Injury Report: Ryan Hartman

[Hawkaholic]

I suppose it depends on your definition of "liability" but Shaw absolutely 100% has always been a liability by my definition. He's effective and useful but even aside from the idiotic cheap shots he is extremely prone to taking dumb, unnecessary penalties at terrible times. How many offensive zone penalties did we see over the years? You take the good and the bad with Shaw. Always have, always will. He's off to a particularly dumb start for Montreal but he's also scored a goal or two, so, see how the rest of the season goes for him.

Yeah, I assumed he meant liability as in you can't trust him defensively on the ice or to do his job as a forward, wasn't thinking liability as in taking dumb penalties. But a lot of times Shaw draws more penalties than he takes as well.

Yeah, he's off to a dumb start, but I highly doubt he keeps playing like that. He will reign it in and quit with the cheap shots. He went almsot his whole career here without too many cheap shots.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Exactly. Shaw should not have been on the PP in Chicago but in the PO's he was one player who you knew would step up his game and be a factor. He's a perfect example of a player who overachieves with his character and willingness to compete. Until someone can step up in the bottom 6 to replace him, he will be missed. I'm not holding my breath but hopefully it will be Hartman one day soon, and by crunch time. For now Tootoo is doing an adequate job.

I still don't get why not. He was one of our only players willing and able to stand in front of the net on the PP. Who else would you have proposed doing that? Bickell?

 

[piteus]

Yeah, I assumed he meant liability as in you can't trust him defensively on the ice or to do his job as a forward, wasn't thinking liability as in taking dumb penalties. But a lot of times Shaw draws more penalties than he takes as well.

Yeah, he's off to a dumb start, but I highly doubt he keeps playing like that. He will reign it in and quit with the cheap shots. He went almsot his whole career here without too many cheap shots.

Andrew Shaw was a poor man's Claude Lemieux. During the regular season, he'll drive his own fans crazy. During the playoffs, he drives opponents crazy.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Andrew Shaw was a poor man's Claude Lemieux. During the regular season, he'll drive his own fans crazy. During the playoffs, he drives opponents crazy.

Yeah, definitely. We are going to sorely miss him come crunch time. Hopefully one of the young kids can replace some of that.

 

[BobbyJet]

I still don't get why not. He was one of our only players willing and able to stand in front of the net on the PP. Who else would you have proposed doing that? Bickell?

Though he was small for the role, it wasn't necessarily Shaw's net presence that hurt Hawks, but the fact that he would overhandle, then fumble the puck when it came to him - which too often resulted in the puck back in Hawks' end. It was Tomas Kopecky all over again..

I notice that Jonny has been playing some in that spot in the early season - it's a tad risky with the puck flying at him all the time but he is the best option to play in ops blue paint on the PP if Hawks are willing to take that risk.