Post-Game Talk: #12: FLYERS 4 at Devils 3 (1-0 shootout), Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, 7:00 pm ET

[deadhead]

Such bull****.

1 week ago you were saying a Hagg was instructed to jump into the OZ while the faster Ghost stayed back.

You often get caught up contradicting yourself based on the argument you are trying to make.

So you think Hagg free lanced for three weeks with AV as the HC?

I got a bridge I can sell you.

 

[Starat327]

He had a 65% xGF% last night and has been sitting at 57% (+3% relative) over those 5 games. It's not a scoring fluke. I honestly don't know what people were watching if they only saw that Niskanen hit. Every time he touched the puck, especially in transition, he had that nervous feeling like he could dummy someone at any time. Auto entries galore and puck followed him all night. He looked worlds better, including simplifying and moving it quicker, than the 2nd game of the season.

Thing about that Niskanen hit is, while he might be the most immature player in the NHL today (ever?), I've seen him enough to know he's a fearless scrappy lil dude. Immature as he might be, he's got moxie, and it's part of what makes him special. I remember one defensive play where he was hounding Giroux on a back check, but G used his ridiculous core strength to shield him away. But he was trying his damndest.

If he had spent 4 games in the AHL, he'd have had the physical maturity to fight off G altogether. Thank God the Devils don't know how to properly develop their kids.

 

[deadhead]

He had a 65% xGF% last night and has been sitting at 57% (+3% relative) over those 5 games. It's not a scoring fluke. I honestly don't know what people were watching if they only saw that Niskanen hit. Every time he touched the puck, especially in transition, he had that nervous feeling like he could dummy someone at any time. Auto entries galore and puck followed him all night. He looked worlds better, including simplifying and moving it quicker, than the 2nd game of the season.

Thing about that Niskanen hit is, while he might be the most immature player in the NHL today (ever?), I've seen him enough to know he's a fearless scrappy lil dude. Immature as he might be, he's got moxie, and it's part of what makes him special. I remember one defensive play where he was hounding Giroux on a back check, but G used his ridiculous core strength to shield him away. But he was trying his damndest.

Hughes is going to have his ups and downs this year, it's obvious the one way to slow him down is get a body on him, you're not going to catch him if you give him space. So I'd expect teams to get physical, less about hits than just making sure he feels crowded.

 

[Magua]

So you think Hagg free lanced for three weeks with AV as the HC?

I got a bridge I can sell you.

Hagg was birthed into the NHL by a coach who encouraged his defensemen to join in the play. It was no different than an uber talent like Brandon Manning constantly activating and generating zilch out of it, often getting caught in the process. Hakstol's favorites in particular had a lot of rope. So, what you're seeing is a player, with below average hockey sense and skill, coached to play outside his abilities to the point it's probably habitual. He's playing the way that led him to 2 NHL seasons. There's a fine line between freelancing and foolish over-aggression. Hagg has always been a player who has zero balance between passivity and aggression because he can't read a play.

The fact that the coaches are testing multiple skaters to replace Hagg, with Myers being the potential death knell, tells me they are likely not satisfied with Hagg. So, is it so implausible that in the video room they are instructing him to pick his spots better, as he gets burned for odd mans and goals against?

I'll tell you what the simplest explanation is NOT: that the coaches are actually instructing the least talented defender on the team to jump up every rush and leave his offensive partner, Gostisbehere, holding his purse. It was night and day for Ghost's transition offense against the Devils because Braun knows his limitations and played it safe. The simplest explanation is likely: he had a 100% save% for the first couple weeks, and private instructions or not, they left it alone.

 

[Beef Invictus]

If the coaching staff was ever actively telling Hagg to be the offensive lead on that pairing instead of Ghost then they should all be sent to rehab.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Hagg was birthed into the NHL by a coach who encouraged his defensemen to join in the play. It was no different than an uber talent like Brandon Manning constantly activating and generating zilch out of it, often getting caught in the process. Hakstol's favorites in particular had a lot of rope. So, what you're seeing is a player, with below average hockey sense and skill, coached to play outside his abilities to the point it's probably habitual. He's playing the way that led him to 2 NHL seasons. There's a fine line between freelancing and foolish over-aggression. Hagg has always been a player who has zero balance between passivity and aggression because he can't read a play.

The fact that the coaches are testing multiple skaters to replace Hagg, with Myers being the potential death knell, tells me they are likely not satisfied with Hagg. So, is it so implausible that in the video room they are instructing him to pick his spots better, as he gets burned for odd mans and goals against? I'll tell you what the simplest explanation is NOT: that the coaches are actually instructing the least talented defender on the team to jump up every rush and leave his offensive partner, Gostisbehere, holding his purse. The simplest explanation is likely: he had a 100% save% for the first couple weeks, and private instructions or not, they left it alone.

You know perfectly well that mentioning "Ghost" and "purse" in the same sentence is going to trigger Hedley something fierce.

 

[Tripod]

So you think Hagg free lanced for three weeks with AV as the HC?

I got a bridge I can sell you.

I don't really need to respond because Magua and Beef covered everything.

 

[deadhead]

The fact that the coaches are testing multiple skaters to replace Hagg, with Myers being the potential death knell, tells me they are likely not satisfied with Hagg. So, is it so implausible that in the video room they are instructing him to pick his spots better, as he gets burned for odd mans and goals against?

Never let the facts get in the way of a good rant.

It was Myers job to lose, and he lost it, when he showed enough in the AHL to warrant another shot, he got it. Hagg didn't beat him out, and Hagg was never good enough to keep him out of the lineup, the only one who can bench Myers is Myers.
Morin replaced Hagg for ONE game, because they wanted to see whether he had game legs.
If AV was really unhappy with the way Hagg played, he would have been traded or waived and Friedman called up.

So much for the "testing multiple skaters" theory.

 

[Amorgus]

I don't really need to respond because Magua and Beef covered everything.

Nobody needs to respond to something they didn't have to read in the first f***ing place. For the love of God use IGNORE!

 

[kudymen]

Never let the facts get in the way of a good rant.

This is hilarious too.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Never let the facts get in the way of a good rant.

It was Myers job to lose, and he lost it, when he showed enough in the AHL to warrant another shot, he got it. Hagg didn't beat him out, and Hagg was never good enough to keep him out of the lineup, the only one who can bench Myers is Myers.
Morin replaced Hagg for ONE game, because they wanted to see whether he had game legs.
If AV was really unhappy with the way Hagg played, he would have been traded or waived and Friedman called up.

So much for the "testing multiple skaters" theory.

How do you jump to this conclusion? AV doesn't have that power. Fletcher doesn't exist to serve every one of AV's whims. Fletcher is his boss in the end.

If AV was really unhappy with how Hagg played, AV would give Hagg the least usage and then bench him. Andddddd oh right that's happened.

 

[kudymen]

How do you jump to this conclusion? AV doesn't have that power. Fletcher doesn't exist to serve every one of AV's whims. Fletcher is his boss in the end.

It is ironic because we have spent 289 games hearing how "It isn't Hak's fault because he can't send down scrubs/call up someone else"

 

[Starat327]

Seems like someone is on absolute fire today

 

[Striiker]

Seems like someone is on absolute fire today

 

[deadhead]

How do you jump to this conclusion? AV doesn't have that power. Fletcher doesn't exist to serve every one of AV's whims. Fletcher is his boss in the end.

If AV was really unhappy with how Hagg played, AV would give Hagg the least usage and then bench him. Andddddd oh right that's happened.

When did you think Myers was coming up?
Whenever they deemed him ready, Hagg was going to be benched.
Does anyone think Hagg is in the same class talentwise as Myers?

Hagg has a lot of flaws, but ignoring his HC's wishes has never been one of them.

If he was consistently attacking the O-zone, it's because AV (Yeo) told him to - and he was never this aggressive under Hakstol, not even close.

Manning is a different story, he was an offensive defenseman in the AHL, and had trouble adjusting to a more conservative role in the NHL, much like Brennan would probably be if you let him play in the NHL.

 

[TonyDeAngelo]

I'm so happy Carter Hart broke out of his slump!

 

[Adtar02]

I would be pretty surprised if Vorobyev does not cut it as an NHL player but it's possible that Rubtsov's skills translate better. He looks very physically ready to play a bottom 6 role.

German was better at every level than the pimp