usefulfiction
Registered User
So it comes down to trash vs treasure... Is Rundblad an upgrade on what we have already or more of the same?
Speculation: 2013-14 Trade Talk III
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So it comes down to trash vs treasure... Is Rundblad an upgrade on what we have already or more of the same?
Starry Knight
Tele-Wyatt
Undoubtably an upgrade on Rome and benn. As good or better than Connauton as well.
Cin
Eurosnob.
txomisc
Registered User
He certainly still has the upside. I could see him giving up on the NHL if he doesn't get some playing time somewhere this season. If we could give him a look for a good price we need to pull the trigger.
Hull Fan
The Future is Now
He's got way too much potential to not take a chance on him. He's 23 and has shown amazing offensive ability in a men's league. If all it takes is Whitney and probably throwing them a 3rd or less how can you not make that deal? There's a legit argument he's no worse defensively than Goligoski and he's much better offensively and while I'm sure he's not overly happy about the time spent in Phoenix I have no doubt his defensive game is better for it. He's not their type of guy but in our run and gun style he could be great. I also think he'd absolutely help on the power play out there with Connauton.
He and Wiercioch are my two big targets. Both are on the outs with their clubs but have tremendous upside. Bring in a steady guy like Fayne to soak up some minutes and I really feel this defense could be much better. Find a top six forward to go with that and yeah we could be a playoff team.
Starry Knight
Tele-Wyatt
He's not having an off year, he's having an off-career. He hasn't been a good player for the past like, 4 years.
Magic Mittens
Registered User
Bjorn Le
Hobocop
Is he? I feel he's going to be another porous defender who is inconsistent offensively. Don't want to give up any real assets for him.
Hull Fan
The Future is Now
Just for comparison sake let's take a look at prominent Swedish offensive defeseman and how they compare scoring wise to Rundblad.
OEL never played above Tier 2 in the Swedish league. He made the jump straight across to the AHL then got promoted shortly afterwards to the NHL. The year after his draft he played 52 games, scoring 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points on that junior team.
Victor Hedman played for MoDO his draft year and held his own against men. He played 43 games with 7 goals, 14 assists and a plus 21. After the draft he came straight over and while not spectacular he held his own in the NHL. It took him about 3 years to find his offense but Hedman is a very good player.
Since we're talking the 2009 draft Ryan Ellis set the OHL on fire his draft year and throughout his entire Winsor career. He had 89 points in 57 games as a defenseman his draft year. 48 games played and 61 points his post draft year with an amazing 33 points in 19 playoff games on a stacked Windsor team. The AHL and NHL have been a completely different story. He's better defensively but he's also .32 points/game with Nashville this year. That's a very respectable total for a young offensive defenseman and about what I'd expect from Rundblad if he were here.
And of course if we're going to compare Rundblad to anyone it's Erik Karlsson. He got a cup of coffee with Frolunda his draft year tallying a goal in 7 games. He played 45 games the following season with 5 goals and 5 assists. Karlsson broke out his rookie year in the NHL after a dozen AHL games he got called up by Ottawa and played 60 games, 5 goals, 21 assists and a -5. His 2nd year in the league he basically doubled those totals. 75 games, 13 goals, 45 points but an eye popping -30. No one calls Karlsson sound defensively but he contributes so much offense that no one really cares.
Rundblad played 45 games his draft year with Skelleftea of the Elite league notching 10 assists. The following season was just slightly better scoring 13 points in 47 games. His 19/20 year old season he had 11 goals, 50 points in 55 games for Skelleftea. His first season in NA was a mixed bag. In the AHL 30gm 7g 9a 16pts. Then a combined 30gms 1g 6a 7pts -12 between Ottawa and Phoenix.
So not only does he go from Sweden to the AHL then the NHL but he gets traded at the deadline. That's a lot of upheaval for a 21 year old in his first season in NA.
During the lockout 50 AHL games, 9g 30a 39pts +8
He's played 12 games this year for Phoenix. Dressing in 3 consecutive games only twice so far. I don't care who you are you can't sit for 5+ games and have any kind of rhythm or confidence in yourself or that the coaching staff isn't looking for an excuse to bench you when it seems like every small mistake is magnified.
He dominated the WJC. He led all defenseman in scoring his 3rd year in the Swedish Elite League. He tore the AHL a new one during the lockout and now he's riding the pine and what he's forgotten how to play? He's never going to be Nik Lindstrom. But he doesn't have to be in order to play in the NHL and especially on this defense. Kid has immense talent and Whitney+ is more than a good gamble to make on him.
Rune Forumwalker
Registered User
- May 11, 2006
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That's a lot of info, but Faidh ar Rud Eigin still has good reason to be a bit weary. Rundblad has been described as good offensively, while not being particularly good defensively. The team has been filled with players that could be described that way the last few years, or at the very least just the latter and not the former.
Sure there is hope that it is a deeper and better D core he can't break into in Phoenix. Though if he does need that partner to cover for him, then things wouldn't work out too well, and we'd be seeing a lot of the same things we've already seen the past few years from other players. There isn't that many players here that are good enough to cover other players. We have Dillion, and uh yeah.
All that being said, there is the fact that Runblad is young, while those other players aren't.
Sure there is hope that it is a deeper and better D core he can't break into in Phoenix. Though if he does need that partner to cover for him, then things wouldn't work out too well, and we'd be seeing a lot of the same things we've already seen the past few years from other players. There isn't that many players here that are good enough to cover other players. We have Dillion, and uh yeah.
All that being said, there is the fact that Runblad is young, while those other players aren't.
Starry Knight
Tele-Wyatt
I feel like Runblad would be better value than the third (or at most second) round pick that we would get for Whitney otherwise. You don't score that many points in the AHL by accident.
tjcurrie
Registered User
To add to the pile, heck no. He's one of those half-assed effort kind of guys. An enigma I guess you'd say. Inconsistent as heck.
I want no part of anyone associated with half assed effort. We saw that kind of guy with Kessell the other night.
If Kessel is half-effort then so is Benn. There's a million guys you can call out for their compete but Kessel isn't one of them IMO.
tjcurrie
Registered User
Not many (if any) players go out there and give it 100% every night. Some have been said to but I'm thinking it's a bit of an exaggeration. Basically everyone has off nights.
Bourque is on that other level though. Look at guys like Kent Nilsson and Alexei Kovalev. About as talented as anyone the game has seen, yet often time they couldn't even be pushed downhill. Bourque is like that, maybe worse, and about 20x less talented.
If you took him strictly on a bonus contract based on effort, he would end up owing you.
bullcorn metal
I take Benn over that no sense of urgency talent is natural guy any day of the week. I see Benn going to the corners and battling with much fury. Every time I see kessel, I see a lazy bum that is unwilling to do what it takes to win team hockey.
glovesave_35
Name
You don't score as much as he has without giving effort. I don't know where you're coming from with the accusation.
dude has massive talent and instincts
but seriously doesn't try that hard at all other than when he can possibly have a chance to score, then it is just a fly by and screw it, I am out of here
I would hate. HATE to try and build a team around a guy like that that gives minimal effort.
tjcurrie
Registered User
Brett Hull lived with the same accusations pretty much his entire career - whether warranted or not. It's not that he didn't work hard, but he was more of a work smart type of guy. So he'd get slammed for it. But the results were pretty much always there, especially when it mattered most. He never performed any disappearing acts.
Kessel is kind of the same, though not as elite. I think Metal is just saying that every player, even Benn, comes up with lackluster games now and then. I think that's what he's saying. Anyways, every now and then is kind of expected whereas more often than not - is not. Unless your name is Rene Bourque. Then it's expected.
Kessel is kind of the same, though not as elite. I think Metal is just saying that every player, even Benn, comes up with lackluster games now and then. I think that's what he's saying. Anyways, every now and then is kind of expected whereas more often than not - is not. Unless your name is Rene Bourque. Then it's expected.
Yes. And there's been many times this season I've been frustrated with Benn's lack of defensive effort. All of our favorite players, and most of the good ones, have days where they don't look engaged. And I'm pretty sure we as spectators can't really judge for sure either.
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