Player Discussion William Lagesson

[shoop]

Honest question because it's still a small sampling, but are we a little more okay with waiving Grosenick and Forsberg to make sure Lagesson wasn't claimed?

The concerns with waiving Grosenick centred around what happened if Smith or Koskinen get injured at some point. Or if Smith came back and just couldn't play any better than he did in that one game in the summer.

So far neither of those things have happened so we are ok with no Grosenick. Holland's gamble appears to have paid off.

 

[Broberg Speed]

Lagesson is the new Larson that plays the left side which is convenient because we are getting crowded on the right side.

I think this is the player we lose in expansion. If I was the Kraken, and you have to think they will go heavy on the defensemen, I would be targeting players like Lagesson.

They can take a miss or two but they are going to be stacked from day one. Unfortunately they will be another franchise with more depth than the Oilers. Thank you Ken Holland for giving so many draft picks away for diddly squat.

 

[Oilhawks]

Lagesson is the new Larson that plays the left side which is convenient because we are getting crowded on the right side.

I think this is the player we lose in expansion. If I was the Kraken, and you have to think they will go heavy on the defensemen, I would be targeting players like Lagesson.

They can take a miss or two but they are going to be stacked from day one. Unfortunately they will be another franchise with more depth than the Oilers. Thank you Ken Holland for giving so many draft picks away for diddly squat.

Yeah, if Lags keeps it up he'll be protected and Jones will be exposed so you have nothing to worry about.

Can we leave the moaning about the picks to the 'Fire Holland' thread?

 

[Blue Line Turnover]

I'll be honest, I wasn't too high on him even after seeing him play in the AHL, but his play during the last few games has been solid.
Hopefully he continues to trend upwards.

 

[Fourier]

I've liked the Larssen Lagesson pairing since formed. They aren't pretty to watch unless one likes tough, physical own zone play that makes it uncomfortable for opposition forwards in the tough areas of the ice. This style of defending is critical in my opinion to winning games and amplifies in the tighter checking, grinding endurance marathon of playoff hockey. A great complement to more flashy puck moving finesse d-men, this pairing gives the team great flexibility to match up with diverse opposition including meat eater, heavy teams like Winnipeg and Montreal. Larssen is an excellent mentor and veteran presence with Lagesson. Lagesson is showing the grit, aptitude, hunger and smarts to will and Will himself into a run as an everyday defender. I love heavy character players like Larssen and Lagesson who don't grab headlines but do an honest job especially in a league that continues to grow softer in its penalty calls and style of play.

I've always like defensemen like this. When I go to games live I often find myself watching Larsson just pound on guys along the wall and in front of the net. He's very much an old-school defender. Lagesson has a lot of the same traits. You won't notice him all that much but he is a pita to play against.

I like the idea of havng 7 defensemen and double shifting McDavid, Leon and to a lesser degree Nuge. I may be wrong about this but I think that this is very comon is Sweden and they have had a lot of success producing very good defensemen. To be honest if everyone was healthy I am not at all sure how I would see the defense.

LHD: Klefbom, Nurse, Lagesson, Jones, Russell
RHD: Bear, Barrie, Larsson, Bouchard
Who pairs with whom?

Throw in Samorukov, Broberg and Kesselring, even Lennstrom and there is a lot to like. But it would be nice if one of the kids turned into a true stud.

 

[Cloned]

I've always like defensemen like this. When I go to games live I often find myself watching Larsson just pound on guys along the wall and in front of the net. He's very much an old-school defender. Lagesson has a lot of the same traits. You won't notice him all that much but he is a pita to play against.

I like the idea of havng 7 defensemen and double shifting McDavid, Leon and to a lesser degree Nuge. I may be wrong about this but I think that this is very comon is Sweden and they have had a lot of success producing very good defensemen. To be honest if everyone was healthy I am not at all sure how I would see the defense.

LHD: Klefbom, Nurse, Lagesson, Jones, Russell
RHD: Bear, Barrie, Larsson, Bouchard
Who pairs with whom?

Throw in Samorukov, Broberg and Kesselring, even Lennstrom and there is a lot to like. But it would be nice if one of the kids turned into a true stud.

Samorukov has top pairing potential in that he does all things well.

 

[Fourier]

Samorukov has top pairing potential in that he does all things well.

I've been high on him from the beginning. Watching him in the OHL playoffs showed that he has skill as well as the ability to play a very sound defensive game. Plus he likes to flat out destroy guys.

 

[DropTheGloves]

Samorukov has top pairing potential in that he does all things well.

I guess it’s a good thing Habs fans are so adamant that Romanov is a Norris winner in waiting given how similar he and Sammy are.

Seriously, you’d be hard-pressed to find a statistical difference beyond age (Sammy is just six months older was and was quite young for his draft class). Doesn’t hurt they both will have played for CSKA on the way up, and in back to back years no less:

Samorukov: 48 GP, 8 points, +24
Romanov: 43 GP, 7 points, +21

If he follows the same timeline and makes the jump next season, we won’t even miss Jones.

 

[snipes]

Samorukov has top pairing potential in that he does all things well.

He’s playing excellent hockey over in Russia for the historic CSKA franchise (its the old Red Army franchise from the Soviet days).

Samorukov is far ahead of Broberg in terms of development and will likely be in the NHL next season.

Nurse, Lagesson, Samorukov, and Broberg. Damn the left side is looking pretty good especially from a defensive play perspective which is good because our right side seems to be our offensive guys with Barrie, Bear, and Bouchard all being righties.

Our D core is slowly transforming and will be better going forward I sincerely believe that.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

He’s playing excellent hockey over in Russia for the historic CSKA franchise (its the old Red Army franchise from the Soviet days).

Samorukov is far ahead of Broberg in terms of development and will likely be in the NHL next season.

Nurse, Lagesson, Samorukov, and Broberg. Damn the left side is looking pretty good especially from a defensive play perspective which is good because our right side seems to be our offensive guys with Barrie, Bear, and Bouchard all being righties.

Our D core is slowly transforming and will be better going forward I sincerely believe that.

I get why you and others would feel that, given that he has played in the AHL and now has been a rock in the KHL as well. However when I watch Broberg, I see a guy whose skating could really provide us with a solid NHL player right from the get go. I think that Samorukov plays a more steady and less flashy game and has the benefit of experience on his side, while Broberg's skating and size combination makes him a guy that could potentially step in right away albeit likely not in a top 4 role.

The bottom line is that our team has been void of quality NHL defensemen for years and suddenly we have them coming out of the woodworks even with Klefbom's potential career threatening injury. If we re-sign Barrie and Klef stays out next season:

Nurse-Barrie
Samorukov-Bouchard
Broberg-Bear
Lagesson

 

[snipes]

I get why you and others would feel that, given that he has played in the AHL and now has been a rock in the KHL as well. However when I watch Broberg, I see a guy whose skating could really provide us with a solid NHL player right from the get go. I think that Samorukov plays a more steady and less flashy game and has the benefit of experience on his side, while Broberg's skating and size combination makes him a guy that could potentially step in right away albeit likely not in a top 4 role.

The bottom line is that our team has been void of quality NHL defensemen for years and suddenly we have them coming out of the woodworks even with Klefbom's potential career threatening injury. If we re-sign Barrie and Klef stays out next season:

Nurse-Barrie
Samorukov-Bouchard
Broberg-Bear
Lagesson

I agree with everything you’ve said about Broberg, but he’s still a teenager and D is a very difficult position to break in with. I think he’s got another season in the SHL then AHL time before he’s NHL ready by the time he’s 21-22ish.

Like for example, Holloway will be a full time NHLer well before Broberg especially if starts on the wing. Samorukov is likely our next D man to make the jump into an NHL regular.

Honestly, this is a good thing and the proper development path for young D men. I’m high on Broberg as well but he needs to grow into his body a bit and become more of a man first before he’s ready for the show.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I agree with everything you’ve said about Bouchard, but he’s still a teenager and D is a very difficult position to break in with. I think he’s got another season in the SHL then AHL time before he’s NHL ready by the time he’s 21-22ish.

Like for example, Holloway will be a full time NHLer well before Broberg especially if starts on the wing. Samorukov is like our next D man to make the jump into an NHL regular.

Honestly, this is a good thing and the proper development path for young D men. I’m high on Broberg as well but he needs to grow into his body a bit and become more of a man first before he’s ready for the show.

The beauty of the situation is that he will have to break the door down to get a chance because we suddenly have so much depth. This gives players incentive to work on their weaknesses to try and get to the big club instead of being handed a spot on a silver platter.

 

[snipes]

The beauty of the situation is that he will have to break the door down to get a chance because we suddenly have so much depth. This gives players incentive to work on their weaknesses to try and get to the big club instead of being handed a spot on a silver platter.

Exactly, competition brings out the best in people. If you don’t have that competitive fire like a guy like Yamamoto has, then we frankly don’t even want them here.

A willingness and desire to compete relentlessly in sport and in life generally is one of the single greatest predictors of future success in my opinion.

Guys should be busting their ass daily to improve, or otherwise the next man up will take your spot. I like our young D core we’re building and I’ve been a harsh critic of our current D core. Hopefully we’ve turned the corner with Bouchard and Lagesson looking like bona fide NHLers. Going to be tough for Jones, Russell, and even Bear to a degree to get in the lineup. This is the way it should be.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Exactly, competition brings out the best in people. If you don’t have that competitive fire like a guy like Yamamoto has, then we frankly don’t even want them here.

A willingness and desire to compete relentlessly in sport and in life generally is one of the single greatest predictors of future success in my opinion.

Guys should be busting their ass daily to improve, or otherwise the next man up will take your spot. I like our young D core we’re building and I’ve been a harsh critic of our current D core. Hopefully we’ve turned the corner with Bouchard and Lagesson looking like bona fide NHLers. Going to be tough for Jones, Russell, and even Bear to a degree to get in the lineup. This is the way it should be.

Jones at this point is the poster child of missed opportunity. Klefbom's spot was wide open and he was by most accounts the guy penciled into that spot. He proceeded to come out and not do well and has now had his lunch eaten by Koekkoek, Bouchard and Lagesson. Barring injury there's no telling when he'll get another shot. Bear IMO has enough of a track record and is a good enough player that he'll draw back in somewhere when he's healthy, but in years past maybe he gets rushed back because we have 3 plugs on D that are costing us games while Bear is out. Right now we are cruising along without him.

 

[SwedishFire]

I've always like defensemen like this. When I go to games live I often find myself watching Larsson just pound on guys along the wall and in front of the net. He's very much an old-school defender. Lagesson has a lot of the same traits. You won't notice him all that much but he is a pita to play against.

I like the idea of havng 7 defensemen and double shifting McDavid, Leon and to a lesser degree Nuge. I may be wrong about this but I think that this is very comon is Sweden and they have had a lot of success producing very good defensemen. To be honest if everyone was healthy I am not at all sure how I would see the defense.

LHD: Klefbom, Nurse, Lagesson, Jones, Russell
RHD: Bear, Barrie, Larsson, Bouchard
Who pairs with whom?

Throw in Samorukov, Broberg and Kesselring, even Lennstrom and there is a lot to like. But it would be nice if one of the kids turned into a true stud.

What about Koekkoekk?

I would dress 7Ds
Nurse Barrie
Lagesson Larsson
Jones or Koekkkoekk - Bear/Bouchard

And doubleshift the big three in the third line of Turris McD/Drai/Nuge/Khaira if the other is tired as hell.

When Haas is back- take out Nealer. He is clsoe to done in NHL.

Let the forth line be intact, dont fix something that is actually working fine. Its the third line thag is (read Turris + Neals zombiewalk) that is a problem)

 

[Fourier]

What about Koekkoekk?

I would dress 7Ds
Nurse Barrie
Lagesson Larsson
Jones or Koekkkoekk - Bear/Bouchard

And doubleshift the big three in the third line of Turris McD/Drai/Nuge/Khaira if the other is tired as hell.

When Haas is back- take out Nealer. He is clsoe to done in NHL.

Let the forth line be intact, dont fix something that is actually working fine. Its the third line thag is (read Turris + Neals zombiewalk) that is a problem)

Yes, for thsi year I think Koekkoek is certainly in the mix.

 

[LaGu]

I didn't even look at his numbers in the AHL. He was a plus player and pretty much all of his points came at ES as he barely played the PP. Surprised by him. Somebody I honestly paid zero attention to.

This post reminded me of Holland's comments about Lagesson in the spring of 2019. I think Bakersfield were playing Gulls in the playoffs (but I can be wrong about that).

Holland had a lot of praise for the Ds on the team, mentioning Bear, Bouchard and Jones. After that he added this:

“I liked William Lagesson. He’s a good player. He’s maybe the most important defenceman on the team down here. He’s a 23-year-old. He’s at a good age. That’s young enough to have the upside yet old enough to have some experience,”

He isn't saying that he is more talented or anything, I think the point is being a certain kind of presence on the ice, like a 16/17 Larsson or similar. Very important player on any team, I really hope he (Lagesson) can stick and keep performing well at this level.

 

[SwedishFire]

Yes, for thsi year I think Koekkoek is certainly in the mix.

In those times I really wished the fans wore the coach.

I think 7Ds and 11 forwards is the best solution. It helos D to not be so exploited whre they have their weak spots. And 11 forwards, come on - they can do it. The Ds playbas double as much ice time.

And oilers doesnt have 12 creative and constructive forwards, so double shifting the four Cs in a tetriary scoribg line is rhe best solution. It keeps fill out warm bodys like Chiasson out of the line up as well

 

[LaGu]

Lagesson deserves huge kudos to being solid in the lineup, balling up to the physical play in the NHL and even choosing to be an in the battle type D. Not at all passive.

last night him intially taking abuse from Josh Anderson not only gave us a PP, which was precious, and put the game out of reach, it kept the Habs top scorer off the ice in a critical juncture.

This was textbook taking one for the team. Wisdom beyond years displayed. he reminds me of a younger Petry here. Without the offensive side. But still a very good defending option.

This also reminds me of an interview I heard with Lagesson years ago, I cannot find it anymore (been trying for a while now...).

A reporter was asking about his game, who his role models were and what he would like to become. His answer had the reporter asking the same again, because he was expecting an "Hedman, Lidstrom, Karlsson" answer. Lagesson meanwhile kept on saying that he likes the battle type D, being on or getting on the ice if things get rough, also being the D with most PK minutes on the team and being out against the best/toughest opponents at the end of the games.

 

[The Nuge]

In those times I really wished the fans wore the coach.

I think 7Ds and 11 forwards is the best solution. It helos D to not be so exploited whre they have their weak spots. And 11 forwards, come on - they can do it. The Ds playbas double as much ice time.

And oilers doesnt have 12 creative and constructive forwards, so double shifting the four Cs in a tetriary scoribg line is rhe best solution. It keeps fill out warm bodys like Chiasson out of the line up as well

And really, if you want to get guys minutes, you could always do what Florida did last year, and use a dman on the 4th line.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

This also reminds me of an interview I heard with Lagesson years ago, I cannot find it anymore (been trying for a while now...).

A reporter was asking about his game, who his role models were and what he would like to become. His answer had the reporter asking the same again, because he was expecting an "Hedman, Lidstrom, Karlsson" answer. Lagesson meanwhile kept on saying that he likes the battle type D, being on or getting on the ice if things get rough, also being the D with most PK minutes on the team and being out against the best/toughest opponents at the end of the games.

Love it. I'd like to read that if you ever find it. Lagesson's certainly blazed his own trail to get here with stops in the USHL, college, SHL, and AHL leagues. Nice to have a throwback in a league that's getting softer.

 

[SwedishFire]

And really, if you want to get guys minutes, you could always do what Florida did last year, and use a dman on the 4th line.

I thought if it last year, Manning as a grinder.

I dont think any D now is a grinder.
So a 4th defensive line with 3 defencemen a C and a w would I do.

Lagesson Larsson Kkkk Khaira Archibald as a defensive shutdoen line.

And three scoribg lines
the third of Ennis Haas Turris(yuck)/Kassian

 

[LaGu]

Love it. I'd like to read that if you ever find it. Lagesson's certainly blazed his own trail to get here with stops in the USHL, college, SHL, and AHL leagues. Nice to have a throwback in a league that's getting softer.

I am not giving up, but still nothing... Tomorrow I'll searchy old posts, I may have posted it at the time. But it was years ago.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

If Klefbom somehow does return does Willy Legs make Samorukov expendable?

 

[shoop]

If Klefbom somehow does return does Willy Legs make Samorukov expendable?

Gigantic if, but both Wild Bill and Samorukov are expendable if Klefbom comes back healthy. With Nurse/Klefbom as your top two LD that leaves a lot of guys battling for two jobs.

For the LD on the third pairing role and the 7 D the Oilers will have Jones, Lagesson, Samorukov, Broberg and Russell in the mix.