GDT: Game 46: Canucks @ Avalanche | January 25th, 7:30 MT | Let's Go Back To Our Cocoon

[Avs44]

I still believe it's development over team success honestly. FB is the best excuse (even if it's smoke) for a player taking Zadorov's minutes when he makes mistakes.

FB is being used to keep Zadorov from having to be the one playing 29 minutes, and being thrown to the wolves.

This is exactly why I don't want to trade EJ, because you just can't throw your young defenders into the fire, and you need someone competent or you end up with what we have right now. This is a prime example of why rebuilding teams keep their top defenders.

Edit : Bednar has already many times eluded to being careful with Zadorov. That's my 2 cents

This is my take on it too. Who else should have played those 29 minutes last night? Genuine question. Can someone put some other names out there? Beauchemin did a bad job, but a player like Gelinas eating up more of those minutes would be, somehow, far worse. The only option is to give them to Z and Tyutin, but Tyutin and Zadorov both played 20 last night, and Bednar has mentioned they are working on 1) Zadorov's conditioning so he can slowly handle more minutes, and 2) Zadorov's development, and throwing him to the wolves with 29 minutes wouldn't be a bright idea.


The only actual issue I have with Bednar's current handling of Beauchemin is the powerplay time. If EJ was in the lineup and Beauchemin was getting 29 minutes, then yes, I would have a problem. But right now? No. The season is done. To me he's just using a veteran to throw out there against the wolves because it won't destroy him mentally or hurt his confidence like it would Zadorov, and that veteran handles those minutes better than the other veterans sadly would.

 

[dahrougem2]

This is my take on it too. Who else should have played those 29 minutes last night? Genuine question. Can someone put some other names out there? Beauchemin did a bad job, but a player like Gelinas eating up more of those minutes would be, somehow, far worse. The only option is to give them to Z and Tyutin, but Tyutin and Zadorov both played 20 last night, and Bednar has mentioned they are working on 1) Zadorov's conditioning so he can slowly handle more minutes, and 2) Zadorov's development, and throwing him to the wolves with 29 minutes wouldn't be a bright idea

Not even Erik Karlsson plays those minutes anymore.

Beauchemin is bad when he's playing 20 minutes a night, but you're giving him 9 extra minutes to boot? He's going to look horrendous.

Not asking for Gelinas/Wiercioch to get those minutes or for Zadorov to play 29, but if I'm allocating the defensive minutes right now with Barrie/EJ out, I'm going:

24 Minutes
Zadorov

21 Minutes
Beauchemin, Tyutin

19 Minutes
Wiercioch, Goloubef

16 Minutes
Gelinas

Spread it out as evenly as possible 5v5 and 4v5, with Zadorov's increase in minutes coming on the PP and late-game situations while Gelinas' drop-off in minutes coming due to no PK time.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Beauch played 12 minutes in the third and Gelinas less than 2. I think there could be a bit better balance found in there.

 

[Nalens Oga]

How were the defensive minute distributions when Tourigny was the assistant, he was running the dmen right? Because with our team it's always been bad and I think with Veilleux or whomever that half-bald guy is running it now, it's no better.

 

[Avs_19]

I just saw what TMV posted on Rycroft. The main TV analyst, who is supposed to be helping/educating viewers, won't point out certain things because a guy worked hard to get here and won a cup 10 years ago. That's just amazing.

 

[dahrougem2]

I just saw what TMV posted on Rycroft. The main TV analyst, who is supposed to be helping/educating viewers, won't point out certain things because a guy worked hard to get here and won a cup 10 years ago. That's just amazing.

I guess you're not allowed to criticize Jarome Iginla either based on his longevity and career. Or Blake Comeau for being a journeyman. Etc.

It's a stupid way to think and Rycroft should give his head a shake

 

[Avs44]

I just saw what TMV posted on Rycroft. The main TV analyst, who is supposed to be helping/educating viewers, won't point out certain things because a guy worked hard to get here and won a cup 10 years ago. That's just amazing.

Yeah, that was pretty pathetic to me. You won't critique a player for playing horrible hockey out of pity, but you have no problem critiquing a guy like Zadorov when he screws up? I lost a lot of respect for him there. I just don't think that's professional, and it's also really sending the wrong message to a bunch of fans about what is broken with the club.

 

[tigervixxxen]

It's even better than it sounds

 

[Freudian]

Beachemin shouldn't play on the PP, especially if it bumps him into high 20s in ice time.

 

[dahrougem2]

Lol. Also using his fight vs Iginla as an example...

Oh Rycroft. If anything, that'll generate even more heat for him on Twitter

 

[Avs_19]

It's not just him refusing to point out mistakes or flaws out of respect either, he went out of his way to call Beauchemin the Avs best defenseman earlier this season. Sure it's just his opinion but that's just straight up lying to your viewers.

 

[Foppa2118]

I don't know what all the hoopla is about. It's just a journeyman player turned analyst, that doesn't want to bash a highly respected vet who's won a cup, and done way more than he did in his career. Beauch was the Avs best defenseman last year. He was wrong when he said it about him this year, but it was early in the season, I'm sure part of it was due to last years performance.

At least he drew up the play and criticized him for his poor play on the goal. You don't see him burn Iginla all the time for his mistakes either. It's the same reason. There's a respect factor.

 

[dahrougem2]

I don't know what all the hoopla is about. It's just a journeyman player turned analyst, that doesn't want to bash a highly respected vet who's won a cup, and done way more than he did in his career. Beauch was the Avs best defenseman last year. He was wrong when he said it about him this year, but it was early in the season, I'm sure part of it was due to last years performance.

At least he drew up the play and criticized him for his poor play on the goal. You don't see him burn Iginla all the time for his mistakes either. It's the same reason. There's a respect factor.

Can't speak for other broadcasts, but the Oilers' broadcast crew for years has had no problem ripping veterans when it's justified.

If he could have provided a legitimate reason for not pointing out Beauchemin's mistakes, I'd understand.

He didn't. Not pointing out mistakes because a player worked hard in the minors 15 years ago is asinine, especially when a player makes as many mistakes as Beauchemin does on a nightly basis.

Not asking him to grill the guy, just call it like it happens. Beauchemin has made much, much more mistakes than any other Avalanche defensemen this year and I honestly don't think anyone is remotely close to him in that department.

 

[Foppa2118]

Can't speak for other broadcasts, but the Oilers' broadcast crew for years has had no problem ripping veterans when it's justified.

If he could have provided a legitimate reason for not pointing out Beauchemin's mistakes, I'd understand.

He didn't. Not pointing out mistakes because a player worked hard in the minors 15 years ago is asinine, especially when a player makes as many mistakes as Beauchemin does on a nightly basis.

Not asking him to grill the guy, just call it like it happens. Beauchemin has made much, much more mistakes than any other Avalanche defensemen this year and I honestly don't think anyone is remotely close to him in that department.

I think he's just throwing things out there because he doesn't want to spell it out for people. That Beachemin came from nothing, was a standout defenseman in his career, and won a cup, while he was more of a 4th line journeyman that didn't win a cup.

Some ex players are a llot more comfortable ripping current players after they retire, for mistakes and poor seasons that they had in spades during their own. Personally I like that Ryker has little more class respect than that.

Tyson Nash is the same way for the Yotes. These guys know what they were in their careers. They'll tell it like it is to a certain point, but don't like ripping guys who've had such better careers than they have.

 

[Avs_19]

I'm just so sick and tired of hearing about leadership and more specifically, veteran leadership. Questions about Landeskog/core and the likes of Beauchemin, Iginla, Comeau, Tanguay, Talbot, Briere, Stuart, etc. Please make it stop.

 

[tigervixxxen]

People respect Rycroft for telling it like it is and not toeing the company line and that should mean nobody is off limits because you can't have it both ways. I get he's not going to go out of his way to rip on these guys but his job should be to let the viewer understand why things are the way they are and that problems run deeper than what's seen on the surface. It's a great opportunity for him now to point these things out. And he does to a certain degree but what people like about him is hearing the truth, not sheltering certain players.

 

[bohlmeister]

I'm just so sick and tired of hearing about leadership and more specifically, veteran leadership. Questions about Landeskog/core and the likes of Beauchemin, Iginla, Comeau, Tanguay, Talbot, Briere, Stuart, etc. Please make it stop.

That is what has ruined the direction that the team was heading. They were building a fast paced team. Granted they still needed to find defenders to move the puck better, but they had the speed. Roy wanted to build a team to compete with LA. It doesn't match the core. You build teams based off of what you have, not what you wish you had.

 

[Foppa2118]

People respect Rycroft for telling it like it is and not toeing the company line and that should mean nobody is off limits because you can't have it both ways. I get he's not going to go out of his way to rip on these guys but his job should be to let the viewer understand why things are the way they are and that problems run deeper than what's seen on the surface. It's a great opportunity for him now to point these things out. And he does to a certain degree but what people like about him is hearing the truth, not sheltering certain players.

I think he should have been more honest about Beauchemin's struggles this year too, because his play has fallen off so dramatically from last year.

That said, I think there's a balance between telling it like it is, and just ripping on guys non stop, especially ones that have done way more than you as a player. If that doesn't feel right to him, it doesn't feel right. It doesn't bother me too much either way.

He's still way more open and honest than anything we've seen from Altitude in the past, and a lot of team broadcasts for that matter.

I do think there's something to be said also about the fact that this team is so bad this year, that as a broadcast responsible for entertainment, they have to hold back a little. They just have to. Nobody wants to hear negative bashing all the time. Watching it is depressing enough.

 

[the_fan]

Why are people listening to those idiots in the studio like Rycroft? I pay as much attention to that guy as i do to McNab and Haynes, zero. Everything they say is nonsense.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

Why are people listening to those idiots in the studio like Rycroft? I pay as much attention to that guy as i do to McNab and Haynes, zero. Everything they say is nonsense.

If you pay no attention to them, how would you know everything they say is nonsense? That implies, if words mean anything, that you follow everything they say!

 

[McMetal]

I think he should have been more honest about Beauchemin's struggles this year too, because his play has fallen off so dramatically from last year.

That said, I think there's a balance between telling it like it is, and just ripping on guys non stop, especially ones that have done way more than you as a player. If that doesn't feel right to him, it doesn't feel right. It doesn't bother me too much either way.

He's still way more open and honest than anything we've seen from Altitude in the past, and a lot of team broadcasts for that matter.

I do think there's something to be said also about the fact that this team is so bad this year, that as a broadcast responsible for entertainment, they have to hold back a little. They just have to. Nobody wants to hear negative bashing all the time. Watching it is depressing enough.

And if they do, they come to HFAvs.

 

[the_fan]

If you pay no attention to them, how would you know everything they say is nonsense? That implies, if words mean anything, that you follow everything they say!

Because when they talk during intermissions specifically Rycroft, I hear them, doesn't mean I pay close attention to what hes saying, but I still hear him, and mostly it's nonsense. And how can I not listen to McNab and Haynes when they are the announcers, I just don't take anything they say seriously that's all. No big deal.

 

[5280]

I like Rycroft a lot. First time I've ever heard anything negative about him, really.

 

[the_fan]

I like Rycroft a lot. First time I've ever heard anything negative about him, really.

They just clown around too much in the studio, which makes it hard for me to take them seriously. I mean if I wanted to watch a comedy, I'd go watch a stand up comedy show or something.

 

[Ceremony]

They just clown around too much in the studio, which makes it hard for me to take them seriously. I mean if I wanted to watch a comedy, I'd go watch a stand up comedy show or something.

I imagine "and why do the Avalanche stink tonight, Ryker?" would get a bit stale once you'd heard it the 40th time this year.

Bonus points have to go to them for the pre-game show this time, on NHLTV at least they were talking about call-up Jim O'Brien's first game for the Avalanche. Whoops.