ATD Chat Thread XVI

[VanIslander]

Charlie McAvoy easily leads the Bruins in ice time among skaters and the team's top shot-blocking all-situation defenseman is an early 1st round pick. He should be a media sensation but he's American, and playing for an American team. To TSN and Sportsnet he barely exists.

Timo Meier is the leading scorer among Shark wingers this postseason (plus was a 30-goal scorer in the regular season) and was a top-10 draft pick, but he is Swiss and plays for a small U.S. market. Canadian media are forgiven for barely mentioning him.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Charlie McAvoy easily leads the Bruins in ice time among skaters and the team's top shot-blocking all-situation defenseman is an early 1st round pick. He should be a media sensation but he's American, and playing for an American team. To TSN and Sportsnet he barely exists.

Timo Meier is the leading scorer among Shark wingers this postseason (plus was a 30-goal scorer in the regular season) and was a top-10 draft pick, but he is Swiss and plays for a small U.S. market. Canadian media are forgiven for barely mentioning him.

The bruins continue to find #1 defensemen.A pattern for this franchise.

Chara is on his way out? Boom, McAvoy becomes a #1 D.

 

[tinyzombies]

Or will he be the next Dionne, Hawerchuk, Sundin, Ratelle, Perreault, Sittler...

You aren’t serious?

 

[tinyzombies]

The bruins continue to find #1 defensemen.A pattern for this franchise.

Chara is on his way out? Boom, McAvoy becomes a #1 D.

Montreal could have had Chara

 

[VanIslander]

You aren’t serious?

Look.

Dionne scored more over a 10-season span than anybody!

If McDavid can score at the highest level for an entire decade, against all comers (also playing for a noncontending team), then we can question my seriousness.

Given how the Kings were not deep in talent yet Dionne thrived, the comparison is apt.

Dionne was a two-time Ted Lindsay Award winner who was 2nd in NHL career points at one point (behind only Gordie). Yet his team lacked the depth to become a Stanley Cup contender.

McDavid may become the next Dionne. The question was always: How awesome would it have been to have Marcel on the Canadiens?

 

[seventieslord]

I think it would take a lot going wrong for McDavid to end up with "just" a Dionne-level offensive record.

McDavid's already been a top-2 scorer in the league three times by age 22. Dionne did it four times in total, but not until he was 25.

Just like when you're judging junior age players, age matters a lot. there's a big difference between a player who is able to be a top-2 scorer once he reached his absolute peak, and one who is able to do it six years before that age.

(and, of course, Dionne is, by far, the best player VI named - he's the only one for whom the comparison even remotely makes sense, and even then, it really doesn't)

 

[tinyzombies]

I think it would take a lot going wrong for McDavid to end up with "just" a Dionne-level offensive record.

McDavid's already been a top-2 scorer in the league three times by age 22. Dionne did it four times in total, but not until he was 25.

Just like when you're judging junior age players, age matters a lot. there's a big difference between a player who is able to be a top-2 scorer once he reached his absolute peak, and one who is able to do it six years before that age.

(and, of course, Dionne is, by far, the best player VI named - he's the only one for whom the comparison even remotely makes sense, and even then, it really doesn't)

Dionne was an offensive star but not a superstar. Conner is already on the cusp of taking over if he hasn’t already. Dionne never threatened that. Maybe he was considered a possible superstar coming out of jr but that’s it.

 

[Hobnobs]

I think it would take a lot going wrong for McDavid to end up with "just" a Dionne-level offensive record.

McDavid's already been a top-2 scorer in the league three times by age 22. Dionne did it four times in total, but not until he was 25.

Just like when you're judging junior age players, age matters a lot. there's a big difference between a player who is able to be a top-2 scorer once he reached his absolute peak, and one who is able to do it six years before that age.

(and, of course, Dionne is, by far, the best player VI named - he's the only one for whom the comparison even remotely makes sense, and even then, it really doesn't)

Dionne did manage to be top-3 while playing for the dead things which I would argue was a far worse team than current day Oilers.

 

[seventieslord]

Dionne did manage to be top-3 while playing for the dead things which I would argue was a far worse team than current day Oilers.

And as we've seen, that's not necessarily a disadvantage. Being the only good player on a bad team cuts both ways.

 

[Hobnobs]

And as we've seen, that's not necessarily a disadvantage. Being the only good player on a bad team cuts both ways.

but it usually is a disadvantage as we've seen multiple times. There is also many examples of centres having their offensive peak before the age of 25. Including Gretzky, Lemieux, Yzerman, Trottier, Malkin, Turgeon, Hawerchuk etc. Sometimes its just natural, sometimes from limiting factors like injuries. Point is that McDavid ending up as another Dionne isnt that far fetched. The rest of the list is, jeez but as of right now McDavid could definitely end up closer to Dionne. I do think he will end up better than Dionne we'll just have to see by how much.

I get that people reacted to the names on that list but I think we shoudl rather react to his puzzling defense of Gretzky 96 playoffs....

 

[BenchBrawl]

I can't believe Zdeno Chara is about to break the record for most Game 7 played.I would never have guessed it if you asked me.

 

[VanIslander]

Chara is a 6-time Norris trophy finalist and a winner of playoff rounds in 10 postseasons, including three trips to the Stanley Cup Finals (this the 2nd time he led the playoffs in plus-minus), 9th all-time among defensemen in playoff games with 181, averaging over 26 minutes played.

A first-ballot hall of famer.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Chara is very, very underrated.

I think I had him higher than anyone in the top 100 project.

He's an elite all time great defensive dman. And his offensive totals are much better than somebody like Rod Langway. His slap shot is in the highest reaches all time.

And given how awards these days heavily favour offensive totals along the blue line, Chara's AS and Norris record is fabulous.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Regardless of whether Chara is underrated or not, him playing in the most Game 7s is ridiculously random in my mind.Couldn't believe it when I saw it.

 

[VanIslander]

The difference in the series was not goaltending: it was the defensemen.

The Blues blueliners were in great position to break up rushes, forcing opposing forwards to shoot from wide angles or go behind the net, the duo tying up any individual rush attempts inside.

The Bruins dmen, especially Krug and McAvoy, were often caught up ice on transition plays, having headmanned the puck themselves deep past the offensive blueline.

Rask made a few huge saves early in the third but his dmen didn't help him out front and two of the goals given up were to shooters wide open receiving a pass.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Once again, goalie get no credit.

Rookie netminder, on the road, in a game 7, and he puts on a clinic, with a couple of huge, huge saves. None bigger than the one midway through the third, stole an easy goal with the right pad. Game was still 2-0 then.

I thought Piets was amazing. Ryan O is going to win a Selke or two I think. He's a really strong 2 way player. Defense AND clutch goaltending was the definitely the difference.

 

[Dreakmur]

Once again, goalie get no credit.

Rookie netminder, on the road, in a game 7, and he puts on a clinic, with a couple of huge, huge saves. None bigger than the one midway through the third, stole an easy goal with the right pad. Game was still 2-0 then.

I thought Piets was amazing. Ryan O is going to win a Selke or two I think. He's a really strong 2 way player. Defense AND clutch goaltending was the definitely the difference.

How did he get no credit? He was one of the three guys who all could have won the Conn Smythe.

 

[ImporterExporter]

How did he get no credit? He was one of the three guys who all could have won the Conn Smythe.

Van, in the post above mine.

 

[VanIslander]

The media kept raving about him.
Rask was also making big saves!

Glad ROR got the Conn Smythe. He had a couple of takeaways, being all over the Bruins. I agree he is Selke material.

 

[BenchBrawl]

What a lame playoff year overall though.Completely uninterested in what goes on.No great stories, no powerhouse, no momentum, no buzz, no nothing.

 

[VanIslander]

What a lame playoff year overall though.Completely uninterested in what goes on.No great stories, no powerhouse, no momentum, no buzz, no nothing.

What?! It was the year of UPSETS!

You may not like Colorado, Columbus, Carolina, Dallas or St. Louis but what they did was remarkable!

Slaying Calgary, Winnipeg, Nashville, Tampa Bay and Washington? Wow.

Even the Islanders: making the playoffs without Tavares, then proving their high seeding was no fluke by silencing naysayers with a first round victory against the Vegas odds-on-favorite squad of Crosby, Malkin and co...

The Blues going from the league basement to playoff victors each round on the addition of a new coach and the minor league goalie that coach had coached in the minor league.

This postseason has been unforgettable.

(I was cheering for Nashville, Vegas, Washington and Marleau, so after round one i had no dogs in the race - so i watched as a hockey fan not a homer, and wished veterans would strengthen their hhof /atd/hockey history resume. I certainly think Pietrangelo and Tarasenko added to their resumes! Marchand, Bergeron, Chara, Burns... one wonders about more to come from impressive Couture, Hertl, MacKinnon, Landeskog, O'Reilly, Parayko... Bouwmeester became the 30th member of the Triple Gold club, having won the worlds a few times, the Olympics and now Stanley not to mention the 2004 World Cup... 1100+ games averaging 24+ minutes a night...)

 

[MadArcand]

What a lame playoff year overall though.Completely uninterested in what goes on.No great stories, no powerhouse, no momentum, no buzz, no nothing.

You only say that because Habs failed to make the playoffs...

It was amazing playoffs. Upsets galore. A cubed sweep (Bruins swept Canes who swepts Isles who swept Pens). Rookie goalie & former goon coach taking a team from dead last all the way to the cup, winning game 7 on the road. Epic stuff.

 

[VanIslander]

A cubed sweep (Bruins swept Canes who swept Isles who swept Pens).

Well put.

 

[BenchBrawl]

You only say that because Habs failed to make the playoffs...

It was amazing playoffs. Upsets galore. A cubed sweep (Bruins swept Canes who swepts Isles who swept Pens). Rookie goalie & former goon coach taking a team from dead last all the way to the cup, winning game 7 on the road. Epic stuff.

Well, thank you, Sigmund.But no.

I really don't give much of a fck about the Montreal Canadiens until they become a powerhouse again.I watched maybe... 5 complete games this year? If that.

Or maybe I just don't care about the NHL any longer for a myriad of reasons.I only care to the extent that it is historically important, and there was little of this this year.

Also, upsets are irrelevant to me.I much rather have a dynasty dominating than some forgettable teams upsetting higher-ranking teams.Upsets are only great if there is a long-standing rivalry between the teams.

I mean, a St. Louis Blues vs. The Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Final.I tried to care... I failed.I was actually rooting for the Bruins, passively so, from a distance.So much for being a MTL homer.

 

[ImporterExporter]

What a lame playoff year overall though.Completely uninterested in what goes on.No great stories, no powerhouse, no momentum, no buzz, no nothing.

Sounds like the ATD anymore, sadly.