@ Zajacs Bowl Cut
I don't really want to do this because I don't want to have to spend the next eon defending myself, but I have watched him on a game to game basis whenever he has been here.
I am not sold on just what exactly he wants to be or what NJ expects him to become. He is like some kind of a middling player showing some offensive desire and sometimes actually trying to play defense.
First off, to me he has an attitude that implies he doesn't think he belongs here. Whenever we see him he sulks for the first few games and just goes through the motions, then either coaches, his agent, or NJ puts a bug in his ear that not giving his all will result in him never becoming an NHL player. I admire a guy with confidence in himself, but thinking you are something you are not won't get you where you want to go. You have to prove you don't belong where you are.
He is not a super skater. To my eyes he is not fast and not slow, but somewhere in between. When he is rushing the puck he gets caught from behind. When he's caught deep which is way too often, he doesn't get back with the opponent's rush.
He doesn't have the stick skills or the slick edges that allow him to elude defenders challenging him when he is carrying the puck into the O-zone. Offensively, unless he has a wide open pass, he goes wide down the boards now looking to pass. If it's not there, he either forces it anyways and turns it over or ends up in the corner.
He can't stick handle to keep the puck away from defenders in close quarters or have the kind of edge work and puck handling skills to reverse his position and take the puck back out towards the blueline, or stop on the boards and pass the puck inside, or even turn into the circle and all of a sudden become dangerous. Nope. He either tries to dump it behind the net or loses the puck to aggressive defenders and then they front him as their mates are breaking up ice at which point he doesn't bust his nuts and try to catch up because he isn't fast enough to do such. He "hustles" back and tries to help out like a backchecking forward while someone like Schmelzer or another forward like Parent who have defensive chops try to play Simon's position vs a puck carrier.
In his own end 1 on 1 vs a rushing forward:
1st he never challenges that guy out high he just sags back. Sometimes the gap is so large the guy turns inside and loses him or shoots from the top of the circle because Simon has ceded that shot.
2nd If he keeps coming, Simon tries to force him wide and if the guy is close enough while going by, he tries to swipe the puck off his stick.
His main objective was to force the guy wide and pick him up on the end boards. He won't hit him on the end boards, but rides him and waits for help.
There is a problem with the main objective. Some of these guys are a lot faster than he gives them credit for and they simply lower a shoulder and sweep in behind him intent on going to the net. At that point the guy has new set of options. He can shoot himself, pass to an open mate in the slot if he's been unchecked, or if he's picked up, pass to the guy on the wide post who was abandoned by the guy picking up the unchecked slot guy, or hit another streaking in off the circle. The Comets always leave 1 of those guys unchecked. To avoid all that he trips, hooks, grabs, or slashes the guy. Not exactly text boook defense.
He gets away with this plan if the guy isn't able to get past him before Simon takes away his lanes and the guy goes to the end boards like he hoped.
He is not a physical D-man. He never steps up into a puck carrier. He does not angle a player to the boards and then rub him out. He doesn't affront a guy at the netfront. He pushes at him, fronts him, or tries to use his stick to disrupt the puck coming to the guy. Proof of what he is not doing to the guy in front is that very seldom after a whistle does a player take offense to how he has been mistreated by Simon.
He can make a good outlet pass, but is more often trying to carry it out and then pass it in open ice. Not a problem if he chooses the right time to do it. He can elude a player in open ice, but not if the guy gets into him. At that point he tries the pass which might be there or might be to far out of reach and the turnover results. He also might resort to the dump in which is a very common Comets' way of getting the puck into the opponent's end. The team is slow and has poor puck skills so dumping it is a better move than turning it over.
Simon likes to shoot from the point but his prefernce is from the middle anywhere from the blueline to the top of the circles. He tries to score if the opening appears to be there or shoots low at the net or low, but wide in both cases setting up the tip. He will also dish off when skating to the circle because oppopnents have to pick him up, which always occurs in hockey, it opens up a mate. Nothing wrong with any of this.
Forcheckers can pen him in or physically take him out forcing turnovers. He is not good at avoiding or eluding forecheckers.
He can pass the puck tape to tape whether the intended receiver is stationary, moving at at any given speed, or flying into an open spot.
He is a smart player. He can play the game, but he is too prone to trying to do too much on his own.
I think he can be a good NHL D-man, but only if he allows his ego and his seeming unwillingness to play the game his management and coach wants him to play as the others who would be his team mates have already done.
I have no idea if he's already abandoned his desire to be a Devil or if the Devils have decided to pass on him. He has already alluded to a trade as being what might be best for him to his home press. I don't thimk that kind of behavior sits well with the team, the coach, or management.
Hope I have been of some assistance.
