Does anyone think Eric Staal is very similar to Vinny Lecavalier

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ahmon

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i don't see why staal can't be as good as Lecavalier.. from his 1st season hes en route to stardom.. i see him as a top 10 center in the future..
 

Chimaera

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Caniacforever said:
Staal is vastly underrated due to the fact that he plays for Carolina as well. That's not an accusation, it's just simple logic. People tend to get more attached to the prospects that they see quite a bit of and that are more flashy. Staal is low-key as well as being in a market that doesn't traditionally embrace hockey. The combination nearly kills any hype that possible developed during his draft year. The "Special" thing he's missing is respect as one of the top young players in the game. It's not about his skill level, it's about his hype level. Staal was probably the most impressive rookie this entire year in the first quarter of the season, and nobody seemed to notice. He scored 7 goals in his first 7 NHL games during the preseason and nobody made so much as a peep about it on these boards. He led the entire NHL with that total and still didn't get much recognition. The differance between Eric Staal and Vincent Lecavalier is the fact that Lecavalier was hyped coming into the league as the Michael Jordan of hockey and it made people pay attention. Staal wasn't taken 1st overall and didn't recieve near the amount of hype that Lecavlier did.


I've made the Eric Staal to Vincent Lecavalier comparison before, and after seeing this entire year play out i've backed off of that one a little. Staal to me plays more like Roenick used to when he was really young, minus the extreme physical element. Once Staal fills out his frame, he could add the physical element that his game is missing and be a mixture of Roenick and Joe Thornton. That's pretty special company. His understanding of the game is just phenomenal and his work ethic is just amazing, and that makes him the safest prospect i've seen come out in the past few years. He has the work ethic of a role player with the skill level of a star, and that is a combination that is going to take him far.



One of the reasons people didn't say much about it because it is just that, Pre-season. There are plenty of players who produce high point totals in the preseason and do zippy in the regular season. Jan Bulis and Jan Benda both put up decent showings in preseasons here in Washington, only to do little in the real games. (Bulis put up a lot more than Benda, who did look good in the few games he played) While sure, you can make a judgement from Preseason, it's not as solid when it comes to building a reputation.


As for Staal, I think he'll be a solid player, and I was extremely impressed in the games he played early on in the season against the Capitals. He still has a ways to go, and I think he won't be a 'complete' player as far as his own talents are concerned for a few more years to come. He still has to get stronger. And he still could refine a few other areas of his game. But that's any younger player. He needs to find a good set of linemates to help reach the high point totals he's capable of, but he should cause enough problems for most opposing teams on his own.


That said, comparisons with him to Lecavalier are a little off. While they both have talent, and are pretty solid players now, Lecavalier is on another level as far as talent goes. While I'm still waiting to see him reach that level (and so far he's not there, even with this Playoff production spurt) I think Staal has a better shot of reaching his potential then Vinny's. Largely based upon the idea that Staal doesn't have that much more to improve to reach his plateau. Lecavalier needs consistency and a full effort, and those two things are awfully hard to learn.
 

Captain Conservative

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Chimaera said:
One of the reasons people didn't say much about it because it is just that, Pre-season. There are plenty of players who produce high point totals in the preseason and do zippy in the regular season. Jan Bulis and Jan Benda both put up decent showings in preseasons here in Washington, only to do little in the real games. (Bulis put up a lot more than Benda, who did look good in the few games he played) While sure, you can make a judgement from Preseason, it's not as solid when it comes to building a reputation.


As for Staal, I think he'll be a solid player, and I was extremely impressed in the games he played early on in the season against the Capitals. He still has a ways to go, and I think he won't be a 'complete' player as far as his own talents are concerned for a few more years to come. He still has to get stronger. And he still could refine a few other areas of his game. But that's any younger player. He needs to find a good set of linemates to help reach the high point totals he's capable of, but he should cause enough problems for most opposing teams on his own.


That said, comparisons with him to Lecavalier are a little off. While they both have talent, and are pretty solid players now, Lecavalier is on another level as far as talent goes. While I'm still waiting to see him reach that level (and so far he's not there, even with this Playoff production spurt) I think Staal has a better shot of reaching his potential then Vinny's. Largely based upon the idea that Staal doesn't have that much more to improve to reach his plateau. Lecavalier needs consistency and a full effort, and those two things are awfully hard to learn.


Agreed. Staal def. has awesome potential, but Lecavalier is capable of being one of the 5 best players in the league if he continues to improve(He REALLY impressed me this post-season at times). Staal will be a good one though, no doubt. I would have picked him 1st in the 2003 draft.
 

Traitor8

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hockeyGod said:
on talent, it goes, Forsberg than everyone else/

Forbserg is maybe one of the most complete players in the game but the most talented? no way...

Kovalchuk,Kovalev,Jagr,Bure are all way ahead of him at this point. Iginla,Heatley are also up there. That's only forwards...
 

Captain Conservative

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Komisarek8 said:
Forbserg is maybe one of the most complete players in the game but the most talented? no way...

Kovalchuk,Kovalev,Jagr,Bure are all way ahead of him at this point. Iginla,Heatley are also up there. That's only forwards...



BZZT. Wrong. Its Kovalchuk, then Jagr, then Forsberg in my mind. Forsberg is the best passer and has the best hockey sense out of these three.
 

bleedgreen

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these comparisons are tough- staal is on ly 19, and vinny is what...24? i dont think vinny was much better at 19 - and yes i watched. most people didnt see the little things staal did night to night - those things dont make the highlight reels and not many people watched the canes play more than once or twice if at all. he was the best forward on the team for the first 2/3 months. his timing is off alittle on plays - hes always a step ahead or behind cutting in the zone. that will come with experience, as well as the strength. his smarts in the defensive zone were beyond impressive. he always picked up the right guy and always gave 110% on the backcheck. the comparisons to ron francis were right on, only ronnie never had the hands, skating or wrist shot staal has. i dont think judging staal will be fair for another couple of years. i think in the end - they will be equally effective players, making personal preference the only way to decide. itll be fun to watch though, huh?
 
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