At this rate of development Murray will be a #1 Dman in the NHL in 2 years. That will make him 22 & that's amazing. Think Ekman-Larsson good.

- striker777

I'll have whatever he's smoking

Yep. Right now, anyways. Lots of other factors involved though. I'd like to see the oilers dangle yak + this years 1st for some immediate help on D, and given Yak and Galchenyuk's history I think that should be enough to net subban. I doubt the habs want to let him go though.

Edit to add: in the above scenario the 1st would be conditional on a contract extension.
- NEEDSMORHORCOFF

I just see that as being really hard to do. Teams value top defense men like Subban and theey are not easy to come by and it's not like they are deep on defense by any means. It would take a lot I think.

Yep. Right now, anyways. Lots of other factors involved though. I'd like to see the oilers dangle yak + this years 1st for some immediate help on D, and given Yak and Galchenyuk's history I think that should be enough to net subban. I doubt the habs want to let him go though.

Edit to add: in the above scenario the 1st would be conditional on a contract extension.
- NEEDSMORHORCOFF

so you would trade yakupov to have pk subban for the last 30 games or so? I know the homers on this site see him struggling right now and think hes a bad player but the kid will pot 30+ goals when he figures out eakins. No way you trade that for anything less than a top pairing dman or 2C+

I'll have whatever he's smoking
- NEEDSMORHORCOFF

some quality BC B--

I'll have whatever he's smoking
- NEEDSMORHORCOFF

Purely for medical puposes.

I'll have whatever he's smoking
- NEEDSMORHORCOFF

OEL's 1st NHL season. 48 games played, 11 points, 2 power play points, +3, averaged 15 minutes a game.

Murray's 1st season thus far. 58 games played, 19 points, 6 power play points, 2 of them being goals, +3, averaging just under 20 minutes a game.


Smoke that rock.

so you would trade yakupov to have pk subban for the last 30 games or so? I know the homers on this site see him struggling right now and think hes a bad player but the kid will pot 30+ goals when he figures out eakins. No way you trade that for anything less than a top pairing dman or 2C+
- benmacw

Yakupov is not worth a top pairing Dman. Teams are not trading a sure thing on their defense for a kid with a ton of potential but still largely unknown and inconsistent.

I'll have whatever he's smoking
- NEEDSMORHORCOFF

Ekman-Larsson just turned 22 in July & had 178 games of NHL experience going into this season. He was drafted 6th overall in 09. He leads Pho in TOI game 25:41 & is 7th overall in the entire NHL. He is 23rd for scoring by Dman & is +3 on a team where almost everyone else is a minus. Yandle is minus 17 by comparassion. In 2 more years he will be 1 of the 5 best Dman in the NHL. Offense is coming & coming fast but he was taught to shut people down 1st. A stud already & only 22.

Think Lidstrom good.

OEL's 1st NHL season. 48 games played, 11 points, 2 power play points, +3, averaged 15 minutes a game.

Murray's 1st season thus far. 58 games played, 19 points, 6 power play points, 2 of them being goals, +3, averaging just under 20 minutes a game.


Smoke that rock.
- blacksheep1

Yep. Exactly.

OEL's 1st NHL season. 48 games played, 11 points, 2 power play points, +3, averaged 15 minutes a game.

Murray's 1st season thus far. 58 games played, 19 points, 6 power play points, 2 of them being goals, +3, averaging just under 20 minutes a game.


Smoke that rock.
- blacksheep1

So what I'm getting from this is that Dmen are COMPLETELY unpredictable. Am I right?

Yep. Exactly.
- striker777

OEL obviously has turned into one of the 10 best defensemen in the world. I don't want to put those kind of expectations on Murray. But that said, Murray is having a great year and the Jackets defensive group as a whole is better.

OEL obviously has turned into one of the 10 best defensemen in the world. I don't want to put those kind of expectations on Murray. But that said, Murray is having a great year and the Jackets defensive group as a whole is better. Mostly that's because of him.
- blacksheep1

Saw him when I went to the Sabres Blue Jackets game last month. I was pretty impressed with how he played.

I didn't see Murray getting this many minutes or this much responsibility this early in his career. He's way ahead of the bell curve.

It's shocking considering Clb has Johnson, Wisniewski, & Tyutin. Usually Dman are brought in & their minutes & responsibilities are limited. Most start in the minors, after completeing their junior eligibility & if lucky make it to the NHL by January for a cup of coffee in year 1 of their NHL careers, then play sheltered minutes in soft situations like Ekman-Larsson & Hedman. 2 other very highly drafted Dman.

OEL obviously has turned into one of the 10 best defensemen in the world. I don't want to put those kind of expectations on Murray. But that said, Murray is having a great year and the Jackets defensive group as a whole is better.
- blacksheep1

murray is going to be a stud. columbus coveted him so badly that howson even turned down the islander's whole draft to move back only 2 spots when snow offered it. at least i think that report was true.

So what I'm getting from this is that Dmen are COMPLETELY unpredictable. Am I right?
- MaximumBone

Obviously it's just one year. OEL has turned into a top 10 Defenseman in the NHL. Don't want to place those kind of expectations on Murray. But for a rookie he's having a great year.

so you would trade yakupov to have pk subban for the last 30 games or so? I know the homers on this site see him struggling right now and think hes a bad player but the kid will pot 30+ goals when he figures out eakins. No way you trade that for anything less than a top pairing dman or 2C+
- benmacw

For some reason I thought he had another year on his contract (which would make sense since yak has one more year on his ELC). But yes, if a contract extension could be worked out I would do Yakupov and our 1st for Subban in a heart beat. I don't think Yakupov is a bust and I think he will be a great sniper in the NHL for years. But the oilers are dying for a true #1/2 D-man and have enough talent in the top 6 to get by.

The real discussion imo, centers around what the oilers do with hemsky. If you trade hemsky you hold on to yakupov. If you extend hemsky yakupov becomes expendable. I could see either scenario panning out (though I believe the oilers want to keep yakupov and move hemsky).

Honestly, if you have to trade Eberle or Yakupov for help on the blueline which one would you rather keep? Nothing against Yak but Eberle and Hall have great chemistry, are buddies, and Eberle is the better 2 way player and doesn't take a lot of penalties. If I can acquire a top pairing d-man for yakupov and change, I do it 10 times out of 10.

If they offered Dubinsky for gagner the oilers would take that in a second, dub is exactly what the oilers need I'd offer gagner and klefbom but I don't know if the bjs need d prospects
- patheticgirl43

bj's always need d

I didn't see Murray getting this many minutes or this much responsibility this early in his career. He's way ahead of the bell curve.

It's shocking considering Clb has Johnson, Wisniewski, & Tyutin. Usually Dman are brought in & their minutes & responsibilities are limited. Most start in the minors, after completeing their junior eligibility & if lucky make it to the NHL by January for a cup of coffee in year 1 of their NHL careers, then play sheltered minutes in soft situations like Ekman-Larsson & Hedman. 2 other very highly drafted Dman.
- striker777

Johnson is a roller coaster defensively. I watch with one eye open when tries to defend. Murray is so calm and is so smart that I feel confident with him.

bj's always need d
- annoyance_101

Not this year. Wiz, Tytuin and Murray doing a good job.

Nice pun though.

Obviously it's just one year. OEL has turned into a top 10 Defenseman in the NHL. Don't want to place those kind of expectations on Murray. But for a rookie he's having a great year.
- blacksheep1

For sure, he definitely is. I really hope he can keep it up, but a lot of people need to learn to temper expectations (not you, but some of the others here). The pitfalls for the sophomore Dman are many and can at times derail careers.

bj's always need d
- annoyance_101

For sure, he definitely is. I really hope he can keep it up, but a lot of people need to learn to temper expectations (not you, but some of the others here). The pitfalls for the sophomore Dman are many and can at times derail careers.
- MaximumBone

Of course. Tyler Myers, Michael Del Zotto, Drew Doughty etc. It seems like it's only natural for young defensmen to struggle at some point in their career. They only guy in recent memory that really hasn't is Ryan Mcdonagh. He plays a solid game almost every night.

Of course. Tyler Myers, Michael Del Zotto, Drew Doughty etc. It seems like it's only natural for young defensmen to struggle at some point in their career. They only guy in recent memory that really hasn't is Ryan Mcdonagh. He plays a solid game almost every night.
- blacksheep1

There are some encouraging signs in that Murray seems to play a very similar style to McDonagh!

There are some encouraging signs in that Murray seems to play a very similar style to McDonagh!
- MaximumBone

best dman in the show

best dman in the show
- rangerdanger94

Just a BIT of bias there, eh?