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Leaf Rumours

leafman101 said:
Because you just described Chris Drury, yet people talk about Staal like he is a star.

He's a very good player. I'd take him on my team any day. Overrated as shit though.
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You realize that zeke is arguing that Kris Versteeg is as good as Staal right? Talk about overrating.

By the way, Drury has never been arguably the best defensive forward in the league.
 
what makes Staal better?

they played near identical roles for a cup winner. They're both in their early 20s. Versteeg looks like he's actually got more offensive upside.
 
Staal not in some league of his own defensively. There are lots of guys as good as him. What makes him special, or at least would have, would have been adding the offense on top of it like a guy like Datsyuk or Richards. But he hasn't been able to do that. He's just another Patrice Bergeron.
 
looking at the Pens this half season without Staal, what strikes you as a greater need for them? a scoring winger or a checking 3rd line centre?
 
One is widely regarded as a top 3... maybe top 5 at worst (top 10 if you wanna play devil's advocate) defensive forward in the league... the other is just a good young player who is responsible both ways.

I also don't see who Versteeg has more upside. At 21-22 Versteeg was putting up 4 points in 13 NHL games. At 18 Staal was putting up 29 goals and 44 points. After his sophomore slump where he only put up 12g and 22p as a 19 year old he followed it up with a couple 20+ goal and 49 point efforts at the age of 20 and 21.
Versteeg has been a very solid player in the past 2 and a half years putting up 22g and 53p and 20g and 44p at age 23 and 24.

You could probably argue they have similar offensive upside, but if you really wanna argue that one has the edge in potential you'd be hard pressed to find a reason to give the edge to Versteeg.
 
leafman101 said:
Staal not in some league of his own defensively. There are lots of guys as good as him. What makes him special, or at least would have, would have been adding the offense on top of it like a guy like Datsyuk or Richards. But he hasn't been able to do that. He's just another Patrice Bergeron.
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Not in a league of his own, just at the top of the league he plays in. There are maybe a group of 5 guys that you can legitimately argue are at his level defensively. Guys like Datsyuk, Mike Richards and Kesler are the only other guys that really get thrown into the argument.

None of which were even close (offensively or defensively) to what Staal has done by the age of 22... 21 if you consider the fact that yesterday was Staal's first game as a 22 year old.
 
I gotta agree with HP here i think.

Staal has played behind Malkin and Crosby too for years. He rarely, if ever, gets PP time with those two on the team, and of course is on the PK and is one of the best in the league.

I think Staal would really have a chance to breakout if he played in the top 6 and/or on the PP.

I guess what would really be nice to know is Jordan's even strength time per game versus Versteeg's if you really wanna evaluate their offensive production to date.

What is Jordan's cap hit again?
 
Staal doesn't belong in that group with those guys.

See, this is where the overrated stuff comes in. Very good 50 point, checking line center. But he is a Patrice Bergeron not a Pavel Datsyuk. Yet he consistently gets lumped in with the stars.
 
Hoss said:
Ek has it that the hypothetical trade for Versteeg is Schenn from LA. He says it would need more from Toronto's end....

Burke has gone the brother route a few times already. LA could look at it as there is no way Schenn is cracking that line up, and Versteeg has the cup ring, and versatility.
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WE need to give more in that deal??

Sorry, I'm not sold on Schenn yet. While Versteeg is already a 60 point-ish NHL player.
 
And I really, really like Jordan Staal, but I think, long term, there is a good chance we lose that trade one for one in giving up Versteeg.
 
uncus said:
Good luck to whoever signs him then ....... paying huge money for a very very weak defensive player who`s best asset is carrying the puck, who shoots very little and likes to take the puck to the opps blueline and dump it in when everyone is standing still .... I will spend my money on markov instead and laugh at the idiot who spent the same money on kaberle ...
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That is officially one of the stupidest things I've read on this board, ever. Congratulations on the accomplishment, sir.
 
As for Jordan Staal, he's a useful player no doubt, but he's become one of the most overrated players in the league, unfortunately. And a big part of that is the fantasy that if only got out of Malkin and Crosby's shadow, he'd all of a sudden go from a guy that's never even cracked 50 points during his entire NHL career so far (and who just barely scored at a PPG pace in the OHL) to scoring 30 goals and 60-70 points. He is what he is: a big bodied, two-way center that will also chip in around 20 goals and 45-50 points. From his career so far, and from all the hockey I've seen him play over the last few years, that's about as good as it's going to get.
 
I think that's being pretty rough on the kid.

He certainly hasn't had the chance to show what he can do. As a first line center, he may have some serious untapped potential.
 
LeafOfFaith said:
I think that's being pretty rough on the kid.

He certainly hasn't had the chance to show what he can do. As a first line center, he may have some serious untapped potential.
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First line center? Give me a break. He'd be a reach as a second line center on a good team.

And let's call a spade a spade here. The only reason people think he has this uptapped potential to be a star centerman is the fact there's a Stanley Cup winning, franchise #1 center named Eric who happens to share Jordan's last name. Because nothing that Jordan Staal has ever done himself, at any level of hockey, has shown this potential that people keep imagining that he has.
 
Nah, I've actually watched him quite a bit over the years and think he's got some serious talent.

But he's asked to be a third liner in Pittsburgh, and unlike Mitchy, he accepts his role. I think if he were asked to be a first liner, we'd see a lot more out of him.

Fact of the matter is, we just don't know till he gets a chance. I think he could have a Dougie moment if he got a shot at the spotlight, especially if it's with his boyhood team.
 
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