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Post by frozone on Apr 6, 2022 15:12:48 GMT -5
and I think Dvorak contributes well enough when used properly, more of a 2-way 3d line center than a top-6 player. The single attribute that has stuck out for me on Dvorak is his lack of skating speed. He tried to break away on the RW yesterday and the back checker caught him easily. Without him being a Datsyuk with the stick and the brain, that lack of speed will hurt him and the team as we get faster. There's no lack of effort, but man, it takes forever for him to get moving. I can't see him being a contributor with that weakness. Yea, his mobility has been pretty brutal. As a result, his game looks very clunky compared to his peers. He needs to either drastically improve his skating, or find a way to compensate - ie, become elite at something else. Shooting, stickhandling, passing... anything. We'll see what a summer of skills training will do for him. If he can't play faster, I'm pretty sure Hughes will move him. None of our current centermen are exactly fleet of foot, and I'm pretty sure Hughes will want speed at this position. |
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Post by folatre on Apr 6, 2022 16:46:34 GMT -5
Hockey is debatable, but I do not see Montreal sniffing the playoffs next season. So on some level it really does not matter if Dvorak is the de facto 2C. In other words, if the Habs are going to be bad, having guys playing a rung too high in the lineup is pretty much going to be par for the course. The only reason I would look into moving Dvorak this summer is if he does not really want to play in Montreal. A culture of enthusiasm and improvement is not helped by passengers coming to work every day wishing they were somewhere else.
Fro, you are right that Montreal lacks burners at the centre position. Suzuki with his skill and hockey IQ is able to be elusive and arrive 'on time'. Poehling actually does have nice straight line speed but he does not carry the puck effectively and in reality seems no more than average in terms of agility and awareness. Evans, who was not a serious NHL caliber skater while at Notre Dame, has actually managed to become above average in that department. It would be ideal if Montreal had a big skilled centre who could fly but alas there is no Modano in the organizational depth chart. But Hughes will probably have to gradually upgrade the position without being able to hit a grand slam.
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Post by seventeen on Apr 7, 2022 1:40:07 GMT -5
One point I might make. Suzuki's speed is really deceptive. He doesn't look fast, for sure. Reminds me of Gretzky (not in skating style or anything. Just that no one ever said Gretz was fast and yet no one seemed to quite be able to catch him. Caufield looks fast, but I'm not sure he is. Very agile and moves sideways really well. He also changes speeds really well. Now when I say he's not fast, I just mean he's not McDavid or Athanasiou (that's for you, Cranky), who are both extremely fast. Caufield is a great skater, but there are a fair number of guys who could beat him in a sprint.
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Post by frozone on Apr 7, 2022 9:23:13 GMT -5
One point I might make. Suzuki's speed is really deceptive. He doesn't look fast, for sure. Reminds me of Gretzky (not in skating style or anything. Just that no one ever said Gretz was fast and yet no one seemed to quite be able to catch him. Caufield looks fast, but I'm not sure he is. Very agile and moves sideways really well. He also changes speeds really well. Now when I say he's not fast, I just mean he's not McDavid or Athanasiou (that's for you, Cranky), who are both extremely fast. Caufield is a great skater, but there are a fair number of guys who could beat him in a sprint. Suzuki's routes are extremely efficient. He barely ever turns on the jets, but is nearly always where he needs to be. Out of all of our centers, I think that Suzuki has the most room to improve his skating. Not that his skating is bad. Seventeen, you're right that his speed is deceptive, but he's not a dynamic skater. He bends heavily at the hips and doesn't bend his knees much. It's certainly not holding him back, but if he can improve his skating the way Point did, it will be that much harder for defenders to play him. |
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Post by seventeen on Apr 7, 2022 11:49:45 GMT -5
One point I might make. Suzuki's speed is really deceptive. He doesn't look fast, for sure. Reminds me of Gretzky (not in skating style or anything. Just that no one ever said Gretz was fast and yet no one seemed to quite be able to catch him. Caufield looks fast, but I'm not sure he is. Very agile and moves sideways really well. He also changes speeds really well. Now when I say he's not fast, I just mean he's not McDavid or Athanasiou (that's for you, Cranky), who are both extremely fast. Caufield is a great skater, but there are a fair number of guys who could beat him in a sprint. Suzuki's routes are extremely efficient. He barely ever turns on the jets, but is nearly always where he needs to be. Out of all of our centers, I think that Suzuki has the most room to improve his skating. Not that his skating is bad. Seventeen, you're right that his speed is deceptive, but he's not a dynamic skater. He bends heavily at the hips and doesn't bend his knees much. It's certainly not holding him back, but if he can improve his skating the way Point did, it will be that much harder for defenders to play him. Another deceptive aspect of Suzuki is his strength and size. He has to be heavier than he's listed. He takes checks really well and hardly gets moved. |
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