#3 Smyth-Horcoff-Hartikainen
- Thread starter lakai17
- Start date
i would buy out horcs for the fact that he still has 2 more years at 5.5 and the cap is going down!! he isnt worth that money now imagine in 2 years!
Mr Forever
The Oilers :(
The difference is: one of those two players throws hits because he wants to, the other does it because he is told to. I take Hartikainen.
Don't like the speed. Horcoff is going to have to do a lot of skating. Weirdly, I think Hartikainen is better suited to line 2 or line 4.
Perfectly reasonable configuration in the short term, though. Would like to see Paajarvi get some minutes on that RW as well.
Perfectly reasonable configuration in the short term, though. Would like to see Paajarvi get some minutes on that RW as well.
I agree with this. Problem is who's spot does Hartikainen take? Next year when we trade one of our top 6 for a d he may fit, even on the first line (not because he is top 3 but it might fit and spread the talent to other lines).
Definitely an injury replacement.
Too bad he can't take face-offs. His size would be the perfect Gagner replacement.
0ilerman
The King
this can be an effective shutdown line. Say what you say about horcoff - money aside, he's a strong faceoff guy, responsible defensively, and strong enough to break even in the cycle game down low.
If his salary is 3.5M, he's everyones favourite oiler. Well maybe not everyone...but you know...wait, is this a Shawn Horcoff thread?
If his salary is 3.5M, he's everyones favourite oiler. Well maybe not everyone...but you know...wait, is this a Shawn Horcoff thread?
I feel the opposite. I think Hartikainen will be much more of a difficult player to play against than Jones.
I'm very intrigued to see how this line performs.
BowDangles
Registered User
Something that I always think about when discussing Hartikinen is that he is going to get a look on the 1st PP unit, if he succeeds than he will be a staple on it to limit Horcoff's game time to just 5on5 and PK..
We can not have Horcoff playing upwards of 18-20 minutes a night like last year.. And when you play every scenario this tends to happen very easy..
Hartski has been on the PP unit all year with the kids in OKC and has been pretty decent. So it would just be weird to me to see him on the 4th line than on the PP unit... I think if Hartikinen can prove he can play with Smyth and Horc 5on5 than he will stay there and Jones will be on the 4th when he comes back and rotated up and down the line up with injuries..
We can not have Horcoff playing upwards of 18-20 minutes a night like last year.. And when you play every scenario this tends to happen very easy..
Hartski has been on the PP unit all year with the kids in OKC and has been pretty decent. So it would just be weird to me to see him on the 4th line than on the PP unit... I think if Hartikinen can prove he can play with Smyth and Horc 5on5 than he will stay there and Jones will be on the 4th when he comes back and rotated up and down the line up with injuries..
BowDangles
Registered User
Also, Ryan Smyth is very good at keeping the puck when he gets below the red line. So that being said Hartkinen strikes me as a player who can forecheck hard and throw a check to get people off the puck better than Jones can.
BowDangles
Registered User
I see them more of a dump and chase/puck retrieval line more than a carry the puck in line. Sometimes Smyth carries the puck in along the wing and lets that classic muffin of a slap shot go.
jsho
Registered User
I wouldn't even worry about doing that on your own.....this board will make you very aware of EVERY mistake he makes.
Every stride he takes
And every move he makes
Every shot he takes, every stick he breaks
We'll be watching him
JawandaPuck
Lost Art of Dynasty
IMO, Ryan Smyth could very well be on the fourth line before this season is up. And unless Horcoff has a standout offensive season, I believe he will indeed be bought out (amnesty style) this summer (giving the team more flexibility during the UFA season).
That's a long way of saying, I foresee a very different third line next season.
That's a long way of saying, I foresee a very different third line next season.
Blue And Orange
Oilers & Seahawks
Samus44
Enjoy the ride.
- Aug 5, 2010
- 9,317
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Hmmm... I think that may end up being pretty debatable. I think Hartikainen ends up easily the better player, maybe not this year, and he's a terrific hitter which gives him a good chance to be elevated in the current lineup. In saying that Jones did well last year so i'd probably agree he has the edge as of now, but Hartikainen has the potential to change that. He was awesome in the AHL. Ryan Jones also very very sadly may have suffered a fairly significant eye injury.
The Nuge
Some say…
I agree. They're all pretty good forecheckers, so playing that style should work well and be able to kill off a fair bit of time
russ99
Registered User
- Jun 9, 2011
- 3,508
- 2,445
Not convinced that Hartikainen can be more than yet another coke machine with 4th line skill at the NHL level. But it's a really smart move putting him on Smyth's line so he can learn from Smytty especially when it comes to driving the net and screening the goalie.
McHandsomeDoc
Registered User
Smyth-Horcoff-Hemsky is a championship caliber 3rd line any time or era.
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again!!Toss in Whitney on defense and we have a PERFECT fastbreak setup that will generate very good offense from the 3rd line ,possible league high offense from the 3rd line.
Mps need to be on the 2nd line,Hemmer on the 3rd line,Hartikainen needs to be in OKC keeping a top 6 workload going because we will definately have injuries early this year like all teams will.
Hartikainens stock has plummetted since we first saw him because our skill level has risen a few notches since then,he only has 4th line potential here now,but we need him ready because he can play in the top six if needed to as a replacement.Hall and Ebbs dont need anyone to make room for then anymore and neither does Gagner ,Yakupov or MPS and our 3rd line is our vet line so there is nowhere to put him.All a bull will do in the top 6 is give the refs a reason to call penaltys on us,if we load up a top line it has to be with a heaveyweight force a deterrant not an energy penalty magnet.
We need to ice the most offensively capable lineup with the most defensive awarness and ability that we can muster and this means we need balance on all 4 lines.One forward sniper per line
-1st line RNH creating-Eberle #1,#Hall1a--hybrid fastbreak and controlled transition
-2nd line MPS creating-Yakupov#1,Gagner#1a--controlled transition
-3rd line- Horcoff creating-Smyth#1,Hemsky#1a--fastbreak
The 4th line should be as skilled as we can make it and prepared to push for offense using a controlled transition style which is safest.
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again!!Toss in Whitney on defense and we have a PERFECT fastbreak setup that will generate very good offense from the 3rd line ,possible league high offense from the 3rd line.
Mps need to be on the 2nd line,Hemmer on the 3rd line,Hartikainen needs to be in OKC keeping a top 6 workload going because we will definately have injuries early this year like all teams will.
Hartikainens stock has plummetted since we first saw him because our skill level has risen a few notches since then,he only has 4th line potential here now,but we need him ready because he can play in the top six if needed to as a replacement.Hall and Ebbs dont need anyone to make room for then anymore and neither does Gagner ,Yakupov or MPS and our 3rd line is our vet line so there is nowhere to put him.All a bull will do in the top 6 is give the refs a reason to call penaltys on us,if we load up a top line it has to be with a heaveyweight force a deterrant not an energy penalty magnet.
We need to ice the most offensively capable lineup with the most defensive awarness and ability that we can muster and this means we need balance on all 4 lines.One forward sniper per line
-1st line RNH creating-Eberle #1,#Hall1a--hybrid fastbreak and controlled transition
-2nd line MPS creating-Yakupov#1,Gagner#1a--controlled transition
-3rd line- Horcoff creating-Smyth#1,Hemsky#1a--fastbreak
The 4th line should be as skilled as we can make it and prepared to push for offense using a controlled transition style which is safest.
Lay Z Boy GM
Registered User
I like it. Should be a tough line to play against, and they should be capable of getting pucks in deep so our top lines can start in the offensive zone.
I also like Hartikainen on the RW. Kid's more skilled than a lot of people realize too. I've seen some pretty nifty dekes from Harski.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPhKfKwHJU0
My favorite Hartikainen goal so far this season at 3:00. He's got quite the shot, just needs to use it more.
I also like Hartikainen on the RW. Kid's more skilled than a lot of people realize too. I've seen some pretty nifty dekes from Harski.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPhKfKwHJU0
My favorite Hartikainen goal so far this season at 3:00. He's got quite the shot, just needs to use it more.
