Should Samson Be Sent To Minors?

[bob_sauve28]

Just asking. He is not playing great and was thinking maybe a trip down would do him some good.

[darksabre]

What?

[bob_sauve28]

What?

Toughen him up a bit 

[darksabre]

Toughen him up a bit 

He's fourth on the team in points. What do you want? 

[Randall Flagg]

No, but a healthy scratch to watch from the press box might be in order. Not as a "punishment". Just to see the game from a different perspective or whatever. I dunno, it works sometimes. He's having a tough time and has no confidence right now.

 

In fact, it seems like everyone drafted in 2014 has had extended slumps this year.

[darksabre]

Sam just needs to be left alone. He'll only get better by playing.

[Taro T]

Though I've been one to definitely believe he's suffering from a sophomore slump, really fail to see any benefit to giving him extended 4th line minutes, a benching, nor especially a demotion.

 

Would be nice if he were the 3rd or 4th best forward on the team at present, and he's probably on most nights about 8th (and a couple of those ahead of him on any given night end up worse than him a night or 2 later, so he's probably been their 6th best forward overall) but you don't send your 8th best forward to the minors. You usually don't even have that guy on the 4th line for large chunks of the game.

[North Buffalo]

Been watching him lately and he is finally starting to hit and play better in the corners. A work in progress but he is being more physical. Once he gets that down and finds a way to encorporate it into his passing game, I think hell be fine. I think he just needs to work thru it. Its coming be patient.

[qwksndmonster]

I don't want Samson hitting and grinding on the wall. I want him in the middle of the ice dishing the puck. Why not try O'Reilly on Samson's wing? O'Reilly can play center in the defensive zone if need be and then Samson can actually have a quality winger to play with.

[Doohicksie]

He's fourth on the team in points. What do you want? 

 

And just in case you missed it.... that makes him 3rd best among forwards (Risto is #2 in points).

 

SAMSON IS DOING FINE.

[pi2000]

I'm not willing to demote him just yet, he's still young and developing but has a ways to go.   He's a fine young player, but as a #2 overall you want to see more from him, considering the guys that went after him....  Draisaitl, Bennett, Nylander, Larkin.

[Randall Flagg]

I'm not willing to demote him just yet, he's still young and developing but has a ways to go.   He's a fine young player, but as a #2 overall you want to see more from him, considering the guys that went after him....  Draisaitl, Bennett, Nylander, Larkin.

And to be honest, watching all of these guys...Bennett has been decent, Nylander's either been sniping Matthews' sick passes or invisible, Larkin has been a complete liability, and Draisaitl looks bad any time he's not on McDavid's wing. Ekblad is having a terrible year too. The whole draft is in their "sophomore slump"

[darksabre]

I'm not willing to demote him just yet, he's still young and developing but has a ways to go.   He's a fine young player, but as a #2 overall you want to see more from him, considering the guys that went after him....  Draisaitl, Bennett, Nylander, Larkin.

Those guys are all struggling to find consistency too. I'm just not worried at all. 

[pi2000]

And to be honest, watching all of these guys...Bennett has been decent, Nylander's either been sniping Matthews' sick passes or invisible, Larkin has been a complete liability, and Draisaitl looks bad any time he's not on McDavid's wing. Ekblad is having a terrible year too. The whole draft is in their "sophomore slump"

 

Those guys are all struggling to find consistency too. I'm just not worried at all. 

 

I agree, those guys are struggling a bit this season.    However, they've showed much more thus far in their young careers than Reinhart has and that's somewhat disappointing IMO.    

[JJFIVEOH]

Larkin is a bust. Dating back to last year he has 18 points in his last 60 games. Reinhart has 15 points in 30 games this year. 

[bob_sauve28]

Larkin is a bust. Dating back to last year he has 18 points in his last 60 games. Reinhart has 15 points in 30 games this year. 

Ut oh! Someone said bust in the Samson thread.... B-)

[dudacek]

I agree, those guys are struggling a bit this season.    However, they've showed much more thus far in their young careers than Reinhart has and that's somewhat disappointing IMO.    

 

Ekblad certainly, this year notwithstanding.

Draisaitl points wise for the time he's played with McDavid.

 

But Bennett, Larkin, Nylander? How?

Edited December 19, 2016 by dudacek

[Randall Flagg]

Ekblad certainly, this year notwithstanding.

Draisaitl points wise for the time he's played with McDavid.

 

But Bennett, Larkin, Nylander? How?

Leon also had Hall dragging him around and force-feeding him points last year. When Hall got hurt, Leon stopped being a PPG player, or even close to it.

[pi2000]

Ekblad certainly, this year notwithstanding.

Draisaitl points wise for the time he's played with McDavid.

 

But Bennett, Larkin, Nylander? How?

 

Leon also had Hall dragging him around and force-feeding him points last year. When Hall got hurt, Leon stopped being a PPG player, or even close to it.

 

Let me put it this way... if there was a redraft of the 2014 draft, who would you take 1 thru 5?

 

With the first pick I'd take Pastrnak, he's blossomed this season, second in the league in goals with 19.    Second pick I'd probably take Ekblad, followed by Draisaitl and Ehlers...  Bennett, Fabbri, Larkin and Reinhart would be in the discussion for 5th overall.   

[Randall Flagg]

Let me put it this way... if there was a redraft of the 2014 draft, who would you take 1 thru 5?

 

With the first pick I'd take Pastrnak, he's blossomed this season, second in the league in goals with 19.    Second pick I'd probably take Ekblad, followed by Draisaitl and Ehlers...  Bennett, Fabbri, Larkin and Reinhart would be in the discussion for 5th overall.   

My redraft would be something like:

1.) Ekblad

2.) Nylander

3.) Ehlers

4.) Reinhart/Draisaitl

5.) Reinhart/Draisaitl

6.) Larkin

7.) Pastrnak

 

Pastrnak is alright...he's basically doubled his career shooting percentage in this stretch this season, has only 7 assists, and is greatly being pumped up by playing with stars, Bergeron and Marchand. He's good, but not 1st overall good. This is a classic case of a lot of puck luck causing what will be several years of overrating, and people constantly asking "What's wrong with Pastrnak?" when he really just regresses back to what he normally is.

 

Nylander, IMO, is going to be a superstar. Ehlers is incredible. Reinhart and Draisaitl are interchangeable for me, though I do think Samson would out-produce him if he spent the last 100 games playing 100% of the time with either McDavid or Hall. 

 

I do think that ultimately, Ekblad is the defenseman of this up-and-coming generation of hockey players.

[qwksndmonster]

I think even Flagg is underrating Samson. He's gonna be good, scary good.

[WildCard]

I still pick him where we drafted

[qwksndmonster]

I still pick him where we drafted

Same.

[MattPie]

I still pick him where we drafted

 

The only way I change that is given the two centers we have now (not then), *maybe* a natural winger would be my pick, but that has nothing to do with Samson's play. Having three solid true centers is never a bad thing.

[Doohicksie]

My redraft would be something like:

1.) Ekblad

2.) Nylander

3.) Ehlers

4.) Reinhart/Draisaitl

5.) Reinhart/Draisaitl

6.) Larkin

7.) Pastrnak

 

Pastrnak is alright...he's basically doubled his career shooting percentage in this stretch this season, has only 7 assists, and is greatly being pumped up by playing with stars, Bergeron and Marchand. He's good, but not 1st overall good. This is a classic case of a lot of puck luck causing what will be several years of overrating, and people constantly asking "What's wrong with Pastrnak?" when he really just regresses back to what he normally is.

 

Nylander, IMO, is going to be a superstar. Ehlers is incredible. Reinhart and Draisaitl are interchangeable for me, though I do think Samson would out-produce him if he spent the last 100 games playing 100% of the time with either McDavid or Hall. 

 

I do think that ultimately, Ekblad is the defenseman of this up-and-coming generation of hockey players.

 

Yes indeed.  When Ehlers carries the puck he's playing on a level somewhere between Jack and ROR.  Very good player.