Player Discussion Ales Hemsky

[StarsTx]

He's been bad but there have been positive signs lately. I really likes the way he played with Roussel and Eakin. They bring the grit and he brings the finesse and skill level up. I still think his game compliments Spezza's but they need the right person on the LW. Only person we currently have that even remotely works with them right now is Roussel.

He definitely isn't a gritty enough player to play with Benn and Seguin because he doesn't win puck battles along the boards. Benn does and Seguin needs to be in shooting positions when he can so he doesn't really work with them.

As far as defense he just isn't good but since his last healthy scratches there is more effort there at least. While he has been disappointing, it's far to quick to consider him a bust. To be fair, I think it would help him a ton if he would be given a chance with the same line mates for a extended period of time. He seems like a guy that would greatly benefit from building chemistry with someone. Seemed to mesh with Roussel so that would be a starting point if it was me.

 

[Troy McClure]

I need to stop watching him when he's on the ice. He's pissed me off so much that I find myself watching him throughout a shift, and the number of times he takes the easy way out of a situation per shift is amazing. It's even simple things like deciding which way to turn right after he gets a pass or how he reacts when he finds a loose puck.

I'm not saying he needs to go seeking contact. God knows, finding open space is one of the most important things for an offensive-minded player, but it drives me crazy to see him choose the non-contact route with every decision. Worst of all is his inclination to treat the puck like a hot potato the moment a guy in another jersey starts heading in his direction. His focus instantly becomes on getting rid of the puck soon enough that the defender won't try to follow through with a check. So often, Hemsky's default is the drop pass, otherwise known as a turnover, but he'll also throw it in the corner or toss it toward the net. Last night, his panic move to avoid contact resulted in a goal due to a lucky deflection, but 99% of those end up going right to the opposing d-man who then transitions the puck back up ice.

Hemsky is terrible. He's Ladislav Nagy without all of the toughness.

 

[glovesave_35]

Nagy is a good comparison.

Even on the goal he scored last night, which was a miracle, he made the weakest play on the boards that almost went the other way. If he were a prospect we would be saying he needs to eat a lot of steak and live in the weight room in Austin.

 

[Satan]

3 and a half seasons to go...

 

[Alistar]

3 and a half seasons to go...

well... 2 and a half seasons to go anyway. Unless you think he's going to stick around a year after his contract expires and play for free or something.

 

[tjcurrie]

That's what you get with Ales Hemsky, frustration.

He was frustrating oiler fans nearly his entire career. Even when he was putting up 60-70 points, they (probably unrealistically) wanted 80-90. Every single year it was, "Okay, THIS is the year Ales Hemsky breaks out."

He'd have games where his skill resulted in 2 or 3 goals, or 3-4 points and you'd think, "If this guy could just play like that with consistency." and then he'd do exactly what we've been seeing, look fancy here and there but no results.

I was telling oiler fans for his last few seasons here that it's just not going to happen. He's not going to "break out". He's not that player. He is what he is now. They all wanted to believe that it was Shawn Horcoff's fault, or Craig MacTavish's fault, etc. It was never Ales Hemsky's fault.

The guy had commitment issues. Last one on the ice at practice, first one off, that kind of thing. Some off ice stuff too that I won't say, which I'm sure many players take part in.

Unfortunately he's beyond even those days of 60-70 points now. What you see is what you get. I'm sure he'll have his moments/games, but at the end of the day he's kind of the modern day Kent Nilsson (minus the 131 point season).

When Nilsson was with us for a couple seasons in the mid 1980s, we lost 1-0 to the Islanders one night and Nilsson had not one shot on net. Our GM Lou Nanne stops him in the hall after the game and says,

"Kent, you have a son that's not even 2 years old. If somebody came up to you before the game and said your son was kidnapped and you had to play the game and get 9 shots on goal in order to get him back, do you think you could do it?"

Nilsson says, "Of course."

So Nanne replies, "Tonight you got no shots. That's what drives people nuts. Here you've got the ability to get nine shots on goal, you just said it yourself, and you don't shoot the puck enough."

Our coach, Lorne Henning, was also frustrated with him and wasn't playing him much, even though he was still a point per game player, and said to Nanne, "You gotta get rid of Nilsson."

So Nanne made the call to the oilers Glen Sather and said, "Have I got a deal for you...."

Anyways....

That's Hemsky. All the skill in the world, but just frustrates the hell out of you. Like I said, I came to expect less out of him years ago, so this all is no surprise, but he's still frustrating.

 

[NukeJukes43]

That's what you get with Ales Hemsky, frustration.

He was frustrating oiler fans nearly his entire career. Even when he was putting up 60-70 points, they (probably unrealistically) wanted 80-90. Every single year it was, "Okay, THIS is the year Ales Hemsky breaks out."

He'd have games where his skill resulted in 2 or 3 goals, or 3-4 points and you'd think, "If this guy could just play like that with consistency." and then he'd do exactly what we've been seeing, look fancy here and there but no results.

I was telling oiler fans for his last few seasons here that it's just not going to happen. He's not going to "break out". He's not that player. He is what he is now. They all wanted to believe that it was Shawn Horcoff's fault, or Craig MacTavish's fault, etc. It was never Ales Hemsky's fault.

The guy had commitment issues. Last one on the ice at practice, first one off, that kind of thing. Some off ice stuff too that I won't say, which I'm sure many players take part in.

Unfortunately he's beyond even those days of 60-70 points now. What you see is what you get. I'm sure he'll have his moments/games, but at the end of the day he's kind of the modern day Kent Nilsson (minus the 131 point season).

When Nilsson was with us for a couple seasons in the mid 1980s, we lost 1-0 to the Islanders one night and Nilsson had not one shot on net. Our GM Lou Nanne stops him in the hall after the game and says,

"Kent, you have a son that's not even 2 years old. If somebody came up to you before the game and said your son was kidnapped and you had to play the game and get 9 shots on goal in order to get him back, do you think you could do it?"

Nilsson says, "Of course."

So Nanne replies, "Tonight you got no shots. That's what drives people nuts. Here you've got the ability to get nine shots on goal, you just said it yourself, and you don't shoot the puck enough."

Our coach, Lorne Henning, was also frustrated with him and wasn't playing him much, even though he was still a point per game player, and said to Nanne, "You gotta get rid of Nilsson."

So Nanne made the call to the oilers Glen Sather and said, "Have I got a deal for you...."

Anyways....

That's Hemsky. All the skill in the world, but just frustrates the hell out of you. Like I said, I came to expect less out of him years ago, so this all is no surprise, but he's still frustrating.

His short bladed stick infuriates me. He knows he loses the puck all the time because of that thing and even worse he is always missing the net because of it. There's no follow through on his shot what so ever. It's always an inaccurate lob towards the direction of the net.

 

[tjcurrie]

His short bladed stick infuriates me. He knows he loses the puck all the time because of that thing and even worse he is always missing the net because of it. There's no follow through on his shot what so ever. It's always an inaccurate lob towards the direction of the net.

He had a laser up here, when he used it.

 

[Elysian]

I can't figure out that short stick... It's the dumbest thing I've ever seen.... Why would he want to limit his game so much? He doesn't have a one-timer, he can't win puck battles with it, it's just asinine...

 

[StarsTx]

He had a laser up here, when he used it.

Did he always use that short stick?

 

[NukeJukes43]

I can't figure out that short stick... It's the dumbest thing I've ever seen.... Why would he want to limit his game so much? He doesn't have a one-timer, he can't win puck battles with it, it's just asinine...

The puck battles are what kills us.

He gets SO many touches on the puck in the offensive zone. But even right before his ridiculous goal last night he had the puck ripped from him as if he were a child. Demers just happened to make a really solid defensive play to keep it in the zone and Hemsky got lucky.

I really miss Nichushkin. It's astounding that his absence has become so noticeable for us. He has great puck control and we desperately need that to help our possession game.

 

[tjcurrie]

Did he always use that short stick?

I'll look in to it.....

Like I said though, he had a laser whenever he shot the puck before. That's why everyone was so frustrated, "Shoot the puck!!!" He'd circle the entire zone once or twice before losing it. Did that on a consistent basis.

 

[StarsTx]

Nukes speed size puck possession and passing were great with our top line. Once he gets accuracy with his shot he will be electric.

 

[NukeJukes43]

I'll look in to it.....

Like I said though, he had a laser whenever he shot the puck before. That's why everyone was so frustrated, "Shoot the puck!!!" He'd circle the entire zone once or twice before losing it. Did that on a consistent basis.

That's gotta be his inline game doing that to him. He thinks he can do that without getting bumped off the puck.

 

[tjcurrie]

Tough to tell with the naked eye, but it looks like there may have been a shortening of the blade from the 2003-04 pic (white jersey) to the more current oilers pic and the Stars pic.

Could just be the tape job. Not sure, but I will see if I can find out.

 

[tjcurrie]

That's gotta be his inline game doing that to him. He thinks he can do that without getting bumped off the puck.

That, and/or he's just indecisive. Typically that's the difference between many of the skilled players. Some can act/react and make a play (whether shoot or pass) before you can blink, some don't have that. Seems like Hemsky's brain is thinking, "Okay, what am I going to do here...." You can't really think like that. It has to be instinct, off the stick, unless you're Gretzky/Lemieux/Jagr. He passes up multiple opportunities to shoot it, and even when he does make it to the net he either loses it or space closes in on him too quickly, etc.

 

[NukeJukes43]

That, and/or he's just indecisive. Typically that's the difference between many of the skilled players. Some can act/react and make a play (whether shoot or pass) before you can blink, some don't have that. Seems like Hemsky's brain is thinking, "Okay, what am I going to do here...." You can't really think like that. It has to be instinct, off the stick, unless you're Gretzky/Lemieux/Jagr.

Good point, never really put that into perspective for Hemsky's case.

Nice work with the pictures too, it looks to me like there's a slight difference in length of the blade but you're right the naked eye isn't going to be able to come up with a verdict on that.

Hopefully Hemsky realizes he can't do this for 3 years. At one point he'll have to change his game (if he can) to accommodate the team.

Edit: The Easton Synergy he's rocking has a thinner but longer blade than the Nike Bauer stick he has in the first photo. Idk his blade looks even shorter with the Stars. Dude needs to address that ASAP.

 

[cizko]

Now I want to ask all of you. Seeing Hemsky play this season and his body language on the ice - what did Nill see in him? He doesn't fit this team and as a player he is quite mediocre {and that contract...}. I think Jim Nill has the experience and smarts to not make these kind of mistakes. But ... here we are.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

I think he saw a skilled winger and thought he'd fit in. Should have gone after Vrbata.

 

[tjcurrie]

Bit of a reclamation project, add some depth/skill, he had great chemistry in his short time with Spezza after being dealt to Ottawa last season.

I was always against Hemsky coming here. Any time it was brought up, I went on my anti-Hemsky rant.

When we did sign him, I too was kind of in the mind set stated above. "Maybe, just maybe....."

We're not even at the half way point of the season though. He's not been good, but neither has this team. We're picking it up a bit so let's hope maybe he can too. He won't get the totals, but maybe a few clutch goals/plays down the stretch can make up for that.

 

[cizko]

Thanks for informative response. Hope he picks it up a bit, but I think he is what he is. At 31, I don't think he can get much better.

 

[Hull Fan]

Hemsky is the forward version of Goligoski. I have no idea how he picks up the points he does, everyone hates his game and yet at the end of the year if you take out his horrible start, he'll put up respectable numbers all the while looking bad doing it. Embrace it. This is who he is.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

Hemsky is the forward version of Goligoski. I have no idea how he picks up the points he does, everyone hates his game and yet at the end of the year if you take out his horrible start, he'll put up respectable numbers all the while looking bad doing it. Embrace it. This is who he is.

That's a pretty amazing comparison that I've noticed myself.

 

[beltjones]

Now I want to ask all of you. Seeing Hemsky play this season and his body language on the ice - what did Nill see in him? He doesn't fit this team and as a player he is quite mediocre {and that contract...}. I think Jim Nill has the experience and smarts to not make these kind of mistakes. But ... here we are.

It's a good question.

I think Nill saw Benn/Seguin/Nichushkin on the top line, with maybe Cole/Spezza/Hemsky on the second. With the Garbutt/Eakin/Roussel line staying in 3rd, and Horcoff/Fiddler/Eaves in 4th. Valeri getting hurt throws that whole thing out of whack. Now you're bringing up the best offensive talent from the checking lines, and backfilling them with trades like Travis Moen, and bringing up not-quite-ready-for-primetime guys to try to add offense here and there.

A guy like Hemsky still doesn't quite fit (especially with a three year contract), but it makes more sense if the rest of the team is scoring goals and defending well. With the lines all jumbled, and everyone needing to play solid defense, and other guys getting hurt and suspended, having a skating specialist like Hemsky around makes zero sense. Too bad he had no trade value when all of this was going down at the beginning of the season.

 

[aloonda*]

Hemsky is the forward version of Goligoski. I have no idea how he picks up the points he does, everyone hates his game and yet at the end of the year if you take out his horrible start, he'll put up respectable numbers all the while looking bad doing it. Embrace it. This is who he is.

this

except

I haven't had my hopes ruined on hemsky actually being able to turn into a good player for this team yet


please trade goose now while he has some value nill

the goose is cooked