Player Discussion: Anthony Cirelli

[Hinterland]

You're somehow thinking an offensive line can't be a shutdown line, because offensive lines wind up with a lot of Ozone starts mixed in.

Point is obviously the team's shutdown center. Whatever the opponent's big line is, Coop matches Point against them. Nights where Point is relatively quiet, like last game, are often nights when he has his hands full. On nights where we match a second line, it's usually Paquette/Callahan who get the assignment.

None of that means Cirelli is bad defensively. But Point has emerged as a future Selke contender and Paquette is having the season of his life.

Look. Of course Point may sometimes play against the opponents top line and it's also not always in Coopers power to dictate the matchups. But if there's a key defensive zone start zo win, it's Cirelli coming over the boards. Him or Stamkos...but just to win the faceoff. Point is obviously a brilliant two way Center but doesn't win enough faceoffs to be a shutdown Center. There are nights when he gets completely owned in that regard and it means lots of possession thrown away, lots of chances given up just because of it.

 

[Rschmitz]

You're somehow thinking an offensive line can't be a shutdown line, because offensive lines wind up with a lot of Ozone starts mixed in.

Point is obviously the team's shutdown center. Whatever the opponent's big line is, Coop matches Point against them. Nights where Point is relatively quiet, like last game, are often nights when he has his hands full. On nights where we match a second line, it's usually Paquette/Callahan who get the assignment.

None of that means Cirelli is bad defensively. But Point has emerged as a future Selke contender and Paquette is having the season of his life.

It's funny, because Engblom on multiple occasions has said we have two future Selke candidates(Cirelli and Point) with Peckam quickly agreeing in the background. Could be an example of Engblom overpraising, which he occasionally likes to do, but when all of the media guys who are close to the team are using that kind of jargon, it's typically because they've heard or seen something.

Maybe I've held the wrong assumption to this point, I'll pay closer attention tonight

 

[Rschmitz]

Look. Of course Point may sometimes play against the opponents top line and it's also not always in Coopers power to dictate the matchups. But if there's a key defensive zone start zo win, it's Cirelli coming over the boards. Him or Stamkos...but just to win the faceoff. Point is obviously a brilliant two way Center but doesn't win enough faceoffs to be a shutdown Center. There are nights when he gets completely owned in that regard and it means lots of possession thrown away, lots of chances given up just because of it.

Point is always out there against the opposing teams top lines, that is by design. The best offensive lines in this league aren't the best defensively, that creates the matchup advantage because Point can manufacture goals much better over the course of an entire game 5v5 than Cirelli can. The point you are making on key defensive zone starts I agree with, if the idea is to hold serve and just keep the opposing team off the board, I think Cirelli is the guy. This is where I think an argument can be made.

 

[DFC]

Look. Of course Point may sometimes play against the opponents top line and it's also not always in Coopers power to dictate the matchups. But if there's a key defensive zone start zo win, it's Cirelli coming over the boards. Him or Stamkos...but just to win the faceoff. Point is obviously a brilliant two way Center but doesn't win enough faceoffs to be a shutdown Center. There are nights when he gets completely owned in that regard and it means lots of possession thrown away, lots of chances given up just because of it.

...Okay, yeah, Point is not good on faceoffs. But that doesn't change that he doesn't just play the opponent's top line "sometimes." It's all the time.

 

[DFC]

It's funny, because Engblom on multiple occasions has said we have two future Selke candidates(Cirelli and Point) with Peckam quickly agreeing in the background. Could be an example of Engblom overpraising, which he occasionally likes to do, but when all of the media guys who are close to the team are using that kind of jargon, it's typically because they've heard or seen something.

Maybe I've held the wrong assumption to this point, I'll pay closer attention tonight

That is over-praising. Cirelli's unlikely to put up the offensive numbers required to get in a legit Selke conversation.

 

[Rschmitz]

That is over-praising. Cirelli's unlikely to put up the offensive numbers required to get in a legit Selke conversation.

I agree, last guy to win the Selke with Cirelli-esque numbers was John Madden back in 2001. In context I think they were just making a point of Cirelli's defensive capabilities.

 

[JoVel]

That is over-praising. Cirelli's unlikely to put up the offensive numbers required to get in a legit Selke conversation.

Or be good enough defensively either.

 

[ccman68]

Anthony Cirelli deserves more appreciation than he’s getting

 

[Rschmitz]

Anthony Cirelli deserves more appreciation than he’s getting

Nice to see someone put together some stats which confirm what I'm seeing on the ice. Cirelli is a shutdown center

 

[Stormbreaker]

 

[Stormbreaker]

Rookie watch: Cirelli becomes fixture for Lightning

 

[Bolt 45]

Cirelli strikes me as the kind of player who's going to be relentless about improving every detail of his game (like he has with his stride), such that I doubt that he presently resembles the player he's ultimately going to be in a few years. Not to mention, he's essentially icing on our cake. As long we've got Point slotted in as our shutdown center, he's skilled and smart enough to do more than we actually need him to do. Which is a very good thing. Cirelli is just further proof that team is really, really deep.

 

[Hinterland]

Cirelli strikes me as the kind of player who's going to be relentless about improving every detail of his game (like he has with his stride), such that I doubt that he presently resembles the player he's ultimately going to be in a few years. Not to mention, he's essentially icing on our cake. As long we've got Point slotted in as our shutdown center, he's skilled and smart enough to do more than we actually need him to do. Which is a very good thing. Cirelli is just further proof that team is really, really deep.

Point has more potential in terms of scoring but Cirelli has the better allround game and physical presence so in an ideal world, Cirelli is the shutdown Center with Point scoring the points
I can see Cirelli scoring lots of points, too and we already saw Point play very well in a shutdown role last season but I really think that the way you want to use them wouldn't be ideal.

 

[DFC]

Cirelli strikes me as the kind of player who's going to be relentless about improving every detail of his game (like he has with his stride), such that I doubt that he presently resembles the player he's ultimately going to be in a few years. Not to mention, he's essentially icing on our cake. As long we've got Point slotted in as our shutdown center, he's skilled and smart enough to do more than we actually need him to do. Which is a very good thing. Cirelli is just further proof that team is really, really deep.

I don't think he's going to evolve into a whole lot more than he is. A little bit, sure. I could see him as a 35-40 point 3C, which will make him one of the better 3Cs in the league. But I don't see him as a regular top-sixer, particularly not for us.

 

[Volodya Krutov]

Or be good enough defensively either.

I don't know. He's not gonna produce enough offense to enter the conversation but for someone who doesn't even have 60 NHL games under his belt Cirelli looks like a seasoned center out there. Defense first, he's always at the right place, at the right time. I expect Paquette's & Cirelli's lines as interchangeable shutdown lines come playoffs time, as Cooper will likely try to get Point's line the most favorable match-up.

 

[Rschmitz]

Cirelli has limited offensive potential but he does what he does extremely well. He tilts the ice and puts a lot of pressure on the opposition in their zone

 

[Bolt 45]

Point has more potential in terms of scoring but Cirelli has the better allround game and physical presence so in an ideal world, Cirelli is the shutdown Center with Point scoring the points
I can see Cirelli scoring lots of points, too and we already saw Point play very well in a shutdown role last season but I really think that the way you want to use them wouldn't be ideal.

Yeah, I suppose you're right. My larger point was simply that both guys are good defensively, which is a luxury, but that Point's skill set makes him a little better suited to shadowing the top guys in the league on a nightly basis.

 

[Bolt 45]

I don't think he's going to evolve into a whole lot more than he is. A little bit, sure. I could see him as a 35-40 point 3C, which will make him one of the better 3Cs in the league. But I don't see him as a regular top-sixer, particularly not for us.

That's fair, and really not too far off from my projections. Just to clarify, I don't see him turning into a different style of player, just that I think he'll be a more refined version of what we're seeing with a bit more room for growth than the average bottom-sixer. I could see top-six eventually (on a team with less depth), particularly if he's a Cup winner. As his biggest strength to my eye is his hockey IQ/savvy, I see him adapting his game to the league more ably than other guys might. Essentially, I'm kind of adopting more of a defenseman-esque timeline in terms of figuring out what his ceiling is. Whatever the case, I'm sure glad we have him, I know that much.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

I don’t know if you guys have noticed this but Cirelli is low key amazing defensively. Dude is a stud with his defensive ability and his ability to get to the net and get breakaways. His motor just doesn’t stop and it will serve him well. Looks like another diamond in the rough here.

 

[LetsNotUseNames]

Glad Chief acknowledged "Sicirelli". He deserves it.

 

[Hoek]

Glad Chief acknowledged "Sicirelli". He deserves it.

Pretty sure he said Ciccarelli was the breakout player of the year. Kudos to Dino!

 

[VoluntaryDom]

no but seriously cirelli is really good defensively. a couple times a game he cuts off a pass or finds a loose puck that could have ended up in our net. dude is a beast.

 

[These Are The Days]

Pretty sure he said Ciccarelli was the breakout player of the year. Kudos to Dino!

No wonder he won't change his number from 71 to his usual 22. Chief is gonna make the mistake every time

 

[The Macho King]

So it's bye week and we don't play again until the Cup Finals if I read the schedule correctly, so I've been thinking about him.

I kind of hear a lot about how he's a 3C, complete or whatever. And I have to disagree with that. Cirelli has two defining characteristics - through-the-roof IQ and a motor that doesn't stop. He's bust through any ceiling anyone has ever put on him his entire career. Right now his offensive skills are a bit limited, but that's the type of thing that can change over time.

A player like that - that's all motor and IQ at 21 years old - there's no ceiling on a player like that. If he ends up staying as a 3C, that's fine. But he's also a prime candidate to continue developing into something way more than expected. Hell - he already is. He played on a deep Cup contender at 20 years old as a third round pick.

 

[ccman68]

So it's bye week and we don't play again until the Cup Finals if I read the schedule correctly, so I've been thinking about him.

I kind of hear a lot about how he's a 3C, complete or whatever. And I have to disagree with that. Cirelli has two defining characteristics - through-the-roof IQ and a motor that doesn't stop. He's bust through any ceiling anyone has ever put on him his entire career. Right now his offensive skills are a bit limited, but that's the type of thing that can change over time.

A player like that - that's all motor and IQ at 21 years old - there's no ceiling on a player like that. If he ends up staying as a 3C, that's fine. But he's also a prime candidate to continue developing into something way more than expected. Hell - he already is. He played on a deep Cup contender at 20 years old as a third round pick.

People overrate the importance of offensive skills. Hockey is a sport where you can get far with just being smart. Actually the best hockey player of all time was that good largely because of his brain and hockey iq. So what I'm saying is that Cirelli is basically the next Gretzky.