??? SO that's not your other account?
- mighty13duck

It is, what makes you think it's not?

Forward lines are a little different tonight

Benoit Pouliot, Derick Brassard, Rick Nash
Taylor Pyatt, Brad Richards, Mats Zuccarello
Darroll Powe, Dominic Moore, Jesper Fast
JT Miller, Brian Boyle, Derek Dorsett

In Torts pre gamer he was asked this by Steve Zipay-On how things are going with the Canucks, “I am trying to instill how we want to play. We talk very little about xs and os. We just got through with 45 minutes of tape on a team concept. We are trying to instill how we want to play.”

Still stubborn

Hell no, Datsyuk is elite what the hell. The dude is (somewhat arguably) the best all-around player in the game. If you don't think he's one of the top 5 players in the league, then we really have nothing left to discuss.
- jmatchett383

How about you don't jump into the middle of a conversation before you read what was written before that. Datsyuk is not a perennial 100pt. player like I had mistakenly classified him into. He is not among Crosby, Stamkos, Ovechkin. This is based on scoring.

go back a couple days ago on these very blogs. I said he was worth 4 million plus
- mighty13duck

No, you are full of crap, and arguing against strawmen. Nobody on this blog said that Stepan was only worth $2.5 million a year.

It is, what makes you think it's not?
- GioRock

you called yourself an idiot

you called yourself an idiot
- mighty13duck

yes, and my wife agrees!

Listen, to make it easy, if Stepan and Tavares both keep progressing like they should, Stepan can be the next Datsyuk and Tavares would be the next Sakic. Comparable styles of play, comparable job assignments. Tavares is a very Joe Sakic like player and Stepan very Datsyuk like. It just depends which kind of Superstar you need for your team.

Based on Datsyuk style of play, there is just less opportunity for points when you focus 1/2 your game on defense also. When your minutes have to include PK, when you are taking defensive zone draws, etc... Thats just mathematical probability. Stepan will always be this type of player so I don't expect him to necessarily put up 90+ points ever.

Sakic, although not saying he wasn't defensive (same with JT), was an offensive weapon and used like that. Sakic did play plenty of 2 way but wasn't exactly famous for it like Datsyuk is.

yes, and my wife agrees!
- GioRock

I thought it was a poser pretending to be you.

Listen, to make it easy, if Stepan and Tavares both keep progressing like they should, Stepan can be the next Datsyuk and Tavares would be the next Sakic. Comparable styles of play, comparable job assignments. Tavares is a very Joe Sakic like player and Stepan very Datsyuk like. It just depends which kind of Superstar you need for your team.
- xcheckmajor

hell no stepan does not have the hands or skill or talent of datsyuk.

stepan is a very, very smart player and has a crazy high hockey IQ but he will never be a datsyuk. at best, maybe a bergeron, if he can improve his skating. datsyuk is literally the best or 2nd best player in the NHL right now (maybe a little lower just due to age) but he is top 5.

How about you don't jump into the middle of a conversation before you read what was written before that. Datsyuk is not a perennial 100pt. player like I had mistakenly classified him into. He is not among Crosby, Stamkos, Ovechkin. This is based on scoring.
- xcheckmajor

How did I jump into the middle of a conversation? I read every page of this blog and have been as active as anyone in the conversation. If you're only basis for being one of a select group of players is "a perennial 100 point player" then I guess no defenseman in the league are as good as those guys. I guess defensive ability and physical play are negligible. For my money, I'd take Datsyuk over every player in the league but Crosby.

If your argument is simply that Tavares isn't a perennial 100-point player...well, that's just stating a fact that no one can really refute as he's yet to have 1 100-point season. That wasn't the argument. The argument is that Tavares brings more than just offense.

hell no stepan does not have the hands or skill or talent of datsyuk.

stepan is a very, very smart player and has a crazy high hockey IQ but he will never be a datsyuk. at best, maybe a bergeron, if he can improve his skating. datsyuk is literally the best or 2nd best player in the NHL right now (maybe a little lower just due to age) but he is top 5.
- rangerdanger94

Datsyuk has the best hands of anyone in hockey. That's why he has his own adjective (Datsyukian).

hell no stepan does not have the hands or skill or talent of datsyuk.

stepan is a very, very smart player and has a crazy high hockey IQ but he will never be a datsyuk. at best, maybe a bergeron, if he can improve his skating. datsyuk is literally the best or 2nd best player in the NHL right now (maybe a little lower just due to age) but he is top 5.
- rangerdanger94

Many NHL people think that Datysuk is the best player in the game (although age will eventually start catching up with him a little), so obviously Stepan isn't Datysuk and never will be. He has a similar style of game, however, so a poor man's Datysuk isn't a bad comparable.

Datysuk, however, has sick dangle, that Stepan will never have.

hell no stepan does not have the hands or skill or talent of datsyuk.

stepan is a very, very smart player and has a crazy high hockey IQ but he will never be a datsyuk. at best, maybe a bergeron, if he can improve his skating. datsyuk is literally the best or 2nd best player in the NHL right now (maybe a little lower just due to age) but he is top 5.
- rangerdanger94

Idk about you guys but I miss the guy who said Ladd was a better player then Nash if you take the goal scoring out of the equation.

I thought it was a poser pretending to be you.
- mighty13duck

Nope, thought I got rid of that account cause I was getting banned all the time. Just not fair

Congrats RangerDaner on 300 plus comments in 3 hours. Jan will be proud

Nope, thought I got rid of that account cause I was getting banned all the time. Just not fair
- GioRock

Stay out of the Devils blog.

Many NHL people think that Datysuk is the best player in the game (although age will eventually start catching up with him a little), so obviously Stepan isn't Datysuk and never will be. He has a similar style of game, however, so a poor man's Datysuk isn't a bad comparable.

Datysuk, however, has sick dangle, that Stepan will never have.
- Pete V

they both have great vision and high hockey IQ and are both excellent defensively but yea datsyuk's hands are unreal. he can literally no-look saucer pass the puck malik-shootout-style back door like it's nothing.

Idk about you guys but I miss the guy who said Ladd was a better player then Nash if you take the goal scoring out of the equation.
- adwolf130

If you take the ability to throw out of the equation, Tim Tebow is a better quarterback than Peyton Manning.

Idk about you guys but I miss the guy who said Ladd was a better player then Nash if you take the goal scoring out of the equation.
- adwolf130

Ladd's a great captain and a very good 2-way player.
But they're not even close.

hell no stepan does not have the hands or skill or talent of datsyuk.

stepan is a very, very smart player and has a crazy high hockey IQ but he will never be a datsyuk. at best, maybe a bergeron, if he can improve his skating. datsyuk is literally the best or 2nd best player in the NHL right now (maybe a little lower just due to age) but he is top 5.
- rangerdanger94

Are we talking about viewing pleasure or stats? Cuz I'm just talking about stats. Datsyuk is an 80-90pt. player. Yes, his skillset is amazing but it doesn't translate into him scoring miles above Stepan. How a player uses his skill is a completely different thing. Stepan may not have the same hands and speed, but Stepan uses his IQ and positioning and I think it will translate to a similar production level as Datsyuk. I think Stepan will always be around a 75-85pt. player while Datsyuk is an 80-90pt. player.

Many NHL people think that Datysuk is the best player in the game (although age will eventually start catching up with him a little), so obviously Stepan isn't Datysuk and never will be. He has a similar style of game, however, so a poor man's Datysuk isn't a bad comparable.

Datysuk, however, has sick dangle, that Stepan will never have.
- Pete V

Stepan never belongs in the same conversation as Datsyuk

Im sorry, but this is out of hand now. Stepan is not at all a comparison to Datsyuk

you want to start somewhere, start with Ryan kesler

Congrats RangerDaner on 300 plus comments in 3 hours. Jan will be proud
- mighty13duck

now we all know why cloutier's and that vancouver blogger's blogs got so many comments.

If you take the ability to throw out of the equation, Tim Tebow is a better quarterback than Peyton Manning.
- Pete V

No...he's really not.

If you take the ability to throw out of the equation, Tim Tebow is a better quarterback than Peyton Manning.
- Pete V

He did have that one good year

Stay out of the Devils blog.
- mighty13duck

Why, they love me over there