Confirmed with Link: [COL / NYR] Chris Bigras Traded For Ryan Graves

expatriatedtexan

Habitual Line Stepper
Aug 17, 2005
16,377
11,718
Yeah, he probably would. It's probably best to have a solid top four and 10 guys that rotate between the AHL and NHL to fill out the bottom pair so nobody ever wears out their welcome.
 

Foppa2118

Registered User
Oct 3, 2003
52,152
31,166
Graves is big and looks a bit like Holden but they don't play the same way. Graves is much more physical and tougher to play against while Holden probably has better puck skills.

Graves should keep working on his puck skills and shot, but he should be trying to play like Zadorov not like Holden.
 

McMetal

Writer of Wrongs
Sep 29, 2015
14,053
11,947
Do people forget the year of Bigras’ first call up? He went like 15 games before ever being on the ice for a goal against. Everyone was begging for him to be paired with EJ on the top pairing and some were calling him our best defenseman.

He turned out to not be very good but this new opinion that Graves has already shown more than Bigras ever did is laughable since everyone on here was drooling over Bigras’ NHL play at the end of that 15/16 season.
This. Bigras was never the same after the concussion, that changed everything. Before that he was a confident young defender on the rise, after that he played timid and that's not the way to make it to the NHL.
 

The Kingslayer

Registered User
Aug 26, 2004
76,353
55,991
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Graves has been fine. He's hitting guys, playing okay defense, and using his shot from the point. Yeah there have been some scary moments but overall he's perfectly fine as a depth option thus far. Of course that's been in a very limited, very sheltered role.
No issues with him being the first call up if it means I don't need to see Lindholm, Mark Alt, Warsofsky or Pascal Trepanier ever again.
 
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expatriatedtexan

Habitual Line Stepper
Aug 17, 2005
16,377
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No issues with him being the first call up if it means I don't need to see Lindholm, Mark Alt, Warsofsky or Pascal Trepanier ever again.
Mey....Warsofsky was okay...not anything I would want to say again, but I thought in a one or two game callup he was okay. I just wanted want him to be a fixture. Alt...I'm still undetermined about. I don't think he's found his stride...it could be that he doesn't have one at the NHL level. Trepanier....jesus christ.....that's a blast from the past. That was like our first season right? Shudders
 
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expatriatedtexan

Habitual Line Stepper
Aug 17, 2005
16,377
11,718
Mey....Warsofsky was okay...not anything I would want to say again, but I thought in a one or two game callup he was okay. I just wanted want him to be a fixture. Alt...I'm still undetermined about. I don't think he's found his stride...it could be that he doesn't have one at the NHL level. Trepanier....jesus christ.....that's a blast from the past. That was like our first few season right? *Shudders* I'd take a boat load more Fingers or Wilsons over him any day....Hell, I liked SOB outside of his impact on the team more.
 

NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS

Registered User
Feb 28, 2006
13,542
5,771
Do people forget the year of Bigras’ first call up? He went like 15 games before ever being on the ice for a goal against. Everyone was begging for him to be paired with EJ on the top pairing and some were calling him our best defenseman.

He turned out to not be very good but this new opinion that Graves has already shown more than Bigras ever did is laughable since everyone on here was drooling over Bigras’ NHL play at the end of that 15/16 season.

People actually liked Bigras' play? Those were dark days...

Its 3 years later and we've still got a revolving door of marginal guys on the bottom pairing.

At least we don't have marginal NHLers on the second pair anymore. The D still has its warts but its better than anything we've seen in what feels like a decade.
 

RoyIsALegend

Gross Misconduct
Sponsor
Oct 24, 2008
22,056
28,148
He just plays within his limits, which is an AHL top pairing level on most nights and maybe a 6/7 NHL level on some.

Type of player that doesn’t drive you crazy in limited viewings because he doesn’t try stupid stuff(cough Redmond cough) and his size lets him impose himself(sorry Lindholm), but he would piss us off after awhile. The limited ability overall would show in spades.

Still, at least he’s not Bigras panic-at-the-disco bad when somebody is forechecking him...

tenor.gif
 

JoeSakic13

Registered User
May 30, 2013
11,419
20,896
San Francisco
I'm indifferent about this trade. I feel like Graves has a better chance of getting NHL ice-time with this roster than Bigras though. With Barrie, Girard, and maybe even Makar in the lineup next year we don't really have a spot for Bigras in that mix. Graves at the very least could challenge for bottom pairing to prove he's not a liability.

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boz

Registered User
Jan 20, 2004
511
43
Rangers fan here.

I'd be surprised if Graves isn't an NHL'er. I think you guys got a good deal here. I think he should've been on our NHL team all season. Not a fan of this move, although I don't know much about Bigras.

Graves has been better than smaller, more shifty players like DeAngelo, Pionk, Gilmour that we've given games. It seemed obvious when he wasn't getting called up that the team didn't think he was a fit for the organization. This wasn't because he wasn't ready for an NHL call up in my opinion, it seemed more like they just didn't like his style.

Graves is a pretty talented defenseman. I think he could be a middle pairing guy. Good size, fine skater, big shot, he can pass the puck and has some offensive instincts, and he's developed his defensive game the last year or two. To make a comparison that you guys will understand, he's kind of like Nick Holden but with a reasonable amount more ability in the offensive zone. Not the greatest hockey IQ, but otherwise he has decent hockey ability. He's not one of these defenseman where you look at his size, and attach the word plug. There's actual hockey talent there, and he's NHL ready.

solid post in retrospect
 

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