Player Discussion Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Part VII) - Pretty Mint Edition

[Mrb1p]

Imagine if this team didn't have an unhealthy obsession with shitty defensive center a la Danault, he'd probably have fifty points by now.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Imagine if this team didn't have an unhealthy obsession with ****ty defensive center a la Danault, he'd probably have fifty points by now.

Every commentator on hockey, guys who have played the game, praises Danault. But not here. Here there are player-fans who just want to boost their favourite player's stats instead of wishing for team success.

 

[Heffyhoof]

Every commentator on hockey, guys who have played the game, praises Danault. But not here. Here there are player-fans who just want to boost their favourite player's stats instead of wishing for team success.

You do realize he's just gonna turn it on you and say that the good of the team IS Kotkaniemi playing in Danault's role right?

 

[BaseballCoach]

You do realize he's just gonna turn it on you and say that the good of the team IS Kotkaniemi playing in Danault's role right?

Bullcrap. If he got no power play time, four minutes of penalty killing per game, and tough matchups all the time, the critics would say "he's being fed to the wolves".

Like I said, knowledgeable hockey people praise Danault. Posters here act like he's Desharnais getting sheltered minutes and power play time, but he's not. Knowledgeable hockey people did not all praise Desharnais. But there is a similarity somehow, must be the first letter of the last name.

For Price-sake, Danault was a first round pick and Desharnais was undrafted and started in the ECHL before even getting a 2-way contract.

 

[Guilliam]

You do realize he's just gonna turn it on you and say that the good of the team IS Kotkaniemi playing in Danault's role right?

Relying on Kotkaniemi to take all the responsibilities and tough matchups that Danault has is a recipe for disaster. The kid is developing just fine and being managed properly, having his responsibilities grow progressively. There's absolutely no reason to complain about his usage. It's nothing like when Chucky was playing wing and DD was our first line center.

 

[Mrb1p]

Every commentator on hockey, guys who have played the game, praises Danault. But not here. Here there are fanboys who just want to boost their favourite player's stats.

I praised Danault ebfore but he's been hogging the offensive potential of this team since 2016 now, it's time to realize that while Danault is a good player, he should'nt be given so much responsibility offensively.

 

[dinodebino]

I praised Danault ebfore but he's been hogging the offensive potential of this team since 2016 now, it's time to realize that while Danault is a good player, he should'nt be given so much responsibility offensively.

I liked his play tonight. But this is Bobby Jr's thread. He was mint tonight.

 

[Naslund]

Danault is allowing Kotkaniemi to grow as a player by taking the pressure off. I am a big fan of Kotkaniemi, but he is not ready for more than he is asked to do at the moment (3C duty).

 

[Mrb1p]

Danault is allowing Kotkaniemi to grow as a player by taking the pressure off. I am a big fan of Kotkaniemi, but he is not ready for more than he is asked to do at the moment (3C duty).

 

[BaseballCoach]

Danault is allowing Kotkaniemi to grow as a player by taking the pressure off. I am a big fan of Kotkaniemi, but he is not ready for more than he is asked to do at the moment (3C duty).

The next step for me is getting KK a LW who can create offence better than Lehkonen. Byron is that first step. The following step is to give him Tatar, move Drouin back with Domi and Shaw and move Byron to Danault/Gallagher's line. That would give us three scoring lines.

 

[OldCraig71]

Bullcrap. If he got no power play time, four minutes of penalty killing per game, and tough matchups all the time, the critics would say "he's being fed to the wolves".

Like I said, knowledgeable hockey people praise Danault. Posters here act like he's Desharnais getting sheltered minutes and power play time, but he's not. Knowledgeable hockey people did not all praise Desharnais. But there is a similarity somehow, must be the first letter of the last name.

For Price-sake, Danault was a first round pick and Desharnais was undrafted and started in the ECHL before even getting a 2-way contract.

I always liked Phil Danault but just not as a first line center, he gets plenty of tough matchups and is a solid player, a modern day Carbo if you will. I would like to see him get some pp time in the future, what do we have to lose?

 

[ottawa]

Imagine if this team didn't have an unhealthy obsession with ****ty defensive center a la Danault, he'd probably have fifty points by now.

Danault, shitty? why? He's top 50 in points for forwards or something, forgot what they said on TV

 

[BaseballCoach]

I praised Danault ebfore but he's been hogging the offensive potential of this team since 2016 now, it's time to realize that while Danault is a good player, he should'nt be given so much responsibility offensively.

It's like when we were in elementary school and some not yet mature people complained that certain students were "hogging" all the A's.

Danault is played about 2-4 minutes less than most #1 Cs, he gets no PP time, has a lot of defensive zone starts, but he is said to "hogging" offensive opportunities because, get this, he manages to create offence while having everything stacked against him.

All this because we have an 18 year old playing C and thriving so a portion of the kid's fanbase thinks he could get more points if he was given the best wingers. Sure, if his points were all that mattered.

 

[dinodebino]

OK guys, stop with Danault. It's about Bobby here. Danault's got his own thread. Besides, I see zero relevance in the debate.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Relying on Kotkaniemi to take all the responsibilities and tough matchups that Danault has is a recipe for disaster. The kid is developing just fine and being managed properly, having his responsibilities grow progressively. There's absolutely no reason to complain about his usage. It's nothing like when Chucky was playing wing and DD was our first line center.

Speaking of which, Chucky has now found his game in Arizona, and it is as a winger. So many coaches were not all wrong. Even I got carried away by his 45 game hot streak into thinking he was a true 1C. At that time, he was one of our 3 best Cs, but today we can see what three real Cs can do for a team.

 

[BaseballCoach]

OK guys, stop with Danault. It's about Bobby here. Danault's got his own thread. Besides, I see zero relevance in the debate.

The question arose because there are people here who think KK is being held back by Danault, and others think on the contrary, Danault is helping KK grow in a sustainable way.

 

[dinodebino]

The question arose because there are people here who think KK is being held back by Danault, and others think on the contrary, Danault is helping KK grow in a sustainable way.

Julien is helping Bobby Jr, not Danault. Bu I get what you are going.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Imagine if this team didn't have an unhealthy obsession with ****ty defensive center a la Danault, he'd probably have fifty points by now.

lol Surely you can at least ENTERTAIN the idea that Kotka's very appreciable progression has been due to him being brought along slowly?

You must see that a kid who many thought shouldn't even be in the NHL this year and is the youngest player in the league should be handled in a way that errs on caution? Especially long term? Really?

I really think you're framing this wrong with all due respect. You should be happy with his progression. There is more than a good chance that with any more playing time until now he loses his confidence, gets frustrated and starts to regress. You see it as his wings being clipped when I think it's really the opposite. Or at least you can surely see how it could likely be the opposite.

He's not going to get the Galchenyuk treatment. They're not wildly different scenarios but they're different enough. Kotka's flourishing as a C.

Danault's the victim of overachieving. Kind of like Mete. If Mete stays in Junior last year and is in Laval this year people would be freaking out about him because he'd be tearing it up. If Danault never gets in the top 6 people would absolutely love him as a 3rd line C but since he's on a 2nd line his faults get exposed and amplified (and a bit exaggerated at times lol I'm sorry, man). No one would think twice about saying he's better than Eller was here.

 

[OldCraig71]

Danault, ****ty? why? He's top 50 in points for forwards or something, forgot what they said on TV

I think it was 5 on 5 points produced.

 

[Guilliam]

I praised Danault ebfore but he's been hogging the offensive potential of this team since 2016 now, it's time to realize that while Danault is a good player, he should'nt be given so much responsibility offensively.

Yeah he's hogging the offensive potential of this team so much that they're 7th in the league in 5on5 scoring.

The problem with this team's offense is the atrocious power play, coincidentally where Danault doesn't play.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Byron and Armia are the perfect wingers for Kotkaniemi right now... our top 9 is great. But for this year at least, Kotka is the 3rd best center on the team, that needs to be understood.

 

[Runner77]

OK guys, stop with Danault. It's about Bobby here. Danault's got his own thread. Besides, I see zero relevance in the debate.

How do we get from Eagle and KK to "Bobby"? What's going on, everyone is making up nicknames as they go?

 

[admiralcadillac]

How do we get from Eagle and KK to "Bobby"? What's going on, everyone is making up nicknames as they go?

He looks like Bobby Smith out there apparently

 

[Mrb1p]

It's like when we were in elementary school and some not yet mature people complained that certain students were "hogging" all the A's.

Danault is played about 2-4 minutes less than most #1 Cs, he gets no PP time, has a lot of defensive zone starts, but he is said to "hogging" offensive opportunities because, get this, he manages to create offence while having everything stacked against him.

All this because we have an 18 year old playing C and thriving so a portion of the kid's fanbase thinks he could get more points if he was given the best wingers. Sure, if his points were all that mattered.

He gets 15 minutes of ES ice time, which puts him ahead of Barzal and Kuznetsov.

One of these things is not like the other.

 

[26Mats]

Byron and Armia are the perfect wingers for Kotkaniemi right now... our top 9 is great. But for this year at least, Kotka is the 3rd best center on the team, that needs to be understood.

Perfect is a bit of a stretch. Patrick Kane and Ovechkin would be perfect in my book.

Let's see them against a good team like the Leafs, on the road. That will be a better test - one more like what we'll face in the playoffs.