GDT: 12/23/13 - 7:30PM EDT - Tampa Bay @ Florida

[LTIR Trickery]

Agreed. I believe he has the highest +/- for a defenseman on the team. I don't buy into +/- as a pin-point stat, but when you see pretty big statements, they're usually reflective of something. It's a stat that'll point you in the direction of an answer rather than give a definitive one.

That's not saying that Barbs is a great defensive player - he's clearly not. The eye test trumps plus/minus there. However, he also does some things right, does other things very well, and these things keep us out of our own end while he's on the ice. He's a player that doesn't get credit for what he does well and gets more flack than he deserves for his mistakes.

Exactly. Defensively, he still ***** the bed, and this is expected at that age... but if he even has an extra inch of space to move, hes going north-south which a lot of guys keep avoiding doing.

 

[zeykshade]

Exactly. Defensively, he still ***** the bed, and this is expected at that age... but if he even has an extra inch of space to move, hes going north-south which a lot of guys keep avoiding doing.

Just so we're clear, Hedman is younger than Barberio.

He's living a charmed life wrt plus/minus. I hate that stat because it'd be like giving the shortstop an error when a left fielder drops a ball. The only player who makes Barberio look good is Turnovermina.

Still think it's too soon to give up on Barbs, as he may just take more time. He's done all he can at the AHL level, he's going to have to swim or sink in the NHL. If it means he's an 8th D that gets to press box it up, so be it.

 

[Rschmitz]

My knock on Barberio is that he is just brutal without the puck. He doesn't adjust for his lack of physical edge by being positionally sound, in fact he is probably worse at getting into position than he is at using his body. Its like he was never coached in that area of the game. It might be different if he contributed more offensively, but I haven't seen it. Other than that, he doesn't blow me away with his speed, and he looks shell shocked out there.

Perhaps he just needs more time to adjust, he has some good latent talent and size and might be able to turn into a Letang-esque sort of defender if he rounds out his game. Right now though, the transition to the NHL has been less than smooth and may ultimately not translate well to the NHL game.

 

[DFC]

Just so we're clear, Hedman is younger than Barberio.

He's living a charmed life wrt plus/minus. I hate that stat because it'd be like giving the shortstop an error when a left fielder drops a ball. The only player who makes Barberio look good is Turnovermina.

Still think it's too soon to give up on Barbs, as he may just take more time. He's done all he can at the AHL level, he's going to have to swim or sink in the NHL. If it means he's an 8th D that gets to press box it up, so be it.

The charmed life argument expires. You can use it if, say, Barbs has a good +/- after 5 or 6 games. Or you can use it if he's got a mediocre rating now rather than a horrid one. But when Barbs has played 22 games and is leading all defensemen in +/-, and rarely has a game where he's minus-rated, I think it's time to admit Barbs must be doing something right out there that keeps pucks from ultimately going in our net. Because the "charmed life" argument has become ridiculous.

 

[Coopers Gum]

I'm not getting all the Barberio hate. Just not seeing these grievous errors everyone is talking about.

 

[FDfranklin]

http://video.lightning.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=2013020442-X-h&startTime=260 @ 4:20ish

 

[The Macho King]

http://video.lightning.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=2013020442-X-h&startTime=260 @ 4:20ish

Every dman makes a bad play now and then. Funny... right before that play I remember posting that barbs had been playing really well that game. He's got a lot of potential and has played fairly well.

 

[DFC]

Every dman makes a bad play now and then. Funny... right before that play I remember posting that barbs had been playing really well that game. He's got a lot of potential and has played fairly well.

Yeah, Matt Carle had a major league whoopsy vs. Florida. It happens to everyone, but we tend to be looking for it a lot more with Barbs.

What Barbs rarely does is cough the puck up in the defensive zone. He has issues with man-on-man coverage, no argument there, but he makes up for that, at least partially, by being very good at getting the puck out of the zone once it's on his stick. There's no soft play up the boards, no dangling gone wrong. He gets the puck, looks up ice, and ends the threat immediately. Sometimes it ends up in an icing, but even so, it ends the immediate threat. And more often than not it ends up in a stick-to-stick pass. I think that has a lot to do with his +/- and possession numbers this year and he doesn't get enough credit for it.

It's also funny how on that OT goal, everyone talks about Barbs' coverage, and rightly so, but no one mentions Salo getting beat at least a couple of times to allow the pass to get off in the first place.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

Just so we're clear, Hedman is younger than Barberio.

He's living a charmed life wrt plus/minus. I hate that stat because it'd be like giving the shortstop an error when a left fielder drops a ball. The only player who makes Barberio look good is Turnovermina.

Still think it's too soon to give up on Barbs, as he may just take more time. He's done all he can at the AHL level, he's going to have to swim or sink in the NHL. If it means he's an 8th D that gets to press box it up, so be it.

That doesn't have anything to do with what i'm talking about.

 

[FinnLightning26]

Last time I didn't watch the game against the Panthers we won 7-3 so this could be a good thing.

Maybe I really shouldn't watch games against the Panthers anymore...

Nice win and it's pretty great we're on a 5 game winning streak without our best player. Lets make it seven before the Canada trip!

 

[LTIR Trickery]

http://video.lightning.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=2013020442-X-h&startTime=260 @ 4:20ish

Is this what we've come to, by the way? Cherry picking a video thinking one singular play is a proper evaluation of talent? Christ, I expect more from you guys.

 

[FDfranklin]

Is this what we've come to, by the way? Cherry picking a video thinking one singular play is a proper evaluation of talent? Christ, I expect more from you guys.

Yes. Trade him, get rid of him.. do something.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

and Carle, and Panik, Brown had some turnovers too, might as well give him the boot, Hedman isn't angry enough, should probably get some picks

 

[FDfranklin]

and Carle, and Panik, Brown had some turnovers too, might as well give him the boot, Hedman isn't angry enough, should probably get some picks

I think its time to rebuild.