After taking a week off last week, we are back with the best column in Buckeye State Hockey history.
Let’s get it on.
@BuckeyeStHockey who are the top three prospects in the draft cause we are getting one of them.
— bill8675309 (@bill86753091) December 16, 2015
Oh come on, the season isn’t over yet. You can’t start focusing on the draft! But just for you, I was able to talk to one of our prospect experts Paul Berthelot and he gave me a breakdown on some of the top players of this year’s draft class.
Austin Matthews C
Has a chance to be as good as and possibly better than Eichel. He’s big and highly skilled. Best tool: hands.
Jacob Chychrun D
Complete two way defencemen for the Sarnia Sting. Excels in both ends of the ice. Best tool: composure and smarts.
Matthew Tkachuk LW
Highly skilled winger. Great vision and always seems to make the right play. Best tool: passing ability.
Jesse Puljujarvi RW
Big and skilled, playing professionally in the Liiga. Very elusive and protects the puck. Best tool: skating.
Patrik Laine LW/RW
Similar to Puljujarvi in that he’s a big winger playing in the Liiga. Has good hands and vision. Best tool: shot.
@BuckeyeStHockey Jack Johnson. Why?
— 🤔🤔 (@LewisCommaTom4) December 15, 2015
You know, we have always been rough on Jack Johnson. He slots in as a number one defenseman, and he has yet to play up to it in his career. This year isn’t any different, as he is having some of his lowest points/60 this year at .40 at even strength. That said, a lot of it may be tied to his PDO, which is hovering around 97%. Time will tell whether that returns to normal, but it is dependent on how the team holds up around him. Johnson isn’t the only defensemen struggling though at the moment, as many CBJ blueliners are seeing career lows in multiple underlying metrics. This isn’t a slight to Andrew Bodnarchuk, but it should be telling that a career AHLer is able to find time in the top four over some career NHLers. Rough year for the defense.
Reddit User C_Babyhitz_J asks:
“If Blue Jackets are exploring a trade for RyJo (I hope they aren’t), who/what do you believe a return would be? I’ve seen rumors of a trade with the Wild, but don’t see enough value in my opinion in what was being floated around. Wanted to get your take on it.”
A:
This seems to be the topic du jour at the moment. Ryan Johansen and what he is doing out on the ice. I can point to all of the underlying metrics in the world showing you that he is leading the team in multiple categories but I won’t bore you with that. Rather I will just point you to Matt Souva’s article about the dangers of trading him here.
Value wise it is tough to say. What do you think a bonafide number one scoring center goes for nowadays? The team is in obvious need of a defensemen so that is a starting point, and then any mix of young prospects and picks will probably get it done. No one is willing to give up a number one center and no one is willing to give up a promising young defensemen, so really a lot of the speculation is null and void in season. The offseason is a completely different story. In my opinion the player will stay on the team.
Reddit User BetterCallStral asks:
Before this gig, Torts always brought Mike Sullivan with him wherever he was HC. Have you heard anything – good or bad – about the working relationship between Torts and his inherited assistant coaches (Hartsburg, Larsen, McCudden)?
A:
For all intents and purposes nothing is out there saying anything is strained. It is a peculiar situation, though, to have most of Richards’ staff still aboard while Tortorella takes over. Normally when problems arise in or out of season, assistants are changed so they can fiddle with the team but for the sake of continuity keep the head coach and the team in place. Recently this has been the case in places like St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Toronto. I don’t see anything drastic happening on this front but it is a question to monitor moving forward as the season progresses.
@BuckeyeStHockey will the birthers demand to see Ted Cruz's birth certificate? If not why not?
— . (@__eustace) December 16, 2015
For those that are unaware Rafael Edward Cruz was born in Calgary, Canada. I don’t know why more people haven’t been on his case. Also by the same token I don’t think anybody really cares about him at the moment. I am sure they will come out if he gets the Republican nomination.
Politics. Yay!
https://twitter.com/breakfast_jesus/status/676942041532772354
Favorite 80’s movie? Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Favorite “B” movie? Kung Pow Enter the Fist.
Favorite 80’s “B” movie? Vision Quest.
I REALLY WILL ANSWER ANYTHING PEOPLE.
Until next week….BYE.
(stats courtesy of War On Ice)
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