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In 5 years, these RHD

Wood Stick

Wood Stick

Registered User
Dec 25, 2015
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We have some raw and high offensive upside RHD coming up. We currently have Ryan Sproul on the Detroit Red Wings playing here and there (let's not make this Sproul vs Jensen/XO/etc), Robbie Russo tearing it up in Grand Rapids (39 in 72, 22 in 36), and then in the Ontario Hockey League Vili Sarijarvi with 14 in 14 showing flashes of dominant offensive play along with Filip Hronek in Sagina with 25 in 32.

Vili Saajijarvi is currently 19. He will be going pro next season
Filip Hronek is currently 19. He will going pro next season.
Robbie Russo is currently 23. I think he can go through waivers next season as well.
Ryan Sproul is 24. He needs waivers

This style has high upside, but definitely a bust ratio. In five years, we generally only have Danny DeKeyser expected to be on the roster-ish. Brendan Smith is expiring, Jonathan Ericsson and Niklas Kronwall are not young bucks and are dealing with injuries. Mike Green has just a year left, and who know's about Xavier Ouellet and Alexey Marchenko's development.

So predict who makes it and who is the best of the four. What's the upside of these guys, and what do you think happens?
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Last edited:
Winger98

Winger98

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Feb 27, 2002
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Sproul's already made it, Hronek will make it and be the best of the bunch, Saarjijarvi won't be far behind and Russo will go the Sproul route and be lost on waivers/free agency at some point.
 
Wood Stick

Wood Stick

Registered User
Dec 25, 2015
1,788
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Winger98 said:
Sproul's already made it, Hronek will make it and be the best of the bunch, Saarjijarvi won't be far behind and Russo will go the Sproul route and be lost on waivers/free agency at some point.
Click to expand...

I agree actually. I think Hronek's IQ is the best of the bunch. His skating is there and he doesn't have as much defensive worries. I think he becomes a top four defenseman on a consistent basis for us and VS plays a key role on our PP. I'm not as high on Russo as others on here. I thought Jensen should have come up and I believe 90% of this forum said Russo.
 
ricky0034

ricky0034

Registered User
Jun 8, 2010
15,061
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Hronek is the only one that i'm confident will even be on the Wings in 5 years

I feel like Sproul and Russo are very likely to not be(like..80% chance to be gone for Russo 85% chance to be gone for Sproul level likely) Sproul does have a decent chance at being the best of the bunch in the unlikely event that he ends up sticking around though,even if Russo sticks around I don't think he has much of a shot at being the best

Saajijarvi probably somethinng like a 30-40% chance to be on the team then but a 75% chance to be the best of the bunch if he is

I feel like Hronek probably has like a 80% chance of being on the team in at least some capacity in 5 years but that could easily be as anything from a first pairing guy to a bottom pairing guy that gets some powerplay time

anyways I voted Hronek
 
iDangleDangle

iDangleDangle

We Like Our Team
Jan 2, 2014
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Not high on Saarijärvi, he has left me underwhelmed everytime I've seen him play. He is a very poor man's Vatanen.

Russo I wouldn't count on, and Sproul isn't exactly a teenager either. Yeah, d-men take longer to develop, but I see his ceiling as middle/bottom pairing PP specialist. Useful player, nothing special.

Hronek is real promising and could well end up being our best d-man pick since Kronner. Then again, that was said about Sproul too.
 
Heaton

Heaton

Moderator
Feb 13, 2004
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Auburn Hills
I don't think we've drafted the type of defensemen this team desperately needs. All of these guys most likely will be more of the same, bottom pairing guys that can fill in as middle pairing guys for short periods of time.

We need an elite offensive defenseman, not sure any of these guys will be able to put up 50 points.
 
Frk It

Frk It

Mo Seider Less Problems
Jul 27, 2010
36,246
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Hronek is my #1 prospect for the org. I like him a lot but he's a long ways away. I remember when Sproul was CHL defenseman of the year and XO was a ppg player in Juniors. But if all goes right I could see Hronek being a guy like Justin Faulk.

Saarijarvi is another prospect I like a lot. But I think he's going to be a pure offensive guy and along with his size I really doubt he could be any more than a middle pairing guy. Although I think he could be a good point producer regardless. Something like Ryan Ellis or Jared Spurgeon.

Russo is an underrated prospect and I like him, but I need to see what he looks like against NHL'ers. Probably a bottom pairing or at best a middle pairing guy realistically.

Sproul has great tools but seems like a guy who has all the tools but no toolbox type of situation. Don't think he processes the game well anywhere but the offensive zone. Pretty sketchy in coverage in the neutral zone and gets lost too easily.
 
SpookyTsuki

SpookyTsuki

Registered User
Dec 3, 2014
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Henkka said:
Does every god damn defencemen have to be offensive? :help:

Our rightys are mostly offensive? These lefties give a nice balance? :amazed:
Click to expand...

You need 3-4 dmen that can score 40 points in a season at least. And those that don't need to be shutdown
 
Frk It

Frk It

Mo Seider Less Problems
Jul 27, 2010
36,246
14,755
Bruce Joker said:


You need 3-4 dmen that can score 40 points in a season at least. And those that don't need to be shutdown
Click to expand...


One team in the NHL had 3 defenseman with 40 pts or more last year. None had 4 or more.

Realistically, you probably want two.
 
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