Canucks get Marc Andre Gragnani

[mathonwy]

http://www.thehosers.com/2012/01/curiou ... gnani.html

Interesting article about this guy.

Also, a last year report card about him.

http://www.lockerpulse.com/News/Marc-An ... -S1209363/

Marc-Andre Gragnani: 2010-2011 Report Card
by Rafal Ladysz on May 19, 2011 1:50 PM EDT in 2010-2011 Report Cards


15 COMMENTS EMAIL PRINT
It's time to put the finishing touches on the 2010-2011 season for the Buffalo Sabres. Here is a complete report card of every single player that played any amount of time with the Sabres this season. The journey began with Luke Adam and will conclude in a month with Mike Weber. Thanks to Japers Rink and Mile High Hockey for the inspiration.

Step right up Marc-Andre Gragnani.


Marc-Andre Gragnani

#17 / Defenseman / Buffalo Sabres

Height: 6-2
Weight: 201
Born: Mar 11, 1987
Contract Situation: $500,000 salary and $51,000 cap hit. Restricted free agent-to-be
2010 Grade: Unavailable
2011 Statistics GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG GTG SOG PCT
NHL Regular Season

NHL Postseason


Lowdown: What a month for Marc-Andre Gragnani. Brought aboard from the Portland Pirates for his second stint of this season, the 24-year-old stood out with some timely plays and conclusively ended up as Buffalo's leader in playoff scoring. Recipient of the Eddie Shore Award as the American Hockey League's cream of the crop on defense, Gragnani plugged the gap left by the ailing Andrej Sekera and kept himself undaunted. We weren't expecting him to spill his guts into a garbage bin in light of the adrenaline, but he had ice flowing through his veins and that is a prodigious feat for postseason hockey. Take a bow.



Key Stat: Clocked almost 22 minutes of ice time on average in the seven-game series with the Philadelphia Flyers – only Chris Butler and Tyler Myers played more. Seeing enough to be convinced, Lindy Ruff allowed Gragnani to play his game to the best of his ability and he adjusted to the scenario freely.

Did You Know? He sacrificed his body in front of shots courageously, as Mike Weber withstood the most pucks in the playoffs and Gragnani absorbed the next highest amount. You always run a risk with an offensive defenseman because there's no telling if he'll be a liability behind his own blue line. Only time will tell if Gragnani maintains a hold on the defensive zone as discreetly as his offensive propensity, but the early signs are aces.

Moment Of Fame: The first tally of his National Hockey League career was arguably the most valuable goal of the campaign. With Carolina in dire need of a win, Gragnani all but closed the curtain on their playoff dreams after his overtime winner. An absolutely peculiar goal it was, as two deflections changed its route and it would have sailed wide if it hadn't glanced off a couple of sticks.

Moment Of Shame: We'll get back to you on this one, as it could be interpreted as unjust to outline his call-ups with negativity.

Thumbs Up: In his first game with the Buffalo Sabres during the late promotion, Gragnani spoiled a two-on-one for the New York Rangers which, naturally, assisted Tim Connolly's goal seconds afterward. Chances were exchanged, but the netminders were flawless and that would be the match's one tally. Against Carolina and New York, two clubs chasing the Buffalo Sabres for a postseason spot, the Quebec native constructed voluminous contributions. Has an instinctive feel for the game and bides his time rather than rushing a pass or shot. Keeps his head up to scout the ice and exemplifies a scoring defenseman. Makes the powerplay click as the quarterback and meshed amiably with Myers on the point. Re-wrote Buffalo's record books already, presenting the most helpers in a single series among rookie rearguards and was one shy of the club record occupied by Gilbert Perrault, Dale Hawerchuk, and Miroslav Satan.

Thumbs Down: The jury is still out on his defensive coverage, as Gragnani doesn't impose his will as much as he does in an offensive capacity. Should slam forwards into the boards because it will send a message and wear their bodies down, not to mention mark his territory. Might struggle to tie up the league's power forwards who have a low center of gravity and play like bulls in the crease.

Voting: On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest and ten being the highest, grade Marc-Andre Gragnani on his season according to the expectations you had for him. If he met them, give him a five or a six. If he eclipsed them, aim for a seven or beyond. If he failed to meet them, give him a lower number relating to how poorly he missed the target.

Topics Of Discussion: Share with us your thoughts on a suitable contract for Gragnani in the off-season. Assuming he's with the Buffalo Sabres in October, who leaves to make way for him? Can he a Calder Trophy candidate next season? What percentage of his points will come on the powerplay?

[Uncle dans leg]

This guys doesn't fit what I was expecting from GMMG for a long playoff run. He has some obvious potential and I really like what is being reported as his nose for offence but I just can't get out of my head that we really needed a big body top 4 defenseman with snarl.
Who knows, this kid raised his game last April...maybe he's one of those rare examples who have that ability.

[donlever]

Bob Mckenzie apparently said on 1040 the other day that he is a butt ugly skater.

I missed the interview so did not get context as to whether he simply meant aesthetically or his ability was half assed NHL level wise.

Tweeted at Botch to get the gist but the little dough boy never responded.

[nyintensity]

Bob Mckenzie apparently said on 1040 the other day that he is a butt ugly skater.

I missed the interview so did not get context as to whether he simply meant aesthetically or his ability was half assed NHL level wise.

Tweeted at Botch to get the gist but the little dough boy never responded.

The dude is ugly.

[donlever]

The dude is ugly.

'Cept the threads about this dude.

[Zamboni Driver]

This guys doesn't fit what I was expecting from GMMG for a long playoff run. He has some obvious potential and I really like what is being reported as his nose for offence but I just can't get out of my head that we really needed a big body top 4 defenseman with snarl.
Who knows, this kid raised his game last April...maybe he's one of those rare examples who have that ability.

It could be that he's more like insurance, an offensive D to plug in the lineup in case Salo/Edler goes down, not as a shut down guy

[coco_canuck]

I'm a Gragnani fan.

I heard about him when he was tearing up the AHL last season and I was incredibly impressed with him in the first round of the playoffs last season.

Donny, he's an ugly skater, but he's got decent speed and has no problem keeping up with a high paced game.

Young defencemen take a while to develop and their NHL trajectory is often filled with peaks and valleys. We've seen hyped 1st rounders come on the scene with a splash only to regress in their 2nd and sometimes 3rd season before making significant leaps forward. So MAG's struggles to play a significant role on a poor Buffalo team shouldn't be much of a concern considering he's only played 66 games in the NHL including the playoffs.

For the Sabres, they were most likely fine with letting Gragnani go because they have a bevy of young offensive D-men such as Myers, T.J. Brennan and Brayden McNabb not to mention Ehrhoff locked up for another 9 years plus Andrej Sekera, another relatively young d-man with all-around ability.

If you've watched Buffalo play this year you've likely noticed a team severely lacking in confidence and a disjointed offence. Many Sabres fans will tell you how frustrating it is to watch the team play a conservative style meant to limit mistakes instead. Gragnani has his defensive issues, but I don't think he's been able to use his skills to his advantage this season, which include quickly moving the puck up ice and joining the rush to make plays.

Grags will be a bit of a project here, but if he gets comfortable and plays protected minutes at first, I think he can build up his confidence and be fairly acclimatized to the Canucks system, which in theory he should flourish in, by the playoffs and be an important depth piece for us.

Moving forward, do not be surprised to see this guy turn into a solid offensive contributor on our team...his defensive game needs a little work, but becoming an Ehrhoff type of player isn't all that bad.

[donlever]

Donny, he's an ugly skater, but he's got decent speed and has no problem keeping up with a high paced game.

I assumed as much but know nothing of the player so was uncertain.

Good to hear.

206 points in 283 AHL games.

193 points in 256 Quebec Major Junior games.

Apparently there is a certain amount offensive skill there.

[Fred]

According to Gilman he's been in the Canucks sights for some time, similar I suppose as Weise. They apprently tried to swing a deal for him last season, so it's any thing but a throw in. You have to wonder what Connauton is thinking right about now, 2 players similar styles. He won't butt heads with AV as many suggested Hodgson did I'm guessing he's an "in" boy being an ex junior and French to boot

Doug McLean suggested that the best we can expect from Kassian is a Chris Neal type player....lets just think with assesments like that is the reason he is no longer employed as a GM. I'm hoping for Backes type or similar

[dbr]

Bob Mckenzie apparently said on 1040 the other day that he is a butt ugly skater.

I missed the interview so did not get context as to whether he simply meant aesthetically or his ability was half assed NHL level wise.

Tweeted at Botch to get the gist but the little dough boy never responded.

Corey Pronman - I don't know who he is but he writes at Hockey Prospectus and Thomas Drance calls him their "prospect guru" - describes Gragnani as follows:

Gragnani is a very skilled defenseman who can create highlight reel moments with his skating and puck skills. Gragnani plays a high risk type of game though and is not a "defense" man by any means. He will need to be used against weak opponents, planted on the power play, and start a lot in the offensive zone to be fully utilized. Luckily though, Alain Vigneault is a master of knowing how to fully utilize his players with zone starts and will likely start him so much in the offensive zone, he'll need to be reintroduced to Luongo after each game.

Link

Sounds kind of like a conservative evaluation of what we were getting in Christian Ehrhoff before he blew away expectations in his tenure as a Canuck.

[donlever]

Doug McLean suggested that the best we can expect from Kassian is a Chris Neal type player....lets just think with assesments like that is the reason he is no longer employed as a GM. I'm hoping for Backes type or similar

I agree with the latter part of that statement.

We can't place a whole lot of our hopes and dreams on what Doug McLean says.

Plus he was put on the spot in that interview and basically pulled that name out of the air with little thought put into it.

[coco_canuck]

Doug McLean suggested that the best we can expect from Kassian is a Chris Neal type player....lets just think with assesments like that is the reason he is no longer employed as a GM. I'm hoping for Backes type or similar

Yeah, I wouldn't put to much stock into what McLean says. Just judging by his media persona, I'm not in the least surprised he's no longer a GM. Hell, if you look at the job he did in Columbus that would be enough.

Also, when it comes to Neil, there's many in the Eastern media who have a warped sense of what Neil is. They seem to think a solid 10-15 goal scorer like Neil is just a step down from the likes of Lucic, so McLean may have been giving a back-handed projection that seems worse to us than to him.

Same goes with Craig Button, who also didn't like the deal. Just last week he was suggesting the Kings trade Kopitar and Bernier for Nash, which is beyond stupid. I'd be reluctant to even give up Kopitar for Nash straight up, let alone giving them Bernier on top.

[donlever]

Corey Pronman - I don't know who he is but he writes at Hockey Prospectus and Thomas Drance calls him their "prospect guru" - describes Gragnani as follows:


Sounds kind of like a conservative evaluation of what we were getting in Christian Ehrhoff before he blew away expectations in his tenure as a Canuck.

dbr, still on task after all this time.

Gracias mi amigo.

[Blob Mckenzie]

Doug McLean suggested that the best we can expect from Kassian is a Chris Neal type player....lets just think with assesments like that is the reason he is no longer employed as a GM. I'm hoping for Backes type or similar

If he can be a David Backes or Ryan Clowe type I am all over the deal. He may have better hands than Milan Lucic but it may well be a tall order for him to become as physically intimidating and as punishing as Lucic is. Let's not forget Lucic had to carve his way through Junior B and into the WHL as purely an enforcer. His skills caught up with his toughness later on.

PS sorry for highjacking this thread about Roberto Benigni or whatever the hell his name is.

Fred made me do it, I'm a one trick pony.

[Nuckertuzzi]

As with all new acquisitions we tend to focus on best case, often unrealistic scenarios. This guy tore up the minors so he's gotta be the next Brian Campbell, right? Thing is we've actually had a few players in the past blow away our initial projections (Naslund, Bertuzzi, Salo, Ehrhoff,...) so can you blame us?

Unfortunately, the percentages often point in the other direction for relative unknowns like Gragnani so I think I'm going to stick with the percentages and keep my expectations low. I'd love a Brian Campbell but something tells me his career potential will be no more than that of a Nolan Baumgartner or perhaps Lucas Krajicek. Hope I'm wrong. Hell I'd be happy if he's somewhere in between, like say a Brent Sopel...and I'm not a Sopel fan.