TheSmokingMan
Registered User
I actually think our Defense is much better than our forward group. I think Carbery has been trying to leverage the skating ability of our D in order to make up for the lack of speed and playmaking ability of the forwards. This has been to the detriment to the goalscoring of the Defense IMO. I'm taking this in to account when I evaluate the players.
Carlson: I really don't understand why Carlson gets as much criticism as he does on these boards. He eats some of the highest minutes / game of any player in the league while going against the oppositions best. If you watch him play, he doesn't make a lot of flashy plays, but instead plays a very veteran game where his contributions are more subtle. I think it takes a more trained eye to notice the real value he adds. I'd like to see him get more opportunities to unleash his shot in the second half of the season, particularly on the PP.
Fever: Is having a really solid season, but I would like to see him use his skating to join the rush a little more often.
Jensen / TVR: I think they both look about the same as they did last year ability wise, but it can't be denied that the offensive contributions have diminished. There's a reason our entire defensive corps has been MIA when it comes to offense, and I don't think it's all on the players.
Edmundson: He's had up and down games. He started off looking really bad, but has actually gotten a little more consistent, but I really don't think he has been a great fit with the Carbery system.
Bear: Really not impressed. He's been terrible defensively and hasn't provided the offensive spark we had hoped for. Still time for him to turn it around, though.
Sandin: Has regressed this year. He looked dynamic offensively last season, but we've only seen glimpses of it this year. I don't think this is necessarily his fault, but more how he is being utilized. I want to see him given PP1 time, because I think he has the skills to develop into the future PP quarterback on the team.
I'm not convinced that Carbery's man to man coverage in the defensive zone is generating the kind of posession and transitions that this team needs to gain speed through the neutral zone and sustained pressure in the offensive zone. It's the reason I think our Defense corps has struggled adding goals.
Arguably, I think our Defense corps has better skaters than our forwards. Because of the deficiency in the speed of our forwards, Carbery has our defense skating the puck through the neutral zone leading the rush way more than they should be. Other than shots from the point, Defenseman usually get their goals by being the late man sneaking in to open space. They can't ever do that if they are always the ones leading the rush.
The team needs more speed and playmaking forwards up front. Until we get those players and restore balance, we will continue to struggle to get offensive production from our D.
