Goaltending:
Mike Bales – F. As in FU too. As an assistant coach and has been around for a long time: What has he accomplished? Who has gotten better under his watch? Why is he here?
Ukko-Pekka LetOneIn, err Luukkonen. F. Just not good enough again. There was a lack of consistency combined with a lack of trust in both the kid backup and the veteran backup. They used him a lot at times and didn’t at times which is on the staff again but he did them no favors. Only getting a few games down the stretch points to not being in their good graces if not their plans.
James Reimer: C due to his unstainable late-season run but two things mark the season prior to that. First, Adams waives him and he winds up in Anaheim so they have a goalie tandem for a time, with Levi being poor and UPL being better but inconsistent. Upon his loaner return, Reimer was inconsistent – the SO loss in Detroit – but not trusted by the team so much so that they plug Levi into an important game in Toronto in December and they lose in part because Levi is again not good enough.
Devon Levi: F. 2-7-0 and inconsistent as hell. But he was set up to fail AGAIN by the front office and I can only imagine his goalie coach. He’s had a very very good year in Rochester but I would be lying if I said there aren’t some doubts creeping in when watching him toss rebounds into dangerous areas or let dribblers through at inconvenient times (like the last minutes of key divisional games). Maybe he rises in the playoffs. But again, hope is a shitty strategy.
All of this with the caveat that most of the forwards are essentially cherry picking milkbags when it comes to playing in their own zone while only one of their defensemen seemed to play well positionally even though he's more of a rover than a true d-man. I don't think anyone but prime Hasek would look good behind these guys since they all seem to want to play shinny instead of NHL hockey. It's unacceptable. The breakaways against, the odd-man rushes, the in-zone cross-seam plays, the undefended back door passes where both the pass gets through AND the guy is unchecked. I would be waffling some of these guys in the head if I had to suit up behind them nightly.
And that said, stop letting in shit goals, keep your crease, stay square and be fundamentally sound. That is also missing.
Mike Bales – F. As in FU too. As an assistant coach and has been around for a long time: What has he accomplished? Who has gotten better under his watch? Why is he here?
Ukko-Pekka LetOneIn, err Luukkonen. F. Just not good enough again. There was a lack of consistency combined with a lack of trust in both the kid backup and the veteran backup. They used him a lot at times and didn’t at times which is on the staff again but he did them no favors. Only getting a few games down the stretch points to not being in their good graces if not their plans.
James Reimer: C due to his unstainable late-season run but two things mark the season prior to that. First, Adams waives him and he winds up in Anaheim so they have a goalie tandem for a time, with Levi being poor and UPL being better but inconsistent. Upon his loaner return, Reimer was inconsistent – the SO loss in Detroit – but not trusted by the team so much so that they plug Levi into an important game in Toronto in December and they lose in part because Levi is again not good enough.
Devon Levi: F. 2-7-0 and inconsistent as hell. But he was set up to fail AGAIN by the front office and I can only imagine his goalie coach. He’s had a very very good year in Rochester but I would be lying if I said there aren’t some doubts creeping in when watching him toss rebounds into dangerous areas or let dribblers through at inconvenient times (like the last minutes of key divisional games). Maybe he rises in the playoffs. But again, hope is a shitty strategy.
All of this with the caveat that most of the forwards are essentially cherry picking milkbags when it comes to playing in their own zone while only one of their defensemen seemed to play well positionally even though he's more of a rover than a true d-man. I don't think anyone but prime Hasek would look good behind these guys since they all seem to want to play shinny instead of NHL hockey. It's unacceptable. The breakaways against, the odd-man rushes, the in-zone cross-seam plays, the undefended back door passes where both the pass gets through AND the guy is unchecked. I would be waffling some of these guys in the head if I had to suit up behind them nightly.
And that said, stop letting in shit goals, keep your crease, stay square and be fundamentally sound. That is also missing.
