Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
I think you're being really optimistic on that one.
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I don't think so at all. Huberdeau and Barkov were both top 5 picks, destined to be top line players in the NHL.
The trade happened on February 26th. Jagr was matched with Barkov and Huberdeau right away. Here are the PPGs for Barkov and Huberdeau both before and after the trade.
Barkov up to Feb 26th: 9 goals, 12 assists, 21 points, 50 GP.
PPG-0.42
Barkov after Feb 26th: 7 goals, 8 assists, 15 points, 21 GP.
PPG-0.71
Huberdeau up to Feb 26th: 9 goals, 24 assists, 33 points, 58 GP.
PPG-0.57
Huberdeau after Feb 26th: 6 goals, 15 assists, 21 points, 21 GP.
PPG-1.00
His impact was felt immediately for those two, and if you watched the games you could see him coaching their offensive decision making on the bench between shifts. Gallant is a great coach, but he's mostly a defensively oriented coach, hence the massive improvement to defensive systems and individual play of a team that was near the basement in that regard.
They already had Bjugstad as a quality 2nd line center who had a 24 goal campaign in his 2nd full year, and Jimmy Hayes who scored 19 goals in also his 2nd full year. Brandon Pirri didn't get regular game action or ice time until after the trade deadline because there were so many veterans on the roster. After the deadline, Pirri scored 13 goals in 21 games, and ended up with 22 goals in 49 games on the year. Now, he only had 2 assists, but he's a pure goal scorer. They also have Jussi Jokinen, Dave Bolland, Scottie Upshall, and Derek McKenzie as quality supporting veterans.
The defense improved vastly with the addition of Willie Mitchell who taught the entire d-group how to play defense. Even Kulikov looked like a stalwart defender under his guidance. Ekblad is an absolute stud who's already arrived as a top pairing defender, and they have young promising d-men like Gudbranson, Kampfer, Petrovic, and another two studs coming from the NCAA in Ian McCoshen and Mike Matheson.
Luongo was very good all year long and he'll be around for the long haul, so they have plenty of time to find a replacement goaltender for him when he declines.
Not only that, the team had a work ethic and resiliency similar, but not equal to, the Flames this year.
I find it kind of funny how people can see all the attributes that make the Flames a team on the rise in the NHL, but yet fail to see it in a team like the Panthers because they're in the sun belt. You'd better start paying attention. They could have a jump similar to what the Islanders did this year.
