Afinigenov

[hak 21]

i don't think anyone would have predicted that he would produce the way he does this seaso

looks like atlanta were a perfect fit for him

[mjlegend 155]

i don't think anyone would have predicted that he would produce the way he does this seaso

looks like atlanta were a perfect fit for him

Yup. He'll light it up this year and then someone desperate for wingers like Pittsburgh will pay $9 mill for three years and he'll get 70 points tops in those three years combined. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, but he is a good bargain for $800,000. I think they probably signed him with an unwritten wink-wink clause to trade him to a contender if they aren't playoff bound.

It's worth noting four of his points this year were in one game when they blew out the Kings. It's also worth noting he has 23 points in 49 playoff games career. It's further worth noting he has the worst +/- in the Thrashers' top 6 forwards.

[rage 24]

Yeah, I wanted him this offseason.

Great to see he's doing good this season.

[Casey 145]

I seem to remember rumors that he and Datsyuk don't much like each other. If true, that's reason enough to give him a pass.

[Zion 93]

Would make sense. He's a headcase. Very streaky, and lazy at times. Babs would have a field day with him... you thought Huddles had it tough.

I am surprised he signed for so cheap, and am surprised he's played as well as he has with Kovy's line. We'll see, though, it's a long season, and he spent a LOT of time in the doghouse in Buffalo.

[Guest Crymson]

My point was that he obviosuly had talent, and it is very rare that talent rarely leaves a person his age without any signifigant injury. Is it really that hard to grasp? You are right a lot of GM's apparently agreed with you. So far all those GM's have been WRONG, as evidenced by him putting up the most points per cap hit in the league (disregarding entry contracts).

He spent a significant amount of time in the Sabres` doghouse for being absolutely lazy. He is also defensive jelly. In that regard he is incomparable to Williams.

[up2here 41]

I dropped Bert and added Afinegenov to my fantasy team solely because of this thread. Seriously though Afinegenov reminds me a lot of Sergei Samsonov. Boatloads of talent but a bottlecap full of desire. Maybe he's motivated enough to play well this season in Atlanta and get a big contract,maybe not. Either way I would rather have Williams.

[Yzerfan1999 81]

Afinogenov is one of the streakiest players in the league.

I don't like that guys game at all, he is offense first and always struck me as a hot head.

Prospal, on the other hand, would have been a nice addition.

[stevkrause 1,247]

Afinogenov is one of the streakiest players in the league.

I don't like that guys game at all, he is offense first and always struck me as a hot head.

Prospal, on the other hand, would have been a nice addition.

agreed on all accounts.

[Miller Brew 0]

It's really hard to say "Holland should have done this" or "Holland should have done that". I'm sure there is more method to and reasoning behind signing J.willy over "insert.players.name here".

Personally, I think Holland grooms more than players talents, I think he looks into personality, work ethics, and playing style among other things. I'm not suggesting that Afinigenov has personality issues or baggage... but I do think Holland looks deeper into things than what just appears on the surface.

Red Wings pride themselves as a leadership team without the ego-issues. The locker room, from what I understand, is probably one of the most respectful environments in the league.... no "bad apples" that can spread diseases.

Again, I'm not suggesting Afinigenov is a 'bad apple', but I am suggesting that Holland digs much deeper than how many goals a player scored 3-4 years ago. We can speculate all day long why Holland does this and that, but I do believe without a doubt, Holland has method behind his madness.

That said, Williams looked great early on. But as time wore on (mainly after Flip went down) Willy's confidence and 'drive' flew out the window. But we could also point out other players that were sub-par during some of the stretch too... So I don't think it's fair to point a finger at one individual player when the team had bigger issues at the time.

I'm not going to question Holland's decision, instead, I'm going to enjoy watching Red Wing hockey as they rally for a long winning streak.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

He drove this man crazy.

[Blueliner 69]

I think part of his success is because Ilya Kovalchuk has the best one-time shot in the league. His cannon at the back end forces teams to account for him every second. I was at a Thrashers game last year against the Habs and they had one guy with an eye on him at all times. This pretty much makes it a 4 on 3 and allows Afinigenov to find more open space.

[Feldmarschall 9]

Afinogenov is a larger, Russian version of Hudler.

I echo the sentiment for Vinny Prospal. He'd have been a huge pickup.

[Guest Crymson]

Afinogenov is a larger, Russian version of Hudler.

I echo the sentiment for Vinny Prospal. He'd have been a huge pickup.

Would you rather have Babcock and no Prospal or Prospal and no Babcock?

[Kira 451]

Hindsight is always 20/20 as we well know. But I'll tell you this - getting out of Buffalo was the best thing Maxim did for himself. No doubt in my mind of that.