Monday Mailbag – What about Captain Connor?

If you’re reading this before 5pm local time then there’s a good chance that you’re using this mailbag to help you kill company time, and for that I thank you. This week we take a look at Connor’s captaincy, Jesse Puljujarvi’s rookie season, apartment advice, and more in this week’s mailbag. If you have a question you can always email me or hit me up on Twitter and I will slot you into the queue as quickly as possible. Until then, enjoy the free learning opportunity.

I approve. Seriously I don’t think it has impacted much and that is probably a compliment to the young man. Whatever Connor McDavid is doing, he should keep doing it.

He leads by example. Not much more you can ask for.

Tough question to answer without being in the dressing room, on the bench and on the road with the team all the time. But judging on what I can see, he is doing fine. His level of play and effort forces the rest of the crew to match it.

Seamless. His performance on the ice speaks for itself. Off the ice, he has enough veterans around him to speak up, address issues we don’t see behind closed doors and help with anything that needs to be done.

I have literally no complaints about his captaincy at all. He’s still a baby in the NHL but he’s the best player in the league, he hates to lose, and he’s mature beyond his years. The day they take the C off his chest it should be because he’s retiring an Oiler at the age of 45.

I’ve heard rumblings that he’s pretty much the best captain ever. Sounds like he really puts in the effort to take care of the boys. A big thing that everyone can notice is how he hasn’t reacted to all the non-calls he’s received this season. He’s been an obvious target, but doesn’t say a word and continues to play his game without complaints.

I love that kid with every fiber in my body and the fact that he has the ‘C’ on his jersey, somehow, makes me even happier. Connor is everything we were hoping he would be and he provides a hell of an example for his teammates to follow. Great captain, great player and, I assume, a great lover, too.

Well, I think people have expectations when a player gets a big boost in salary because he now takes more of the cap. A player who is a value deal right now, say Patrick Maroon, is universally loved. If he makes $5 million? Different expectations. Human nature.

Each fan has different things they deem important. Focusing on what a player makes only seems to be brought up when they aren’t producing to what the person complaining deems an acceptable level. Winning is what matters most and every team will have a player or two who are likely producing less than their salary suggests, while others will over perform. McDavid is leading the league in scoring and he’ll make a maximum of $3.775 this year and next. He’s a massive bargain.

Are you serious with this question? Where were you when Horcoff was getting abused? I think too often players are rated by how much they make. There are certain things that coaches value you can’t measure with goals and assists.

Salary matters in a cap system, but some fans complain so loudly you’d think they are signing the cheques. Never really understood it. Nobody who complains about some of the contracts out there would say, “No thanks, I’m not worth that much” if they had the opportunity to sign the same deal.

Fans care about all of those things because they want to see the team keep winning. I doubt most die hard fans of any team in any sport just sit back and enjoy the wins. That’s not my experience. Everybody criticizes an offensive coordinator’s play calling or a baseball manager’s batting order. Hockey has a hard cap so money and role on the team matters in the medium and long term. Fans care about their team too much to not be invested in important matters.

I tried to think of an analogy where you have tonnes of money in stock at this company, but the company is putting all of its money into janitors or gardeners or something. Turns out, same goes with a hockey team, if the company is successful and makes you money then who cares what they do? I agree with you.

Heavy weighs the crown, my friend. The funny part is that some fans (not many) almost expect these guys to turn down the money if it’s too much. Personally, if Wanye rolled into my office and offered me $6 million to do what I do that contract would be signed before the pages even hit my desk.

I guessed 28 points in 65 games, or .431 points a game. I will stay with that bet.

I like what he’ll bring in the future more. He skates well, he’s big, he’s not afraid to use his body, he is smart defensively and has a hard shot. His offensive finish hasn’t been there this season, which is fine considering he’s only 18. I still believe spending some time in the AHL where he could gain some offensive confidence would be good for his development.

I think there’s been some improvement in his game. I think he needs to continue to work on playing more on the inside of the action. He is a big body and should get to more rebounds.

He’s been OK and there have been flashes when he’s been brilliant, but I hope his confidence isn’t suffering because of his lack of production. My sense is he’s mature enough to understand he’s not going to step in and dominate right away the way Laine and Matthews have, and that’s it’s OK. It’ll come.

I think he plays on the right side of the puck, has a good shot, and has a higher top end speed than he’s been able to get to with regularity. I also think he’s struggling offensively and the Oilers should have him in the AHL immediately. They can recall him after he’s gained some confidence and they actually need him.

Overall whether you think he’s been good or bad, I think he’s doing amazing for coming to a new country, meeting new people and playing in a different league where no one speaks your language. He’s had his ups and downs but overall his current play makes me look forward to his future play.

I thought he would get somewhere near 30 points on the year, but I think I may have overshot. Puljujarvi has a hell of a toolbox, but the kid is only 18-years old so he’s still learning how things get done at the NHL level.

Ah. Jeez. This is tough. I will say Craig Anderson in Ottawa, he always gets mentioned as a good one but his EV save percentage is top drawer. Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals is a fantastic player who gets overshadowed by the great 8. For defensemen, I will pick Yohann Auvitu because he is good and no one has heard of him.

Forward: Blake Wheeler. He does many things well which get overlooked.

D-man: Andy Greene by far. He is exceptional and everyone who plays with him looks better.

Goalie: Talbot. Go read the articles and comments when Chiarelli signed him last season. Most questioned him. He’s very solid and his $4.16 million cap hit is a bargain compared to many starting goalies.

Roman Josi. Does everything well and becoming more a leader with Shea off to Montreal. If he played in a different market he would be called a stud.

Blake Wheeler. He is very strong on the puck. He is very good at working back and forth along the wall in the offensive zone. Few D can knock him off the puck down low.

Goalie…who knows? As long as they are stopping the puck they aren’t underrated!

I think of Blake Wheeler and Joe Pavelski at forward. On D, maybe Kris Letang and Roman Josi. In goal, maybe Braden Holtby, who is certainly recognized but doesn’t get the ink some other stoppers do.

A forward we don’t talk about too much who does rally good work is Blake Wheeler. He’s a big dude who has great possession numbers and decent scoring. I think lots of teams would love to have him but he’s never in the conversation outside of Winnipeg. Defense, I’d take Josh Manson for underratedness (not a word). He’s another big guy who could be my 4D any day of the week. Big and mean with great underlying numbers. Goalie is tough because most are pretty good. I’ll be a homer and choose Talbot because of his fantastic short-handed numbers, which have been sustained his whole career. He’s covering up a lot of mistakes and taking on a huge workload this year.

KRIS RUSSELL! *hides behind couch*. I feel like Claude Giroux is pretty underrated. Sure, we all know he’s a good player, but year after year he quietly sneaks into the top scoring list at times during the season. I wouldn’t say that Mike Condon is the MOST underrated goalie in the NHL, but he’s one of the first that come to mind.

Goalie: Cam Talbot. You can call me a homer but the Oilers tend to go the way Talbot does.

Defenseman: Roman Josi. A lot of people used to talk about Weber for the Predators, but for me it’s Josi that I’m looking at.

Forward: Patrice Bergeron. Obviously, people know who Bergeron is but I don’t think people realize how good he is. Hell of a two-way player.

Hi Aiden, it is a journey and you have time, so take it. Do not purchase low-end furniture and appliances. Save for a time and get what will last. Also, no flags for drapes. Seriously.

Keep the kitchen and bathroom tidy for sure. Ideally everywhere, but especially those two places. And buy a simple cookbook. Even if you only learn five recipes, have some go to meals. Cook a lot on Sunday so you can have leftovers all week. Makes it easier than eating fast food all the time.

And always take leftovers when you go home to your parents for dinner.

Clean your bathroom. You never know when or who will pay a visit.

Don’t take advice from strangers.

Don’t cheap out on toilet paper. You can eat Ramen noodles for a long time (buy oranges so you don’t get scurvy), you can live on Netflix and Crave TV for about $20 a month, but single ply TP with scratchy surface is no way to treat your bottom. Spend the extra couple bucks at the grocery store and get the good stuff.

DON’T CHEAP OUT ON TOILET PAPER! Never cheap out on toilet paper, I tell ya. Also, get a BBQ, and get in the habit of keeping your apartment clean.

Two things. Don’t cheap out on garbage bags and toilet paper. While buying the box of 600 bargain bags may seem like a good idea at the time, you won’t be laughing when you’re cleaning garbage juice out of the can or off your floor. Don’t buy cheap toilet paper because sometimes it’s just nice to treat yourself.

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