MacD has not been an issue this year. Hes a perfectly fine no4 d man. the issue is he is paid like a no2 but thats not his fault

i still dont like hagg. imho he looks like luke schenn 2.0
- bulet13

So after 60 games of Hagg you see him as Luke Schenn 2.0?

I think you're crazy. I think Hagg is going to be an excellent defenseman. Keep in mind that he's still in his rookie year and he just turned 23, and is a much better skater than L. Schenn.
- Doc_Sarcasm

I don't think many take into consideration that he is a rookie when looking at Hagg. Most rookies break into the league in a sheltered role. He has not. Long term he's more a 3rd pair guy but for the situation he has been placed in, he has played very well.

I think you're crazy. I think Hagg is going to be an excellent defenseman. Keep in mind that he's still in his rookie year and he just turned 23, and is a much better skater than L. Schenn.
- Doc_Sarcasm

its my very unpopular opinion but for a stay home d man he turns the puck over a lot and has trouble with positioning and clearing the zone. i hope he proves me wrong but i dont have high hopes

So after 60 games of Hagg you see him as Luke Schenn 2.0?
- opeth_pa

What a lazy comparison. Schenn has far worse footspeed and consistently made more mental errors as a vet then Hagg has as a rookie.

its my very unpopular opinion but for a stay home d man he turns the puck over a lot and has trouble with positioning and clearing the zone. i hope he proves me wrong but i dont have high hopes
- bulet13

Again..a rookie that has played 60 some games..

You do know that right?

I don’t think MacDonald is great, but the proof is in the pudding. This team absolutely sucked while he was injured. No matter the reasoning, the team needs him right now. Until they have an adequate replacement.
- Flyers1218

i agree. he's been pretty good this year overall. and they blew when he was out.

its my very unpopular opinion but for a stay home d man he turns the puck over a lot and has trouble with positioning and clearing the zone. i hope he proves me wrong but i dont have high hopes
- bulet13

I think Hagg is limited with the puck but positioning is not an issue with Hagg. That part of his game is actually pretty good for a rookie.

For reference, Hagg has been charged with 34 giveaways in 62 games played. MacDonald has been charged with 35 giveaways in 47 games played.

Provorov has been charged with 74 giveaways in 62 games played. Gostisbehere 40 in 58 games. Those numbers are phenomenal for Gostisbehere who plays a high risk puck moving game.

B's pick up gionta too. i didn't even realize he wasn't in the league until the olympics were on this week.

sometimes i think teams that are close do too much loading up at the TDL...could be the case with boston here.

I want to weigh on the side that Amac has been a pleasant surprise this year. With their rise up the standings, he’s been partnered with a rookie and that pair has been more effective then not.
They have been playing a fair amount of tough minutes, because the coach really doesn’t have a better option. For the most part, the Amac Hagg pair has been decent or better.

On a Cup contending team Amac would not be part of key PK minutes or playing more then 15-16 minutes a game. Haks doesn’t have a better option on this team currently. I would even say Amac has been one of the good stories about the team this year.

Top positives:
#1 Giroux’s comeback year
#2 Cout’s becoming a #1C
#3 Provy and Ghost becoming a top flight first pair
#4 Konecny becoming a very good first line wing
#5 Laughton’s year he’s done fine as a 3rd line C
#6 Amac and Hagg playing 2nd pair and big PK minutes and the team not only survived but is thriving.

Their D this year was the big reason most felt they were at best a bubble team for playoffs.
I thought they were closer to a lottery pick then playoffs personally. With Sanheim and Hagg experiencing rookie mistakes and the goalies not stealing wins, well I honestly thought they would be at the bottom of the Metro.

So yes, Amac has been a very pleasant surprise for me

What a lazy comparison. Schenn has far worse footspeed and consistently made more mental errors as a vet then Hagg has as a rookie.
- hereticpride

Luke Schenn was actually a really good nhler his first two or three seasons on a bad Leafs team. Like was also good his first season next to Timonen. The problem is his career went forward, not backwards.

For the record, you guys were talking about the Schenn brothers long before I got here today...

Luke Schenn was actually a really good nhler his first two or three seasons on a bad Leafs team. Like was also good his first season next to Timonen. The problem is his career went forward, not backwards.

For the record, you guys were talking about the Schenn brothers long before I got here today...
- SuperSchennBros

Literally the first time I've posted about either Schenn all day but ok.

I think Hagg is limited with the puck but positioning is not an issue with Hagg. That part of his game is actually pretty good for a rookie.

For reference, Hagg has been charged with 34 giveaways in 62 games played. MacDonald has been charged with 35 giveaways in 47 games played.

Provorov has been charged with 74 giveaways in 62 games played. Gostisbehere 40 in 58 games. Those numbers are phenomenal for Gostisbehere who plays a high risk puck moving game.
- MJL

Those numbers are higher for the others because of a big difference in ice time comparisons.

again, i said i hope hagg proves me wrong but thats my opinion of him.

yes, i do know hes a rookie. and yes he is faster than schenn. but i am still allowed room for concern and i honestly dont think he will project to be anything more than a good no5

Literally the first time I've posted about either Schenn all day but ok.
- hereticpride

maybe he's confusing you with me. I mean.. we do look a lot alike.. or something.

Those numbers are higher for the others because of a big difference in ice time comparisons.
- Buzzo

also give aways are a subjective stat decided by the scorers

Those numbers are higher for the others because of a big difference in ice time comparisons.
- Buzzo

Not just ice time but players such as Provorov and Gostisbehere also handle the puck so much more than a player like Hagg does who tends to make the more simple play. That's what makes Gostisbehere's giveaway numbers so phenomenal. Plays high risk and makes a lot of one on one moves but yet doesn't give the puck away much.

also give aways are a subjective stat decided by the scorers
- bulet13

True but the Flyers players are all being judged by the same subjective scorers.

4-0 Nashville

again, i said i hope hagg proves me wrong but thats my opinion of him.

yes, i do know hes a rookie. and yes he is faster than schenn. but i am still allowed room for concern and i honestly dont think he will project to be anything more than a good no5
- bulet13

Fair enough.
What is wrong with a good number 5 then?
Not a single thing since you need 6 or 7 good dmen.

and yes i know he scored yesterday but offense seems to die on Haggs stick

again, i said i hope hagg proves me wrong but thats my opinion of him.

yes, i do know hes a rookie. and yes he is faster than schenn. but i am still allowed room for concern and i honestly dont think he will project to be anything more than a good no5
- bulet13

What would be wrong with Hagg winding up as a good solid physical #5 defenseman?

and yes i know he scored yesterday but offense seems to die on Haggs stick
- bulet13

He's never going to be a point producer at the NHL level.

Man, 4-0 Blues. I was watching the their game the other night and the home announcers said that right now, if the Blues don’t score early, mentally the team just folds the rest of the game.

Fair enough.
What is wrong with a good number 5 then?
Not a single thing since you need 6 or 7 good dmen.
- opeth_pa

absolutely nothing is wrong with a good no5. you need a good third pairing esp in the playoffs. but hes being played like a 3 or 4 this year (again not his fault) and this team wpuld be better if he was on a bottom pairing

but for that we need other players to step in and take those 3-4 spots (sanheim, morin, myers)

He's never going to be a point producer at the NHL level.
- MJL

I think it’s too early to tell how his game will shake out. That first period goal yesterday shows the kid has some skill.