I really like this kid. Saw him a few times in Junior some years back when I was out west & said this guy going to be a very good NHLer one day.
Ofcourse though we know the injuries have really slown his progress.
My question is; How has he been doing this season? Does he look healthy? Who are his linemates generally? Does he get much PP time? What projections for the future do u see for him?
Sorry for the all the questions but I love hearing it from people who know - the Washington Fans!
I think many of us saw a guy that was drafted a bit too soon...that could potentially round out at a 2nd or 3rd line RW, netting anywhere from 15-20 goals a season, maybe more depending on linemates. I really like seeing him on that second line...hopefully his production will increase these next few games with Semin out and perhaps he could allow Bruce to move Semin over and drop Laich down to that 3rd line.
To this point, the injuries have screwed him up. Quacky back/nerve thing...three shoulder injuries including two surgeries at once...other random ailments. It's been a struggle but there is still time.
i have to think no, even without the definition of potential.
my reason being this. to succeed he will have to play the kind of hockey that made him stand out. gritty, tough and with scoring ability. the scoring ability has not been there consistently, though there have been flashes. and his body seems like it will break down due to the style he plays.
i hope i am wrong, always liked this kid. living in DC it is nice to see him on the ice.
If he can manage to stay healthy, is given decent ice time as a right winger, and regular decently talented offensive linemates and 2nd unit PP time I think he can become a 25 goal guy in the next few years. But I don't see any of those things happening.
I just don't think Boudreau trusts Fehr enough to give him a regular role that he could thrive in and thus will find himself bounced all over the lineup from right to left to the press box depending on what the team needs and who is playing well. Some younger players might be able to play ok under those circumstances and then force their way into the lineup on a regular basis but given how much time Fehr has missed during his pro career I just don't think he is one of them.
I'm going to say yes, on the theory that his injuries were flukes, not chronic problems, and that he just needs a stretch of health with consistent icetime and decent linemates.
Will it happen with the Caps? Impossible to say. But I'm staying optimistic right now.
Agree with this comparison bigtime....although I think Daze might have been more naturally talented.
Fehr must stay healthy and play to reach his potential.
most definitely - both are tall "power forward" looking scorers with wonky backs & i just hope Fehr is not destined to have his career cut short due to injuries ala Daze
he is getting his chances with Semin / Flash out - to these eyes he is playing the best i have ever seen him.
Brooklyn - no one is using him as a punchline here... he was a favorite player of mine way back when
Slowly but surely, yes. Each year the guy has put up better numbers (since his WHL days). 07-08 is borderline though, but it was also heavily affected by injuries. I want to believe that he will continue down this path of development and finally get there in a few years time. He needs to score around 20 goals this year though.
four of the 30 1st rounders have made serious contributions to a SC winning team, three are team captains and two (+bergeron in the 2nd rnd.) are assistant captains in the NHL.
so, by the (very high) standards of the 2003 draft class, i think Eric "coulda had Getzlaf or Perry or Richards or Bergernon or Weber" Fehr will always be considered a bust.
Brooks Laich (1983 DoB), two seasons ago, became a twenty goal scorer. Fehr (1985 DoB) is that same age this season. Fehr demonstrated year-over-year production growth in each of his junior seasons. I've noticed in many cases, but not always, that type of growth trajectory serves as an indicator for future NHL success -- Laich case in point.
Last year was a bit of break out for Fehr. But I believe he has 30 goal potential. Fehr may take a year longer than Laich because of his injury history though. So if, only if, he can stay (mostly) healthy, he'll take another step soon IMO.
In the game against the Isles tonight, Fehr's shootout attempt was laughable. Nevertheless, his backhand goal earlier in the game, where he got puck at least a foot off the ice despite being at a tight, difficult angle demonstrated the 6'4" big winger really does have soft hands.
He's worth keeping around for another couple years at least. And the third line is a perfect 'lab' within in which to experiment, especially if Fehr has a shifty center like Perrault (1988) and a skilled winger like Flash (1984) to complement him.
Last edited by JawandaPuck: 11-12-2009 at 04:24 AM.
I think Locker correctly described Fehr's goal as a lucky bounce. It hit the defenseman behind him and bounced in. The kudos for Fehr on the play was that he went to the net and then put a puck on the net.
Like flash, the guy seems to be on pace to improve on his previous year's statistic IF he can stay healthy. For him, that's a big if.
Personally I don't think he's going to be able to meet the expectations around the time he way drafted. The guy was two time 50 goals scorer in juniors prior to his injuries and pre-injury and pre-ovechkin the consesus pretty much was this guy was supposed to be our #1 rw.
I think a 2nd/3rd line spot is a more pragmatic expectation. The one drawback is I don't think he is as consistent as he could be on defense and forechecking. If he came night in and night out with the type of energy and effort that say Laing brings I think you would defintely see BB increase his minutes and his stats would spike.
Well, he's going to be cheap for a while, and that's going to make him a useful asset for GMGM, beset on all sides by players with 20+ goals who are not all going to fit under the big top, and sooner rather than later. Fleischmann's raise is going to mean that some tough players to lose are not going to fit under the salary cap, and that's just next year. Fehr will help make the raises elsewhere more bearable, because he has yet to earn his Laich- and Fleischmann-style raise into the multi-millionaires club.
This really depends on your perspective. Fehr is a slow-developing player hurt by losing critical development time during his junior-to-pro transition. If one insists on comparing him to his 2003 draft class, he's one of the outliers, to be sure. He's not Hugh Jessiman bad, but he's not at the level of the rest of the class.
In a vacuum, though, if you can look at him as though he were a 2005 first rounder instead of a 2003, he's OK. That pick wasn't tremendously high, and you often get busts or projects in that range. Fehr is a legitimate NHL talent, so that pick is a success. Fehr is still in the mix, still affordable, and still brings a quality NHL shot. Can the rest of his game come along, in time? Maybe so.
Right now, he can't crack the team's top six, on a club exceptionally deep offensively. He's a one-dimensional sniper, playing more in the style of a Brett Hull than a Pavel Bure, more shot and positioning than flat-out speed. When the Caps eventually lose some of their goto offensive players for cap reasons, Fehr will get top-six ice time. I think we'll have a good chance to see 25 goals then. For now, he provides offensive depth, the luxury of playing a guy on the third line or 13th forward who would be a developing first liner on a weak club. Bad news as that might be for Fehr, it's good news for the Caps. It means the team is loaded.
For some reason, when I look at Fehr, I see a guy McPhee will be loath to part with, as I think he believes in Fehr. I don't think this guy ends up trade bait. I think I believe in his game, too. Just don't expect him to produce in droves behind Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, Morrison, Knuble, Fleischmann, and Laich on the depth chart. There are only so many spots.
Fleischmann's raise is going to mean that some tough players to lose are not going to fit under the salary cap, and that's just next year. Fehr will help make the raises elsewhere more bearable, because he has yet to earn his Laich- and Fleischmann-style raise into the multi-millionaires club.
I'm curious as to who you think those people are going to be.
By my count the guys who are veritable locks to be out (as far as cap hit) are as follows: Nylander, Theodore, Pothier and ShaMo.
The guys (all rfas) who will almost certainly be resigned are: Backstrom, Semin, Laich, Flash, Schultz, Fehr, Gordon
The biggest question marks will be BMo, Steckel and to a far lesser extent Jurcina. I like Steckel and if I had to choose I'd let Gordon walk and reup steckel at a higher price but this still a numbers game
The two biggest callups will be Alzner and Neuvirth. I also think Perrault's cap hit and performance likely gets him 4th line duty come next season.
Ovy Backis Semin
Flash ----- Knuble
Laich Gordon Fehr
Bradley Perrault Clark
All of that depends on the contracts that Semin, Backstrom, Fleischmann end up signing, or if Semin is traded, or some other wrinkle develops. What is GMGM's plan for the goaltending next year? It's not necessarily Varlamov and Neuvirth. Calculate the cap room again if the Caps have a $4M or $5M goalie.
All of that will factor into the calculus. Either way, under the cap, success is followed by raises to everyone, and then someone doesn't have a chair when the music stops. Chicago faces that acute cap crisis this summer. They're probably going to lose a gem like Patrick Sharp, unless they find a sucker to take Campbell.
Brooks Laich (1983 DoB), two seasons ago, became a twenty goal scorer. Fehr (1985 DoB) is that same age this season. Fehr demonstrated year-over-year production growth in each of his junior seasons. I've noticed in many cases, but not always, that type of growth trajectory serves as an indicator for future NHL success -- Laich case in point.
Last year was a bit of break out for Fehr. But I believe he has 30 goal potential. Fehr may take a year longer than Laich because of his injury history though. So if, only if, he can stay (mostly) healthy, he'll take another step soon IMO.
In the game against the Isles tonight, Fehr's shootout attempt was laughable. Nevertheless, his backhand goal earlier in the game, where he got puck at least a foot off the ice despite being at a tight, difficult angle demonstrated the 6'4" big winger really does have soft hands.
He's worth keeping around for another couple years at least. And the third line is a perfect 'lab' within in which to experiment, especially if Fehr has a shifty center like Perrault (1988) and a skilled winger like Flash (1984) to complement him.
Excellent post! I think that we should keep Fehr as a third line winger for a season or two and see what happens. If he remains injury free I think he will be a 30-goal scorer.
I think Johansson will be competing for the 3rd line center spot next season. Also I would like Clark and Erskine gone and resign Jurcina if he keeps playing like this. Maybe promote Laich to a 2nd line center?
The one drawback is I don't think he is as consistent as he could be on defense and forechecking. If he came night in and night out with the type of energy and effort that say Laing brings I think you would defintely see BB increase his minutes and his stats would spike.
I think a part of that is the guy feels a lot of pressure to score and prove his pedigree. So he's paying maybe a tad less attention to pure defensive duties than if his mindset was "ok, I'll only make it to the NHL as a mucker"..
Laing has the luxury of a much simpler mindset -- nothing is expected of him offensively.
Its FAR from a lock that Theodore is out or that he won't be replaced by another veteran primary goalie.
How many 22 year old goalies are the primary goalie on a playoff team?
There is a chance that its Varly and Neuvirth next season, but i suspect its one chance in four.
I hope to god Caps don't spend another 4M+ on a vet. goalie again next year.
I think Varlamov and Neuvirth would do well as a platoon, psychologically. They wouldn't have to question whether they made it, or whether they can unseat a veteran with a big contract -- it would be a pure competition with plenty of chances for each. With their talent, I think odds are very good that at least one of them would really come into his own by the end of the season.
And if there are still questions, McPhee can always bring in a vet at the deadline.
I think expensive goaltending is not the way to go at this point -- not until one of our own goalies emerges.
