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Is this the year Cooter and B. Schenn become NHLers ?


The Quigster

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This may be a stretch, but it seems to me that the popularity of fantasy leagues and such has given rise to a widespread mindset that if a guy doesn’t generate a lot of points, or an impressive stat sheet, then he’s not contributing. Players like Couturier are worth their weight in gold for their ability to do things that unfortunately don’t earn points in fantasy leagues. He puts in hard minutes against the toughest opposition the league has to offer, kills penalties, stays out of the penalty box himself for the most part, and scores often enough to offset the goals scored against him while he’s on the ice, all at a cap-friendly price. Sure, it would be nice if he was also a 50-goal scorer, but it would be nicer still if more forwards could match his shut-down defensive talents, or at least make the most of the protected minutes they enjoy by virtue of Couturier’s work neutralizing the league’s top lines.

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This may be a stretch, but it seems to me that the popularity of fantasy leagues and such has given rise to a widespread mindset that if a guy doesn’t generate a lot of points, or an impressive stat sheet, then he’s not contributing. Players like Couturier are worth their weight in gold for their ability to do things that unfortunately don’t earn points in fantasy leagues. He puts in hard minutes against the toughest opposition the league has to offer, kills penalties, stays out of the penalty box himself for the most part, and scores often enough to offset the goals scored against him while he’s on the ice, all at a cap-friendly price. Sure, it would be nice if he was also a 50-goal scorer, but it would be nicer still if more forwards could match his shut-down defensive talents, or at least make the most of the protected minutes they enjoy by virtue of Couturier’s work neutralizing the league’s top lines.

I can't put into words what a terrific post that was.

I'm a little more willing to entertain this subject as it pertains to Schenn. In his case, I have a very nagging suspicion that the answer is "no." He's still pretty young, though, so it's possible. I would settle for "consistent" as a good sign of progress.

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I can't put into words what a terrific post that was.

I'm a little more willing to entertain this subject as it pertains to Schenn. In his case, I have a very nagging suspicion that the answer is "no." He's still pretty young, though, so it's possible. I would settle for "consistent" as a good sign of progress.

B Schenn just had a birthday, is he 23 or 24? Either way in "NHL" terms he's no longer considered pretty young. He needs to be the player he is capable of being 14 minutes a night. This season he must take a substantial step forward toward reaching his considerable potential .

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B Schenn just had a birthday, is he 23 or 24? Either way in "NHL" terms he's no longer considered pretty young. He needs to be the player he is capable of being 14 minutes a night. This season he must take a substantial step forward toward reaching his considerable potential .

I completely agree with this, but was giving myself room to hedge my bets with the "he's still young" crowd.

He's not a kid anymore but does still have room to grow yet where you could justify the "give him time" argument.

I would like to see some consistency with him. You see a handful of games where you're thinking "yeah, this kid is really good" and then he sleepwalks through the next dozen or more. He's really frustrating to watch.

I'll still entertain the "he's still young" or the "they keep screwing with his position and role" arguments, but he needs to show marked improvement this year and that, I think, start with consistency of effort and focus.

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I agree with @ruxpin that the issue for Schenn is mainly consistency.

As for Cooter, my fervent desire is that someone else (Laughton eventually) takes on that role of shutdown guy, freeing him up to be, if not a 50 goal scorer, a 75 pt guy. Because he can be IMHO if he were to get easier matchups and PP time.

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I agree with @ruxpin that the issue for Schenn is mainly consistency.

As for Cooter, my fervent desire is that someone else (Laughton eventually) takes on that role of shutdown guy, freeing him up to be, if not a 50 goal scorer, a 75 pt guy. Because he can be IMHO if he were to get easier matchups and PP time.

This, as it were.

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I guarantee that every center that has to play against Couturier knows that he's going up against an NHL player. And a damn good one at that.

 

And while it would be nice to see more from Schenn, I personally think that if you score 20 goals in an NHL season you are an NHL player.

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Coots has a really strong two way game now. Many teams cover him.

To me he's the 2nd or 3rd most valuable forward last year. He took a while to start scoring, but his D was during the team all year and especially early on when they looked so completely lost.

Schenn could blossom this year. I hope so.

Is this the year these two will blossom into real NHLers? How long is long enough? Maybe with Laughton competing for a position it will generate a little mojo with boys.

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Greetings:

 

Another aspect to Schenn is trade-bait status. If he has an improved year he (and probably his brother) become highly marketable, a consideration on a team with lots of forwards in the system who may be NHL material. On the other hand, a so-so year means we are effectively stuck with the second year of a contract (and lost roster slot) to no avail.  By the way, I am not convinced the brothers are a duo for deployment, but others here feel differently.

 

Peace,

 

Howie

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@Howie58

 

 Hey Howie

 

 Actually, IMO, the Flyers are pretty weak at the forward position as far as prospects go. We have Laughton, who really projects as a #2 center tops, but likely a solid 3rd liner, Leiere, who's likely 3rd,4th line material and Aube-Kabul who's really just a big ? right now.

 

 D has become our position of strength as far as prospects go. Times have changed, huh?

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 D has become our position of strength as far as prospects go. Times have changed, huh?

 

It's weird for sure. I guess you are no longer considering Akeson a prospect eh? As it is, I'm still not convinced he's not a 'tweener, although he impressed me last year. If he does make it the bigs, then he projects as a 2nd line scorer, which is nothing to sneeze at. 

But otherwise, yeah, not much at F. I do, however, like our 5th round pick (2014) - Oskar Lindblom. I think he has a good chance to be a good pro. Powerful skater, plays a very North American game which should translate well. His numbers in Int'l play are very good indeed. Sleeper pick IMHO:http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=86181

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but none of them are really what you'd call bluechip

 

True. We trade away our the few bluechips we ever get (e.g. JVR) or would get (all those 2nd round picks), while trading for former bluechips who turned out to be beige. 

But I digress...

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@Howie58

 

 Hey Howie

 

 Actually, IMO, the Flyers are pretty weak at the forward position as far as prospects go. We have Laughton, who really projects as a #2 center tops, but likely a solid 3rd liner, Leiere, who's likely 3rd,4th line material and Aube-Kabul who's really just a big ? right now.

 

 D has become our position of strength as far as prospects go. Times have changed, huh?

FC:  Good to hear from you...hope all is well. True enough RE: Prospects; the D needed re-engineering and the drafts reflect it. Our current pool of forwards is competent to good. There are no game changers save for G but the others should be OK.  I hope they have enough speed and skill to clear the blue line. Our D may not be too helpful right now on that score.

 

Howie

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FC:  Good to hear from you...hope all is well. True enough RE: Prospects; the D needed re-engineering and the drafts reflect it. Our current pool of forwards is competent to good. There are no game changers save for G but the others should be OK.  I hope they have enough speed and skill to clear the blue line. Our D may not be too helpful right now on that score.

 

Howie

 

 

 

agree as well... outside of G, Jake and Simmer (soon to be Cooter too I believe) this is an average offensive Team. Not sure how anyone can look at this current Team and think they are better than last year's group. Even with the HUGE addition of RJ ( :ph34r: )... this is truly a transition year IMO and I am fine with that. Give Hexy some time to build this group - with patience I do believe good things will happen.

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This season is going to be painful and I highly doubt a playoff year.

That's okay if we're looking ahead to the defensive prospects and Hextall gets to be patient and build. On the other hand, Giroux et al. are not getting any younger.

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