The League is being allowed to "Toughen Up", the Officials are letting a lot more go...interference, stick work, "working" for position in front of the net, both ways, for the offence and the defence.
Against the bigger, better, elite teams, we simply are not strong enough, particularly on DEFENCE.
Wilson Street goes on about the goal tending...wake up! Look at the dangerous traffic in front of our net...tips, double deflections, open attackers, second and third rebounds...our guys never seem to have position on their guys! Then you have the clear break aways or the 2 and 3 on 1s...we don't have a Miller or a Thomas but even those guys would wilt behind our DEFENCE!
The reality is we are four (4) DEFENCEMEN short of a load! If our 3-4 pair was a stud pairing, Picard and Carkner could probably play 10-12 minutes against the 3rd-4th type lines but they don't they are playing 16-20 minutes a game, often against the second line...too much for your 5-6 pair. Erik "The Pup" Karlsson is a forward playing at defence and should have been converted like Alf when he showed some up side in Sweden years ago, he will not be a D-man in the NHL. Philippé Kuba, there is a reason he was available to us, people could not watch a man of his size and skill play that light every night...don`t kid yourself the attacking forwards know this also...Campy is OK but can`t help, he is just too small for defenceman in today`s NHL.
So Mr. Murray go out and get someone, maybe even two...for you sit at your peril...
And Gordie get off the goalies...they are what they are...your criticism is way over the top...and you are wrong so stop it!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
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If we could somehow transform Kuba and Karlsson into Cam Barker and Christian Ehrhoff we might have a chance, but the Karlsson Messiah bandwagon must realize Cube less (as in no stones) Kuba, ain't gonna get er done. The 'Young Pup' is lost. And Jared Cowen is 2-3 years away.
ReplyDeleteI have never agreed with you more than I do now Nik. This is, at best, an AHL level defence minus Phillips and Volchenkov.
ReplyDeleteCampoli/Picard - work in progress players, they need time to develop a fully-rounded game and aren't going to do so from the press box.
Carkner - God bless the Winchester Warrior. Imagine how gritless and weak this D would be if this gem didn't shine in camp?
Karlsson - simply put, he is a boy in a man's game right now. His stubbornness might make him believe he is ready for the NHL but he is not. He needs to swallow his pride and help Bingo win a Calder Cup. Then he can focus on winning the Calder Trophy next season.
Kuba - His existence bothers me. It makes me even sicker that he dons a Sens jersey. He is soft, immobile, makes very poor decisions with the puck on the PP and cannot (or will not) shoot when it is required of him. Our "offensive" defenceman almost has as many points as Phillips,Volchenkov and Carkner! He is terrible and the root cause of our defensive weakness. I shudder to think this pile of waste is ruining the 'Pup'.
I somewhat agree Nik. I absolutely agree that the bottom 3 are being asked to do too much. With one more legit top 4 (preferably a top 1, which we lack) the remainder could play a more appropriate role.
ReplyDeleteAs for Karlsson, I'm not worried about him. He's looked ok defensively, which considering his opposition, is actually a positive, as he's being over-tasked in that department. His offense is beginning to come, I think it has struggled due to his being critisized for his defense...he's now over-thinking his offensive instincts. If he were paired with Carks, and played less than 10 minutes 5-on-5, then I think he would be more impressive. Right now Kuba's soft play is leaving King-K open to criticism...really, should we expect Karlsson to be a physical presence?
Defense is a serious issue, and until a legit top 4 arrives, it will remain so.
GN
I also agree. Even great coaching with player buy-in and great work ethic can only get you so far when you're missing some key ingredients. If the holes are being exposed, the elite teams will take advantage, as Boston always seems to do. If Murray can negotiate another genuine top 4 D-man for us with offensive abilities (we still need that big boomer on the point) to help our blue chip prospects develop, he would be my hero. The price will be big, though, I'd say two roster players and a second rounder at least (eg. Shannon and Campoli plus SJ's 2nd).
ReplyDeletePs. Throwing SJ's 2nd in would be a smart PR move for Murray, as it would continue to complicate the the value he got in the Heatley trade. There might be more reason to see it as a win, despite the sadness that is Mr. Cheech.
ReplyDeleteLike us the Murrays know and have known our defencive short fall for years...we have one big rusting, eroding asset...I wonder if Bryan should make a move?
ReplyDeleteJust a thought!
Care to eloborate on that Nik? Who is this asset you see rusting and eroding?
ReplyDeleteGN