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Flippula vs Hudler

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Filppula has never played on a line without at least one player who outperformed him. Hudler has almost always been the best player on his line.

This season is Filppula's real breakout offensively, plus he started the season playing with Franzen and a rejuvenated Bertuzzi. Hudler opened the season playing on a line with linemates he never had the opportunity to play with before in Modano and Cleary. Mo and Clears were just as cold as Huds was at the start of the year, because none of the three played a full preseason due to injuries.

So it's not really a fair comparison at this point to take a guy who started out hot and compare him to a guy who started out cold. But for those of you who haven't been paying attention, Filppula was on pace for 45 points coming into tonight. Putting Hudler on his line sure seems to have helped him and Franzen out of that slump they were in.

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Filppula has never played on a line without at least one player who outperformed him. Hudler has almost always been the best player on his line.

This season is Filppula's real breakout offensively, plus he started the season playing with Franzen and a rejuvenated Bertuzzi. Hudler opened the season playing on a line with linemates he never had the opportunity to play with before in Modano and Cleary. Mo and Clears were just as cold as Huds was at the start of the year, because none of the three played a full preseason due to injuries.

So it's not really a fair comparison at this point to take a guy who started out hot and compare him to a guy who started out cold. But for those of you who haven't been paying attention, Filppula was on pace for 45 points coming into tonight. Putting Hudler on his line sure seems to have helped him and Franzen out of that slump they were in.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. When will this end? Flip avergages 5 minutes more per game than Hudler. Wouldnt you agree that the best forwards log the most ice time? I'd say you would have an argument if it was 1 or 2 minutes more, but 5? thats 10-12 more shifts. Give it up, guys.

And point production is not the determining factor here.

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Guest Heaten

Filppula is the type of player a team needs to be competitive year in, year out. He's the ultimate role player that helps make this team elite. I think Filppula is one of, if not the most underrated player on this team.

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Even I said "Really? This shouldn't even be allowed as a thread" when I saw it. This has been overplayed....

When it was "Fils-Leino-Huds..." that was one thing. Fils is the better player between the two....I was glad to see Hudler moved up and not down. We have all seen what has happened to the Wing's 3rd and 4th liners when they left this great team...they went to 3rd & 2nd lines and have played awesome. It's all a matter of what Babcock can figure out about who plays better with who. I was skeptical about Hudler/Modano paring, just b/c Hudler was familiar with the other teamer and the third line, but then trowing someone (old) new in there...you just never know...there can be a connection or not...I don't think the playing connection was there on the third. Obvioulsy not on the 4th. If Huds is good enough for Babs to be on the PP.....then he should place him on a line with some of the more Sr. players. Hey Assist on the first goal....way to go Huds.

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This has been debated ad nauseum over the past 5-6 years, and I do realize that it is a relatively pointless debate being that we have both players. But are the die hard Hudler supporters ready to put this one to bed and eat crow?

:D

There is one player that is better than both these guys.

Jason Williams.

That's right I said it.

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They have different skillsets and different roles, but both are equally valuable when they are playing with confidence. I have always been more of a Filppula supporter myself (just a matter of personal preference) but as long as both wear the Winged Wheel I will cheer them on whole-heartedly. By the way, if Hudler keeps playing the way he did tonight, going into the corners, holding on to the puck, creating space and time to make plays, then his confidence will continue to rise and the goals will come. The beauty of Filppula's game is that he doesn't need to score in order to be effective, but he does seem to be becoming more of a scoring threat lately.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah. When will this end? Flip avergages 5 minutes more per game than Hudler. Wouldnt you agree that the best forwards log the most ice time? I'd say you would have an argument if it was 1 or 2 minutes more, but 5? thats 10-12 more shifts. Give it up, guys.

And point production is not the determining factor here.

Last season Niklas Kronwall was the second best defenseman on the team. He played the fourth-most minutes per game.

In the 2007 playoffs, Chris Pronger played the most of any Anaheim defenseman. Scott Niedermayer won the Conn Smythe.

Clearly, minutes per game are an undeniable indicator of who is better, and we can simply stop recording other stats.

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Filppula has never played on a line without at least one player who outperformed him.

That is such bulls***. Not only was Filppula was the best player on his line tonight, the entire year last year up until he played with Zetterberg he was the best player on his line.

Saying that Hudler has almost always been the best player on his line is also a complete farce. When he plays with scrubs on the fourth line (there is a reason that happens) sure, but it's not like when he plays in the top 6 he's always the best. In fact, when he plays in the top 6 (rare), he isn't really EVER the best. Not to mention he got scratched 2 games, but I'm sure that was because he was the best player on his line and he wanted to give Modano and Clears a chance to catch up to the level Huddles was playing at.

Filppula was on pace for 45 points coming into tonight.

Versus Hudler's rocking 22 point pace before this game? Versus Hudler's 27 point pace AFTER the game?

Edited by Z and D for the C

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By the way, if Hudler keeps playing the way he did tonight, going into the corners, holding on to the puck, creating space and time to make plays,

He's been doing that stuff all season; the problem as far as production he was having is that nobody on the Huds/Modo/Clears line could get the puck in the net while it was together. All three seem to be doing much better since it has been split up, so it may very well have been a chemistry issue.

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All three seem to be doing much better since it has been split up, so it may very well have been a chemistry issue.

You mean the third line has actually been producing since Hudler was taken off? When Abdelkader was put in the line got goals and the same now with Bertuzzi. The odd man out is Hudler, sorry.

Hudler looked good tonight and made a great play to set up Flip's goal, but your beliefs that Hudler would be better than Gretzky if he was a few inches taller are ridiculous, as is your entire perspective on Hudler.

Edited by Z and D for the C

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That is such bulls***. Not only was Filppula was the best player on his line tonight, the entire year last year up until he played with Zetterberg he was the best player on his line.

Saying that Hudler has almost always been the best player on his line is also a complete farce. When he plays with scrubs on the fourth line (there is a reason that happens) sure, but it's not like when he plays in the top 6 he's always the best. In fact, when he plays in the top 6 (rare), he isn't really EVER the best. Not to mention he got scratched 2 games, but I'm sure that was because he was the best player on his line and he wanted to give Modano and Clears a chance to catch up to the level Huddles was playing at.

Versus Hudler's rocking 22 point pace before this game? Versus Hudler's 27 point pace AFTER the game?

Filppula's most common line last season was Filppula/Zetterberg/Bertuzzi. Maybe he didn't play all year on that line, but he played on it more than any other.

As for Filppula's scoring pace being better than Hudler's;

I have stated before that it is too early to compare the two based on stats, especially given that Hudler is in a major scoring slump compared to his normal production while Filppula started the season hot with a hot Franzen and a rejuvenated Bertuzzi. And something of note? In the six games coming into tonight, Filppula had one goal and no assists. Hudler had no goals and one assist. Acting like Filppula's big numbers came from anything but a few hot games to start the year is deceptive.

As for the "it's not like when he plays in the top six he's always the best" that comment has no bearing. How about let's put Hudler in the top six for more than two games and find out what happens? He's been very effective in every one of the four or five games he's gotten to play in that role. So why not give him the chance?

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He's been doing that stuff all season; the problem as far as production he was having is that nobody on the Huds/Modo/Clears line could get the puck in the net while it was together. All three seem to be doing much better since it has been split up, so it may very well have been a chemistry issue.

So the problem as far as production was that no one was producing? How profound. :P

As for the topic, Flip is a better player overall no question, but Hudler has more offensive talent. Nothing to debate really.

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Filppula has never played on a line without at least one player who outperformed him. Hudler has almost always been the best player on his line.

This season is Filppula's real breakout offensively, plus he started the season playing with Franzen and a rejuvenated Bertuzzi. Hudler opened the season playing on a line with linemates he never had the opportunity to play with before in Modano and Cleary. Mo and Clears were just as cold as Huds was at the start of the year, because none of the three played a full preseason due to injuries.

So it's not really a fair comparison at this point to take a guy who started out hot and compare him to a guy who started out cold. But for those of you who haven't been paying attention, Filppula was on pace for 45 points coming into tonight. Putting Hudler on his line sure seems to have helped him and Franzen out of that slump they were in.

This fanaticism is getting tiring, Eva. You can admit for once that Hudler is not a god.

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Filppula's most common line last season was Filppula/Zetterberg/Bertuzzi. Maybe he didn't play all year on that line, but he played on it more than any other.

As for Filppula's scoring pace being better than Hudler's;

I have stated before that it is too early to compare the two based on stats, especially given that Hudler is in a major scoring slump compared to his normal production while Filppula started the season hot with a hot Franzen and a rejuvenated Bertuzzi. And something of note? In the six games coming into tonight, Filppula had one goal and no assists. Hudler had no goals and one assist. Acting like Filppula's big numbers came from anything but a few hot games to start the year is deceptive.

As for the "it's not like when he plays in the top six he's always the best" that comment has no bearing. How about let's put Hudler in the top six for more than two games and find out what happens? He's been very effective in every one of the four or five games he's gotten to play in that role. So why not give him the chance?

Do you even remember last year? He played with Z and Bertuzzi for like 20 games to end the season. Before that it was a mix of Leino/Williams/Cleary/Bertuzzi/Miller/Ritola/Abdelkader. He was by far the best player with any combination, and his production showed that.

So you can disregard Hudler's cold streak but not Filppula's? How convenient for you.

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You mean the third line has actually been producing since Hudler was taken off? When Abdelkader was put in the line got goals and the same now with Bertuzzi. The odd man out is Hudler, sorry.

Hudler looked good tonight and made a great play to set up Flip's goal, but your beliefs that Hudler would be better than Gretzky if he was a few inches taller are ridiculous, as is your entire perspective on Hudler.

Abdelkader and Bertuzzi didn't make Modano or Cleary suddenly able to hit the net. Hudler set them up with plenty of opportunities earlier in the year that were completely blown, or Hudler was in great shooting position and Cleary or Modano either made a poor shot, didn't pass, or blew the pass. That kind of stuff has nothing to do with Hudler. Abdelkader has been great, and Bertuzzi has looked better than he has since Vancouver, but that doesn't mean Hudler's a terrible player. If Brett Hull gets in great scoring position every shift for 10 games, but he only scores 2 goals and both on individual efforts because his center is Shawn Burr, is that Hull's fault?

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Abdelkader and Bertuzzi didn't make Modano or Cleary suddenly able to hit the net. Hudler set them up with plenty of opportunities earlier in the year that were completely blown, or Hudler was in great shooting position and Cleary or Modano either made a poor shot, didn't pass, or blew the pass. That kind of stuff has nothing to do with Hudler. Abdelkader has been great, and Bertuzzi has looked better than he has since Vancouver, but that doesn't mean Hudler's a terrible player. If Brett Hull gets in great scoring position every shift for 10 games, but he only scores 2 goals and both on individual efforts because his center is Shawn Burr, is that Hull's fault?

So when Hudler was put on the second line, the spark the second line had was all Hudler, yet when Hudler was taken off the third line, it was pure coincidence that that just happened to be when Clears and Modano started to be able to hit the net or pass the puck?

Give me directions to your dream world, Eva. It must be so fantastic to live in a place where you can reconstruct reality to fit your obsessions.

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