Carl Söderberg

[MarkT]

He did still play in Europe. I dont think he'll retire after this contract but we should start to see some kind of decline in his game here soon enough.


That said he had been truly a monster this season. The only reason secondary scoring hasn't been a bigger issue this year is because of Big Ole Card scoring 20+ Goals and 45+ points.

Can you image if he had a genuinely offensive talented winger to play with all season? We might not have had a single problem with secondary scoring at all.

 

[chet1926]

Can you image if he had a genuinely offensive talented winger to play with all season? We might not have had a single problem with secondary scoring at all.

Not sure that's the case. Soderberg has already set a career high in goals and might get a career high in points.

Meaning he is having a career year, you can't on those. He's a nice player but realistically he is a quality 3C and a poormans 2C.

I mean if you surrounded him with Stone and another quality winger he'd probably look fine, but we'd probably be sitting here talking about how it would be nice to get an upgrade at 2C to move Soda down.

 

[MarkT]

Not sure that's the case. Soderberg has already set a career high in goals and might get a career high in points.

Meaning he is having a career year, you can't on those. He's a nice player but realistically he is a quality 3C and a poormans 2C.

I mean if you surrounded him with Stone and another quality winger he'd probably look fine, but we'd probably be sitting here talking about how it would be nice to get an upgrade at 2C to move Soda down.

I don't know how you can make definitive statements like "he is a quality 3C and a poormans 2C" when he's never been put with a winger anywhere near Rantanen's skill before this in Colorado. Based on his play the past two seasons, I strongly believe that if the Avs were able to put him in an offensive role and were able to give him a talented offensive winger, then nobody would be talking about him as anything but a genuine #2 center. He's always shown offensive ability, but has also been saddled with wingers like Comeau and Calvert (or Bourque!) who only know how to play one style and don't have much finish or offensive creativity.

 

[chet1926]

I don't know how you can make definitive statements like "he is a quality 3C and a poormans 2C" when he's never been put with a winger anywhere near Rantanen's skill before this in Colorado. Based on his play the past two seasons, I strongly believe that if the Avs were able to put him in an offensive role and were able to give him a talented offensive winger, then nobody would be talking about him as anything but a genuine #2 center. He's always shown offensive ability, but has also been saddled with wingers like Comeau and Calvert (or Bourque!) who only know how to play one style and don't have much finish or offensive creativity.

Go look around the league at 2Cs and I guarantee you Soderberg is bottom 3rd of the 2Cs around the league. Can he play 2C, sure he can, and he'll look alright doing so. Can you do better, you bet. A good solid playoff team IMO would be playing him as a 3C.

 

[MarkT]

Go look around the league at 2Cs and I guarantee you Soderberg is bottom 3rd of the 2Cs around the league. Can he play 2C, sure he can, and he'll look alright doing so. Can you do better, you bet. A good solid playoff team IMO would be playing him as a 3C.

The Soderberg I saw the last two games is not bottom 3rd. I know it's only two games sample size, but if this is what Carl looks like when he has a winger like Rantanen, then he's a good 2nd line center.

 

[LieutenantDangle]

Can you image if he had a genuinely offensive talented winger to play with all season? We might not have had a single problem with secondary scoring at all.

Hindsight is 20/20. Unless you’re big ol Carl

 

[chet1926]

The Soderberg I saw the last two games is not bottom 3rd. I know it's only two games sample size, but if this is what Carl looks like when he has a winger like Rantanen, then he's a good 2nd line center.

Sure but he's going to have to prove he can sustain his play over say 82 games not a couple. The fact is he's only broken 50 points once in his NHL career, that's not high end 2C material. You can say well he hasn't had linemates, semi true. But at the same time there was a reason he was playing where he was in the lineup. And that was simply we had better options than him for 2C until we traded Duchene.

I'm happy that he is playing well, and him to continue his play but 2 strong games doesn't mean much, sustain it for an extended period and maybe we revisit this conversation.

 

[MarkT]

Sure but he's going to have to prove he can sustain his play over say 82 games not a couple. The fact is he's only broken 50 points once in his NHL career, that's not high end 2C material. You can say well he hasn't had linemates, semi true. But at the same time there was a reason he was playing where he was in the lineup. And that was simply we had better options than him for 2C until we traded Duchene.

I'm happy that he is playing well, and him to continue his play but 2 strong games doesn't mean much, sustain it for an extended period and maybe we revisit this conversation.

Deal

 

[Bubba Thudd]

Hindsight is 20/20. Unless you’re big ol Carl

It's still 20/*

 

[Perratrooper]

Go look around the league at 2Cs and I guarantee you Soderberg is bottom 3rd of the 2Cs around the league. Can he play 2C, sure he can, and he'll look alright doing so. Can you do better, you bet. A good solid playoff team IMO would be playing him as a 3C.

Team's second line centers:
Ana: Henrique
Az: Stepan
Bos: Krejci
Buf: Reinhart
Cgy: Backlund
Car: Staal(?)
Chi: Strome
Cbj: Wennberg
Dal: Spezza
Det: Nielsen
Edm: Draisaitl
Fla: Trochek
LA: Carter
Min: Koivu
Mtl: Danault
Nsh: Turris
NJ; Zajac
Nyi: Nelson
Nyr: Hayes
Ott: White(?)
Phi: Pattrick
Pit: Malkin
Sj: Couture
Stl: Bozak (Scheen playing wing atm)
Tb: Stamkos
Tor: Tavares
Van: Horvat
Vgk: Stastny
Wsh: Kuznetsof
Wpg: Little

Based on this list I'd say he sits as a middle of the pack second line center. Some teams don't have a better first line center (Ott, NJ, Az) and some teams have better third line centers (Tb, Tor, SJ), but ultimately I'd say he fits the second line center description fairly well especially when considering his wingers.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Team's second line centers:
Ana: Henrique
Az: Stepan
Bos: Krejci
Buf: Reinhart
Cgy: Backlund
Car: Staal(?)
Chi: Strome
Cbj: Wennberg
Dal: Spezza
Det: Nielsen
Edm: Draisaitl
Fla: Trochek
LA: Carter
Min: Koivu
Mtl: Danault
Nsh: Turris
NJ; Zajac
Nyi: Nelson
Nyr: Hayes
Ott: White(?)
Phi: Pattrick
Pit: Malkin
Sj: Couture
Stl: Bozak (Scheen playing wing atm)
Tb: Stamkos
Tor: Tavares
Van: Horvat
Vgk: Stastny
Wsh: Kuznetsof
Wpg: Little

Based on this list I'd say he sits as a middle of the pack second line center. Some teams don't have a better first line center (Ott, NJ, Az) and some teams have better third line centers (Tb, Tor, SJ), but ultimately I'd say he fits the second line center description fairly well especially when considering his wingers.

I’d still say he’s on the low end of that spectrum counted 21 guys I’d pick to be our 2C over him definitively. He can play 2C but should be a 3C.

 

[Pokecheque]

I still think he's better suited as a scoring line center than a defensive/checking line guy. But whatever the case what he's done so far this season has been nothing short of amazing.

Too lazy to look it up--he hasn't hit the 20-goal mark quite yet has he?

 

[MarkT]

I honestly hope Carl makes all you "he's really a 3rd line center" folks eat a whole bunch of crow with his play the rest of the season.

 

[Perratrooper]

I’d still say he’s on the low end of that spectrum counted 21 guys I’d pick to be our 2C over him definitively. He can play 2C but should be a 3C.

21!? If you're talking long term maybe, but as of right now I'd rather him over Ana, Az, Cgy, Car, Cbj, Dal, Det, Min, Mtl, NJ, Nyi, Ott, Phi, Stl and Wpg. Some of those might be a toss up, but at the very least he's currently as good or better than the teams I've mentioned above.

 

[The Abusement Park]

21!? If you're talking long term maybe, but as of right now I'd rather him over Ana, Az, Cgy, Car, Cbj, Dal, Det, Min, Mtl, NJ, Nyi, Ott, Phi, Stl and Wpg. Some of those might be a toss up, but at the very least he's currently as good or better than the teams I've mentioned above.

I’m just talking who’s the better player right now at this moment plus a focus on long term potential ability

 

[Perratrooper]

I’m just talking who’s the better player right now at this moment plus a focus on long term potential ability

I'm referring to right now, no long term (longer than Carl's contract) in mind. It'll be interesting to see how he does the rest of the season if Mikko stays with him and Nieto keeps playing how he currently is.

 

[Foppa2118]

Beast mode engaged.