GDT: Game 15 | 11/2/2019 | Detroit Red Wings @ Florida Panthers | 7 PM ET FS-D

[lilidk]

Hate to say it, but I doubt AA has any trade value anymore. Should have traded him when he had some value.

I expected this team to be slightly better than last season since the young guns are 1 year old and have more NHL experience. Boy was I wrong.

season just started . Larkin is a huge difference for Red wings . He doesn't play good this year , probably not 100 % healthy .

 

[LeftWingLocked]

Good thing we play the Predators on Monday. That is a for sure win.

 

[Run the Jewels]

The dumbest thing we could do is trade AA when his value is at an all time low...

I've always viewed AA as being a great third liner.

Next year you could have Perlini-Veleno-Athanasiou as your third line. Easier, matchups, all great skaters, with Veleno being the key contributor. I'm fine with cratering this year and hopefully getting Byfield as our #1 C and then bumping the Larkin line down to the second line. Then you just have to build around with wingers which is pretty easy to do - relatively speaking.

 

[GreatGordie9]

Our defense injuries the same old same old.

 

[nhlisawesome]

I've always viewed AA as being a great third liner.

Next year you could have Perlini-Veleno-Athanasiou as your third line. Easier, matchups, all great skaters, with Veleno being the key contributor. I'm fine with cratering this year and hopefully getting Byfield as our #1 C and then bumping the Larkin line down to the second line. Then you just have to build around with wingers which is pretty easy to do - relatively speaking.

Veleno hasn't proven that he can contribute in the AHL let alone the NHL yet and Perlini is obviously a flawed player who can be invisible most nights. AA already has a 30 goal season in the NHL under his resume.

 

[Shaman464]

Veleno hasn't proven that he can contribute in the AHL let alone the NHL yet and Perlini is obviously a flawed player who can be invisible most nights. AA already has a 30 goal season in the NHL under his resume.

One 30 goal season can be meaningless. Cheechoo had a 56 goal season. Until he can show he can string them together he's just another one dimensional player that is useless when he's not scoring.

 

[Winger98]

I've always viewed AA as being a great third liner.

Next year you could have Perlini-Veleno-Athanasiou as your third line. Easier, matchups, all great skaters, with Veleno being the key contributor. I'm fine with cratering this year and hopefully getting Byfield as our #1 C and then bumping the Larkin line down to the second line. Then you just have to build around with wingers which is pretty easy to do - relatively speaking.

I don't necessarily disagree, but where we run into problems is that he can score goals like a fist liner. I just don't doubt Athanasiou can be a consistent 25-30 goal guy. But I don't think he needs 18+ minutes or legit top6 linemates to do it, and I'm not sold on him consistently making his linemates better. He turns his season around at all, though, puts up ~25 goals, and we're going to be looking at a guy commanding a pretty decent salary for a pretty decent term. I've seen Max Afinoginov thrown out as an unflattering comparison for AA, but here's a more flattering one: Jeff Skinner. And look at what Skinner just got paid.

I would love to see AA start scoring again and cranking his trade value up.

 

[DatsDeking]

At least I got an hour of my life back after watching that game.

 

[ManwithNoIdentity]

Nielsen has been quietly working on a double Sheahan. He’s got 0 assists and 0 goals.

He has to be injured, right?

Even Gator is outplaying him, it’s pathetic

 

[Oddbob]

He has to be injured, right?

Even Gator is outplaying him, it’s pathetic

I believe he has a Torn Gat (Good at Hockey)

 

[Shaman464]

I don't necessarily disagree, but where we run into problems is that he can score goals like a fist liner. I just don't doubt Athanasiou can be a consistent 25-30 goal guy. But I don't think he needs 18+ minutes or legit top6 linemates to do it, and I'm not sold on him consistently making his linemates better. He turns his season around at all, though, puts up ~25 goals, and we're going to be looking at a guy commanding a pretty decent salary for a pretty decent term. I've seen Max Afinoginov thrown out as an unflattering comparison for AA, but here's a more flattering one: Jeff Skinner. And look at what Skinner just got paid.

I would love to see AA start scoring again and cranking his trade value up.

He's not Jeff Skinner. He's not even a poor man's Jeff Skinner. He's a shitty drunk on three different type of liquor poor man's Jeff Skinner. AA is AA. I can't think of a single player that has been like him. And what scares me now is that its not that he's in a funk, but that other teams are now planning for him and denying him the time and space needed to be able to beat multiple player and get a high quality scoring chance. Because if that's the case, I truly believe he won't be able to change his game in response, because his only move is to try to go end to end and do it all on his own.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

He's not Jeff Skinner. He's not even a poor man's Jeff Skinner. He's a ****ty drunk on three different type of liquor poor man's Jeff Skinner. AA is AA. I can't think of a single player that has been like him. And what scares me now is that its not that he's in a funk, but that other teams are now planning for him and denying him the time and space needed to be able to beat multiple player and get a high quality scoring chance. Because if that's the case, I truly believe he won't be able to change his game in response, because his only move is to try to go end to end and do it all on his own.

I don't think that's what's happening. AA has been getting great looks lately, they're just not going in. And he seems to be developing his game.

The other night he had a Datsyukian-like cut back move and great saucer pass on Mantha's goal. He also used his speed and made a nice cross ice pass to for what looked like a sure goal in a wide open net, but because it was Filppula on the receiving end it somehow managed to hit the crossbar.

I think the (multi) million dollar question with AA is how much more he'll develop his game. If he'll continue figuring out how to use his speed and trick moves to open up the ice and make plays, instead of just trying them in end to end rushes. Or if this is pretty much the ceiling.