Chicago signs Ladd

[ccsitdown]

Ladd resigned for 2 year deal, as per:

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/icing/

[lockedge]

Rad.

This is good news for Ladd.

[ccsitdown]

I want to see this kid succeed... During the lockout our hockey fix was the local Junior B team, and his older brother was the goalie. Hope he fits better in CHI, think he likely will.

[Chuk]

I thought this guy would have a much bigger impact in Car. What is the deal?

In 06-07 I know he was shuffled up and down and he never found a good spot in the top 6. What do people see as his upside. He was the 4th overall pick so he had to have shown something special earlier on?

Is rejuvenation in CHI a possibility?

[angus]

frankly he isn\'t that skilled. Plays a strong, physical two way game, but I don\'t see the upside.

[lockedge]

angus wrote:

frankly he isn\'t that skilled. Plays a strong, physical two way game, but I don\'t see the upside.

He doesn\'t have a huge upside, but 75 isn\'t out of the question. That\'s where I peg him at, and nothing more.

A lock for 65 though. Ten more on top of that wouldn\'t be a stretch.

[ultrawhiteness]

angus said it perfectly. i can\'t ever see him getting 75 points.

in 2 years, chicago has the following power forward prospects knocking on the door: brouwer, aliu, beach. ladd had better impress or he\'s outta there.

[lockedge]

ultrawhiteness wrote:

angus said it perfectly. i can\'t ever see him getting 75 points.

in 2 years, chicago has the following power forward prospects knocking on the door: brouwer, aliu, beach. ladd had better impress or he\'s outta there.

I\'ll give you Aliu and beach\'s potential, but if someone offered me Brouwer for Ladd, I\'d get a good laugh out of it.

He was basically on a 50 point pace, time split between being on a line with Sharp/Bolland, Toews/kane, and Lang/Williams. In February and March, he kicked his play up a notch(even in Carolina). I\'m not saying he\'ll be a top line guy for sure in Chicago. That\'s obviously Havlat\'s spot if he\'s healthy. If he isn\'t, it would seem Sharp and Ladd were sliding in and out of that spot from the deadline on.

I don\'t think 55 points is out of the question. He\'s a power forward, and wasn\'t given much room to really develop in Carolina with Stillman and Whitney on top of him for most of his career. Finally he\'s moved somewhere he can get better linemates than Chad LaRose, and people are saying he has no upside?

His upside isn\'t high. It never has been. I don\'t see how, in the right situation, it would be impossible for him to hit 75. A more realistic upside for him is 65, though. Once he\'s fully developed, and if he\'s on a line with Toews and kane (miraculously) after those two have matured a bit more...

But hey, that\'s fantasy hockey. Projections, projections, projections. Who would have thought Souray would put up 64 points with the Habs after his first five years in the league when he didn\'t have a season where he scored over 14 points. Or even the years before and after the lockout when he seemingly hit his prime and scored 35 and 39 points respectively?

[ultrawhiteness]

yeah, good points lockedge. i think 55 sounds reasonable for him in the next year or two and 65 would be great.

and yeah, brouwer ain\'t ladd, yet, and may never be. but he will certainly be the more economical option in 2 years. and check out brouwer\'s stats... better career year in the WHL, two years so far that have been better than anything ladd put together in the AHL.