Ottawa's Center Depth - How Does is Compare to the Rest of the NHL?

[JessicaN]

Look, for Legwand to be better than a C4, he has to be in the top-90 at the position (30 teams * 3 centers = 90). Here's 100 centers who are better than Legwand. Even if you could argue 10 of them, it still puts Legwand outside the top-90:

Ryan Getzlaf
Steven Stamkos
Sidney Crosby
Tyler Seguin
Matt Duchene
David Backes
Logan Couture
Evgeni Malkin
Anders Lee
John Tavares
Patrice Bergeron
Ryan Johansen
Claude Giroux
Tomas Hertl
Joe Pavelski
Jeff Carter
Mike Fisher
Paul Stastny
Brandon Dubinsky
Eric Staal
Martin Hanzal
Nathan MacKinnon
Tyler Bozak
Anze Kopitar
Pavel Datsyuk
Mike Cammalleri
David Krejci
Jonathan Toews
Ryan Kesler
Jason Spezza
Tommy Wingels
Craig Smith
Ryan O'Reilly
Kyle Turris
Brayden Schenn
Bryan Little
Mike Santorelli
Nick Bjugstad
Colton Sceviour
Joe Thornton
Brad Richards
Olli Jokinen
Mikko Koivu
Darren Helm
Nicklas Backstrom
Tyler Ennis
Andrew Cogliano
Valtteri Filppula
Mika Zibanejad
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Nazem Kadri
Frans Nielsen
Boone Jenner
Mark Scheifele
Dave Bolland
Derek Stepan
Mathieu Perreault
Jordan Staal
Andrew Shaw
Antoine Vermette
Charlie Coyle
Tyler Johnson
Tomas Plekanec
Nick Bonino
Alex Killorn
Jiri Hudler
Sam Gagner
Artem Anisimov
Matt Stajan
Travis Zajac
Cody Eakin
Mikael Backlund
Carl Soderberg
Cody Hodgson
Mikael Granlund
Tyler Toffoli
Sean Couturier
Adam Henrique
Sean Monahan
Jarret Stoll
Zemgus Girgensons
Rich Peverley
Patrik Berglund
John Mitchell
Vincent Lecavalier
Derick Brassard
Jesse Winchester
Lars Eller
Riley Sheahan
Marcel Goc
Mikhail Grabovski
Brandon Pirri
David Desharnais
Henrik Sedin
Mike Ribeiro
Shawn Matthias
Ryan Strome
Brock Nelson
Maxime Talbot
Alex Galchenyuk
Daniel Winnik
Matt Cullen
Mike Richards
Saku Koivu
Steve Ott
Paul Gaustad
Chris Kelly
Colin Wilson
Aleksander Barkov

Jesse Winchester?

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

Look, for Legwand to be better than a C4, he has to be in the top-90 at the position (30 teams * 3 centers = 90). Here's 100 centers who are better than Legwand. Even if you could argue 10 of them, it still puts Legwand outside the top-90:

Ryan Getzlaf
Steven Stamkos
Sidney Crosby
Tyler Seguin
Matt Duchene
David Backes
Logan Couture
Evgeni Malkin
Anders Lee
(snip)

Lost any chance at a feasible argument right here.

 

[Sensinitis]

Santorelli, Sceviour, Winchester, Sheahan, Kelly, Gaustad, Ott, Koivu, Matthias (not a center), Pirri, John Mitchell, Hudler (not a center), Coyle (not a center), Wilson, Nelson, Talbot, Jenner (not a center), Lee, Helm, Wingels, Backlund, Toffoli (not a center) Eller, Goc, Galchenyuk (not a center, yet), Peverley, Cammalleri (not a center) = LOL and not arguable.

100 - 28 = 72, and that's without the ones that are arguable like Mike Richards, Matt Cullen, Kadri, Cogliano, etc.

 

[Xspyrit]

Love the centre depth. Having 2 guys who can play shut down mins will do wonders for us. And if zibanejad takes another step forward, this group could be top 10 at season's end.

I'm not worried about the forward core, its the defence along with coaching that will make or break the upcoming season.

Very well said. Coaching staff has to put youngsters (and veterans), particularly on defense, in a position to succeed so they can work on their strengths. They need an efficient 2-way system, not an all-in offense like they were trying to do last year.

That's the thing though; we should have known the D would have trouble playing that style, and adjusted. It would have sacrificed a bit of offence, but probably saved our skin more often than not. Not only that, but we could have maybe hung back depending on the personnel on the ice. I don't mind if Spezza fly's the zone when Karlsson retrieves the puck, but if he does that when Phillips or Cowen get the puck, that's a different story.

That's my biggest question that remains after the season. Why they never adjusted? At some point it looked like they did (around the game won 3-2 vs the Blues) but it reverted back after. And I'm not sure we would have sacrificed that much offense. We need to be a bit more patient on offense sometimes, particularly at the beginning of games where we took too many chances and found ourselves in 1-0 or 2-0 holes very quickly. Playing hockey from behind is a much different story.

Look, for Legwand to be better than a C4, he has to be in the top-90 at the position (30 teams * 3 centers = 90). Here's 100 centers who are better than Legwand. Even if you could argue 10 of them, it still puts Legwand outside the top-90:

Ryan Getzlaf
...
Aleksander Barkov

I appreciate what you did and understand your methodology but at some point, statistics have to be taken with a grain of salt. You have to put a limit somewhere. Your methodology is not the "be all and end all"

There's about half of those players that I wouldn't take before Legwand (for 1 season only). Many are sophomores, wingers, retired, without a contract, etc.

It seems that Legwand put up some good stats on the PP so that's a guy that we will need there next season.

I know ES is cool but for offensive numbers, PP has to be taken in consideration too. Overall, Legwand finished 33rd in scoring amongst centers. So if we go with stats only, can we say that he is a high end center then?

 

[BonkTastic]

Look, for Legwand to be better than a C4, he has to be in the top-90 at the position (30 teams * 3 centers = 90). Here's 100 centers who are better than Legwand. Even if you could argue 10 of them, it still puts Legwand outside the top-90:

Ryan Getzlaf
Steven Stamkos
Sidney Crosby
Tyler Seguin
Matt Duchene
David Backes
Logan Couture
Evgeni Malkin
Anders Lee
John Tavares
Patrice Bergeron
Ryan Johansen
Claude Giroux
Tomas Hertl
Joe Pavelski
Jeff Carter
Mike Fisher
Paul Stastny
Brandon Dubinsky
Eric Staal
Martin Hanzal
Nathan MacKinnon
Tyler Bozak
Anze Kopitar
Pavel Datsyuk
Mike Cammalleri - is a winger, even for a team desperate for top-line centers like Calgary
David Krejci
Jonathan Toews
Ryan Kesler
Jason Spezza
Tommy Wingels
Craig Smith
Ryan O'Reilly
Kyle Turris
Brayden Schenn
Bryan Little
Mike Santorelli
Nick Bjugstad
Colton Sceviour
Joe Thornton
Brad Richards
Olli Jokinen
Mikko Koivu
Darren Helm
Nicklas Backstrom
Tyler Ennis
Andrew Cogliano
Valtteri Filppula
Mika Zibanejad
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Nazem Kadri
Frans Nielsen
Boone Jenner
Mark Scheifele
Dave Bolland
Derek Stepan
Mathieu Perreault
Jordan Staal
Andrew Shaw
Antoine Vermette
Charlie Coyle
Tyler Johnson
Tomas Plekanec
Nick Bonino
Alex Killorn - also is not a/ does not play center
Jiri Hudler - not a center
Sam Gagner
Artem Anisimov
Matt Stajan
Travis Zajac
Cody Eakin
Mikael Backlund
Carl Soderberg - mostly plays wing in Boston
Cody Hodgson
Mikael Granlund
Tyler Toffoli
Sean Couturier
Adam Henrique
Sean Monahan
Jarret Stoll
Zemgus Girgensons
Rich Peverley
Patrik Berglund
John Mitchell
Vincent Lecavalier
Derick Brassard
Jesse Winchester - LOLWHAT?
Lars Eller
Riley Sheahan
Marcel Goc
Mikhail Grabovski
Brandon Pirri
David Desharnais
Henrik Sedin
Mike Ribeiro
Shawn Matthias
Ryan Strome
Brock Nelson
Maxime Talbot
Alex Galchenyuk
Daniel Winnik
Matt Cullen
Mike Richards
Saku Koivu
Steve Ott
Paul Gaustad
Chris Kelly
Colin Wilson
Aleksander Barkov

Jesus, what is this list?!?

Red = Legwand is better than
Yellow = Legwand is probably roughly equal to/ argument can be made either way
(caveat for both colours - some of the young guys might end up better than legwand/ project to be better than Legwand when they are older, but aren't at that point yet)
Magenta - questionable to list as a "center", depending on how you are judging position eligibility.

I left some of the high-profile prospects alone - guys like Barkov/Strome - just to avoid the debate over "proven production vs projected production".

 

[Sensinitis]

Coyle, Cammalleri, Toffoli, Galchenyuk, Matthias, Jenner aren't centers either, in the NHL at least.

 

[blahblah3]

Ottawa has one of the best group of centers in the league because the offense is very well distributed among the four lines. You will have four lines, if Neil doesn't dress, who can all score. We actually don't have any overrated, scrub centers. I'd rather have Ottawa's bottom two than the vast majority of teams in the league and that will definitely create a team that is hard to shut down.

 

[The Fuhr*]

Turris was a 50 point player during the lockout when Spezza was injured.

Team needs Turris to take the next step and be a 60+ point guy as the number 1C
Team needs Zibanejad to take the next step and be a 50-60 point guy

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Great depth

Lacklustre high-end talent

I'm happy with it

 

[Dysentery]

I love how Dallas is the bomb with Spezza now, with the 1-2 punch...and now Ottawa has the worse team on paper because Spezza is gone, and we are a lottery team.

Lol

This team is better now. I'm loving this center depth...Smith as our 4th line center is awesome. Center position is the last of our worries.

 

[blahblah3]

You are going to see a team more akin to the LA kings than the limp wristed mess we saw last year. Turris said as much in an interview. They are all on the same page - unlike last year where your captain couldn't be bothered to do anything other than float around like an idiot.

 

[The Fuhr*]

You are going to see a team more akin to the LA kings than the limp wristed mess we saw last year. Turris said as much in an interview. They are all on the same page - unlike last year where your captain couldn't be bothered to do anything other than float around like an idiot.

Nice, Turris is going to be like Kopitar?

 

[blahblah3]

Nice, Turris is going to be like Kopitar?

No, but Zibanejad will be far better than Jarret ****ing Stoll.

 

[Sens92]

I love how Dallas is the bomb with Spezza now, with the 1-2 punch...and now Ottawa has the worse team on paper because Spezza is gone, and we are a lottery team.

Lol

This team is better now. I'm loving this center depth...Smith as our 4th line center is awesome. Center position is the last of our worries.

I honestly do not see us doing worse than we did last year. We have a strong group of two-way forwards, and solid goaltending. Our d-core is also more experienced, and that should give us some stability on the back end.

I'm loving the centre depth, it is probably better than that of Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, Buffalo, Florida, and at least on par with Tampa Bay and Columbus.

 

[Curtis]

Their easily ahead of MTL and WPG... maybe even NYR.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Turris was a 50 point player during the lockout when Spezza was injured.

Team needs Turris to take the next step and be a 60+ point guy as the number 1C
Team needs Zibanejad to take the next step and be a 50-60 point guy

Exactly. And his wingers were far worse than the wingers he has now. Also, he isn't as good as he is now.

If Turris becomes 60+ 2 way player and Zibanejad becomes physical 50-60 point guy with 2 way play, that is LETHAL.

What would be even more destructive is potentially having a guy like Pageau, Lazar, Legwand as number 3 C.

40+ point excellent all-around players. Then Smith on 4th line.

 

[operasen]

I'm curious as to where Legwand actually fits in the depth position.

He could be the No1, giving Turris another year to solidify his skills. He has the pedigree.

He said in his TSN interview he was a No2, and many posters here have him as the No3, behind Zibanejad.

Is Zibanejad a No3? I guess it depends on how that line is used. Zibanejad is more a 2 than 3 I think.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Their easily ahead of MTL and WPG... maybe even NYR.

I don't know about easily

Montreal has Galchenyuk: that kid is very, very good and could end up as a solid top line centre if everything goes well

 

[tony d]

We have very good centre depth. I'd rank it among the top 10-15 in the league.

 

[bornNraised Sens]

I'm curious as to where Legwand actually fits in the depth position.

He could be the No1, giving Turris another year to solidify his skills. He has the pedigree.

He said in his TSN interview he was a No2, and many posters here have him as the No3, behind Zibanejad.

Is Zibanejad a No3? I guess it depends on how that line is used. Zibanejad is more a 2 than 3 I think.

I think to start Zibby will be the #3, but as the season progresses I think the plan would be to move him up to #2 duties and to have him take over that spot. Legwand would work as either the 2 or 3 but I think hes mostly there for vetern leadership and to help take the load off of guys like Zibby and Turris.

 

[Cosmix]

BUT Smith must cut down on his minor penalties

I love how Dallas is the bomb with Spezza now, with the 1-2 punch...and now Ottawa has the worse team on paper because Spezza is gone, and we are a lottery team.

Lol

This team is better now. I'm loving this center depth...Smith as our 4th line center is awesome. Center position is the last of our worries.

I think it is better too, with more defensive ability. I don't "love" the center depth, but I am resigned to it being what it is. I am looking forward to seeing how it works out with Turris, Legwand, Zibanejad and Smith.

I like Smith as 4th line C, but he needs to reduce his minor penalties. He took too many last year. Neil was also guilty taking too many minor penalties. If we could get those two to cut down their penalties, our PK would not be over-worked and our 4 lines could play even strength more often. That would help reduce shots and goals against, leading to a playoff position.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

I don't know about easily

Montreal has Galchenyuk: that kid is very, very good and could end up as a solid top line centre if everything goes well

A lot of Montreal fans have Gally pinned as their 3rd line LW for now.

Desharnais
Plekanec
Eller

is their center depth as of this moment. Galchenyuk is very good indeed and I think he's much better than Eller but for now Eller is coming off great playoffs and shown 2 years ago he can handle 2nd line role and excel so they keeping Gally on the wing.

Heck, I'm more than fine with them keeping Gally on the wing and messing up his development. I think the guy could be a top 10 C in the game. Would do us wonders if he doesn't develop to his real potential.

 

[Micklebot]

Jesus, what is this list?!?

Red = Legwand is better than
Yellow = Legwand is probably roughly equal to/ argument can be made either way
(caveat for both colours - some of the young guys might end up better than legwand/ project to be better than Legwand when they are older, but aren't at that point yet)
Magenta - questionable to list as a "center", depending on how you are judging position eligibility.

I left some of the high-profile prospects alone - guys like Barkov/Strome - just to avoid the debate over "proven production vs projected production".

You out left Eller; is his career high of 30 pts enough to be considered better than Legwand?

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

You are going to see a team more akin to the LA kings than the limp wristed mess we saw last year. Turris said as much in an interview. They are all on the same page - unlike last year where your captain couldn't be bothered to do anything other than float around like an idiot.

Turris said he would score 30 goals, then he said he would score 40 goals. He did neither of those. Turris is more of a used car salesman than a forecaster.

I'll be happy if Turris doesn't gloriously **** the bed and he brings 50-60 points to the table.

 

[HSF]

having depth at center is fine but not having anyone who can produce high offense is concerning....no high end talent.


Turris + Zibby + Legwand arent all going to be 50+pt players....there isn't enough icetime for that

I would rank us with toronto Bozak + Kadri + Santorelli....maybe we are a little better than that