GDT: New Jersey Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Special Sauce

[NJDevs26]

lol Henrique finally has a couple of good games in a row after a poor '12-13 and a horrendous start this year and voila, here come the ridiculous Zach comparisons again. Sure doesn't take long around here.

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

On what team is Henrique a 3rd liner? An olympic team? Parise is a star/feature forward (at least during the regular season, not the playoffs). He's the best forward on a team. Currently, Henrique is a good first liner or a great second liner, and he's only 23 years old.

Adam wouldn't be a first or second liner on a lot of teams in this league. Can you name 60 better centers in this league right now? I can. The Devils are just weak down the middle.

Edit: Maybe 40 or 50 better. Even so it puts him on a lot of teams third lines.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I highly doubt you could name 60 guys who strictly play center that are undoubtedly better than Henrique

 

[Unknown Caller]

Adam wouldn't be a first or second liner on a lot of teams in this league. Can you name 60 better centers in this league right now? I can. The Devils are just weak down the middle.

He plays both center and wing. It's very difficult to name a team that Henrique wouldn't be on the top two lines. What team would he be on the 3rd line? Chicago? Their second line is:

Saad-Pirri-Kane. Henrique easily fits there. San Jose? Their second line has Tyler Kennedy.

He's at least a second liner on essentially any team in the league.

 

[devilsblood]

I'd like to see more assists from Henrique. I know guys need to finish plays, but one assist in 12 games? This following the 5 in 42 last year?

 

[glenwo2]

"STOP STARING AT MY SCAR, YOU SIMPLETON"

Sorry, just had to fix that.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I'd like to see more assists from Henrique. I know guys need to finish plays, but one assist in 12 games? This following the 5 in 42 last year?

hes not a pass first player.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

On what team is Henrique a 3rd liner? An olympic team? Parise is a star/feature forward (at least during the regular season, not the playoffs). He's the best forward on a team. Currently, Henrique is a good first liner or a great second liner, and he's only 23 years old.

Henrique is the kind of player you need to win. He has that "it" factor. He plays best when the lights are shining the brightest. There is no doubt he's very valuable. That said, hes just not a huge talent. He is a good player playing a bit above where he probably should be on a team filled with mediocre/old forwards.

Zach is a better player in every aspect of the game aside from, potentially, leadership. Thats really the point I was trying to make. I think some of us have to take a look at all the good Henrique did in the past and realize just how much Zach helped him. Henrique is a unique, valuable player but in a vacuum I'm taking Parise every time. Having both would be ideal...

 

[devilsblood]

hes not a pass first player.

But he is on pace for 7 assists this year. He was on pace for about 10 over 82 last year. yet he had 35 over 74 as a rook. It's currently a hole in his game.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

But he is on pace for 7 assists this year. He was on pace for about 10 over 82 last year. yet he had 35 over 74 as a rook. It's currently a hole in his game.

as a rookie he played with 2 legit first line wingers. we don't have that here now.

I also wouldnt put much stock into point pace just yet...its still early. Zids is on pace for like 70 points, Alex Steen is on pace for like 75 goals, etc.

 

[Devils Trap]

Well look at that . Zajac 20th in the entire NHL for forwards

http://www.extraskater.com/players/on-ice?sit=5v5&pos=F

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

On what team is Henrique a 3rd liner? An olympic team? Parise is a star/feature forward (at least during the regular season, not the playoffs). He's the best forward on a team. Currently, Henrique is a good first liner or a great second liner, and he's only 23 years old.

Henrique is a good first liner?

For our sake I hope not.

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

I highly doubt you could name 60 guys who strictly play center that are undoubtedly better than Henrique

I never said undoubtedly.

1. Crosby
2. Stamkos
3. Datsyuk
4. Toews
5. Tavares
6. Malkin
7. Bergeron
8. Giroux
9. Zetterberg
10. Couture
11. Sedin
12. Kopitar
13. Thornton
14. Getzlaf
15. Sharp
16. Kessel
17. Steen
18. Nielsen
19. Marleau
20. Duchene
21. Pavelski
22. Spezza
23. Seguin
24. Kadri
25. Benn
26. Kesler
27. Backstrom
28. Krejci
29. Plekanec
30. Hanzel
31. Grabo
32. Cody
33. RNH
34. Carter
35. Ribs
36. Richards
37. Staal
38. Statsny
39. ROR
40. Vermette
41. Roy
42. Stepan
43. Bozak
44. Huberdeau
45. Schenn
46. Cammalleri

That's before we get to the ? like Mack, Hertl, Jokinen, Fisher, and Wilson.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

so, you couldn't. just as I suspected.

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

He plays both center and wing. It's very difficult to name a team that Henrique wouldn't be on the top two lines. What team would he be on the 3rd line? Chicago? Their second line is:

Saad-Pirri-Kane. Henrique easily fits there. San Jose? Their second line has Tyler Kennedy.

He's at least a second liner on essentially any team in the league.

I think he's a second line wing and a third line center. He doesn't create enough yet to be a top 6 center. Maybe a second line wing on half the teams. He's barely a top 150 forward I think. Maybe 130-140.

 

[devilsblood]

as a rookie he played with 2 legit first line wingers. we don't have that here now.

I also wouldnt put much stock into point pace just yet...its still early. Zids is on pace for like 70 points, Alex Steen is on pace for like 75 goals, etc.

But it's a trend that is now spanning 56 games. He needs to pick it up in this dept, I don't see how one could argue otherwise.

 

[Devils Trap]

Even some guys in the top 46 are questionable

Bozak,Vermette, Schenn , Cammalleri doesnt even play center for Calgary

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

so, you couldn't. just as I suspected.

When did I ever say undoubtedly? You have a huge tendency to read into things. And I also edited my post once I looked at the players and said I could probably easily name 40-50 and then the rest would be close. I think you could easily say there are 50 centers in this league better than Henrique and the 10-15 ? that follow would be enough to disregard the notion that he's a top 6 player.

Not yet.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

But it's a trend that is now spanning 56 games. He needs to pick it up in this dept, I don't see how one could argue otherwise.

I mean, hes still improving but again, he has never been a pass first guy.

 

[Kensu]

I might be wrong, but Huberdeau, Kadri, Kessel, Benn, and Hertl play wing.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Henrique was 332nd in the NHL in GVT last season.

He has some work to do to be considered a second liner "on any team in the league".

 

[Devils Trap]

Henrique would play top 6 minutes for most teams in the NHL no doubt.

Whether its C or Wing, he would play it for sure

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

I think as Devils fans we've been trained to ignore assists from our centers because that's been the norm. So you don't look twice at Zajac or Henrique and expect more. You scratch your head when others around the league laugh at your "top line center" failing to register 40 points consistently.

The fact is that a center that can't create is only a center in name only. Those guys are typically moved to right wing. Zajac if he doesn't rebound is a right wing playing center. Henrique if he doesn't create is a winger playing center.

The only true center we have is Loktionov. Who passes the damn puck far too much and is likely on the other end of the spectrum as far as passing too much and passing too little.

Watch Thornton, Sedin, Crosby or even Krejci. Pavelski, Couture, Granlund (who I forgot). Those guys are centers.

The Devils have lined up 3 wingers for so long a lot of people forget what a center is supposed to do on the ice.

 

[Devils Trap]

No where in the world does it say a Center have to be pass first.......

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

I sincerely believe that right now the Devils are going to battle with 3 third line centers and an ahl caliber center.

That's how mediocre our center depth is. If Adam uses these 3 games to grow he could end up a solid second liner around this league. But he's got a long way to go. And he needs to register points (at least 60) to be in that conversation.