Grading the Islanders: Frans Nielsen, great Dane, already housebroken
by Dominik on Sep 3, 2009 6:45 AM EDT
in New York Islanders Report Cards
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PrintBeen dutifully sprinkling these player reviews throughout the summer -- and some have felt obligatory -- but Frans Nielsen is one that excites me. Can't remember where I read or saw it, but Garth Snow said that while he conducted interviews for the next Islanders coach (the first coach who would be his choice), Nielsen was one of the players Scott Gordon brought up as a good player who could do a lot more and play a bigger role.
Last season, at least before Mike Mottau's sorry blindside hit, bore that out. Check after the jump for some food for thought before you issue your grade.
Frans Nielsen
#51 / Center / New York Islanders
5-11
172
Apr 24, 1984
1+ change
3 more at $525k - now that is asset management.
Wait, we're counting on this guy? Hello, Tavares.
Random Fact: "Tourist who are decided to visit Denmark will meet Kindom of Harmony. But at the same time you will feel yourself like kiked down out your way." I don't make this stuff up, though someone might have.
"This is our concern, Dude" Fact: I want you to be healthy, Frans. But the implication that the knee was still an issue after you came back worries me, it does. You need your speed and agility. Nielsen had just 1 goal in his first 25 games after returning from injury.
That said, his production eventually returned, and he picked up 6 goals in his final15 games:
The Story: I'll 'fess up: During his brief auditions under Ted Nolan, I had no idea what Nielsen could bring to the table. Enter Scott Gordon, who told him he should aspire for greater things, and suddenly Nielsen was a revelation (to me) until one fateful night when Mottau tried to take his head off -- and nearly succeeded.
That Nielsen survived that hit with his head intact is a bonus, I suppose: A happy result of him ducking just in time. That the act of saving his skull entailed torquing his knee and ankle means we think we have an idea of what the Real Nielsen is, but we can't be sure.
The thing that sold it for me is Nielsen was flying around in several games, continuing the chemistry with Trent Hunter that started back in training camp, and was the best Islander on the ice the night Mottau leveled him. Nielsen admittedly came back less than 100% -- he was kept from playing for Denmark at the World Championships thanks to Isles medical staff concerns -- but his play leading up to that fateful night and his play at the end of the season told me what he could be: A very good passer, a guy with speed, some moves and a responsible two-way game (to say nothing of the backhand shootout move we've seen a time or five). The Ulf Dahlen comparisons aren't insane; if perfect-world Nielsen is your third-line center, you're doing well.
The Lyric (inspired by Frank Black's "Los Angeles"):
I met a Dane
He was a good Dane
Deking and scoring
From the third line-so-fine
Making me foreign, oh yeah-ahh-ah
[serious guitar riff]
I wanna live on Long Island
I wanna play on Long Island
Fabled home of Nystrom and Clark, yeah
Four Cups, Bossy and Trottier...
I wanna live on Long Island
It ain't Copenhagen
I wanna be where the kingdom has ended
Where instead there's a county executive
I wanna play on Long Island
For those Isles on Long Island
That club that's rocking the rebuild
Not the oldest monarchy in the world
(Sorry. Not sure where that came from, but Frank Black was in the head. And Nielsen's place as pioneer Danish NHLer is kind of cool.)
The Grade: So in this experimental summer of report cards at this site, I do still want to hear your grade of Nielsen's 2008-09, based on how well he met your preseason expectations. And since it's not scientific, we're changing mid-stream to a 10-point scale. (We can double the other players' 5-point-scale grades for comparison.)
But in comments, I'm also curious what you think of Nielsen and what you expect of him this year. For my money, if a perfect future world has John Tavares as a #1 center at his ceiling, and Josh Bailey as a two-way scoring center, then Nielsen as your #3 center is not too shabby at all. Bonus, he's signed cheap for 3 more seasons, although that means he'll be wanting real money at the same time Tavares will and one year after Kyle Okposo and Bailey will. Ah well, the price of (hoped for) success.
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I swear, some of these headshots were specifically selected to make them look goofy. Poor Sillinger’s last one did him no favors.
Lighthouse Hockey: Side effects may include Weight gain and frequent game loss.
Hmmmm...
…it seems we have some Danish patriots in our midst.
Lighthouse Hockey: Side effects may include Weight gain and frequent game loss.
I gave him an “8.” Was debating between 7/8, but went a little higher because he was just that impressive to me, IMO. For sure, he exceeded expectations, and was one of the guys who truly “broke out” [compared to his production from ‘06-’08]. I was a little confuzzled when he got that 4 yr. deal – “Why commit that long to a fringe player,” I thought – but now, I am grateful that we’ve got a young 40-50 pt. forward locked in at the league minimum for another three seasons. (To be willing to accept that kind of a deal – giving up a year of UFA, all the while making less money than Tim Jackman – shows he’s got his head in the right place, and is committed to the team.)
My biggest complaint is that he’s the prototypical “tweener” – not skilled enough to anchor a true scoring line, and not big/physical enough to work on a traditional checking line – but he’s only 25, has a little more room to grow his game, and has enough offense in his blood to be a sizeable factor on this particular team.
Very happy with Frans. I’d love to see him form a nice third-line combo with Hunter, but he had some pretty good chemistry with Okposo, too, so you never really know.
P.S. – The one guy that always pops into my mind when trying to compare Frans to players around the league – Valtteri Filppula.
Amen, to all of that.
Glad you brought up the contract, because that reminded me I had the same reaction when it was signed. Which tells me how little I understood about his potential.
The “tweener” point is huge. This is an unfair comparison, but Datsyuk excels defensively despite his size … hopefully Frans continues to figure it out without being able to maul people.
And Filppula — I’ll take that!
It’s funny, in that Cycle Like Sedins full league re-draft, I picked Nielsen today and both league managers thought it was an invalid pick: They didn’t know him (and they misspelled his name, to boot).
Lighthouse Hockey: Side effects may include Weight gain and frequent game loss.
I went with 7, I debated eight, but had to settle for seven because I really expected him to be better than forgetable.
I disagree with pickups in saying that he is not skilled enough for a true scoring line. The man can flat out make a pass. 59 games and 24 assists is nothing short of good. Pair him up with a “pure” scorer and they could put the lights out, at least they could until some headhunting dill-weed like Mottau comes along.
Then the Isles need someone like Buff to show the other team what the true meaning of physical is.
SHOOOOOOOT IT!!!! Anon
by burpchelischili on Sep 3, 2009 10:36 PM EDT reply actions
True, I didn’t want to knock him too hard. I guess, what I meant is that I see his ultimate ceiling as a second-line C, which is not too shabby at all. He does a lot of things well – including pass, which is his best asset – but nothing exceptional. (Which is why I thought of Filppula, who is of similar size, a similar stride, + has posted similar offensive totals to Nielsen.)
He’s versatile enough to work with most any type of linemates, too – I’d feel just as comfortable seeing him with Okposo as I would seeing him with Hunter.
That versatility makes me wonder if he’ll be the one tried at wing (assuming Weight/Tavares/Bailey/Nielsen all squeeze into the top three lines).
Lighthouse Hockey: Side effects may include Weight gain and frequent game loss.
Isn’t that one hell of a problem to have?
SHOOOOOOOT IT!!!! Anon
by burpchelischili on Sep 4, 2009 6:26 AM EDT up reply actions
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
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1981-82
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1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
