Player Discussion: Ehlers

[jetsforever]

NHL 3rd Star of the Week!
Grubauer of Avalanche, Colorado hospital employee NHL First Stars of Week

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

That is a flaming hot take.

Yeah. Ehlers is probably at least as good at getting EN goals, but he never gets the opportunity.

 

[jetsforever]

Anyone surprised?

Well to be fair he did come from Columbus...

 

[DannyGallivan]

Except if you have other C options. Then you can ignore position and go for pure talent. That is Ehlers.
Realistically though, you aren't likely to be able to ignore position.

I like Ehlers. He's fast and has a great shot. But pure talent? I'd take Scheifele over him for pure talent. Scheifle's puck handling, forechecking, take-aways, passing and shot are all skills. Ehlers is faster, so that's one for him.

...but really, does it matter which one is better as long as they're both on our team?

 

[DannyGallivan]

Mark Scheifele is the superior player. I think Nik has been fantastic this year and taken a real step forward. However, 55 is a centre, and he produces ridiculously consistently despite the toughest matchups. He plays against the elite forwards from the other team, and always gets their top D pair.

I once thought it would be ok to trade Ehlers but thank god that never happened. He is truly a special player that leverages his speed and agility, vision and that laser of a shot. However, Mark Scheifele is still the guy I'm taking if I have to pick one or the other. That should be the true measure of a players value.

I'm surprised there's any question, really. Ehlers is playing the best hockey I've seen him play, I'll give him that. Other than skating, Scheifele is as good or better than Ehlers in any other skill category I can think of. And it's not that Scheifele is a bad skater (other than he still gets knocked down easily, then again so does Ehlers), it's that Nik's speed and agility are in the top half percent of the NHL.

Of course, everything is to be taken with a footnote, considering that we're not matched up against 3/4 of the league's teams this year. Ehlers definitely loves playing against the North teams' defenses

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I like Ehlers. He's fast and has a great shot. But pure talent? I'd take Scheifele over him for pure talent. Scheifle's puck handling, forechecking, take-aways, passing and shot are all skills. Ehlers is faster, so that's one for him.

...but really, does it matter which one is better as long as they're both on our team?

Ehlers has more than speed. Watch him carry the puck with his head up all the time. Watch him make zone exits and entries. Etc. Things influenced by size and strength, I'll give you Scheifele, everything else I think Ehlers takes it. But it may depend on how you define talent/skill.

 

[DannyGallivan]

Ehlers has more than speed. Watch him carry the puck with his head up all the time. Watch him make zone exits and entries. Etc. Things influenced by size and strength, I'll give you Scheifele, everything else I think Ehlers takes it. But it may depend on how you define talent/skill.

Nobody is saying anything negative about Ehlers. I think he's a legitimate star in this league. I think Scheifele has more skills, that's all. I'm pleased that we have both of them, as well as several other players right now.

 

[DRW204]

Well to be fair he did come from Columbus...

Panarin guy is pretty good I hear.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Nobody is saying anything negative about Ehlers. I think he's a legitimate star in this league. I think Scheifele has more skills, that's all. I'm pleased that we have both of them, as well as several other players right now.

I didn't use the word skill. I said talent. Talent is in the genes. Skills are learned.

That said, I like Ehlers skills better too, for the most part. But that may be bias talking. I'm not knocking Scheifele's skills in any way. But Scheifele being the 1C is what pushes the needle in his favour. Consider them both as wingers and how do they compare? Still close, but Ehlers' skating gives him the edge now, IMO.

 

[DannyGallivan]

I didn't use the word skill. I said talent. Talent is in the genes. Skills are learned.

That said, I like Ehlers skills better too, for the most part. But that may be bias talking. I'm not knocking Scheifele's skills in any way. But Scheifele being the 1C is what pushes the needle in his favour. Consider them both as wingers and how do they compare? Still close, but Ehlers' skating gives him the edge now, IMO.

Then put Ehlers at Center and see if he has Schiefele's playmaking, vision or decision making ability. My main knock with Ehlers is his decision making and the fact that he plays like a sports car without breaks. That's better for a winger than a center.

As far as skills and talent are concerned, I use both words interchangeably. I guess you could say that Ehlers has more "natural athletic ability", mainly because it takes more than practice to skate the way he does.

Still, I like 'em both. For historical reference, Phil Esposito wasn't fast, didn't shoot particularly hard and didn't have the highlight-reel hands, but his vision, hockey sense and accuracy made him a dominant NHL legend. The minors are full of guys with more skill and talent than a lot of players who've managed to find steady work in the NHL.

 

[scelaton]

Anyone surprised?

This is actually a very important statement, much more so than a silly who is better argument.

To me, it says that PLD recognizes Ehlers' natural gifts and therefore, as his C, will do his best to allow him to reach his potential. It's a completely different mindset than was the case when Nikolaj played with Laine and will serve them, and the team, well.

 

[JetsUK]

This is actually a very important statement, much more so than a silly who is better argument.

To me, it says that PLD recognizes Ehlers' natural gifts and therefore, as his C, will do his best to allow him to reach his potential. It's a completely different mindset than was the case when Nikolaj played with Laine and will serve them, and the team, well.

Agree.

Would also add that not only is Ehlers ridiculously talented, he is increasingly using that talent to feed into a consistent, all-round game that routinely if not always tilts the ice in the Jets' favour. He exits and enters zones with possession, backchecks, strips pucks, draws penalties, forechecks, hits, fights (!), sets up teammates and scores important goals that have helped the Jets snatch victory form the jaws of defeat more than once this season. He has become one of the Jets' 2-3 most important players, and he can still be better yet.

We're lucky to have him, even if he memorably once refused to play in the hole on PP1.

 

[JetsUK]

i can't even count how many debates i've gotten where ppl were telling me how ehlers just enters the zone and does nothing

some how doing nothing leads to leading the team in a variety of stats....you know the stuff that measures doing something....

Yep. Sometimes I suspect the same people who wept in their cornflakes when Hot Mess Brendan Lemieux got traded.

If Ehlers is really "doing nothing" then he does nothing better than all but a handful of players in the league.

 

[DashingDane]

To me, Nikky's issue was always his head catching up to hands and feet. That appears to be a lot closer this and last season. I still think he can get better but I also expect the world of him

 

[ps241]

This is actually a very important statement, much more so than a silly who is better argument.

To me, it says that PLD recognizes Ehlers' natural gifts and therefore, as his C, will do his best to allow him to reach his potential. It's a completely different mindset than was the case when Nikolaj played with Laine and will serve them, and the team, well.

Is there a quote about Nik from PLD? I can’t seem to access it?

 

[LowLefty]

Yep. Sometimes I suspect the same people who wept in their cornflakes when Hot Mess Brendan Lemieux got traded.

If Ehlers is really "doing nothing" then he does nothing better than all but a handful of players in the league.

Ehlers has come a long way over the last 2 seasons - and especially this one.

He's playing a different game now - he's using his head more and realizing the advantage he has over most of the league based on his speed and agility. There's more to the game than speed and zone entries - he's now working with his line mates, shooting and playmaking - that all translates to making a lot of stuff happen out there.

Sky's the limit for that type of talent -

 

[QuietContrarian]

Then put Ehlers at Center and see if he has Schiefele's playmaking, vision or decision making ability. My main knock with Ehlers is his decision making and the fact that he plays like a sports car without breaks. That's better for a winger than a center.

As far as skills and talent are concerned, I use both words interchangeably. I guess you could say that Ehlers has more "natural athletic ability", mainly because it takes more than practice to skate the way he does.

Still, I like 'em both. For historical reference, Phil Esposito wasn't fast, didn't shoot particularly hard and didn't have the highlight-reel hands, but his vision, hockey sense and accuracy made him a dominant NHL legend. The minors are full of guys with more skill and talent than a lot of players who've managed to find steady work in the NHL.

I don’t agree that his decision making ability is flawed at all, I think he has learned well to slow down once he enters the O zone and more often than not makes the right choice, be it pass or shoot.

The sports car without brakes as an analogy might have worked a few seasons ago - But I don’t think it fits anymore.
Also think his passing has been top notch the last few seasons.

These are points I am making without getting into the argument of who is more talented - A subject that I am undecided upon.

 

[Adam da bomb]

I don’t agree that his decision making ability is flawed at all, I think he has learned well to slow down once he enters the O zone and more often than not makes the right choice, be it pass or shoot.

The sports car without brakes as an analogy might have worked a few seasons ago - But I don’t think it fits anymore.
Also think his passing has been top notch the last few seasons.

These are points I am making without getting into the argument of who is more talented - A subject that I am undecided upon.

Although his decision to curl up and a slap shot from the blue line was silly.

 

[scelaton]

Morning media availability:

Is there a quote about Nik from PLD? I can’t seem to access it?

I believe the tweet I responded to was quoting the interview above, which I then checked. PLD actually called Nik " one of the most talented players" he's played with, which is still high praise, but more realistic.

 

[ghyrti]

Missed the post-game talk so this seemed the most relevant place for this comment.

I'm thinking that I'm not the only one who was hoping that after the OT winner he would have skated right to the bench and screamed at 55/26 "That's how you play a two on one you dickheads!"

 

[DannyGallivan]

Missed the post-game talk so this seemed the most relevant place for this comment.

I'm thinking that I'm not the only one who was hoping that after the OT winner he would have skated right to the bench and screamed at 55/26 "That's how you play a two on one you dickheads!"

Or at least say "That's what happens when you shoot the @$#% puck!!!"

Now that was a good decision.

 

[Imcanadianeh]

Good on Ehlers for getting the game winner but let’s not forget 10 seconds before he scored it he blew a defensive zone coverage and Hellebuyck bailed him out and the jets easily could have lost that game because of Ehlers.

 

[thrashtoast]

________________________________________________

... I question [Roslovic's] passion and intensity for the game.

Tortorella hinted at something like this in a press conference in the past week.

 

[DashingDane]

Good on Ehlers for getting the game winner but let’s not forget 10 seconds before he scored it he blew a defensive zone coverage and Hellebuyck bailed him out and the jets easily could have lost that game because of Ehlers.

For sure. Did you listen to his interview after? He thought he played a bad game.

 

[JetsUK]

For sure. Did you listen to his interview after? He thought he played a bad game.

Sac Nik.
Needs to climb onboard the Helle positivity train.

INTERVIEWER: So, Connor, they put 14 past you tonight before you got the hook in the 2nd. Any of those you’d like back?

HELLE: Ya know, I felt good out there, real loose. I really liked the game I played and thought the boys played great behind me.