DatBoyJPP
Good Night
He's not replicating last year's season. He got off to a ridiculous, unsustainable start and has been garbage since
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He's not replicating last year's season. He got off to a ridiculous, unsustainable start and has been garbage since
- May 1, 2011
- 133,222
- 62,570
The last 25 games Clarkson has scored 3 goals and 2 assists. One of them should have never happened, but the beer league goalie couldn't cover the puck. Even the one scored on Reimer was a soft goal that he should have stopped. He's looking like the 07/08 Clarkson only with 2 or 3 times as much ice time.
If someone pulled up his stats this season without any context, they wouldn't know any better. He still leads the team in goals and I love how that's a knock on him. Do you think he didn't have hot and cold streaks last season?
- May 1, 2011
- 133,222
- 62,570
That's not to say Clarkson is a bad player. It just means that because he's on pace for 27 goals he's probably gonna get paid like a back to back 30 goal scorer this Summer. I don't think it would be wise to sign him for $5 million a year. $4 million maybe, but I could see some desperate team offering him that much in free agency on the market.
Why shouldn't he be? Because some of the goals came in a bunch of games that were really close together?
DatBoyJPP
Good Night
But replicating stats doesn't mean replicating production. Hence the reason we will be golfing in early May this year
That's because he went on a massive surge early on and has looked like a career ECHL'er even since.
Trying to score by shooting from anywhere might be "his thing" but it's not working anymore and I'm 100% certain that his 2 other linemates are going bonkers ATM. There's nothing worst then playing with a puck hog that thinks he's playing solo againt the opposition while your wasting your energy trying to get open.
Now that he thinks he's our new sniper, his head is down 90% of the time, he tries to protect the puck and goes hard to his forehand in order to get a shot off when there's a open teamate just begging for a pass that never comes.
Moving the puck is THE best way to tire out a team and create some type of in zone presence. What Clarkson has been doing for the past month and a half is just wasting everyone's time in the offensive zone cause his focus is solely on creating his own shot instead of utilising his 4 other teamates.
its not too out there that we win 6 of 9. as bad as you say the devils are puck luck and 1 or 2 goals will easily propel this team to winning. its not like the devils are being completely outplayed 24/7, not at all.
Still firmly believe Lou really ****ed up big time not surrendering last years first round pick and its gonna come back to kill them big time
nugg
NJ Hammerhead Bats!
Burke is terrific, but he differs in philosophy from his old college coach and mentor.
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/01/26/leafs-gm-brian-burke-on-lou-lamoriello-and-buttered-toast/
He would still be a great choice as a successor, but I just don't know if Lou would go for it.
I know Lou has done miracles with this organisation but I wouldn't mind if we brought in someone with a different approach and someone who won't be afraid to shake things up if things are heading south.
I guess I'm just tired of hearing that ****ing catch phrase "status quo" for the past 20 somewhat years, especially when things aren't supposed to be "status quo"
Brian Burke is a terrific hockey mind and he does like to feed the cameras more then you'd like out of a Gm. With that said, I would welcome him with open arms if he were to be our next Gm cause I'd know that he'd do his best to succeed, especially after taking over Lou's team and all the success we've had over the years.
I guess I'm just tired of hearing that ****ing catch phrase "status quo" for the past 20 somewhat years, especially when things aren't supposed to be "status quo"
Brian Burke is a terrific hockey mind and he does like to feed the cameras more then you'd like out of a Gm. With that said, I would welcome him with open arms if he were to be our next Gm cause I'd know that he'd do his best to succeed, especially after taking over Lou's team and all the success we've had over the years.
Feed Me A Stray Cat
Registered User
He won't continue playing like crap, if that is indeed what he's playing like.
This is Clarkson's game. He scores garbage goals. That has a very fluky element to it. Expect draughts.
His current 25 game draught is getting blown out of proportion due to the team's woes overall. If Kovalchuk is healthy, and Henrique/Zajac are pulling their share, way less people complain about Clarky.
I hope Lou never retires just because his smart ass status quo comments really bother people. Hilarious.
Feed Me A Stray Cat
Registered User
So what kind of "production" are you expecting from Clarkson, exactly, if it's not goals and assists?
I don't think Clarkson is any worse than last year. His stats are almost identical on a per game basis. The main difference is the inordinate amount of bounces he got early on, and the inordinate amount of bounces he's not getting now, as well as the fact that everyone on this board is looking for reasons to complain because they can't handle losing.
The comments he can keep, doesn't bother me one bit... it's the actual fact that he's been "status quo" in terms of fixing this ****ing roster that bothers the **** out of me.
**** around with the media all you want, just don't **** around with the team is all I'm asking and to me, that's what he did this year.
Feed Me A Stray Cat
Registered User
Really? I'm pretty sure this has always been Clarkson's game. I remember myself and a lot of other people complaining about Clarkson's lack of hockey IQ last season, even in the midst of his 30 goal campaign.
Volodya Krutov
Lost Cosmonaut
- Jan 18, 2012
- 8,135
- 1,036
Clarkson's a black-hole and a chemistry breaker right now. He's looking only for one thing shooting the puck from anywhere in the offensive zone. His linemates waiting for a pass, may go F themselves, whether they're wide f'ing open or not.
Clarky's lost his mind over his lack of points production, he's got to take better decision with the puck. Stats can't explain that.
Clarky's lost his mind over his lack of points production, he's got to take better decision with the puck. Stats can't explain that.
Feed Me A Stray Cat
Registered User
As soon as a couple of those dumb shots he takes goes in, as they will start to again, I suspect people will silence themselves.
And I'm not saying Clarkson can't play better. He obviously hasn't been good the last 25 games. However there is a definite overreaction here.
If the 2011-12 Devils had this year's shootout luck, they would have finished with 94 points and been only 3 points ahead of ninth place Buffalo.
If the 2012-13 Devils had last year's shootout luck, they would be in 5th place right now, 7 points ahead of the ninth place team.
I understand the shootout does matter, but people should reflect on that fact for a second before bashing anything and everything about the performance of this team. If the shootout alone can explain that much of a difference, how can you all be so confident that this year's team sucks while last year's was much better?
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- May 1, 2011
- 133,222
- 62,570
I'm not sure he will be a perennial 30 goal scorer. It's just too much of a gamble. A full 82 game season would have given us a much better outlook on where he would be headed as far as goal production. I see him as more of a 18-20 goal a year guy. He got 17 in 08-09 playing not many minutes, and was on pace for 20 in 09-10 if not for injuries that he got during that season. I just think giving him a lot of money plus having Zajac for that contract could be pretty bad. We're still hoping Zajac is just having an anomaly of a year.
- May 1, 2011
- 133,222
- 62,570
Zach Parise was one of the better shootout scorers of all time. He didn't do much during the second half of last season, but Kovalchuk was posting an absurdly high shootout goal percentage. The goaltending was also much better in the shootout last year.
Now we have no Parise, Kovalchuk came back to earth, Elias is probably scoring at his career average, and the goaltending hasn't been good. Isn't it possible that we just SUCK in the shootout this year? I mean we have Travis Zajac and David Clarkson taking more shootouts this year than last year. Those two do not have good shootout numbers. Other than the goaltenders it's not like we have most of the same personnel in the shootout as we did last year. And Kovalchuk is producing closer to his career average than last year's absurdly high average.
Now we have no Parise, Kovalchuk came back to earth, Elias is probably scoring at his career average, and the goaltending hasn't been good. Isn't it possible that we just SUCK in the shootout this year? I mean we have Travis Zajac and David Clarkson taking more shootouts this year than last year. Those two do not have good shootout numbers. Other than the goaltenders it's not like we have most of the same personnel in the shootout as we did last year. And Kovalchuk is producing closer to his career average than last year's absurdly high average.
I'm no hockey analyst, but IMO the two most important attributes in a shootout are luck and confidence.
We have neither, so 2-7 in the shootout sounds right.
We have neither, so 2-7 in the shootout sounds right.
Volodya Krutov
Lost Cosmonaut
- Jan 18, 2012
- 8,135
- 1,036
Sorry but I'm not talking about 25 games but more the last 6 or 7. Before that he was mostly unlucky. I'm a stat believer but sometimes you've got to watch the game too and rely also a bit on the eyetest too.
Calling my precedent post an overreaction is in fact the true overreaction here.
Stats are saying His shot/game ratio is fine, so he should be too ? No, Clarkson playing his worse hockey since John MacLean. And I'm pissed at him because with Kovalchuk out we needed our best guys to step up. And certainly not to kinda selfishly losing it because he's not scoring.
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