Antoine Vermette

[HABS_FrEaK]

I was just wondering how good you guys thought this guy will be. I saw that he was a 8.0B before graduating, which is pretty good.

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[hockeyfan125]

he has a ton of natural tools, but he doesn't have the best hockey sense. I'd say his absolute upside is going to be a solid 2nd line 2-way player, but I think he is going to settle in nicely as a great, speedy PK'er and energy guy who can pot 15-20 goals.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

He's played on the 4th line all year and has 17 goals. That's pretty good, especially with no powerplay time and under 10 minutes a game at even strength. He's great in his own zone and plays on Ottawa's top PK unit. Unfortunately, everytime he's been given a chance to play on one of Ottawa's scoring chance, he's never really stepped up.

He'll definately be a great 3rd line player, it's just a matter of whether he can find his scoring touch on a consistent basis. If he can, he'll be a great 2nd line player.

 

[Clutch Mediocrity]

Agreed with what all my fellow Sens fans have said, but I'll try and get into a bit more depth.

I think the fact that he's very quietly on his way to 21 goals as a sophomore, in more or less a strictly bottom-six/PK role speaks volumes for the kid. That role has changed a bit the past two games with Fisher being hurt, but once he's back (roughly two weeks) all will be back to normal again. His 4 shorthanded goals are tied for 4th in the league, one back of the leaders Alfredsson and Hossa with 5. A bit of a concern is that he doesn't look too confident on a scoring line, but that should come with time and experience to the point where he at least doesn't look tentative.

Something definatly worth mentioning is that of his 17 goals scored to date he already has 3 game winners. On a team like Ottawa where the "big" line or heavily underrated "grind" line are always called upon first when needed, that's impressive. Vermette has a knack for scoring/creating big goals and being in perfect position at the right time. Our OT goal to force a game 7 against Toronto last year for example was all Antoine in terms of set-up. He was always quite good in the playoffs as a junior with Victoriaville of the QMJHL. And in his short NHL post-season tenure as a rookie he only surpassed expectations, playing better than qutie a few of our more seasoned players.

I think I think 8.0B is definatly a bit high for Vermette. I doubt he ever becomes a first-liner, let alone have decent odds at it. In the even that he does, I doubt it'll ever be in Ottawa with Spezza already in that position and constant trade rumours swirling around Vermy. But given that it was always his offensive upside that was questioned I think 7.5B is a very fair grade for Antoine. That'd make him a better than average second-liner, with a chance of bettering/dissapointing on that projection.

Again, his offensive was always the big "?" and it's coming along nicely with limited ice and little quality of the time he does recieve. His defensive awarness is already top notch, being among our better defnsive forwards and top PK'ers already, while his superior skating is perfect for the "new" NHL. He's been the fastest Sens skater since entering the league, and his work-ethic seems very strong. Worst case scenario, you have a good third liner who can excell shorthanded and contribute some offense in all situations. And I'm happy with that. All the tools are there to be a fine, it'll sure be interesting to see what happens with them.

 

[Ismellofhockey]

It also seems he hasn't "clicked" with any of our top 6 forwards yet, which might explain his lack of production in a top 6 role but in his 2 AHL seasons he managed to put up 34 and 28 goals, so he does have the potential to be more than a defensive player.

 

[Redden Punches Faces*]

I have no problem with the 8.0B grade. Seems pretty accurate to me.