What's Up With Dylan Larkin?

[KJoe88]

Hate to say it but Dylan Larkin is a 2nd line center at best on a good NHL team. He ain't much of a leader either, hasn't won or proven anything yet.

this is why people have left this board.

 

[kliq]

this is why people have left this board.

Hyperbole is unfortunately rampant on boards like these.

 

[Oddbob]

Hyperbole is unfortunately rampant on boards like these.

That's it, I am out of here after this kind of post!

 

[Squirrel in the Hole]

Larkin is carrying the weight of the Wings on his shoulders right now. Remember the comment "point the finger right at me" a while back? He's the de-facto captain without a C on his chest. It's taking a toll, and it needs to be stopped before he's ruined as a player permanently.

 

[MBH]

this is why people have left this board.

Because Larkin isn't a 1C?
Or because some people can't deal with opinions they disagree with?

 

[MBH]

Glendening is no where near a player as Gainey? What?? Gainey is in the HALL OF FAME! And a 5x cup winner. What is going on here these days?!
A selke winner, conn Smyth winner. 4 all star games and you are comparing that to Glendening?!

Who cares? Glendening should get Selke votes and he probably would if we were any good.
The point is, on a team with Lafleur, Shutt and Robinson, Gainey was the captain.

 

[kliq]

Because Larkin isn't a 1C?
Or because some people can't deal with opinions they disagree with?

There is a difference between disagreeing with someone and trolling. For the record, I am NOT saying you are a troll.

For example, I know last year you were high on AA and some disagreed with you. Both sides of the arguments had points, now if someone came out and said AA wasnt an NHL caliber player, or if someone came out and said that AA is a Hart level player under a different coach, I would take both as trolling (or at the very least hyperbole), not just a different opinion. You can tell when people are trolling because they typically post one liners with zero substance. If someone says Larkin is not a 1C and they break down why, I may not agree, but its definitely not trolling. Someone saying "Larkin is a 2C at BEST" with nothing to back it up, most likely trolling.

 

[MBH]

There is a difference between disagreeing with someone and trolling. For the record, I am NOT saying you are a troll.

For example, I know last year you were high on AA and some disagreed with you. Both sides of the arguments had points, now if someone came out and said AA wasnt an NHL caliber player, or if someone came out and said that AA is a Hart level player under a different coach, I would take both as trolling (or at the very least hyperbole), not just a different opinion. You can tell when people are trolling because they typically post one liners with zero substance. If someone says Larkin is not a 1C and they break down why, I may not agree, but its definitely not trolling. Someone saying "Larkin is a 2C at BEST" with nothing to back it up, most likely trolling.

It's a message board, though, Kliq - not an academic peer review.

Someone can say Larkin is a 2C at best. That's not exactly an earth-shattering opinion.
Last year he played like a 1C.
But this year's stats look like 2C stats - despite first line, first PP minutes.

I think Larkin is a 1C - by necessity. Not an ideal 1C, though. And probably not a 1C on a good team.
For all the assists he gets, I don't really see him as a classic puck distributing center.
Put I see him as the best player on this team today, so what are you going to do?

I hoped Veleno might be that guy who could become a 1C, but that doesn't seem likely given where he is in D+2 and where Larkin was at the same age.

 

[kliq]

It's a message board, though, Kliq - not an academic peer review.

Someone can say Larkin is a 2C at best. That's not exactly an earth-shattering opinion.
Last year he played like a 1C.
But this year's stats look like 2C stats - despite first line, first PP minutes.

I think Larkin is a 1C - by necessity. Not an ideal 1C, though. And probably not a 1C on a good team.
For all the assists he gets, I don't really see him as a classic puck distributing center.
Put I see him as the best player on this team today, so what are you going to do?

I hoped Veleno might be that guy who could become a 1C, but that doesn't seem likely given where he is in D+2 and where Larkin was at the same age.

If you legitimately think the poster saying that "Larkin is a 2C at best" is saying it with the intention of having an intelligent conversation on the topic, then lets agree to disagree.

Some posters come on here for the sole reason of upsetting people, and they are trolls. Yes, this is a message board and not a academic journal, but for those of us who want to legitimately discuss hockey and share opinion, trolls try to ruin it. There is a reason why trolling is not allowed in the rules.

 

[Henkka]

I think Larkin is a 1C - by necessity. Not an ideal 1C, though. And probably not a 1C on a good team.
For all the assists he gets, I don't really see him as a classic puck distributing center.
Put I see him as the best player on this team today, so what are you going to do?

I hoped Veleno might be that guy who could become a 1C, but that doesn't seem likely given where he is in D+2 and where Larkin was at the same age.

All three Chicago Stanley Cups and St. Louis Blues Cup were won without a classic 1st line playmaking center. LAK, PIT, WSH had those.

Veleno ain't that either.

Cup teams are structured many ways.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Who cares? Glendening should get Selke votes and he probably would if we were any good.
The point is, on a team with Lafleur, Shutt and Robinson, Gainey was the captain.

Gainey is Yzerman compared to Glendening...

 

[MBH]

Gainey is Yzerman compared to Glendening...

Glendening is a lot f***ing closer to Larkin than Gainey was to Guy Lafleur.
Looked at another way...
Glendening is a lot f***ing closer to Gainey than Larkin was to Lafleur.

 

[MBH]

All three Chicago Stanley Cups and St. Louis Blues Cup were won without a classic 1st line playmaking center. LAK, PIT, WSH had those.

Veleno ain't that either.

Cup teams are structured many ways.

Right.
it just seems like with the kinds of wingers we have, now and in the system (Mantha, Athanasiou, Svech, Zadina, etc), we could really use the kind of C who gains the zone and finds the open guy for a shot.

 

[MBH]

If you legitimately think the poster saying that "Larkin is a 2C at best" is saying it with the intention of having an intelligent conversation on the topic, then lets agree to disagree.

Some posters come on here for the sole reason of upsetting people, and they are trolls. Yes, this is a message board and not a academic journal, but for those of us who want to legitimately discuss hockey and share opinion, trolls try to ruin it. There is a reason why trolling is not allowed in the rules.

Dude, I have no idea who half these people are. Maybe that guy is just trolling.

But, I can (usually ) drive by posts I don't like without blaming them for poisoning the community.

If you ask me, people who ridicule/attack people for having minority opinions are bigger problems for message boards.

It's one reason why Reddit sucks.

 

[nhlisawesome]

Look I don't have the time to write a peer reviewed essay about why Dylan Larkin hasn't looked like a 1C this season but I watch most of the games. He has been bad period especially compared to the other top centres around the NHL

 

[kliq]

Dude, I have no idea who half these people are. Maybe that guy is just trolling.

But, I can (usually ) drive by posts I don't like without blaming them for poisoning the community.

If you ask me, people who ridicule/attack people for having minority opinions are bigger problems for message boards.

It's one reason why Reddit sucks.

I don’t disagree with this

 

[jkutswings]

Not sure why Detroit thinks the captaincy should be treated like a jersey retirement. Not having one is dumb, and there isn't anybody on the roster who deserves it more than Larkin. But whatever, life goes on either way.

 

[nhlisawesome]

Not sure why Detroit thinks the captaincy should be treated like a jersey retirement. Not having one is dumb, and there isn't anybody on the roster who deserves it more than Larkin. But whatever, life goes on either way.

Nobody on this roster deserves the captaincy period. I fully support this organization's choice to not give in to Larkin

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

If you legitimately think the poster saying that "Larkin is a 2C at best" is saying it with the intention of having an intelligent conversation on the topic, then lets agree to disagree.

Some posters come on here for the sole reason of upsetting people, and they are trolls. Yes, this is a message board and not a academic journal, but for those of us who want to legitimately discuss hockey and share opinion, trolls try to ruin it. There is a reason why trolling is not allowed in the rules.

Larkin is a 2C at best. That ain't trolling because it hurts your "projection " of what you are hoping he will be. He is not a 1C on a playoff team. He had one outlier season and you guys are ready to rename Woodward, Dylan Larkin Blvd!!

 

[kliq]

Larkin is a 2C at best. That ain't trolling because it hurts your "projection " of what you are hoping he will be. He is not a 1C on a playoff team. He had one outlier season and you guys are ready to rename Woodward, Dylan Larkin Blvd!!

Ya I don’t even believe that you believe that. Clearly people overhyping Larkin has annoyed you.

 

[jkutswings]

Nobody on this roster deserves the captaincy period.

Based on what exactly? A team captain is just the guy leading your team that season, not an endorsement for the HOF. Larkin gets the hardest job on the worst team in the league, and has arguably the best work ethic on the roster. Sounds like a good spot to plant the C to me.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I will say the same thing about Larkin that I said about AA. Both of these guys started the season injured and never really got back to their 18/19 form. At their absolute bests this season they are well, well off their best play from 18/19 and I think you can link it almost exclusively to a lack of explosiveness in their skating. Something is wrong with these two physically (personally my money is on groin issues). Your skating doesn't fall off a cliff at their ages absent injury.

 

[Flowah]

Someone saying "Larkin is a 2C at BEST" with nothing to back it up, most likely trolling.

You missed a key part: "on a good NHL team."

How many centers are ahead of him right now around the league? A lot. On some teams they have 2 centers I'd put ahead of Larkin. So yeah, he'd be a 2C on most of those good teams with better centers. Just off the top of my head: Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Eichel, McDavid, Crosby, Malkin, Tavares, Matthews, Seguin, Bergeron, Barkov. I know I haven't named everyone.

I don't see how that compares at all with saying AA is either not an NHL player (who somehow put up 30 goals) or is a Hart candidate. Larkin is a 2C on contenders = realm of possibility. AA is not an NHLer/Hart candidate = insane.

 

[The Wizard of Oz]

Glendening is a lot ****ing closer to Larkin than Gainey was to Guy Lafleur.
Looked at another way...
Glendening is a lot ****ing closer to Gainey than Larkin was to Lafleur.

Neither of them are in the same universe.

 

[MBH]

Neither of them are in the same universe.

The point is, Gainey was third liner, defensive specialist on a team with superstars.
Glendening is a third liner, defensive specialist on our team.

Before the days when everyone named their young star as their captain, the captaincies often went to grinders.

Say we had a 30-year-old Kris Draper on this squad. He'd be a captain candidate.