[Game Takes] Does Dillon Dube have another level?

[Calgary4LIfe]

It is not uncommon for young players to take a bit more time to ramp up. Consistency is key with Dube, and there is no reason to expect he will suddenly be consistent, but there is no reason to think that he won't find consistency either. That's just how development works sometimes.


What we do see is a nice set of tools:

• He is fast - great skater and I think he uses his edges well
• Fantastic motor - he doesn't give up on plays, even if he misreads some plays or gets over-eager and puts himself out of position. Watch him from the start to the end of a shift - he doesn't glide very often. He is always (as Roger Millions loved to say) moving his feet.
• Decent shot - I wouldn't say he is a lethal sniper, but he gets his shot off nice. Contrast that to someone like Marcus Granlund (I know - way back in time) when he was trying to break out - he probably had the hardest and most accurate wrister at the time, but he couldn't get it off quickly. Dube does, and now and then it can be lethal. Lindholm dramatically improved his shot with some work, and I bet Dube will see a notable improvement if he puts in the work
• "Coachable" - this might go over people's heads, but compare and contrast Dube's attitude with Baertschi. Dube follows direction. Baesrtshi continued to do what he thought made him successful in junior only.
• Physical - this won't make him a superstar, but this will add to his repertoire to be an impact player.

Know who I see in Dube? Lindholm. No, I don't see a #1 centre in the making, but I see a lot of similar traits in their games. I am glad that Sutter is here to help him work on his overall game. I am not sure if he will ever be an impact player, but if he manages to turn into a reliable 2-way, fast and physical centre capable of putting up ~20 goals a season and being a plus player most nights, that's considerable value. Flames traded a 2nd, a 3rd and a 7th last season for a couple month's work of exactly that, and it didn't work out. I hope Dube does.


As others like EE have stated, night and day player in the first half of the season vs the second half. You didn't need stats - advanced or simple counting stats - to figure that out. He was a much more effective player in the 2nd half of the game if you only consider his impact or 'authority' on the ice. In the first half, he was a more passive player who was more unnoticeable unless he was making a mistake. Very 'replacement level' type of player. 2nd half he looked like he was a cornerstone in the making - he was having a positive impact on the flow of the game on most shifts. Excellent player who seemed to be 'coming out'.



(I won't speak about the looming off-ice issue that is being investigated, however - innocent until proven guilty, but I hope there is a formal investigation and I hope that the guilty parties are identified and convicted, and I obviously hope that he isn't involved).

[Calgary4LIfe]

Sorry guys, I only had Word installed

[Snuffleupagus]

I see 40g 75a 115pts

[bubbsy]

I thought dubs would have hit the next level in his progression by now.

I'm done pencilling him to a 2md line role. Bottom 6 player at this point.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Yeah, sorry SuperMatt, but he clearly asked for Excel

At least he could have delivered it as a csv so Lanny could import into excel himself.
I mean that's just common decency.

[CliffFletcher]

Dube can skate and he doesn’t give up on plays. But he’s gotta get stronger on his skates - he gets dumped on his ass almost as much as Kylington. Makes it tough for him to be effective in the cycle game.

[belsarius]

I see Dube on a similar progression as Mangiapane.

Dube is 3 years younger and has played basically one less season. When we compare them on straight stats,

First 3 seasons M played 122 games to D 121
M had 45 points to D 43
Shoot% was M@ 13.8% D@10.8%

4th season Mangiapane took a bit of a bigger jump
Games played: M had 56 and D 79
Both ended up with 32 points in their 4th seasons but M did it in a lot less games to be sure
Shoot% was M@19.7% and D@12.6%

Not identical paths, and I didn't dig into situational differences like PP time for the season 4 differences.

What I do notice is a similar progression over their first 4 years, Mangiapane had a better 4th year, but he also had a couple extra years of maturity. So yes, along with all the fancier stats already posted, I think Dube is progressing well and does have another level in him to push into the 25g 50pt range of a second line winger.

[ForeverFlameFan]

I personally think he does. He has worked his *** off in the two-way department, still needs to work on it, but I think he’s become better. And towards the latter half of the season he went off. I too agree that he seems to be in the similar trajectory as Mangiapane. Hoping he continues to improve.

[Flamesfan05]

I think it’s the consistency, there were games that he looked like a future star
And there were games, one wondered why he was not in the AHL

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Unless they sign someone as a UFA, he will almost certainly get the opportunity. What is interesting to me is whether he can carve out a role as a 2/3 centre. I am reasonable confident he won’t tap out as a 32 point guy.

[OptimalTates]

It’s obviously extremely binary, he either is or he isn’t, but can we at least agree not to support him or the Flames as long as he is a member if he ends up being one of the John Does?

I’m sure a lot of fans of these players will go the route of saying they were never found guilty. Which to me means they can join the likes of OJ and Bill Cosby as not having to face legal repercussions. Doesn’t mean we need to cheer for them.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Anyone involved should be kicked out of the league

[Zoller]

That hit from Gudbranson (where Hamonic fought him and got his jaw broken) ruined his confidence at the NHL level.

[MrMike]

I just don’t see it, But I hope he proves me wrong. I think without Gaudreau a lot of how this team plays and gets their offence will change, so it will be interesting to see who will step up and take a bigger role that’s up for grabs.

[AC]

Dube has shown a few flashes of outright dominance, so I have high hopes still.

Shocking to see he finished with 18 goals last year because it felt like he couldn't score all year, looking at his game log:

First 45 games: 4 goals + 7 assists. (0.24 PPG)
Last 34 games: 14 goals + 7 assists. (0.62 PPG)

Or you could break it up like this:
First 56 games: 6 goals + 9 assists. (0.27 PPG)
Last 23 games: 12 goals + 5 assists. (0.74 PPG)

Sneaky big hitter too:

[GioforPM]

I have been on and off the Dube train. He tends to take two steps forward and 1.5 steps back. Darryl has seemed rather perturbed by his responses at times. He’s got the one tool lacking overall on the team - raw speed - and he is not shy physically. I think Sutter dislikes the needless penalties from time to time and maybe overplaying the puck. The Hockey Canada deal is a concern.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Anyone involved should be kicked out of the league

I absolutely agree. I just don't see it happening though unfortunately.

[gvitaly]

I’m certain Dube has another level. He has shown flashes of greatness, it comes down to consistency. I thought he was one of our best players going into the playoffs… so another step in his development is a matter of time.

Furthermore, Sutter always refers to Dube as a really well coached player. I think that speaks to the potential Sutter sees in him. Dube just needs a more consistent role and linemates and his game will be better and more consistent as a result.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I feel like I'm missing something.

just the way he said some positive news...seems like nothing is going right for the Flames. Dube being the captain of the infamous world junior team that is under investigation. Hopefully he had nothing to do with it.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I have been on and off the Dube train. He tends to take two steps forward and 1.5 steps back. Darryl has seemed rather perturbed by his responses at times. He’s got the one tool lacking overall on the team - raw speed - and he is not shy physically. I think Sutter dislikes the needless penalties from time to time and maybe overplaying the puck. The Hockey Canada deal is a concern.

... and it's also what's missing from the top line. I wonder if there'd be enough chemistry to put him on LW with Tkachuk and Lindholm and leave Mangiapane with Backlund.