Paille and Vanek...NHL ready?

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TehDoak

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I think Paille might be more suited for the NHL game than Vanek at this point, but it looks like Buffalo is going to try and sign both in the offseason. What does everyone thing, are these two NHL ready?
 

Hitman*

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Well, Paille could play a checking role that would see him get time similar to Derek Roy, so thats his advantage. If Vanek isn't producing much, he'll be sent down to the minors. But I'd say they're both NHL ready.
 

in the hall

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saw vanek for the first time this season today, his defense was a turn off for me.. he floats in his own zone thats if he ever bothers to go in and play some d.. each time notre dame carried the puck into gopher zone he would stick around in the neutral zone looking for an outlett pass... he just did not give much of an effort on d... on the other hand now, his play offensively is tremendous.. the skill is there and he knows how to use it... he looks like a game breaker.. hes still young and surely at a higher level coaches will be more demanding of his defensive play

he might become too much of a liability in his own zone if he were to play right now but then again its not because of lack of sense or talent, its lack of effort, motivation could change that... so could riding the pine 50 minutes for lackluster d....
 

Funkymoses

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in the hall said:
each time notre dame carried the puck into gopher zone he would stick around in the neutral zone looking for an outlett pass...

If I was Don Lucia that's exactly what I'd tell Vanek to do, personally. He's huge and impossible to knock off the puck and has ridiculously soft hands. He's very NHL ready.
 

BrettNYR

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in the hall said:
saw vanek for the first time this season today, his defense was a turn off for me.. he floats in his own zone thats if he ever bothers to go in and play some d.. each time notre dame carried the puck into gopher zone he would stick around in the neutral zone looking for an outlett pass... he just did not give much of an effort on d... on the other hand now, his play offensively is tremendous.. the skill is there and he knows how to use it... he looks like a game breaker.. hes still young and surely at a higher level coaches will be more demanding of his defensive play

he might become too much of a liability in his own zone if he were to play right now but then again its not because of lack of sense or talent, its lack of effort, motivation could change that... so could riding the pine 50 minutes for lackluster d....
I believe the Gophers coach wants him to score (As well as the Sabres) but your right he needs to improve defensively. Young players don't respect there own zone, it's that simple. I believe his defense will come as he matures. :teach:
 
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in the hall

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well guys that very well may be true, in fact i think it is now that you made light of it because the way he was so nonchalant on d its hard to believe he was not reprimanded for it even if he is the best player and scorer on the team..... his defensive play is just none.. i mean literally nothing...

funkymoses, i think hes very nhl ready if he scores otherwise there is no reason for him to be in the nhl because he hasnt shown he can play adequately both ways.... although i have little doubts given the chance he can score 20 goals as early as his first year but the nhl would demand of him to play defense so it needs to be proven he can.... you are so right about the combination of puck handling and soft hands... he is as close to jagr in terms of strength on the puck as ive ever seen in a young player
 

Jason MacIsaac

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in the hall said:
well guys that very well may be true, in fact i think it is now that you made light of it because the way he was so nonchalant on d its hard to believe he was not reprimanded for it even if he is the best player and scorer on the team..... his defensive play is just none.. i mean literally nothing...

funkymoses, i think hes very nhl ready if he scores otherwise there is no reason for him to be in the nhl because he hasnt shown he can play adequately both ways.... although i have little doubts given the chance he can score 20 goals as early as his first year but the nhl would demand of him to play defense so it needs to be proven he can.... you are so right about the combination of puck handling and soft hands... he is as close to jagr in terms of strength on the puck as ive ever seen in a young player
How did Tallackson look?
 

in the hall

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JasonMacIsaac said:
How did Tallackson look?
i was mainly interested in a few players i knew so i only followed them (ballard, walsh, taylor, the only other player i didnt know that really stuck out was matt kolska, kellen briggs stuck out for the wrong reasons though granted he had reason to be shakey
 
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X-SHARKIE

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I expect both Vanek and Paille to be signed next season. Both are NHL ready, and Vanek could contribute offensivly right now and could be a go to guy offensivly. I expect Paille to be signed as well, not much mroe the kid can do in the OHL. He well be in the AHL mabey but he already would make a good Third liner.
 

leafaholix*

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X-SHARKIE said:
I expect both Vanek and Paille to be signed next season. Both are NHL ready, and Vanek could contribute offensivly right now and could be a go to guy offensivly. I expect Paille to be signed as well, not much mroe the kid can do in the OHL. He well be in the AHL mabey but he already would make a good Third liner.
If all the reports are true about Vanek being a "floater", he's not ready for the NHL.
 

BrettNYR

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Leafaholix said:
If all the reports are true about Vanek being a "floater", he's not ready for the NHL.
I believe Vanek just needs to go to the AHL for a season, to sure up on D. He'll be fine. I don't know anyone, who cares for the defensive zone at that age. Getting better defensivly, I believe, show's how hockey mature you are, and he is not mature yet.
 

TVanek26*

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Vanek won't need to play defense on Buffalo.Buffalo needs scoring.Pavel Bure used to float,he scored 60 goals.Buffalo drafted Vanek for an offensive dynamo not a defensive specialist.If they wanted defense they would have drafted Michalek.I saw the ND game too,and his defense wasn't that bad.
 

leafaholix*

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Broadway Crosby said:
I believe Vanek just needs to go to the AHL for a season, to sure up on D. He'll be fine. I don't know anyone, who cares for the defensive zone at that age. Getting better defensivly, I believe, show's how hockey mature you are, and he is not mature yet.
The 18, 19, 20 year old players in the NHL are two-way players.

Bergeron, Stajan, Staal, Roy, etc...

Vanek's definately not ready if he's a floater.
 

in the hall

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Broadway Crosby said:
I believe Vanek just needs to go to the AHL for a season, to sure up on D. He'll be fine. I don't know anyone, who cares for the defensive zone at that age. Getting better defensivly, I believe, show's how hockey mature you are, and he is not mature yet.
there were 36 young players yesterday 35 of them bothered to play some form of defense.. you are seriously underestimating the defensive abilities of players that age especially in the top d1 schools at the college ranks
 

leafaholix*

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DanielBriere48 said:
Vanek won't need to play defense on Buffalo.Buffalo needs scoring.Pavel Bure used to float,he scored 60 goals.Buffalo drafted Vanek for an offensive dynamo not a defensive specialist.If they wanted defense they would have drafted Michalek.I saw the ND game too,and his defense wasn't that bad.
He won't get any offensive opportunities if the pucks in the Buffalo zone all the time... and his skills aren't even close to Pavel Bure. Bure had skills that come around only once a decade... Vanek doesn't have the speed to play a Bure/Kovalchuk game.
 

in the hall

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DanielBriere48 said:
Vanek won't need to play defense on Buffalo.Buffalo needs scoring.Pavel Bure used to float,he scored 60 goals.Buffalo drafted Vanek for an offensive dynamo not a defensive specialist.If they wanted defense they would have drafted Michalek.I saw the ND game too,and his defense wasn't that bad.
that is a myth about bure, perhaps in his florida days he was very relaxed on d, he still never floated, he always kept moving and would back check.. either way that point is moot because vanek is not pavel bure, he is a young player that needs to play defense if he wants to stick in the league..

i dont know how you could say his defense wasnt "that bad".. it was clearly nonexistant, i mean come on the kid didnt even go into his own zone most times
 

MN_Gopher

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Not a floater

Vanek is not a floater all the time. If you watched to the NoDak game or the UMD game in the final five you will see he back checked more than once, and a few times he will drop down to block a shot. When he is on PP and playing QB he will go back and play D. Yes he does do these things. I have have seen it in person. He plays D, not ever going to be a two way player, but he is not a liability either. Just because he has size people knock his style of play. He is an offensive player. No one ever knocks Kariya for not laying a huge hit, but peole love to get on the Jagr's of the world for not playing more physical. All the guy does is score big goals, would you rather have a guy who has got his team 3 game winning goals in 3 consecutive NCAA games or a a guy who plays some D? I'll take the three game winners. Vanek is NHL ready, i would exept him to play simular to Heatley in his first year. Vanek can score that is obvious, but a lot of his croos ice one timers are fanned on and not put away, his passing will look a lot better in the pros. I've always heard he is lazy and slow, well lazy people usually don't lead their team in scoring for two consecutive years and i have yet to see him get caught. He is just an effortless skater, makes it look easy.
 

littleHossa

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I don't think it matters if Vanek is defined as a "floater". We're talking about Paille and Vanek right now, we're saying how good Paille is defensivelly and that he'll make a great 3rd liner right off the bat, will Paille get a chance at a top 6 role? No because he's good defensivelly....
Vanek though, will be given every chance to be an impact forward since the first day of training camp, I'm sure when he earns a spot on the 2nd line, we'll see the defensive effort. It's just that he wants to establish himself as a scorer in the NHL...
 

MisterUnspoken

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The Sabres best prospect not in the NHL is Jason Pominville. WHy he gets no talk is beyond me. People always overlook the unhyped, I guess thats why we arent scouts though :p
 

Bandwagoner

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I don't know, I just think it's funny how in a league where fans are crying about wanting more offense, people think Vanek isn't NHL ready because he's good offensively, but terrible defensively. But hey, don't get me wrong, that's the whole problem with the NHL right now, you have to play defense first, offense second to be successful in this league. But I wouldn't be too hurt if Vanek was sent down to the AHL, it did wonders for Spezza in Ottawa. But I still think Vanek is ready for the NHL.
 
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