The Edmonton Oilers have announced (on their website) the signing of left winger Gregory Stewart. He's a big winger, here's the lowdown from the Hockey News:
- ASSETS: Has good size and toughness. Plays a solid up-and-down game and is a very loyal teammate. Will also drop the gloves. Skates pretty well.
- FLAWS: Lacks the offensive ability to see regular ice time at the highest level, and also lacks hockey sense. Isn't a great defensive player, either.
- CAREER POTENTIAL: Physical depth winger.
That "up-and-down" reference is an old timey one, I used to read those words on role players' hockey cards as a kid. A typical hockey card write-up on a limited player used to go like "a real 'holler' guy on the ice, teammates appreciate him. Plays a solid up and down wing and can be counted on to play hard every shift."
So he stays in his lane, plays the position well in his own zone and is extremely coachable. He is 6.02, 200, tough and his career high in goals scored (AHL) is 10. He was loaned to the Chicago Wolves by the Habs last season, which suggests he was at least 5th on their LW depth chart in Hamilton (AHL).
He is listed as "Gregory" pretty much everywhere, so I'd suggest he prefers that since hockey usually shortens all names to the easiest-possible moniker. He was taken 246th in 2004, a few picks after the Oilers grabbed Tyler Spurgeon. Stewart is another depth move for Oklahoma City, who should consider themselves very lucky to be entering a partnership with the Oilers at this time. I'm sure Springfield would agree.
Nice post LT, and good news.
ReplyDeleteAHL team now looks pretty set. Lots of decent callup options, and maybe a late bloomer, too.
Now, if we want to take a run at a playoff spot, we need a little help on the big club. Nothing earth shattering, mind you.
Would some of the better UFA's take one year deals at a big overpay to come here.
Still lots of guys who could help the big club, and no one is knocking their doors down. (What about Madden, Moore, and Mitchell?) I would think one year overpays and a chance to show well with big minutes on a young team would look good about now.
LT,
ReplyDeleteHow goonish is he?
LOL---lack offence, lacks defence, lacks hockey sense....but he's BIG!! play him on the first line!! :D
ReplyDeleteHe looks like a hardcase, and that's a fact.
ReplyDeleteAnyone have any explanation why fellows like this are getting NHL contracts instead of AHL ones?
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly is the point of this when there are so many valuable and skilled players out there still?
ReplyDeleteSilly.
Deano: I'm sure they are two-way deals, but one assumes that may be one of the attractions of the Oilers offer. NHL 2-way contract, increased guaranteed money and the example of Potulny (and others) getting big time NHL time a year ago.
ReplyDeleteSeems to be OKC's designated scrapper/character guy. A very '10 Tambellini move IMO.
ReplyDeleteAlso this is fun: http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/48257
The rest of his fight card is worth a perusal, too. Not a ton of wins, but the kid's got moxie!
(repost from last thread)
Still LT, it seems foolish given how tight they are to their contract limit (is it 47 now?).
ReplyDeleteAnd kris, don't forget the Barons still need someone who can play goal well and reasonably be expected to stay with their organisation all year. Then the Barons are set.
But still much better off than Springfield ever was.
And the foolish I meant was giving him an NHL contract, since I don't have any issue with the signing.
ReplyDeleteLT - That explanation works for guys at the top of the AHL like Giroux, but not this fellow.
ReplyDeleteDeano: Are there any prospects still unsigned? Seems to me that the Oilers are signing role players which means the skill positions are being reserved for the prospects along with Giroux and Brad Moran.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a really bad move to block Omark, as an example. If he can't swim at the AHL level then they have to let him to back to Sweden, but there's no reason to sign an AHL veteran to block him.
I presume that this guy is for OKC and won't likely get any NHL time (or if he does, it will be severely limited). But this addition, as well as some of the others, makes me wonder if the Oilers are looking for another Stone/Potulny kind of player that will step up when called up to the show. At any rate, he should help toughness in OKC.
ReplyDeleteBQ,
ReplyDeleteJDD wil play in OKC, IMO.
Or DD. Or a FA on an AHL only deal.
---
LT,
I'm okay with Stewart, but looking at his resume, couldn't the Oilers have gotten a better AHL'er with the offer of a two-way deal?
Or is this guy a better AHL option than his numbers suggest?
OKC needs a goon?
ReplyDeleteenter the goon.
or maybe he's more of an enforcer than a goon. doesn't really matter.
fighting is a big part of the AHL "package" and it looks like this guy offers something in that regard, based on Downright Fierce's hockey fights link.
kris:
ReplyDeleteNot sure Tambellini is in the mood for overpaying this offseason. After he signed Foster he told the media scrum about how pleased he was to get a defenseman that would fit into the salary grid given his projected role.
That's the first time I've ever heard any member of Oilers management use the phrase "salary grid" since pre-CBA days.
Seems to me the new focus is to attempt prudent cap and asset management. I think Tambo's prepared to wait it out until August or September when a guy like Moore might still be unsigned and be desparate enough to sign with the Oilers at a reasonable salary. No overpays required.
We'll see if this attempt is successful.
I think like the big club, OKC could stand a bit of upgrade at defense, especially considering we're likely to plunder them a bit next year. That, and goal. But other than that, I'm very happy with the look so far and think that the Oilers have gotten the franchise off to the right start.
ReplyDeleteSteve Smith on Oilers Lunch right now.
ReplyDeleteLacks offense, defense, hockey sense, and from what I saw on hockeyfights.com, lacks fighting ability. Bruce, cover your eyes for this video, which hockeyfights ogie ogilthorpe describes best: "Stewart out-noogies Stortini" Zorg vs Stewart: "Don't get hooked on me baby..."
ReplyDeleteWhat Stewart doesn't lack is will, and should be able to provide some back-up for the kids in Okie while contributing a semi-regular shift.
A seemingly underwhelming signing, but there seems to be a strategy to it.
I get 47 contracts (46 + Stewart)by counting them at Capgeek. This includes JDD, DD and Bulin - presumably one will be gone.
ReplyDeleteIt also included Rajala whose contract slides to begin next year. I don't know if he counts towards the 50 for this year.
And it includes Souray.
So, given they need another goalie for the farm (assuming JDD won't clear waivers and be there) Mr Tambellini is running out of room to add people.
I'd like him to have at least 2 spots open going into training camp so he can claim someone useful off the waiver wire/ take advantage of someone's cap problems.
He is listed as "Gregory" pretty much everywhere, so I'd suggest he prefers that since hockey usually shortens all names to the easiest-possible moniker.
ReplyDeleteGreg just confirmed on Oilers Lunch that it was the MTL media that started calling him Gregory and that he had never been called anything other than Greg in his whole life.
Well that super important mystery is settled. PHEW!
So, given they need another goalie for the farm (assuming JDD won't clear waivers and be there)
ReplyDeleteThere's no need for it to be two-way, though.
Salary grid reference - quite sure I heard it said wrt Gilbert or Glencross back in May-Junish of 2008 by Lowe.
ReplyDeleteCapGeek shows 22 roster players signed with $13.3 million in cap space remaining.
ReplyDeleteSure looks like we can go big game hunting on a one year contract - wonder if Kovalchuk will bite... LOL
I'd like him to have at least 2 spots open going into training camp so he can claim someone useful off the waiver wire/ take advantage of someone's cap problems.
ReplyDeleteThis is the concern I was voicing. There's no sense being under the salary cap if you have no availability to sign or claim anyone. Even if you drop Souray, JDD and possibily trade Cogliano, there are still 2-3 spaces that need to be filled on the NHL club, plus a couple of AHL spots (who all seem to get NHL contracts). Something's gotta give.
Counting, and then fretting over the number of NHL contracts on the team brings paranoia to a new level.
ReplyDeleteRyan O'marra has been re-signed per the Oilers website.
ReplyDeleteGord,
ReplyDeleteThat $13 million of room doesn't include Gagner, Brule or Cogs as they are RFA's nor does it include Peckham.
If you click on that little icon next to the Oilers on Capgeek you can fool around with roster construction. That is if its not paranoid to do so.
Assuming some raises for Brule and Gagner the Cap room is about $8 million including Souray.
They would just be able to wedge Kovy and his big wallet in!
O'Marra is a player I want to succeed, although why I do not know.
ReplyDeletelooking at the Oilers cap situation, when you subtract the dross/semi dross(by this I mean bad contracts, not necessarily bad players)...you end up with the following players:
ReplyDeleteSouray
Khabibulin
Horcoff
Penner(arguably not a bad contract anymore but wtf let's keep him in the doghouse just for the hell of it)
Subtracting these players/contracts and all of a sudden the team has got a shitload of money to spend in the future. Obviously Khabibulin/Horcoff will be around for awhile, but they're reasonable players, despite the money being paid to them. Compared to a year or two ago, with the Moreau/Pisani+other terrible terrible contracts, Oilers going forward are actually in really good shape.
Penner(arguably not a bad contract anymore but wtf let's keep him in the doghouse just for the hell of it)
ReplyDeleteArguably? Just how high *are* your expectations of $4.25M players? Really, if I were listing bad contracts, I'd list Gilbert (who I think is about fair value for $4M) before Penner (who I think is great value for $4.25M). You also forgot Vandermeer?
I think we can observe that the Oilers really feel they lack this player type.
ReplyDeleteAnd they'd be right. Renney apparently feels he can turn some of these fellows into NHL calibre players.
Stewart may actually be a better player and fighter than MacIntyre.
ReplyDeleteJust remember that Chicago had a lot of cap space when they signed Campbell and Huet.
ReplyDeleteTambellini is creating competition for every job by signing these AHL vets who want an NHL shot.
Stortini, Jones, and Jacques have Smac and Stewart and Ondrus pushing them now.
Omark, Eberle, and Paajarvi have Giroux.
Peckham has Petiot and Belle.
He's not giving them an insurmoutable hoop, but there are legit AHL vets pushing at every position.
Deano: Better player than Mac, definitely...better fighter, don't bogart that sucker...
ReplyDeleteAHL has always been a real tough league. Good to have these kind of guys rather then lose your prospects to injury.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why but that kid struggled less than others at NHL level who had better track records.
ReplyDeleteEven if he didn't score he wasn't a pain to see like some guys are.
And for one sole reason: He's fast, even in the NHL. Believe he could see some icetime in the bigs.
I mean, that's still one more thing than SMac.
One game vs Dallas, Ott was cheapshoting around. So when he got on the ice, he went straight to him, getting him into a fight, even if Ott didn't want to. He didn't asked, he just went out there and did it. (Unlike some guys (GL). Sure we got a big PK, but Ott didn't do jackshit for the rest of the game.
Now ditto that with Rheghr. But anyway, he'l still just be plan B for Macyntire. I just like him in that very limited role.
"O'Marra is a player I want to succeed, although why I do not know."
ReplyDeleteI want him to succeed mainly to point out that the Oilogosphere was wrong about something again.
And believe it or not that's not even my style. I just think the personality of the oilogosphere reminds me of that blond guy with the ponytail in Good Will Hunting and it needs to dose of reality sometimes.
godot10:i agree that a few veteran ahlers will give the young guys some healthy competition in tc. next up should be signing a veteran ahl backstop for the barons to compliment pitton. the souray & goaltending situations need to be addressed asap.leaving a few roster spots open at tc would be wise as several posters said. never know what shows up on the waiver wire.
ReplyDeletemacintyre could end up in the minors to protect any youngsters on the barons. stewart will help as well but they also have a couple tough ahl defencemen to protect the young dman down in okc.
ReplyDeleteOff-topic...
ReplyDeleteMike Comrie's new digs
Greg Stewart 26 NHL games, 0G, 1A.
ReplyDeleteI guess he goes in for Jacques after the inevitable back/head/wrist/groin injury.
Throw another warm body on the talentless goon pile.
Are the Oilers holding on to O'Marra to avoid any egg on our face for trading Smyth. So out of that trade we got O'Marra, Nilsson and a 1st round pick from the Islanders.
ReplyDeleteNilsson was like a 1979 Camaro. Looked good and can go like snot sometimes but was a lemon when you got a closer look and spent most of the time in the shop (i.e. pressbox). O'Marra was a 1st round draft pick back in the day though I struggle to see why. He's like a Pontiac Aztec. Launched to great fanfare but a pretty forgettable piece of crap.
So can someone make me feel better and and remind me who the 1st round pick turned into?
Plante
ReplyDeleteAnd Plante isn't nothing either. I know the story is written in stone now, but want to say again that the return for a few weeks of Smyth was exceptional no matter how it turned out.
ReplyDeleteIslanders overpaid no matter the outcome.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePlante played better in the AHL than I expected. I didn't know how he would use his size going from junior to pro but 122 PIMS in only 49 games tells me he's a player. If he's already a nasty prick at 20 against men he's going to be pretty mean in a couple years.
ReplyDeleteIf he can develop into a meaner version of Hal Gill he'll be huge for the club.
Did Will really even take pony tail guy to school in that scene?
ReplyDeleteIn his last shot he digs into Blondie about being unoriginal, but all Will really did was quote more books than him without offering any original thoughts of his own.
Re: Comrie...
ReplyDeleteIt was reported that the 14-carat Princess-cut engagement ring cost him $1 million (£650,000).
Hehe...That's almost the whole years pay!
But didn't we just determine that the Islanders basically paid nothing for Ryan Smyth?
ReplyDeleteWhy is it so difficult to acknowledge that the Oilers let a long-time fan favorite go - on Crying Night, no less - for three magic beans from a team considered for decades to be the most inept franchise in the NHL.
I mean, the Oilers can't even get over on Charles Fkn Wang.
Art
ReplyDeleteBecause it takes an awful lot of hindsight to do so. Smyth is my second favourite Oiler of all time, but based on the information available to Lowe at the time, I think it's very hard to say he acted unreasonably.
He determined that signing a power forward in his thirties with a history of injuries to a long term deal at $5M+ per season was too risky. Having decided not to resign and with the team unlikely to make the playoffs, he decided to get some assets for him at the trade deadline rather than let him walk for nothing. He got the going rate for a top six forward at the trade deadline (see the Hossa or Kovalchuk deals) - a young roster player, the other teams third or fourth best prospect and a first round pick. The two players they got were consensus first round picks in their draft year and considered to be two of the Islanders best young players. The Islanders were a team with a history of drafting very well but giving up on players too soon and seeing them star somewhere else. And the Plante pick wasn't off the board either - he was rated a mid first rounder.
Which one of these decisions was so unreasonable and outlandish at the time it was made that it proves that Lowe is an idiot? I certainly can't see it.
The things that you would want to see from a good GM - avoiding risky big money long term signings, trying to get maximum value for your assets and stockpiling young players and picks to build the depth of your organisation - are all there.
Lowe has made plenty of questionable and even indefensible decisions, but objectively I find it very hard to say that this was one of them.
Nilsson was doomed midway trough the 2008-2009 season. After that he got benched pretty much regardless of what he did. (Or if better options were available).
ReplyDelete0,5 PPG isn't that bad damit.
"0,5 PPG isn't that bad damit."
ReplyDeletePerhaps not, but constantly floating around like a butterfly made Nilsson a liability to the composure of the team. The fact is, he's simply not an NHL player. He needs to go to a no-contact league and become the superstar we all know he can be.
Besides, I'm sick of having to count how many n's and s's his bloody name has.
The Islanders gave up a first round pick; when evaluating what they gave up, we look at that pick, not at what the Oilers ultimately did with it, and first round picks are by definition not "nothing". The Oilers gave up a 29th overall to rent Roloson, in what was widely regarded as a slight overpay; how does the Isles giving up a *higher* pick translate to "nothing"?
ReplyDelete(Of course, if the Oilers had kept the Roloson pick, it probably would have been somewhat higher than 29th overall. My point still stands, mostly.)
ReplyDeleteThe Isles gave what they had in terms of prospects for Smyth, but I have little doubt that more could have been obtained from some team had the bidding been handled more rationally by Lowe. Sadly, this extends to the re-signing. How many players are there out there who have shown in the last three years that they can contribute more than O'Marra? Hundreds.
ReplyDeleteThe Oilers gave up a 29th overall to rent Roloson, in what was widely regarded as a slight overpay
ReplyDelete17th overall, actually; the rule change for draft slots didn't come until a year or two later.
Frelbo said...
ReplyDeleteAre the Oilers holding on to O'Marra to avoid any egg on our face for trading Smyth. So out of that trade we got O'Marra, Nilsson and a 1st round pick from the Islanders.
Nilsson was like a 1979 Camaro. Looked good and can go like snot sometimes but was a lemon when you got a closer look and spent most of the time in the shop (i.e. pressbox). O'Marra was a 1st round draft pick back in the day though I struggle to see why. He's like a Pontiac Aztec. Launched to great fanfare but a pretty forgettable piece of crap.
So can someone make me feel better and and remind me who the 1st round pick turned into?
Acutally the 79 Camaro couldn't even go like snot. The comarison to Nilsson isn't bad, though. The '79 Camaro was all show and no go, the end of the muscle car era had already happened between OPEC and environmental deregulations. The '79 Z28 top rated engine was a measly 175 HP, about the same your average 4 banger puts out today. Now a decade earlier in 1969, you could choose the 427 engine option with roughly equivalent HP to cubic inches. "drools"
signed, high school grad of 1979
hunter1909 said...
"0,5 PPG isn't that bad damit."
Perhaps not, but constantly floating around like a butterfly made Nilsson a liability to the composure of the team. The fact is, he's simply not an NHL player. He needs to go to a no-contact league and become the superstar we all know he can be.
Besides, I'm sick of having to count how many n's and s's his bloody name has.
Hunter, I have never agreed with you more (especially on the spelling part). When I think of Nilllssson, the first thing that pops to mind is that goal of the year highlight, and after that all the times he was separated from the puck with ease by defensemen.
LT: you're as right about the Smyth trade as you were about the Pronger deal:)
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter how many GP 94 played for the Isles; it's about the fact of if we shopped him or not and what someone else might have been able to offer.
Some are getting dillusional about Smyth's value. A loan of a 65-70 points guy got out 3 first rounders.
ReplyDelete1 Undrafted, 1 Tracking very well, and the other being so-so.
It's aproximately what Atlanta got for Hossa. And you ask for more with Smyth... ouch.
Great discussion.
ReplyDeleteI think if I had been in Kevin Lowe's shoes I would have made the same deal for smith. The Islanders overpaid in giving two prospects and a first round pick for a 20 game rental. And as much as I like Smyth, I don't think he would have ever been the difference to take the Islanders past the first round. They simply didn't have enough other pieces in place.
Nilsson is debatable as a true NHLer and was not a player that ever really helped us win any games. If O'Marra plays a game with the Oilers this year I will be surprised. And I have to think he'll be cut loose at the end of the season if he doesn't make any more strides in his game. And Plante is still a work in progress. He's slow and I see less potential than others. But fingers crossed.
So did we make a good deal for an 65 point/yr asset that we couldn't come to terms with? Absolutely. Would I make the same trade again? Absolutely. But it kind of feels like we bought a good bottle of wine and it turned bad while we had it on the shelf. (Didn't want to use another Camaro metaphor...)
The people that complain about the Smyth deal are the type of idiots that think the guy that called all-in and hit flush on the river made a good call.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you move in with the best hand and lose.
Was it Prendergast that was the head scout at the time of this deal?
ReplyDeleteDennis said...
ReplyDeleteLT: you're as right about the Smyth trade as you were about the Pronger deal:)
It doesn't matter how many GP 94 played for the Isles; it's about the fact of if we shopped him or not and what someone else might have been able to offer.
What makes you think he wasn't?
Understandable that post dynasty Oiler fans revere Smyth - like nucks fans who defend retiring Naslund's number. I never did, because he was nothing more than a top level plugger. I heard Kevin Lowe thought Smyth wasn't much after game 7 of the 2006 final and neither did I.
ReplyDeleteOh, by the way he never seemed to mind leaving Edmonton as soon as he didn't get an extra 100 thou, which proves where his head was/is really at. The whole leaving thing was like a script from Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling. It made me want to puke.
Fortunately the Oilers now go into training camp with three uber prospects, as in the type of players who win you championships. It's going to take a few years for them to make it, and they're going to need some more help, but finally this team has got something to look forward to - for the first time since 1990.
I thought that Lowe had a deal in principle with Smyth, then when they came in to sign, they demanded more money.
ReplyDeleteLowe went to the EIG, they were mad, but relented.
Then the on trade deadline day they come in to sign, and again ask for another 100K.
Lowe goes to the EIG again, and they (Nicholls?) Go ballistic that Symth and Winter pulled the same trick and say no.
So with 2 hours to go on trade deadline day, Lowe has to deal Smyth.
If that story is true, I sympathize with Lowe's position.
Then in the summer with the season ticker holders pissed off at losing Smyth, the EIG feels the het and tells Lowe to go get a big name free agent to calm the fans down.
The only FA who would come was Souray, and here we are.
Woodguy: Sounds like bullshit and doesn't matter anyway. The mistake on Smyth was extending everybody except him the summer before. Lowe has already admitted he fucked up on Smyth so the point is moot.
ReplyDeleteOh and the Isles package was a shit sandwich. It sure looks like Lowe chose quantity again. It would have been nice to get one legit prospect and a 2nd rounder. Instead they took major question marks in O'Marra's health and Nilsson's lack of male anatomy and a middling pick. It was unquestionably a poor deal.
ReplyDeleteWhy would a club give up a "legit prospect" and a 2nd round pick for a couple months of Smyth? You sound like a Leafs homer that thinks a year of Kaberle is worth Bobby Ryan.
ReplyDeleteSmyth was going to be on whatever team that got him off the Oilers for a matter of weeks. Then he left, for the team that offered him the most money, and chance to "succeed".
ReplyDeleteSlice that cake anyway you want, but three first round picks, however flawed, was a great return for "Captain Canada".
I seem to remember at the time Nilsson was getting reviews that made him out to be a potential Forsberg...O'Marra got in a bad car accident after he was traded to the Oilers...and Plante well...that's hardly the Islanders fault is it?
More reason to be cynical when fans yack about collecting "picks", when the people running their team's drafts constantly go for fucked up projects, instead of safe bets.
hunter1909 said: O'Marra got in a bad car accident after he was traded to the Oilers
ReplyDeleteThat's not right. O'Marra's car accident and several other major injuries all happened before 2007.
I seem to remember at the time Nilsson was getting reviews that made him out to be a potential Forsberg
ReplyDeleteReally? I'm pretty sure this is inaccurate also.
"When the regular season was over Nilsson had broken Markus Näslund's record for points (18 years and under) with 8 goals and 13 assists in 41 games. Those numbers made him also the highest scoring rookie of the year.
ReplyDeleteNilsson was the most hyped prospect of all the 2003 draft eligible Swedes."
Pretty well places him in Forsberg comparison territory.
Let's see...Oilers do things differently and they don't have Taylor Hall going to camp for the 2010-11 season.
ReplyDeleteTo tell the truth I don't give a shoot what happened to enable the Oilers to draft the best Canadian junior since Crosby.
The Penguins didn't fare much better the following year in their trade of Marion Hossa (plus Dupuis).
ReplyDeleteThere isn't much of a lucrative market anymore for guys about to turn UFA. You're not going to get anywhere near equal value back.
That said, at the time, I was pretty stunned that the Oilers didn't re-sign Smytty, but sounds like Don Meehan buggered that up by drawing a line in the sand.
I've got mixed feelings as to whether trading Smyth was the right idea or not. I think the moves afterward weren't good enough to follow it up, but at the time, picking up Smyth and the first rounder alone I think were seemingly good value for a guy who would likely be gone by the end of the year, or would swindle more money out of us. GMs can't really use hindsight when making a trade. When the trade was made, I was kind of "uh, we traded for who???" at first though, admittedly.
Now.... saying no to Smyth's $5.5M, or whatever the exact number was, and then giving Horcoff $5.5M, that's a whole other story. But I think it showed that Lowe listens to fans (along with how Pronger was handled after the fan reaction to the Comrie trade, and now how Souray will be handled after the reaction to the Pronger trade). He probably thought the two were equal value and fans would eat him alive if another line in the sand was drawn. But that's a whole other can of worms.
It would have been nice to get one legit prospect and a 2nd rounder.
ReplyDeleteIt sure would have been. How many legit prospects ever get moved at the deadline though?
I can't think of many offhand. Grebeshkov, although he didn't work out for the Islanders. Jorges was part of the Rivet deal, he's been a third pairing guy for Montreal.
I'm probably missing some obvious ones, but mostly prospects traded at the deadline never seem to amount to much.
Dennis: The Pronger trade was twofold, the acquisition of prospects and then spending dollars on replacement defensemen. Lowe traded Pronger without securing Spacek plus. The return on the deal doesn't look good now, and some said it was horrible at the time.
ReplyDeleteI was not one of them. Don't know why we keep going through this, but wanted to man up again for your enjoyment.
RQ: Actually, Nilsson had a stunning year early on, as detailed in this from Redline report:
Redline Report on Draft Day: Scouts and statisticians are making all kinds of lofty predictions when it comes to NHL Central Scouting's ninth-ranked European skater. He's the son of former NHLer Kent Nilsson and with eight goals and 13 assists in 41 games broke Markus Naslund's record for points by a 17-year-old in the Swedish Elite League. At least one scout thinks he's better at his age than Calder Trophy finalist Henrik Zetterberg was. Like his father, he is a gifted passer who should have no trouble becoming the second generation of his family to reach the NHL. He could go late in the first round, however, due to a lack of size.