Is Paul Stastny still a true #1 center?

[Kronwalled8*]

Or is he overrated? I think this season proved that hes a grossly overpaid #2 center (at 7M), with only 46pts in 74 games. Hes a great guy to have as your secondary scoring, but will never be a guy to lead the charge offensively. He doesnt make his linemates better, but instead his linemates make him better.

His career high is 78ts with the Avs in his first year, but his production has dropped every year since. Cant believe the contract this guy was able to get. I just dont think he has the skill and vision to be a #1 center. I do think he can put up top line production, if he has star wingers (ex. Benn, Tarasenko, Perry, etc), but hes not a guy who can carry a line on his own.

He had the potential when he first came into the league, but hes already going into his 10th season and is exiting his prime. Its hard to believe that hes finished his 9th season already. This guy had massive hype after his rookie year, many saw him potentially putting up his dads numbers and being a future HHOF'er.

WHen he signed with the blues, I thought he was in for a career year. I was expecting 80+ pts.

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[Toastman]

He's a great second line center who excels defensively.

 

[ThatQuietGuy93]

Ehhh a 1b centre

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

Bozak + 4th, imo

 

[avsfan09]

He does make his line mates better. He does a lot of small often unnoticed smart plays that helps his team win games.

I could be wrong but the Blues rely on depth and there scoring is more spread out which could account for his #'s. I think he's a 60pt guy in the right situation. Which is a lower end #1c or great #2.

 

[Benedict Kovalchuk]

Bozak + 4th, imo

Counter with Carkner + rights to Marty Reasoner + 5th.

 

[BobDobolina]

Needs to go back to a wooden stick.

 

[tigervixxxen]

He never was. He doesn't create his own offense, he's a give and go guy. This isn't sour grapes, Avs fans were telling people that all last year too.

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

He doesnt make his linemates better, but instead his linemates make him better.

Which Stastny are you watching, Yan? Dude made Berglund respectable and fed Tarasenko some sweet passes when I watched in the playoffs.

I just dont think he has the skill and vision to be a #1 center. I do think he can put up top line production, if he has star wingers (ex. Benn, Tarasenko, Perry, etc), but hes not a guy who can carry a line on his own.

He's never been a guy to carry a line by himself, he's someone that builds chemistry with his linemates and then executes brilliantly with them. He knows where to go around the crease to get the loose pucks and he can absolutely dish pucks with the best of them. His vision is incredible to put it lightly.

WHen he signed with the blues, I thought he was in for a career year. I was expecting 80+ pts.

Well there is your problem, anyone expecting more than ~65-70 points from him was being unrealistic. Toss him with Tarasenko all season and he'll feed him some crazy good passes and both will do well. Put Backes on their right side and that line will be great. Stastny was being mis-used in St. Louis.

 

[cgf]

Yes he is. Him needing to adapt in a season where the blues didn't give him the best wingers and he got banged up, doesn't negate his talent. Give him Tank for a whole year and Tank will win the Rocket while Pauly goes back to putting up 70 points.

 

[anlongo13]

Which Stastny are you watching, Yan? Dude made Berglund respectable and fed Tarasenko some sweet passes when I watched in the playoffs.



He's never been a guy to carry a line by himself, he's someone that builds chemistry with his linemates and then executes brilliantly with them. He knows where to go around the crease to get the loose pucks and he can absolutely dish pucks with the best of them. His vision is incredible to put it lightly.



Well there is your problem, anyone expecting more than ~65-70 points from him was being unrealistic. Toss him with Tarasenko all season and he'll feed him some crazy good passes and both will do well. Put Backes on their right side and that line will be great. Stastny was being mis-used in St. Louis.

No question about it. He was with weak linemates for a large portion of the season. When Stastny finally found some chemistry near the end, Hitch changed it up. If the Blues want Stastny to put up points, he needs to be permanently paired with either Schwartz who can set him up to be a scorer, or Tarasenko so he can be a playmaker.

 

[AfroThunder396]

I doubt a team could win the Cup if he's their best center.

 

[Dbrownss]

Schwartz Stastny Tarasenko NEVER clicked for whatever reason. The Blues catered to Stastny till December - January. He had a combination of every top 9 player and oddly enough fit best with Berglund-Jaskin.

He was off to a difficult start after his injury though and coupled with a constant shift of wingers and a new team for the first time in his career, I won't call him a bust in the slightest.

I never considered him a true 1c... he's like backes, he's on the low side of it 50+pts with great defense

 

[JLo217]

He's a 2nd line center with the ability to play against opposing teams top lines. He was missed in CO but ROR is better overall.

 

[Philly85*]

2nd line C who can do spot duty on your top line. He's overpaid of course but not overrated. Probably took a full season to acclimate to STL. Very boring player but a guy you'd want on your team. May sound ridiculous but if he was earning 2-3 million less per season you'd love to have him as an elite third line C.

 

[cgf]

2nd line C who can do spot duty on your top line. He's overpaid of course but not overrated. Probably took a full season to acclimate to STL. Very boring player but a guy you'd want on your team. May sound ridiculous but if he was earning 2-3 million less per season you'd love to have him as an elite third line C.

This post makes little sense to me. I'd love to have Staz being an elite #2 C, even at his price. So why should I want him in a role were he can make less of an impact and will have weaker finishers to waste all of the goals he sets them up for?

Pauly's a playmaker with a very strong two way game. His production will always rely on his wingers finishing the chances he creates for them because Pauly's not allowed to score more than 25 goals in any given season. The Hockey gods didn't notice him pull it off as rookie, but since getting bamboozled by him they've been on top of that ****.

 

[uncommonsense52]

He's not, and he never was. I said when the Blues signed him that Iw as glad to have him, but we paid way too much for a second line center.

I was corrected by overly-optimistic and naive Blues fans...

 

[Divine]

Bozak + 4th, imo

Only if the Blues retain 30%.

 

[jmart21]

If we've been having this debate for 6 years, probably safe to assume the answer to that question is "No"

 

[cgf]

If we've been having this debate for 6 years, probably safe to assume the answer to that question is "No"

Why shouldn't we use that logic to answer the question with a "yes" if after 6 years and tons of people questioning it it's something that still has to be debated?

 

[A91]

Honestly don't think he has ever been a #1 C. A terrific #2 or a 1b at best.
Nonetheless he is still a great player.

 

[David Dennison]

He seemed to click with Berglund and Jaskin in STL late in the year, but if those 3 are your 1st line, you are in trouble.

Id like to see Backes on his wing, but I would not like to create a hole at center by putting Backes on the wing. Long story short, the Blues need more good players....and the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

 

[StroShow]

1B on a contender

 

[glovesave_35]

He's not, and he never was. I said when the Blues signed him that Iw as glad to have him, but we paid way too much for a second line center.

I was corrected by overly-optimistic and naive Blues fans...

If you take age and everything into account his current salary is pretty much the going rate for 30'ish second line centers who have ever scored over 70 points. It's why you don't build around players like that as much as you use them to augment your forward core that has younger cheaper talent around them.

I'll say this. His contract is a hell of a lot better than Brad Richards' looked the day each was signed.

 

[Bee Sheriff]

Why shouldn't we use that logic to answer the question with a "yes" if after 6 years and tons of people questioning it it's something that still has to be debated?

Because it shouldn't be a question if he truly was ever one?

Sidney Crosby is a true #1 center, of course.
Anze Kopitar, no question.
Patrice Bergeron, no one's gonna argue against him.
Paul Stastny? not gonna get a definitive answer, so closer to no.