Prospect Info: Lias Andersson - Part IV

[kovazub94]

What's hot take about it. He's done like 4or 5 interviews on the subject...gives cryptic answers sometimes...talks about depression and then depression is immediately dismissed by his agent.

I'm just tired of reading about it. Everyone knows what happens more or less.

He's playing well and that is what I want to hear about...about how he's changed his training program or how he's focusing more on going to the net or working on his passing or what not.

I still think with regards to his play there's a couple of important things to note...it sure seems like a lot of his productivity is coming on the power play...and on a team with panarin, kakko, kreider, zibanejad, lafreniere,fox, buch, DeAngelo, etc etc etc I just don't see him ever playing on the power play. So the question is...how is his 5 on 5 play.

And that's what I want to see improve. How is he skating shift to shift...is he keeping his feet moving? How's his board work? How's his reads of the play coming off the cycle

Those are all things I say lacking with varying degrees of severity.

I think we all know in a more or less stationary role on the power play he's got talent and can score...but the league is filled with guys who can do that in lower levels of hockey.

He's not skilled enough to get those opportunities in the NHL...so how's his game outside of that setting doing. Because that's going to be his pathway back to the NHL, even if it's with another club.

If you think it’s purely about his play on ice or that his off-ice issues didn’t impact his performance then you’re missing the issue BIG TIME.

 

[Inferno]

If you think it’s purely about his play on ice or that his off-ice issues didn’t impact his performance then you’re missing the issue BIG TIME.

Of course it does..but it sounds like it's a chicken. Or the egg..which came first his off ice or his on ice. And even then it's like all we hear about is his issues here or there or what not and so far the only thing we've heard that he's done to rectify the situation is to go play in Sweden. Unfortunately there isn't an nhl team in Sweden so if he wants to play here he's going to need to address what's causing his issues and he's going to need to address what on his play was lacking.

I'm again failing to see where he's really addressing the root causes of his issues.

Within his comfort zone and within his skills of stabding around and making plays...he's fine. But that's not the NHL.

 

[Inferno]

Sounds like he’s been a hot head his whole life and the red flags were there with the medal toss. Sounds like all the bashing of the organization had as we long suspected nothing to do with the organization and sounds like he’s beating up on SHL minor leaguers in preseason on the powerplay so I’m not holding my breathe it will translate.

this kid needs mental help and if he doesn’t want to get it or keeps denying he’s suffering from anything real like depression or anxiety than there’s nothing the Rangers or anyone else can do. Sounds like for now he’s happy being a big fish is a very tiny pond because his very fragile mental state is insulated there.

I mean...honestly that's kinda how I'm seeing it as well..but just...less mean than you lol.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

The kid needs a sports psychologist according to that article. Until he gets his head right he will always have a hard time being consistent. I've seen lots of kids come through this with proper help. It's usually goalies but always players who put too much pressure on themselves.

 

[nyr2k2]

Sounds like he's coming to terms with his issues which is a positive first step. Can't improve yourself as a person until you begin to recognize your flaws. So, that's good.

 

[Kovalev27]

Sounds like he's coming to terms with his issues which is a positive first step. Can't improve yourself as a person until you begin to recognize your flaws. So, that's good.

there is for the first time some actual self awareness And ownership there

 

[kovazub94]

Sounds like he’s been a hot head his whole life and the red flags were there with the medal toss. Sounds like all the bashing of the organization had as we long suspected nothing to do with the organization and sounds like he’s beating up on SHL minor leaguers in preseason on the powerplay so I’m not holding my breathe it will translate.

this kid needs mental help and if he doesn’t want to get it or keeps denying he’s suffering from anything real like depression or anxiety than there’s nothing the Rangers or anyone else can do. Sounds like for now he’s happy being a big fish is a very tiny pond because his very fragile mental state is insulated there.

There’s a way to appropriately channel anger and frustration and it’s definitely learnable skill. Admitting to the issues and publicly taking responsibility is a very good step from maturity standpoint. Specific circumstances are different but otherwise it is not much different from what we heard from Hayes or JTM when they talked about changing their approach to offseason training, attitude in the locker room, dealing with coaching staff decisions and requirements. For Hayes it was something he had to do after his injury in college and then again after coming unprepared for his sophomore campaign. For JT it was when he got traded for the second time.

 

[Inferno]

There’s a way to appropriate channel anger and frustration and it’s definitely learnable skill. Admitting to the issues and publicly taking responsibility is a very good step from maturity standpoint. Specific Circumstances are different but otherwise it is no much different from what we heard from Hayes or JTM when they talked about changing their approach to offseason training, attitude in the locker room, dealing with coaching staff decisions and requirements. For Hayes it was something he had to do after his injury in college and then again after coming unprepared for his sophomore campaign. For JT it was when he got traded for the second time.

This is most definitely a fair take. I just would like to hear about him taking some more proactive steps...like seeing a sports psychologist.

I guess one could make the argument that it's a personal thing and it's his perogative to not share that information but he's hardly seemed shy about sharing stuff about himself and what he's been dealing with.

Anyways it is what it is. As has been said before if he can be worth a 2nd I'd scoop it up in a heartbeat. If he's a good add in to move up in the draft I'd take it in a heartbeat.

 

[kovazub94]

Of course it does..but it sounds like it's a chicken. Or the egg..which came first his off ice or his on ice. And even then it's like all we hear about is his issues here or there or what not and so far the only thing we've heard that he's done to rectify the situation is to go play in Sweden. Unfortunately there isn't an nhl team in Sweden so if he wants to play here he's going to need to address what's causing his issues and he's going to need to address what on his play was lacking.

I'm again failing to see where he's really addressing the root causes of his issues.

Within his comfort zone and within his skills of stabding around and making plays...he's fine. But that's not the NHL.

His blame game (read “lies”) in prior interviews instead of admitting to the true sources of his issues is what in this interview. In your posts I read between the lines “so what, I myself dealt with this at his age and got through just fine”, first - good job and more power to you, but you’re missing an impact it has on the need to simultaneously to get better at performing among the very best in the world, which I’m guessing you didn’t have to deal with.

 

[Inferno]

His blame game (read “lies”) in prior interviews instead of admitting to the true sources of his issues is what in this interview. In your posts I read between the lines “so what, I myself dealt with this at his age and got through just fine”, first - good job and more power to you, but you’re missing an impact it has on the need to simultaneously to get better at performing among the very best in the world, which I’m guessing you didn’t have to deal with.

I mean obviously I have no way of relating to playing major sports and dealing with whatever injury he had at the same time etc. It just feels like...what....he's going thru the stages of grief one interview at a time?

I dunno...I feel like he's a guy who seems to.instill a lot of sympathy in people...which is fine...but it kinda works to almost mask his deficiencies as a hockey player.

Shrugs.

Either way I'll bow out here.

 

[Anthony5967]

Hope to see him again one day but doubt he returns. Doesn't sound like he wants to come back and needs a fresh start. If they somehow can get a second for him and he doesn't want to return, adios. Wish him nothing but the best, but the way he carried on and left and still won't discuss whether or not he'd be open to playing here again (2nd time) is a joke. I'm willing to cut him some slack because he's a kid but come on.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Sounds like he’s been a hot head his whole life and the red flags were there with the medal toss. Sounds like all the bashing of the organization had as we long suspected nothing to do with the organization and sounds like he’s beating up on SHL minor leaguers in preseason on the powerplay so I’m not holding my breathe it will translate.

this kid needs mental help and if he doesn’t want to get it or keeps denying he’s suffering from anything real like depression or anxiety than there’s nothing the Rangers or anyone else can do. Sounds like for now he’s happy being a big fish is a very tiny pond because his very fragile mental state is insulated there.

I dunno, Kovy. I think it could go either way based on this most recent interview. I'll take a wait and see approach re: his attitude and the possibility that he might be doing what he needs to deal with his own issues and perhaps eventually come back to the NHL.

(That said, I do find it unlikely he comes back to the Rangers, and I agree that I'm not overly impressed by the points he's racked up in preseason.)

 

[NYR Viper]

This kid can't win. He does no interviews and gets bashed. Now he does too many interviews and gets bashed.

He's working on himself, great. He's a prospect playing in a very good league and doing well, great.

 

[Trxjw]

I feel like this kid just needs to shut the hell up and play hockey. I'm honestly getting so fed up of reading interviews about him playing video games at night...breaking trash cans...skypeing....being bullied..etc


At a certain point just get the help you need..shut up and play.

Or, ya know, we could let a kid talk through his maturation process as part of his road towards improved mental health and treat him like a human being instead of an asset.

 

[kovazub94]

I dunno, Kovy. I think it could go either way based on this most recent interview. I'll take a wait and see approach re: his attitude and the possibility that he might be doing what he needs to deal with his own issues and perhaps eventually come back to the NHL.

(That said, I do find it unlikely he comes back to the Rangers, and I agree that I'm not overly impressed by the points he's racked up in preseason.)

It works in his favor that there is no preseason NHL camp at the moment and the prospects of actual season is not clear (or with a significantly delayed start). This is his time to get his on- and off-ice issues in order. The chances of a return to the Rangers are still pretty low but IMHO the door is slightly more open. To me it’s telling that when asked about his future with the Rangers, Andersson responded with - don’t forget that I’m just a 21-year old kid that had these issues to deal with. It sounds as an appeal not only to the fan base but also to the Rangers front office.

 

[Chytilmania]

Hey maybe at the end of the day Howden gets plucked by Seattle then Lias comes in and takes over and the rest is history. It's lining up perfectly.

 

[Rangers in 7]

As someone who has dealt with that same "anxiety leads to less sleep, less sleep worsens anxiety" cycle, I can very much relate to what he's saying there. And let me tell you folks, my god does it suck.



Look who posted it. Are you honestly surprised?

no im not, still hilarious, i wish i was better with gifs on this site haha

 

[Rangers in 7]

What's hot take about it. He's done like 4or 5 interviews on the subject...gives cryptic answers sometimes...talks about depression and then depression is immediately dismissed by his agent.

I'm just tired of reading about it. Everyone knows what happens more or less.

He's playing well and that is what I want to hear about...about how he's changed his training program or how he's focusing more on going to the net or working on his passing or what not.

I still think with regards to his play there's a couple of important things to note...it sure seems like a lot of his productivity is coming on the power play...and on a team with panarin, kakko, kreider, zibanejad, lafreniere,fox, buch, DeAngelo, etc etc etc I just don't see him ever playing on the power play. So the question is...how is his 5 on 5 play.

And that's what I want to see improve. How is he skating shift to shift...is he keeping his feet moving? How's his board work? How's his reads of the play coming off the cycle

Those are all things I say lacking with varying degrees of severity.

I think we all know in a more or less stationary role on the power play he's got talent and can score...but the league is filled with guys who can do that in lower levels of hockey.

He's not skilled enough to get those opportunities in the NHL...so how's his game outside of that setting doing. Because that's going to be his pathway back to the NHL, even if it's with another club.

he answers questions he gets asked, its not his fault the questions are being asked, as far as his play goes....he played well enough at the nhl level to get the minutes that were force fed to howden from day one. that is just a fact, and to this day i think if he was put in the position that howden was we are talking about something completely different now

 

[Levitate]

They mention his contract with the Rangers "runs out" which got me wondering, since the Rangers loaned him does that also burn a year on his Rangers contract or are they incorrect on when it runs out since basically it's on hold until he comes back to the NHL?

Like I'm pretty sure he doesn't just become an UFA at this point but they kinda wanted to make it seem that way

As for the other stuff...I dunno, it sounds like he needs to spend time maturing and working on coping strategies and ways to focus his energy in an environment where he has a lot of hands on support. I'd be surprised if he has any desire to come back to the NHL for several years at this point but who knows.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

They mention his contract with the Rangers "runs out" which got me wondering, since the Rangers loaned him does that also burn a year on his Rangers contract or are they incorrect on when it runs out since basically it's on hold until he comes back to the NHL?

Like I'm pretty sure he doesn't just become an UFA at this point but they kinda wanted to make it seem that way

As for the other stuff...I dunno, it sounds like he needs to spend time maturing and working on coping strategies and ways to focus his energy in an environment where he has a lot of hands on support. I'd be surprised if he has any desire to come back to the NHL for several years at this point but who knows.

His ELC does not slide any further. This upcoming season is his 4th ELC year, 1st year was a slide. He will be RFA on July 1st

 

[Levitate]

His ELC does not slide any further. This upcoming season is his 4th ELC year, 1st year was a slide. He will be RFA on July 1st

I think I was still thinking of it as he left without permission but yeah since the Rangers are loaning him out that makes sense

 

[Rangers ftw]

I would be really surprised if he ever played for the Rangers again. I’m not even sure he’ll ever return to the NHL at all.

 

[Edge]

I think if a lot of people on this board were as good about self-diagnosing themselves as they are about doing personality profiles of players, we'd probably prevent enough activity on the HF Boards servers to avoid crashes on draft day.

I'm not condoning this kid's approach, but heaven help this world if some of you all are like this in real life with the people you interact with.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

 

[haveandare]

Imo his play has its own question marks but at his age and in context it’s not that big an issue. To me the massive disappointment is in that, after all this, he can’t just say he wants to come back at some point. Like, all of the self evaluation and seemingly increased maturity but he still can’t just say he hopes to come back to the team in NYR future.

 

[mas0764]

Hey maybe at the end of the day Howden gets plucked by Seattle then Lias comes in and takes over and the rest is history. It's lining up perfectly.

Im guessing they protect Howden.