Britishbulldog
Active member
Patrick said:
I really like Phil but I am disappointed with that as well. Mason Raymond would do it last year and I was pleased to see him not re-signed even though Raymond was an elite skater and decent goal scorer.
Oilers @ Leafs - Feb. 7th, 7:00pm - CBC, Fan 590
- Thread starter CarltonTheBear
- Start date
I really like Phil but I am disappointed with that as well. Mason Raymond would do it last year and I was pleased to see him not re-signed even though Raymond was an elite skater and decent goal scorer.
The Rielly goal for anybody who missed it:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZICbXQwcGYM[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZICbXQwcGYM[/youtube]
hockeyfan1
New member
Well, they finally won one against the worst team in the league.
Good for them. Some positivity after all the losing is good, too.
Kudos to Reimer for playing it smart and to the rest of the offence that finally caught fire, so to speak. Nice!
Good for them. Some positivity after all the losing is good, too.
Kudos to Reimer for playing it smart and to the rest of the offence that finally caught fire, so to speak. Nice!
Highlander
Active member
I want Komrade Komorav back, Ovenkin stole his mojo.
Highlander said:
He really has been pretty invisible since returning. I know everybody kind of has recently but he's supposed to be the type of player who can go out and create some energy for the team during these stretches.
Rebel_1812
New member
all those goals came off the rush. The more things change the more they stay the same. There players are good at scoring off the rush. Maybe they have to cheat defensively to get more rush chances.
Way to own up to your play bud.
Frank E said:
http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=747964&catid=802
Those snippets accurately reflect what Clarkson said when asked why he was scratched.
It's an interesting situation with Clarkson. I mean, he is what he is - I don't think the issue is lack of effort, it's just that he's not all that talented. And it's not (entirely) his fault that he was signed to that big contract.
So what is the benefit to sitting him out in favor of Smith? Does Smith bring more to the team? I don't think so. So was the benching a way to send a message that results matter, regardless of contract status? If so, perhaps it would be more effective to have benched Kessel or Bozak or JVR. I know we won the game, but it was Edmonton. The Marlies might have been able to beat them.
I could see sitting him in order to give a young player a shot, or if he is about to be traded (one can dream, right?)...but not clear about the motivation here. Guess we'll know more after the next few games against better teams.
So what is the benefit to sitting him out in favor of Smith? Does Smith bring more to the team? I don't think so. So was the benching a way to send a message that results matter, regardless of contract status? If so, perhaps it would be more effective to have benched Kessel or Bozak or JVR. I know we won the game, but it was Edmonton. The Marlies might have been able to beat them.
I could see sitting him in order to give a young player a shot, or if he is about to be traded (one can dream, right?)...but not clear about the motivation here. Guess we'll know more after the next few games against better teams.
Frank E
Active member
CarltonTheBear said:
Well, he said it, but to me, that sentence doesn't reflect the tone of the interview.
I think we've already gone over the numbers that show that we can't expect much more from him in terms of production.
I tend to get my back up when players like Clarkson command a high-dollar long-term contract, sign on the dotted line, then hide behind the "the Leafs offered the money, I didn't force them to." If you want the big contract, you better be ready to take the criticism when you don't live up to it.
I'm in the camp that believes that he's actually trying. I just don't think he's got the physical skill set to really contribute to scoring much more than what he's producing right now. He's in for a very very rough 5 years of media questioning, if he survives that long without being bought out.
Strangelove
New member
Chris said:
Smith plays a different position. But even beyond that, he knows how to play defence and is thereby useful as a role player. Clarkson does literally everything extremely poorly and fits in nowhere. His linemates and the team as a whole suffer when he plays.
I think even if you put salary aside you can easily make the argument that Clarkson shouldn't be in the line-up, at least right now. He's competing directly with Panik and Booth for spots in the line-up. Panik has out played him all season long, and while Booth was a no-show for much of the season, he's been playing well the last few games and considering he's a UFA it'd be nice to try and ride that hotstreak into a deadline deal.
Trevor Smith is really the only player Clarkson might have an edge on, but Smith has been more effective on the PK than Clarkson has been on the PP. Smith is also a centre and by having him in the line-up you don't have to demote a guy like Holland or Santorelli to the 4th line. So the decision goes to Smith.
Trevor Smith is really the only player Clarkson might have an edge on, but Smith has been more effective on the PK than Clarkson has been on the PP. Smith is also a centre and by having him in the line-up you don't have to demote a guy like Holland or Santorelli to the 4th line. So the decision goes to Smith.
Frank E said:
All I wanted him to say was that he had to play harder when he got his spot in the line-up back. He had two opportunities to say something like that and both times he directly placed the blame of his scratch on the fact that the whole team hasn't been playing well.