Horton offensive upside...?

[Qubax]

Eric Lindros, Joe Thornton, Brendan Shanahan, Jarome Iginla...Keith Tkachuk...?

In your opinion is this guy better suited at the wing or at centre....?

Will he end up being better then Bernier and Brown the way he was drafted above them....? Or will Horton be ousted by a fitter Bernier if he gets in shape and a nose to the grind stone hands of silk Brown...?

I mean when Thornton was drafted he was clearily a centreman when Iginla and Shanahan were drafted they were clearily wingers...You here that Horton is kind of a winger or centreman and right now Keenan has him playing centre...Is he type-cast wrong...?

Anyway just curious what you guys think...

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[Johnny]

Eric Lindros, Joe Thornton, Brendan Shanahan, Jarome Iginla...Keith Tkachuk...?

In your opinion is this guy better suited at the wing or at centre....?

Will he end up being better then Bernier and Brown the way he was drafted above them....? Or will Horton be ousted by a fitter Bernier if he gets in shape and a nose to the grind stone hands of silk Brown...?

I mean when Thornton was drafted he was clearily a centreman when Iginla and Shanahan were drafted they were clearily wingers...You here that Horton is kind of a winger or centreman and right now Keenan has him playing centre...Is he type-cast wrong...?

Anyway just curious what you guys think...

I'd keep Horton at center personally.

I think that is the position you will get the most out of him. Not just for offensive production, but when it comes to his play away from the puck as well.

He's the type of guy who I would like to see developing into the type of player who goes head to head against the opposition's top centerman. Being relied upon as a guy who can shut the opposition top centerman down, as well as light him up.

The best quote I heard on Horton was from this very site a while back, went along the lines of "he's the type of player who will shutdown your teams top player, and then score the winning goal."

He will be his own player, will not be the next Lindros, Thornton, Shanahan, Iginla, Tkachuk, etc.

I would not expect him to be competing for scoring titiles year in, year out. I'd expect him to be fairly consistent in the 70 give or take point range, while being strong defensively. May hit 80+ in his best offensive years. I believe he will show his true value come playoffs, and I imagine will be a key part of the future success Florida will see down the road.

If I had my choice I'd take him over guys like Brown or Bernier. Partly because I've seen alot more of Horton then I have from the other two, but as well because I view him as a complete package type of player, who I really dont feel you can go wrong on.

 

[Qubax]

Hmm Thanks....

But I mean guys like Dave Scatchard, Mike Sillinger these are the guys you think of as third line centres who shut down the other teams top line...

I mean being a number one centre has as much to do with shutting down the team in your ice time as it is scoring....

He's gotta develop into a two way player....but I think that if he stays at centre becoming a protypical number once centre is envitable...

Am I way off here...?

I like the kind of player your describing though....Your describing a Big Physical Chris Drury type...

Not Chris Drury physcailly but like him only bigger and more brash...

Yeah maybe like 35 goals 43 assists season like this can be expected....

but name one 70 to 80 point centreman playing on teh third line or expected to shutdown top teams lines...?

he'll shut down whatever line he plays against as a numbe one centre....

and that bodes more realistically in the lines of an 70 to 80 point guy...


Am I way off here...?

 

[Roughneck]

I see Horton putting up Iginla type numbers in the future, although I think he'll play more like a Shanahan as he likes to crash the net more and scrap around the slot more than Iggy. But I sense 30+ goal seasons in his earlier years and couple 45-55 goal years in his prime.

Its tough to say if he'll play better at the centre than the wing because he hasn't really had a chance to show what kind of game he plays at the NHL level yet. Personally, I think he'd be a better centre because his talents are best used around the net rather than along the boards, but if you were to move him to the wing with a good playmaking centre (like Stephen Weiss), he could also do very well and maybe even put up better numbers.

 

[Johnny]

but name one 70 to 80 point centreman playing on teh third line or expected to shutdown top teams lines...?
QUOTE]

Who said anything about putting up 70-80 pts on the third line?

It all depends on how he is used during the regular season as far as his pt totals go. He can become the type of player who can be used in all situations, at any point of a hockey game. If you need a goal late in a game he's a guy who you can feel comfortable putting out there. Same goes for if you are protecting a one goal lead late in a game.

Regardless, as long as Keenan is around he's the type of guy who will hold you accountable defensively no matter what your role is on the team.

During the season playing him in a top 3-6 role, having him play on both special teams units, putting up point totals in the 70 pt range, while being reliable defensively is not out of reach.

The thing is though, shadowing is far less common during the season then it is come playoffs. You may want to give him more freedom offensively during the regular season.

Come playoff time, you may want to sacrifice a little offense and have him tighten it up defensively a little more. His size, speed, grit, and willingness to do whatever it takes to help his team, just may make him the best suited for that role of being relied upon to shutdown the opposition's number 1 centreman.

It also doesn't hurt that he has the skills to hurt the oppostion through transition hockey, forcing mistakes and making them pay. Thats what would differentiate Horton from a protoptypical 3rd line defensive specialist in my mind, the gamebreaking ability to go along with being capable of strong defensive play.

 

[#37-#93-#27*]

I am not overly high on him like many others are, in my opinion his offensive potential is 60-75 points. I don't think he's at a PPG level.

I like him at Center as well.

 

[#37-#93-#27*]

I am not overly high on him like many others are, in my opinion his offensive will be more like 65-75 points. I don't think he's at a PPG level.

Eric Lindros, Joe Thornton, Brendan Shanahan, Jarome Iginla...Keith Tkachuk...?

I don't think he's on their level. A weaker caliber then Shanahan and Tkachuk I would say.

In your opinion is this guy better suited at the wing or at centre....?

Center

Will he end up being better then Bernier and Brown the way he was drafted above them....? Or will Horton be ousted by a fitter Bernier if he gets in shape and a nose to the grind stone hands of silk Brown...?

Like I said I'm not as high on him as others, I haven't seen Bernier play so I won't comment on him but I personally think Brown will be a better <i>point getter</i>, not sure about <i>player</i>.

I mean when Thornton was drafted he was clearily a centreman when Iginla and Shanahan were drafted they were clearily wingers...You here that Horton is kind of a winger or centreman and right now Keenan has him playing centre...Is he type-cast wrong...?

Anyway just curious what you guys think...

I like him at center.

 

[Epsilon]

A physical 80-85 points a year center. Something like Jeremy Roenick maybe?

 

[PigPen]

A poor man's jeff O'Neil is what I liken him to.

I don't think he'll put up more than 50-60 points a year and he won't hit those numbers for quite a while. He just doesn't impress me much phsyically or offensively.

 

[Damien]

Keith Primeau with slightly better offense.

 

[CoolburnIsGone]

A physical 80-85 points a year center. Something like Jeremy Roenick maybe?

I think this comparison is really good having seen Horton's first few games in the NHL. I think Keenan will be good for him as well. I always thought that Horton would be something like Roenick, or at least thats what I'm hoping for.

 

[Mizral]

Put me on record for a more physical Jeff O'Neil. Horton is a player. I think he will eventually be moved to the wing, however. The depth at centre on the Panthers will be heavy in the coming years.

 

[maximil]

Chris Gratton?

















J/K

 

[Jacob]

I agree with the Roenick comparison.

 

[tom_servo]

With a swastika and some blackface, I think Horton has the potential to be very offensive.

 

[tom_servo]

He has potential. Given a swastika and maybe some blackface, I think Horton could be very offensive.