Sixty Six
Registered User
wow 3 pens on the list thats impressive for such an unimpressive overall draft. well 2 now that kostopolous left
nomorekids said:So is Steve Maltais.
So I guess there's hope for him, too?
Simon Gamache only trails Jason Spezza for the scoring lead by 4 points...yet everyoen constantly predicts he'll never play in the NHL, either. Unfortunately, the AHL isn't always the best measuring stick.
Pepper said:Despite Malone showing piss-poor attitude when playing in Finland, he plays a much more complete game than Erat so while he *might* have less potential offensively, he's better player as a whole.
The Maltais Falcon said:Stefan has turned into a very nice two-way forward that can be a second-line center. Not what you hope for out of a first-overall pick, but far from a bust. In hindsight, he was the right pick. The Sedins have been arguably better, but they got to come in and play on a great team right off the bat. Stefan was surrounded by bad-to-mediocre players his first few years in Atlanta. Even now he never plays with Heatley and gets on a line with Kovalchuk about half the time.
I'm one of those doubters on Simon Gamache. He's a little guy that plays a big man's game. He can't motor like Steve Sullivan or Martin St. Louis and that's critical if a little guy is going to make it in the show. He has good hands and hockey sense but he scores most of his points in the slot. I didn't see any of his Nashville games but in Atlanta he just got abused there. I still pull for him, though. He's a fearless hockey player and a nice kid.
I'll disagree (of course I do).SmokeyClause said:I disagree, I think Erat has the edge in offensive skills and Malone has an edge in physical game. But let us not forget that Erat was 22 last season Malone turned 24 two months in. If you factor in that difference, Malone isn't better in my opinion. And Erat did more offensively with much less ice time.
And we talk about this "better player as a whole" as if Erat is some sort of Kovalchuk in his own zone. He's actually quite adept. I know he wasn't in his rookie season at the age of 20, but he played well enough on defense to maintain a spot on the 2nd/3rd line for virtually the entire season. It's incredibly rare for someone to play that role for coach Trotz without being very solid in his own end.
Evilo said:I'll disagree (of course I do).
Malone is a more complete player, has some dazzling moves, and is (as I previously said) a very clutch player.
So he had more icetime, but that included a lot of penalty killing, and you forgot to add that he didn't have decent teammates for most of the season.
He quickly was the only offensive player on his team, thus he had defenses all over him in the gameplan.
I don't think any team prepared to face Erat last year.
Evilo said:I'll disagree (of course I do).
Malone is a more complete player, has some dazzling moves, and is (as I previously said) a very clutch player.
So he had more icetime, but that included a lot of penalty killing, and you forgot to add that he didn't have decent teammates for most of the season.
He quickly was the only offensive player on his team, thus he had defenses all over him in the gameplan.
I don't think any team prepared to face Erat last year.
Evilo said:You again skipped his penalty killing ability. Not only does it prove he's more complete, but it also proves that his "superior" icetime isn't necessarily some quality icetime (for scoring I mean).
Yes Malone is older, but it was also his rookie season. You probably could expect more points for him in the future.
SmokeyClause said:I disagree, I think Erat has the edge in offensive skills and Malone has an edge in physical game. But let us not forget that Erat was 22 last season Malone turned 24 two months in. If you factor in that difference, Malone isn't better in my opinion. And Erat did more offensively with much less ice time.
And we talk about this "better player as a whole" as if Erat is some sort of Kovalchuk in his own zone. He's actually quite adept. I know he wasn't in his rookie season at the age of 20, but he played well enough on defense to maintain a spot on the 2nd/3rd line for virtually the entire season. It's incredibly rare for someone to play that role for coach Trotz without being very solid in his own end.
Evilo said:Why would he try hard and risk an injury in Finland?
His goal is NHL hockey. He might as well remain competitive by dominating in Italy for all I care.
Taze said:Why come to play in PROFESSIONAL league in first place, if you don't want to do ANY work? Malone has no attitude, he is no professional.
I won't change that opinion even if he dominates the whole NHL. True professionals under the contract come and play their best every night, Malone didn't even try. That makes him... well POS?
And he doesn't seem to dominate even in Italy (no offense). Maybe he's just lost his game? Maybe last season was a fluke? But I'm sure all his "playing" in Europe helps his career in NHL...
Evilo said:And Beech isn't a bust just yet. He's tearing it up in the AHL this year.
pavel datsyuk said:he does every year for about two weeks. Then, he slows down. Plus, how many chances has this guy been given to make the pens roster when they needed a top 2 line player?
GagneOwnsYou said:I think Radivojevic, Erat and Malone will be the best of the bunch.
Patrick - Flames Fan said:That has nothing to do with anything. Sometimes guys just take longer to mature. Look at St. Louis. There are many guys that are impact players until they hit the 27 years or so old era.