If Staal had Aho's brain and hands then he would be the Lebron James of the NHL. Because he lacks finish and crafty playmaking ability his offensive presence with the puck can get frustrating to watch.
Or if Aho had Staal's size.
Staal certainly has hands of stone. I don't think that's even debatable. There are times that I think he'd be just as productive with a broom as he is with a hockey stick. He is very sound defensively and isn't a detriment on offense, he just has no touch. His size makes him strong on the puck. What I wish he would do is to use that big body of his to get in front of the goal more and play a bit more physical. He plays like he's the size of Aho.
Still earns his paycheck though (well, if anybody on the face of the earth earns $6M).
broom broom aho knows what time it is
A broom would be incredibly productive. Especially if it had black bristles. Goalies would never be able to figure out where the puck was coming from.
Please--you should use the brooms with white bristles, so it would blend into the ice and the goalie wouldn't be able to pick up on the spin or what direction it is coming off the broom.
What do you all think about the possibility of trading for Zetterberg as a temporary #1C? With Detroit's cap issues and their low probability of being a playoff contender for the next couple of years, maybe they would be open to moving Zetterberg. His Cap hit is just north of $6M for the next four seasons, but the salary is only high this year at $7M and then $3.5M next year and only $1M for the last two years. Even at 36, he put in 68 points last year and would easily be our best center. Also, given his age and Detroit's cap situation, I would think the assets required to trade for him wouldn't be too bad a loss.
I would LOVE to get Zetterberg, even at his age particularly with that salary. Unfortunately, I can't see the Wings, who are extremely weak at center trading him. I also think the cost would be more than we think because there would be at least a dozen or more teams that could fairly easily take him on. But if there were a deal to be made, sign me up.
Kooky
Kooky is fun, but if we're looking for something that is close to how he pronounces his name, "Quokka" is it. Here is a quokka:
Deceptive photo, they're 6 feet tall.
Deceptive photo, they're 6 feet tall.
I love the idea of having Kuokkanen, Roy, and Gauthier a couple hours away from Raleigh. You never know how a guy might play and proximity is a key component of opportunity.