Swedes

[Nordic*]

Being Swedish and having a job that doesn't really work too well with staying up til the early mornings, I haven't watched Ottawa too much the last few weeks. Kinda since Karlsson went down.

How are the other Swedes doing?

It seems like Silfverberg doesn't register a lot of points despits a fair amount of ice-time? Alfie seems to be "off" as well?

Zibanejad has scored a couple of goals the last few games, but aside from that?


Karlsson still has the most goals on the team despite only having played 14 out of 24 games....jeeez

Click to read more...

 

[Very Stable Genius]

Father time is catching up to Alfie in a big way, although he is still fighting back (Last night was a prime example)

Silfverberg has struggled to get open and can get knocked off the puck quite easily, but has been strong defensively and on the PK. He will improve.

Zibanejad has been all over the map, invisible, tentative, aggressive, strong and skilled all in one night. He flashes what he can be though, and those flashes are starting to increase on a nightly basis.

 

[Milan the God*]

Alfie - age is catching up to him, can't handle first pairing dmen at ES anymore and team can't score. Been good defensively, but a step down offensively. Still think he has gas in the tank for another year.

Silfverberg - needs to improve his acceleration. He has decent speed, but can't get by anyone to create space for himself. That would be huge towards getting his offensive game going.

Zibabejad - showing why we picked him 6th overall. Keeps getting better and better every game. Good shot and knows where to be in the offensive zone. Good on the fore check and can back check decently.

Karlsson - was playing unbelivable hockey before the injury. Controlling the play and taking over almost every game he played in. Scary thing, he gets more scoring chances than most forwards get. If he can put the puck in the net more, wow.

 

[jbeck5]

Karlsson - was playing unreliable hockey before the injury. Controlling the play and taking over almost every game he played in. Scary thing, he gets more scoring chances than most forwards get. If he can put the puck in the net more, wow.

Surely you meant to use a different word there. Unbelievable maybe?

 

[YNWA14]

Silfverberg was playing better earlier...it was like he had an adjustment period...then a 4 - 5 game period where he was arguably our best forward creating chances and scoring etc. since then though he has looked really tired. I think the compressed schedule and his first year in North America is wearing on him. Give him a proper off-season and training camp with a more natural season and he'll be fine.

 

[Milan the God*]

Surely you meant to use a different word there. Unbelievable maybe?

You're right

 

[SenzZen]

Alfie shouldn't be the trigger-man on his line at this point in time, but when he plays with Turris and Silfverberg they both defer to him. Even though they both have great shots. It's very frustrating.

Silfverberg's game is coming along, but I'm concerned he's becoming to passive with the puck- frequently takes it to the boards/corners instead of getting to the middle and forcing the D to stop him legally or otherwise.

Zibanejad has been either lucky or great at finding a way to score. I personally don't care which as long as it keeps going. He's getting more comfortable too, but much like Silf has been guilty of trying to get the puck to vets instead of doing it himself. I'd say it's an honest mistake on both parts.

 

[Caeldan]

Karlsson - was playing unbelivable hockey before the injury. Controlling the play and taking over almost every game he played in. Scary thing, he gets more scoring chances than most forwards get. If he can put the puck in the net more, wow.

Alternatively to go with the theme of change from the other thread... If the NHL created taller nets, Karlsson would have that many more goals I lost track each game how many times he put one near the top of the glass from the point

 

[OmniSens]

I stopped reading at "Alfie seems to be "off" as well?"

He's been fairly consistent all year. Doesn't help when half the team is down and his line mates are just cold like a block of ice. He can't do everything by himself no more, no. But he's still playing his game.

 

[sensageddon]

Does anyone else think Silf and Mika can get as good as EK? We might be losing Alfie soon but its nice to see these other Swedes that will replace him. Ottawa seems to have a good record developing young players. I think it would be just awesome if Ott can win the cup backed by those 3 swedes and Lehner.

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

Mika has one more point than Couturier despite playing 3 less games and having much less ice time.

Yet some people here will go to their graves believing we were stupid to pass on Couturier for Mika.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Silfverberg has been disappointing, hasn't translated well at all. Not fast enough to get to open ice to utilize his shot and hasn't shown any kind of top 6 skill since he's been up. Looks like he'll develop into a decent top 6 winger, but won't meet some of the expectations placed on him after his breakout SEL season.

When Zibanejad is moving his feet he's a huge presence on the ice. Big body that creates chances on the forecheck. His skating is deceptively fast, opposing defensemen don't see how fast he is closing in on them, and its resulted in steals. From what we've seen so far he doesn't have that much skill, he has trouble handling the puck at times and will never be known as a playmaker; he'll be a top 6 forward though. He could have 7-8 goals by now if he would stop passing the puck off in quality scoring chances. Would love for him to get meaner, he could be a beast in the corners, but often goes for the puck instead of playing the body.

 

[Tkachuk27]

Alfie is playing alot more then maybe even he expected..He is working his tail off nothing new

Silfverberg- Still adjusting hasn't got the speed of game down yet when he does he will be a beauty.. Alfie was asked who Silfverberg reminded him of ..Alfie replied "himself"...Im not worried

Zibanejad ..The kid is a rubix cube..better of late but when he gets all slides of his game going he is going too be a straight force

 

[Nordic*]

I stopped reading at "Alfie seems to be "off"

No, seriously.


You didn't stop reading.

 

[Mixen]

Being Swedish and having a job that doesn't really work too well with staying up til the early mornings, I haven't watched Ottawa too much the last few weeks. Kinda since Karlsson went down.

If you get Viasat sport you can watch the games the day after through gamecenter. But I must admit that I have watched alot less games since Karlsson went down.

But still alot of fun to see all the swedes on the team!

 

[derriko]

I like how Mika has been scoring goals. All of them are right around the net on deflections / rebounds, aka the place where 80-90% of all goals are scored.

Thats why I think he will continue to score at his 20+ goal pace he is on this year(pace in a full season)

Factor in more muscle mass, and more confidence over the next few years, and I can almost guarantee he scores 30+ goals a couple times in his career.

He is raw as hell but still producing. I'm excited for him and think he will be a decent amount better than Silfverberg, who I am not down on as much as others are actually.

 

[Vaclav Varada]

I like how Mika has been scoring goals. All of them are right around the net on deflections / rebounds, aka the place where 80-90% of all goals are scored.

Thats why I think he will continue to score at his 20+ goal pace he is on this year(pace in a full season)

Factor in more muscle mass, and more confidence over the next few years, and I can almost guarantee he scores 30+ goals a couple times in his career.

He is raw as hell but still producing. I'm excited for him and think he will be a decent amount better than Silfverberg, who I am not down on as much as others are actually.

Very good post!

I completely agree. Mika's biggest ?? is his hockey sense, but you don't really necessarily need the highest hockey sense to score garbage goals. I'm not in the group that thinks he has low end IQ but the way he's scoring his goals right now should make even them happy

 

[saskriders]

I don't see how people can be disappointed with Silf. He has only played about 25 games, give him time. He has shown how deadly he is when he gets the puck with time and space. In the offseason he can add some strength, and hopefully get a little faster, and will be a player that ended up a lot better than most 2nd round picks

 

[armani]

How can anyone be down on Silf? He is still a rookie playing his first professional season in North America. It's too much to ask him to replicate those 5-6 game stretch where he was clearly the best forward on this depleted roster. When the team is healthy, he will hopefully have less of a spotlight on him to grow his game in this league. He will have more skill and speed around him - which will eventually create more space for him to shoot.

As a 19-year old rookie, Zibby is going through the natural ebbs and flows of learning the game in the big show. He has been one of Sens most dangerous forwards recently, on both ends of the ice. But we can clearly see the raw skills that make me believe that he will be a main-stay in the top-6 in a few seasons. If things go right, he could be a consistent 60 point guy - with a knack for contributing in clutch situations.

Karlsson is supposedly overrated (main board thread). The following is my opinion in general.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=61175367&postcount=236

 

[NyQuil]

I'm content with how all three Swedes are playing, to be honest.

It's a bit of a rough introduction to the NHL this year for two of them, and Alfie's being asked to lead a team offensively when he thought he'd be playing 3rd fiddle behind Karlsson and Spezza.

 

[Qward]

Being Swedish and having a job that doesn't really work too well with staying up til the early mornings, I haven't watched Ottawa too much the last few weeks. Kinda since Karlsson went down.

How are the other Swedes doing?

It seems like Silfverberg doesn't register a lot of points despits a fair amount of ice-time? Alfie seems to be "off" as well?

Zibanejad has scored a couple of goals the last few games, but aside from that?


Karlsson still has the most goals on the team despite only having played 14 out of 24 games....jeeez

He is still tied for first in goals by a defenceman in the entire league lol

 

[Nordic*]

He is still tied for first in goals by a defenceman in the entire league lol

Crazy.

And on a team with no help what so ever. Imagine Karlsson with the same supposting cast as Chris Letang.

 

[WhiteLight*]

Crazy.

And on a team with no help what so ever. Imagine Karlsson with the same supposting cast as Chris Letang.

If Karlsson was on the Penguins, he would have 30+ points by now. No joke.

Karlsson - Crosby would be the deadliest duo in the league. Not close.

I would move to Pittsburgh and become a Penguins fan most likely. Can not... stay away... from awesomeness...

 

[Korpse]

Can't believe how some posters are dissapointed in Silfverberg. His puck possession has gotten a lot better, he is getting accustomed to cycling which is a big part of the NA game. He has shown lots of strength along the boards and his decsion making is top notch. His consistency is the thing that really impresses me.

Zibanejad is hit or miss but when he is on he is a very good player. Drives to the net hard, forechecks hard, skates hard. His decsion making sometimes is questionable but he is coming along nicely.

Alfie has been good. Generates most of the offense, pretty much the only guy who can enter the zone cleanly on the PP. He may have lost a bit of step but he is pretty much the same alfie we know and love.

 

[jbeck5]

Can't believe how some posters are dissapointed in Silfverberg. His puck possession has gotten a lot better, he is getting accustomed to cycling which is a big part of the NA game. He has shown lots of strength along the boards and his decsion making is top notch. His consistency is the thing that really impresses me.

Zibanejad is hit or miss but when he is on he is a very good player. Drives to the net hard, forechecks hard, skates hard. His decsion making sometimes is questionable but he is coming along nicely.

Alfie has been good. Generates most of the offense, pretty much the only guy who can enter the zone cleanly on the PP. He may have lost a bit of step but he is pretty much the same alfie we know and love.

I guess some people were hoping for hossa like rookie numbers(0.5ppg). Though less skilled then hossa, he is older and more experienced then hossa's rookie year. I was expecting 35 points over 82 games... I'm not dissapointed as i think the second half might be a lot more productive then the first half.

I just don't think to expect 19-20 year old hossa numbers out of 22 year old silfverberg was too much to ask, and he's not delievered that much, so i'm not in disbelief that others could be disappointed thus far. If someone told me he'd have 6 points in his first 24 games, i'd say "oh, i was expecting more".

I know it's not all about stats in their first year, but many people are all about results and you can't really blame them.