed. Part of that has to be coaching.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that Nate Guenin sucked solely because he was coached wrong, but I think it played a role. Now I don't know if Nemeth is being coached to block shots or if that's just him M.O., I think it's the latter because I see guys like Duncan Siemens decidedly going after the puck carrier. PN is just not a guy who lays big hits or really wins a lot of puck battles so I can maybe see why he's better suited for a shot-blocking role.

Anyway, just a thought. I'm just not a fan of shot-blockers, even though it still plays a big role in hockey today. And I haven't been ever since that season way back when the Avs were on an unprecedented run back to the playoffs, only to miss by one game because (the late) Karlis Skrastins made a return to the lineup. I seriously will never, ever forgive Q for that move.

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

In the past the bottom pair and sometimes even a guy on the second pair were marginal AHL players. Nemeth is solid but not amazing. He's also young and should be cheap for years.

That puts him in the top 15 percent of defenders the Avs had iced this decade.

I think it's higher than that

Aside from EJ, Barrie, Zadorov, Liles, Hannan, the first half-season of Beauch, Hejda, Wilson prior to getting his brains scrambled, and Norris Hunwick, who has been better than Nemeth?

 

[Bubba Thudd]

Shatty

 

[Pokecheque]

I think it's higher than that

Aside from EJ, Barrie, Zadorov, Liles, Hannan, the first half-season of Beauch, Hejda, Wilson prior to getting his brains scrambled, and Norris Hunwick, who has been better than Nemeth?

Clark was, Salei was, Sauer was in that season Cliff Fletcher inexplicably got him mixed up with Jeff Finger (Finger was not, however), Leopold was in the one and only stretch during his Avs tenure he wasn't hurt, Quincey was, Benoit was, and yes, even Ryan O'Byrne was too.

The only players I can remember who weren't NHL journeymen or scrubs who had a cup of coffee in the league that I would rank below Nemeth are Cory Sarich, Shane O'Brien, and the Mighty Greg Zanon.

So, no, I disagree that it's higher than that, however I think top 15 percent might be fair. Says a lot about how truly horrendous this team has been through the years in filling out its blueline corps.

 

[Drury_Sakic]

This might be kind of a tangent, but part of the big problem with depth defenders IMO is that coaches still prize shot-blocking way, WAY too much, and teach accordingly. Frankly, and this might be me skewing things a bit in my mind, but I seem to remember Nate Guenin being an okay third-pairing guy who laid down some mean hits and provided energy to the lineup when he started in Colorado, and soon devolved into a shot-blocking boat anchor on skates. Instead of charging into the corner to take care of business, he awkwardly hovered between the crease and half-wall in a lame attempt to block any shot/pass attempts, which usually failed. Part of that has to be coaching.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that Nate Guenin sucked solely because he was coached wrong, but I think it played a role. Now I don't know if Nemeth is being coached to block shots or if that's just him M.O., I think it's the latter because I see guys like Duncan Siemens decidedly going after the puck carrier. PN is just not a guy who lays big hits or really wins a lot of puck battles so I can maybe see why he's better suited for a shot-blocking role.

Anyway, just a thought. I'm just not a fan of shot-blockers, even though it still plays a big role in hockey today. And I haven't been ever since that season way back when the Avs were on an unprecedented run back to the playoffs, only to miss by one game because (the late) Karlis Skrastins made a return to the lineup. I seriously will never, ever forgive Q for that move.

I have thought for a long time that the wrong type of shot blocking is a determent to a team rather than a plus. Bad shot blocking can lead to unpredictable bounces...where as if the goalie had seen it -- he could somewhat control where the rebound went or ate it........or where the shot block attempt lead to the D man being completely out of position or exposed...or all of the above. I think the Coach Q Avs, the Granato Avs, and maybe even the Roy Avs were extremely guilty of this style of play. Block everything--- the consequences be damned.

That is one thing this team has improved upon. Smarter blocking of the puck. Let Varly see the game. Use your stick smartly and dont give up the body and positioning with ease....