in the NHL anymore.
This guy has had 1 great and 1 very good season for the amount of money we pay him.
He'll be in the low 30s in goals and will be lucky to be a point per game player this year, its a bit disappointing because I think everyone here wants to see him just destroy Linden's point record...which I will have no doubt he'll break...but not destroy.
lets be honest kids, Markus Naslund is not an elite player
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JamesOwnzSam11
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lets be honest kids, Markus Naslund is not an elite player
"I think my biggest influence has been Messier."Watching him prepare for games and how seriously he still took everything at his age. A lot of the qualities that he had helped me get better."- Markus Naslund
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A little harsh critizism from a guy who has a Messier avatar and photo in his message.
Wouldn't Ol' Mark be the poster boy for someone who should have packed it in years before he actually did? I mean really, Messier hung around a good, what, six or seven years after his skill set left him?
Marcus is a great player with great talent.
Every player in the history of any sport has the moment when, after years of practice and struggles, he/she reaches the apex of their skill and talent. If they are lucky, that's when they get their biggest contracts and paycheques and then they go downhill from there. Sometimes they go fast(Ol' Mark), sometimnes they go slow (Yzerman). They all go by different rates. Its called age or wear and tear. Naslund's abilities are still NHL elite calibre and he still contributes greatly to the team.
I still get a thrill when he "dangles" into the offensive zone. I think you might be smoking bad dope or something.
Wouldn't Ol' Mark be the poster boy for someone who should have packed it in years before he actually did? I mean really, Messier hung around a good, what, six or seven years after his skill set left him?
Marcus is a great player with great talent.
Every player in the history of any sport has the moment when, after years of practice and struggles, he/she reaches the apex of their skill and talent. If they are lucky, that's when they get their biggest contracts and paycheques and then they go downhill from there. Sometimes they go fast(Ol' Mark), sometimnes they go slow (Yzerman). They all go by different rates. Its called age or wear and tear. Naslund's abilities are still NHL elite calibre and he still contributes greatly to the team.
I still get a thrill when he "dangles" into the offensive zone. I think you might be smoking bad dope or something.
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lil-scarface
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He's not dominating as much as he used to, but then again, he has Bulis as his winger now, not Bertuzzi, that's not a surprise. Still, I don't think there'd be many people in the league who wouldn't say he's one of the most dangerous guys to watch at any time, part of his drop off in production is due to the fact that he's much better defensively this year in a much more defensive system, so you can't point to a production drop-off, claim it means his skills are gone, and expect to be taken seriously.
Mark
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randymeeks
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Not so sure about Naslund any more. His wrist shot is his bread and butter and it may very well be gone. Try to imagine if Pavel Bure suddenly lost the quick acceleration in his legs. A franchise player turns into a good first liner when that happens. Without his wrist shot, Naslund is no longer a franchise player.
38 years without a Stanley Cup and counting.
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JamesOwnzSam11
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1. Messier stayed three years too late...not six or seven
2. Yzerman stayed way too long...just as bad as Messier, except he doesn't get it much since the Red Wings carried him to the playoffs.
3. Naslund just doesn't have it anymore...and that really does sadden me.
2. Yzerman stayed way too long...just as bad as Messier, except he doesn't get it much since the Red Wings carried him to the playoffs.
3. Naslund just doesn't have it anymore...and that really does sadden me.
"I think my biggest influence has been Messier."Watching him prepare for games and how seriously he still took everything at his age. A lot of the qualities that he had helped me get better."- Markus Naslund
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supercanuck
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Yzerman was the heart and soul of Detroit, even in his last year on the team. I'd rather have last year's Yzerman on my team than any of Messier's years in Vancouver.JamesOwnzSam11 wrote:2. Yzerman stayed way too long...just as bad as Messier, except he doesn't get it much since the Red Wings carried him to the playoffs.
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tantalum
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As inflammatory as i think the post is intended to be i can't disagree. Naslund is a shadow of his former self. It isn't the absence of Bertuzzi or some other excuse it's simply Naslund has lost a step, appears to be losing his goal scoring instincts a bit, and is becoming more and more of a perimeter player every year. Most shocking is that he is losing his shot. He's taking slap shots on a regular basis for goodness sakes. I think I went 5 years without seeing one from him and now it seems to be a regular occurence. Where has the wrist shot gone? That was his weapon and he doesn't seem to have it anymore.
That said, while he is not an elite player anymore IMO he can still be a very good player. He can definitely contribute, but is that $6 mil a year becoming an albatross in this cap world?
I think nonis has to seriously look at the second line this year or in the summer. With Naslund-Morrison-Bulis there is $10.3 mil of cap hit. Seems awfully high for the guys who right now seem to be the second liners. If we go with the premise that the twins can pretty much play with anyone, is it possible to move Naslund and Morrison and still put together a good second line but have some extra cash to play with to also create a deeper blueline and/or bottom 6? It very well could be possible and has to be looked at. And yes I realise Naslund has a no trade clause.
It would be the end of an era. It would be sad and perhaps painful. But it does have to be looked at.
That said, while he is not an elite player anymore IMO he can still be a very good player. He can definitely contribute, but is that $6 mil a year becoming an albatross in this cap world?
I think nonis has to seriously look at the second line this year or in the summer. With Naslund-Morrison-Bulis there is $10.3 mil of cap hit. Seems awfully high for the guys who right now seem to be the second liners. If we go with the premise that the twins can pretty much play with anyone, is it possible to move Naslund and Morrison and still put together a good second line but have some extra cash to play with to also create a deeper blueline and/or bottom 6? It very well could be possible and has to be looked at. And yes I realise Naslund has a no trade clause.
It would be the end of an era. It would be sad and perhaps painful. But it does have to be looked at.
Naslund has one more year after this season on his contract. Assuming he is starting to fail or fall back ( & if we can see it others GM's will see it and the stats will tell you at the end of the season) how can you trade a guy like that, just not possible plus I believe if he were to be traded he would retire any way. Bottom line is he's almost impossible to trade especally now that Mad Mike Milbury and I'm chasing a Cup Clarke are no longer in the equation.
I have to believe Naslund like no time in his past is thinking and concerned with defence. AV wants a defensive responsible team and he's likely told Nas, it starts with you
I have to believe Naslund like no time in his past is thinking and concerned with defence. AV wants a defensive responsible team and he's likely told Nas, it starts with you
cheers
It's true I haven't seen his wrist shot like we used to, but I do think he still has his ability, it's a combination of reasons. Playing without Bert is without a doubt going to hurt what you can do, if only because he's now got all the attention, Morrison's play is something we all know is a bit of an issue so now Naslund's got both his wingmates downgraded, and on top of that, there were some clips commentators were showing earlier in the season (I can't remember if it was CBC or Sportsnet) showing the difference with Markus backchecking this year versus previous years. Not floating up by the blue-line or even in the neutral zone is going to mean he'd have to carry the puck through more defenders this season rather than take a quick pass and just deal with the defensemen. Instead of going in on the defense, with the backchecking forwards behind him, and Bert roaring down the other side, he's either carrying the puck through the entire other team, dumping it in, or watching Bulis make a low percentage pass that ends up in the back of our own net...
I think it's possible his skills are degrading, but I don't think so at this point, I think it's a combination of two degraded linemates, a backchecking style which not only tires him out having to skate all the way back rather than float and be ready for an offensive burst, defensive positioning lower in his own zone that prevents him from "cheating" against the other team's defenders (can also make him appear slower as he's just building momentum out of his own zone while he's being enveloped by checkers, as opposed to taking a pass in the open and then charging in on net). I think the solution, however, is for him to do the things we're just not seeing, take more shots (they noted last night that he's got less shots on net than the Sedins, averaging like 2 or something), and play in front of the net. We've all seen games where he's done this, and he looked just fine when he did that.
I think it's possible his skills are degrading, but I don't think so at this point, I think it's a combination of two degraded linemates, a backchecking style which not only tires him out having to skate all the way back rather than float and be ready for an offensive burst, defensive positioning lower in his own zone that prevents him from "cheating" against the other team's defenders (can also make him appear slower as he's just building momentum out of his own zone while he's being enveloped by checkers, as opposed to taking a pass in the open and then charging in on net). I think the solution, however, is for him to do the things we're just not seeing, take more shots (they noted last night that he's got less shots on net than the Sedins, averaging like 2 or something), and play in front of the net. We've all seen games where he's done this, and he looked just fine when he did that.
Mark
Naslund will likely retire here ... can't see him being traded as currently he is not worth his 6 a year and I also think he would like to finish his career off here.Naslund has one more year after this season on his contract. Assuming he is starting to fail or fall back ( & if we can see it others GM's will see it and the stats will tell you at the end of the season) how can you trade a guy like that, just not possible plus I believe if he were to be traded he would retire any way.
Unfortunately as much as I like Naslund I do have to agree that he seems to have lost his touch ... not sure though if its as much of that as maybe losing interest. I recall in his last contract signing he wasn't sure whether he wanted to sign or go back to Sweden ... maybe his heart just isn't into it anymore.
Grizz
