Quoting: WestCoastAD89
If that’s the case with Fowler then he’s an overrated defenseman and the Ducks need to move him out. Steel is not ready for the big leagues, he still turns the puck over way too much and is not that good on defense. As for Ritchie, he has 2 more years left on his contract and we need to give Comtois and Jones some minutes cause they are ready. Ritchie for a 2nd is actually good since he has not lived up to a first round pick hype.
I don't think Steel has proven he's ready to be a top 6 C in the NHL by any means, but he's definitely ready to make the jump to the NHL. You don't score an NHL hat-trick if you aren't ready to play in the big leagues. He certainly could do with improving his defence, but he's dominating the AHL at this point and his progression is going to stall if we keep him down there. In an ideal world, Steel starts in that 3C position and battles Henrique for the 2C role throughout the season. I am shocked you think Steel isn't ready. Assuming he stays healthy, I could easily see him putting up around 50 pts this coming season. Bear in mind, he's got this summer to improve his game even further.
As far as Ritchie, I don't think many would have a problem if we moved him, but it's got to be a hockey trade. Not for just a pick. It looks like you're just moving him to move him, like a cap dump. Pass. Use him to get a top 4 RD or don't move him at all IMO. Ritchie progressed very well last year. He's still braindead, but he has worked very hard on his fitness and the results are starting to show. And this is coming from a guy who has soured on Ritchie. I agree that Comtois needs to be in the line-up, but Jones can battle it out for that last spot. He's a great utility forward, but he doesn't have the scoring prowess to say "he's gotta be in the line-up".
As far as Fowler, I understand your frustrations with him, but what else do we have at this point? Fowler is still an above average #3 D-man behind Lindholm. He is not the problem with our D, but he does, IMO, epitomize the problem, which is inconsistency. Lindholm, Manson, Fowler, even as full-fledge NHLers, are all still very inconsistent. This is what stops Lindholm from being an elite D in my eyes. Fowler and Manson don't have the skillset to be classed as elite, but Fowler can be a good #2 and Manson a good #3 when they play well. However, they just don't play well all the time. Hopefully some of the inconsistency is coaching related and Eakins can steady the ship in that sense. But, in summary, we need to add to our D, not remove or hamstring it with weak players. Hence, my desire to use Ritchie (and some other pieces) as a trade chip to get a #4 RD to this team. Preferably one with more offensive prowess i.e. Faulk, Hamilton, Risto, etc. Then we just have to hope everything clicks and players just start playing better on a more consistent basis.
Quoting: WestCoastAD89
Fowler has been with this team for so long and all I’ve remembered him doing is that he can’t protect the blue line to save his life. The fact that we have to go through a player carousel to see which player he fits best with let’s me know that he’s more of a liability than an asset. Again, Ritchie has 2 years left on his contract while Shore has only this year. Ottawa has 3 2nd round picks, I would like to see if we can acquire one of those picks.
But that's not Fowler's skillset though. He's a transition D with elite skating and a very good outlet pass. He's not a stay-at-home, sit in the goal and maul anyone who comes nearby kind of D-man. Why would you expect that from him? My problem with Fowler isn't that, it's that he's still inconsistent, even as veteran of the league, and he lost his scoring touch when he improved his defensive game. If Fowler had the same ability to transition the puck from defence-to-offence using his elite skating, but then take it a step further and actually create/score goals, he'd be everything I could have hoped. The problem is that he doesn't do that. He just takes it around an opposing forechecker and either dumps it in, throws a limp shot or makes a poor pass. He never developed that powerful shot and his isn't particularly accurate either.
I think the excuse about his partners can be largely associated with the difficulty in getting a good balance on Fowler's pairing. Fowler is an elite transitioning D-man, but he isn't particular strong defensively or offensively. He's perfect for today's fast moving NHL, were transitioning from defence-to-offence as quickly as possible is essential, but who do you put him with. You can't put him with a D-first guy, because Fowler doesn't create much offence. You can't put him with an offensive guy, because Fowler gets smothered easily down low. You can't put him with another elite skating D because that doesn't work either. This is why Fowler looks great when he's with a true elite D-man (i.e. for team USA) who can cover all of his mistakes, someone who can do the dirty work down low, but who also has that elite shot or passing ability. Fowler is the type of guy a really good D-man just dumps it too for him to clean it up. That was what Lovejoy did really well. Took the hits, dumped the puck along the backboards to Fowler, Fowler took the puck with a little bit of space and skated it out of danger. There are plenty of Lovejoy's out there, but those players aren't going to make Fowler or ANA better. Unfortunately, I think we need a true #1RD. Someone like a Shea Weber, who can do everything, but have Fowler there as a reliable get out play when they need him. Sadly, those players don't grow on trees and so I feel we'll forever see Fowler as a failure, despite his rather impressive career.
As far as Ritchie, I don't know why you think getting a 2nd round pick is good value. Have you soured on him that much? Worst case scenario is you trade him to TOR or LV to aid their cap dumping situation and get a 1st round pick back. Ritchie isn't so done that we simply have to move him at any cost.
mytduxfan a aimé ceci.
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