POLL: Which player will have the biggest impact at forward?

NEELY wrote:There is going to be a ton of things tried all year long especially if the team struggles. If I was a betting man (which I am) I would also say Greening is a 3rd line type player but if a guy like Da Costa and Regin are the two he is playing with, or even a Foligno, he could produce at a very respectable clip.

Seriosuly can't wait for the season to start on Sat.

It could honestly go either way though. He's big and talented - he's perfectly suited on a line with say Condra and Z.Smith, but I bet he can be a top 6 at some point in his career. Might as well start when we have a skeletal top 6, right?

Just once I want to see Greening - Spezza - Michalek Diddle some Dung up though.

SpezDispenser wrote:

NEELY wrote:There is going to be a ton of things tried all year long especially if the team struggles. If I was a betting man (which I am) I would also say Greening is a 3rd line type player but if a guy like Da Costa and Regin are the two he is playing with, or even a Foligno, he could produce at a very respectable clip.

Seriosuly can't wait for the season to start on Sat.

It could honestly go either way though. He's big and talented - he's perfectly suited on a line with say Condra and Z.Smith, but I bet he can be a top 6 at some point in his career. Might as well start when we have a skeletal top 6, right?

Just once I want to see Greening - Spezza - Michalek Diddle some Dung up though.

We'll probably see it at MacLean figures out what work and what does not but it won't be regular, that was my point.

shabbs wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

NEELY wrote:There is going to be a ton of things tried all year long especially if the team struggles. If I was a betting man (which I am) I would also say Greening is a 3rd line type player but if a guy like Da Costa and Regin are the two he is playing with, or even a Foligno, he could produce at a very respectable clip.

Seriosuly can't wait for the season to start on Sat.

It could honestly go either way though. He's big and talented - he's perfectly suited on a line with say Condra and Z.Smith, but I bet he can be a top 6 at some point in his career. Might as well start when we have a skeletal top 6, right?

Just once I want to see Greening - Spezza - Michalek Diddle some Dung up though.

We'll probably see it at MacLean figures out what work and what does not but it won't be regular, that was my point.

Does he become the Holmstrom I wonder? Lots of fun stuff to watch for.

Way better skater than Holmstrom. Greening perhaps could become a Ryan Malone type player.

NEELY wrote:Way better skater than Holmstrom. Greening perhaps could become a Ryan Malone type player.

Way better skater than him too. He's an interesting player being so big and so fast. We'll see how MacLean uses him, I really look forward to his coaching + the staff he has (which is stellar on paper).

SpezDispenser wrote:

shabbs wrote:

wprager wrote:I just don't see Greening as top-six, not yet. Butler, for sure -- he'll get a chance at top-six based on last year. Filatov, too. Doesn't leave much room unless you are a possible 2C because the top-4 wingers are Alfredsson, Michalek, Filatov and Butler.

Agreed. Greening will be a bottom-6 player for sure barring something drastic happening in the top 6 like injuries etc...

I really don't think we can say anything for sure. Greening is a big body who's the fastest skater on the team, won't be intimidated and loves to crash the net. If not him, then it'll be Michalek - which is fair, but there's no reason it can't be Greening. Especially considering it's Paul McLean who has a lot of experience with guys like Holmstrom and Franzen being effective. Maybe it'll only be on the PP, but I'm confident he'll use Greening with Spezza numerous times during the season.

You've pretty much described your prototypical third or fourth liner. He needs to skate not just fast but be able to stop quickly, change direction, dispy-doodle, all while handling the puck. And that hard shot has to be on the net and low enough for a deflection. He had a little success last year but coming up through the minors he was not a huge goal scorer.

Now, give him a few years and we'll see what his hands are like. Guys like Holmstrom and Franzen may look like they just screen the goalies and collect the garbage but they have tremendous hand/eye coordination and very good hockey sense. Like I said at the start of this paragraph, give him a few years and we'll see, but I don't think he's earned a top-six spot yet.

Yeah, it can go either way for Greening. He looked like he had a little mojo with Spezza, but we'll see what happens throughout pre-season. I like the thought of having that weapon on line 3 anyway - to start out anyway.