Toggle sidebar

OEL being benched?

  • Xenforo Cloud has upgraded us to version 2.3.6. Please report any issues you experience.
amnesiac

amnesiac

Space Oddity
Jul 10, 2010
14,669
8,836
Montreal
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nhl/2985/oliver-ekman-larsson

Oliver Ekman-Larsson was benched for the entirety of Sweden's 2-1 semifinal win over Finland on Friday.
It's really hard to fathom why Swedish coach Per Marts has such a distaste for the young, talented defenseman. Marts also left Ekman-Larsson off of his 2009 World Juniors team. Ekman-Larsson is Phoenix's go-to blueliner, averaging 25:41 of ice time per game with 29 points in 56 games. But in the Olympics, he's averaged just over 10 minutes per game in the Olympics. Niklas Hjalmarsson, Johnny Oduya, Niklas Kronwall, Erik Karlsson and even Jonathan Ericsson are above Ekman-Larsson in the depth chart, though the 22 year-old has managed to tally three points in his limited ice time in Sochi.
Click to expand...
Click to read more...
 
They want to keep the Detroit and Chicago guys together, and don't think OEL's a good fit with Karlsson.

If you were wondering why, not sure, you didn't really ask a question.
 
Pernell thread in disguise.

Well Marts' decision to bench him looks good so far, so it's hard to knock at this point.
 
Like system said they wont break up the nhl pairings and he doesn't fit karlsson well. Only option would be benching karlsson instead and i dont see that happening.
 
Systemfel said:
They want to keep the Detroit and Chicago guys together, and don't think OEL's a good fit with Karlsson.

If you were wondering why, not sure, you didn't really ask a question.
Click to expand...

I agree but you could've had a completely different lineup if Hedman was on the squad...

Karlsson - Hjalmarsson
Hedman - OEL
Kronwall - Ericsson

But I gotta say that Im quiet happy that we stuck with the already made pairs, Its a short tournament and I think both the Chicago and the Detroit pairings are ready for any competition.

Karlsson - Hedman would've been nice tho, they played together in the 09 Juniors wich MÃ¥rts coached.
 
It's about winning. If Marts feels better with a potentially risky defenceman riding the pine or getting less minutes, that's what you need to do. You need to be safe in these games, one breakdown can put you behind an insurmountable one or two goal deficit.

OEL is a great kid, he won't be benched next Olympics, once he has solidified his defensive game.
 
SensFanDan said:
It's about winning. If Marts feels better with a potentially risky defenceman riding the pine or getting less minutes, that's what you need to do. You need to be safe in these games, one breakdown can put you behind an insurmountable one or two goal deficit.

OEL is a great kid, he won't be benched next Olympics, once he has solidified his defensive game.
Click to expand...

Um... he plays over 25 minutes for a defensive team in the NHL, and is top 15 in PK time.
 
Holy ****, that sounds insane. On what planet is OEL not defensively reliable? And how much precedence can chemistry take when the guy on the bench is, you know, an elite player?
 
The Bored Man said:
Holy ****, that sounds insane. On what planet is OEL not defensively reliable? And how much precedence can chemistry take when the guy on the bench is, you know, an elite player?
Click to expand...

The only one I'd consider removing is Oduya. He on the other hand has been very good with Hammer on the PK so...

The rest have proven themselves, I am especially surprised by Jonathan Ericsson. He's a good player.
 
Oduya should be sitting for OEL. OEL is better in pretty much every facet of the game. Chemistry be damned. Hjalmarsson can play with ANYONE. He's just that good defensively.
 
Would rather bench Oduya, bring in Hedman and have these pairings:

Karlsson - Edler
OEL - Hedman
Kronwall - Ericsson

Yes, OEL and Hedman might not have the chemistry of Oduya and Hjalmarsson. But don't their skill level kind of make up for that?
 
stolpioni said:
Would rather bench Oduya, bring in Hedman and have these pairings:

Karlsson - Edler
OEL - Hedman
Kronwall - Ericsson

Yes, OEL and Hedman might not have the chemistry of Oduya and Hjalmarsson. But don't their skill level kind of make up for that?
Click to expand...

Lol. Hjalmarsson is a lock, totally. He's the best defensive D-man we have.
 
stolpioni said:
Would rather bench Oduya, bring in Hedman and have these pairings:

Karlsson - Edler
OEL - Hedman
Kronwall - Ericsson

Yes, OEL and Hedman might not have the chemistry of Oduya and Hjalmarsson. But don't their skill level kind of make up for that?
Click to expand...

I would play brodin before both OEL and hedman on big ice.
 
The Bored Man said:
Holy ****, that sounds insane. On what planet is OEL not defensively reliable? And how much precedence can chemistry take when the guy on the bench is, you know, an elite player?
Click to expand...

Funny thing is, replace OEL with PK in this, and you have a subban thread.
 
OEL benched for Oduya. It sounds crazy, but it's working, so can't really fault it.

Lots of teams try to use pre-existing chemistry but it often doesn't work (Kunitz this Olympics, and the Sharks line from 2010 stick out for me). In general, I say to go with the best players, and chemistry is just a bonus when the players are already the best. Seems to be working for Sweden though.
 
stolpioni said:
Would rather bench Oduya, bring in Hedman and have these pairings:

Karlsson - Edler
OEL - Hedman
Kronwall - Ericsson

Yes, OEL and Hedman might not have the chemistry of Oduya and Hjalmarsson. But don't their skill level kind of make up for that?
Click to expand...

No Hjalmarsson? :help:
 
Lexus said:
Yeah, I actually think that OEL is the best all-round bluliner that Sweden has.
Click to expand...

OEL is one of the best all-round blueliner the world has. I see no point in benching him, other than some personal issues with MÃ¥rts.
 
Sounds like OEL and Marts have feuded on other occasions? What's up with that?
 
Didn't anyone watch OEL his first 2 games? Lots of blatant mistakes and bad turnovers. Looked like a rookie to be honest. Maybe he would have cleaned that up, maybe he would have been better next to someone other than Karlsson, but he had his chance and didn't grab it. Instead Edler got the opportunity and he has played well. Breaking up either of the two other working pairings in the hope that OEL will make something good into something great is just something you can't afford to risk when it's single elimination games.

OEL is not Lidstrom. He's a good young d-man who has very little experience playing in high-pressure situations. Benching him is not outrageous at all.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom