I noticed the article on the ANA board projecting 3rd line 20-30 pts. What is his eventual upside? How did he look in preseason? Who does he compare with in terms of style of play?
His eventual upside is a top-line scorer
I would hate to put too much pressure on him, but I think he can be a 40 goal scorer on a consistent basis (a modern day Mike Bossy so to speak)
He has the hands to put the puck in the net, but he is held back by his skating which isn't the greatest yet
He was off and on in preseason, Getzlaf outplayed him but his value to the organization remains the same
In 5 years, Chistov and Lupul will lead an impressive group of Duck forwards. Hopefully Chistov's playmaking and Lupul's goalscoring work well together as that could be the beginning of a great #1 line (with Getzlaf as center pehaps?)
He has the hands to put the puck in the net, but he is held back by his skating which isn't the greatest yet
I thought he looked plenty quick enough during preseason, much more so than we'd been lead to believe by pre-draft reports. Obviously, he's no Pavel Bure, but I don't expect his skating to be much of a detriment, if at all. It's just going to come down to whether or not he can put the puck in the net consistently enough.
Heck... Lupul, Neids, and Giggy were the only ones that actually gave it their all. After the scraps, Simpson just stood around. Not a good start for us man. It looks like everone was too loose on the D and it looks like Fedorov wasn't going for the shots he wanted. Sykora and Prospal did nothing and Rucchin just sat back and hung around... The guys better start shaping up or we'll have hire a Drill Inspector for discipline purposes, way too many bad penalties(one lead to the Zubov Goal). BTW, good job Lupul, 1st point in the NHL, Congrats!
I hope Babcock realizes after that game Lupul is the real deal. Give him more icetime(top two lines) like Edmonton did with Hemsky. It would give him a realistic chance at the Calder, like Hemsky would've had in more games.
Tomorrow we make history when Tootoo, Lupul's WJC linemate, becomes the first Inuit to play in an NHL game. I hope they get on track for that one.
I though Lupul played great, I am Penguins fan And i really wanted the Penguins to pick this kid. But instead they picked Whitney. I think Lupul needs to be placed on 1st or 2nd line
I though Lupul played great, I am Penguins fan And i really wanted the Penguins to pick this kid. But instead they picked Whitney. I think Lupul needs to be placed on 1st or 2nd line
Yeah I remembering watching the draft wondering if Lupul would fall to 7th for us. Whitney in Pittsburgh(5th pick) and Upshall in Nashville(6th pick) will both be good players, but i think Lupul will be a bit better.
At some point he will see top 6 forward time, but a third line role isnt bad for him to start out in. We also have Andy McDonald and Mike Leclerc coming back from injuries. So if Lupul can stay on the third line all season then he will have been playing very well.
Yeah I remembering watching the draft wondering if Lupul would fall to 7th for us. Whitney in Pittsburgh(5th pick) and Upshall in Nashville(6th pick) will both be good players, but i think Lupul will be a bit better.
Nashville needed a bribe (our 3rd round pick, 95th overall) to pass on Lupul.
Nashville needed a bribe (our 3rd round pick, 95th overall) to pass on Lupul.
I remember being a bit dissapointed when Nashville picked Upshall, because of al his hype at the time. After the Ducks took him, I watched him a bit more and he really impressed me. He could do alot with the right linemates.
Also, not on subject all all, Andy McDonald will play on the 19th I think, against the Senators.
How did Lupul look out there vs Nashville tonight?
Ya know... i totally forgot that NHL center ice usually gives out 5 or 10 days free of games and i could have been watching the ducks play tonight! i only caught the last 2 mins. but according to the commentators, it was the best offensive output shown by the ducks all game long. so... bleah. We really are missing Carney's presence right now!
