GDT: Red Wings @ Vancouver Canucks - 10 EST

[HIFE]

...With AA part of it is the nature of his game. It's a highlight when he races through four guys and scores a goal. But when he tries it and it doesn't work in a tight game he looks like an idiot.

He needs to get better at reading game situations, like "I really just need to get the puck deep and try to keep it there right now" and not try and do too much himself. Both of those are very correctable with young players.

Well said. I saw 2 or 3 plays where Athanasiou was about to be penned into the board with the puck and he chose to eat it and get attacked (then proceeded to lose possession). Dude knock it off the boards! In beer league it's considered a no-no to dump the puck under pressure but at this level you see it a hundred times a game... just get rid of it if you have no options.

Boy a couple times AA from a standstill in the corner hit a switch and was stick-handling and dekeing through multiple Canucks like a madman. Those flashes of skill are eye-popping to me, so few NHL players can turn it on like that. They sure broke the mold when AA was made.

 

[Oddbob]

Why is there always complaining about Helm? Contract aside, he is playing his role very well. Great PK, forechecking, and working his ass off each night, are all good things where I come from. He isn't here to score goals for us. He forces the opposition to make plays quicker than they want each game. He does a lot of little things very well that don't show up on the stat sheet, and it seems like many don't understand players like his value to a team. He is providing much more to our team than either Tatar or Nyquist, who make more and really have hardly more points than Helm. Sure Tatar scored the winner on Tuesday but what about the rest of the game and the 7 games before that where he had 0 points. He is playing better than last year, but unlike Helm, he is here to score goals and points, and is for the most part not providing us with them.

 

[Winger98]

You can't really take Helm's contract out of any discussion about why people aren't happy with Helm. Right now, he's on pace for the most points of his career, so I'm guessing he doesn't keep it up and we see him slow down to the 12-15 goals, ~25ish points he usually gets. Which would be fine if he wasn't getting nearly $4m a year to be a third line wing.

With Tatar and Nyquist, double those numbers from Helm and you likely get where they will be by the end of the season. That's why people complain less about them (though both will take a fair bit of flak over the course of a season).

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

You can't really take Helm's contract out of any discussion about why people aren't happy with Helm. Right now, he's on pace for the most points of his career, so I'm guessing he doesn't keep it up and we see him slow down to the 12-15 goals, ~25ish points he usually gets. Which would be fine if he wasn't getting nearly $4m a year to be a third line wing.

With Tatar and Nyquist, double those numbers from Helm and you likely get where they will be by the end of the season. That's why people complain less about them (though both will take a fair bit of flak over the course of a season).

I thought you must be mistaken because Helm is only on pace to score 36 points. Then I realized his career high is 33 points. Good lord that contract.

And off topic but the blank space on the right side of this website is back for me. Anyone else?

I've toggled it on the home screen but as soon as I go into another forum it reappears.

 

[raymond23]

Why is there always complaining about Helm? Contract aside, he is playing his role very well. Great PK, forechecking, and working his ass off each night, are all good things where I come from. He isn't here to score goals for us. He forces the opposition to make plays quicker than they want each game. He does a lot of little things very well that don't show up on the stat sheet, and it seems like many don't understand players like his value to a team. He is providing much more to our team than either Tatar or Nyquist, who make more and really have hardly more points than Helm. Sure Tatar scored the winner on Tuesday but what about the rest of the game and the 7 games before that where he had 0 points. He is playing better than last year, but unlike Helm, he is here to score goals and points, and is for the most part not providing us with them.

Helm is a really valuable depth forward and its sad to see him rot away the rest of his career on this team. Its a lose-lose for both of us for him to stick around.

 

[Hatter of the Beach]

Helm is a really valuable depth forward and its sad to see him rot away the rest of his career on this team. Its a lose-lose for both of us for him to stick around.

Shame his contract is long term. I could see a young team overpaying for him for depth and veteran presence on a cup run.

Doubt the same sentiments will be there when his contract would still allow him to be a rental though.

Both Helm and Abdelkader are good NHL players any playoff team would add to their bottom 6, they’re just both overpaid (Abs by a bit more) by a million or so and for too long

 

[Pavels Dog]

You can't really take Helm's contract out of any discussion about why people aren't happy with Helm. Right now, he's on pace for the most points of his career, so I'm guessing he doesn't keep it up and we see him slow down to the 12-15 goals, ~25ish points he usually gets. Which would be fine if he wasn't getting nearly $4m a year to be a third line wing.

3.85M still isn't much in today's NHL. I don't get the obsession with counting minor dollars. It's not like he's a 1 million player. Look at salaries today, good 4th liners can get around 3 million.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

3.85M still isn't much in today's NHL. I don't get the obsession with counting minor dollars. It's not like he's a 1 million player. Look at salaries today, good 4th liners can get around 3 million.

You are arguing for Helm's salary by arguing that he is overpaid for what a good 4th liner can get?

 

[Frk It]

I don't get the obsession with counting minor dollars.

This is how you get into our [poor] cap situation...

 

[Pavels Dog]

You are arguing for Helm's salary by arguing that he is overpaid for what a good 4th liner can get?

Helm is more than a 4th liner..

This is how you get into our [poor] cap situation...

And I’ve always had the firm belief that the ”poor cap situation” has about 2% to do with guys like Helm making a few K too much and about 98% to do with a lack of star players that naturally eat up a lot of cap. It’s like when Huet was supposed to be Chicago’s downfall because of his contract. There are tons of ways to deal with bad contracts, and Helm’s isn’t even that bad. The amount by which he is overpaid is money we’ll be saving ten times over each season of his deal by moving more and more ELC and RFA players onto the roster.

 

[njx9]

3.85M still isn't much in today's NHL. I don't get the obsession with counting minor dollars. It's not like he's a 1 million player. Look at salaries today, good 4th liners can get around 3 million.

It's almost like not overspending on bit players who aren't part of the future complicates your cap experience when you have to spend on players who are part of the future. Can't imagine why anyone would be 'obsessed' with that, when the ROI is basically nil (or negative).

Though, I guess if your only goal is to be a perennial fringe 8th seed, without the talent to win anything, maybe the ROI in spending $4m on a mediocre 3/4th liner with no offense is ok? I mean, just look at that Ericsson quote for all the "leadership" you're apparently buying.

 

[Redder Winger]

Helm is more than a 4th liner..

And I’ve always had the firm belief that the ”poor cap situation” has about 2% to do with guys like Helm making a few K too much and about 98% to do with a lack of star players that naturally eat up a lot of cap. It’s like when Huet was supposed to be Chicago’s downfall because of his contract. There are tons of ways to deal with bad contracts, and Helm’s isn’t even that bad. The amount by which he is overpaid is money we’ll be saving ten times over each season of his deal by moving more and more ELC and RFA players onto the roster.

Look, you can't trot out the "can't trade anybody because nobody would take them" argument and then talk about how these deals aren't bad.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Helm is more than a 4th liner..

I'm curious what I am missing that warrant's Helm's salary as a 4th liner (but more than a 4th liner).

 

[Ezekial]

I'm curious what I am missing that warrant's Helm's salary as a 4th liner (but more than a 4th liner).

I think PD is arguing that he's a 3rd liner making a 3rd line salary.

 

[Frk It]

And I’ve always had the firm belief that the ”poor cap situation” has about 2% to do with guys like Helm making a few K too much and about 98% to do with a lack of star players that naturally eat up a lot of cap.

Help me understand this logic... are you essentially saying that overpaying for depth players is OK just because you don’t have anything else better to spend it on at the moment? Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. You don’t get loosey goosey handing out contracts just because you don’t have any star players.