Quote:
Originally Posted by Crown Royal
Lots of players are drafted as centers and play very little center in the NHL. Jiri Hudler was drafted as a center. Michael Frolik was drafted as a center. Jeff Skinner was drafted as a center. Being drafted as a center means somewhere between zero and #### all. The fact of the matter is even when the Hurricanes had poor center depth, Lindholm was used as a winger. He was traded here and again, used as a winger. His actual amount of time as a center is pretty small.
We hear about disappointing playoff performances for tons of players, until we don't. Lots of guys start slow and then become better in the playoffs as they get older. ROR was a playoff failure, then he won a Conn Smyth. Ovechkin, playoff failure, then he wins a Conn Smythe. And why aren't you crapping on Lindholm's playoff performance? He was every bit as bad as Gaudreau and Monahan in the past 2 playoffs.
I agree this team is close, but part of that is Gaudreau and Monahan. We need to add to our top group, not take away from it and make changes that are reminiscent of someone playing NHL 20 just because you are to daft to see the improvements made by the top line in this years playoff, especially on the defensive end.
I get it, you are one of those people who think the grass is always greener. But what you are suggesting is like laying down astroturf and calling it grass.
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Honestly, I get your point about about Lindholm, but I don’t accept it. It doesn’t even matter if Lindholm has ever played center or not, if he’s good at it, which based on what I’ve seen, he is, then that’s it. Pierre Luc Dubois played half a season of center in junior and Columbus still thought he’d make a great center, which he has been.
Also, how was Ryan O’Reilly a playoff failure exactly? In his first playoff series, he was a rookie, so lack of production can be excused. In his second attempt as a 23 year old, he had 6 points in 7 games. Hardly a failure. If anything, he struggles more so in the regular season and then picks up his game in the playoffs which makes sense to me as the style of his play is more suited to the playoffs over the run and gun regular season. Monahan & Gaudreau on the other-hand have shown the exact opposite.
Lastly, yes, Lindholm has been subpar in the playoffs so far which is why I don’t have him on my untouchables list. If he could be packaged up for an elite #1 center, then by all means. But at the moment, he’s the Flames leading scorer and most complete player. He has a lot of dimensions to his game on top of a wicked contract, so it’s hard to imagine Treliving looking to get rid of him.
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