Jamie Oleksiak: Starting to deliver on his potential

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Right, but months before he was traded for Patrick Sharp and NHL-ready RH defenseman Stephen Johns. His value when he left Dallas was obviously still substantial. Not premium, but significant. Looking better once he got to a better team than either Dallas or Chicago is hardly surprising.

Look, all I'm saying is Trevor Daley's stint in Pittsburgh has no place in the same breath as Matt Niskanen's. I watched nearly every game of the seasons leading up to both of these players being traded. Daley was asked to do too much and suffered on D as a result. Even then, he was still a productive player. Matt Niskanen was abysmal. Painful to watch. Just awful. I give Pittsburgh all the credit in the world for helping to turn his career around. It just isn't even remotely close to the Daley to the Pens situation.

Daley was playing the wrong side in Chicago and the Pens simply put him on the side he was comfortable.

No real magic there, just common sense.

 

[Jtown]

Dear Dallas,

Stop trading with the Pens.

Sincerely,

Everybody

 

[pokey10]

I'm worried about that, TBH.

im fine with 3x3 for him, isnt he still an RFA though?

 

[Fatty McLardy]

Why are Dallas fans so salty, i don't get it...if he was such an insignificant player for you guys, why are you guys all up in arms that he's playing very solid as the Pens 5th d-man..

 

[wej20]

im fine with 3x3 for him, isnt he still an RFA though?

I think he gets a 2 year deal. I think if he signs a 3 year deal he'd be an UFA after it.

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

Dear Dallas,

Stop trading with the Pens.

Sincerely,

Everybody

JR: "Hey Jim. GMJR here. How are ya?"

JN: "No JR. No. I'm not sending you anymore defensemen. Not happening."

GMJR waves his hand "These are not the dmen you are looking for."

JN: "So we send you Klinkberg. Give us a 3rd and I won't call the cops cause you are robbing me blind ...."

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I look forward to the Pens giving Oleksiak a middle-pairing defenseman contract this summer, say 4.5 million for 5 years (up from 4 million since the cap is going up)? I bet that ages well...

Why would we see JR ever give a contract like that? He's not idiotic enough to do that. That's like signing an often injured centerman for that kind of contract to be your 2nd line C or something ridiculous....................................

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Right, but months before he was traded for Patrick Sharp and NHL-ready RH defenseman Stephen Johns. His value when he left Dallas was obviously still substantial. Not premium, but significant. Looking better once he got to a better team than either Dallas or Chicago is hardly surprising.

Look, all I'm saying is Trevor Daley's stint in Pittsburgh has no place in the same breath as Matt Niskanen's. I watched nearly every game of the seasons leading up to both of these players being traded. Daley was asked to do too much and suffered on D as a result. Even then, he was still a productive player. Matt Niskanen was abysmal. Painful to watch. Just awful. I give Pittsburgh all the credit in the world for helping to turn his career around. It just isn't even remotely close to the Daley to the Pens situation.

You assume Chicago's Bowman has any idea on trades.

He also traded Saad for Panarin and other moronic trades. Sharp was falling apart (how many seasons did he play without being hurt for you guys again?) and Johns was just another one of Chicago's "let's dump more youngsters!" type of move.

 

[fragmag]

Well Chara initiated it soooooooo whats your point?



Yup, super entertaining. Better than MMA.

Wait, this what the Bruins fans are saying Chara won this fight No one won!

 

[Albus Dumbledore]

Wait, this what the Bruins fans are saying Chara won this fight No one won!

in terms of ko, or taking someone down no, but chara landed a few clean blows Olie landed pretty much nothing, so yeah chara won the fight.

 

[glovesave_35]

You assume Chicago's Bowman has any idea on trades.

He also traded Saad for Panarin and other moronic trades. Sharp was falling apart (how many seasons did he play without being hurt for you guys again?) and Johns was just another one of Chicago's "let's dump more youngsters!" type of move.

The same Bowman who accepted Rob Scuderi for Daley just a few months later? i.e. The trade that you mentioned one post ago to imply how low Daley's value was.

 

[MrHeiskanen]

Why are Dallas fans so salty, i don't get it...if he was such an insignificant player for you guys, why are you guys all up in arms that he's playing very solid as the Pens 5th d-man..

Not sure it's salt, it's just people exaggerating how good he is. Yes.. he is a good 5-6 defender. You don't see threads on main boards about good 5-6 D everyday.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

The same Bowman who accepted Rob Scuderi for Daley just a few months later? i.e. The trade that you mentioned one post ago to imply how low Daley's value was.

Yup, the same idiot that took Scuderi (retained salary) for Daley and lost that trade too.

He lost both trades involving Daley.

That would be the same GM.

 

[glovesave_35]

Yup, the same idiot that took Scuderi (retained salary) for Daley and lost that trade too.

He lost both trades involving Daley.

That would be the same GM.

You have convinced me. Pittsburgh turned around Daley's career in miraculous fashion. Revolutionary stuff, playing a good but not great defenseman more like 19-20 mins a game rather than 23-24. Be careful, other good teams may steal that recipe.

 

[glovesave_35]

Why are Dallas fans so salty, i don't get it...if he was such an insignificant player for you guys, why are you guys all up in arms that he's playing very solid as the Pens 5th d-man..

Who is salty?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

You have convinced me. Pittsburgh turned around Daley's career in miraculous fashion. Revolutionary stuff, playing a good but not great defenseman more like 19-20 mins a game rather than 23-24. Be careful, other good teams may steal that recipe.

Yeah, my bad.

Chicago had him playing 1:17 SH/TOI/G vs what Dallas had him at for most of his tenure with Dallas which averaged around 3mins+ for his short handed time on ice per game. His game suffered heavily, Chicago trusted him less and less per game, I mean he wasn't even playing HALF the PK minutes he normally did, he played close to 1/3 of it. His last year with Dallas he was playing 2:44/TOI/G for the powerplay.

Daley in his final year was playing under 2mins per game on the powerplay but playing 2:22 per game SH in his final year with the Penguins. Which was a flip of his usage the year before in the regular season. But the huge vote of confidence came in the playoffs, in 2015-16 when he was playing over 2mins per game on the PK. That's a lot of trust for a guy that was kind of beaten down in Chicago for his confidence.

Totally not rehabilitating his game or rather, giving him that extra confidence in his defensive side (of which the Pens relied heavily upon, not just his skating ability and the ability to skate the puck out of the zone, transition game, and to help ease the loss of Letang in 2015-16).

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Who is salty?

Well for one, you guys haven't really seen Oleksiak on the Pens, but maintain he is horrendous and for most of you, that he remains horrendous forever and now mock his future contract with the Penguins.

Then without even knowing the usage in Chicago or the usage in Pittsburgh, refuse to understand what rehabilitation of one's game means at all.

Salty? Maybe not. Misinformed, probably.

 

[DearDiary]

Why are Dallas fans so salty, i don't get it...if he was such an insignificant player for you guys, why are you guys all up in arms that he's playing very solid as the Pens 5th d-man..

It's insecurity. Just listen to Olesiak's comments after last game, it's clear Dallas spent little effort trying to develop him.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

[mod] in the title, it says he's playing up to his potential. I thought his potential was to be a top pairing D, no? He's looked solid in the games I've seen but far from living up to the expectations people saw on draft day.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

It's insecurity. Just listen to Olesiak's comments after last game, it's clear Dallas spent little effort trying to develop him.

Yeah, its not like prospects bounce to Russia to get away from that last coach they had, which apparently never mishandled Oleksiak or that Hitch, who has never been anything but the nicest guy ever to every player he's ever coached, admitted fault or anything.

Let's like, never mention that though...

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Another question for me would be, in the title, it says he's playing up to his potential. I thought his potential was to be a top pairing D, no? He's looked solid in the games I've seen but far from living up to the expectations people saw on draft day.

He's playing RD.

Our D pairings...

Dumoulin, Letang
Maatta, Schultz
Ruhwedel, Oleksiak

Who is he playing over on the right side?

 

[glovesave_35]

Well for one, you guys haven't really seen Oleksiak on the Pens, but maintain he is horrendous and for most of you, that he remains horrendous forever and now mock his future contract with the Penguins.

Then without even knowing the usage in Chicago or the usage in Pittsburgh, refuse to understand what rehabilitation of one's game means at all.

Salty? Maybe not. Misinformed, probably.

I haven't seen one Stars fan say he has been horrendous as a Pen. You may be having trouble with past and present tense.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

He's playing RD.

Our D pairings...

Dumoulin, Letang
Maatta, Schultz
Ruhwedel, Oleksiak

Who is he playing over on the right side?

If he were delivering on his potential would he not be able to push Shultz back to the third pairing? Lets not kid ourselves, the Pens D aren't world beaters, they aren't the reason they've been winning cups. Does the title not imply that he's been that good? I've seen him play, he's pretty meh. Just looks like another huge defender who's capable on the third pairing, and there's nothing wrong with that. I just don't get why people think he's living up to his potential. I think he'd get shelled playing a top 4 role.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Fun* read these last few pages.



*tedious


To answer the question immediately above: no. JO was never, is not and will never be even close to the caliber of player Justin Schultz is/was/will be...

That said, I don't get this thread still (as I didn't back on page 2), he's a third pairing guy and playing like one...this is the best hockey of his NHL career to date, yes, but he was also a grocer's stick in Dallas...and frankly, I don't blame them for not being able to make heads or tails of him...he isn't exactly brimming with hockey sense. These types of players often do well in new surroundings at first and then as opponents adjust, they start to slide back to reality...

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Oleksiak's "type" of player - size being his most distinguishing characteristic - can often take until their mid-20s to come into their own (Chara, Boyle, Myers). Oleksiak may slide back to reality, but for now he's making an impact on the Pens blueline after being jettisoned by his last team for a 4th. If he does, I'm sure the thread will be bumped again to the delight of would-be mods here.

Until then, it's a nice reclamation story, and the easy solution to not wanting to read a "tedious" thread is not to click on it.