J. Staal comes to mind since he probably had about a 10% chance to make the team out of camp. How about that Backstrom kid?? DiPietro and Legwand seem to have finally started living up to their billing. How about Vlasic?? A 19 year old Dman that is one of SJ's best many nights. I shouldn't be surprised but am that Selanne had another great year in him. Same with Brindy.
2007-03-20 14:29:05 · 18 answers · asked by Bob Loblaw 7 in Sports ➔ Hockey
fordguy-Statsny-good one
2007-03-20 14:46:24 · update #1
Pominville is another good one.
2007-03-20 14:48:06 · update #2
Courtney: actually sending Staal to the AHL was never an option because he is not eligible because he is too young. They were going to send him back to the OHL and he would not have been eligible to play again until his team was out.
2007-03-20 15:08:10 · update #3
No. Blake doesn't stand out-just a few extra goals
2007-03-20 15:32:51 · update #4
Andy-thanks-that was a great read.
2007-03-20 15:49:16 · update #5
Semin is another good one.
2007-03-21 05:57:09 · update #6
The biggest surprise has to be Jordan Staal, like you said he wasn't even supposed to make the team. There was an interesting read on the Pittsburgh Tribune Reviews website about how Staal made the team. The headline is "LeClair should be Penguins' MVP". It just talks about how LeClair colliding with and injuring Malkin early in the preseason allowed Staal to get a lot more ice time than he would have otherwise.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_498438.html
I also agree with the guy that said Max Talbot, he is one of my favorite Penguins and plays his heart out every night.
2007-03-20 15:33:51 · answer #1 · answered by Andy 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Jordan Staal has had such a breakout year that many are considering him for the Calder Trophy this year over Malkin. He is leading the league in shooting % and shorthanded goals. Nicklas Backstrom has definitely helped out the Minnesota Wild with their goaltending injuries they've had, he's been a very pleasant surprise. Rick DiPietro has done well, but, let's be honest, he's still not worth the $67M over 15 years that Charles Wang negotiated for him. David Legwand has had a good year also. Marc-Edouard Vlasic has come out of nowhere to be one of the main go-to guys for Ron Wilson on that back end in San Jose, logging huge minutes that are mirroring those of the big defensemen in the league. Rod Brind'amour has been a strong leader on a Carolina Hurricanes team that is battling for their playoff lives the year after winning the Cup. However, allow me to present one other name to the list: Milan Michalek. He has career highs in goals (20), assists (35) and points (55) this season while playing for Ron Wilson in San Jose, thus giving him yet another major offensive threat on a team that boasts Joe Thornton, Jonathon Cheechoo, Patrick Marleau, Bill Guerin (picked up at the deadline), Steve Bernier and Ryane Clowe. Adding another name to that list just makes this team more and more dangerous to play against.
2007-03-20 16:30:50 · answer #2 · answered by Me 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A few of the bigger breakout players in my opinion are Statsny and Blake. Staal is a good one though. Radulov from the Preds is another good one. I'm a Flyers fan, so my viewing is limited to those games, I only pick up what I read on the internet. Watching the Flyers, despite their tough season this year, I would recommend Scottie Upshall acquired in the Forsberg trade. The kid can wheel, and he plays hard.
2007-03-21 05:28:42 · answer #3 · answered by edwiniv26 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jordan Staal was the first one to come to mind, but I'm also thinking of Ryan Whitney and Maxime Talbot. The Penguins have a lot of young guys on the team, but they are all talented and they all play an intrical part in the lineup. They don't all have to be goal-scorers...but show excellent support and be excellent play-makers on the ice. I have really enjoyed watching them this season.
Let's Go Pens!!!
2007-03-20 16:10:19 · answer #4 · answered by Pens4Ever 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Alex Semin is the real deal in Washington. He is simply not the same player that left for Russia during the lockout. He's back in the NHL and is about to post a 40 goal campaign amidst little fanfare.
2007-03-20 18:19:28 · answer #5 · answered by zapcity29 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm going with 2/3 of the Devils second line, Travis Zajac and Zach Parise. Along with Jamie Langenbrunner they've more than made up for the injuries to Elias and Gionta.
2007-03-21 19:22:42 · answer #6 · answered by Wedge_Antilles_72 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Besides those already mentioned...
Ryan Whitney, Carle, Zajac, Semin, Emery, and not for a full year, but Stafford and Bochenski.
Honorable mention to Max Talbot...I know he's probably unknown to most non-Pens fans and he doesn't have big numbers, but he does all the little things that help a team win, and he does them every single night.
2007-03-20 14:42:53 · answer #7 · answered by pags68 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I've been most impressed by Stasny this year. He's a rookie of the year canidate and he's helped carry a struggling team. A 20 game scoring streak wasn't too shabby either.
2007-03-20 14:34:37 · answer #8 · answered by fordguy55 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm gonna go with Jordan Staal. he's been the one to surprise me. hell we were even thinking about sending him to the AHL. good thing we didnt do that. now he has more goals than his brother eric, hes leading the league in shorthanded goals and shooting percentage. hes surprised everyone.
2007-03-20 14:50:56 · answer #9 · answered by courtneylovesthepens87 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Daniel Briere and Yannik Perrault. Daniel won all star MVP and is becoming an essential part of the Buffalo sabres. Yannik held out most of the season - signed with Phoenix and was there best player all year until they traded him to the Leafs. He is the faceoff king.
2007-03-20 17:27:21 · answer #10 · answered by Shiloh 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋