JARRET STOLL
This season: 78 games, 6 goals, 15 assists, plus-2 rating.
The good: Given a new role at the start of the season, that of a third-line center, Stoll adapted well. His offensive numbers took a mysterious dip, but by the end of the season, Stoll had established himself as an outstanding defensive center, regularly matched up against opponents’ top lines. Stoll is relentless in terms of puck pursuit and isn’t afraid to hit. He is regularly the Kings’ top man on faceoffs and contributes to both the power-play and penalty-kill units. Stoll isn’t part of the official leadership group, but he’s a positive presence in the locker room and a respected leader. Any team would love to have him as a third-line center.
The bad: In moving to the third line, Stoll certainly took on more of a defensive-minded role, but that doesn’t totally explain his massive fall-off in terms of scoring. Stoll had scored at least 13 goals in each of his previous six seasons, and had scored as many as 22. This season, he scored only six goals and tied his career-low with 21 points. Stoll’s physical play is generally a positive, but he has a tendency to excessively take penalties, particularly early in games. In previous years, Stoll had been a big part of the Kings’ power play, as a point shooter, but his shot is not accurate enough for him to be considered a reliable power-play scorer.
Going forward: Stoll signed a three-year contract shortly he was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Perhaps with a full season under Darryl Sutter and his more-aggressive system, Stoll’s numbers can rebound a bit. The Kings need every bit of his defensive skill, but they also need him to pot a few more goals. Stoll just recently turned 30, so it’s well within reason to think that his play should remain at a high level for the next three years. He stays in excellent shape and, despite some nagging injuries, has missed only four games over the past two seasons. He will once again play a varied but important role.
Another situations where the grade I put is higher due to his step-up in the playoffs. I can’t vote an A, because this is evaluating his entire season. During the playoff run his special-teams ability and clutch scoring was fantastic.
He’ll always be part of my favorite moment in the finals: The AMAZING 5-3 PK in game three.
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Stuart Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 10:40 am
@TJM, No way, my PO memory of Strolly will be picking that corner on Schied and skating behind the net with his hands raised and his mouth in a big O with whooooooooo coming out and teammates piling out of the bench to go and mob him!!! I must’ve jumped off the couch and through my roof/floor about 10 times fist-pumping and screaming obscenities!! OT series clincher…doesn’t get much bigger than that (well it does, but that was right up there)!
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Stuart Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 10:42 am
*Schneid… I wasn’t talking about Roy Scheider.
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Eric Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 10:56 am
@Stuart, Yes. After 40 years of bleeding for the Kings, I had a well-developed sense of dread and cyncism during playoffs. I did not start believing until Stoll potted that goal. (I didn’t even think we were going to knock out Vancouver until that moment!) Stoll has a knack for making big plays – whether its a series winning goal, or the critical defensive zone faceoff win. A lot of things he does are unnoticed. Take a look at Lewis’ empty net goal in game 6. Started with Stoll blocking a big shot that caromed off to Kinger. Want him to score more, but his intangibles are HUGE.
TJM Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
@Stuart, Mmmmmmm I did specify “the finals”
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Stuart Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
@TJM, Mmmmmmmmmmmm that’s cool, I specified in the entire PO’s which includes the Finals.
Duncanz Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Mmmmmmmmmm, Strohlls beer ……….
Poppa K Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 5:47 pm
@Stuart, Like I said about MRichards I’ll say about 28. No Stolly=No Cup. Next subject
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went with a B… Would’ve given him a G, but looks like he’s got that in the bag already.
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Top faceoff guy. New role as defensive center. Money in the shootout.
And the game winner to eliminate Vancouver!
A -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIEuKbbZNQo
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Shuchuk Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 12:50 pm
@Deadmarsh, I can watch that all day…HUGE!!!
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Lake Forest Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 2:40 pm
@Deadmarsh, You mean money in the shoot out last year.
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devilmachine Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 9:49 am
@Deadmarsh, I can watch all these moments for the rest of my life and still get emotional! What a shot! What a goal! All facilitated by Lewis’ fore check. I love Sedin in the handshake line shaking his head when he meets up with Quick!!
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The whole team struggled scoring regular season goals, can’t knock him for that and nobody else. Cut out the penalties and it’ll be an A next year, 28!
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mask0425x Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 11:50 am
U@Itchy,
Yes and no… His case seemed more extreme than anyone else’s due to a mysterious shot inaccuracitis which expanded to shootouts. Can’t blame that on Terry Murray. Hope the law of averages will kick in soon!
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Rich nailed this one: “In previous years, Stoll had been a big part of the Kings’ power play, as a point shooter, but his shot is not accurate enough for him to be considered a reliable power-play scorer.” How many times did we hear “Stoll shoots…misses wide!!!” The Kings definitely need more than 6+15=21 from him next year.
However, I’m 100% behind his re-signing. The guy is a HUGE part of the room, a killer on faceoffs, a beast defensively, and plays his a$$ off every game. DL absolutely knew what he was doing when he traded Visnovsky for Stoll and Greene. Those are the players (to state the obvious) you build championships around.
Grade: B
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Duncanz Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
@historyguy,
That’s a very good historical to present critique of Stolly, but how can one forget the amazing record he had in SOs in the ’10/11 season when he went 9-10 for an otherworldly 90%.
This wasn’t just lucky blind shooting either. He was picking top corners with precision and clinking it in off the upper ‘V’
So in truth, he has the ability to shoot devastatingly and it has been proven.
If he can just find that touch and hit that golden vein again he’ll be a whole different Stolly and will once more be part of the Kings offensive equation.
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Deke'r Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
@historyguy, …..absolutley agree…..A….
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cjms Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 5:28 pm
@historyguy, Pity, too, since he probably has the hardest shot on the team.
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I gave him a “B” due to his defensive and faceoff abilities. His tenacity, and commitment to every shift is impressive, and I was really happy he was resigned. I believe his scoring will go back up as he gets improved linemates, or his linemates improve, in the coming season.
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The series winner in Vancouver, his reaction after the goal and the fogged up visor after the celebration makes Stoll’s season for me. I will always remember that one. Without that goal who knows where the playoffs would have ended up.
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puck73 Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 10:54 am
@kingsofsb, Great shot by Stoll, and a great harrassing move by Lewis to chase a very good skating Dan Hamhuis from behind his net all the way out past the blueline where he finally coughed up the puck that created the 2 on 1 for Stoll and King.
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KC23 Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 11:35 am
@puck73, It was a great finish by Stoll, but in my mind it was Lewis who was the real hero. Lewis made a world class check on an excellent defensemen to allow Stoll the chance of a life time shot … which he did to his credit.
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JD Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 9:56 pm
@KC23, Nobody would have remembered the play if Stoll didn’t score, huge plays by both
FKA PakiFro Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 11:28 am
@kingsofsb,
Yes! Very exciting. I was driving to a wedding actually and I’ll never forget Nick Nickson’s line…and you can meet me in St. Louis!
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I’m one of the few who was disatisfied with Stoll’s performance. Huge dip in scoring….huge dip in shootout scoring, faceoff wins down, and a ridiculous amount of bad penalties. To his credit, he adapted well to his third line role, and he became a significantly better defensive forward. But I want a lot more out of this guy. Dean expressed confidence in him with the new contract, but with that support comes expectations, and I expect a LOT more out of him.
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PARKING_053 Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
@KHenry14, I have to agree with you. If I put on blinders and just looked at the playoffs, I’d give Stoli a B+. But in looking at the 80 game regular season, I gave him a C. To his credit, Stoli does show up every night and works hard; however, it didn’t result in good offensive numbers. Hopefully with his wingers (King & Lewis) settled, he will continue the chemistry AND KARMA of the playoffs!
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insert statement where someone says: “we won the cup so an A”… which i don’t disagree with but i gave him a B+
This is where grading becomes hard… when it’s Quick or Kopi or Drew i’m comparing guys to the best in the league, when it’s peopel like Stoll i’m comparing them to a benchmark of what their role is on the team…and that’s what makes it hard. Are they doing good for what they “are” …or should we be challenging what they “are” ? Should we be expecting more all the time?
Anyhoo i think he makes a great 3rd line center, and his defensive game probably caused his offensive production to slip, but man, during the playoffs he was a monster and he was the forecheck pressure that had teams playing on their heels.
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puck73 Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 10:56 am
@Shakes, He was huge in the post season, totally agree. He was absolutely relentless on every shift, and a beast on the penalty kill and faceoff department. Grade A
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B – Offensive decline but somewhat compensated for it with stellar play on the defensive end, especially the PK and faceoffs.
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vplaza Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 10:52 am
@vplaza,
Oh, and I’ll always remember his series winning goal against Vancouver…lifting the left leg up before the shot like he usually does…then looking around with his arms raised for his teammates to mob him…
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I’m glad to see Stolly getting some love on this board finally. Dude does so many things well and fully expect him to get 15 goals next year. This year I consider a transition year to 3rd line plus he played an off position for a while and must have played with 7-8 different wingers. Next year with more set lineups he will be even better. Plus he bangs supermodels so props there as well.
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puck73 Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 10:57 am
@BringBackButchGoring, Hope #99 doesnt read this!
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BringBackButchGoring Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 11:07 am
@puck73, Lol definitely another reason why Stoll wants to stay close to Hollywood…
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Duncanz Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:29 pm
@BringBackButchGoring,
As a son-in-law, he’d make a great one, don’t you think?
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BringBackButchGoring Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
@Duncanz, yes that year or so would be fabulous…
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Mysterouis dip = TM and playing out of position for part of the season.
I was ok if DL relaesed Stoll half way thru the season, but like most guys responded well to Sutter and stepped up in the playoffs.
His OT winner against Van was a great moment for me and son, (he’s 5) Like when me and my father jumped thru the roof when Gibson hit his HR in the 88 series.
Stoll still takes a lot of stupid penalties, way too many in the offensive zone.
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He sliced the throat and put a nail into the Vancouver Canucks’ coffin. A
seems he didnt score after Doughty got fresh with him on the ice, maybe he was afraid to.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
@Sebastian,
… the first sign of a certain Dman’s free-loving ways.
Lucky Stolly didn’t hire a female litigation attorney right away after that one!
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Strollsieis one of those “intangibles” guys, the type that every Stanley Cup championship team needs. Their stats don’t always look goo on paper, but the end result is a “winner,” and isn’t that what this is all about?
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Michael J. Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
@DesertKing,
Stoll had two game winners in the Vancouver series. Huge goals.
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Give him an “A” for “abs!”
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Duncanz Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:35 pm
@Punch Drunk, Daryl Evans, eat yer heart out!
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C+ from me. Offensively he was a nightmare. Defensively, he was outstanding.
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Sub par season followed by an iconic OT game-winning/series winning goal against the Canucks, and tenacious forechecking and defense gives him a decent, but not spectacular grade.
He also provided a lot of the intangibles that any good team needs such as leadership, poise and a locker room presence. He tends to take some really dumb penalties once in a while, but I can live with that given his superior faceoff skills and shootout ability (even though he wasn’t always money last season, he was two seasons ago).
But the fact that he’s hooking up with Wayne Gretzky’s daughter, Paulina, and having had Rachel Hunter as his previous squeeze gives him even higher marks in my book!
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Duncanz Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
@pay-ola,
So DD gets a D – … or worse!
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Actually i think he is underrated….he will score more next season….but he is a third line center on a stanley cup winner so he must be doing something right….good all around player/teammate…..
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I was very disappointed in Stoll last season. For the money he was getting paid, I was not impressed what so ever. Put in him exactly the same catagory as Penner in that regard.
I also consider him a relatively dirty player who occasionally cross checks from behind, putting players heads into the glass and boards.
I consider him one of the primary reason our PP sucks. One of the worst slaps shots from the point I’ve ever witnessed and a below average play maker.
I do give him a “C” however. As bad as he is on the PP, he is exceptional on the PK and an outstanding back checker. He also got put out of his natural position and with some of the weakest offensive players on our team. Throw in the fact he did very in the playoffs I give him a passing grade, but only barely.
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BringBackButchGoring Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 11:37 am
@KC23, Any comparison to Penner as far as not earning their paychecks are ridiculous. The differences between Penner and Stoll is Stoll is our top faceoff man, plays PP and PK, 3rd or fourth on our team in hits (as a center), busts his butt every shift setting example for our younger players, and is a relentless forechecker. Plus, even with his down year in shootouts, he still is among the top all time percentage leaders in shootout. None of these things applied to Penner this year.
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KC23 Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 11:58 am
@BringBackButchGoring, Fair points regarding the comparison to Penner, but in the end Stoll did not produce up to his salary or even close.
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Kingsfan602 Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 3:09 pm
@KC23, he plays with heart. His offensive numbers might be low but he did a lot if other things. As well as timely scoring. 2 game winners in the first round. Including the clincher. Worth every pretty penny imo.
went with a C, but to me I think a B-
to much shuffling around and new role to fill, made for a strange season for JS. Murray never could put him in the right place it seemed. the addition of Carter, Penner finally starting to emerge and the call up King Kong meant Stoll was finally used consistently in a role he could fill.
the first 60 games or so last season to me are a write off. when Stoll was finally locked in as the #3C and Sutter’s system used, Stoll re-emerged. he was great in the PO’s and i hope that level of play continues. if he can push the 30-35pts per season in the 33 role, I would be very pleased.
I was one of many that didn’t care for the re-signing of Stoll or Penner, but the season ending run and PO’s proved their worth to the team as a whole. Especially for Stoll imo. Having four good centers was so valuable to LA it cannot be dismissed. Stoll has been for years and was last season just great at face offs, which in turn leads to puck possession time. Having Stoll and Fraser down the middle takes immense pressure off Kopi and MR. That pressure in turn is put back on the opponent as they try to counter. No one could respond this spring/summer and it lead to LA winning the SC
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I had to give him C….I think he had no better than an average season considering he only matched his all time low in points. He redeemed himself in the playoffs so maybe a B would be more appropriate but again i went with a C. I am looking forward to a bounce back season from Strollsy.
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Once again, this is like grading a runner in the 100 yard dash. In the first 50 yards his shoelaces were tied together, and in the second 50 yards, Sutter stepped in with a pair of scissors and some smelling salts.
I will grade on the finish.
A..
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B
Playoff grade A, but overall his regular season wasn’t very good.
Still one of my favorite players and I’m glad he’s coming back. Perhaps the relief of a new contract and the Stanley cup will allow him to loosen the grip on the stick and just relax and play hockey. He’s a skilled player with a ton of heart and energy.
One of the guys who epitomized what this team was and still is..gritty/hardworking
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Having a guy like this centering your 3rd line is priceless! He plays like he’s 6’3″ 220lbs, has an accurate shot and is usually money in shootouts…not to mention his faceoff %.
Grade B
Dropping down to the third line and centering the likes of Lewis, Clifford, Penner is going to hurt your numbers…but his defensive play easily made up for his lack of scoring.
Next season teams are really going to go after the top two lines and I’m hoping this line can start lighting the lamp more…same goes for the fourth line!
Brown-Kopi-Williams
Gagne-MR-Carter
King-Stoll-Nolan
Penner-Fraser-Lewis
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fsd1 Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
@Barry’s Mullet, agree with everything other then pens on the 4th line.
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Barry's Mullet Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:10 pm
@fsd1, Kings are deep at LW if everyone is healthy! Gagne has more skill than Penner. Penner has the size and plays more physical than Gagne. King shows too much promise to play on the 4th line…what do you do?
I think DL signed Penner as insurance in case Gagne goes down again. That along with the other reasons I listed are why he seems to fit best on the 4th line…unless they move him to RW?
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fsd1 Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
@Barry’s Mullet, kinda nice to have this issue. Our cup is full……
A B? Is this so we can use him a trade bait? A higher grade gets us a better guy?
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Pretty generous grading from most above, but I do like this guy. I get the sense that he is an important guy in the locker room and a real informal leader on the team. I am glad he is coming back, but want to see much more out of him next year.
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Although he netted the winning goal on the Canucks series I still voted C because he takes too many dumb penalties..
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Stoll’s change over to the checking center gave him an entirely different role this year. His new duties added additional weight to the load he carries.
It does make his offense suffer, which is easy for us to criticize, but I kind of compare it to that scene from Airplane! where Kareem tells the kid “Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes…”
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Stoll didn’t generate enough offense to receive anything better than a B, but the rest of his game was great. Being a plus player on the “checking” line that’s usually matched up against the top line from other teams is no small feat. He is still great on faceoffs and a big part of the PK.
If he can get that goal total up to 15 or so and repeat what he did this year defensively and on the dot, that would be an A season.
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Huge on faceoffs and very good as a defensive center. More scoring will come with better talent around him. Grade: B
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This guy had more than just an Offensive decline during the regular season, he down right became invisibly useless for a good part of the year. Yes, he did get shuffled around and we can think of a number of excuses for him.
I was really hard on the guy during the regular season and started to refer to him as Mrs. Stoll. Well the man went from being Mrs. Stoll to Monster Stoll during the playoffs and came up BIG!!
solid B and hoping for an A for this guy next year….
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Stoll’s Greaaaaat!
A
He tries the hardest
Go Kings Go!
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Maybe his slapper isn’t accurate, but his wrist shot has been pretty much money for several seasons now. Maybe he just doesn’t have a quick enough release for PP duty? Because he’s proven to be quite capable of picking spots on break away and shoot out scenarios.
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C+ and I’m being generous.
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Michael J. Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 2:54 pm
@Lake Forest,
Remember, he played a lot with Penner…
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C+ from me too. Really stepped it up in the playoffs and is great defensively and in faceoffs. However his offense took a horrible, horrible nose dive. Everyone went through it but probably nobody more than Penner along with this guy and that nearly cost this team the playoffs.
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Sorry guys. You’re a bunch of homers. He had a horrific regular season by any standard. And while the playoff performance is all that matters, what if this team missed the playoffs? Then what grade does he get? He’d get an F.
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Duncanz Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
@jonsey, But if, and that’s a big IF, what grade would you give him IF he’d hypothetically helped Kings to win the Stanley Cup?
You know, just for argument’s sake.
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Until the trade deadline, I had Stoll and Penner on the “DL may need to trade these two if we are about to make the playoffs” bandwagon. Then Carter came, Johnson went and everyone seemed to fall into a nice rhythm of scoring and winning. During the playoffs, both Stoll and Penner were M-O-N-S-T-E-R-S.
I’m happy both of them found their touch and resurgence at the right time, but like someone said above, expectations are high for next season. Bring it, boys!
B+ for me. Thank you, Stollie!
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Top 15, Minimum 1000, regular season:
Player……….Team……….FO%
Jonathan Toews……….CHI……….59.4
Patrice Bergeron……….BOS……….59.3
David Steckel……….TOR……….58
Paul Gaustad……….BUF/NSH……….57.3
Boyd Gordon……….PHX……….56.8
Antoine Vermette……….CBJ/PHX……….56.6
Pavel Datsyuk……….DET……….56.2
Steve Ott……….DAL……….55.5
Paul Stastny……….COL……….55.4
Eric Belanger……….EDM……….55.3
Jarret Stoll……….LAK……….55
Jim Slater……….WPG……….54.4
Anze Kopitar……….LAK……….53.8
Claude Giroux……….PHI……….53.7
Stoll 11th. Kopi 13th. Not bad at all.
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rumpa #19 Reply:
July 21st, 2012 at 3:13 pm
@LA_1968, Nice point. Some should play before they bag, he is just taping into 3rd line duty and will have the same line mates without TM. With all we ask of him in all areas of the game, and job changes , A in my opinion. He also got this young team its 1st 2nd round, not bad.
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6 goals in 78 games for a 3rd line center with his skating & shooting ability just doesn’t cut it in my book. I give him credit for picking it up in the playoffs though. Also another negative is his hitting. Unless he learns how to do it right expect more dumb penalties from him. Maybe that’s just a factor though going from the 2nd to the 3rd line that will take some time. Overall I’m glad we resigned him & hopefully he can pick it up right from where he left off.
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B+ – well above average – what he lacks in offensive is made up in defense and coverage in his own zone. Clearly a rock on the faceoffs.
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@Gail Web, I agree 100%. Plus he is hot!
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Stoll was very assertive and took it to the opposition. Really happy for him being rewarded for his tenacity, skill, and courage. I was very pleased when the Kings acquired him and now he’s a champion. B+
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I wanted to give an A- because that is how much I value late game or penalty time face offs and Stoll is an absolute master. His offense was a bit lacking but I also like the success rate that he has had in the last two years during shootouts.
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