Whatever happened to... Ryan O'Marra

[Hyack57]

Whatever happened to Dan Bertram?

--- And whoever put that 5-Gum advertising banner can serious go $%#$%$#%#$ themselves.

 

[Huis Clos*]

Did I say that playing great during playoffs is the only thing that makes Blum a great potential? Nice to see a fellow Avs fan bring something intelligent to the discussion.

I didn't want to let you embarrass yourself by having a monopoly on the unintelligent things to say.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Sam Gagner is the next Doug Gilmour

Thanks for the laugh! Gagner has made such minimal strides since being drafted that I REALLY question his upside at this point, another year or two of the same old results and IMO what you see is what you get.

 

[Ivan13]

I guess what I was trying to say is that you where arguing that Blum is going to be better then S. Gagner because of the 35 games he played well.

My counter point would be look at S. Gagner first pro year. He had arguably just as a successful season. So you cannot judge players against each other on small sample sizes because of this. S. Gagner may end up becoming a legit 1 C, and score 70 - 80 regularly. It may take him longer like M. Savard. He may become D. Langkow, a good #2 centre who never improves much on early success.

Who is to say Blum improves on last season? There are plenty of Andy Delmores and Marc-Andre Bergerons who have early success only to stall in development.

You're compairing Blum with two guys that can't play D.

 

[Ivan13]

Benn is already a 'fantastic young player', his production is in line with other first line players in the league.

And in your post you didn't say Benn is better, you clearly stated Blum and JVR are better

I've said that Benn isn't better than JVR or Blum, not that those two are better than him, there's a difference with those two statements. Benn is clearly better now, but I see those two better in the long run. A guy on whose post I was replying to said that Benn is easily #2 from that draft after Kane, I mentined those two as examples that the decison on that isn't so easy, and I didn't even mention PK Subban since I didn't want to sound like a homer, since Habs are my favourite team in the east.

Provide insight. Gagner is better than them right now, while he is also the same age. I don't think it's a big stretch to put Gagner in the top 5 like you're making it out to be.

You do know that Gagner is a successful NHL player with 3 consecutive 40+ point seasons? Backlund had less, Eller had half, McDonagh and Blum while good defenseman have too small of a sample size to be ranked ahead of Gagner.

Kane, JVR, Alzner, Subban, Benn, see it's easy to find 5 better players from that draft than Gagner.

 

[Ivan13]

I didn't want to let you embarrass yourself by having a monopoly on the unintelligent things to say.

Keep up the good work.

 

[TheBradyBunch]

Kane, JVR, Benn, Subban, Perron will all be better then Gagner. I wouldn't put money on it either. But to say guys like Eller, Backlund, Smith, McDonaugh will be better than him is a little ridiculous.. People have really written him off too early. I would put money that he will be a top 10 player to come out of this draft.

They very well could be. They all have similar potential, Gagner has just come closer to it and is a safer bet. Eller and Backlund could both become elite 2nd liners/good 1st liners to the tune of 60+ points and very good, rounded play. Smith could become a very good, multi-faceted top pairing guy and McDonaugh also has a nice future. This doesn't make them better now, but if we're talking about the long run they definitely belong in the conversation.

 

[TheBradyBunch]

Whatever happened to Dan Bertram?

--- And whoever put that 5-Gum advertising banner can serious go $%#$%$#%#$ themselves.

In their own &^^%^$$.

 

[Ivan13]

They very well could be. They all have similar potential, Gagner has just come closer to it and is a safer bet. Eller and Backlund could both become elite 2nd liners/good 1st liners to the tune of 60+ points and very good, rounded play. Smith could become a very good, multi-faceted top pairing guy and McDonaugh also has a nice future. This doesn't make them better now, but if we're talking about the long run they definitely belong in the conversation.

That was my whole point, in the long run those guys will all be close IMHO.

 

[Kershaw]

I've said that Benn isn't better than JVR or Blum, not that those two are better than him, there's a difference with those two statements. Benn is clearly better now, but I see those two better in the long run. A guy on whose post I was replying to said that Benn is easily #2 from that draft after Kane, I mentined those two as examples that the decison on that isn't so easy, and I didn't even mention PK Subban since I didn't want to sound like a homer, since Habs are my favourite team in the east.

I don't understand, in the first post I quoted you clearly said Benn isn't better than JVR and Blum when he clearly is. He outscored JVR by 18 points and Blum has a small sample size in the playoffs. Benn has been better than both players for the past 2 years and will probably get 21 minutes per game now that Brad Richards is gone. We could see 70, maybe even 80 points next year. What do you think JVR's ceiling is? 70 point PWF? Well Benn has already accomplished that while playing all 3 forward positions.

Kane, JVR, Alzner, Subban, Benn, see it's easy to find 5 better players from that draft than Gagner.

Alzner is debatable for both sides. Gagner has 4 40+ point seasons that shouldn't be ignored. He's stepped up and produced right away in the NHL.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

I've said that Benn isn't better than JVR or Blum,

Benn is clearly better now

wait...what??

 

[The Perfect Human*]

Whatever happened to....talking about Ryan O'Marra

 

[The Kingslayer]

Whatever happened to....talking about Ryan O'Marra

Hahaha I was just going to say. Knowone cares about the guy haha.

 

[Dr Good Vibes]

I think when it's all said and done, we'll see that Sam Gagner is the best player drafted in 2007. The guy hasn't even come close to his max potential yet, he's got wheels, hands and a great shot, he was rushed in the beginning but his skill/effort/bloodline will come full circle and he'll start rolling.

As for Ryan O'Marra he'll be lucky to be a third line center, more likely life long fourth liner. First round picks bust all the time, so what?

 

[Ivan13]

wait...what??

I meant that Blum and JVR will be better in the long run, but since english isn't my first language it was lost in translation.

 

[massivegoonery]

I think when it's all said and done, we'll see that Sam Gagner is the best player drafted in 2007.

"Other than Kane" is assumed here, right?

 

[Sony Eriksson*]

The '05 class looks like gold compared to the '07 draft, my god looking at the list if people selected in '07 is horrible, only JVR, Kane and Couture look to be stars in the NHL, all the rest are mediocre to busts.

Jamie ****ing Benn says blow it our your ass!

 

[MS]

For the original question, O'Marra has actually done a decent job re-building his career after looking like an ECHL-level washout 2-3 years ago.

He didn't look out-of-place in 20 games on the Oilers' 4th line last year, and may eventually hang around the NHL as an Adam Mair-type #4 center. Has good size and work ethic, reasonable enough defensively, throws his weight around and is an OK skater in straight lines. Won't be more than a 4th line guy though.

Classic case of the Safe Player Paradox where a good all-around junior player was over-rated because of his complete game at that level and labelled a 'safe bet to become a 2nd line NHL forward' despite having no dynamic skills whatsoever.

__________

As for Sam Gagner, he needs to turn his career around in a hurry or he'll be another Patrick O'Sullivan in the AHL in 18 months.

It sounds all well and good to say, 'oh, he's only 22 and 40 points isn't bad' but the fact is that for the icetime he's been getting 40 points IS bad. Awful, in fact.

Gagner was one of the worst players getting top-6 icetime in the NHL last season, doesn't produce at the level required for his role, and is poor defensively on top of that. Completely ineffective player who if he can't improve his production significantly soon will see his NHL career go down the drain.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

For the original question, O'Marra has actually done a decent job re-building his career after looking like an ECHL-level washout 2-3 years ago.

He didn't look out-of-place in 20 games on the Oilers' 4th line last year, and may eventually hang around the NHL as an Adam Mair-type #4 center. Has good size and work ethic, reasonable enough defensively, throws his weight around and is an OK skater in straight lines. Won't be more than a 4th line guy though.

Classic case of the Safe Player Paradox where a good all-around junior player was over-rated because of his complete game at that level and labelled a 'safe bet to become a 2nd line NHL forward' despite having no dynamic skills whatsoever.

__________

As for Sam Gagner, he needs to turn his career around in a hurry or he'll be another Patrick O'Sullivan in the AHL in 18 months.

It sounds all well and good to say, 'oh, he's only 22 and 40 points isn't bad' but the fact is that for the icetime he's been getting 40 points IS bad. Awful, in fact.

Gagner was one of the worst players getting top-6 icetime in the NHL last season, doesn't produce at the level required for his role, and is poor defensively on top of that. Completely ineffective player who if he can't improve his production significantly soon will see his NHL career go down the drain.

This is my fear for Gagner as an Oilers fan. Kid needs to dig deep or his career will be in trouble in the very near future.

 

[Eytinge]

Except Gagner has more heart and desire in his pinky finger than POS had in his whole body.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Except Gagner has more heart and desire in his pinky finger than POS had in his whole body.

And his whole body is about as strong as some NHL players pinky fingers

 

[Zim]

Whatever happened to Dan Bertram?

--- And whoever put that 5-Gum advertising banner can serious go $%#$%$#%#$ themselves.

He quit hockey to pursue other interests during the 08/09 season but it seems he's returned to hockey this past year and he's playing in the ECHL.

 

[ruski17]

I think when it's all said and done, we'll see that Sam Gagner is the best player drafted in 2007. The guy hasn't even come close to his max potential yet, he's got wheels, hands and a great shot, he was rushed in the beginning but his skill/effort/bloodline will come full circle and he'll start rolling.

As for Ryan O'Marra he'll be lucky to be a third line center, more likely life long fourth liner. First round picks bust all the time, so what?

Not really. And in no way is gagner gonna be the best plaer out of that draft. Kane will always be better and players like Shattenkirk, Subban, JVR, Benn and arguably Alzer will probably end up better than Gagner. He still has great potential, but so does every single player that I listed plus others.

 

[Dr Good Vibes]

Not really. And in no way is gagner gonna be the best plaer out of that draft. Kane will always be better and players like Shattenkirk, Subban, JVR, Benn and arguably Alzer will probably end up better than Gagner. He still has great potential, but so does every single player that I listed plus others.

Gagner has something all those other guys don't and more.

Sam has NHL bloodlines. He also has a wicked shot: top 10 for accuracy, top 5 for release Nhl wide.

He has some of the most powerful crossovers of any player in this draft, not to mention the best stop.

You say "...but Pat Kane." and I counter with that they were teammates in junior, and not too far apart in skill level. Who is better? Its not clear, but I have a strong feeling Gagner comes back this year and shows people. I see him as a post lockout mike peca, if he puts on enough upper body strength he has the hockey iq to throw some devasting hits. Combine that with his skill and shot, and its a no brainer.

 

[Eytinge]

Gagner has something all those other guys don't and more.

Sam has NHL bloodlines. He also has a wicked shot: top 10 for accuracy, top 5 for release Nhl wide.

He has some of the most powerful crossovers of any player in this draft, not to mention the best stop.

You say "...but Pat Kane." and I counter with that they were teammates in junior, and not too far apart in skill level. Who is better? Its not clear, but I have a strong feeling Gagner comes back this year and shows people. I see him as a post lockout mike peca, if he puts on enough upper body strength he has the hockey iq to throw some devasting hits. Combine that with his skill and shot, and its a no brainer.