Is there a prime Tomas Holmstrom in the league now

[Dipsy Doodle]

Ironically, the Pens don't even use Horny as the primary net-front presence on the PP. He's usually used as an RH option in the slot for Sid/Geno on the half wall while Kunitz screens.

 

[source]

before that, franzen was a low scoring depth player. holmstrom got injured, so franzen took his spot with datsyuk and zetterberg and started scoring a lot.

when homer returned to the 1st line, franzen kept scoring, but mostly with his wrist shot, especially high.

I'm referring primarily to Holmstrom's role in front of the net on the PP. In 2008, Franzen displaced Holmstrom as Detroit's guy in front of the net. These days it is Abdelkader's job.

Franzen must have tipped in at least a dozen goals between March and May 2008 alone, when he broke DRW records for (1) game-winning goals in a month; (2) game-winning goals in a playoff season; and (3) goals in a playoff season.

Watch just some of his goals: 5:55, 6:45, 9:30, 12:32, 13:15, etc...

 

[overg]

Sometimes I just feel old. I remember some fellow Wings fans pumping him as a next generation Dino Ciccarelli the summer before he debuted with the Wings. I also remember thinking "that seems overly optimistic."

In a sense, I was right. Dino was quite a bit better at deflecting pucks (still the best I've ever seen, although that excludes players like Phil Esposito, who is most-often credited as being the "best ever" around the crease). Having said that, 15 years, 4 Cups, and he's now a point of reference for an entire generation of fans. That makes for one hell of a career.

 

[startainfection*]

Moulson?

 

[DarkHorse]

Mike Babcock is a big fan of Anders Lee's net-front game.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Best 530 point player ever.

 

[Danish Pastry]

I can see hertl for the sharks becoming a holmstrom type player with a bit more stick skill.

 

[DetBigWangs]

What was really dead was the combo of the Holmstrom screen + Lidstrom's seeing-eye-shots. I can't tall you how many times that combo scored where everything else failed.

 

[canucks20]

Few posters have already said it, but Anders Lee has some potential to play that style

 

[RLNotStine]

Does Hornqvist eats beans for his pregame meal as Holmstrom supposedly joked about ?

Mr. Duck, do you have a source for this claim?

 

[TGWL]

Lee has scored some nice goals with a net front style. Kreider has scored a lot of nice deflections, or provided nice screens for other players to score. I don't consider either of them in the same category as Holmstrom, but the league has changed and players don't have to battle as hard as Holmstrom did, which made his success even more impressive. Most of the time you'll see calls if D-players try and clear that front like that.