OT: Operation Datysuk: Engage
Like the other EA games, NHL is partaking in the Cover Vote madness for their upcoming NHL13 and the one and only Pavel Datysuk is not only a candidate but a #1 Seed and MgoCommunity can help put one of the league's most deserving players on the cover.
IMO, he will win his side of the bracket with no problem but could have a tough "championship" round against the likes of Claude Giroux, Scotty Hartnell, or Evgeni Malkin.
The Eastern Conference opening round is this week, but you can starting voting for Pavel Datysuk (or Sharp for you other dirtballs) next week!
April 25th, 2012 at 10:24 PM ^
April 25th, 2012 at 10:34 PM ^
ummmmm idk about Giroux even being a top 15 player.
April 25th, 2012 at 10:41 PM ^
I truly hope you're joking.
April 25th, 2012 at 10:42 PM ^
April 25th, 2012 at 10:47 PM ^
Theres EASILY 10 players I would reather have then him. Hes good, but one great season doesn't all of a sudden make you the best player in the world.
April 25th, 2012 at 10:51 PM ^
April 25th, 2012 at 10:53 PM ^
Still, he was a +6 this year. Which was good enough to only have 160 players ahead of him.
April 25th, 2012 at 10:56 PM ^
April 25th, 2012 at 11:23 PM ^
or if hes playing Malkin, Stamkos, Ovechkin, Perry, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Gaborik, Kovalchuk, Nash, the Sedins, Kessel, Webber, and im sure im forgetting some. Giroux might become an elite player, but hes not there yet.
April 26th, 2012 at 12:55 AM ^
Giroux at +6 was better than Perry (-7), Ovechkin (-8), Kovalchuk (-9), Kessel (-10), and Nash (-19). Now +/- is not a good stat to judge a player by, but as a Wings fan that watched a number of Flyers games this year, it was obvious that Giroux was one of the best players on the ice.
April 25th, 2012 at 10:58 PM ^
April 25th, 2012 at 11:06 PM ^
He kills penalties, for one. In general +/- is a terrible gauge. Giroux is easily top five in the world. He's also only 22.
April 25th, 2012 at 11:20 PM ^
plus minus doesn't count when your killing a penalty.
April 26th, 2012 at 10:41 AM ^
24. He was born in 88 so unless my math is wrong that makes him 24 this year. I also wouldn't say he is 'easily" top 5. The top five players in the world are pretty damn good and my top four would be Crosby, Malkin Ovechkin and Stamkos. I would say the next spot could be a pretty intense debate.
April 26th, 2012 at 11:44 AM ^
If you don't have Datsyuk as one of your top 5 players then I just don't know what to tell you.
A poll among NHL players during the season showed Dats as #1 in several categories.
With talent evaluation skills like that, boy am I glad you're not in charge of the Wings roster. Who exactly are these 10 players you'd put over Giroux (taking into consideration that he's all of 24 years old)? I can think of about 4 players - Crosby, Malkin, Stamkos, and maybe Quick. I think Datsyuk is a better all-around player, but he's also going to be 34 in June, and I think Giroux hasn't maxed out his potential yet (which is kinda scary).
April 26th, 2012 at 10:58 AM ^
that there are 10 other players you would "reather" have "then" him, I think you are drunk or suffering from some sort of closed head injury. Judging by your posts I think it's the latter.
April 26th, 2012 at 10:37 AM ^
if you don't hink Giroux is a top fifteen player, I don't think you know much about hockey. I can think of a few that you could argue are better (and a couple who definitely are) and they would be Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin and Stamkos. After that he belongs in the conversation. Whether it is he or Toews or a few others, but he is definitely a top ten player.
Also, saying one good season doesn't make him great neglects to take into account that this is just a young kid coming into his own. If he was 28 or 29 I would agree with you, but this is just Girous coming of age (he just turned 24). He is going to be a force in this league for a long time, and unfortunately (for me at least) I think the flyers will be too if the get some goaltending.
April 26th, 2012 at 11:21 AM ^
I don't know that I would put Ovechkin above Giroux anymore. He's really come back to earth after his first few seasons. He's still a world-class talent, but unless he gets back to the 50+ goal seasons of years past I don't know that I would take him over Giroux.
April 26th, 2012 at 11:29 AM ^
Haha whoops, double post. :(
April 26th, 2012 at 11:49 AM ^
Dats is clearly a better player since he has a 93 rating and Giroux is a 90. Boom! /EASports'd
Gaborik, Kovalchuk, Nash and Kessel over Giroux? Yikes
Hockey is one of the hardest sports to judge how good a player is. I nmost sports it's obvious who the best players are, but when you talk to someone in the NHL it will surprise you what they think about certain players.
"Hockey is one of the hardest sports to judge how good a player is."
Yet you have judged him to be just adequate? interesting.
"when you talk to someone in the NHL it will surprise you what they think about certain players."
And again, despite this, you are arguing against what most of them have been saying pretty much all year.
I bow to your argumentative prowess.... How about vote for Dats, don't vote for Giroux and be done with it.
I don't like you. The minute you started talking, I instantly recognized you as someone suffering from DoesntKnowShit-itis. I'll keep it very brief - obviously ranking playearrs who are all world-class in the first place(Datsyuk, Giroux, Malkin, Stamkos etc) is a fruitless, subjective exercise. But other than Pavel Datsyuk, there isn't a more promising two-way player in the league today than Claude Giroux - and he's 10 years younger than Datsyuk. If you want to use the opinions of people within the NHL, I think you'll find yourself to be even more of an idiot when you see how universally-lauded Giroux is as one of the three/five/ten/whatever best players in the world.
I don't like you. The minute you started talking, I instantly recognized you as someone suffering from DoesntKnowShit-itis. I'll keep it very brief - obviously ranking players who are all world-class in the first place(Datsyuk, Giroux, Malkin, Stamkos etc) is a fruitless, subjective exercise. But other than Pavel Datsyuk, there isn't a more promising two-way player in the league today than Claude Giroux - and he's 10 years younger than Datsyuk. If you want to use the opinions of people within the NHL, I think you'll find yourself to be even more of an idiot when you see how universally-lauded Giroux is as one of the three/five/ten/whatever best players in the world.
April 26th, 2012 at 10:08 AM ^
You have to register to vote? Sorry Dats, but that ain't happening.
April 26th, 2012 at 11:59 AM ^
You have to register to vote?
Yeah, no thanks...