Ignoring JJ as I don't really bother to get involved with bloggers, some of those Hawks fans are remarkably dim. It was just a couple months ago now that much of the fanbase was tearing Seabrook to shreds over getting walked through their first round series.

I read at least one of them wouldn't accept Tanev and the 5th overall pick for Schmaltz, Seabrook and their 1st this year. Like, (frank) me that's everything you can ask for and more.
- MaximumBone

It's crazy over there

Home team koolaid no doubt

But the really strange part is that I'm sure they're convinced that hb totally crossed a line and is the aggressor. He's Certainly the instigator but theyre freaking out for no other reason than having a different team affiliation.
Crazy people

Far as jj- some rational questions were asked yesterday and he took offence. Which is fine. Hb pushed abit too hard. But even he devolved into silly antics and bs rebuttal tactics . I was rather disappointed in him actually

Touchy bunch


That trade is insane. How can anyone think that's reasonable ? Saw one today with horvat vurtánen, and their first or something similar. Cray

You didn't get it because he hasnt really been painting like that. He's been saying get rid of Ebs and get a lesser forward in his place.
- McSavioursPupil

How are players that have more goals in regular season and playoffs, that play 2way hockey, and cost less against the cap lesser players?

And here's the other thing: the Hall for Larsson trade is indeed lopsided now as it was when it happened, But I'm okay with it, but only after it was proven that the defensive depth he provided made the Oilers a better team.
Do we still need an absolute stud #1 D man? Sorta...but I'm okay with 2-3 #2 D, which it appears we have now. It's a quantity over quality position right now, and one we need to get used to because unless we move Draisaitl for one, and that isn't gonna happen.
- Larsson_fan

I don't see it as lopsided at all. We got a piece that we desperately needed, and moved one that was expendable. Deal from a position of depth to strengthen one you are weaker in. Funny how Jersey wishes they had a Larsson of their own now.

How are players that have more goals in regular season and playoffs, that play 2way hockey, and cost less against the cap lesser players?
- Ihatebrianburke

His only positive over Ebs is that he's cheaper . But that's because he's most certainly a lesser player than eberle at 27 years old

Wasn't great in this years playoffs either, lost a step. so that Williams" clutch " notion should Be fading fast too

It's crazy over there

Home team koolaid no doubt

But the really strange part is that I'm sure they're convinced that hb totally crossed a line and is the aggressor. He's Certainly the instigator but theyre freaking out for no other reason than having a different team affiliation.
Crazy people

Far as jj- some rational questions were asked yesterday and he took offence. Which is fine. Hb pushed abit too hard. But even he devolved into silly antics and bs rebuttal tactics . I was rather disappointed in him actually

Touchy bunch


That trade is insane. How can anyone think that's reasonable ? Saw one today with horvat vurtánen, and their first or something similar. Cray
- Ihateallofu

Seabrooke is regressing and has a terrible contract. They're delusional. I'm glad we stayed away from him. Proven winner or not

His only positive over Ebs is that he's cheaper . But that's because he's a lesser player

Wasn't great in this years playoffs either, lost a step. so that Williams" clutch "notion should Be fading fast too

Eberle has out scored him for 6 straight seasons.
- Ihateallofu

Williams was just under a ppg in the playoffs.
And what about Eaves?

Seabrooke is regressing and has a terrible contract. They're delusional. I'm glad we stayed away from him. Proven winner or not
- Ihatebrianburke

Williams was just under a ppg in the playoffs.
And what about Eaves?
- Ihatebrianburke

Eaves is a 30 point career 3rd liner that got hot on the pp beside benn and seguin

Kuznetzov carries Williams. Williams is a grinder now. Not near the wonderful skater he once was


Edit-side note; kuznetzov has become of the worlds best players. Brilliant talent. More integral than ovie........ too far ?

Eaves is a 30 point career 3rd liner that got hot on the pp beside benn and seguin

Kuznetzov carries Williams. Williams is a grinder now. Not near the wonderful skater he once was
- Ihateallofu

Eaves played great all year long on Dallas and Anaheim. Regular season and playoffs until he was injured. Outplayed Eberle in every single aspect of the game. And if you want to pick and choose linemates, Eberle played with McDavid, the top point producer in the league. Why the hard on for Eberle? (frank) that loser. He's not the same player that scored 34 goals and 76 points at all anymore. His shot, skating, and effort are all garbage.

His only positive over Ebs is that he's cheaper . But that's because he's most certainly a lesser player than eberle at 27 years old

Wasn't great in this years playoffs either, lost a step. so that Williams" clutch " notion should Be fading fast too
- Ihateallofu

I can't speak for IHBB, but the whole point of my stance on trading Eberle is that having a lesser player in that spot is not only fine but also potentially better for the team. Ignoring cap hit and his struggles this year, I just don't see Eberle as a good fit on the team anymore.

Eberle is a player whose skills were used to their greatest effect by possessing the puck in and around the slot. His silky and quick hands were the bread and butter to the early-career success of a player who lack a large frame, high end speed or a wicked release. Those hands- while still capable- aren't getting the puck nearly as often anymore due to the types of Cs Edmonton now employs.

Connor and Leon are two different shades of your classic puck possession C. They dominate by getting the puck and holding onto it down low in the O-zone and then feeding an available recipient for a tap-in, deflection or one timer. To that end, Eberle lacks the heaviness of play or hand eye to be an effective deflector (ala Pavelski) and he lacks the mechanics to be an effective trigger man. This leaves his only options to securing production as wait for tap-ins (getting harder with box protection systems gaining popularity recently) or taking possession time away from one of his more productive Cs and be a detriment to the team. Lucic's lack of 5-on-5 effectiveness is also similar to this (but with different skills causing the fault).

It's that above reason that Maroon and Caggiula have worked pretty well with both of them. They doesn't have the skill or speed for that manner of puck protection and thus defer to Connor and Leon.

While it's not impossible for him to reshape his game entirely, it's a much more difficult prospect than to move on from him, hopefully receive value for him and swap in a better fit. Eaves is a solid idea but will likely cost more than we should invest after his career year. This is why I've been pushing hard for Sharp. He's virtually the same archetype as Eaves with Stanley Cup pedigree but had his share of struggles this year so he should be available for cheaper.

Eaves is a 30 point career 3rd liner that got hot on the pp beside benn and seguin

Kuznetzov carries Williams. Williams is a grinder now. Not near the wonderful skater he once was


Edit-side note; kuznetzov has become of the worlds best players. Brilliant talent. More integral than ovie........ too far ?
- Ihateallofu

In my eyes, Kuzy is McDavid-lite. Similar absurd levels of talent, similar frame, same approach to the game, etc. I would and have argued that Washington would do well to move on from Ovi and Carlson and build around Kuzy, Backstrom, Orlov, Niskanen and Holtby.

In my eyes, Kuzy is McDavid-lite. Similar absurd levels of talent, similar frame, same approach to the game, etc. I would and have argued that Washington would do well to move on from Ovi and Carlson and build around Kuzy, Backstrom, Orlov, Niskanen and Holtby.
- MaximumBone

I think they should move on from Ovechkin, but Carlson is a beast. They're already gonna lose Alzner this year. Although, Carlson will be looking for a hefty raise when his contract is up. Tough decision, but they do need a major shakeup. Great in the regular season but choke in the playoffs.

Eaves played great all year long on Dallas and Anaheim. Regular season and playoffs until he was injured. Outplayed Eberle in every single aspect of the game. And if you want to pick and choose linemates, Eberle played with McDavid, the top point producer in the league. Why the hard on for Eberle? (frank) that loser. He's not the same player that scored 34 goals and 76 points at all anymore. His shot, skating, and effort are all garbage.
- Ihatebrianburke

Dude is 33 and just had his best season (which is the same as ebs worst)

Point is- it's a one off. People don't become great all of a sudden at 33.
Eberles career average is almost double his.
With all sorts of linemates

It's not a hard on- I can see multiple positive scenarios where dealing ebs makes us better . But dude is a supremely talented scorer with fantastic hands. He's a rare talent that we need to be careful how we use as an asset. Of course he's not that 76 point guy anymore- we wouldn't be having this conversation cause he'd be one of the leagues best if that was the case.
But he still is a 50-60 point guy. Potentially 65 even. Which in this league is huge and top line material. And makes him one of our best players

In what world is Jordan eberles shot bad ? !!

The Pride parade is in edmonton today. I went last year but today i'm too hungover to stand around amidst the rainbows.
- Larsson_fan

All the more reason to go

I think they should move on from Ovechkin, but Carlson is a beast. They're already gonna lose Alzner this year. Although, Carlson will be looking for a hefty raise when his contract is up. Tough decision, but they do need a major shakeup. Great in the regular season but choke in the playoffs.
- Ihatebrianburke

Alright, allow me to amend that statement. I believe they should build around Kuzy, Backstrom, Orlov, NIskanen/Carlson and Holtby.

I still think he's a very good top-4 Dman, but my fear is that his effectiveness as a mentor would be more limited than Niskanen's. He's been getting the soft minutes for a few years now and I fear that he wouldn't be nearly as effective in a shutdown role when the time comes to bring in the new blood. With Bowey, Hobbs and Djoos in the pipeline, they have enough good bets at offensive contributors that they wouldn't be losing too much from Carlson.

It's also my belief that they'd get a far greater return for Carlson due to his offensive skills and great cap hit than they would for Niskanen. If they could move him for an NHL Dman (4-5 level) and a young, offensively talent forward, I'd push for it.

Orlov- Niskanen (shutdown minutes)
Schmidt- Bowey (softer minutes)
Orpik- replacement (mid-minutes)

With Hobbs, Djoos and Johansen as quality prospects in the system. Sure they'd have a weaker D for a year or two, but the prospects would fill the holes in short order.

Dude is 33 and just had his best season (which is the same as ebs worst)

Point is- it's a one off. People don't become great all of a sudden at 33.
Eberles career average is almost double his.
With all sorts of linemates

It's not a hard on- I can see multiple positive scenarios where dealing ebs makes us better . But dude is a supremely talented scorer with fantastic hands. He's a rare talent that we need to be careful how we use as an asset. Of course he's not that 76 point guy anymore- we wouldn't be having this conversation cause he'd be one of the leagues best if that was the case.
But he still is a 50-60 point guy. Potentially 65 even. Which in this league is huge and top line material. And makes him one of our best players

In what world is Jordan eberles shot bad ? !!
- Ihateallofu

Depends on what you define as "bad". Not "bad" when factoring all players, but for a scoring role it's pretty bad. He doesn't have a quick release, doesn't get a lot of velocity on his shots, is seemingly incapable of executing a one timer and his slapshot is weak. He scores his goals through quick hands, gets great elevation on the backhand and has a pretty accurate shot. However, it's that same accuracy that leads to him aiming high and missing the net entirely more often than most.

Dude is 33 and just had his best season (which is the same as ebs worst)

Point is- it's a one off. People don't become great all of a sudden at 33.
Eberles career average is almost double his.
With all sorts of linemates

It's not a hard on- I can see multiple positive scenarios where dealing ebs makes us better . But dude is a supremely talented scorer with fantastic hands. He's a rare talent that we need to be careful how we use as an asset. Of course he's not that 76 point guy anymore- we wouldn't be having this conversation cause he'd be one of the leagues best if that was the case.
But he still is a 50-60 point guy. Potentially 65 even. Which in this league is huge and top line material. And makes him one of our best players

In what world is Jordan eberles shot bad ? !!
- Ihateallofu

Eberle's shot is weak as (frank). that's why he can't score from farther than the hashmarks. His effort unfortunately affects his entire game. He should hit the gym and get stronger on the puck, stronger in the corners, a more powerful shot, but he doesn't and it shows. He's gotta go and I think Chiarelli knows it too, despite what he might say to the media

Eaves is a 30 point career 3rd liner that got hot on the pp beside benn and seguin

Kuznetzov carries Williams. Williams is a grinder now. Not near the wonderful skater he once was


Edit-side note; kuznetzov has become of the worlds best players. Brilliant talent. More integral than ovie........ too far ?
- Ihateallofu

Williams is not a better option than Eberle.

If we move Eberle it needs to be a hockey trade and not for futures.

Eberle's shot is weak as (frank). that's why he can't score from farther than the hashmarks. His effort unfortunately affects his entire game. He should hit the gym and get stronger on the puck, stronger in the corners, a more powerful shot, but he doesn't and it shows. He's gotta go and I think Chiarelli knows it too, despite what he might say to the media
- Ihatebrianburke

I agree he isn't a great fit for this team and for the system they play but you can't give him away for the sake of doing so.

Eberle's shot is weak as (frank). that's why he can't score from farther than the hashmarks. His effort unfortunately affects his entire game. He should hit the gym and get stronger on the puck, stronger in the corners, a more powerful shot, but he doesn't and it shows. He's gotta go and I think Chiarelli knows it too, despite what he might say to the media
- Ihatebrianburke

I don't think gym work is the problem. It's mindset. Going too hard at the gym and trying to add weight to his frame doesn't do anything but hurt his game if he doesn't develop the mindset of a puck hound. In my opinion, a guy like Gallagher is a prime example of the sort of mindset that would maximize Eberle's current skills.

That having been said, making a wholesale change to your mental approach to the game is such a hard thing to do even as an amateur- let alone as a professional who has played the game and found success that one way his whole life.

Alright, allow me to amend that statement. I believe they should build around Kuzy, Backstrom, Orlov, NIskanen/Carlson and Holtby.

I still think he's a very good top-4 Dman, but my fear is that his effectiveness as a mentor would be more limited than Niskanen's. He's been getting the soft minutes for a few years now and I fear that he wouldn't be nearly as effective in a shutdown role when the time comes to bring in the new blood. With Bowey, Hobbs and Djoos in the pipeline, they have enough good bets at offensive contributors that they wouldn't be losing too much from Carlson.

It's also my belief that they'd get a far greater return for Carlson due to his offensive skills and great cap hit than they would for Niskanen. If they could move him for an NHL Dman (4-5 level) and a young, offensively talent forward, I'd push for it.

Orlov- Niskanen (shutdown minutes)
Schmidt- Bowey (softer minutes)
Orpik- replacement (mid-minutes)

With Hobbs, Djoos and Johansen as quality prospects in the system. Sure they'd have a weaker D for a year or two, but the prospects would fill the holes in short order.
- MaximumBone

Tough choice. Go for the cup with your franchise dman? Or retool and get rid of him in his contract year?

Eberle's shot is weak as (frank). that's why he can't score from farther than the hashmarks. His effort unfortunately affects his entire game. He should hit the gym and get stronger on the puck, stronger in the corners, a more powerful shot, but he doesn't and it shows. He's gotta go and I think Chiarelli knows it too, despite what he might say to the media
- Ihatebrianburke

Here's what the disconnect basically boils down to

You continually say how bad he is.
But his numbers over his career totally refute that .
Not only that, but they actually put him in select company among right wingers.
Beyond that- I don't know what else to argue


Certainly got some flaws in his game. But a proven top line scorer .

I agree he isn't a great fit for this team and for the system they play but you can't give him away for the sake of doing so.
- Reveen.

Why does everyone keep saying this when I keep answering the same way? TRADE HIM FOR A DEFENSEMAN!!! If Hamonic or Barrie are on the table it's a no brainer to me. Wingers are easily replaced through free agency.

Here's what the disconnect basically boils down to

You continually say how bad he is.
But his numbers over his career totally refute that .
Not only that, but they actually put him in select company among right wingers.
Beyond that- I don't know what else to argue


Certainly got some flaws in his game. But a proven top line scorer .
- Ihateallofu

this

Why does everyone keep saying this when I keep answering the same way? TRADE HIM FOR A DEFENSEMAN!!! If Hamonic or Barrie are on the table it's a no brainer to me. Wingers are easily replaced through free agency.
- Ihatebrianburke

I'm 100% onboard for a Hamonic for Eberle swap. I would be even more intrigued if we could get Strome and Hamonic for Eberle and Something