Should Galchenyuk Start the First 25 Games Next Season As Second Line Center

[WhiskeySeven*]

No rush? It will be his fourth year and we have Plek-DD as our top 2 centers. Guys like Staal and O'Reilly, as far as we know, are not available. So no idea how you view them as options. They aren't. If you want to go into the possibilities of who ''may'' become available, then there endless. Heck, Malkin may be an option.

From what we know today, there isn't any interesting options out there. Our best one is Galchenyuk and thankfully for us, he plays for us.

His game is not better suited for the wing. He needs to carry the puck and be involved in the plays as much as possible. He also needs more room to carry the puck.
He will get all of that at center. Using him on the wing, especially considering our top 2 centers, is completely dumb as crap at this point.

I don't disagree, but what's your response to those who say we need him as 2nd line LW?

 

[habtastic]

I was quoting the following: "The team needs to win or lose with Galch at center. There's no way of getting around it."

Tell me, what qualities do you think a player needs to be a successful first line center?

Just getting back to that very statement; it makes sense because we have a bonified natural C (say what you want about some games in Sarnia, he was drafted as a C), who has all the capabilities to be a #1C, but he needs to learn through mistakes playing there how to perfect it. Even Crosby made tons of mistakes early on, on the other side of the puck. He learned. The point is that Galchenyuk needs to be playing C, and it matters little if we lose or win for a short stretch so that we eventually get the C we've been needing for years, arguably a decade. It's an investment that needs to be made and one that many of us think has a very high % of paying off hugely. You said this made zero sense, and perhaps we're parsing words, but the sentiment was that it's imperative not to waste time, and to get Chucky to be the player we need him to be. I am not content with him being a decent winger. It's my opinion that he'll be only that in the NHL, but at C he will flourish, based on evidence.

So, in the sense that it makes zero sense to not have any other options, fair enough, logically that's correct. In the spirit of the statement, it's just insanity no to put him at C. Excuses by some (not you) are that he's got an attitude problem. Give me a breaaak. That's not the reason MB isn't committing Chucky to C. Desharnais. That is all.

The qualities that I think make a player successful as a 1C are possessed by Galchenyuk. Has to have vision, be able to see the play develop. Needs to carry the puck and make the right decision about which way to set up the attack with or without the puck due to anticipation. Needs to be a good passer. Would be great if he has a terrific shot that he is better able to use from the center of the ice. Needs to be great at faceoffs (something he is not and has to work on...possible someone else takes the FOs, or that we simply live with it until he gets better). Needs to be able to shield the puck and use his frame while creating time and space for his wingers. Needs to backcheck and be effective at breaking up the play and quickly transitioning (work needed here too, though overblown I think).

The guy can deke, he can shoot, he can dish, and most of these things for him are best executed from the center of the ice or from him having the option of which side of the ice to come up. We've forgotten cuz it's been a little while, but he's got sick mitts and his playmaking ability when on is better than anyone on the team. Hand eye, ridiculous. Release, I'm so happy we have him. He's fully from the new age generation of players who have insane puck skills and who know how to use them. I don't see those being exploited much on the wing, and certainly not under our current system. He can split D men. He WILL make D men look silly. These are his talents. Ovechkin is one of the best players in the league, but I still think Chucky's skillset is more suited to C than is OV's (at C...not that there's a problem there).

The 12-13 games he played C this year alone were pretty electrifying. It's been beaten to death about how he lost the position cuz DD preferential treatment/rehabilitation program. Even if he wasn't perfect, he was damn good, and showed that he just needs to work on stuff, but (again, beaten to death), he can only work on it by playing C.

It's possible that Bergevin will trade for a natural center, leaving Galchenyuk as a LW. He hasn't mastered the position and he can't win faceoffs. Incidentally, this affords job insurance to the remaining centers.

I have a feeling this will be the eventuality.

He hasn't mastered the position ? Are you ****ing kidding lol he played center for less than 20 games total since he's with mtl. Of course he hasn't mastered the position.

roflmao

sigh

I'm totally ok with him being 2C, with Eller or Pleks as 1C.

There are so many posts about how there's so much whining on these boards, when in fact lots of us are really bullish on this roster and simply distressed that it is being wasted, particularly with some BS being fed to us about transition years. We're ok with Chucky not being perfect. That's hardly whining, but I see so many posts from those who explicitly say that they just want some entertaining hockey for the season and if we win, that's gravy. Ironically, they call the status quo entertainment.

 

[SOLR]

It's possible that Bergevin will trade for a natural center, leaving Galchenyuk as a LW. He hasn't mastered the position and he can't win faceoffs. Incidentally, this affords job insurance to the remaining centers.

What a blanket statement, "he can't win faceoffs".

Let's see after a season in the middle, this is a very technical skill that you can practice.

 

[habtastic]

What a blanket statement, "he can't win faceoffs".

Let's see after a season in the middle, this is a very technical skill that you can practice.

I think it was meant as "he's currently poor at FOs", thus the hesitation (by MB) to use him immediately at C.

Malhotra showed us how quickly faceoff prowess can be taught. Muller used to teach the team too. He was a great AC.

 

[Deluded Puck]

Nah Keep Desharnais there and his dozen goals 50 points, which are worth more than anybody elses.

 

[habtastic]

Nah Keep Desharnais there and his dozen goals 50 points, which are worth more than anybody elses.

Ah yes, the faker's dozen.

 

[Tourist]

I disagree with those saying Galchenyuk's skillset isn't suited to wing. Some of the greatest wingers in the history of the game had the same strengths and weaknesses as Galchenyuk.

The last Hab player with slightly below average speed, fantastic hands, shiftiness, vision, passing, shooting and who loved to carry the puck on his stick was a winger called Alex Kovalev. When he showed up, he was dominant. Swap Galchenyuk with prime Kovalev and there is a very good chance the Habs beat the Lightning, with the same current system and centers.

Not all offensive wingers are in the mold of Ovechkin or Bure. Some are more like Neely or Kerr. Some play more like Hull or Robitaille. Some control the play like Jagr or P. Kane. It's not a crime to think Galchenyuk fits the mold of Jagr, Kane or Kovalev more than the mold of Toews or Getzlaf. Playing wing never stopped Jagr or Kane to be wizards with the puck and create offense. Many great pure offensive wingers who excelled with the puck were never converted to center. Were all their coaches stupid? Therrien isn't the only one to use him there, his coaches in the minors and on team USA did as well. And if Galchenyuk has it in him to be a center, he will convert at one point like some others did. Playing wing isn't ruining him. That's silly.

That said, I would give him an extended trial at center to start next season. We have a lot to gain and not much to lose. If he does well, it gives us a tremendous boost in our center depth. He did decent last year at center so it's hard to imagine he would be a liability to the extent that he would lose us games. Besides, the team is strong enough around him to still remain competitive throughout this experiment.

 

[bsl]

I don't disagree, but what's your response to those who say we need him as 2nd line LW?

That it is a lot easier to find one of those than a second line C with upside to be a no 1C by March.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Crosby was total ass at faceoffs his first year. Eller was also mediocre. He can't get better if he never takes them.

 

[Kriss E]

I don't disagree, but what's your response to those who say we need him as 2nd line LW?

To get their priorities straight. The top line center is the most important position up front. We have a big hole there and Galchenyuk is the only one with the potential to fill it. So we should explore it.

I've said it many times before, if we had Bergeron and Krejci, then okay, I understand why they'd keep him at wing. It's not even close to being the case.
It's better to be weaker at the wings than at center seeing how the center is way more involved in plays.

 

[HabsDieHard*]

I don't disagree, but what's your response to those who say we need him as 2nd line LW?

Kriss E's response to this is perfect.

Frankly it's an asinine question. Strong teams don't build from the left wing.

In fact more oft than not, cup winning teams were weakest on the wings.

 

[HabsDieHard*]

I disagree with those saying Galchenyuk's skillset isn't suited to wing. Some of the greatest wingers in the history of the game had the same strengths and weaknesses as Galchenyuk.

The last Hab player with slightly below average speed, fantastic hands, shiftiness, vision, passing, shooting and who loved to carry the puck on his stick was a winger called Alex Kovalev. When he showed up, he was dominant. Swap Galchenyuk with prime Kovalev and there is a very good chance the Habs beat the Lightning, with the same current system and centers.

Not all offensive wingers are in the mold of Ovechkin or Bure. Some are more like Neely or Kerr. Some play more like Hull or Robitaille. Some control the play like Jagr or P. Kane. It's not a crime to think Galchenyuk fits the mold of Jagr, Kane or Kovalev more than the mold of Toews or Getzlaf. Playing wing never stopped Jagr or Kane to be wizards with the puck and create offense. Many great pure offensive wingers who excelled with the puck were never converted to center. Were all their coaches stupid? Therrien isn't the only one to use him there, his coaches in the minors and on team USA did as well. And if Galchenyuk has it in him to be a center, he will convert at one point like some others did. Playing wing isn't ruining him. That's silly.

That said, I would give him an extended trial at center to start next season. We have a lot to gain and not much to lose. If he does well, it gives us a tremendous boost in our center depth. He did decent last year at center so it's hard to imagine he would be a liability to the extent that he would lose us games. Besides, the team is strong enough around him to still remain competitive throughout this experiment.

In many ways Kovalev played the "center" role in the offensive zone though.

Galchenyuk could not be further from a guy like Kane, I honestly have no idea what games you have been watching to come to that conclusion.

And he doesn't have the size/strength to be compared to guys like Kovalev/Jagr, who dominated by having the puck on their stick the majroity of time on the ice.

Pretty weak argument on your part to be honest.

What about his game is suited to be playing on the wing?

 

[SOLR]

I disagree with those saying Galchenyuk's skillset isn't suited to wing. Some of the greatest wingers in the history of the game had the same strengths and weaknesses as Galchenyuk.

The last Hab player with slightly below average speed, fantastic hands, shiftiness, vision, passing, shooting and who loved to carry the puck on his stick was a winger called Alex Kovalev. When he showed up, he was dominant. Swap Galchenyuk with prime Kovalev and there is a very good chance the Habs beat the Lightning, with the same current system and centers.

.

I stopped reading right there. How about we replace Galchenyuk with Prime Galchenyuk and we beat the lightning?

 

[NotProkofievian]

Crosby was total ass at faceoffs his first year. Eller was also mediocre. He can't get better if he never takes them.

He also had a few good games on the dot.

My prediction: Galchenyuk comes into camp bigger, stronger, faster and with more chutzpah than ever before. He was close this year. Next year, we'll see him emerge as a legitimate first line presence.

 

[Tourist]

In many ways Kovalev played the "center" role in the offensive zone though.

Galchenyuk could not be further from a guy like Kane, I honestly have no idea what games you have been watching to come to that conclusion.

And he doesn't have the size/strength to be compared to guys like Kovalev/Jagr, who dominated by having the puck on their stick the majroity of time on the ice.

Pretty weak argument on your part to be honest.

What about his game is suited to be playing on the wing?

Kane is my favorite forward in the league. I've watched him a lot.

Those players are not exactly like Galchenyuk, obviously. But I think all those players share many of the same strengths as Galchenyuk, which to me are outstanding puck handling, shiftiness, vision, shooting, passing. They all like to control the play and create scoring opportunities with the puck on their stick. They have no trouble doing it from the wing. That is all. It's not a weak point to show that there are effective wingers who share similarities to their games with Galchenyuk. IMO, playing wing isn't stopping Galchenyuk from using those excellent gifts he possesses.

I agree that generally speaking good centers are more valuable than good wingers. We also obviously lack a top center. I think Galchenyuk has a quite versatile skill set. As such I would love if management gave him an extended look at center to see if he can develop into a good one permanently.

 

[Takeru]

I'm totally ok with him being 2C, with Eller or Pleks as 1C.

There are so many posts about how there's so much whining on these boards, when in fact lots of us are really bullish on this roster and simply distressed that it is being wasted, particularly with some BS being fed to us about transition years. We're ok with Chucky not being perfect. That's hardly whining, but I see so many posts from those who explicitly say that they just want some entertaining hockey for the season and if we win, that's gravy. Ironically, they call the status quo entertainment.

Eller as our 1st center?

 

[cphabs]

What do you think ?

Habs have jacked another prospect to meet short term goals.

 

[Teufelsdreck]

What a blanket statement, "he can't win faceoffs".

Let's see after a season in the middle, this is a very technical skill that you can practice.

If it takes him more than a full year, it can't be a simple skill. I'll retract my blanket statement once I see him accomplish it. If what you is true about being a technical skill that you can practice, why didn't he achieve it when the opportunity was given to him this past season? He even had an expert, Manny Malhotra, to tutor him.

 

[Takeru]

If it takes him more than a full year, it can't be a simple skill. I'll retract my blanket statement once I see him accomplish it. If what you is true about being a technical skill that you can practice, why didn't he achieve it when the opportunity was given to him this past season? He even had an expert, Manny Malhotra, to tutor him.

Just to make sure, you don't actually consider he spent the whole year practicing in-game faceoffs do you? He took so little faceoffs it's almost ridiculous. Even when say Plekanec would get chased off the faceoff, they'd send the RW rather than have Galchenyuk take it. And I may not recall properly, but I'm not even sure he was the default guy to take faceoffs during his stint at center. So I wouldn't consider last season a full year practicing faceoffs.

EDIT: Just checked and FYI, Galchenyuk took a whopping 174 faceoffs last year. To give you some perspective, Lecavalier for instance took 191 while playing 20 less games and in a very reduced role. So tell me again about the opportunity he had last season.
You can check the numbers here: http://espn.go.com/nhl/statistics/p...Offs/seasontype/2/position/forwards/count/161

 

[habtastic]

Eller as our 1st center?

Depending on whether Pleks was dealt or not. If DD were removed, it would be 1 Pleks, 2 Chucky, 3 Eller, with 1 and 3 interchangeable depending on how much we were willing to let the young guys take over. Both Eller and Pleks can be productive offensively IMO. Either way, gives AG a nice spot at #2.

I happen to think Eller is miles above what he is restricted to. In fact I think he's there now. So if we traded Pleks and DD, I would have Eller playing 1C with Galchenyuk as 2C. It would be growing pains, but it's what I'd love to see, bold as that may be.

 

[Winter Eclipse]

My prediction: Galchenyuk comes into camp bigger, stronger, faster and with more chutzpah than ever before. He was close this year. Next year, we'll see him emerge as a legitimate first line presence.

3rd season running I've heard this narrative, and it'll turn out the same way.

My prediction: Galchenyuk comes into camp bigger, stronger, faster and with more chutzpah than ever before. Therrien again needs to teach him his place. Next year, we'll see him continue his development into a defensively responsible, 40 point second line wing.

 

[HabsDieHard*]

Depends what is meant by 2nd line center.

I'd like to see him on a line getting all of the OZ starts possible, along with Gallagher and Hudon or Andrighetto.

Pacioretty-Plekanec-Parenteau can be the 2 way big minute top line.

Hudon/Andrighetto-Galchenyuk-Gallagher the offensive exploitation line.

 

[Takeru]

Depending on whether Pleks was dealt or not. If DD were removed, it would be 1 Pleks, 2 Chucky, 3 Eller, with 1 and 3 interchangeable depending on how much we were willing to let the young guys take over. Both Eller and Pleks can be productive offensively IMO. Either way, gives AG a nice spot at #2.

I happen to think Eller is miles above what he is restricted to. In fact I think he's there now. So if we traded Pleks and DD, I would have Eller playing 1C with Galchenyuk as 2C. It would be growing pains, but it's what I'd love to see, bold as that may be.

I tend to agree with you that Eller's potential might not be fully utilized in the present state of things, but there's still a wide gap between 3rd and 2nd center, and an even bigger to get to 1st center. There may be some untapped potential in Eller, but the step is just too big to climb in my opinion. Therrien can't be the only reason he's still playing 3rd center.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

3rd season running I've heard this narrative, and it'll turn out the same way.

My prediction: Galchenyuk comes into camp bigger, stronger, faster and with more chutzpah than ever before. Therrien again needs to teach him his place. Next year, we'll see him continue his development into a defensively responsible, 40 point second line wing.

You heard this "narrative" before Galchenyuk's rookie season ?

nice...

Or perhaps the non-stop *****ing on these boards makes it feel like it's been 3 years. Understandable mistake.

 

[DAChampion]

I am not sure if Eller has the potential to be a second line centre on a good team.

He was our second best forward in the playoffs ... still not very good lol.

He is above average on the PK but not great.

I am not sure if he is as good defensively as the forum thinks.