Is Ronalds Kenins a better hockey player than Brandon Prust?

[ahmon]

A key player on that Hawks team was Marcus Kruger and he put up 4 points because he could play his role. Just like, Higgins knows how to play his without doing anything stupid.

Kruger plays on the 4th line C. And is used primarily on the pk.

Higgins can't take faceoffs, is the inferior player defensively. There is no comparison.

 

[Verviticus]

kenins is honestly not even close to higgins right now and im kenins fan #3

 

[MS]

kenins is honestly not even close to higgins right now and im kenins fan #3

No kidding.

Higgins is a guy who gets 35 ES points every year with a high-end two way game.

We'd all be stoked with 20-25 ES points from Kenins and he's nowhere near the same level defensively at this point. Hits are nice but don't even come close to bridging the gap.

 

[Pip]

As of right now it's Higgins and it isn't even close although I would argue that Kenins has the potential be possibly be as good as Higgins.

Higgins is criminally underrated around these parts and I'm still confused as to why so many on this board want to get rid of him so badly. This is coming from one of Kenins' biggest supporters on this site

 

[m9]

I don't see the potential with Kenins at all. He doesn't have the hands to be any more than a bottom six guy. The fact he is playing with the Sedins right now is crazy to me.

 

[me2]

As of right now it's Higgins and it isn't even close although I would argue that Kenins has the potential be possibly be as good as Higgins.

Higgins is criminally underrated around these parts and I'm still confused as to why so many on this board want to get rid of him so badly. This is coming from one of Kenins' biggest supporters on this site

We need to move him to make room for younger up and comers like Prust.

 

[Pip]

I don't see the potential with Kenins at all. He doesn't have the hands to be any more than a bottom six guy. The fact he is playing with the Sedins right now is crazy to me.

I disagree. I think he has good hands and good hockey sense.

 

[m9]

I think he has good hands and good hockey sense.

I don't see the hands at all. I think his run when he first got here last year was an outlier, and what he did the rest of the way is a better sense of what he will do going forward. Hockey sense, to be determined.

Still like him as a player though, he should just be a 4th line energy guy at this point.

 

[F A N]

Chris Higgins is a very good hockey player. He just lacks the finish to produce more offensively.

 

[NoShowWilly]

Chris Higgins has become ridiculously underrated by this fan base. He isn't an entertaining player. Seeing him being utilized in roles he probably shouldn't be can get on my nerves. He can be frustrating but people act like he isn't a useful NHL player.

He isn't easily replaced. Not at his price. He is a 35-40 point player that PKs for 2.5m.

 

[KeninsFan]

As of right now it's Higgins and it isn't even close although I would argue that Kenins has the potential be possibly be as good as Higgins.

Higgins is criminally underrated around these parts and I'm still confused as to why so many on this board want to get rid of him so badly. This is coming from one of Kenins' biggest supporters on this site

A case of Kenins fitting into his role better than Higgins. Kenins (4LW) > Higgins (2LW).

I would argue that with Higgins' lack of finishing ability he's the worst fit in the top 6, thankfully Benning has remedied that problem by making sure Sutter frustrates even more people.

I don't see the potential with Kenins at all. He doesn't have the hands to be any more than a bottom six guy. The fact he is playing with the Sedins right now is crazy to me.

Trying not to be biased here but Kenins is a good skater, not afraid of physical play and a pretty gifted playmaker off the rush. He's better utilized on a line where he can crash and bang and play off the rush so I agree he isn't a fit with the Sedins.

He's also at an age where his hockey sense allows him to mesh with contrasting styles - a poor man's Hansen and like Hansen he can play spot duty in the top 6 if all goes well.

 

[vanuck]

As of right now it's Higgins and it isn't even close although I would argue that Kenins has the potential be possibly be as good as Higgins.

Higgins is criminally underrated around these parts and I'm still confused as to why so many on this board want to get rid of him so badly. This is coming from one of Kenins' biggest supporters on this site

This essentially.

 

[Horse McHindu]

Higgins is "next in line" to be traded if a kid/prospect makes the team:

Higgins is "next in line" to be traded if a kid/prospect makes the team:

Just to be clear, I don't dislike Higgins and don't necessarily want to see him gone. I actually like the guy. However - Benning seems to be committed to Prust (at least for this year) and Dorsett, and so IF a kid like Virtanen, McCann, etc., makes the team after the 9th game of this season, I think Higgins is the most likely to be shipped.

I should have worded this post (that turned into a thread) a little better. I should have said, "Will the Canucks be noticeably worse up front if Kenins replaced Higgins, or would their be a negligible difference? (especially if Benning then used Higgins, and packaged him off with Sbisa for an "overpaid" $5-7 million dollar defenseman, who has a bad contract, but would at least be worthy enough to play on our Top 4 D......unlike Sbisa who appears to be a poop stain in the under pants of society).

 

[Shareefruck]

Not yet, but he will be at some point.

 

[arsmaster*]

You know Higgins projected to be our 4th leading scorer by tsn? Kenins didn't make the top 300 list.

Ahmon. I usually like what you say but you're off it here.

 

[ahmon]

No kidding.

Higgins is a guy who gets 35 ES points every year with a high-end two way game.

We'd all be stoked with 20-25 ES points from Kenins and he's nowhere near the same level defensively at this point. Hits are nice but don't even come close to bridging the gap.

I duno about that, Kenins got 12 pts last year in 30 games. Would it be farfetched to say he would have likely gotten 25 pts last year already if he played a full season?

And Higgins got to play mostly with Bonino/Vrbata. Kenins with Bo/Dorsett

While he certainly hasn't "proven' it over a full season even, if we just look at the last 30 games or so + playoffs, I thought Kenins was as or more impactful than Higgins.

You know Higgins projected to be our 4th leading scorer by tsn? Kenins didn't make the top 300 list.

Ahmon. I usually like what you say but you're off it here.

Well after the Sedins and Vrbata, its a traffic jam of players like Horvat, Burrows, Higgins, you could probably include Hansen in that group. There's probably not much separation between 4th or 7th-8th.

The thing is Higgins is probably going to produce around 30-40 pts give or take.

He is certainly more "proven" but Kenins offers more on the table. I see 30 pts from Kenins as well.

I see similar production but Kenins being the better forechecker.

 

[ahmon]

Again. Brad Richards got carried by Patrick Kane. Richard was slow and was a liability for the most part.

Versteeg and Bickell weren't benched because they didn't put up points. The main reason they got benched because they weren't reliable.


This argument is pointless. I can already see that you don't really watch or follow hockey. I don't think I can follow this conversation any longer. It's a waste of time. I feel like I'm responding to someone who doesn't know anything about hockey.

sure can't

 

[Upoil]

Why is this a thread and not just a single post that can be lost in the Armchair GM thread? Is this what the future holds? Is it going to become even more embarrassing to be a Nuck fan?

 

[DadBod]

Higgins has obviously accomplished more, albeit because he's been in the league longer. But if I had to make a decision on "who's a better hockey player right now?" I'd choose Kenins. He's faster, bigger, harder working, finishes his checks, hits like a truck and has a better shot.

He needs more experience yes but Higgins is very, very average.

 

[VanJack]

The issue isn't whether Kenins is a better hockey player than Higgins, the question is whether he inherits the official 'one and done' WD doghouse award from the departed Zack Kassian....one mistake will land him in the press-box or down in Utica, while Higgins will make mistake after mistake and they'll continue to throw him out there....frankly it's a miracle that Horvat managed to develop at all last year.

 

[Black Noise]

Higgins is "next in line" to be traded if a kid/prospect makes the team:

Just to be clear, I don't dislike Higgins and don't necessarily want to see him gone. I actually like the guy. However - Benning seems to be committed to Prust (at least for this year) and Dorsett, and so IF a kid like Virtanen, McCann, etc., makes the team after the 9th game of this season, I think Higgins is the most likely to be shipped.

I should have worded this post (that turned into a thread) a little better. I should have said, "Will the Canucks be noticeably worse up front if Kenins replaced Higgins, or would their be a negligible difference? (especially if Benning then used Higgins, and packaged him off with Sbisa for an "overpaid" $5-7 million dollar defenseman, who has a bad contract, but would at least be worthy enough to play on our Top 4 D......unlike Sbisa who appears to be a poop stain in the under pants of society).

Higgins is out for 3 weeks, someone will get an opportunity to play regardless Higgins is traded or not.

 

[kanucks25]

As of right now it's Higgins and it isn't even close although I would argue that Kenins has the potential be possibly be as good as Higgins.

Higgins is criminally underrated around these parts and I'm still confused as to why so many on this board want to get rid of him so badly. This is coming from one of Kenins' biggest supporters on this site

Because he's been misused as a 2nd liner for so long and has failed at it because he just isn't capable. He's an excellent 3rd liner (with a great cap-hit), but he just can't produce like a 2nd liner.

That's not his fault, it's on management for not acquiring 2nd liners and the coaches for putting him in a position to fail.

Somehow he still gets blamed.

 

[vanuck]

Because he's been misused as a 2nd liner for so long and has failed at it because he just isn't capable. He's an excellent 3rd liner (with a great cap-hit), but he just can't produce like a 2nd liner.

That's not his fault, it's on management for not acquiring 2nd liners and the coaches for putting him in a position to fail.

Somehow he still gets blamed.

Since when did multiple 40-point seasons (and 30+ ES pts) not count as 2nd line production?

 

[kanucks25]

Since when did multiple 40-point seasons (and 30+ ES pts) not count as 2nd line production?

I guess you can consider it 2nd line production, stats wise, but no regular team is winning the cup with Higgins as their 2LW.

If you stuck him in that slot in, say, Chicago, it would probably work fine but when you don't have their kind of depth and top-end star-power, I don't really see it happening.

 

[Nucker101]

Since when did multiple 40-point seasons (and 30+ ES pts) not count as 2nd line production?

His ES production is fine, but he's truly an awful PP player.

I do agree that he gets way too much hate. The guy busts his ass every shift and every game. Produces for what he's paid, is solid defensively and seems like a high character individual. He is a frustrating player to watch since he isn't a hitter, not flashy offensively and misses a lot of high scoring chances these days but the bottom line is that he's well worth his salary.