Player Discussion Erik Gudbranson (D) to Sens for 5th round pick

[RAFI BOMB]

At that point I misunderstood - hey ... I really don’t like the way NHL games are called but players will always take what ever they are given. I like the way Olympic and elite International is called much more other then checking.

Olympic and international hockey tends to allow very limited physical play. They have cracked down even more lately (at least with WJC) because of concussion concerns. That kind of hockey can take a lot of the toughness out of the game and if they called games like that in the NHL then playoff hockey would become pretty mild.

Part of what makes hockey an amazing sport is that it is one of the toughest sports in the world to play. The physicality ramps up the intensity level and makes it more of a war of attrition. Without that physicality there would be much less appreciation for the heart, determination and courage of players. Teams are constantly looking for players who are willing to go to the dirty areas of the ice and battle for pucks and position. Players that are unwilling to do that struggle to make it to the NHL and struggle to stay in the lineup during the playoffs.

The physicality ramps up the intensity to peak levels, it adds emotion to games, fuels rivalries and adds an element to the game that isn't found in other sports. In the playoffs, it turns hockey into a kind of war. There is even this quote by Gretzky about the lessons he needed to learn about what it takes to win the Stanley Cup:

“Kevin Lowe and I were walking out of the rink after the final game and we walked by the Islanders dressing room,” Gretzky would later recall.

“As we got closer and closer we noticed it was pretty quiet in there. As we looked in the people who were doing the celebrating were management, families and wives. The players themselves were so exhausted, so tired and had so many ice packs, we could really see the price they paid. Guys like Denis Potvin, I could see, were really beat up.

“And we were fine. No problems at all. We got on the bus and Kevin said ‘That's the difference.' The were wounded. We lost and we were fine.”
The last lesson had been learned. Oilers '84: A Stanley Cup journey begins | Edmonton Sun

It helps make the NHL great and it impacts why others hold hockey players in such reverence. The level of physicality adds a bigger test to players and it brings the best out of them.

 

[aragorn]

No, if refs were more likely to call the game would be cleaner. You think a team is going to allow some schmuck to keep putting the team shorthanded without either screaming at their face to stop or kicking them off the team? It's the fact that so many calls go unnoticed that allows players to get away with things.

I'm all for playing tough (I love big hits and players making it hard for each other) but as along as it's within the rules. Cross-checking is against the rules. No?

Fans on here having been asking for the refs to call the penalties for the last 20 yrs & specifically through all those yrs against the Leafs when they were knocking Ottawa out of the playoffs & it's not going to happen now. Basketball will call a foul in the last minute, but rarely does hockey ever do it. And another thing about hockey that you don't see in other sport is when they say the refs need to even it up because they called a couple of penalties against one team & now they need to call one against the other. There would be a lot less fights, hitting & slashing, but even the players don't want that.

 

[Cosmix]

I like the way the NHL removed hooking from the game. I would like to see other stick work removed too, such as cross checking and stick in the crotch. Remove fighting too by tossing fighters from the game. Plus penalize players if they throw a punch which I have seen numerous times in scrums near the net.

I like physical hockey, body checking, legal hits; but some of the dirty stuff is not needed.

 

[Sweatred]

Olympic and international hockey tends to allow very limited physical play. They have cracked down even more lately (at least with WJC) because of concussion concerns. That kind of hockey can take a lot of the toughness out of the game and if they called games like that in the NHL then playoff hockey would become pretty mild.

Part of what makes hockey an amazing sport is that it is one of the toughest sports in the world to play. The physicality ramps up the intensity level and makes it more of a war of attrition. Without that physicality there would be much less appreciation for the heart, determination and courage of players. Teams are constantly looking for players who are willing to go to the dirty areas of the ice and battle for pucks and position. Players that are unwilling to do that struggle to make it to the NHL and struggle to stay in the lineup during the playoffs.

The physicality ramps up the intensity to peak levels, it adds emotion to games, fuels rivalries and adds an element to the game that isn't found in other sports. In the playoffs, it turns hockey into a kind of war. There is even this quote by Gretzky about the lessons he needed to learn about what it takes to win the Stanley Cup:



It helps make the NHL great and it impacts why others hold hockey players in such reverence. The level of physicality adds a bigger test to players and it brings the best out of them.

I think there is a big difference between pure Euro hockey and say how the Olympic Games are called, sometimes with NHL refs

 

[JungleBeat]

Looks slow, can’t defend and isn’t aggressive. Terrible.

 

[Icelevel]

He’s eating a lot of minutes. I don’t mind him.

 

[Sensinitis]

He’s been the best of all the shit D we are currently dressing.

 

[Sensmileletsgo]

He’s eating a lot of minutes. I don’t mind him.

Same. Seems worth it for a 5th.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

A 5th is essentially worthless and so is Gudbranson.

Fair deal for sure.

 

[aragorn]

I like the way the NHL removed hooking from the game. I would like to see other stick work removed too, such as cross checking and stick in the crotch. Remove fighting too by tossing fighters from the game. Plus penalize players if they throw a punch which I have seen numerous times in scrums near the net.

I like physical hockey, body checking, legal hits; but some of the dirty stuff is not needed.

Some of that dirty stuff especially after the whistle is in retaliation sometimes for something that was done earlier & not caught or penalized. There are all kinds of grudge matches going on during games for one reason or another & if it doesn't get called, or call against the wrong guy who thought he was the one who was fouled first, than it can lead to a melee. That's a fun word, melee ....

 

[aragorn]

He’s been the best of all the shit D we are currently dressing.

Agreed, best of the worse & there a number that are worse.

 

[dumbdick]

I think he's been okay in most respects. He clears the net well and generally just punishes guys. He reminds me of weircioch though in the way he handles the puck in his own zone. Just fires it away every time regardless of pressure. Cowen and Dion did that a lot too. I wish he would just take another half second to consider his outlets.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Chabot Demelo
Wolanin Zaitsev
Boro Gudbranson
Brannstrom

would have been fine this year. Still not great. Toews for 2 2nds seems like an amazing bargain and adds an actual player.

There was no reason to trade Demelo imo especially if this was the plan... We should have kept Boro.. He's fine there for this year and he could be a 7th next year. As we can see there is no real plan.

The late moves for Stepan, Paquette and Coburn were completely unnecessary and imo hurt more than they helped.

 

[JungleBeat]

He hasn’t been that effective, always chasing the play. Healthy scratch or bottom pairing caliber player

 

[Alf Silfversson]

He hasn’t been that effective, always chasing the play. Healthy scratch or bottom pairing caliber player

Yup. He sucks as a top pairing guy but can work as a 6-7th D.

Problem with that is we have at least two other guys who slot as 7th D in Reilly and Brown.

I said it when we got all these players, and I'll say it again. Are these not roles (or at least some of them) that could have been filled by guys like Jaros and Lajoie? Why not just stick with the guys you've been developing and move on after this year if need be?

 

[DrakeAndJosh]

He's fine as a bottom pairing guy, no idea why we gave up a draft pick and paid him more money than just re-signing Boro though.

 

[Crosside]

Really like him since he play less , plus the toughness he bring. Perry ask to ref stop, when he hit Evans, no player came to him, plus the Kassian fight. No many players want to drop against him

 

[aragorn]

I think he's been fine in his role but let's be clear, he's a bottom pairing RD who can clear the front of the net, hit, block shots & drop the gloves if need be. He's essentially a bigger better version of Boro IMO although he probably make too much for his role. Other than the contract he's done everything they have needed & now that the team is playing better so is he. Regardless though I think they try & move him by the trade deadline to get some kind of return for him since of all the UFAs he could be the most valuable.

 

[DJB]

He's fine as a bottom pairing guy, no idea why we gave up a draft pick and paid him more money than just re-signing Boro though.

Boro wanted out and didn't want to sign here.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Boro wanted out and didn't want to sign here.

Well we should do more to keep players happy. Boro didn’t just wake up one day and say I want to go elsewhere.

 

[Beville]

I’m happy with Gud.

Keep your expectations low and you can’t complain.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

I’m happy with Gud.

Keep your expectations low and you can’t complain.

My expectations were low. He hasn’t met them

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Ideally he's a 7th D.

 

[trentmccleary]

Through 5 February games with Zub, Brannstrom and Reilly in the lineup; Gudbranson is still 3rd in ES TOI / GP and leads the team in SH TOI by a clear margin. That makes him our #3, not a 6 or a 7.

 

[Sweatred]

You need at least two guys that can handle themselves on the ice against most teams in the CDN division. After Watson and Gud its Brady. So take GUD off the ice and you've got Brady fighting WPG's or EDM's 2nd best fighter .. and Brady loses that fight. Fighting isn't gone from the NHL and any team who has a physical advantage will exert it.