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NHL October 2017 [OT]- Kneelin' and dealin'

P

PillarEN

Member
I haven't checked this thread (moved pretty damn quick since I realized we should shift over here from the old thread. We really should lock her up, er I mean lock the old thread), but have we had any Vegas fan pop in here? I'd love to hear some reactions and personal expectations.
 
L

Lone_Prodigy

Member
calder said:
Wow, I missed that “Video Room” article on Victor Mete at The Athletic yesterday and damn it’s good. It does a better deep dove on Olli Juolevi’s development last season in passing them most articles would if they were actually about Juolevi. I had no idea Rachel Doerrie was so good.

And the Duhatchek piece on Mason has given me the vapors.
Click to expand...

What does it say about Juolevi? I wonder if he might be better off playing in Europe this year.
 
C

calder

Member
Lone_Prodigy said:
What does it say about Juolevi? I wonder if he might be better off playing in Europe this year.
Click to expand...

Juolevi was 2016's riser, he didn't start the season on the radar the same way Sergachev and Chychrun did. But come late June, he was the first defenseman off the board.
.....
Juolevi was third in both points and primary points, behind Sergachev and Chychrun. When looking at primary point percentage, Juolevi is second behind Sergachev (70 percent) with 67 percent of his points being primary.
....
Juolevi and Mete, they seemed to go opposite directions. Mete, who was selecetd in the fourth round, 100th overall, tallied 44 points, 29 primary, in 50 games. While he didn't have the same shutdown role as Sergachev, Mete saw increased responsibility on London's backend, especially as the season progressed. Juolevi saw his point total remain the same (42), but his primary points total decreased by 3, to 25.
....
What happened to Juolevi? What led to Dale Hunter giving Mete the responsibility many thought would go to Juolevi? To be clear, in their draft year, Mete and Juolevi played together for a significant portion of the season. In their D + 1 year, Hunter separated the two. For the majority of the year, both pairings played relatively even minutes. Juolevi found himself as the match-up guy, owning the fifth highest Quality of Competition in the entire OHL. He also found himself playing on the penalty kill, while Mete took the lion's share of the power play reps.

To be fair, this is a part of Juolevi's game that needed significant development. If he is going to be the No. 1 defenseman the Canucks hoped, part of the requirement is being able to shut down the other team's best, at even strength and on special teams. While it is important to improve the defensive side of the game, Juolevi's offensive impact and general poise on the ice regressed. Hunter had hoped that by splitting the two, it would allow him to have two a game-controlling players on the back end, both offensively and defensively.
..........

Then the world juniors happened. Mete was cut from Team Canada. Juolevi was a lock to be Finland's stalwart on the back end, meaning he was out of the London lineup for the better part of a month. When Juolevi left for the WJC, he totaled 21 points in 26 games, that's significant offensive progress over his last season. Finland famously fell from grace and Juolevi looked like a shell of himself on the ice, eventually losing the trust of his coach (who was fired, mid-tournament).

Instead of anchoring a blueline that was supposed to be one of the deepest in the tournament, he lost ice time to draft eligible D-man Miro Heiskanen and Detroit draftee Ville Saarijarvi. Juolevi had nine points in seven games in 2016, and only two points in six games in 2017. When you evaluate a player against his peers, I expected Juolevi to be the premier D-man at the tournament, along with Sergachev. For most of the event, he looked lost on the ice, committing turnovers and almost becoming a liability at times. His biggest strengths, his skating and ability to make a great first pass, seemed to evaporate. His feet stopped moving, he become nervous with the puck and it led to defensive headaches.


While Juolevi was part of what he termed “an embarrassment” to Finnish hockey, Mete was back in London endearing himself to Hunter. The Knights went 4-2 while Juolevi was gone, Mete had seven points and was the Knights best defender. Mete gained Hunter's trust on the penalty kill and as a shut down guy. Juolevi returned and looked shellshocked. His production fell to 21 points in the 32 games played after the WJC. While that may not seem like a dip, it's a 15 percent drop in points/game. I'm not a big plus/minus fan, but if you're supposed to be a premier player, playing on a perennial contender, I may look at it. Prior to leaving, Juolevi was +17. In the 32 games afterwards, only +9, and he was a minus player in eight games.

Mete only played 17 games after Juolevi returned, and was +16. He was much less volatile than Juolevi, only a minus rating in two of 17 games, registering 14 points.
.......
Fast forward to training camp, and Canucks fans are concerned, and Canadiens fans are elated. Travis Green left Juolevi behind as the Canucks went to China, calling him “average” in his showings. Translation: I expected more. He shows me his skills, but not consistently. Meanwhile, fans in Montreal are ready to anoint Mete as the answer to “Who is going to be paired with Shea Weber?”
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There's actually a lot, and I'm skimming a bit. The main thing I think though is still:

Where does that leave the two? Well, neither player is ready to be a full-time NHLer. Mete needs to hone his craft, and work on when he can and cannot jump into the play. While he can learn that in the Montreal lineup, I think he would be better served with another year in London. Juolevi needs to regain his confidence and be the model of consistency and dependability that Sergachev was for Windsor last season. It wouldn't shock me to see Mete start the season with the Canadiens, but he's not ready to be the steady No. 3 or 4 yet. Juolevi has tools, but I think he projects more as a No. 2-3 that can move the puck and generate shots, as opposed to a No. 1.
Click to expand...
 
S

Stasis

Member
I can't wait til this Galchenyuk shit gets resolved. Season hasn't started and it's ALL I hear about. Driving, turn on local radio: Galchenyuk. Walk past counter in dep (convenience store for you non Quebecois): Galchenyuk. Any friend/acquaintance who cares about hockey in the slightest: Galchenyuk.

I've typed it so often if I write Ga my phone automatically enters his name. And I don't even like the player. And I refuse to call him Chucky. That shit is awful. Thankfully most Francos don't.

Fucking trade him or put him RW with Drouin and Pacioretty. Fuck. Pick one and go.
 
S

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Quick said:
Your Name is one of my favourite movies this year.

Did you watch the sub or dub? I saw the dub in theatres.
Click to expand...

so, what should I watch next Quick

I think the last thing I watched was Your Lie in April, which was also fantastic.

fucking ending destroyed me despite the show being so short
 
S

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Fox318 said:
N6njyS4l.jpg

mFvj6rul.jpg


Here is the Aero 15/

I've had it for a week now and its great. Runs everything I throw at it.
Click to expand...

................ wrong thread?
 
Y

yyzjohn

Banned
Sung to the tune of Macarena:

9-oh-5 save percentage McEl-hinney
Gives Leafs fans heart issues McEl-hinney
Not gonna win any Vezinas McEl-hinney
Heeyyyy McEl-hinney
 
P

Pikma

Banned
A little little birdie told me Marvie's real real birthday was last Wednesday.

Why he kept it from us is a mystery but I just want to publicly wish him a

Belated Happy Birthday! <3

I know having so many birthdays kinda kills the specialness of it but come on Marcie, don't let that get in the way of us showing you some love!
 
S

Solo

Member
Just trade Galchenyuk already. Had enough of the drama. Problem is our dumbass GM and coach have done everything possible to drive down his value to nothing.
 
Y

yyzjohn

Banned
Solo said:
Just trade Galchenyuk already. Had enough of the drama. Problem is our dumbass GM and coach have done everything possible to drive down his value to nothing.
Click to expand...


We'll take him. You can have real gud pro Eric Fehr. Just scored a goal too.
 
S

Solo

Member
Solo said:
Just trade Galchenyuk already. Had enough of the drama. Problem is our dumbass GM and coach have done everything possible to drive down his value to nothing.
Click to expand...

Just kidding.
 
C

calder

Member
That Habs 5on3 a while back cracked me up. 5 guy’s passing the puck back and forth furiously and no one even pretends to look at the goalie like he might shoot. Highlight was the two guys behind the Sens goalline passing the puck back and forth 10 feet while no one else moved.
 
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