The Tank Megathread | 7 | All Tank Talk & Standings Talk
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It does but let's be realistic here. While Bo and Baertschi are contributing directly to wins, Jake and McCann aren't really. Yes their overall play is getting better (esp. Jake) but we aren't winning these games *because* of them. We've won despite the team as a whole playing quite poor hockey but a combination of unreal goaltending and honestly just some lucky bounces have been the difference. That isn't enough to make me say "well, this team is good now so let's just focus on playoffs", it's mostly a mirage/illusion built largely around some players in their mid-30's who won't be part of that next cup run.
This team needs more talent in general and at least *some* elite talent, which it doesn't have anywhere in the system outside of the 35 year old Sedins. I am very excited about Horvat already and what Virtanen, McCann, and Boeser can potentially develop into but let's be realistic, none of these guys is going to turn into a Kane, Toews, Seguin, etc level player. They are potentially good players but this team isn't going to be a strong cup competitor without one or two Sedin-level or close on the top line. I'm as happy as anyone to see the kids do well but let's not pretend they are the ones driving this winning streak either.
Yep, you have to make a decision on this. If the kids are performing and getting the team points, that's already 'rebuiding for the future'.
VanTampaFan
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I agree. It's like Poile's comment when he traded for Johansen the other week.
Paraphrasing here: "You look at all the guys in the top 30 in scoring, and nearly every one is a top 5 pick."
So you either draft those guys or when one comes available you pounce on it like Poile did. I think we really need to try and grab one or two right now to develop with this new core.
I also really wish the AHL/CHL transfer agreement would exclude 1st round picks. Jake and Jared should be playing in the AHL right now and riding the bus and being seasoned the right way. I don't disagree with Benning keeping them up, but I think everyone would rather see them getting top 9 minutes on the Comets if we had the choice.
I think playoff experience is huge for the young guys, especially when they don't have to be relied upon. I just think it's important for guys like McCann, Virtanen, and Horvat to get playoff games under their belts while they don't have pressure to perform, otherwise in the future they would be getting thrown into the fire and be expected to be the go to guys.
Hit the post
I have your gold medal Zippy!
You mean the Sedins are still good. That and the goaltending has been solid (Markstrom/Miller).
I agree we don't have any elite talent, like Patrick Kane, but we definitely have some legit top-6 potential in Horvat and Baertschi and the past road trip, we won "because" of them. Heck, Horvat even scored the game-winning goal and already have a few 2-goal games.
And I think the most important factor to the rebuilding phase is we are seeing Markstrom develop into a #1 goalie right before our eyes. So far he hasn't had 1 bad game since the first game this year. That's the most important piece to the roster and it looks like we'll be set.
What we need is to draft smart outside the top 10 to supplement these kids. Sedins don't look like they are slowing down.
They're winning games without Henrik, Sutter, Hamhuis. That would've put us into guaranteed lottery contention in years past.
Brock Boeser
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- Mar 11, 2013
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Henrik has only been 2 and a half games. Sutter and Hamhuis have been average to mediocre all year, adding them to the lineup only makes a minimal upgrade via bumping players down a lineup.
And one of those guys you mentioned are part of the 'rebuild'.
Exactly, the kids are taking over. They won't take over every game, but they've showed they can. Just look at this road trip and you can see Horvat and Baertschi were one of the reasons they got 2 points when the Sedins weren't on the scoreboard.
This is ridiculous. Do you have evidence that backs this experience in the playoffs nonsense? It would be like me saying that being one and done in the playoffs is a bad experience for young players because they'll think the goal every year is to just make the playoffs and then it doesn't matter.
Haha nonsense? I've heard it all folks playoff experience is a bad thing, my apologies for making such a dumb statement
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Billy Kvcmu
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But only top 5 picks are consider "future", right?
Drouin had great junior season so he'll become a legit first liner.
Boesser is having a great NCAA season but his ceiling is 2nd liner.
Amirght?
Billy Kvcmu
Registered User
Then It's like me saying that if the young players get used to missing the playoffs and finishing in the bottom 5 they will never be able to lead a team to the playoffs because they don't know how to make the playoffs.
Billy Kvcmu
Registered User
You look at a guy like Taylor Hall who's 24 yet hasn't even had 1 playoff game.
I really don't want that happen to our young players, so even if we somehow sneak into the playoff, it's not the end of the world.
Haha nonsense? I've heard it all folks playoff experience is a bad thing, my apologies for making such a dumb statement
No one said its a bad thing but can you show it ultimately makes any difference? I could list dozens of players who became NHL stars without making playoffs in their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd seasons. Talent, work ethic, and opportunity are the main drivers of player success. Making playoffs is not really any different than saying making the World Junior tournament is an important ingredient in a player's development. It seems like it makes sense and most people just accept it to be true, but there is no actual evidence it makes a bit of difference.
I don't understand your argument. Taylor Hall is a very good player, one of the top scorers in the league. What exactly has not making the playoffs "done" to him?
Billy Kvcmu
Registered User
It hasn't done anything to him but it's just sad to see. Plus it has become a part of Edmonton's joke around the league.
Anyway right now I'm enjoying what the youth is bringing to this team. I'll return if we have a atrocious collapse.
Jury is out on both Drouin and Boeser so let's not put them in either category just yet ok?
Ignoring cherry picked examples, draft history shows unequivocally that you are much much more likely to draft a top NHL player in the top 5 than in the 20's. Yes there are cases where a top 5 busts and a top 20 hits it big, but the % odds are much lower in each case. You could draft for 10 years in the 20's and walk out with 1 Kesler and 1 Schneider or you could draft top 5 for 5 years and walk out with a Carey Price, Jonathan Toews, Karl Alzner, Alex Pietrangelo, and a Matt Duchene. It depends on how long you want to wait for you to find a decent core of talent. Top 5 is faster and allows you to build a core near the same age group so they can stay together for an extended window of competitiveness.
Sure it's sad I guess, but I'd take a 50 loss season to have Taylor Hall on my team. Just because Edmonton has forgotten that you need to build other parts of a team than just forward doesn't mean we have to do it that way.
Billy Kvcmu
Registered User
I'm not arguing that playoff experience is what makes a young player a star....all I'm saying is that it is beneficial for a player to experience what the playoffs are like when they are not the ones relied upon to produce. Many players have stated before that getting expirence in the playoffs at a young age helps them understand how much harder the games get and how intense each and every shift is. If you think players are lying when they say that then I guess I'm wrong.
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