GDT: Sens @ Canes Sept. 27, The Most Important Game Of The Year Edition

[L'Aveuglette]

Disregarding ~40 games in a season isn't wise. I understand he put up points during the second half, however it was riding the coat tails of Stone and Turris.

There is no room for Michalek on the top six and it is well documented he is beyond useless in a bottom six role. We should've traded him and signed Condra who is much better in a bottom six role.

Prince Pageau Lazar
Condra Smith/O'Dell Chiasson

Now that's a bottom six that can create offence and still be useful defensively.

Probably not a popular opinion you are sharing but I for one fully agree with all of this, especially the Condra part.

 

[Boud]

I don't understand people who say that Michalek was able to put up almost PPG with Stone and Turris in a bad way. Put Chiasson there per example and he doesn't even get half the points. When a player is able to play with guys like Stone and Turris it's absolutely a good thing. Not any player is able to come up in a top 6 role and produce like that, and complete talented guys like Turris and Stone, and not only that but also handling the task of playing against the other teams top line all night is a tough task not only offensively but defensively.

No **** that Michalek can't produce with lesser players it's normal. Hoffman was on the bottom 6 and recorded 4 points in 22 games and all I hear is about his 27 goals. How come nobody talks about Hoffman being only good with Ryan and Zibby but ai always hear about Michalek not being productive in a bottom 6 role. (And he's still way above average defensively)

This Michalek thing is so stupid, honestly the guy comes up and plays PPG to help us make the playoffs and some people still take it negatively which is beyond ridiculous. If it would've been a kid like Prince or Puempel doing that he would've been the second coming of jesus christ but it's Michalek so he didn't do anything right - no, not at all it was Stone and Turris doing all the work for him and Michalek was sitting behind Hammond eating donuts.

 

[BonkTastic]

I don't understand people who say that Michalek was able to put up almost PPG with Stone and Turris in a bad way. Put Chiasson there per example and he doesn't even get half the points. When a player is able to play with guys like Stone and Turris it's absolutely a good thing. Not any player is able to come up in a top 6 role and produce like that, and complete talented guys like Turris and Stone, and not only that but also handling the task of playing against the other teams top line all night is a tough task not only offensively but defensively.

No **** that Michalek can't produce with lesser players it's normal. Hoffman was on the bottom 6 and recorded 4 points in 22 games and all I hear is about his 27 goals. How come nobody talks about Hoffman being only good with Ryan and Zibby but ai always hear about Michalek not being productive in a bottom 6 role. (And he's still way above average defensively)

This Michalek thing is so stupid, honestly the guy comes up and plays PPG to help us make the playoffs and some people still take it negatively which is beyond ridiculous. If it would've been a kid like Prince or Puempel doing that he would've been the second coming of jesus christ but it's Michalek so he didn't do anything right - no, not at all it was Stone and Turris doing all the work for him and Michalek was sitting behind Hammond eating donuts.

Seriously. With some posters, Michalek will never be able to play himself out of their dog house. If he scores at almost a PPG pace, it's because of others and not at all on him. If he slumps, it's because of him and not at all on others.

Ridiculous. It's sad that even if he could score 30 goals this year, he would get zero credit for it, but if he scores 12, people will be all too quick to give him all the blame. It must be hard walking around all day with a grudge that big on your back. Probably will cause posture problems, at least. I imagine it has to be exhausting.

 

[Beville]

The nhl.com report is basically non-existent at least on mobile anyway, no rosters for either team, none of the summary stuff either

 

[JessicaN]

The nhl.com report is basically non-existent at least on mobile anyway, no rosters for either team, none of the summary stuff either

"uhhh game ended 2-1 pretty sure and so and so scored I hear."

 

[maclean]

The nhl.com report is basically non-existent at least on mobile anyway, no rosters for either team, none of the summary stuff either

Seriously. They don't even mention how the 3-on-3 ot went. It's always weird in this connected internet age when you come across something that it's almost impossible to get information on..

 

[BonkTastic]

The nhl.com report is basically non-existent at least on mobile anyway, no rosters for either team, none of the summary stuff either

I assume the game was at some minor league rink near Raleigh?

Like the same thing we do in Canada when we have preseason games in Saskatoon or Brandon (or wherever), but with 1/100th of the fanfare.

 

[Bjindaho]

I assume the game was at some minor league rink near Raleigh?

Like the same thing we do in Canada when we have preseason games in Saskatoon or Brandon (or wherever), but with 1/100th of the fanfare.

It was in St. John's IIRC

 

[BonkTastic]

It was in St. John's IIRC

Huh, and Carolina was the home team?

That's odd. Explains why there is no stats for the game, though... NHL preseason games in non-NHL arenas usually never have official scoresheets, IIRC.

 

[Six Assets]

Karlsson probably scored all the goals

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Karlsson probably scored all the goals

That would be impressive, since he stayed in Ottawa.

 

[Blarginator]

That would be impressive, since he stayed in Ottawa.

Are you saying he's not good enough? If one guy can do it, it's Karlsson.

 

[BigBush*]

Seriously. With some posters, Michalek will never be able to play himself out of their dog house. If he scores at almost a PPG pace, it's because of others and not at all on him. If he slumps, it's because of him and not at all on others.

Ridiculous. It's sad that even if he could score 30 goals this year, he would get zero credit for it, but if he scores 12, people will be all too quick to give him all the blame. It must be hard walking around all day with a grudge that big on your back. Probably will cause posture problems, at least. I imagine it has to be exhausting.

Lol, you sound a little crazy here man. A good 20 games on the teams/leagues hottest line doesn't erase his play for the last 2 years.

A lot of people feel Michalek isn't a big part of the team and will be passed in the depth charts as soon as this year

If he scores 30 goals fans will love him but chances are he scores around 10 again

 

[Boud]

Lol, you sound a little crazy here man. A good 20 games on the teams/leagues hottest line doesn't erase his play for the last 2 years.

A lot of people feel Michalek isn't a big part of the team and will be passed in the depth charts as soon as this year

If he scores 30 goals fans will love him but chances are he scores around 10 again

I think what Bonk means is not that Michalek will or could score 30 goals but he's saying that if ever he did, he would never get any recognition over here which is probably true. Let's face it, if Michalek was able to replace MacArthur on the teams ''top line'' and play at a PPG rate and STILL not get any recognition whatsoever around here, when would he ever be appreciated? The answer is simple, Never.

Not only is it unlikely that Michalek scores 30 goals, but it is also impossible with the ice time he'll be given this season and the linemates he'll have on the bottom 6. I haven't seen many bottom 6 players on this team score 15 goals yet so I don't know why we would expect Michalek to score more than 10-15 in that type of role and yet he still gets criticized more than any forward on this team for absolutely no reason. Put Hoffman on the bottom 6 and he scores 4 points in 22 games and is below average defensively and nobody bats an eye, but then put Michalek on the bottom 6 and he puts up similar numbers and he's the worst player to ever play in Ottawa, while being over average defensively by quite a bit.

It's quite simple, I don't know what people don't understand. A player like Michalek is able to play to the level of his teammates, in other words he can play on any line on this team and also in any situation and still be above average. If ever a player on the top 6 gets injured, he can come in and automaticaly replace for some parts of the production lost which is pretty rare for a team to have internaly. Michalek plays better with Stone and Turris than with Chiasson and Legwand, OF COURSE WHO WOULDN'T. Michalek is expected to produce at a top 6 rate while playing with bottom 6 players, is it just me or there's a strong disconnect in common logic here?

Again, Michalek has been put in a secondary role here in Ottawa ever since Spezza left, because other younger guys we're able to produce at a better pace than him like Hoffman and Stone. To expect him to keep up the same production that he did over the years while playing with guys like Legwand and Chiasson, who we can all agree are horrible players themselves, is absolutely unfair and insane in any hockey context. Michalek does exactly what he's supposed to do in the role he's given. Again, what's the funniest thing in this case is if a kid like Prince per example would come in and do what Michalek is doing (over average defensively, put up 10-15 goals and 35 points on bottom 6, able to replace on top 6) he'd be praised like the second coming of little Jesus christ and EVERYBODY HERE would be very very happy with his production while virtualy nobody recognizes Michalek while he's doing exactly that. Michalek is prime example of the old toy, who could potentially be replaced by a newer kid that might be able to be as good, might. Around here, it's like automatic that a kid with no NHL experience could come up and do better than veterans not only offensively, but defensively also. When Michalek will be gone, it'll be the same situation with MacArthur probably since we'll have Paul and Puempel and Prince and Lindberg in the pipelines that ''will'' be able to do better than him.

 

[Xspyrit]

I think Prince is the front runner for a LW spot. Chiasson... IMO is 13th forward. I think he gets replaced this year.

Neil will be the 13th forward. Chiasson won't be a 13th forward for a long time. He wll be traded and have a regular spot on another team before that... Last season was his sophomore year and didn't see eye to eye with the new coach but this guy will eventually be a top-9 player somewhere. Of course, his production pace dropped last season after his ice-time and quality of linemates were reduced... but sill produced 26 pts in 76 games, that's 3rd line numbers, like in his rookie years (was even better with 35 pts). He is NOT another of those garbage player a portion of this board is trying to "manufacture".

Since Puempel is injured and will start in Bingo when healthy :

MacArthur-Stone-Turris
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Michalek-Pageau-Lazar
Prince-Smith-Chiasson
Neil

Everyone is happy (everyone = fans)

Or Lazar starts the year in Bingo :

MacArthur-Stone-Turris
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Michalek-Pageau-Chiasson
Prince-Smith-Neil
McCormick?

Note : Where is Schneider by the way? Haven't heard of him and don't tink I saw him play... We always forget about him...

 

[BrawlFan]

I think what Bonk means is not that Michalek will or could score 30 goals but he's saying that if ever he did, he would never get any recognition over here which is probably true. Let's face it, if Michalek was able to replace MacArthur on the teams ''top line'' and play at a PPG rate and STILL not get any recognition whatsoever around here, when would he ever be appreciated? The answer is simple, Never.

Not only is it unlikely that Michalek scores 30 goals, but it is also impossible with the ice time he'll be given this season and the linemates he'll have on the bottom 6. I haven't seen many bottom 6 players on this team score 15 goals yet so I don't know why we would expect Michalek to score more than 10-15 in that type of role and yet he still gets criticized more than any forward on this team for absolutely no reason. Put Hoffman on the bottom 6 and he scores 4 points in 22 games and is below average defensively and nobody bats an eye, but then put Michalek on the bottom 6 and he puts up similar numbers and he's the worst player to ever play in Ottawa, while being over average defensively by quite a bit.

It's quite simple, I don't know what people don't understand. A player like Michalek is able to play to the level of his teammates, in other words he can play on any line on this team and also in any situation and still be above average. If ever a player on the top 6 gets injured, he can come in and automaticaly replace for some parts of the production lost which is pretty rare for a team to have internaly. Michalek plays better with Stone and Turris than with Chiasson and Legwand, OF COURSE WHO WOULDN'T. Michalek is expected to produce at a top 6 rate while playing with bottom 6 players, is it just me or there's a strong disconnect in common logic here?

Again, Michalek has been put in a secondary role here in Ottawa ever since Spezza left, because other younger guys we're able to produce at a better pace than him like Hoffman and Stone. To expect him to keep up the same production that he did over the years while playing with guys like Legwand and Chiasson, who we can all agree are horrible players themselves, is absolutely unfair and insane in any hockey context. Michalek does exactly what he's supposed to do in the role he's given. Again, what's the funniest thing in this case is if a kid like Prince per example would come in and do what Michalek is doing (over average defensively, put up 10-15 goals and 35 points on bottom 6, able to replace on top 6) he'd be praised like the second coming of little Jesus christ and EVERYBODY HERE would be very very happy with his production while virtualy nobody recognizes Michalek while he's doing exactly that. Michalek is prime example of the old toy, who could potentially be replaced by a newer kid that might be able to be as good, might. Around here, it's like automatic that a kid with no NHL experience could come up and do better than veterans not only offensively, but defensively also. When Michalek will be gone, it'll be the same situation with MacArthur probably since we'll have Paul and Puempel and Prince and Lindberg in the pipelines that ''will'' be able to do better than him.

The real issue with the Michalek hate is optics. When you see a guy like Hoffman who had brutal stats in the last 27 games most fans will see a smooth skating, stick handling player, who takes a lot of shots. So fans see a guy who is generating offence, whether that shot is a low percentage shot or not, its something that fans see. Optically Michalek is a poor stick handling player who bobbles the puck a lot. He may play defence very well and is well positioned but its hard to see that and he doesn't generate any offence while playing in the bottom 6 (complimentary player). So Hoffman has that advantage, which is huge on HF..

 

[God Says No]

The real issue with the Michalek hate is optics. When you see a guy like Hoffman who had brutal stats in the last 27 games most fans will see a smooth skating, stick handling player, who takes a lot of shots. So fans see a guy who is generating offence, whether that shot is a low percentage shot or not, its something that fans see. Optically Michalek is a poor stick handling player who bobbles the puck a lot. He may play defence very well and is well positioned but its hard to see that and he doesn't generate any offence while playing in the bottom 6 (complimentary player). So Hoffman has that advantage, which is huge on HF..

Not only on HF but also in the game itself. The issue with Michalek is that he's invisible for 75% of the season. I mean zero shots, zero defensive plays, zero impact. You wouldn't even know he was playing unless you checked the score sheet and noticed he played 16 minutes. Then he has his 3 or 4 hot weeks where he pads his 30 points per season and we're done.

 

[bert]

and they had some bad seasons, didnt they?

No they were one of the best teams in the OHL but couldnt get over the hump, they were top heavy not lots of quality depth.

 

[bert]

There's already a place for both so not sure what you mean by that. The bottom 6 will likely be shuffled up so Michalek might play 4rth and 3rd line and same thing for whoever plays the other LW spot.

There is also going to be injuries look at training camp, Michalek is a really heavy hockey player to play against. He gets pucks out and gets them deep can score, pk and leans on the other team. He can play both wings too...

Not sure why so many posters on here dont like him but if you look at the sens cap situation and what he brings to the table he is a very useful player. You need players like Michalek to win.

Not only on HF but also in the game itself. The issue with Michalek is that he's invisible for 75% of the season. I mean zero shots, zero defensive plays, zero impact. You wouldn't even know he was playing unless you checked the score sheet and noticed he played 16 minutes. Then he has his 3 or 4 hot weeks where he pads his 30 points per season and we're done.

I dunno, I think you are just missing the little things.

You guys are getting a little carried away with Prince.

How so? He was an excellent prospect in Jr. he lit up the AHL last year and has clearly improved his strength and his ability to play on the defensive side of the puck. All his peers have transitioned to the NHL very well. I dont see anyone saying he is going to score 60 points.... I think he has shown that he has the potential to be an effective player in the NHL, he was drafted ahead of Pageau he has talent. His versatility to play both wings and his willingness to compete lead me to believe he can be an effective player no matter what position or role he is put in.

Or Lazar starts the year in Bingo :

MacArthur-Stone-Turris
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Michalek-Pageau-Chiasson
Prince-Smith-Neil
McCormick?
.

There is zero chance Lazar starts in Bingo he wore a letter last night and there were multiple regulars playing last night. Not sure why anyone thinks this is happening but its not.
McCormick over him too yikes.

 

[aragorn]

I don't understand people who say that Michalek was able to put up almost PPG with Stone and Turris in a bad way. Put Chiasson there per example and he doesn't even get half the points. When a player is able to play with guys like Stone and Turris it's absolutely a good thing. Not any player is able to come up in a top 6 role and produce like that, and complete talented guys like Turris and Stone, and not only that but also handling the task of playing against the other teams top line all night is a tough task not only offensively but defensively.

No **** that Michalek can't produce with lesser players it's normal. Hoffman was on the bottom 6 and recorded 4 points in 22 games and all I hear is about his 27 goals. How come nobody talks about Hoffman being only good with Ryan and Zibby but ai always hear about Michalek not being productive in a bottom 6 role. (And he's still way above average defensively)

This Michalek thing is so stupid, honestly the guy comes up and plays PPG to help us make the playoffs and some people still take it negatively which is beyond ridiculous. If it would've been a kid like Prince or Puempel doing that he would've been the second coming of jesus christ but it's Michalek so he didn't do anything right - no, not at all it was Stone and Turris doing all the work for him and Michalek was sitting behind Hammond eating donuts.

Michalek is a valuable player on this team offensively & defensively & if there is one thing that every team needs are players that can move up when injuries occur & Michalek has proven he can play anywhere on this team. He is a big versatile player & can play both wings, he can score on offensive lines & he is good enough defensively to play on the PK. You need versatile players & experienced NHL players to succeed.

Neil will be the 13th forward. Chiasson won't be a 13th forward for a long time. He wll be traded and have a regular spot on another team before that... Last season was his sophomore year and didn't see eye to eye with the new coach but this guy will eventually be a top-9 player somewhere. Of course, his production pace dropped last season after his ice-time and quality of linemates were reduced... but sill produced 26 pts in 76 games, that's 3rd line numbers, like in his rookie years (was even better with 35 pts). He is NOT another of those garbage player a portion of this board is trying to "manufacture".

Since Puempel is injured and will start in Bingo when healthy :

MacArthur-Stone-Turris
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Michalek-Pageau-Lazar
Prince-Smith-Chiasson
Neil

Everyone is happy (everyone = fans)

Or Lazar starts the year in Bingo :

MacArthur-Stone-Turris
Hoffman-Zibanejad-Ryan
Michalek-Pageau-Chiasson
Prince-Smith-Neil
McCormick?

Note : Where is Schneider by the way? Haven't heard of him and don't tink I saw him play... We always forget about him...

I'll answer your last question first. Schneider has been in camp & was able to get into one game against Toronto in Toronto in the split squad game I believe. I'm not sure if he got to play in any other games. I am surprised given his consistent scoring in Bingo why he isn't given more of an opportunity & show cased as Puempel & Prince are? I guess some of these NCAA guys who are not drafted & get signed at an older age must have some deficiencies in their game, we have seen a few go through Ottawa over the yrs. Of course, he also has to make something happen himself to get noticed. The game I saw him in I believe he was playing on a 3rd line & not on a scoring line. Lindberg on the other hand is given a scoring line role immediately & I guess he also deserves it but Schneider not so much.

I agree with you on Chiasson, although he does look new & improved from last season & is working hard to get into the lineup so far this preseason I also think he is on a short leash in Ottawa with this head coach, not to mention some fans. Should be interesting to see how this plays out because I also think it has come down to Chiasson vs Prince for that last forward spot. IMO Lazar has been fairly quiet throughout this camp, we haven't heard very much from him at all & I don't believe he has scored a goal yet. He's another guy where expectations should be higher but he is flying under the radar so far this preseason, Cowen only wishes he were this lucky.

The real issue with the Michalek hate is optics. When you see a guy like Hoffman who had brutal stats in the last 27 games most fans will see a smooth skating, stick handling player, who takes a lot of shots. So fans see a guy who is generating offence, whether that shot is a low percentage shot or not, its something that fans see. Optically Michalek is a poor stick handling player who bobbles the puck a lot. He may play defence very well and is well positioned but its hard to see that and he doesn't generate any offence while playing in the bottom 6 (complimentary player). So Hoffman has that advantage, which is huge on HF..

Like I have always said most people on here like the players with the flash & either don't like or pay much attention to the other guys who do all the heavy lifting. If I could make a football analogy, they love the quarterbacks or running backs who make the big time plays & pay no attention to the offensive line that protects the quarterback & gives him the time to make the great passes or they open up the holes to allow the running back to make the great runs. It takes all of these guys to make a great team, a great team needs all kinds of good players, they need balance. Tom Brady is a great quarterback & has won Superbowls but I bet very few people can name any of his offensive linemen.

 

[Boud]

Not only on HF but also in the game itself. The issue with Michalek is that he's invisible for 75% of the season. I mean zero shots, zero defensive plays, zero impact. You wouldn't even know he was playing unless you checked the score sheet and noticed he played 16 minutes. Then he has his 3 or 4 hot weeks where he get pads his 30 points per season and we're done.

Hoffman is a flashy player and plays a selfish game on the bottom 6 because he knows other guys can't follow his style of play and aren't as talented. As a result, he tries to do literally everything himself so 1/10 times it works and it looks awesome but 9/10 he creates odd man rushes for the other team and doesn't backcheck appropriately to make up for his mistake. There is the problem that people refuse to look at but people like to see shots and skilled plays rather than a guy go unnoticed because of above average play. Michalek is above average defensively and as you say is much more conservative (and not as agile and talented) so he's able to play a bottom 6 role more effectively and he's also able to elevate his play when he's with better players.I've noticed Hoffman way more in a negative way when he wa son the bottom 6 than I ever did with Michalek. If Michalek is able to score 10-15 goals on the 4rth line and be responsible defensively, there's really nothing more you can ask of him. The fact that you don't see him and that he's ''invisible'' should tell you something : That you don't notice him in a bad way and that itself proves to you that hes DOES make good defensive plays but most people here don't look at that.


For the SOG, I just took a look at last years total and here what it looks like:

Clarke MacArthur : 62 GP 140 SOG 2.25 shots/game
Milan Michalek: 66GP 130 SOG 1.97 shots/game
Eric Conda: 68 GP 106 SOG 1.55 shots/game
Alex Chiasson: 76 GP 105SOG 1.38 shots/game
Jean-Gabriel Pageau: 50GP 97 SOG 1.94 shots/game
Curtis Lazar: 67 GP 92 SOG 1.37 shots/game
David Legwand: 80 GP - 91 SOG 1.13 shots/game
Mika Zibanejad: 80 GP - 150 SOG 1.87 shots/game
Mark Stone: 80GP - 157 SOG 1.97 shots/game

So basically with the same ice time (and lesser linemates for half the season) as Zibanejad and Stone he's had the same amount of shots per game than these two. Michalek has also played more PK minutes than these two if I'm not mistaken.
Again, how is that not good for a bottom 6 player is beyong ridiculous. When you look at the facts it becomes more and more ridiculous that people **** on Michalek so much when he actually does his job.

EDIT: Not only does Michalek have the same amount of Shot/game than Stone, but he also played 130 minutes of PK time in 66 games (2 Minutes per games) while Stone has played 111 minutes of PK in 80 Games (1,4 minutes per game). So with less ES TOI/game, Michalek was still able to post as many shots/games as Stone... Kinda funny for a guy who has ''zero shots'' isn't it?

I'm more than pleased with that for a guy who's a bottom 6 player...

 

[aragorn]

Hoffman is a flashy player and plays a selfish game on the bottom 6 because he knows other guys can't follow his style of play and aren't as talented. As a result, he tries to do literally everything himself so 1/10 times it works and it looks awesome but 9/10 he creates odd man rushes for the other team and doesn't backcheck appropriately to make up for his mistake. There is the problem that people refuse to look at but people like to see shots and skilled plays rather than a guy go unnoticed because of above average play. Michalek is above average defensively and as you say is much more conservative (and not as agile and talented) so he's able to play a bottom 6 role more effectively and he's also able to elevate his play when he's with better players.I've noticed Hoffman way more in a negative way when he wa son the bottom 6 than I ever did with Michalek. If Michalek is able to score 10-15 goals on the 4rth line and be responsible defensively, there's really nothing more you can ask of him. The fact that you don't see him and that he's ''invisible'' should tell you something : That you don't notice him in a bad way and that itself proves to you that hes DOES make good defensive plays but most people here don't look at that.


For the SOG, I just took a look at last years total and here what it looks like:

Clarke MacArthur : 62 GP 140 SOG 2.25 shots/game
Milan Michalek: 66GP 130 SOG 1.97 shots/game
Eric Conda: 68 GP 106 SOG 1.55 shots/game
Alex Chiasson: 76 GP 105SOG 1.38 shots/game
Jean-Gabriel Pageau: 50GP 97 SOG 1.94 shots/game
Curtis Lazar: 67 GP 92 SOG 1.37 shots/game
David Legwand: 80 GP - 91 SOG 1.13 shots/game
Mika Zibanejad: 80 GP - 150 SOG 1.87 shots/game
Mark Stone: 80GP - 157 SOG 1.97 shots/game

So basically with the same ice time (and lesser linemates for half the season) as Zibanejad and Stone he's had the same amount of shots per game than these two. Michalek has also played more PK minutes than these two if I'm not mistaken.
Again, how is that not good for a bottom 6 player is beyong ridiculous. When you look at the facts it becomes more and more ridiculous that people **** on Michalek so much when he actually does his job.

The Rodney Dangerfield effect ... he gets no respect.

 

[Blarginator]

I really don't get the hate on Michalek. Sure, the guy lost a step but he's still a solid veteran to have around the younger players. He produces when you put him with talented players and will eat up a lot of tough minutes. He's defensively responsible and doesn't hurt the team in any way even when not putting up a lot of points. We don't rely on him to produce as much anymore so I don't see the problem. He'll put up 30-40 points and he'll play any role the coaches will ask him to play without complaining.

My guess is that some people don't see his value to the team and they think he's blocking a prospect from making the team but until one is ready to play 15+ minutes a night while being good defensively and chipping in offensively on occasion, Milo deserves a spot on the team IMO

 

[Xamar*]

Were in for a long year

 

[Scrub*]

michalek is streaky and inconsistent, and when we make the playoffs he doesn't do anything. Rely on him for some penalty killing and checking, that's about it. He won't score 30 goals again.