What 5 players

Status
Not open for further replies.

Liquidrage*

Guest
Handsome B. Wonderful said:
Considering the Flyers were an easy playoff team without Pitkanen and the Penguins are the worst non-expansion team assembled in over 10 years who do you think is stepping into a more favorable situation?

Not even Mario Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky could turn this Penguins team into a competitor, so you can't expect a kid who wasn't even supposed to make the NHL to do that.

The league is and always has been full of players that really stand out on bad teams.

Just because a team sucks, doesn't mean it's harder for an individual to look good or put up good numbers.
In fact, except for +/- it's often easier to put points on a bad team.

Lang, Nash, Gonchar. All people standing out on crap teams. And in all three cases they probably wouldn't have near the points on good teams due to systems and playing time.

Take a 20 year old rookie D and shove him on a bad team. He can do what he wants to an extent. If he gets caught up ice while joining the rush, who cares? If he is gives more effort in the offensive end then the defensive end. Who cares?

But put a rookie into a very structured system ona good team and expect him to play as good in that system as a vet or he sists. Now that is a really hard place to play.

And the later is what Pitkanen is in. Anyone that thinks he looks good because he's on the Flyers is missing the boat. Pitkanen stands out. He is the Flyers BEST PP threat from the blueline. And that is over proven Vets. Yes, he's even better then Johnsson on the PP. Better shot, better passes. In the right spot more often.

At even strength he sitll has a lot of learning to do. But he LEADS the team in +/-. Mainly because he rarely makes mistakes. He's made a few. And the few he's made have been bad. Naz ran over him in Boston for a goal for example. But specifically, you could count the bad mistakes he's made this year with your fingers. For any other Flyers defenseman you'd need to use a full bad of pretzle rods.

Hell, Therien looks like crap and he plays on the same team.

I really don't see how anyone can say playing for Hitch is a good situation for a rookie D-man to stand out. Hitch is very demanding. He limits Pitkanen's playing time severly (even nights when he's lights out he gets 17 minutes and thats it), and forces him to play a demending system.
In the long run it's probably better. But it's not the better system to make someone look good while they're young.
 

The Fuhr*

Guest
Emery wins the calder next season by leading the leage in wins, with a 2.13 goals against average and a .926 save percentage.
 

FearTheFlyers

Registered User
Feb 3, 2003
7,545
0
Visit site
Handsome B. Wonderful said:
Considering the Flyers were an easy playoff team without Pitkanen and the Penguins are the worst non-expansion team assembled in over 10 years who do you think is stepping into a more favorable situation?

Not even Mario Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky could turn this Penguins team into a competitor, so you can't expect a kid who wasn't even supposed to make the NHL to do that.

I'm not asking who is stepping into the more favorable situation. However, I'ts clear the impact Pitkanen has made.
 

Big McLargehuge

Fragile Traveler
May 9, 2002
72,188
7,741
S. Pasadena, CA
And it's clear the impact Malone has made.

I'm not saying Malone is better, Pitkanen definitely is, but Malone has been more important to his team. He is the Penguins.
 

Patty Ice

Straight to the Banc
Feb 27, 2002
13,854
3,341
Not California
The_Wiz said:
Exactly what i was thinking !!!! He came out of nowhere !!!

People didn't even think he's make the team !!!

He's got what 18 goals now ? I love when a no-namer comes up and shocks everyone.

And i love when i have him in my draft too :)

I took him in the last round (along with Kipper) of my leagues draft right before the season starter :yo: also drafted Hunter but I made that pick for my friend's team :cry:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->