NHL'S Top 10 most likely breakout players

[Drake_Marcus 890]

No, he's 6th. I don't give a good f*** about a little technicality that allows you to all-too-gleefully call him 8th in scoring. 40 points is 40 points. The goals only matter in game day topics, and arguments when overreactors want a scape goat. Points are points. Look at Datsyuk, or players like him like Thornton and Savard. Theyre points guys but arent goal scorers. Fil is that type of player. Hell from the first couple games I saw from Fil in GR I could see a ton of Datsyuk in him. I still do.

I guess my rant was cute enough that you dodged the whole thing. Fil should not be receiving any flack for what he is doing. He is going out there and doing what he has been told. Considering the circumstances I ran down, he actually has done damn well. 60 points is not out of the question if they actually give him PP time instead of putting him out there on the PK and then telling him next shift to play D the whole time.

Now that I think about it, Eaves signing may be a good way to egt Fil off the PK and onto the PP where he shouldve always been anyway.

You should write a letter to the NHL and tell them they're listing things incorrectly on NHL.com.

You still seem to think he's asked to sacrifice scoring more so than other players. It's interesting because Datsyuk and Zetterberg manage to put up impressive point totals when asked to do the exact same thing. Sometimes he plays on the checking line. Cool. When he's there he's asked to be defensively responsible. Is he asked to be more defensively responsible than any other Red Wings centre 5-on-5? Not really.

Filppula spent at least half of last season centering the second line, and he spent more than half of the season before centering the second line. The only times when he's moved down is when he's playing inconsistently or not putting up offensive numbers (see the first half of last season). Filppula has always had the most chances out of all of the recent rookies to prove himself. He's consistently given the greatest number of opppertunities of all the young Red Wings. Hudler consistently outplays Filppula offensively but always remains in Babcock's doghouse. Face it- Filppula is the golden child when it comes to ice time. He's always been given fists full of ice time. Your PP time arguments are flawed-- Filppula's been given plenty of time to find his niche on the PP:

2006-2007: TOI/G: 11:15, PP TOI/G: 0:47, SH TOI/G: 0:46 (PP points: 0 g, 0 a, 0 pts, last in team pp scoring)

2007-2008: TOI/G: 16:57, PP TOI/G: 1:49, SH TOI/G: 1:13 (PP points: 3 g, 5 a, 8 pts, 10th in team pp scoring)

2008-2009: TOI/G: 16:06, PP TOI/G: 0:47, SH TOI/G: 1:45, (PP points: 1 g, 3 a, 4 pts, 11th in team pp scoring)

Filppula lost time on the PP this season because he didn't show "enough" offensively on the PP to earn it. Simple as that. Babcock would love to give Hudler's time to Filppula, but Filppula just didn't perform well enough offensively when put on the PP to bump someone else off the list.

You seem to think he's elite offensively. That's neat. He hasn't shown it to me or Babcock (or Babs would put him on the PP more often), but I'm glad he's convinced you.

You and I don't agree. Sounds fine to me. Let's just leave it at that.

[titanium2 867]

You and I don't agree. Sounds fine to me. Let's just leave it at that.

NO! It's summer time and I'm bored! We're supposed to argue until I get sleepy, wake up, and then do it all over again tomorrow until Kenny signs Prospal. And if that doesn't happen, we'll argue about that! If you think you're going to let me become bored you got another thing coming! That's right. I'm an internet tough guy.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

NO! It's summer time and I'm bored! We're supposed to argue until I get sleepy, wake up, and then do it all over again tomorrow until Kenny signs Prospal. And if that doesn't happen, we'll argue about that! If you think you're going to let me become bored you got another thing coming! That's right. I'm an internet tough guy.

I'm just tired of arguing with people that Filppula isn't the second coming of Datsyuk. Some people on here are obviously convinced he has amazing hands and just hasn't managed to show us that empirically. I'm sticking with the reasonable conclusion that his career is pointing towards a strong two-way centre who can anchor the 2nd line. Apparently that makes me a blasphemer.

[numberthirtynine 0]

You should write a letter to the NHL and tell them they're listing things incorrectly on NHL.com.

No they're doing fine. As a way to separate players with equal points, goals is fine. But when it comes time to judge the player, aside from stats on a sheet where the goals matter less than his style of play and points, the goals mean s***.

You still seem to think he's asked to sacrifice scoring more so than other players. It's interesting because Datsyuk and Zetterberg manage to put up impressive point totals when asked to do the exact same thing.

I already brought this up. Not everyone is Hank or Pavel. Almost no one is. Aside from Brind'Amour Selke type players are always in that 40 point range. Playing D will just take a toll on your stats unless you're a superstar which I'm sure you won't condemn Fil for not being. Lest we bring salaries into the conversation, but don't forget who is getting paid around 7 mil until they're old men and who is getting paid 3.

Sometimes he plays on the checking line. Cool. When he's there he's asked to be defensively responsible. Is he asked to be more defensively responsible than any other Red Wings centre 5-on-5? Not really.

More than Franzen, Sammy and Hudler? s*** yeah I'd say so. There's a reason those three aren't playing damn near the most PK minutes per game.

Filppula spent at least half of last season centering the second line, and he spent more than half of the season before centering the second line. The only times when he's moved down is when he's playing inconsistently or not putting up offensive numbers (see the first half of last season).

A second line with players bouncing all over the place. I've always liked how Babcock will get different players with other different players on differing lines to see how it works out but it doesn't always help every player. Fil really suffered from never finding chemistry with anyone. For a kid who is still trying to find himself here we've not exactly been accommodating.

Filppula has always had the most chances out of all of the recent rookies to prove himself. He's consistently given the greatest number of opppertunities of all the young Red Wings. Hudler consistently outplays Filppula offensively but always remains in Babcock's doghouse.

Hudler, probably our least defensive forward who has been called lazy without it being an inside joke. Yeah great comparison. Fil's been given chances in the way that stats will make it appear he has but when you're young and being asked to play defensively all the time, not to mention kill penalties more than anyone outside Draper, you expect him to play like Hudler? Why not examine what the relevant players do when they play the whole game at even strength(and don't kill as many penalties).

Hudler - 29 even strength points

Sammy - 20 ES points

Cleary - 34 ES points

Filppula - 36 ES points

Hell why not look at Franzen and Hank? They had 40 and 43 respectively. And Hank not to mention was only +13. Lower point production? Plus/minus only what? 3 or 4 away from Fils? Sounds like a guy playing non stop D to me....but got PP chances. I left out Pavs because we can and should all agree, he's a freak of nature who is the best player in the league today everything considered.

Now you're telling me you don't think those point totals will increase of he stops playing almost 2 minutes a game on the PK, almost more than anyone else, and gets that time replaced with PP time like most of our big guys get? C'mon man. You don't think, if given at least a minute per game, he wouldn't product a PP point once every 4 games and go up to 60 points this season? He could do that by accident with the kind of guys he's playing with. I think his playoff run proved to many people he's quite obviously maturing, now if he builds some decent chemistry with some linemates and maybe sees one of those guys on the PP with him, it'll nto only be great for his point totals but it'd be more than we'd given him before. Some guys just take awhile and this site os so wrong so often when predicting stuff like this that if we think Fil will fall flat, s***, we'd better prepare for 60 points.

2006-2007: TOI/G: 11:15, PP TOI/G: 0:47, SH TOI/G: 0:46 (PP points: 0 g, 0 a, 0 pts, last in team pp scoring)

2007-2008: TOI/G: 16:57, PP TOI/G: 1:49, SH TOI/G: 1:13 (PP points: 3 g, 5 a, 8 pts, 10th in team pp scoring)

2008-2009: TOI/G: 16:06, PP TOI/G: 0:47, SH TOI/G: 1:45, (PP points: 1 g, 3 a, 4 pts, 11th in team pp scoring)

Wow, I'm here to have a neutral unbiased discussion and you're obviously out to paint Fil as something he's not. For someone who posts here with such an arrogant attitude I thought you'd bring more than politician tactics. You bring up his rank in scoring but why not anything else? How the hell is 47 seconds a fist full of PP time? Lmmfao. That's Tomas Kopecky type time on the PP. The f*** is he supposed to do with that?I don't care if he was given 1:49 one year. It was one year. For a developing kid. Christ almighty talk about exhibiting the type of impatience this board is known for. Look at his PK time for f***s sake, that just proves my point.

Filppula lost time on the PP this season because he didn't show "enough" offensively on the PP to earn it. Simple as that.

Yeah it had nothing to do with getting Hossa and us happening to have other very good PP options. You don't play much D on the PP and for an offensively based player like Hudler, that'd be his bread and butter. Now that Hudler is gone why do you think we signed a penalty killer? Maybe to get Fil off of the PK.

You seem to think he's elite offensively. That's neat.

You seem to have trouble interpreting what someone is saying. That's also neat.

I'm just tired of arguing with people that Filppula isn't the second coming of Datsyuk. Some people on here are obviously convinced he has amazing hands and just hasn't managed to show us that empirically.

god you're such a schmuck. get over yourself. if you got paid for sitting here and smelling your own farts it'd be a full time job.

Edited August 5, 2009 by numberthirtynine