I saw this comment posted on siouxsports.com and It got me thinking about something. While Ryan Duncan had a down year by his own standards he still had a better three season strech points wise than say a Blake Wheeler who according to the Boston Globe will sign an entry level deal on the first of July with the Boston Bruins. So what does Blake have that Duncan doesn't? Personally I would say 10 inches in height and the benefits of being drafted in the first round. Other than that nothing. As far as offensive creativity goes Ducan has a heck of lot more than an under achiever like Wheeler, however, like the writer says he is no Gerbe. Seriously folks, not many are like Nathan Gerbe.
Duncan didn't always play with Oshie and Toews at UND either. Lastly, there will be another Toews in the Fighting Sioux line up come fall so maybe just maybe there will version of the Toews, Duncan, ________...
WCHA-Fan said: The numbers are a big thing for teams. Yea Duncan is short, listed at 5'6" and just under 160lbs. But Nathan Gerbe is 5'5" and about 165lbs. The difference between those two is speed. Gerbe is a very quick player where as Duncan isn't the fastest guy out there and thats something that Duncan if he improved there would help him if he were to pursue an NHL deal next year.
As it sets up right now the Sioux are better with him because he will be a leader and most likely wearing the "C" next year. However, he won't have Oshie anymore, and his numbers did suffer without Toews last year. For the Sioux's sake I hope he has a good year next year. He was an asset to the Sioux, like you said, he did do a lot of time on the PK. Like I said in an earlier post, this season coming up will be a telling sign of how good Duncan is. I think a lot of NHL critics and even in the WCHA are going to look to him this year to put up numbers for this team. I said before that Duncan may have been the benefactor of having Oshie and Toews with him. This will be Duncan's "prove it" year. No Toews, No Oshie, lets see how he does. I don't think he will have a problem being a leader on the team, most likely wearing the "C" next year. Oshie and Toews proved how good they were, now its Duncan's turn.
First, let's start with the fact that Ryan Duncan is a terrific player, any hockey fan would love him on their team.
ReplyDeleteWith that said:
You need to consider what they were looking for. If they wanted a big body in front of the net or in the corner, Duncan would not be your guy. If you wanted a sniper or someone to give you a little punch on the power-play, Wheeler would not be your guy.
The single most important attribute in all of sports is speed. By your own admission, Duncan doesn't have as much as he probably should for a small player.
Gerbe's speed is THE thing that gives him his advantage. If Gerbe loses that step, he is DONE as a hockey player at that level.
The next most important attribute is size. Don't blow off 10 inches and 60 lbs over the course of an NHL season. Wheeler's size is a huge advantage for him. He can be a very big body in front of the net. My big question about Wheeler is his ability to show up every night. He seemed to go MIA from time to time.
While fans get close to the players they see all the time, the NHL is still a numbers game. For every Duncan or Gerbe, there are a few hundred guys that are 75% of their skill, with enough physical size to make it a full season on the active roster.