Ryan Murphy called up?

[Zombie Mike Murphy]

I liked what I saw.

Move McBain for a defensive pylon, and let Murphy be the new McBain. I like that defense a lot better.

 

[SeaBasstian]

I liked what I saw.

Move McBain for a defensive pylon, and let Murphy be the new McBain. I like that defense a lot better.

what dont you get.....WE CANT KEEP HIM UP

 

[Zombie Mike Murphy]

Sorry, meant for next year.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I liked what I saw.

Move McBain for a defensive pylon, and let Murphy be the new McBain. I like that defense a lot better.

I'd say we have plenty of pylons without adding another...

 

[Zombie Mike Murphy]

Really? I think the defense misses Bryan Allen a lot. Remember how good a pairing Gleason-Allen was?

 

[nobuddy]

Really? I think the defense misses Bryan Allen a lot. Remember how good a pairing Gleason-Allen was?

I don't think you have the right understanding of the word "pylon" when it relates to hockey.

 

[DougieSmash]

I can't believe we let Seidenberg go.

Imagine Pitkanen- Seidenberg, Harrison- Faulk, Gleason- Allen. Instead, we dress up Corvo and McBain every night. That's not legit defense by any means. Harrison is bottom pairing guy, Gleason is not a shutdown premier player, he's #4. Corvo is bottom pairing. Pitkanen is questionable #2/3 type player, Faulk has that bright future but he's not #1 yet.

What's now? Komisarek, R. Whitney, Robidas or O' Byrne? You just couldn't return a lot for Larose, Jokinen, McBain, 2nd and Chris Terry. We badly need that third line center also. We can take some garbage from Flames for literally nothing - Stajan, Stempniak, Glencross, Comeau, Derek Smith or Tim Jackman but that's not upgrade here.

 

[Sasha Cares]

Uh, I'm a Joni hater as much as anyone over the years, but to call him a 2/3 is down right dumb. He's playing like a true #1 so far. He's a borderline 1/2. Ideally he'd be elite if ever paired with a true stay at home stud on a top line.

One this I agree though, Seids being allowed to leave was a mistake. I think he and Joni would be an elite top pairing right now. Allowing Harrison to stay a 5, Faulk a 3 for now, and Corvo a bathroom attendant.

 

[Moosetache]

Anyone have any idea what Murphy is getting paid while he is here?

 

[w e l o s t b o y s]

Anyone have any idea what Murphy is getting paid while he is here?

Probably not much if you consider the money on the board when he's been up

 

[TheBigKahuna]

Anyone have any idea what Murphy is getting paid while he is here?

His NHL salary is $1.3m, or close to it. Pro-rate that to about $16,000 per game.

 

[StormCast]

I can't believe we let Seidenberg go.

Imagine Pitkanen- Seidenberg, Harrison- Faulk, Gleason- Allen. Instead, we dress up Corvo and McBain every night. That's not legit defense by any means. Harrison is bottom pairing guy, Gleason is not a shutdown premier player, he's #4. Corvo is bottom pairing. Pitkanen is questionable #2/3 type player, Faulk has that bright future but he's not #1 yet.

Yes, but it doesn't work that way. Every move has a ripple effect across the roster. Also, you're looking at Seidenberg through his play today vs. his play back then, which was uneven. He and his agent were asking for a deal well beyond his market worth and that's why he had to settle for a much smaller contract with Florida right around the time training camp started. Had he been signed to the reported $3.5M x 3 year deal he sought, somebody in the D corps would have been gone.

He's now a solid complementary D but IMO not somebody to wring your hands over. His style suits the Boston scheme much better than his fit would have been here.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

So if Murphy plays against Pittsburgh on Thursday, he can go back to Kitchener and tell everyone that in his games here, he's played against Tavares, Stamkos, Ovechkin and Crosby. Quite a stretch of first games.

Reminds me of a guy that used to run the league I played in years ago. He played defense for Winnipeg for a few games way back. Having beers after one of our games he told me his first NHL game was against Edmonton and his first shift was against Messier, Gretzky, Kurri, Lowe, Coffey. He said Kurri beat him in the corner, fed a pass out front they scored within 10 seconds

I asked what the coach said when he got back to the bench. He said he came over to him and said: "They're tricky ****ers, aren't they?"

 

[tarheelhockey]

Uh, I'm a Joni hater as much as anyone over the years, but to call him a 2/3 is down right dumb. He's playing like a true #1 so far. He's a borderline 1/2. Ideally he'd be elite if ever paired with a true stay at home stud on a top line.

Pitkanen is one of several defenseman who is a #1 by virtue of the size of the league.

 

[StormCast]

Pitkanen is one of several defenseman who is a #1 by virtue of the size of the league.

Though he'd be considered the Canes' #1 by virtue of his ESTOI, I don't see him as a league-wide #1. To me, he'd have to play more regularly against opponent's top lines and be more of a fixture on the PK to be considered a #1.

I'm not a subscriber obviously to the school of thought that there are 30 #1 Dmen in the league.

 

[geehaad]

Uh oh...we are perilously close to the 10th go-around of the "Joni Pitkanen is/isn't a true #1 defenseman" discussion.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

I'm not a subscriber obviously to the school of thought that there are 30 #1 Dmen in the league.

I'm not either, but unless we're using the ridiculous, main board definition of a #1 d-man (in which case, there are only 5 #1 d men in the League), then Pitkanen gets in.

 

[StormCast]

I'm not either, but unless we're using the ridiculous, main board definition of a #1 d-man (in which case, there are only 5 #1 d men in the League), then Pitkanen gets in.

I'd think maybe 15 or so are #1's but whatever the number, I wouldn't include Pitkanen. To me, you have to be used consistently in a shutdown capacity.

 

[Chrispy]

His NHL salary is $1.3m, or close to it. Pro-rate that to about $16,000 per game.

His NHL salary is $925K, or about $11,300 per game. The other $450K are performance bonuses.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I'd think maybe 15 or so are #1's but whatever the number, I wouldn't include Pitkanen. To me, you have to be used consistently in a shutdown capacity.

So the reigning Norris Trophy winner isn't a #1 defenseman then.

 

[StormCast]

So the reigning Norris Trophy winner isn't a #1 defenseman then.

Setting aside for the moment the greater importance placed on offense these days by Norris voters, he typically was out there against opponent's top lines.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Setting aside for the moment the greater importance placed on offense these days by Norris voters, he typically was out there against opponent's top lines.

There are probably 60 defensemen in the league that are "typically out there against the opponent's top lines", are there not?

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

I'd think maybe 15 or so are #1's but whatever the number, I wouldn't include Pitkanen. To me, you have to be used consistently in a shutdown capacity.

Off the top of my head, players I would take over Pitkanen (right now):

Karlsson
Chara
Weber
Suter
Pietrangelo

After that top 5, we have a lot of players in the next tier, including:

Subban
Enstrom
Green
Doughty
Hamhuis
Erhoff
OEL
Letang
Carlson
Pitkanen

And others I'm probably forgetting.

Pitkanen isn't a "shutdown" #1, but he's an offensive minded minutes muncher, such as Bouwmeester or Green. And I'd take Pitkanen over Bouwmeester and Green (current).

I believe a defense built around Pitkanen can succeed in the NHL. The problem is who we have been surrounding him with... Corvo, a 4th/5th guy, a 4th/5th guy with conditioning issues, a 20 year old and an AHL'er?

 

[StormCast]

There are probably 60 defensemen in the league that are "typically out there against the opponent's top lines", are there not?

And? That's clearly only one criteria but I sense you know that. You aren't suggesting a guy like Bryan Allen last year qualifies so why don't we steer clear of cherry picking silly arguments.

Karlsson clearly has an incredible offensive side but has improved significantly with his positioning and play on D. He's not elite without the puck and his size and the style of PK used in Ottawa has him playing less there than other #1's but he is a #1. In fairness though, even with his unmatched offensive game, I'd rank him lower in the list of #1's until he plays a more significant role on the PK.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

And? That's clearly only one criteria but I sense you know that. You aren't suggesting a guy like Bryan Allen last year qualifies so why don't we steer clear of cherry picking silly arguments.

Karlsson clearly has an incredible offensive side but has improved significantly with his positioning and play on D. He's not elite without the puck and his size and the style of PK used in Ottawa has him playing less there than other #1's but he is a #1. In fairness though, even with his unmatched offensive game, I'd rank him lower in the list of #1's until he plays a more significant role on the PK.

I realize I was being a bit of a smart ass, but for a reason. IMO, your statement:

To me, you have to be used consistently in a shutdown capacity.

is a pretty limited way to view a #1 Defenseman and would immediately eliminate most of the field. That would limit it to about 5 guys (the Chara's and Weber's of the world). Karlsson is easily a #1 but nobody would say that he is "consistently used in a shutdown capacity". Same goes for many other guys that I'd view as #1s.

Being an effective defenseman has as much to do with generating offense and puck possession as it does being used in a shutdown mode. The Pitkanen debate has been beaten to death so I won't get into that, but I just didn't agree with how you characterize a #1.