Derek Stepan Sucks (UPDATE: Does Not Suck - 03/07/18)

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RABBIT

My Yearly Sponsorship has relocated to Houston
Oct 21, 2008
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“Ted’s dead baby. TEDs Dead”
Yeah if he can manage 10 more points over his next 16 games he's pretty much right on par with his yearly stats in New York which is what we acquired him for. Also his faceoffs have been much better, and you can't buy his presence/leadership.

Took a while, but this is looking to be the acquisition we thought it would/needed it to be.
 

SniperHF

Rejecting Reports
Mar 9, 2007
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He's basically doing what Goligoski did last season.

Though I still think he's too slow ultimately to be a long term fit for the offense we're running here. Certainly as the #1 option anyway.

He had a 9 game pointless streak around late October / early November. Since then he's .76 ppg.

He's still really bad at shootouts and scoring 1 on 1 off the rush though :P

I think one other thing is, Splitting up Keller and Stepan for a couple months there didn't work out. Taking Domi off the line made sense because he was a tire fire at the time.

I will say though I WAS right about Stepan playing too many minutes early in the season. 20+ minutes a game was just too much for him. He's averaging about 18 per night now and doesn't look out of gas at the end of games anymore. October and November he averaged 20:17 per night. His minute cut started in December.
 
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TheLegend

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Aug 30, 2009
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He's basically doing what Goligoski did last season.

Though I still think he's too slow ultimately to be a long term fit for the offense we're running here. Certainly as the #1 option anyway.

He had a 9 game pointless streak around late October / early November. Since then he's .76 ppg.

He's still really bad at shootouts and scoring 1 on 1 off the rush though :P

I think one other thing is, Splitting up Keller and Stepan for a couple months there didn't work out. Taking Domi off the line made sense because he was a tire fire at the time.

I will say though I WAS right about Stepan playing too many minutes early in the season. 20+ minutes a game was just too much for him. He's averaging about 18 per night now and doesn't look out of gas at the end of games anymore. October and November he averaged 20:17 per night. His minute cut started in December.

It helps the have Perlini and Keller with him. Takes some of the pressure for him to be offensive first and allows him the be closer to the defensive player he was in NY.
 

Canis Latrans

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Jan 19, 2015
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According to the NHLPA poll, Stepan ranks 2nd (tied with 3 others) for what current player would make the best coach; Crosby was first unsurprisingly. Have to figure that was part of the reasoning behind acquiring him, particularly since the stated goal was to acquire veteran presence to give the younglings development time not against the opposing teams' top lines.
 

rt

The Kinder, Gentler Version
May 13, 2004
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According to the NHLPA poll, Stepan ranks 2nd (tied with 3 others) for what current player would make the best coach; Crosby was first unsurprisingly. Have to figure that was part of the reasoning behind acquiring him, particularly since the stated goal was to acquire veteran presence to give the younglings development time not against the opposing teams' top lines.
Todd Walsh called him “coach” twice in the post game yesterday.
 
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Ebb

the nondescript
Dec 22, 2015
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According to the NHLPA poll, Stepan ranks 2nd (tied with 3 others) for what current player would make the best coach; Crosby was first unsurprisingly. Have to figure that was part of the reasoning behind acquiring him, particularly since the stated goal was to acquire veteran presence to give the younglings development time not against the opposing teams' top lines.

So, does that mean Stepan will be replacing RT next season? :)
 

Mosby

<3 Uncle Gary
Feb 16, 2012
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Assuming we name a captain next year, it’s going to be kind of weird to strip 2 of the 5 current guys of their A’s. Goligoski and Richardson I assume.

C OEL
A Stepan
A Hjalmarsson
 

rt

The Kinder, Gentler Version
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Assuming we name a captain next year, it’s going to be kind of weird to strip 2 of the 5 current guys of their A’s. Goligoski and Richardson I assume.

C OEL
A Stepan
A Hjalmarsson
They can still do Home As and Road As.

I think giving OEL the C would be good for him. I’d love to see how he responds to that.
 
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Neighborhood Coyote

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They can still do Home As and Road As.

I think giving OEL the C would be good for him. I’d love to see how he responds to that.

And the interesting thing I noticed (unless I am wrong) is that the team uses OEL as their stand in Captain right now anyways. Anytime there is a ceremonial puck drop and so on, who takes it? OEL. At least for anything important I've seen... maybe I am remembering incorrectly but atm let's assume I am not mistaken.

With the rotating A thing this season, it wouldn't be super surprising if they rotated that "Captain" job, but they haven't. What does that mean for how this team views OEL and such? Idk. Just know that he appears to be the one they lean on for such things without a problem.

ON Stepan, I think he's been a lot better since the start and I'm glad. I was getting a bit frustrated during that losing streak and it's a running joke in my house about how frustrated I was with him lol. He appears to have got himself going and the team is way better off because of that. Very cool that other players think he would make a great coach too. Glad to have him on the team!
 

BOGO

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There is such a thing as a reluctant leader and I think that OEL might be that. Leader by default might not be such a good thing either. I would prefer to see someone really take the reigns of the team, I wondered if Domi might be that type of player but he has not proven to be yet. OEL might be the best option they have, but it does not mean that they should not continue to try to upgrade that option.
 

Mosby

<3 Uncle Gary
Feb 16, 2012
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Biz was on the radio and made a good point that naming a captain this season was too soon. They needed to let is "cool" after Doaner held it for so long.

One other thing, and Biz didn't mention this, is what if you name OEL captain this year and then he walks? Then you're back to maybe naming another new captain in a year. Better to just wait out this season (as above), and couple OEL's "C" announcement with a contract extension.
 

Neighborhood Coyote

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Biz was on the radio and made a good point that naming a captain this season was too soon. They needed to let is "cool" after Doaner held it for so long.

One other thing, and Biz didn't mention this, is what if you name OEL captain this year and then he walks? Then you're back to maybe naming another new captain in a year. Better to just wait out this season (as above), and couple OEL's "C" announcement with a contract extension.

Good point as well. I could also see it working out in a marketing perspective... something for fans to get excited about going into next season or more marketing material. "Look at the new Captain of your Coyotes!" Kind of thing.
 

Ebb

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Dec 22, 2015
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My take would be to wait and see if OEL re-signs/extends. If not, trade him or give him an A if he starts next season with us.

If OEL opts not to stay with us, who should get the letters? I would say Stepan gets the C, Goligoski splits the A with Hjalmarsson, Domi (if re-signed without any problems) gets the other A (if not re-signed, Martinook and Cousins can split it if Richardson signs elsewhere).

If players do not extend/re-sign, here's how I see it:
  • Stepan - C
  • Goligoski/Hjalmarsson - A
  • Martinook/Cousins - A

If all goes well:
  • OEL - C
  • Stepan/Hjalmarsson - A
  • Domi - A
 
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Dr VinnyBoombatz

formerly ctwin22
Mar 21, 2008
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c'mon now...no way on the green earth should Martinook or Cousins get an "A". You never want to give an "A" to the 4th line guys ever. Guys who get "A"s are your best players, not your worst.
 

_Del_

Registered User
Jul 4, 2003
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Disagree. I think it's fine for a 4th liner to have an "A" if his role on the team dynamic fits. Could care less about how many points or whatever other metric for on-ice play in regards to the A. As long as he's a regular and infrequent scratch, if he's a leader, he's a leader capable of wearing a letter. I wouldn't want to hang the C on a spare part guy who doesn't factor very long in the team's plans, but for an A, absolutely give it to someone whose leadership merits it.
 

SniperHF

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I thought we had established that Martinook - Richardson - Cousins was in fact the third line so this entire topic is specious :snide:

But anyway:
I think it can be a 4th liner if it's a regular, which means most likely your 4C is the only option. Cousins is getting closer to being a regular but he can easily take a step back and go back to being scratched every 8 games or so.
 
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Ebb

the nondescript
Dec 22, 2015
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c'mon now...no way on the green earth should Martinook or Cousins get an "A". You never want to give an "A" to the 4th line guys ever. Guys who get "A"s are your best players, not your worst.

Well, the Martinook - Richardson - Cousins line plays plenty of minutes in comparison to some other lines you could pick a C/A from. Of course, I'm one of those that thinks ice-time is a better reference point than "popularity" for a leader; after all, aren't they supposed to be the only ones who chat with refs?

Doan was nowhere near one of our "best" players for several seasons, but he had the C. Yes, it was long standing, but I can't remember if he was one of our "best" when given the C.

On this team, we have no real "best" players, just sticky ones ;) Also, Cousins has the 4th best shooting percentage on the team. I don't necessarily think Cousins should be an A, but if he continues to perform well and gets plenty of ice-time, it's not unheard of.
 

Bonsai Tree

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Well, giving the C to a 19 year old wonder kid hasn't vaulted the Oilers to new heights. I have no problem giving the A and the C to team leaders rather than stat leaders.
 
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