Gurglesons
Registered User
Niskanen played very well against us in the playoffs last year, and had several seasons where he was by no means a problem. As a Penguin he did not however have anywhere near the tickets Letang did, nor comparable D-partners, but not unlike Schultz now he stepped up big time for us when Letang was inevitably out for periods. Why? Most obviously because when Letang isn't there someone else gets to see heavy minutes with Sid/Geno and the PP, and points follow. 13/14 was an example of just that, just like it has been for Schultz this year.
Like I said, since his last season with us and until now on Washington, I think Niskanen has been the more dependably good player of the two in most likely the bigger number of games, despite the fact that when Letang is really good, he is great at at a level Niskanen doesn't touch. No disagreement there.
That's a little bit like saying, without otherwise comparing the situations, that Bergeron likely has more dependably good games than Geno, which I think is probably true. Doesn't mean Geno isn't the superior player. Letang is likely also the superior player compared to Nisky.
The point I was making was one of asset management where I think it is very likely that we would have been better dealing Letang for a major price and retaining Niskanen, all else being equal. More so with the current coach, because that system suits Nisky's ability to a tee also. That is after the fact of course, but I DID say the same back then and have been arguing similar points about Letang since forever. In the threads below for instance:
July 2013: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=67138307&postcount=460
December 2013 http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=76382843&postcount=348
Hence, I am NOT saying that Niskanen is a better player than Letang. I said that in most games he likely will be, with it being understood that on some occasions Letang will be ahead by a lot, because he can hit an entirely different level.
We are just often left to rue that he is spectacularly far from what he could be; to the point of him singlehandedly destroying our PP while making inexplicably gaffes costing goals.
As for the notion that Letang has been great in the playoffs with any kind of regularity.... hahahaha. He has loaded up points wise often enough when we blew through hapless teams and he has been one of our main culprits often enough when falling apart. True to his Jekyll-Hyde nature.
Last playoff run was BY FAR his best ever, even as it included two text book moronic games. We all hoped it was sign of progress.... and then came this season.
The idea that Letang is a top defender in this league has been on this board and in the media (particularly Burgh media) for years, and while points wise that IS true, more than anything it is a reflection of the major minutes he gets with great players and on the PP that is consistently high scoring despite his obstructionism and how much of a high scoring team we are and have been in general.
Letang is quite frankly the D-version of Fleury.
Having his points inflated by the team like Fleury has gotten wins. Doesn't change that when he (and they) are great, they really are great. But you cannot depend upon that being so and you never could. Letang obviously being better than Fleury, but just the same.
Letang might end up top10 in points on D this season despite missing games again, but his plus/minus and advanced stats do not lie when indicating that we concede an enormous amount of goals with him on the ice also, and the eye test makes plain that he is very much a factor in that himself because of his dime's worth of brains to go with the studly athleticism.
As it is, we no longer have a pipeline on D where one can imagine replacing Letang from within for the majority. Back then with Nisky, Maatta, Despres and Dumoulin/Pouliot some time out, it was not at all out of the question.
Letang is one of the X-factors for our team for sure, because if he does hit his high notes come playoff time, he is a massive point of strength for us. We surely need him to be that guy to have a chance at winning. Suppose we just have to hope lightning strikes again for him like last season.
I don't even know where to start on this post.
The fact that you compared Letang and Fleury is just insane.
Letang's advanced stats have been insane relatively every year. Our team in general has terrible defensive stats this year thus the guy who is on the ice almost half the game is going to have bad stats.
The fact that you act like Letang has "horrible stats" and think he concedes an enormous amount of goals is kind of like the same argument people were trying to use against Maatta early this year when he was our second best defenseman when it came to advanced stats.
You advocated that trading Letang and signing Niskanen to a monster contract would've put the team in a better spot. That is idiocy. Nisky may be a # 1 in Washington, but is that really a good thing when the Caps haven't been out of the second round in twenty years.
Letang is a high minute defenseman every "accusation" you make against him is a situational thing that occurs with playing high minutes. Letang's playoff numbers have been great since 2013. You're just making accusations that have no real facts or reason behind them.
Then again you are advocating that Letang is at Marc Andre Fleury's level so obviously you're argument can only be based on false claims. Letang even on his worst days is a # 1 defenseman that is most likely in the top 15 defensemen in the league.
I honestly wish sometimes Letang would've been traded in 2012 so people like you could see how tremendous he is as a player. I'm sure he'd be an even better player on some teams because he would've been properly coached years ago.
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