GDT: #44 ⋅ ANA @ WSH ⋅ 4:00 PM PST

[The Midnight Burrito]

I remember something similar to this said to Terry by Eakins. Terry was too much a perimeter player with great handles, but couldn't produce offense. Then it finally clicked for Terry in 2021-22.

This year in transition, Strome knows to drop the puck for Terry. Then Strome and Vatrano know to crash the net to act as a screen for Terry's laser shot to either score or produce a rebound. Those shots by Terry are usually in the middle of the ice.

Yeah, Terry shoots and then follows his shots to the net. He also doesn’t pass up chances to drive to the net when a lane opens. Terry’s like 170 soaking wet, if Leo played like Terry he’d be incredible.

 

[HanSolo]

I don't know that being a play driver necessarily means driving the net. Obviously off the rush, yeah we'd want to see Leo attack the net with more confidence and authority but on a standard 5v5 offensive set up I think he needs to work on navigating traffic and finding openings or creating them. Leo has gotten to the point where he doesn't seem keen on being the pivot through which the offensive play flows (E.g, a Getzlaf type). Whether it's diminished confidence in himself or frustration over his struggles or both he doesn't hold onto the puck very long and very often looks to make quick hand offs on 5 on 5 set ups rather than looking to be the guy that's directing the flow and pace of play. I'm not necessarily saying Leo has to hold it interminably until he finds the perfect play but centers with his (expected) size and stature can bend the offensive game by being patient and drawing defenders out of position. Right now Leo is rushing everything.

So I think Cro is partially right but it doesn't get to the heart of everything he needs to work on offensively. All he talked about was how to improve offense off the rush. If that's all he's training Leo to work on, that's getting away from developing a well rounded center.

Also Leo is with Killorn again if morning skate jerseys are any indication.

 

[ADHB]

So far anyway, Leo is simply a rush player. Outside of a few odd opportunities here and there, can't really recall any time he's created scoring chances from the cycle or extended zone time. I imagine that will come with time, but to be honest it's sort of the opposite of what I expected based on his scouting reports and play pre-draft.

 

[LuGBuG]

Even Cronin's references are out of date. There wasn't a player that plays in today's era, against modern defenses that he could have compared him to? Cronin needs to go.

I am not a Cronin fan. Him saying our player is like Mike Modano is not a reason why he needs to go lol. Pretty silly.

 

[Mr Rogers]

I don’t think the comparison is really a big deal. I have no problem with it being dated, but Modano is not a guy I would’ve ever thought of with Leo. Modano was more of a turbocharged Kesler.

Leo tries to play much more east-west, Maybe Cronin wants him to play like Modano. I don’t love the idea of trying to alter a player to that extent.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Terry is back

Did he bring Z with him

 

[91Fedorov]

I am not a Cronin fan. Him saying our player is like Mike Modano is not a reason why he needs to go lol. Pretty silly.

Of course it's not.

Lack of young player development, terrible 5v5 numbers, poor utilization of the talent the team has, inability to articulate a plan for how the team can improve in post game interviews... Those are reasons why he needs to go. But those weren't things being discussed here.

I just took a jab at a coach that I feel is bad for our team. In my opinion, he's an old coach, with old ideas, that isn't fit to be a head coach in the today's NHL. I thought his "old" reference just helped articulate that.

 

[Terry Yake]

Caps games always get feisty. Hope we can be competitive with Terry back.

was it ovechkin who made a bald joke at getzlaf after he called him out for diving?

 

[Ducks DVM]

I don't know that being a play driver necessarily means driving the net. Obviously off the rush, yeah we'd want to see Leo attack the net with more confidence and authority but on a standard 5v5 offensive set up I think he needs to work on navigating traffic and finding openings or creating them. Leo has gotten to the point where he doesn't seem keen on being the pivot through which the offensive play flows (E.g, a Getzlaf type). Whether it's diminished confidence in himself or frustration over his struggles or both he doesn't hold onto the puck very long and very often looks to make quick hand offs on 5 on 5 set ups rather than looking to be the guy that's directing the flow and pace of play. I'm not necessarily saying Leo has to hold it interminably until he finds the perfect play but centers with his (expected) size and stature can bend the offensive game by being patient and drawing defenders out of position. Right now Leo is rushing everything.

So I think Cro is partially right but it doesn't get to the heart of everything he needs to work on offensively. All he talked about was how to improve offense off the rush. If that's all he's training Leo to work on, that's getting away from developing a well rounded center.

Also Leo is with Killorn again if morning skate jerseys are any indication.

I feel like Carlsson’s game has always been either immediately passing it off, then going…somewhere, but usually not where he can get the puck back Immediately from his NHL teammates, OR trying to split 2-3 players playing hero puck. I was commenting on it last year as well, it’s not a new thing.

 

[TheStuntman]

Ah that is perfectly understandable. I also now remember when Jiggy had to take a step back during the 2007 playoffs for similar reason and then Bryzgalov got his chance to shut the door on the Minnesota Wild.
Probably my favorite Russian that played for the Ducks. Mintyukov has a chance to overtake that.

Probably only until Washington sees the downgrade in production lol while the Ducks act like they didn't notice anything wrong lol.

Bryzgalov's "It's only game, why you heff to be mad?" sound bite might be my favorite hockey related sound bite of all time.

 

[HanSolo]

I feel like Carlsson’s game has always been either immediately passing it off, then going…somewhere, but usually not where he can get the puck back Immediately from his NHL teammates, OR trying to split 2-3 players playing hero puck. I was commenting on it last year as well, it’s not a new thing.

I mostly agree. I think it's about playing to his strengths and diversifying what they're training him to do. With his frame, he's going to be stronger than he is now eventually. Part of darting past defenders on the rush involves the same skillset as moving the puck around through traffic when both the offense and defense have the 5 man set up in place, it's just a different tempo and drive approach.

I've mentioned the Getzlaf playstyle/approach a number of times cause it's the easiest reference point to look at. When the defense is already in position, a guy like Getzlaf or a guy like Eichel today takes a more patient approach to possessing the puck in the offensive zone where they use a combo of hands, vision, and strength on their skates to draw defenders out of position with reversals and retreats before moving to a new area of the ice to really pull a defender out of their position which causes disruption of the 5 man set up. It's not so much that this style of play helps the center create better angles for a pass, it's designed for disruption.

In today's NHL, it's a lot easier to do it because physical engagement is down. It just depends on a player's patience and vision to know when to retreat and move to new areas. Terry does this to an extent, though he isn't a center, he clearly models that side of his approach after his mentor. Leo, when he's done developing should end up bigger and stronger than Terry. Which means he's equipped to play this way to complement his playmaking preferences and tendencies.

If Cronin is only teaching him/instructing him to bull his way at the net and hope that one of these days he has a physical breakthrough in the weight room to be, more or less, just a prototypical powerforward, then that's not developing him around his strengths and potential strengths, and honestly it kind of makes some of Leo's struggles make more sense to me.

Right now, a huge chunk of his failures at executing plays come from him trying to bull past multiple defenders at once and then hope someone is open for an in tight chance, but they rarely are. I talked about it weeks ago, only then I theorized it was the result of his not trusting his linemates and trying to do everything himself. I didn't know it was Cronin telling him specifically to focus on that aspect of his game.

And sure, in a rush situation we want Leo to be better about operating under pressure and holding onto possession as he fights through it. But I dont think that's where his development should start and stop. I don't know if it is, but I do know the attempts Leo has been trying, by and large, aren't working and when they do his linemates don't have finish and I don't see any change in his approach to the 5v5 offensive set up on a game to game basis, so to me, more likely than not, they're not working on that enough.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Bryzgalov's "It's only game, why you heff to be mad?" sound bite might be my favorite hockey related sound bite of all time.

and its forever immortalized by the character Zarya who uses that same exact line in video game Overwatch 2 made by Irvine based Blizzard. The character is Russian too. I read that Blizzard had quite a few Ducks fans and that is probably why that ended up in there.

 

[MCB]

Was it last year or the year before one of their players spit on our guy? I remember I got tickets to the next match up between them at home.

 

[Boo Boo]

Was it last year or the year before one of their players spit on our guy? I remember I got tickets to the next match up between them at home.

That was garnet Hathaway - don’t worry he’s in Philadelphia where he belongs now

 

[TheStuntman]

and its forever immortalized by the character Zarya who uses that same exact line in video game Overwatch 2 made by Irvine based Blizzard. The character is Russian too. I read that Blizzard had quite a few Ducks fans and that is probably why that ended up in there.

Yup I remember when I played Overwatch, haven't played in a long time tho.

 

[MMC]

 

[heynowbababooey]

I love Guy Hebert but I must admit, I'm missing Hazy.

 

[robbieboy3686]

I love Guy Hebert but I must admit, I'm missing Hazy.

Hazy is elite imho.

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

Is it true, Ducks dont have anymore back to backs?

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

Tentatively happy with that top 9.

 

[2faded]

I just want Colangelo to get some points.

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

Bro hey can get the pucl out

 

[heynowbababooey]

John Carlson has been in the league 16 years??? Seems like it was last week he scores the ot winner against Canada.

 

[GiveYouABagOfPucks]

Lazy penalty

 

[slippingsloth]

Soft call. If they call that they better call everything