Why has lars eller regressed so hard.

[Wats]

Would you trade Lars Eller for Max Pacioretty? No? Then stop this silly dream.

You really like reading things that aren't there.

First you said people are saying Eller is ready for top 6 now...here you imply I said trade Eller for Kane straight up. I even mentioned Seguin type trade.

 

[Sorinth]

The question we have to ask going forward is what's better for this team: Eller set on the third line or Galchenyuk eventually getting a chance to center his own third line? In that case, do you push Eller down to the fourth line?



I should make it clear that I'm not trying to take all the credit of Eller's performance away. He is playing extremely well. Exactly what Montreal needs (maybe some more faceoff wins would be nice but I'm trying to not nitpick!). But the idea that his play right now means he's ready for the top six is ludicrous. He isn't better than Desharnais. He isn't better than Plekanec. And once he's 100%, he won't be better than Galchenyuk either. He's right where he needs to be and he deserves credit for that.

So what does he have to do prove he's ready for a top 6 role? I mean if going ppg in these playoffs isn't enough. If doubling DD's career playoff production in less games isn't enough (10pts in 15 games vs 5pts in 17 games). If outproducing DD and putting up over a 50pt pace during the lockout season isn't enough. If having a 41pt pace for 150 games, and a 46pt pace for 100 games isn't enough. If doing all that with barely any PP time on the 3rd line while also being asked to play a shutdown role isn't enough, then seriously what does he have to do?

Over the last 2 season's DD's ES scoring per 60min is less than 0.25 better than Eller's. Over a full season at 14 ES minutes a game that's less than 5 points difference. When you look at the linemates/usage over that time it's laughable that you can claim DD is so superior. At worst Eller is equal to DD offensively. Except he can drive the offence on his line and seems to step up in the playoffs. Two things DD has yet to show.

He ~may~ eventually be a #2, he has shown a lot of the tools to do so, but he will need to be more consistant and play with a very good playmaking winger.

Eller went 150 games at half a point per game in a third line role with hardly any PP time, and spending most of that time with at least one grinder while being asked to play a shutdown role. How exactly is he inconsistent?

If you want consistent top-6 production you have to provide a consistent top-6 role. Otherwise you're basically saying he has to produce like a top-6 player in a bottom-6 role for what 100 games? 200 games? That's just ridiculous.

 

[Winter Eclipse]

Bourque and Eller are thriving right now because Boston is so focused on shutting down Montreal's top six. It has opened up the third line to dominate. Bourque, Eller and Gionta have top six qualities but are not players we want in our top six. The lack of attention to them is giving them opportunities.

If Boston takes Bergeron's line and puts them on that line instead they'll go cold and Patches/DD will start ripping Rask apart.

This evaluation is a fantasy. The DD line has been the worst line on the team over all 7 PO games. Also, really enjoy seeing how you use a counterfactual in order to reach not 1, but 2 conclusions

Eller's been great, why you would possibly wanna crap on that is beyond me...

 

[Rapala]

Lars Eller is a Top Tier 3rd line center.
Please leave him there support him with good players and let him do his thing.

 

[Jakomyte]

Lars Eller is a Top Tier 3rd line center.
Please leave him there support him with good players and let him do his thing.

This. Eller is playing fantastic right now, and is a huge asset on the team. Keep him where he is being successful. Do people really think that having Eller on the 1st line and DD on the 3rd line would make the TEAM better?

 

[Sorinth]

This. Eller is playing fantastic right now, and is a huge asset on the team. Keep him where he is being successful. Do people really think that having Eller on the 1st line and DD on the 3rd line would make the TEAM better?

Eller is playing better right now than DD, correct? Yet DD gets nearly 2min more ice time per game. Would it really be the end of the world if we switched that so Eller got 2min more and DD 2min less. Considering DD isn't doing much of anything there's a very good chance the TEAM will be better.

 

[Brainiac]

Eller is playing better right now than DD, correct? Yet DD gets nearly 2min more ice time per game. Would it really be the end of the world if we switched that so Eller got 2min more and DD 2min less. Considering DD isn't doing much of anything there's a very good chance the TEAM will be better.

Well, to fair, DD's line is checked a lot more and DD is really battling hard out there, even if it doesn't end with goals and points, he is playing well, IMO.

 

[Milhouse40]

Bourque and Eller are thriving right now because Boston is so focused on shutting down Montreal's top six. It has opened up the third line to dominate. Bourque, Eller and Gionta have top six qualities but are not players we want in our top six. The lack of attention to them is giving them opportunities.

If Boston takes Bergeron's line and puts them on that line instead they'll go cold and Patches/DD will start ripping Rask apart.

Well, Last night Patches-DD face 3rd and 4th line more than any other line...and still haven't done anything, never forget that. Plekanec's line was match against Bergeron.

I bet if Eller would face tougher competition like Bergeron he would also have top linesmates which would also help him.

That's a very good point.

We see a lot of that at playoff time. Habs are currently focused on the Krejci line and ~knock on wood~ have been pretty successful so far.

And last night...Eller's line took care of 65% of the game against that line if yopu watched closely...they shut them down and also produce.

The question we have to ask going forward is what's better for this team: Eller set on the third line or Galchenyuk eventually getting a chance to center his own third line? In that case, do you push Eller down to the fourth line?



I should make it clear that I'm not trying to take all the credit of Eller's performance away. He is playing extremely well. Exactly what Montreal needs (maybe some more faceoff wins would be nice but I'm trying to not nitpick!). But the idea that his play right now means he's ready for the top six is ludicrous. He isn't better than Desharnais. He isn't better than Plekanec. And once he's 100%, he won't be better than Galchenyuk either. He's right where he needs to be and he deserves credit for that.

He was better than DD last year
He was better than DD in the first part of the season
He is better than Desharnais now

But he isn't the same type of players.....he is a time and space creator,.....that's Eller strenght (forecheck, puck-possession, hits). He's not a pure playmaker like DD but he's much more complete as a player compare to DD.

When Galchneyuk is ready for center.....he's gonna be an offensive center and that's DD's job right now. Galchy won't be able to take the defensive load we give to Eller and the 3rd line.

This. Eller is playing fantastic right now, and is a huge asset on the team. Keep him where he is being successful. Do people really think that having Eller on the 1st line and DD on the 3rd line would make the TEAM better?

Not really no....
But Plekanec is our first center....always were.
I think Eller can back him up offensively and defensively....which would allowed a line-up with an only offensive center like Galchenyuk to start at center

 

[Andy]

Stop jinxing Eller.

 

[S Bah]

I was on Eller for three bad plays in game two, I'm back to say he was playing his regular game last night and more. Way to go Larry playing NA hockey better than the Bruins!

 

[Rapala]

Stop jinxing Eller.

No worries he's good now.
It isn't hard to comprehend that to take a huge stride towards the ultimate goal.
The versatility strength and speed of an Eller will ALWAYS be more valuable to an
organization than say the play of a unidimesional playmaker like Briere for example.
That is what gets me most about this whole Eller thing this year.
I've always felt without a doubt that HE is CORE. He's proven that to me already.
I don't need him lighting it up on a first or second line.
I need him playing strong hard minutes as a two way player and wearing down opponents with his awesome skating/stamina. Which we are finally seeing again.

Thank You Lars.

GHG

 

[Paddyjack]

I'm a fan of Desharnais but I find him struggling in this series. If we were losing, I would say why not try Eller for a couple of shifts with Max? But we are winning, and leading in score for 80ish % of the 3 games in minutes so far so no point trying IMO.

In the long run, if ever Pleky wants to leave, I would be confortable with Eller doing what Pleky was doing for us.

 

[Sorinth]

Well, to fair, DD's line is checked a lot more and DD is really battling hard out there, even if it doesn't end with goals and points, he is playing well, IMO.

Eller has been up against the Krejci line all series. So it's not like he's had a walk in park against weak players.

Playing well but not putting up points is fine for a 3rd/4th line but for the top offensive line it's simply not good enough.

 

[Andrei79]

This is the best hockey I've seej him play, really involved out there, wow.

 

[Rapala]

This is the best hockey I've seej him play, really involved out there, wow.

Was playing better last year before the Gryba hit.

 

[Andrei79]

Was playing better last year before the Gryba hit.

His play this PO is more impressive than last years regular season.

 

[Rapala]

Can someone please change modify the title of this thread.
Like we did with PK?
It's very ficticious.

 

[Redux91]

Would you trade Lars Eller for Max Pacioretty? No? Then stop this silly dream.

um...of course i would..

you're very lucky you're allowed to say this without getting laughed at JUST because of these last 7 games..

im a huuuuuuge eller fan, but pacioretty and kane are far better goal scorers at the moment (all 3 are first rounders) , patch is in a lil funk and eller is surprising TB and Boston because he's on the 3rd line instead of top 6, which is an unbelievable luxury for us at the moment

(personaly, i said all year long we should trade gallagher or pleks for kane) merely because i believe eller is turning into an even better plekanec , but ill admit, i sell plekanec waaay short, hes playing phenomenal right now too

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Stop jinxing Eller.

this

 

[_vivelequebec_]

Well, he'll never be Joe Thornton but he can be a really really good 3rd line player, the kind of guy you want and you need to be a top-5 team.

 

[Lions999]

This. Eller is playing fantastic right now, and is a huge asset on the team. Keep him where he is being successful. Do people really think that having Eller on the 1st line and DD on the 3rd line would make the TEAM better?

Next year should be Plek-Eller-Chuckie
And year after Chuckie -Eller-Plek

 

[hockeyfan2k11]

Well, to fair, DD's line is checked a lot more and DD is really battling hard out there, even if it doesn't end with goals and points, he is playing well, IMO.

Why does that matter? DD is the only player that seems to get the "he's battling hard" pass. He's supposed to produce and he hasn't. I don't care if he's trying oh so hard. If another player who is battling less but is producing more then that player should play ahead of him.

It's not a problem now since the team is ahead, but I'm tired of hearing "he's battling hard". If there's no production, who cares?

 

[Teufelsdreck]

The Bruins fans have noticed Eller.

 

[vokiel]

Eller isn't an offensive force and will most likely not become one, deal with it. Eh.

 

[Hackett]

He's not quite the eller from pre gryba hit, but I like what I see from him. He has sort of reinvented himself and is playing a more simplified game, and the points have been accumulating too.

Its time to change the thread title.