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Originally Posted by Ahbroody
It was well known that he wanted to play in either Det or Minn because of ties to both. He will have more impact on Dets roster then SJs so that was likely a factor also.
Sorry I couldnt respond on the other thread yesterday was busy. Will do my best to address a few of your questions.
1) Sharks losing Malholtra Blake and Nabby. You apparently missed how bad old man Blake got exposed all year and how many penalties he took. How many goals resulted from this. I spent the year posting about it. No one here was sad to see him leave. Nabby was horrible after the Olympics and in past years playoffs. Again no one wanted him back. Why the coaching staff said they didnt want him back and there would be no negotiations. Who is praising these people? Not us over here.
2) Nabby may not have been offered a contract. So beit. But, he has been your starter for a long time. The void needs to be filled. You asked why I would want Niemi as the Sophmore slump. First he only played 37 regular season games which may help, second he showed great nerve more then Howard, third and most important is 10-11 the last year the NHL exists? I think he will be good for many years. He is young and good and there are many years of Hockey to be played. I would like him as there will be hockey beyond next year. They may loose their chance to get him now and lock him up for years to come. Kind of need to look past your nose for that one.
3) "Lastly, without Malhotra, who's going to take a faceoff for the Sharks?" You asked. Why dont you read this. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=5...vid=nhl-search Its the last segment. Apparently you missed the fact about the Sharks 5 centers dominating the League. You ever here of that guy Scott Nichol? Suprised someone so into STATS would ask such a question. |
1.) This is easy to say. It's like the guy who gets dumped by his girlfriend "I hated that ____ anyway". Sure you did
, but they left you so who's to say. If you were posting about how bad Blake was, fine. The issue remains. He may have been over the hill, but still talented and ate up a lot of minutes on the blueline; especially on power plays and penalty kills. Nabby, I'll save that for number 2.
2.) I didn't ask why you wanted Niemi. I asked why it's different. Niemi had a great rookie year, so did Howard.
You put Howard down saying goalies who have good rookie years often fall flat the following year. Why is it any different for Niemi? I know he started less games, but I don't think the goalie sophomore flop is primarily based upon endurance issues. I almost forgot to ask, how to you measure "showing of nerve"? Both goalies took over for very good teams that expected to win. Both jobs came with a ton of pressure.
3.) Yeah, yeah, yeah Sharks won faceoff percent this past year. Look who's dominated that stat for a decade, the Wings. The year before Draper lead all players with a 60.3% and the Wings lead all teams with 55.1%. Not to mention Datsyuk has been very good and creeping up the list past couple years too. Last season he was 12th at 55.1%.
BTW, you missed the beginning of the article you linked to. See below:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=5...vid=nhl-search
Quote:
Takeaways: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit
Even if Datsyuk weren't a tremendously skilled offensive player (he is), he'd be a star for his defensive abilities alone. One of the abilities that helped him win the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward in each of the last three seasons is his unparalleled skill as a puck thief.
Datsyuk ran away from the field again last season with 132 takeaways, 49 more than runner-up Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks. It's the third time in the past four seasons that Datsyuk led the NHL in takeaways -- he was second in 2008-09 with 89, five behind fellow Russian Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Datsyuk's total marked the third time in four seasons that he's been in triple digits in takeaways -- he's the only player ever to break 100 in the last five seasons. His total of 144 is the most since play resumed after the work stoppage in 2005.
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The reason I included that was many people only care about the star's point or goal totals. While some third/fourth line center may be good at faceoffs, the fact is Datsyuk or Thornton will be on the ice much more. I noticed Joe's not bad at them either. That point is somewhat moot. Having a perenial Selke/Bing winner as your 1st line center goes a long way. The Wings have two of the best two-way centers in the league, and Madano will have an impact as our third line center. With him between Hudler and Cleary, they compose arguably the most potent third line in the NHL.