News Article: Why can't we bring up Hicketts?

theYman

Registered User
Feb 28, 2008
21,705
1,911
I think you're misreading WIIM if you think they're seriously suggesting Witkowski can play both F and D.

Lol. I seriously don't know what the signing of Witkowski means now. What was the point? He sucks and is never in the lineup.
 

Henkka

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
32,348
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Tampere, Finland
Why I never read WiiM. Unless their name is Fedorov, they aren't playing forward and defense.

Imo, Witkowski looked less liability as a forward. But Wilson is a real hockeyplayer and has replaced him.

What comes to Hicketts... who would be replace?

Kronwall is playing better now, Ouellet looks also good. As a left side defencemen, then there's Ericsson. Of all the hate he gets, that change on size overall if cropping Ericsson and replacing him with Hicketts... I quarantee we will get killed in HIGH-Danger chances. The level of net-front protecting will drop on miserable level without Ericsson. I know, he can't play with the puck... but he does these other important things well (prevents opposite net-front guys having a party on our HD area), which many in hockey world just take for granted.

What comes to right-side defencemen, Green has been good, and so does Daley. Only guy I could think would be Jensen to be scratched. That would put Hicketts to play right size as a lefty, but that's what it is. I think he has done that that with Paetsch at GR. Not ideal, but his chance to show up.
 
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Winger98

Moderator
Feb 27, 2002
23,278
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Cleveland
Imo, Witkowski looked less liability as a forward. But Wilson is a real hockeyplayer and has replaced him.

What comes to Hicketts... who would be replace?

Kronwall is playing better now, Ouellet looks also good. As a left side defencemen, then there's Ericsson. Of all the hate he gets, that change on size overall if cropping Ericsson and replacing him with Hicketts... I quarantee we will get killed in HIGH-Danger chances. The level of net-front protecting will drop on miserable level without Ericsson. I know, he can't play with the puck... but he does these other important things well (prevents opposite net-front guys having a party on our HD area), which many in hockey world just take for granted.

What comes to right-side defencemen, Green has been good, and so does Daley. Only guy I could think would be Jensen to be scratched. That would put Hicketts to play right size as a lefty, but that's what it is. I think he has done that that with Paetsch at GR. Not ideal, but his chance to show up.

I can't help but think that what you're really saying here is that Hicketts sucks. Because our blueline is pretty lousy,and individual guys "looking better" still doesn't make them good NHL defencemen. While I still like XO, and significantly more than Jensen, he and Jensen are likely what they are at this point, and Kronwall only looks better the more we pare back his IT.

Which would be fine if the rest of the blueline could safely eat those minutes and shelter him a bit, but our second best D is Trevor Daley. They aren't sheltering anybody. If Hicketts can't force his way into that group, that doesn't speak well for him or it doesn't speak well for how Detroit manages its young talent.
 

njx9

Registered User
Feb 1, 2016
2,161
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While I still like XO, and significantly more than Jensen, he and Jensen are likely what they are at this point, and Kronwall only looks better the more we pare back his IT.

This, exactly. XO and Jensen are non-players at whatever point this team is competitive again. They aren't adding anything to a bad team by being in the line-up right now. If Hicketts is playing well, there's no reason in the world why you can't sit one or both of them for 5-10 games to bring Hicketts up now and again this season. I don't personally think Hicketts is part of the future of the blueline in Detroit, but I *know* XO and Jensen aren't.
 

Ezekial

Cheap Pizza, Okay Hockey
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Nov 22, 2015
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Yea, I agree, after he had a really rough stretch of a couple game's he's been pretty solid the past couple.
Like Jensen had the worst game of his career and followed up with the 3 assist night.

Neither of these guys are much of anything though.
 

joe89

#5
Apr 30, 2009
20,316
179
We can't just keep guys on the team on the basis that they don't completely suck. We need difference makers. Hicketts is worth the "gamble" anytime. Worst thing to happen is he's not good and sent back. The whole point about the other guys is that they have way too many mediocre games between every good. That's not good enough to get better.
 

cjm502

Holy Jumpin!
Jun 22, 2010
1,854
1,110
Mid Michigan
Our defense is so bad I think its stupid to not try out Hicketts, Russo, or Renouf. Although when your defense is as bad as ours there are not as many sheltered minutes to go around which may have an impact on someone with little NHL experience being called up. Someone will get a chance eventually since half our defense plays themselves off the team on any given night, and when someone gets a chance I hope they catch lightning in a bottle.
 

BinCookin

Registered User
Feb 15, 2012
6,162
1,380
London, ON
We can't just keep guys on the team on the basis that they don't completely suck. We need difference makers. Hicketts is worth the "gamble" anytime. Worst thing to happen is he's not good and sent back. The whole point about the other guys is that they have way too many mediocre games between every good. That's not good enough to get better.

which of our D men do we send packing for Hicketts??
 

Redder Winger

Registered User
May 4, 2017
3,700
730
Meh. He, Jensen, (and Marchenko before them) all are so interchangeable and insignificant.

Marchenko 2.08 GF/60 vs 1.93 GA.60 despite 35 percent Dzone starts
Ouellet 2.28 GF/60 vs 2.25 GA/60 with 34 percent Dzone starts

vs
Jensen 2.2 GF/60 vs 2.91 GA/60 in just 29 percent Dzone starts

Jensen is a defensive zone nightmare.

He's only on this team because Blashill loves his NCAA boys
 

Frk It

Mo Seider Less Problems
Jul 27, 2010
36,864
15,737
Marchenko 2.08 GF/60 vs 1.93 GA.60 despite 35 percent Dzone starts
Ouellet 2.28 GF/60 vs 2.25 GA/60 with 34 percent Dzone starts

vs
Jensen 2.2 GF/60 vs 2.91 GA/60 in just 29 percent Dzone starts

Jensen is a defensive zone nightmare.

He's only on this team because Blashill loves his NCAA boys

Where do you get your numbers from? I have different numbers. ((Genuinely curious))
 

izlez

Carter Mazur Fan Club
Feb 28, 2012
5,050
4,040
It's definitely worth a shot. Can't be worse than our current atrocious D.
lol. This is too fun.

"Bring in Sproul, he can't be worse than Smith"
"Oh god Sproul is terrible, bring in Marchenko, he can't be worse than Sproul"
"Oh god Marchenko is terrible, bring in Ouellett, he can't be worse than Marchenko"
"Oh god Ouellett is terrible, bring in Russo, he can't be worse than Ouellett"
"Oh god Russo is terrible, bring in Jensen, he can't be worse than Russo"
"Oh god Jensen is terrible, bring in Hiccketts, he can't be worse than Jensen"


Moral of the story: Yes, he can be worse. And he most likely is
 

Redder Winger

Registered User
May 4, 2017
3,700
730
lol. This is too fun.

"Bring in Sproul, he can't be worse than Smith"
"Oh god Sproul is terrible, bring in Marchenko, he can't be worse than Sproul"
"Oh god Marchenko is terrible, bring in Ouellett, he can't be worse than Marchenko"
"Oh god Ouellett is terrible, bring in Russo, he can't be worse than Ouellett"
"Oh god Russo is terrible, bring in Jensen, he can't be worse than Russo"
"Oh god Jensen is terrible, bring in Hiccketts, he can't be worse than Jensen"


Moral of the story: Yes, he can be worse. And he most likely is

Hicketts has some major flaws in his game that were evident in the preseason. He battles and all, but he's simply outmatched in physical battles. Outmatched by strength and outmatched by reach.
I don't see how you can have a D with Jensen and Hicketts unless you really don't care about losing battles in your own zone.
 

njx9

Registered User
Feb 1, 2016
2,161
340
lol. This is too fun.

"Bring in Sproul, he can't be worse than Smith"
"Oh god Sproul is terrible, bring in Marchenko, he can't be worse than Sproul"
"Oh god Marchenko is terrible, bring in Ouellett, he can't be worse than Marchenko"
"Oh god Ouellett is terrible, bring in Russo, he can't be worse than Ouellett"
"Oh god Russo is terrible, bring in Jensen, he can't be worse than Russo"
"Oh god Jensen is terrible, bring in Hiccketts, he can't be worse than Jensen"


Moral of the story: Yes, he can be worse. And he most likely is

He can certainly be worse. But who cares? The D is already awful. There's no real downside to saying, "Well, XO/Jensen aren't particularly good, let's give Some Other Guy a 10 game shot to see if he can produce. Worst case he's terrible and we know he's a career AHLer." It's not like Hicketts playing a few games for XO is going to keep the team out of the playoffs, or somehow make the defense more than slightly less putrid.

All that said, I've for some reason thought Hicketts was like, 24-26, already. Given that he's only 21, I can maybe/sort of see arguments that staying in GR is better for his long term development than joining the group of garbage in LCA.
 

Redder Winger

Registered User
May 4, 2017
3,700
730
Gotcha, I forgot it was back up. Daley is the one with pretty terrible advanced stats, no?

I haven't checked.
I'm not sold on CF so much as such a great stat.

A defensive defenseman gets murdered on CF.

But using Marchenko, he was a guy with dzone starts who played in a lot of defensive situations.
Yeah, his CF isn't great.

But he kept the puck out of the net.

So what's the stat to use for a guy like that? Corsi? CF?
Meh.

I'm amazed at how many "analytics" people rushed to adopt Corsi like it was some great stat.

Tomas Jurco has a nice CF of 53% over the last 4 years.
Better than Athanasiou.
Better than Larkin.

And he's out of the NHL.
 

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