Player Discussion Danton Heinen VII

[Dr Hook]

Has it resulted in pts on the PP? Nope, he`s also not being asked to play the perimeter and feed pucks to Pasta/Bergy or whomever, he has essentially being asked to do what Backes did

It's all about production, Andrew. You know that.

 

[YouTakeTheVan]

while he won`t get any credit for doing so on here, he`s done that very well, if he did what I see too many do and that is subtly shift to the side of the net rather than plant his feet and make it difficult for the goalies to see or follow the puck, one could argue that those one timers we see from Pasta might not go in with the frequency they have.

He has one hell of a hockey IQ and no mistake.

 

[SPLBRUIN]

not so sure that`s true, it`s clear that Butch puts him on the PP for one reason and almost exclusively one reason only, to plant himself right in front of the net and be a pain in the arse and while he won`t get any credit for doing so on here, he`s done that very well, if he did what I see too many do and that is subtly shift to the side of the net rather than plant his feet and make it difficult for the goalies to see or follow the puck, one could argue that those one timers we see from Pasta might not go in with the frequency they have.

He`s done a solid job on the PP, I don`t have the skills nor the time to go back and review the PP goals but if I did, I`ll wager we`d see a ton of goals that Heinen standing where he should be often resulted in goalies not being able to track the puck quickly enough to slide from one side to the other nearly quick enough

Has it resulted in pts on the PP? Nope, he`s also not being asked to play the perimeter and feed pucks to Pasta/Bergy or whomever, he has essentially being asked to do what Backes did

He didn't do what he was asked to do very effectively or else he would have remained on the top unit. Where he was a complete failure was his inability to put home grade A scoring chances around the net, absolutely no scoring touch and therefore a liability on the PP unlike Debrusk who has the hands to put those chances away.

 

[Trap Jesus]

I'm higher on Heinen than most here, but he's playing his worst hockey right now when he's under this much scrutiny at the deadline, so he's definitely made himself expendable for an upgrade.

I don't see the lack of goal production as a big thing though, he's more of a playmaker.

 

[BMC]

not so sure that`s true, it`s clear that Butch puts him on the PP for one reason and almost exclusively one reason only, to plant himself right in front of the net and be a pain in the arse and while he won`t get any credit for doing so on here, he`s done that very well, if he did what I see too many do and that is subtly shift to the side of the net rather than plant his feet and make it difficult for the goalies to see or follow the puck, one could argue that those one timers we see from Pasta might not go in with the frequency they have.

He`s done a solid job on the PP, I don`t have the skills nor the time to go back and review the PP goals but if I did, I`ll wager we`d see a ton of goals that Heinen standing where he should be often resulted in goalies not being able to track the puck quickly enough to slide from one side to the other nearly quick enough

Has it resulted in pts on the PP? Nope, he`s also not being asked to play the perimeter and feed pucks to Pasta/Bergy or whomever, he has essentially being asked to do what Backes did

One of the major criticisms of Heinen in this thread is that he is "soft". No, he's not going to flatten anybody out there with an open ice hit or crush someone into the boards [if he weighs 170 pounds in his hockey gear I'll eat my hat] but the guy goes fearlessly into the corners and plants himself close to the net & gets himself thoroughly abused by the defensemen there and I'll bet the goalies have taken a few whacks at him too. A "soft" player wouldn't do that, wouldn't even be capable of doing that. Toughness isn't just about hitting or fighting although you wouldn't know it from some of the commentators in this thread.

 

[Dr Hook]

The thing with "production" from 3rd line guys is there are only so many points to go around in a season. This is not the 80s. These guys are role players who are not expected to score in baskets. Danton does good work on the PP. He was there last game in front of the net on PP1 for a time. I wish he banged in a few more of those point blankers, absolutely. He has a good shot, so not sure what the problem is, but he chokes more often than not. But whatever. He is a third liner at this point so should not be expected to be a 50+ point guy.

 

[BMC]

I'm higher on Heinen than most here, but he's playing his worst hockey right now when he's under this much scrutiny at the deadline, so he's definitely made himself expendable for an upgrade.

I don't see the lack of goal production as a big thing though, he's more of a playmaker.

IMO his confidence is shot. Cassidy needs to put him on a line and keep him there. This business of getting yanked all over the lineup has to have taken its toll on him.

 

[EON]

I'm higher on Heinen than most here, but he's playing his worst hockey right now when he's under this much scrutiny at the deadline, so he's definitely made himself expendable for an upgrade.

I don't see the lack of goal production as a big thing though, he's more of a playmaker.

Isn't this further reason to keep him? Selling low on him seems like a mistake imo. Even playing his "worst" hockey, he's still a solid defensive winger and I see no problem with having him on the third line.

The Bruins biggest and most addressable issue is getting a 2nd line RW. A better 2nd line takes pressure off the 3rd line.

If some other GM is high on Heinen still and is willing to take him in a package for a good 2nd line RW, then sure make the trade. But if his value around the league is really low, I'd keep him and use picks/other prospects to make the splash for a 2nd line RW, then move Kuhlman down to the 4th line with Kuraly and Nordstrom/Wagner.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Isn't this further reason to keep him? Selling low on him seems like a mistake imo. Even playing his "worst" hockey, he's still a solid defensive winger and I see no problem with having him on the third line.

The Bruins biggest and most addressable issue is getting a 2nd line RW. A better 2nd line takes pressure off the 3rd line.

If some other GM is high on Heinen still and is willing to take him in a package for a good 2nd line RW, then sure make the trade. But if his value around the league is really low, I'd keep him, I think he's just fine on the 3rd line.

Bruins are definitely in win now mode though. For any of the bigger names out there it's probably going to require a roster player to make it work, and he's the guy that would be gone considering he's in and out of the line-up and doesn't have a solid spot anywhere. It's kind of like Ryan Spooner when he was traded. He was still showing promise but there was just something off about the fit. Like Spooner had 25 points in 39 games when he was traded and the Bruins were a great team then too.

 

[The National]

IMO his confidence is shot. Cassidy needs to put him on a line and keep him there. This business of getting yanked all over the lineup has to have taken its toll on him.

He doesn’t show any real chemistry with his line mates whether he’s playing on the 2nd or 3rd. Sure he’s being jerked around the line up but it’s really the same 4 guys he’s playing with yet he doesn’t connect with them very well at all. While the other parts of those lines show much more instant chemistry; Coyle/Bjork, Krejci/Kuhlman, Coyle/Debrusk and Krejci/Debrusk.

That tells me it’s an issue with him.

 

[ODAAT]

One of the major criticisms of Heinen in this thread is that he is "soft". No, he's not going to flatten anybody out there with an open ice hit or crush someone into the boards [if he weighs 170 pounds in his hockey gear I'll eat my hat] but the guy goes fearlessly into the corners and plants himself close to the net & gets himself thoroughly abused by the defensemen there and I'll bet the goalies have taken a few whacks at him too. A "soft" player wouldn't do that, wouldn't even be capable of doing that. Toughness isn't just about hitting or fighting although you wouldn't know it from some of the commentators in this thread.

no argument from this fan, I read another post talking about Heinen racing away when Khulman was getting hit or something too, quickly forgetting that "Big and Bad" Bruins team who literally did nothing as Savvy was laying essentially motionless on the ice vs the Pens years ago

What`s my definition of tough? Simply put, what you said, I watch a player making 10 million like a Marner, absolutely terrific talent but do you/we see him engage in anything that would remotely qualify as a board battle? I haven`t seen it. Heinen does what you said, I`ve never seen him pull up to avoid any contact or avoid a board battle, he is one of the very few B`s players who will plant himself in front of the net and be willing to take whatever the opponent gives him (admittedly much easier in this NHL than years past but..).

He`ll never ram anyone through the boards and I want more production from him but calling him "soft" is simply false

 

[ODAAT]

He didn't do what he was asked to do very effectively or else he would have remained on the top unit. Where he was a complete failure was his inability to put home grade A scoring chances around the net, absolutely no scoring touch and therefore a liability on the PP unlike Debrusk who has the hands to put those chances away.

Grade A scoring chances? Care to flash some up on the screen. I have or would have 0 issues if they completely took him off the PP IF there was someone they feel would be able to smash home those Grade A chances. Butch and Co don`t do that, wonder why? What do they see in his game that he still gets PP minutes? I`ll wager their assessment is different that many here

First unit is almost all about finding the seam and going for the one timer, 2nd unit runs much differently, more of a blue collar unit

Look, you don`t like Heinen, I get it and I can`t nor would I ever argue that Heinen has the hands or touch of Debrusk but he takes abuse here that borders on ludicrous. The guy is a 4th round pick who is playing a role for this team, he needs and should produce more but his biggest mistake was going out and putting up almost 50pts as a rookie and now he can`t and hasn`t duplicated that, some of that lays on him, some of it lays on the fact that the GM has yet to properly address a 2nd RW role allowing him to put players in certain spots and leaving them there to create chemistry

 

[bob27]

The obsession over Danton Heinen might be one of the weirdest things I've witnessed here on HFBoards. He's a decent 3rd liner, that's it. If they trade him, OK. If not, that's OK too. Yet here we are, 7 threads later wondering if he has ruined the Bruins.

 

[False Start]

Let me get this straight.

• He's a playmaker who doesn't score points.
• He's a PP guy who doesn't get points.
• He's a defensively sound forward who doesn't get PK time.
• He's a guy who can plant his feet in front of the crease well and make it hard for goalies??????

And let's set the facts straight about his actual physical talents:

• No Speed, At all.
• No Scoring, At all.
• No Physical play. At all.

And yet he's still able to be an NHLer who can produce at a 0.4ish PPG clip. The team seems to be able to keep up without him though. Is he better than a 4th liner? definitely. Can he provide a Rich Peverley impact on line 3? He hasn't shown it in 2 seasons.

 

[False Start]

The obsession over Danton Heinen might be one of the weirdest things I've witnessed here on HFBoards. He's a decent 3rd liner, that's it. If they trade him, OK. If not, that's OK too. Yet here we are, 7 threads later wondering if he has ruined the Bruins.

He isn't worth his contract with the way he's played this season.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Let me get this straight.

• He's a playmaker who doesn't score points.
• He's a PP guy who doesn't get points.
• He's a defensively sound forward who doesn't get PK time.
• He's a guy who can plant his feet in front of the crease well and make it hard for goalies??????

And let's set the facts straight about his actual physical talents:

• No Speed, At all.
• No Scoring, At all.
• No Physical play. At all.

And yet he's still able to be an NHLer who can produce at a 0.4ish PPG clip. The team seems to be able to keep up without him though. Is he better than a 4th liner? definitely. Can he provide a Rich Peverley impact on line 3? He hasn't shown it in 2 seasons.

He's kind of a jack of all trades type, and that goes right down to his ability to play up and down the line-up at multiple positions. He's got a bit of Peverley in him in that regard.

I do think he's a great passer even if he's prone to bad decisions sometimes, he shows great touch on the puck most of the time. He's certainly guilty over over-passing though.

His PP role isn't one that racks up points. We have DeBrusk in the same role though so that doesn't really matter much.

 

[False Start]

He's kind of a jack of all trades type, and that goes right down to his ability to play up and down the line-up at multiple positions. He's got a bit of Peverley in him in that regard.

I do think he's a great passer even if he's prone to bad decisions sometimes, he shows great touch on the puck most of the time. He's certainly guilty over over-passing though.

His PP role isn't one that racks up points. We have DeBrusk in the same role though so that doesn't really matter much.

He's the perfect top 9 player for a middling team.

Unfortunately for him, Boston is one of the very top teams in the entire league and he seems to be a struggling #8/9 forward.

The fans want better.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Apologies to those I said you shouldn't deal Heinen for Wood or Virtanen. My mistake.

Rangers and Devils are both going to want Bjork over Heinen, so I am assuming he's here to stay, unless they need the money to work, which means they will have to add more value to a Heinen deal IMO.

all I know is I can't take another Heinen argument that completely ignores his dogshit playoff stats.

 

[TaroTsujimoto]

He is extremely passive, lacks an explosive skating stride, and is not a confident finisher. Those would be the main reasons Heinie attracts so much "hate", including from Cassidy at times.

 

[the negotiator]

Now that's a mike drop post that should end this thread

 

[YouTakeTheVan]

all I know is I can't take another Heinen argument that completely ignores his dogshit playoff stats.

Just because it annoys people:

Over the last 2 years at 5v5 in the playoffs, when Danton Heinen is on the ice the Bruins outscore their opponents 14-8. When he's not, 52-54 against. Last year 13-6 with, 29-32 without.

Nothing to do with how he plays, he's a TOTAL NEGATIVE, but a good luck charm!

 

[Sheppy]

Good thing his linemates scored, because he sure didn't ^

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Just because it annoys people:

Over the last 2 years at 5v5 in the playoffs, when Danton Heinen is on the ice the Bruins outscore their opponents 14-8. When he's not, 52-54 against. Last year 13-6 with, 29-32 without.

Nothing to do with how he plays, he's a TOTAL NEGATIVE, but a good luck charm!

ah yes, and last year it had nothing to do with playing on a line with Coyle and Johansson who were both dominant AND productive

edit: my original response was more sassy than it needed to be. I'll just say that I think on ice GF ratio is not very good at all as an indicator of individual performance. There were 5 guys on the ice with him including the goalie. They have a major hand in whether a goal is scored or not. He played mostly with two red hot forwards and often right after the PP when you get a shift with Chara & Carlo. I don't think it's wise to conclude that the stats you listed mean that Heinen, individually, is a good or effective player.

 

[SPLBRUIN]

Grade A scoring chances? Care to flash some up on the screen. I have or would have 0 issues if they completely took him off the PP IF there was someone they feel would be able to smash home those Grade A chances. Butch and Co don`t do that, wonder why? What do they see in his game that he still gets PP minutes? I`ll wager their assessment is different that many here

First unit is almost all about finding the seam and going for the one timer, 2nd unit runs much differently, more of a blue collar unit

Look, you don`t like Heinen, I get it and I can`t nor would I ever argue that Heinen has the hands or touch of Debrusk but he takes abuse here that borders on ludicrous. The guy is a 4th round pick who is playing a role for this team, he needs and should produce more but his biggest mistake was going out and putting up almost 50pts as a rookie and now he can`t and hasn`t duplicated that, some of that lays on him, some of it lays on the fact that the GM has yet to properly address a 2nd RW role allowing him to put players in certain spots and leaving them there to create chemistry

Seriously, this guy gets a ton of chances in front of the goalie, seems like every game, yet has the hands of a 90 year old grandmother. I really don't see what people see in him, average skater at best, physically weak, weak shot and no finish, most 4th liners can bring more then what he does. His only viable asset is he is a smart player, but unfortunately his actual physical skills are AHL caliber. Do I want him to fail in Boston, no I don' t, he's a Bruin, but the guys career is fading fast as the league continues to get faster and faster.

 

[YouTakeTheVan]

ah yes, and last year it had nothing to do with playing on a line with Coyle and Johansson who were both dominant AND productive

Coyle & Johansson were outscored 5v5 (3-4, 80 TOI) without Heinen as the lucky do-nothing passenger.

Gotta get it out now before they trade him!