504Heater wrote:I can't believe I was at work - and busy - so that I couldn't see this unfold. Frank...I said I'd be in the shower when this all went down.
I went scouting around for numbers when this broke (in the 5 minutes I had to myself) and I noticed a lot of the things that DW was saying. 25 minutes per game? Wow, that's a lot of minutes. I think we can reduce those to 20-22 max, but it's nice to know that he can log those kinds of minutes.
He ran the PP most of the year like DW was saying, but I'm sure he was affected by the return of Boyle and probably missed out on some point there. If he makes first unit PP here, I think he can have some fun. I doubt 35-42 points are out of the question. And that's pretty much more than Mez has ever put up. Not to mention he had 15 goals in 06/07. I like the 131 blocked shots a lot too, means he's willing to sacrifice. I love that, I really do. When I heard he could be outmuscled, one of the first things I thought I'd see was like...40 blocked shots, but this guy likes to take rubber.
As for Picard, this guy's the key to the deal IMO. He's really nasty, loves to explode through guys and has a pretty good, accurate shot. He just hasn't put it all completely together. If Hartsburg can get him humming, he's a sick number 5 D-man to go with Jason Smith, who can show him the ropes. This is the guy that all TB fans are unhappy about losing...this is a fact.
As for the 1st rounder, I love having 2 first rounders. Are you kidding me? That's spectacular. It means that Murray might let it go for a superstar rental at the deadline, or McAmmond, Nycholat and a 1st could be packaged for something now. Or we use our great scouting staff to pick 2 potential top 4, top 6 or starting goalie. That's how it's done guys...I mean, you must restock the cupboards. And if you give away a 1st, you better have another (TB, good call here). Make no mistake, this is a powerful pick.
But...if the rumours are true about Mez signing a 6 year/4 million a year package...well the shift starts to go to even or to TB. That's a great package for a young, good D-man. It's a massive risk too, but it's one I would take. And if Murray was offering 3.5 X 5, then surely he would've gone to 4 X 6. I think this deal must be more than that. Otherwise, why not sign him to a 4 X 6 and then see how he does in year one? If the terms of the package are correct, this is the thing I don't understand.
TB loses out by replacing Boyle with Mez and losing Kuba. I mean...how stupid do you have to be? Your D sucks to begin with.
Anyway, that's my long-winded take.
If by "really nasty" you mean to suggest Picard is a physical player, I think you've been misled by someone.
Phoenix posted this link earlier:
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/alexandre_picard
If that assessment has any merit, then the one knock on Picard is that he "plays small for a bigger guy," i.e., he's
not a physical presence and he
doesn't use his size effectively.
IF this assessment is right, of course.
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