Player Discussion: Anton Stralman

[Nordic*]

Where do you see Stralman the upcoming season?

I have been high on him for years and always 'knew' that he would turn it around - given his raw talent. Now he has.

In New York he was pretty much used as a shutdown defenceman, with really limited chances to show what he was mostly known for back in Sweden.

Will he be on a PP-unit in Tampa?

Where do you see him in the depth chart among defencemen, number two after Hedman?

Hopefully he can really bloom in Tampa, wish we could've snatched him up in Ottawa instead, but oh well ;-)

Click to read more...

 

[Brie]

Those are some good questions that we won't really know the answer for until training camp. I do however think that they will play him as number two on a pairing with Hedman and even if the rangers fans want to tell everyone othervise I think that he would be great in that role. As for PP time we'll see, maybe on the 2nd pp if anything because that one is a lot more up in the air than the first one, maybe they will try him and Garrison on it with Johnson, Drouin/Filppula and Brown/Killorn/Panik.

As for him being a shutdown defenceman I think they really want him for that as well but I also see his point titsl going up for the same reason why Callahan's did, because TB, unlike NYR, have players who can finish and do things with great passes and Anton is a great passer and great at getting the puck up the ice.

 

[Mikeaveli]

I don't see there being room for him on the PP. We have Hedman and Flip on the point for the first unit, then we have Carle, Garrison and Barbs who are all PP-capable, and IIRC Drouin's ran the point before in Halifax so he could be an option there as well.

I think he'll play mostly a defensive role next to Hedman on ES and the PK.

 

[HoseEmDown]

He'll be our best defenseman with a RH shot so he might see PP time. He'll get it late in games when we're up but he'll but not much unless Garrison struggles on the 2nd unit. He'll be getting heavy minutes at ES with Hedman and be on the top PK with Carle.

He's #2 but by default because we don't have a true #2 and he really isn't one. He's going to be our right handed Carle. A more physical, bigger shot Carle. Someone who is better in a complimentary role then being the main guy.

 

[DFC]

Given Coop's love for the 4F / 1D setup on the first unit, I don't see how Stralman gets PP time without an injury.

My guess is he'll be tried out as Hedman's partner and he'll be the #1 PK option.

 

[Leonardo87]

Where do you see Stralman the upcoming season?

I have been high on him for years and always 'knew' that he would turn it around - given his raw talent. Now he has.

In New York he was pretty much used as a shutdown defenceman, with really limited chances to show what he was mostly known for back in Sweden.

Will he be on a PP-unit in Tampa?

Where do you see him in the depth chart among defencemen, number two after Hedman?

Hopefully he can really bloom in Tampa, wish we could've snatched him up in Ottawa instead, but oh well ;-)

Stralman is not going to score a lot of goals or put up points but he is going to control the puck and get it out of Tampa's zone.

I do not see him playing on the PP, unless like DFC said there is an injury. He is very consistent and being paired with Hedman is going to certainly up his game.

As per depth, he was the 2nd pairing on the Rangers, but played well enough to be on the 1st pairing, imo. So he will likely be on the 1st pairing with Hedman. Should give Hedman more opportunity to put up more offensive numbers since he will have a better defense-man pairing with him.

 

[Glide5]

Personally I hope Stralman will be first pair with Hedman. I know some people say that might be to big a role for him, but he seems to be the perfect guy for Hedman to be partnered with right now. If they click, they could be a really solid top pairing.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

I would really like to see Stralman with Carle. Let Carle become a big transition guy again, move those feet.

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

I would really like to see Stralman with Carle. Let Carle become a big transition guy again, move those feet.

Who would play 2 with Hedman?

 

[jayslightning79]

I don't know about you guys but having Garrison's one-timer from the right side and Stamkos from the Left would only make our #1 PP that much more lethal. Remember a couple of years ago when teams started watching Stamkos a little more how many one-timers St Louis and Lecavalier would get from the right circle?

I'd like to think that having someone who can distribute the puck up high (Most Likely Hedman). Would give us 2 potential target for a massive shot during the PP.

Also I'm sure Stralman could run PP#2 with Barberio...Just add Brian Boyle in front of the net and let Kucherov and Drouin undress the opposing team.

 

[DFC]

I don't know about you guys but having Garrison's one-timer from the right side and Stamkos from the Left would only make our #1 PP that much more lethal. Remember a couple of years ago when teams started watching Stamkos a little more how many one-timers St Louis and Lecavalier would get from the right circle?

I'd like to think that having someone who can distribute the puck up high (Most Likely Hedman). Would give us 2 potential target for a massive shot during the PP.

Also I'm sure Stralman could run PP#2 with Barberio...Just add Brian Boyle in front of the net and let Kucherov and Drouin undress the opposing team.

Can't see this happening.

Cooper plays 4 forwards on his first unit and that's unlikely to change, unless we're talking about removing Callahan or Palat.

The second unit barely sees the ice and it'll probably be Carle and Garrison on the blue line.

 

[Leonardo87]

Can't see this happening.

Cooper plays 4 forwards on his first unit and that's unlikely to change, unless we're talking about removing Callahan or Palat.

The second unit barely sees the ice and it'll probably be Carle and Garrison on the blue line.

Oh please no.

 

[BoltSTH]

I think the top 6 is pretty much set as
Hedman-Stralman
Carle-Garrison
Brewer -Gudas

With Sustr/Baberio as 7th or serving pop corn

Garrison may get a chance of 2nd PP unit, but those in the lower bowl, not protected by netting need to pay attention.

 

[eco's bones]

From a Rangers fan perspective--Stralman is not really a shutdown defenseman. He's gotten very good defensively but he's not on his own going to give the best offensive players in the league nightmares. For us he was a very subtle player. Great at moving the puck out of his defensive zone. He has quick feet and could make the nice safe play to break things back into the neutral zone as well as anybody on our defense with the exception of McDonagh. Very good hockey IQ.

He broke into the league as more of an offensive player. With the Rangers he became more of a defensive player. Some of the offense was lost with that but he benefited a lot for it. He's a smart and very tactical player. He had a great partner in Marc Staal who is really more the shutdown guy. Stralman is a little on the small side. He makes very good reads and though not a frequent hitter--he has a really nice hip check and if he's taken for granted he'll step up and really nail a player now and again.

 

[HoseEmDown]

From a Rangers fan perspective--Stralman is not really a shutdown defenseman. He's gotten very good defensively but he's not on his own going to give the best offensive players in the league nightmares. For us he was a very subtle player. Great at moving the puck out of his defensive zone. He has quick feet and could make the nice safe play to break things back into the neutral zone as well as anybody on our defense with the exception of McDonagh. Very good hockey IQ.

He broke into the league as more of an offensive player. With the Rangers he became more of a defensive player. Some of the offense was lost with that but he benefited a lot for it. He's a smart and very tactical player. He had a great partner in Marc Staal who is really more the shutdown guy. Stralman is a little on the small side. He makes very good reads and though not a frequent hitter--he has a really nice hip check and if he's taken for granted he'll step up and really nail a player now and again.

Sounds like Matt Carle. Making less money and right handed. If he produces like Carle and plays tough minutes like him then we'll be happy. If he's just better then Salo most will still be happy.

 

[garmonbozia]

From a Rangers fan perspective--Stralman is not really a shutdown defenseman. He's gotten very good defensively but he's not on his own going to give the best offensive players in the league nightmares. For us he was a very subtle player. Great at moving the puck out of his defensive zone. He has quick feet and could make the nice safe play to break things back into the neutral zone as well as anybody on our defense with the exception of McDonagh. Very good hockey IQ.

He broke into the league as more of an offensive player. With the Rangers he became more of a defensive player. Some of the offense was lost with that but he benefited a lot for it. He's a smart and very tactical player. He had a great partner in Marc Staal who is really more the shutdown guy. Stralman is a little on the small side. He makes very good reads and though not a frequent hitter--he has a really nice hip check and if he's taken for granted he'll step up and really nail a player now and again.

Hedman is the one that'll be giving people nightmares. Having a partner that makes "nice safe play"s and has "very good hockey IQ" should free Victor up to be more aggressive at both ends of the ice. But, who really knows, we might get through camp and find Cooper prefers Stralman partnered with someone else. Maybe Gudas or Sustr outperform one of the new guys and actually deserves a spot in the top 4.

We'll see.

 

[Leonardo87]

Hedman is the one that'll be giving people nightmares. Having a partner that makes "nice safe play"s and has "very good hockey IQ" should free Victor up to be more aggressive at both ends of the ice. But, who really knows, we might get through camp and find Cooper prefers Stralman partnered with someone else. Maybe Gudas or Sustr outperform one of the new guys and actually deserves a spot in the top 4.

We'll see.

Stralman is going to be the one to get the puck out of their zone and set up Hedman and the forwards. He won't get points but it's not just all about points that make you win.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

Who would play 2 with Hedman?

Don't care, Heddy carries that pairing and we both know it

 

[Brie]

I think that this is the best thread to post this.

I found this somewhat accurate translation of an interview with Henrik Lundqvist from a website called hockeysverige.se and he’s talking about StrÃ¥lman:

One of several players to leave the Rangers in the off-season is Anton StrÃ¥lman. New club address for him will be the Tampa Bay Lightning. StrÃ¥lman was one of the team's best defenders last season, according to Lundqvist, and he thinks it's a shame that 28-year-old won’t play for the Rangers anymore.

- That's the way it works. I mean that when you get to the contract negotiations - we had several guys and especially a good endgame where Anton was one of them - will you be offered a very good contract somewhere else, it is easy to accept that.
- Rangers wanted to keep him, but now Anton got a very good offer from Tampa. It was hard for him to say no to it. When people have good seasons so-called contract year, even if we wanted to keep him, so things happen that you can not influence as much.
- Anton was very good for us, no doubt about that. He was very stable and I think he was one of our better defenders at the end of the season.

http://www.hockeysverige.se/2014/08...lsen-bakom-sig-har-hungern-att-ga-hela-vagen/
------

Then there was this part from a Q&A with Lundqvist for BauerHockey’s twitter that he did a short while back that’s interesting:

steven ‏@_kreider
@BauerHockey who on the NYR scores the most in practice? #KingsCourt

Bauer Hockey
‏@BauerHockey
@_kreider Not too sure, but Anton Stralman was really good on breakaways. –HL

-----

Lundqvist is as good of a player as anyone to know what a guy like Strålman can bring to a team, especially as a goalie he seem to be someone that they can rely on to help out.

 

[Leonardo87]

It seems everyone including Lundqvist thinks Stralman was one of the best defenseman next to Mcdonagh of course, except for a few HF Rangers fans, lol.

Why have I hyped Stralman even before he signed? Because you will see less time in your teams defensive zone when Stralman is on the ice, and he will carry the puck out and get it to safety and is an excellent possession player. Something Tampa was lacking last season. He won't put up a lot of points, but you have Hedman and the rest of the forwards core to do that.

With Boyle and Callahan on this team, it is going to make it easy for him to adjust on and off the ice. When Stralman signed, I was almost as happy as when Cally signed............almost.

 

[FDfranklin]

It seems everyone including Lundqvist thinks Stralman was one of the best defenseman next to Mcdonagh of course, except for a few HF Rangers fans, lol.

Why have I hyped Stralman even before he signed? Because you will see less time in your teams defensive zone when Stralman is on the ice, and he will carry the puck out and get it to safety and is an excellent possession player. Something Tampa was lacking last season. He won't put up a lot of points, but you have Hedman and the rest of the forwards core to do that.

With Boyle and Callahan on this team, it is going to make it easy for him to adjust on and off the ice. When Stralman signed, I was almost as happy as when Cally signed............almost.

I'M PUMPED. I cannot wait for this season. Very happen with what Yzerman has done.

 

[tidus37]

I saw a very interesting tweet: https://twitter.com/slimcliffy/status/507564002084659200

“@SlimCliffy: Ryan McDonagh with Anton Stralman last year (134 minutes): 58.9% CorsiFor.

McDonagh without Anton Stralman (1240 minutes): 50.5% CorsiForâ€

Now I know that even though it's analytics I guess what I'm trying to get at is Stralsy helped MacTruck and Staal a lot in comparison with or without him.

So I wonder now more than ever honestly what a Stralsy-Hedman pairing will truly look like. They've been skating in Brandon since they got back to Tampa.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

I saw a very interesting tweet: https://twitter.com/slimcliffy/status/507564002084659200

“@SlimCliffy: Ryan McDonagh with Anton Stralman last year (134 minutes): 58.9% CorsiFor.

McDonagh without Anton Stralman (1240 minutes): 50.5% CorsiForâ€

Now I know that even though it's analytics I guess what I'm trying to get at is Stralsy helped MacTruck and Staal a lot in comparison with or without him.

So I wonder now more than ever honestly what a Stralsy-Hedman pairing will truly look like. They've been skating in Brandon since they got back to Tampa.

Thats not even the best one - look at the with you/without you numbers for Stralman and Girardi. Girardi craters, HARD.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hock...2196598?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

New Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman said he didn't know fellow Swede Victor Hedman well before signing this summer.

Stralman, 28, played with Hedman's older brother Oscar, 28, in the World Junior Championships, but he met Victor only a few times.

However, when Stralman joined Hedman, 23, last week for the team's informal skates at the Ice Forum, he said they had quick-developing chemistry.

"It's almost like that when you meet a fellow Swede, it's like you've known each other forever," Stralman said. "It's just natural."

"It'd be awesome to play together," Hedman said. "But we'll see what happens."

"You saw in the playoffs how good of a player he is," Hedman said. "He can play on both ends of the ice. He's consistent. He's going to bring a lot to this team, great experience."

"He's got the full package," Stralman said. "I think we would complement each other really well."

Stralman, who has 18 goals in seven NHL seasons, thinks the Lightning's style could help him squeeze more offense out of his game, too.

"I'm a puck-possession d-man, so I try to create much, but maybe not follow it up all the time," Stralman said. "Maybe now I'll be able to do that a little better, more efficient."

Whether the two Swedes are the right fit in a pairing remains to be seen, but Hedman suggested another advantage.

"It'll be easier for us to communicate," he said. "And harder for the opposition to know what we're saying."

 

[FDfranklin]

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hock...2196598?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

That last quote is hilarious. I hope they do get to play together.