GDT: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Detroit Red Wings | 10/4/2018 7:30PM ET| FSD MOD NOTE POST #750

[datsyukfan]

How to sum up Blashill as a coach? "He puts a FREAKING 4th liner on the ice during 3 on 3 OT" WOW, that is as bad as it gets!

The Good:

Cholowski 1st shot 1st goal, very exciting and also nice to see a D actually pinch in for once on this team
Larkin had some really nice plays out there tonight
Sulak standing up for himself and his teammates
Hicketts keeping the crap from trying to park in our crease, love it!
Howard despite bad first goal against, kept us in a game we really didn't have any business being in
Mantha standing up for his teammates, need more of this
Helm and Glendening were excellent on the PK, and man am I tired of the all harping on Helm, this guy comes to play every night and does the defensive speedster role very well and is paid in line with others who PK and put up 30 pts a season.
Jensen healthy scratched, as I thought he was etched in tattoo on Blashill's body somewhere
Dekeyser didn't look totally useless out there tonight, so I will give him some props for a decent game, especially for playing with very inexperienced partners all night

The Bad:

AA - hate to keep being against him, but he was brutally invisible out there, minus one good burst of speed to draw a penalty (Does he even want to play hockey?)
Blashill's breakout plan - we blame the D, but I think he is the one telling them to park behind the net and wait for guys to be almost out of the zone and then long bomb it, they do this constantly and most d-men wouldn't continue with this futile plan on their own, at least not so many of them. One instance, Sulak gets the puck behind the net he is going to go for a pass right away, but then realizes that they aren't in "set team break out plan" an holds up and tries to hit the guy at the blueline from behind the net. If one or two guys did this, then fine it is on the defenders, but all of them do this, so going for long-bomb prayer breakout passes has to be what they are told to do, and it blows! Icings galore because of this, man alive do we ice the puck a lot!

Long Season - This game showed me just how long a season this really is going to be, being outshot 2-1 and playing ice the puck nightly! I expect many a night like this one!

PS - Now if Blashill could be canned early that would be nice. Also if Bylsma really is in charge of who goes out there on the PP, well fire him immediately! What kind of PP coach doesn't put last years team leading 24 goal scorer Anthony Mantha on the 1st PP unit, that is mind boggling. Nothing against Rasmussen, but he is not better for the first unit with Larkin over a guy who has already shown he can score!

============================================================================================================================================

All in all, I did enjoy tonight though, minus Blashill's nonsense as the kids were exciting and a massive breath of fresh air! Finally felt like we are moving forward rather than stuck in mud.

Touching on your Breakout note there I couldn’t agree more. A massive reason we never have puck possession is because our forwards are way to stretched out we are never making the short easy pass. This is also a reason we never have speed breaking in because by the time we get the puck our forwards are standing beside there d and the only play is to dump it in. It’s infuriating. Stop with the stretching and just make the easy 10 foot passes

 

[Winger98]

It wasn't a clean game but it was strangely the most promising game I've seen from the Wings in quite awhile. instead of a bunch of over the hill vets screwing up and clearly not being good enough, we had a bunch of kids screwing up but hopefully getting better. I'm not sure how to describe it, but there's something different about youthful mistakes that just doesn't kill me as much as when vets make them, or when the vets just simply haven't been good enough.

For the first time in a long time our blueline looked like it could get the puck up the ice and weren't just desperately trying to force the play back into the neutral zone.

 

[Heaton]

I think the Glendening in OT thing is just Blashill trying to be cute. This isn't Kris Draper in his prime, this is Luke Glendening who isn't even very good defensively.

Especially since this team literally has nothing to lose, go all out, try whatever you want to this season, this team isn't going to be good. Put Rasmussen and Mantha out at the same time. Put Larkin and AA out at the same time. Try to figure stuff out instead of being stubborn and acting like winning every game is the main goal.

 

[TCNorthstars]

For those whining about LGD's ice time, that is what happens when your team gives up 6 power plays and LGD is your best penalty killer. He was 8th in even strength ice time.

Nyquist 14:09
Abdelkader 14:07
Larkin 14:01
Athanasiou 13:52
Mantha 13:27
Vanek 13:02
Nielsen 12:58
Glendening 12:32
Rasmussen 10:24
Helm 10:25
Bertuzzi 10:09
Ehn 7:47

 

[FMichael]

I think the Glendening in OT thing is just Blashill trying to be cute. This isn't Kris Draper in his prime, this is Luke Glendening who isn't even very good defensively.

Especially since this team literally has nothing to lose, go all out, try whatever you want to this season, this team isn't going to be good. Put Rasmussen and Mantha out at the same time. Put Larkin and AA out at the same time. Try to figure stuff out instead of being stubborn and acting like winning every game is the main goal.

If it hasn't been proved over the past few seasons - last night shows Blashill just isn't a very good head coach at the NHL level.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

And none of them factor to be elite. Larkin is arguably the best piece they have, and on most contending teams he would be a 2nd line center. The only elite piece in the whole system might be Zadina. To compete they still need 2-3 more pieces, and will likely take 2-3 more drafts. They are on the right track, but are no where near done rebuilding.

Exactly. Like I said about 3 years away.

 

[jkutswings]

I'm not sure how to describe it, but there's something different about youthful mistakes that just doesn't kill me as much as when vets make them, or when the vets just simply haven't been good enough.

I believe that unfamiliar sensation you describe is called hope.

 

[slovakia18]

AA-Vanek were awful, yes. But wow, AA gets ripped on so much for one game. I know consistency is the issue with him, but still, after all it was just one game. People need to relax.

Hockey is back!!

One pass was so great from Vanek but AA didn't handle it, would be a goal all would say diffence thinks about them.

In the End one point it is ok, jackets are a good team i think so.

 

[Oddbob]

But wow, AA gets ripped on so much for one game. I know consistency is the issue with him, but still, after all it was just one game.

It isn't one game though, he played like this 2 seasons in a row! 75% of his games he will get 1 or 2 fast breaks, not score and be totally invisible in all other aspects of the game. We only see good AA every 25% of the time it seems, and then he looks like a gem. He needs to flip that stat, and then people will let off. Right now, because of his hands and speed, he is an extremely infuriating player to watch, as he should legit be a 30 goal, 60+ pt player. This is the one thing I am with Blashill on, and being hard on giving him good minutes, he simply doesn't earn them. Larkin was given minutes early on in his career, difference is he actually played like he cared and earned trust and playing time. AA right now seems to be content being a 3 million dollar player who will have some highlight reel plays like he does, and then coast and coast some more and not really be useful to helping us be a better hockey team.

 

[Snuggs]

My Notes from last night.

- Great games by the young defenders. Cholowski looks like he'll be a top defender all year and the rest looked good, Sulak skates well for his size, really well. I really think all should stay with the big club and Wings should be on the horn looking to deal. I would waive Jonathan Ericsson. Hicketts/Hronek looked comfortable next to eachother.

- Rasmussen looks like he belongs. Physical, and big, he did all the things we thought he'd do offensively and he should get more ice time if Wings get more PP time.

- Goal tending. We need Jimmy Howard to be about that good every night to give this team competitive games for the Kids to play in night in and out. Players develop and learn more if the games are close and competitive vs blow out either way.

- Vanek wasn't very good, not terrible because he's a older 1 year guy but it might be harder than I thought for the Wings to get some real trade value out of him if he's playing like he did last night all year.

- Jeff Blashill. Just not a good coach. I don't agree with his lines or who he throws out there in certain situations. Players really make a coach, but a bad coach with newer players doesn't help a bad team get better.

 

[Flowah]

I'm not sure how to describe it, but there's something different about youthful mistakes that just doesn't kill me as much as when vets make them, or when the vets just simply haven't been good enough.

Because kids have more potential to learn and improve.

For those whining about LGD's ice time, that is what happens when your team gives up 6 power plays and LGD is your best penalty killer. He was 8th in even strength ice time.

Nyquist 14:09
Abdelkader 14:07
Larkin 14:01
Athanasiou 13:52
Mantha 13:27
Vanek 13:02
Nielsen 12:58
Glendening 12:32
Rasmussen 10:24
Helm 10:25
Bertuzzi 10:09
Ehn 7:47

so many damn penalties.

 

[Frk It]

Encouraging 1st game. Cholo can hold his own for sure. Larkin threw him a beauty for his first goal, nice to see him carrying on that playmaking we saw last year. I thought he looked damn good in this first game.

 

[NickH8]

4 top 6 forwards under 24 and arguably 2 top 4 defenders. "Just beginning." Lol.

Better way to say it is the development phase is just beginning.

 

[TheMule93]

Hronek's defense really surprised me, in a good way. Sulak and Hicketts had okay games, I absolutely loved their feistiness though - that goes for Hronek too. We spent a ton of time in our zone tonight so we definitely got a good look at all of their defensive capabilities. Would like to see Sulak grab the puck and just f***ing skate away from everybody more often because we all know he can. He'll learn to do that as he gains more experience. Cholo was good overall, obviously scored a goal which is nice but also had some good defensive plays mixed in with a few bad ones but thats to be expected from any defenseman (let alone a rookie) when you're going against their top lines. CBJ has a good roster. Kronner, Ericsson, etc wouldnt have done any better.

I dont like Blashill's cautious overtime strategy. Put your skill guys out there because you cant defend in OT - Youll give up great chances even if you have 2 Patrice bergerons and Lidstrom out there. Put out skill guys so we can actually score when we have the puck.

 

[HIFE]

It isn't one game though, he played like this 2 seasons in a row! 75% of his games he will get 1 or 2 fast breaks, not score and be totally invisible in all other aspects of the game. We only see good AA every 25% of the time it seems, and then he looks like a gem. He needs to flip that stat, and then people will let off. Right now, because of his hands and speed, he is an extremely infuriating player to watch, as he should legit be a 30 goal, 60+ pt player. This is the one thing I am with Blashill on, and being hard on giving him good minutes, he simply doesn't earn them. Larkin was given minutes early on in his career, difference is he actually played like he cared and earned trust and playing time. AA right now seems to be content being a 3 million dollar player who will have some highlight reel plays like he does, and then coast and coast some more and not really be useful to helping us be a better hockey team.

We should re-open the 100+ page AA threads to talk hourly about little he cares!

It's crazy the reaction a 4th round (nearly free) player making $3mil can draw out of people. He's paid like an up and coming 3rd liner but people expect a double of Nathan McKinnon.

How do you watch that line and the only conclusion is AA is an idiot? There was no support, no chemistry. Abdelkader is lucky to touch the puck and Vanek is a shell. Repeating myself, but that line was doomed from its inception. It's impossible for AA to do anything carrying that line, and unfortunately without stealing from the 1st and 2nd there's no answer to create something consistent.

On a team that had actual valuable veterans AA could be a dynamic 3rd/2nd line winger. There's got to be a better way for Blashill to utilize his speed...

 

[TheMule93]

We should re-open the 100+ page AA threads to talk hourly about little he cares!

It's crazy the reaction a 4th round (nearly free) player making $3mil can draw out of people. He's paid like an up and coming 3rd liner but people expect a double of Nathan McKinnon.

How do you watch that line and the only conclusion is AA is an idiot? There was no support, no chemistry. Abdelkader is lucky to touch the puck and Vanek is a shell. Repeating myself, but that line was doomed from its inception. It's impossible for AA to do anything carrying that line, and unfortunately without stealing from the 1st and 2nd there's no answer to create something consistent.

On a team that had actual valuable veterans AA could be a dynamic 3rd/2nd line winger. There's got to be a better way for Blashill to utilize his speed...

The position that he was drafted in couldnt be more irrelevant, its just a number. He has showed tons of potential over the course of his post-draft development, lighting up the OHL, excelling in GR, and showing glimpses of greatness at the NHL level too. People are frustrated with AA because we all know what he has the potential to be. He looked great all preseason - his entire line did. Then they come out and have one of the worst performances ive ever seen from a line. They had like 5 shot attempts and gave up 25. Scoring chances were like 3 to 12 for CBJ with them on the ice. AA is a big part of that, though the others arent free of blame either.

If he was a 4th rounder that showed nothing and looked like shit from the day he was drafted nobody would be frustrated with it. Duh its just a 4th rounder on a guy that didnt pan out. AA has so much potential and has even realized it at times. But hes super inconsistent, and thus polarizing.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

I think the Glendening in OT thing is just Blashill trying to be cute. This isn't Kris Draper in his prime, this is Luke Glendening who isn't even very good defensively.

Especially since this team literally has nothing to lose, go all out, try whatever you want to this season, this team isn't going to be good. Put Rasmussen and Mantha out at the same time. Put Larkin and AA out at the same time. Try to figure stuff out instead of being stubborn and acting like winning every game is the main goal.

Absolutely agree.

I seriously think that's Blashill trying to use Glendening to shut down Panarin in a 3 on 3 situation, which is idiotic. There's too much room out there for that to ever work (as demonstrated last night).

I'd rather they put Larkin and AA out there and go down swinging then try to play defensive 3 0n 3 and end up pinned in their own zone until they lose.

 

[Invictus12]

If it hasn't been proved over the past few seasons - last night shows Blashill just isn't a very good head coach at the NHL level.

With all due respect, Babcock was bitched about just the same here. Not too happy with Glenny but at the same time, the theory may have been to not get scored against more than anything else when he was put on the ice. Panarin was out there and Glenny is probably the best guy we have playing man to man.

 

[burbankmarc]

Absolutely agree.

I seriously think that's Blashill trying to use Glendening to shut down Panarin in a 3 on 3 situation, which is idiotic. There's too much room out there for that to ever work (as demonstrated last night).

I'd rather they put Larkin and AA out there and go down swinging then try to play defensive 3 0n 3 and end up pinned in their own zone until they lose.

Glendenning was out there to win the faceoff and GTFO the ice. He did that the entire second half of the game. Larkin, Neilsen, and AA got murdered in the circle all game.

 

[Pavels Dog]

I dont like Blashill's cautious overtime strategy. Put your skill guys out there because you cant defend in OT - Youll give up great chances even if you have 2 Patrice bergerons and Lidstrom out there. Put out skill guys so we can actually score when we have the puck.

Have to agree. As could be seen on the goal, it doesn't matter if your defensive guys stays in lanes all day, eventually skilled players will get a chance and that's it. 3-on-3 is all about creating turnovers, counter-attacking, and having the skill to hold onto the puck and finish plays. Guys like Glendening, Daley, Dekeyser are not good enough at creating offensive plays that it doesn't matter if they defend, if we get the puck we will just lose it again.

My heart sank when I saw Dekeyser over Cholowski in OT.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

And they are all guaranteed to be great NHL players. Just like Kotkaniemi was a horrible pick according to you a few months ago? Lol

Kotkaniemi was a reach with better players available. Hayton was the horrible pick. If you're going to criticize get your facts in order.

But if you really want to go based on past stuff, lets talk about how you were saying Larkin wasn't worth six million but you suggested another team offer sheet him 10.

Or you could just... You know... Actually address the point at hand.

 

[Heaton]

Glendenning was out there to win the faceoff and GTFO the ice. He did that the entire second half of the game. Larkin, Neilsen, and AA got murdered in the circle all game.

No they weren't. Glendening was 6 of 7 from the dot (46.2%), Nielsen was 8 of 8 (50%), Larkin was 11 of 15 (42.3%). Glendening was poor at faceoffs last night, this was Blashill trying to be cute and it backfired (like usual).

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Glendenning was out there to win the faceoff and GTFO the ice. He did that the entire second half of the game. Larkin, Neilsen, and AA got murdered in the circle all game.

Nielsen won 8 and lost 8, Larkin was 11-15 and Glendening was 6-7. AA and Ehn were the ones getting murdered in the circle. And it's not like Glendening was dominating there either.

Unless the faceoff is at a dot close to the bench (I can't remember where it was), the odds of him being able to get off the ice for a change in 3 on 3 are extremely slim. It's still a bad strategy.

EDIT: Heaton beat me to it.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

We should re-open the 100+ page AA threads to talk hourly about little he cares!

It's crazy the reaction a 4th round (nearly free) player making $3mil can draw out of people. He's paid like an up and coming 3rd liner but people expect a double of Nathan McKinnon.

How do you watch that line and the only conclusion is AA is an idiot? There was no support, no chemistry. Abdelkader is lucky to touch the puck and Vanek is a shell. Repeating myself, but that line was doomed from its inception. It's impossible for AA to do anything carrying that line, and unfortunately without stealing from the 1st and 2nd there's no answer to create something consistent.

On a team that had actual valuable veterans AA could be a dynamic 3rd/2nd line winger. There's got to be a better way for Blashill to utilize his speed...

The problem is that he has a couple strings of games a year where he IS a Nathan MacKinnon double. He has that kind of effect. And then he disappears from making an impact for a string too.

It's more that if he didn't have several times where the average fan can tell he dogged it on a play, people would almost unanimously fall behind him. But it seems like AA is "only" an up and coming third liner because he can't be assed to give it his all. When he's locked in? He's got the talent to be one of the best players on the ice. But he doesn't do that every game. If he played even close to as well as he's capable of every game, he should be a top 6 or top line guy that we should happily be paying 7-8M to. But he gets complacent.

At every level, he's always shown flashes of talent way beyond his average play, but never seems to do anything to maintain them.

It's more what AA has to do to utilize his speed. Even if he's not scoring, he shouldn't be giving up stellar chances. He's like the superfast dude in an adult league game. He should be so much faster than the mid-6 guys he's playing against that he should be able to backcheck and disrupt their opportunities with impunity. It is an embarrassment that his effort in some games has been so atrociously bad that ANYONE can see him slacking off. Normally, fans think a guy is dogging it and he's not capable of whatever it is. However, AA's several lapses have been so blatant that they are called out on the broadcast, in the interviews after the broadcast, and are plainly visible.

 

[Flowah]

It's more what AA has to do to utilize his speed.

It doesn't even seem like his IQ is to blame. It just seems like laziness. That's what annoys me so much. He's the fastest man alive when he sees the puck is open. He gets lead feet when it's on the opponent's stick.

He has the speed and skill to take it away but he'd rather coast and sort of slowly chase the guy around a little until someone on the Wings gets the puck and he can get a pass at full speed the other way. That is 100% my biggest gripe with him. Everything else is a distant 3rd.