No player is bigger than the team. The front office could be seen as 50 % of the team, along with the other 50% being the actual roster. The 40+ guys...not 1 or 2. This team is very good with or without Anderson. The wingers on the team are very good with or without Anderson. The bottom 6 is very good with or without Anderson. Both our scoring and toughness is good with or without Anderson. I don't think he makes as big of an impact as some seem to believe.
Calling Anderson a potential 25-30 goal guy is like calling Jenner a 30 goal guy. It can happen, but it is not likely. An argument could easily be made that Anderson will likely never hit 20, let alone 30 goals or play more than 78 games ever in his career. I mean this is a guy who couldn't hit 30 goals or PPG in the OHL. He is a big, or more so "heavy" player, good skater, with a pretty good shot (on the rush). His aggressiveness/toughness is obviously a big factor, and he has no issues getting into dangerous areas, but IMO, his hands and scoring touch around the net is really lacking. This is where my comparison to Jenner comes in. While 1 guy is a better skater and has a "better" shot at higher speeds the other guy has much better hands and scoring ability in close, IMO of course. Their offensive numbers will depend, and possibly vary quite a bit year to year, because of "usage" on the ice. I'd also like to add that Anderson, IMO, has the worst "vision" or passing of everybody on offense, if not the team, other than some "bubble" 12/13/14th forward type guys and Carlsson and Harrington. I think this shows in his 12 ES ASSISTS.
If the "consensus" is that the top 6 (healthy) will be some combo of : Panarin, Wennberg, Foligno, Dubinsky, Atkinson, Jenner/Dubois (2LW/3C) that leaves Bjorkstrand, Milano, Calvert, Sedlak, Schroeder, Motte and still 1 of Jenner/Dubois. That's at least 4 guys who are better offensively than Anderson. All quite different players, yes, but all could each "easily" top 15-20 goals (Jenner, Dubois, Bjorkstrand) or 30-35 points (Calvert/Milano). Schroeder and Motte, who obviously bring something different than Anderson, are both "very" skilled guys. I could argue at this point in time with our lack of "depth" centers that Sedlak, with capable defensive prowess for 3rd/4th line C minutes, is more valuable to this team than Anderson going forward. He's not good enough to deserve any PP minutes, shouldn't get much of any PK time IMO, not a center in any way, and is quite clearly not a "top 6" guy, now or in the (near) future. He's a guy with some average juniors seasons, 1 good year in the AHL, and 1 decent year on the 3rd line of a team that was and is very good on offense/wings and in general. Like many others feel, either he signs what is offered, or the team will move him, and/or move on. Like many others, I want him on this team, but don't feel we "need" him on this team. He may become a poor mans Saad on some other team, but on the CBJ he is a rich mans Tom Wilson. With all that said, give me MORE of this...
It would be interesting to know what all is brought up in this negotiation. I mean with the removal of Boll and Prout, Anderson could be seen as the de facto "enforcer". I would want no other guys (or him tbh) on the roster to try to tangle with a Stewart or Reaves or Boll or Prout etc. And I believe there is value in that. How much so, along with 17 ES GOALS?...I don't know. I thought we should've kept Boll and Dorsett so what do I know. And yes I even want MORE of this....
