Around The League Part 10: Sleep with one eye open

Status
Not open for further replies.

Discipline Daddy

Brentcent Van Burns
Nov 27, 2009
2,605
6,780
Raleigh, NC
Sharks top rankings of all 31 NHL teams' defense groups

Am I allowed to post links? I can't remember.

Anyhow, ESPN did a list of best defensive groups. Here is the top 10:

1) Sharks
2) Predators
3) Jets
4) Kings
5) Wild
6) Lightning
7) Ducks
8) Canes
9) Flames
10) Blue Jackets

I honestly cannot get behind the Canes being anything less than 3rd, though I'm obviously a homer. Our third pairing is the best in the league, and our top pairing is also excellent. It's not a great article. They mention "the emergence of Brett Pesce" as if he isn't already a top pairing defender, which he is. They also misspelled young Jaccob's name.
 

Anton Dubinchuk

aho
Sponsor
Jul 18, 2010
25,982
54,308
Atlanta, GA
I'm a big Wysh guy (Puck Soup is the greatest podcast of all-time), so I really wanted to give Kaplan every bit of benefit of the doubt. Some of her "special topics" articles are very good. But everything she writes in the vein of opinion pieces/roster composition/etc. is filled with little tidbits that show her knowledge is subpar. That Pesce comment being a good example. The Kings being #4 being a better one.

I don't mind being not top 3 (although I think I'd personally disagree), but 8 is a little low...
 
Last edited:

GoldiFox

Registered User
Apr 21, 2014
13,287
32,030
I'm a big Wysh guy (Puck Soup is the greatest podcast of all-time), so I really wanted to give Kaplan every bit of benefit of the doubt. Some of her "special topics" articles are very good. But everything she writes in the vein of opinion pieces/roster composition/etc. is filled with little tidbit that show that her knowledge is subpar. That Pesce comment being a good example. The Kings being #3 being a better one.

I don't mind being not top 3 (although I think I'd personally disagree), but 8 is a little low...

"Depending on the emergence of Brett Pesce, this group might be even higher by season's end"

Cool... So pending the emergence of this reporter's eyes on a Carolina Hurricanes game, they will be moving right on up the list. Do they have no content editor there to flag this as something that makes absolutely zero sense? She could have picked Fleury or Bean and it would have made sense. She could have said "Depending on Slavin-Pesce continuing their development" and it would have made sense. What she said made no meaningful sense.
 

A Star is Burns

Formerly Azor Aho
Sponsor
Dec 6, 2011
12,269
38,822
Well, let's hold that thought until we see how the baby Canes and Darling do against a pretty NHL talent heavy Preds team. We may want to revisit this statement tonight at 11 pm and before the waiver deadline expires.
Unless he starts rifling it into his own net on purpose, I somehow doubt it will have any bearing on his standard.
 

Boom Boom Apathy

I am the Professor. Deal with it!
Sep 6, 2006
48,174
97,099
On paper, our defense was generally thought of as one of the top 5-8 in the NHL last year also. Didn't work out that way.

I like our defense this year, but in order for them to get some recognition, they need to put up a solid season as a group. Getting to the playoffs will help with some name recognition as well.
 

emptyNedder

Not seeking rents
Sponsor
Jan 17, 2018
3,805
8,568
"Depending on the emergence of Brett Pesce, this group might be even higher by season's end"

Then the Canes are going to #3 easy.

I think Pesce will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new style of play. He is actually above average with the puck on his stick--the shorthanded opportunity Friday is an example. His shot also improved toward the end of last season. It isn't "big" like Faulk's or Hamilton's, but for the last month he was putting the puck in ideal spots for forwards to tip. With Zykov and company, I can see Pesce getting close to 30 assists.
 

Bjornar Moxnes

Stem Rødt og Felix Unger Sörum
Oct 16, 2016
11,490
3,942
Troms og Finnmark
Sharks top rankings of all 31 NHL teams' defense groups

Am I allowed to post links? I can't remember.

Anyhow, ESPN did a list of best defensive groups. Here is the top 10:

1) Sharks
2) Predators
3) Jets
4) Kings
5) Wild
6) Lightning
7) Ducks
8) Canes
9) Flames
10) Blue Jackets

I honestly cannot get behind the Canes being anything less than 3rd, though I'm obviously a homer. Our third pairing is the best in the league, and our top pairing is also excellent. It's not a great article. They mention "the emergence of Brett Pesce" as if he isn't already a top pairing defender, which he is. They also misspelled young Jaccob's name.

How Blues don't make that top 10 is baffling.
 

Bjornar Moxnes

Stem Rødt og Felix Unger Sörum
Oct 16, 2016
11,490
3,942
Troms og Finnmark
How Blues don't make that top 10 is baffling.

Fowler is massively overrated, Lindholm is great but Pietrangelo is a top 10 arguably top 5 Dman in the league. Manson is underrated and great, but even then Parayko is better. Montour is mep. When it comes to bottom pairing D, Bouwmeester is on his last legs but he's still easily a good bottom pairing Dman. Bortuzzo and Schmaltz are both above average #6 Dman. The Ducks bottom pairing is uh...Kings shouldn't be this high either. There's a big drop off after Doughty. Edmundson is the weakest Dman in that top 4, but he's still a good Dman. Dunn is better than Montour and has high potential.
 

My Special Purpose

Registered User
Apr 8, 2008
8,151
21,787
No doubt in my mind we go 11 deep on defense better than anyone (Hamilton, Slavin, de Haan, Pesce, Faulk, van Riemsdyk, Fleury, McKeown, Bean, Cajkovsky and Carrick). I think we'd survive with any two of them on the bottom pair. And Fox is coming.

I don't want to mess with what's going on right now, but our depth is pretty silly. Up front, too. We've definitely got what it would take to get Duchene. But I can't imagine trading any of these young guys.
 

Sens1Canes2

Registered User
May 13, 2007
10,664
8,284
Zack Smith waived by OTT. Canes need a center and here is a veteran option, albeit not a great one. Problem is, he is owed a lot of money over the next 3 years for what he brings. He also struggled badly last year so no idea if he has anything left so would need @Sens1Canes2 to weigh in on that.

Doubt Canes would claim him at that salary, but maybe if he clears (and has something in the tank), they could investigate a trade with retention.
Yeah, Smith is a good soldier and a useful player....but like you said, owed a lot of money for 3 more years. While the Canes could get him for most-likely-literally-nothing, I just don’t think they need his type of play.
 

MinJaBen

Canes Sharks Boy
Sponsor
Dec 14, 2015
20,671
79,613
Durm
No doubt in my mind we go 11 deep on defense better than anyone (Hamilton, Slavin, de Haan, Pesce, Faulk, van Riemsdyk, Fleury, McKeown, Bean, Cajkovsky and Carrick). I think we'd survive with any two of them on the bottom pair. And Fox is coming.

I don't want to mess with what's going on right now, but our depth is pretty silly. Up front, too. We've definitely got what it would take to get Duchene. But I can't imagine trading any of these young guys.
This is going to make it easy to only protect 3 D and 7 forwards at the next expansion instead of 4D and 4 forwards.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->