Jacob582
Registered User
- Oct 16, 2012
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Player Discussion Rasmus Asplund
- Thread starter Eye of Ra
- Start date
- Feb 3, 2015
- 4,271
- 3,892
If Asplund could start scoring goals again he'd be a very good player. His assists also dropped like a rock while 71 was on his goalless streak. And not having Mitts for 2/3 of the season.
It'a almost comical how he's unable to cash in on the chances he's getting. If he could cash even 1/5 of these attempts and mitts/olof played a full healthy season he'd be a 15g/35-40a kinda guy, which is great for how well he plays defensively.
Even If his scoring struggles continue I don't see the Sabres moving on, they'll just keep him as a poor mans replacement for girgs/okposo on the 4th line after next year.
It'a almost comical how he's unable to cash in on the chances he's getting. If he could cash even 1/5 of these attempts and mitts/olof played a full healthy season he'd be a 15g/35-40a kinda guy, which is great for how well he plays defensively.
Even If his scoring struggles continue I don't see the Sabres moving on, they'll just keep him as a poor mans replacement for girgs/okposo on the 4th line after next year.
Doug Prishpreed
Registered User
He’s 24 years old, 5’11” and has never really been able to score with Buffalo. He can’t even play center anymore. What good is he?
His only value comes from the fact that he’s cheap and not a liability. But cheap doesn’t matter to us right now, being so far from the cap.
The only way I like seeing him and Hinostroza on the team next season is if they’re starting as the 13th/14th forwards.
His only value comes from the fact that he’s cheap and not a liability. But cheap doesn’t matter to us right now, being so far from the cap.
The only way I like seeing him and Hinostroza on the team next season is if they’re starting as the 13th/14th forwards.
Willgamesh
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- Jan 31, 2019
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A lot of fans have an infatuation with him because hes been around the team for a while just like Johan Larsson.
Uberpecker
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- Mar 3, 2011
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Maybe a move to C might be in order? I always thought he could play a Larsson type role on a match-up line.
Girgs-Asplund-Okposo.
They did use him as the LW with Girgensons in the middle in that formation back before Christmas.
I always find if funny that when they have guys who are actually good at defense, people are infatuated with letting them go.
Old Navy Goat
Registered User
Unless you're sacking the qb or intercepting passes defense just isn't sexy
Keaganizer
Registered User
- Dec 29, 2013
- 115
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if asplund not scoring is our #1 issue then we have arrived as a team. not every player makes their biggest contribution on the scoreboard. plus he’s had some bad puck luck this year
BG82
Registered User
HaNotsri
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- Dec 29, 2013
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Der Jaeger
Generational EBUG
Fans: Adams needs to add a 4th line who can shut down opponents.
Same fans: Asplund is just a depth forward, he can’t score and only plays defense. Trade him.
Same fans: Asplund is just a depth forward, he can’t score and only plays defense. Trade him.
Push Dr Tracksuit
Gerstmann 3:16
- Jun 9, 2012
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jc17
Registered User
- Jun 14, 2013
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After years of overpaying bottom 6ers that actively make us worse, a cheap guy that doesn't make you groan every shift is not something to ditch
Bendium
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- Oct 18, 2019
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The bolded. I like Aspland, and I have zero problem with having a few defensive specialists on my 4th line.......but, I think a good team can do better. I want my defensive specialist to be a touch bigger, alittle more physical, and eat minutes on the penalty kill. Thats why I loved Larsson when he was here. Aspland is on my list of NHL/AHL tweeners that could be packaged together in a 2 of ours for 1 of theirs type trade to concentrate talent.
I await the "dime a dozen" commentary from people who clearly don't get that getting good shot suppression players is not easy nor is it simple to replace them.
Asplund can still be a solid glue guy who can play up and down the lineup, he'll never break the bank and is still under RFA control in '23. While he probably wont ever be that 30g pace player we saw at the beginning of the year, he's also likely not the guy who is mired in this goal slump. Somewhere in between as a responsible defensive F with a higher than avg IQ. He plays hard shift to shift and understands what he's supposed to be doing out there, similarly to how Larry knew the ice.
Not sure if people have watched many of our forwards play 'defense', but theres a lot of work to do in their own end outside of trying hard, from Tage & MItts developing, to Krebs/Cozens having to simply age/fill out...Tuch has his adventures in his own end, Skinner, we know about, Hino who has his fans is often lost. Sure Quinn probably has a slot nxt year, but Peterka is tbd.
As the old saying goes 'high tide raises all ships', I think as this team improves, Asplund is still going to be a guy we don't have to worry about and could see a bump in his production with more development from this F group.
Not sure why there'd be any hurry in moving on from him right now with cost effective team control, you can win with a player like Asplund in the lineup, he's no liability.
Not sure if people have watched many of our forwards play 'defense', but theres a lot of work to do in their own end outside of trying hard, from Tage & MItts developing, to Krebs/Cozens having to simply age/fill out...Tuch has his adventures in his own end, Skinner, we know about, Hino who has his fans is often lost. Sure Quinn probably has a slot nxt year, but Peterka is tbd.
As the old saying goes 'high tide raises all ships', I think as this team improves, Asplund is still going to be a guy we don't have to worry about and could see a bump in his production with more development from this F group.
Not sure why there'd be any hurry in moving on from him right now with cost effective team control, you can win with a player like Asplund in the lineup, he's no liability.
NotABadPeriod
ForFriendshipDikembe
- Oct 28, 2006
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At the beginning of the year, I figured Asplund could be a Jochen Hecht-like: a guy who could pot 15-20 goals and be the glue guy on a scoring line. Now...maybe that goal total needs to be downgraded but he could still be that guy. We've seen his best hockey complementing Olofsson (first with Tage in the middle, now Casey). He has a role on this team.
joshjull
Registered User
I wouldn’t get hung up on his age.
Posters need to remember there was no real NHL level development the previous two seasons under Botts/Krueger. Many young players stagnated or even regressed (Dahlin).
Many were even blocked from NHL opportunties.
Botts overstocking his defense prevented Borgen, Bryson or Fitzgerald getting NHL opportunities. Hell Fitzgerald didn’t even play defense his first AHL season because of this (he was a winger). This year is Fitzgerald’s his first normal pro season developing as a defenseman and its his THIRD pro season.
Krueger prevented most young players from getting ice time in favor of his “trusted vets” and f***ed up the confidence of the ones that did.
I‘m not going to hold the previous two years of lost development against players like Asplund. Prior to Granato, players like him have been poorly served by this organization development-wise.
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stokes84
Registered User
I remember at the WJC he was basically unbeatable at faceoffs. I don’t understand why he doesn’t take them for us. I always figured he would end up being a better version of Larsson, but instead they stuck him on the wing in a 3rd line role. He should be playing the Eakin role.
Doug Prishpreed
Registered User
Why don't they try him out more at center, so he can have a role as an Eakin replacement? Or maybe put Girgs there. Seems like him and Girgs play the same role but I'm not sure you need two of those guys on the wing when you have a wave of young wingers coming into the org.
They did run an Asplund-Girgensons-Okposo line for a bit in late November/early December. It wasn't for much time and it could be what they are looking at returning to next year as a fallback on Eakin potentially departing.
And I say potentially because I fear them bringing the Ginger Ninja back rather than finding a way to upgrade. Gus in the middle seems more of a lateral move if whatever plan they try fails.
