ROY AND CHASE: VALUE
By Lowetide
9 years ago
One prospect was taken in the second round, the other in the seventh. Just one year later, the seventh-round selection has an NHL entry-level deal, the praise of his coach and is looking at a final junior season that may involve the World Junior Championships. The other remains unsigned and coming off an injury-plagued season.
Greg Chase and Marco Roy were separated by five rounds, but in reality they were much closer in quality.
DRAFT YEAR STATS
Roy has a slight edge at EV scoring, and a clear advantage on the power play but we know PP points are a lot about opportunity. Chances are neither of these two players will get a lot of 5×4 in the NHL, so the EV points are the big item. Remember, Marco Roy was taken No. 56 overall, Chase No. 188.
DRAFT YEAR +1 STATS
Roy’s EV numbers ran in place year over year (he suffered a significant hand injury and a concussion), and he was not used/as effective on the power play. Chase received more time with the man advantage (there is anecdotal evidence that he still wasn’t getting 1PP time) and at evens the seventh-round selection trumped Roy.
For Chase, the rewards have been plentiful. Invite to WJ camp, an NHL contract, rave reviews from Dallas Eakins and one night on the top line with Nuge and Hall. THAT is a terrific 2014.
Roy? Quite the opposite. Those injuries impacted his season, he does not have a contract with the Oilers and Roy was dealt to the Quebec Remparts over the offseason. That could be good news, as the Remparts host the Memorial Cup this year—meaning Roy will be in it, assuming good health and the creek don’t rise.
Except.
Except even that isn’t certain. An article in Le Journal De Quebec indicates the Remparts have some issues in regard to their overage players (I’m using google translate here):
- Attackers 20 years Taylor Burke and Marc-Olivier Roy have each been cut by the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers yesterday.
Since Kurt Etchegary and Adam Chapman have been active since the
beginning of the season, the Remparts therefore left with four players
20 years, one more than the legal limit.
It isn’t all bad for Roy, though. He scored a very nice goal this week, off a pass from Leon Draisaitl:
- Roy: “It was a beautiful feeling. This is my first career goal at Rexall Place and I never felt anything like it. Supporters were all up!”
- Roy: “I’m more mature physically and mentally. I feel good on the ice.”
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
The issue here isn’t that Marco Roy has failed miserably, or even that Greg Chase has pulled himself up and turned his career around. The truth is this: Greg Chase was a second-round talent who fell to Round 7 because all of the other teams were focused on their list instead of value.
Credit to the Oilers for grabbing him, credit to Chase to delivering a terrific year. Marco Roy remains a quality prospect, but he needs a strong season without injury in order to earn that NHL contract.
There’s work to do in Quebec City this winter.
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