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Originally Posted by JayP
No I suggest we target the best players to fit our needs. Who they play for and how well that team is doing is irrelevant.
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It certainly is relevant. Playing on a winning team = playoff experience. Strong playoff performers = guys you want. Guys who were major contributors to a Stanley Cup victory often command respect in the locker room. Say the Flames kept Bouwmeester and the Flames made the playoffs this season. You're Brodie and he just had a bad first playoff game, who would you listen to? Sarich or Bouwmeester?
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayP
There are plenty of fine players who are on losing organizations because of the lack of talent around them. Conversely, there are plenty of over-rated players playing over their heads because the talent around them. It's the GM's job to identify which guys are which. Obviously better teams will have better players, but they also keep around the biggest contributors and discard the dead weight. It's a balancing act.
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I don't disagree. Like I said, on winning teams you want to identify players who are reasons for their team's success and on losing teams you want to identify guys who are not the reasons for their team's failures.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayP
Yes there are guys with NHL talent that don't crack the NHL because of their work ethic - that's kind of my whole point. Those guys get weeded out before they make the show. There are exceptions, but I'd say they are few and far between.
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You missed my point. I said "there are plenty of guys with the talent to crack the NHL but whose work ethic prevents them from reaching their potential." The point is those guys do make it to the NHL. They just don't become the players they are capable of being. An example would be someone like Semin.
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Originally Posted by JayP
Again, the fact that you bring up one of the hardest workers in the league in Ovechkin simply proves this whole "winners" and "hates to lose" stuff is garbage. The guy has 61 points and 31 goals in only 58 playoff games, but he has one bad playoff (in which he had a 3.3% shooting percentage) and all of sudden he doesn't put in the effort required. It's basically a tool anyone can use to discredit someone in spite of an actual argument against them (which is pretty much one lazy backcheck against the Rangers - something a guy like Iginla has done many times in the past, but is quickly forgotten).
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I would argue that Ovechkin WAS one of the hardest workers in the league. His work ethic has come into question precisely because he doesn't work as hard as he used to.
http://http://www.sportingnews.com/n...layoff-chances
Iginla has indeed been a floater in recent years and is nothing like he was in terms of work ethic, but that can be attributed to old age as his body simply can't take the type of punishment he took when he was in his prime and stay healthy.