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Alex Chiasson will be making more money than Alex Semin.

wprager wrote:Alex Chiasson will be making more money than Alex Semin.

not really. Semin is getting 6 million this year.

Either way I'd rather have Chiasson.

Ev wrote:

wprager wrote:Alex Chiasson will be making more money than Alex Semin.

not really. Semin is getting 6 million this year.

Either way I'd rather have Chiasson.

You *know* what I mean. And, no, I don't think there are many that would rather have Chiasson. I would rather have what Chiasson was projecting to be a couple years ago but, but that's not what he is right now. Right now, I'll be happy if he scores 12-15 goals, doesn't take away someone else's, better-deserved powerplay ice time, and goes away. I'd be happier if he actually played like a guy trying to earn $2.475M on his next contract.

Whatever. Pretty sure Alex Semin will be a better PPM player next season than Chiasson. Both will be motivated, too.

BTW, didn't realize that Semin is actually 6'2" and 209 lbs. Habs forwards keep getting bigger.

wprager wrote:

Ev wrote:

wprager wrote:Alex Chiasson will be making more money than Alex Semin.

not really. Semin is getting 6 million this year.

Either way I'd rather have Chiasson.

You *know* what I mean.  And, no, I don't think there are many that would rather have Chiasson.  I would rather have what Chiasson was projecting to be a couple years ago but, but that's not what he is right now.  Right now, I'll be happy if he scores 12-15 goals, doesn't take away someone else's, better-deserved powerplay ice time, and goes away.  I'd be happier if he actually played like a guy trying to earn $2.475M on his next contract.

Whatever.  Pretty sure Alex Semin will be a better PPM player next season than Chiasson.  Both will be motivated, too.

Semin has zero motivation. If he didn't get a contract this year he could just sit at home collecting his $5 million from Carolina.

I'd rather have Chiasson because he isn't a Russian diva who plays when he wants to.

Semin will score more. That's not the point.

Points is 6'4" but soft as butter. Rather have soft Russian player who will make our PP better. A PP clicking at 25%+ is as much a deterrent against rough play than a big guy who plays on the perimeter.

wprager wrote:Points is 6'4" but soft as butter.  Rather have soft Russian player who will make our PP better.  A PP clicking at 25%+ is as much a deterrent against rough play than a big guy who plays on the perimeter.

Chiasson isn't soft. He's not a big time power forward but is not soft. He gets to the dirty areas and can play rough. Playing on the perimeter is just false. That's Semin, a complete cancer to your team.

Chiasson stands in front of the net on the PP. That's as close as he gets to going to the dirty areas. He *is* soft.

wprager wrote:Chiasson stands in front of the net on the PP.  That's as close as he gets to going to the dirty areas.  He *is* soft.

How do you define soft?

DirtyDave wrote:

wprager wrote:Chiasson stands in front of the net on the PP.  That's as close as he gets to going to the dirty areas.  He *is* soft.

How do you define soft?

Someone who doesn't drive the net with the puck, doesn't initiate contact, doesn't push the line in terms of aggressive play. Spezza absorbed a lot of abuse along the boards, so he didn't shy away from those areas. He didn't go into the corners because his play was from the half-board. But although he could take a hit and often did so to make a play, he never initiated the contact nor did he go out of his way to get the puck back. Right now Chiasson is like Spezza but without the PPG.

I realize it's unfair to compare a 1LC to a 3rd line winger but there it is anyway.

wprager wrote:

DirtyDave wrote:

wprager wrote:Chiasson stands in front of the net on the PP.  That's as close as he gets to going to the dirty areas.  He *is* soft.

How do you define soft?

Someone who doesn't drive the net with the puck, doesn't initiate contact, doesn't push the line in terms of aggressive play.  Spezza absorbed a lot of abuse along the boards, so he didn't shy away from those areas.  He didn't go into the corners because his play was from the half-board.  But although he could take a hit and often did so to make a play, he never initiated the contact nor did he go out of his way to get the puck back.  Right now Chiasson is like Spezza but without the PPG.

I realize it's unfair to compare a 1LC to a 3rd line winger but there it is anyway.  

He's like Spezza? lmao. You can keep saying it, but it doesn't make it right - he's not soft. He's like Greening - a physical player but not punishing.

He definitely does drive to the net and go into the corner. He had almost 100 hits. So it's fair to say your comparison is very, very bad and lacking in knowledge.

"Almost 100" -- are you serious? That's your measuring stick? Karlsson had the same number of hits as Chiasson. He's like Greening? Greening had 85 hits (8 fewer) in 26 games. Bobby "I-N-S-E-N-C-I-T-Y" Ryan had more hits. Zibanejad, Pageau, Lazar all had more hits. Pageau and Lazar, well, that's their style. But Chiasson should be closer to Zibanejad -- whom I don't for a second consider a hard player (not on a consistent basis, anyway -- when he plays hard he's great).

Big body, awful puck luck -- this guy should have been out there crashing and banging. Instead he became a perimeter player. I *do* know what I'm talking about. I hope we see the Alex Chiasson we saw the first 20-25 games of the season, but with a bit more puck luck. He was hustling, he was involved, he initiated contact. But by the second half of the season it's like he threw in the towel.

If there's one thing chiasson is good at it's board battles. I must say he can grind.

wprager wrote:"Almost 100" -- are you serious?  That's your measuring stick?  Karlsson had the same number of hits as Chiasson.  He's like Greening?  Greening had 85 hits (8 fewer) in 26 games.  Bobby "I-N-S-E-N-C-I-T-Y" Ryan had more hits.  Zibanejad, Pageau, Lazar all had more hits.  Pageau and Lazar, well, that's their style.  But Chiasson should be closer to Zibanejad -- whom I don't for a second consider a hard player (not on a consistent basis, anyway -- when he plays hard he's great).

Big body, awful puck luck -- this guy should have been out there crashing and banging.  Instead he became a perimeter player.  I *do* know what I'm talking about.  I hope we see the Alex Chiasson we saw the first 20-25 games of the season, but with a bit more puck luck.  He was hustling, he was involved, he initiated contact.  But by the second half of the season it's like he threw in the towel.

your Spezza comparison was just plain stupid, sorry. Spezza is very soft, he never uses his body. He's like Phil Kessel soft. I think he had close to 20 hits last year. Chiasson having close to 100 hits show he actually does use his body. So does Karlsson, who isn't soft, so I don't see your point. Bobby Ryan uses his body a lot and is expected to be a checker (always has been a big body who uses it). Zibanejad is also a hard player and has always been known as a guy with an endless motor. I'm not just talking about hits, Chiasson is known as a guy who gets in front of the net and goes to the dirty areas. Pretty much all his goals were in tight, screening the goalie.

You *don't* know what you're talking about in this case. You are correct that he wasn't good toward the need of the year, but he isn't soft. Softest player on the team would probably be Mike Hoffman.

Exactly, he is soft. He can take a hit so he's not like Phil Kessel at all. Phil won't stick around for a hit, he'll just give up the puck. Spezza will stand at the half-boards and take a hit if he's waiting to make a play. Probably why he's had a couple of back surgeries already. He'd actually save his back if he initiated contact more.

Karlsson isn't soft but he *is* a finesse player who likes to skate out of traffic instead of through it. No-one will accuse Karlsson of being a *hard* player. Zibanejad payed hard for about 20 games and was great. Then he reverted to his usual game and was way less effective.

Chiasson scored 6 of his goals (more than half) on the PP where he was standing in front of the net. He was not scoring them from there because he drove the net (like Pageau, Foligno).

wprager wrote:Exactly, he is soft.  He can take a hit so he's not like Phil Kessel at all.  Phil won't stick around for a hit, he'll just give up the puck.  Spezza will stand at the half-boards and take a hit if he's waiting to make a play.  Probably why he's had a couple of back surgeries already.  He'd actually save his back if he initiated contact more.  

Karlsson isn't soft but he *is* a finesse player who likes to skate out of traffic instead of through it.  No-one will accuse Karlsson of being a *hard* player.  Zibanejad payed hard for about 20 games and was great.  Then he reverted to his usual game and was way less effective.  

Chiasson scored 6 of his goals (more than half) on the PP where he was standing in front of the net.  He was not scoring them from there because he drove the net (like Pageau, Foligno).

Were you a leafs fan before following the Sens?

DirtyDave wrote:

wprager wrote:Exactly, he is soft.  He can take a hit so he's not like Phil Kessel at all.  Phil won't stick around for a hit, he'll just give up the puck.  Spezza will stand at the half-boards and take a hit if he's waiting to make a play.  Probably why he's had a couple of back surgeries already.  He'd actually save his back if he initiated contact more.  

Karlsson isn't soft but he *is* a finesse player who likes to skate out of traffic instead of through it.  No-one will accuse Karlsson of being a *hard* player.  Zibanejad payed hard for about 20 games and was great.  Then he reverted to his usual game and was way less effective.  

Chiasson scored 6 of his goals (more than half) on the PP where he was standing in front of the net.  He was not scoring them from there because he drove the net (like Pageau, Foligno).

Were you a leafs fan before following the Sens?

Whoa! Let's all take a step back here. No need to get personal.

6 yrs, $6.5M per for Stepan. Wowza.