Jordan Weal: 2018-19 season (Formerly: How many points for Weal in 2017-2018?)

[Striiker]

Frost better save us.

 

[deadhead]

I'd rather have Laughton in the 4C role, the 4th line will probably play nearly the same minutes as the 3rd line at ES.
So let Weal take a more offensive role and Laughton more of a checking role until Vorobyev is read.

 

[David St Hubbins]

Frost 3C
Laughton left wing
Weal leftover
Lehtera left town

 

[Ghosts Beer]

He got sent to the AHL, improved, came up and played great last year, and there's no reason to think it's unsustainable. In fact, he looks like he could have done even more if he wasn't dragging anchors around all year.

Also, mentioning his usage and lineup movement last year doesn't help your argument at all. Hakstol doing indefensibly stupid things isn't a reflection on Laughtons ability.
Same as taking TK off the top line isn't TK's fault. Same as putting Filppula on the top line isn't a valid argument in favor of him. And so on and so on...

For one, I strongly disagree that Laughton "played great last year."
For two, I don't think Hakstol's decision to play Laughton on the 4th line and eventually move him to wing were "indefensibly stupid things."
You're a guy who won't even give an ounce of credit to Hakstol for moving Giroux to Couturier's wing, which resulted in two career seasons, so I'm not sure your opinions on Hakstol have any objectivity.

 

[Striiker]

For one, I strongly disagree that Laughton "played great last year."
For two, I don't think Hakstol's decision to play Laughton on the 4th line and eventually move him to wing were "indefensibly stupid things."
You're a guy who won't even give an ounce of credit to Hakstol for moving Giroux to Couturier's wing, which resulted in two career seasons, so I'm not sure your opinions on Hakstol have any objectivity.

I suppose we should give him credit for Provorov and Ghost being together too? Who could have guessed that two great players together would work out well???? Other than literally everybody.

I think Hakstol was robbed of the Jack Adams, personally. How do you make an incredible coaching decision like that an NOT win?!?!

And your contrarianism is just as much of a roadblock to unbiased arguments as my “lack of objectivity”. Your illogical defenses of Hakstol and the recent Laughton and Hagg arguments prove that.

 

[deadhead]

I suppose we should give him credit for Provorov and Ghost being together too? Who could have guessed that two great players together would work out well???? Other than literally everybody.

I think Hakstol was robbed of the Jack Adams, personally. How do you make an incredible coaching decision like that an NOT win?!?!

And your contrarianism is just as much of a roadblock to unbiased arguments as my “lack of objectivity”. Your illogical defenses of Hakstol and the recent Laughton and Hagg arguments prove that.

You mean any coach would pair a 2nd and 3rd year defenseman on the 1st line, both of whom are LH, and weaken the 2nd pair?
Obviously, that was a no brainer, like taking your 1C and making him a 1LW and promoting your 3C to 1C?

When you lack depth, all these decisions are tough tradeoffs.

Same way the bottom six will be tough to fill out in 2018-19, and easy in 2019-20.

 

[Rebels57]

If he's on the 3rd line something has gone terribly wrong.

If he's on the 1st or 2nd line next year I'm jumping off a bridge.

Hextall has mentioned him multiple times as a potential option for 3C so its not that outlandish.

 

[Juicy Pop]

You mean any coach would pair a 2nd and 3rd year defenseman on the 1st line, both of whom are LH, and weaken the 2nd pair?
Obviously, that was a no brainer, like taking your 1C and making him a 1LW and promoting your 3C to 1C?

When you lack depth, all these decisions are tough tradeoffs.

Same way the bottom six will be tough to fill out in 2018-19, and easy in 2019-20.

At what point will people stop thinking that this is a Hakstol idea? Giroux stated that he and Hextall first talked about the possibility in the summer.

 

[Striiker]

Hextall has mentioned him multiple times as a potential option for 3C so its not that outlandish.

He also mentioned Filppula as an option to come back, but that didn't happen either. Lots would've had to go wrong for that to happen, just like this.

Sure, it's possible Weal ends up there, but it's probably more that Hextall was just naming every possibility as a way to say that they'll consider everything. Not necessarily that it's his plan A, B, or C.

If Weal is the 3C, it's still an upgrade over Filppula, so it's not the end of the world. But Frost should be given every chance to make the team and if he is I have a hard time seeing him not making it. I'd also easily prefer Laughton over Weal. That's what I mean by "something has gone wrong". If both of those guys are leapfrogged by little ugly stupid Weal, then we have a problem.

 

[Angry Hockey Dad]

Assuming Frost at 3c and Laughton at 4c? Unless weal plays 4LW I predict <10 points next year

 

[onlylordsvsmorebp]

still dont know what mediocre-ass weal has done to warrant this....he sucks.

 

[onlylordsvsmorebp]

If Weal is the 3C, it's still an upgrade over Filppula, so it's not the end of the world.

have to agree w/this tho....

 

[Brophy]

im goin full on optimism mode, 40 points.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Laughton isn’t a “fringe NHL player”.

His production, given his usage and linemates, is impressive.

Tell that to our coach. I bet him, weal and Sanheim will be riding bench at times so guys like Torgo, weise and Folin can bring the heaviness.

 

[Striiker]

Tell that to our coach. I bet him, weal and Sanheim will be riding bench at times so guys like Torgo, weise and Folin can bring the heaviness.

Hakstol hates goals. He just wants physicality and defense.

Hockey dinosaurs look down on skill, as if scoring isn’t the entire point of the sport.

 

[deadhead]

You mean like how Laughton played 81 games last year.
Where do people come up with these silly season ideas?
Sanheim will ride the bench only if Sanheim hasn't worked hard to improve this summer.

Weal is more difficult, they'd like him to win the 3C, but which Weal shows up - the one coming off an excellent AHL campaign who shined for a 23 game cameo, or the one last year who was generally too small and too slow?

2016-17: 2.29 pp/60, Corsi 55.84, CorsiRel +7.07, xGF 58.48, xGF rel +9.75, GF - xGF = -2.48
2017-18: 1.24 pp/60, Corsi 49.64, CorsiRel -0.54, xGF 50.0, xGFrel -0.75, GF - xGF = -5.93

I think he's better suited to C, and will get a shot of showing he's NHL capable.
With Lindblom and Simmonds as his linemates, his lack of size will be less of an issue.
That would allow you to go with Raffl - Laughton - NAK as the 4th line.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Hakstol hates goals. He just wants physicality and defense.

Hockey dinosaurs look down on skill, as if scoring isn’t the entire point of the sport.

Haks prototypical player is some heavy old bastard who does nothing but grind in the corners. Both dmen and forwards, after all its literally the only thing VDV ever did.

 

[Striiker]

Haks prototypical player is some heavy old bastard who does nothing but grind in the corners. Both dmen and forwards, after all its literally the only thing VDV ever did.

You just described Lehtera and Hagg (not old yet, but Hak still loves him)

9/10 accuracy.

Meanwhile TK plays out of his mind, but gets demoted because goals are bad.

 

[deadhead]

TK didn't "play out of his mind" until the 2nd half of his second season when he was on the RW with Giroux and Couts, and everyone who was on their RW last year put up good scoring and advanced metrics, including Raffl and Simmonds. Voracek scored just as well as TK on that line. Problem is you can only play one RW on that line at a time.

Hakstol's ideal defenseman is Provorov.
Hakstol's ideal forward is Couts, and Patrick will soon be this year.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

You just described Lehtera and Hagg (not old yet, but Hak still loves him)

9/10 accuracy.

Meanwhile TK plays out of his mind, but gets demoted because goals are bad.

Super structured defensive style that slows the pacepace gives coaches much more control over the game, whereas in offensive laden system players are left to their own discretion when it comes to creating chances. Why would he tell a player to do his own thing when he can explicitly instruct him to play high to low? Julien, Boucher, Suter, Tippet, Peters and Hakstok are all cut from the same cloth and were it not for this past season I might even throw Babcock there.

 

[Alex91]

I have Lindblom-Weal-Simmonds as my 3rd line right now. Voro should start as 1C in LHV and be called up at some point.Not that I’m a fan of Weal as 3C, just think it’s a best option to start the year.

I miss G as a center, because this team on paper would look way more deep with G-Couts-Patrick as your 1-2-3.

 

[Flyers Faithful]

I’m all for trying a Lindblom - Weal - Simmer line to start the season. If that line clicks I could see him getting around 40 pts.

 

[Alex91]

If weal gets 40 points with 20-35 5v5 pts then we will be challenging for Metro title and be a powerhouse

 

[baudib1]

I don't hate Weal, and I can see him having some sort of success in the NHL, but it's hard to think anything other than his chance to make an impact with the Flyers is all but over.

Nice 13th forward.

 

[Curufinwe]

Hextall keeps talking him up, so I don't think it's hard to see him getting another shot on a scoring line.