Player Discussion Drake Batherson (RW)

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

This guy is Stone re-incarnation.

Remarkable IQ, hands, vision, elusive finishing and pass, also excellent hand-eye but not the best skater.

The guy gonna be a star here once he matures more and gets more NHL experience. His talent is already that of a first liner imo. What a find; thank God things finally looking up.

 

[Senscore]

It's really nice having a variety of finishers on this team. Losing Hoffman was painful and poorly executed, so having guys like Batherson and Tkachuk who can make the most of scoring chances is a refreshing surprise.

If the team actually spent any money on defense we could be halfway decent.

 

[Xspyrit]

Like I was saying a few months ago, don’t miss the opportunity to build around Stone, Duchene, Chabot and Karlsson. Now you could say don’t miss the chance to build around Chabot, Stone, Duchene, Tkachuk and Batherson

Im not envious about other teams talent, I’m envious of their financial situations; coaching and goaltending is fixable with money

 

[starling]

HFBoards did a 2017 re-draft and picked Batherson 21st: 2017 reDraft as per HFBoards
I bet he'll be top-10 by the end of next year.

 

[BankStreetParade]

HFBoards did a 2017 re-draft and picked Batherson 21st: 2017 reDraft as per HFBoards
I bet he'll be top-10 by the end of next year.

Biggest jump of all the "re-drafted" first rounders. Superb prospect.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Yeah, he’s a revelation, such good passing plays, he’s right up there with our best passers already.

As an aside, I LOVE how our team is playing so much down low, guys are making a habit of making lays below the goal line with guys cutting into the net. It takes puck skills and excellent passing to excel at these types of plays, and we keep adding kids up to the task.

 

[DJB]

Showing great chemistry with Duchene.

Very smart player

 

[danielpalfredsson]

It's kind of nutty that our top two lines are half filled with rookie forwards.

 

[topshelf15]

It's kind of nutty that our top two lines are half filled with rookie forwards.

Yep and they are being let loose...Very different from what was the coach,s mantra last season

 

[JD1]

Yep and they are being let loose...Very different from what was the coach,s mantra last season

he really doesn't have much choice but to let them loose....he has no other options

 

[milkbag]

I'm over the moon with how well Batherson and Duchene are clicking. Their chemistry is something else to watch, it's been a while since we've had a wombo-combo of this calibre. All the more reason to sign Dutchy long term.

 

[JD1]

if you look back to roughly a year ago with a Turris / Hoffman / EK team, we were a team that scored a lot of fancy goals but that wouldn't play in the dirty areas.

you look at what we have now with Duchene, Tkachuk, White, Batherson and we are scoring from dirty areas all the time. Batherson's goal last night was from the dirt and the Duchene goal was a play from below the line with a dirt to dirt pass.

Tkachuk recently said something to the effect of knowing his whole life that goals are scored from the dirt. Any shot heat map on goals scored clearly supports this but we had a team made up of too many players that essentially wouldn't but also in part I'd say due to thin frames couldn't play there

How we are scoring to me looks pretty sustainable.

it's not as fancy as the old top of the circle rocket but when you're adding them up after the game they never ask how you got them

 

[Sensinitis]

if you look back to roughly a year ago with a Turris / Hoffman / EK team, we were a team that scored a lot of fancy goals but that wouldn't play in the dirty areas.

you look at what we have now with Duchene, Tkachuk, White, Batherson and we are scoring from dirty areas all the time. Batherson's goal last night was from the dirt and the Duchene goal was a play from below the line with a dirt to dirt pass.

Tkachuk recently said something to the effect of knowing his whole life that goals are scored from the dirt. Any shot heat map on goals scored clearly supports this but we had a team made up of too many players that essentially wouldn't but also in part I'd say due to thin frames couldn't play there

How we are scoring to me looks pretty sustainable.

it's not as fancy as the old top of the circle rocket but when you're adding them up after the game they never ask how you got them

A+ post

 

[starling]

Funny how after one good game people quickly forget that this is the worst team in the league.

Would you rather score fancy goals in ECF or dirty goals battling for the 30th place in the league? Hmmm that's a toughy.

 

[Sensinitis]

Funny how after one good game people quickly forget that this is the worst team in the league.

Would you rather score fancy goals in ECF or dirty goals battling for the 30th place in the league? Hmmm that's a toughy.

Oh we're last? Didn't know! Did the standings change?

Would you rather be a glass half empty non-optimistic "fan" or a positive one who sees what the future may hold and that things can get pretty good eventually? Hmmm that's a toughy

 

[Karl Prime]

The team scored plenty of goals around the net in the 16-17 playoffs with Stone, Ryan, Pageau, MacArthur, Brassard. That team was also completely different systematically so take that into account too. The way this team is playing offensively is great but it's also hurt the way they play at the other end.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Funny how after one good game people quickly forget that this is the worst team in the league.

Would you rather score fancy goals in ECF or dirty goals battling for the 30th place in the league? Hmmm that's a toughy.

Is some hockey god actually giving us this choice? Wow .. that be cool

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Pretty happy we didn't give him up for Duchene!

 

[coladin]

Funny how after one good game people quickly forget that this is the worst team in the league.

Would you rather score fancy goals in ECF or dirty goals battling for the 30th place in the league? Hmmm that's a toughy.

Can't help but notice a depressing trend in most of your posts. Cheer up.

One good game, followed by another good game. And so on and so on. If we go on a Buffalo run, there will be some that will probably harp on the Minny game. Sheesh

 

[JD1]

Funny how after one good game people quickly forget that this is the worst team in the league.

Would you rather score fancy goals in ECF or dirty goals battling for the 30th place in the league? Hmmm that's a toughy.

ease up

there's some positives to what's going on with the team

If you can't see it, your probably not watching

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Funny how after one good game people quickly forget that this is the worst team in the league.

Would you rather score fancy goals in ECF or dirty goals battling for the 30th place in the league? Hmmm that's a toughy.

How about both?

Teams need the greasy goals, and they also need the skill and firepower for highlight reel goals to win those run and gun games.

I'm not quite sold on the sustainability of the team or the true career trajectories of our kids just yet...but it has been encouraging to see the quantity and variety of firepower on the team so far. If it turns out to be the real thing, it will be a really nice foundation for the future.

 

[IpsoPostFacto]

Funny how after one good game people quickly forget that this is the worst team in the league.

Would you rather score fancy goals in ECF or dirty goals battling for the 30th place in the league? Hmmm that's a toughy.

well, my third option would to be in the ecf not caring how we score as long as we do.

most predicted we would be bad in our own end, true, and not be able to score, false. we all knew that the only way the team was getting to the ecf this year was they were to buy tickets.

I figure that fixing the team in its own end is much easier than trying to solve not scoring.

The real concern is holding on to the key pieces over the next number of years. I imagine everyone here is more pessimistic about management than anything.

edit: to actually respond to the thread; Love the Drake.

 

[Micklebot]

First home game where he didn't register a point tonight... #bust.

 

[scallionjj11]

Hopefully Duchene falls in love with Batherson and wants to play here with him.