Player Discussion Andre Burakovsky

[Hivemind]

If anything I feel like Dowd should be inserted into the lineup as a regular once again. 13 points in 38 games and a +5 rating as a 4C is pretty good and is about the same, or better production than Beagle had been giving us as the 4C. He also adds some much needed grit into the lineup as Ovechkin, Wilson, and Oshie are the only regular forwards right now that show any will to throw their bodies around. This seems to be a part of the game they’re clearly lacking in right now. They’re far too easy to play against.

Inserting Dowd back into the lineup also allows Boyd to move back to wing as you stated. To be honest, I’m not too sure why Dowd fell out of favor in the first place. He was playing (and producing) fairly well and so was the team and then he just became the odd man out.

Dowd has just one point in his last 11 games. 10 of his 13 points came in a 10 game hot streak from 23 November to 13 December (aka when the team as a whole was rolling). He has just 3 points in his other 28 games this season. He has a grand total of three shots on goal in January, and only 24 SOG in 38 games this season. He's largely been a passenger (which, granted, most 4th line players will be).

More importantly, the whole bottom six was ice cold for most of this losing streak. It made sense to rotate depth players to find something that worked. While the losses have continued, at least the bottom six has begun contributing since Jaskin was reinserted and skill guys were grouped together on the 4th line (Burt has 3 points in the last 3 games and drew the powerplay that led to Backstrom's goal tonight).

Perhaps the biggest concern I have is that he should be providing some net utility as a PKer even if he's not a major driver at even-strength. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case, as he's among the team's highest goals against/60 on the PK despite not having the 1st unit match-ups or the heaviest loading of defensive zone draws (although he's still leaps and bounds better than Boyd as a PKer).

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[RandyHolt]

I guess garbage in garbage out was exactly that

However, I do think Hershey has more to offer than anyone BMac is eyeballing.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I mean duh.....(not at you)...I assume any credible intelligent businessman would follow this strategy. Work the deal from all potential angles.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I guess garbage in garbage out was exactly that

However, I do think Hershey has more to offer than anyone BMac is eyeballing.

He could be eyeballing a star!

 

[Futures Passed]

Friedman also

FWIW, Friedman also mentions that Dallas is dangling Janmark, who would meet that top 9 veteran forward criteria. I wonder who they would go after if they get a 2nd and a 3rd for Bura and flip the picks though? At that price, I'm thinking a pending UFA. Security likely costs more by the deadline.

 

[maacoshark]

I guess garbage in garbage out was exactly that

However, I do think Hershey has more to offer than anyone BMac is eyeballing.

Hershey doesnt have alot of forward prospects. We look pretty weak.

 

[RandyHolt]

Hershey doesnt have alot of forward prospects. We look pretty weak.

Agreed, but dare I think someone there could match his production, albeit through other means. Season he projects to 10+10... hardly a huge drop if his replacement is only on a pace of half that.

I think the chance of him going to one of our preferred trade partners is most likely. St Louis, Colorado seem to headline the list.

I wonder if our current losing streak has BMac looking at a bigger deal. A tell would be seeing Ziggy getting more minutes and duties. Something has to give, we are overloaded at prospect D and want to see some exchanged for C/Fs.

 

[Sam Spade]

Trading the teams little brother Burakovsky might snap the team to attention for real.

 

[RandyHolt]

Trading the teams little brother Burakovsky might snap the team to attention for real.

My guess this time is no. I have wondered how effective trades are (or threats), for keeping players in line.

It's just too easy (wise?) for BMac to just give our cup winning lineup more time. He went all out to reassemble it as best he could and did a damn good job in doing so. Any Bura plus moves he does could be seen as panic moves, but Bura alone - not so much as he has been very open about it. The Opposite-George. So if Bura goes, it would not be a full on jaw dropper and life will go on. The players are already expecting it.

BMac is not playing the bye bye little brother card. He is more playing the threat angle, perhaps to motivate Bura and others. Or neither, and just doesn't bullshit the players.

Maybe Bura survives, and it becomes clear that coaching is a bigger problem.

 

[Carlzner]

I sure am glad BMac made a rash decision about player personnel during the rough stretch last season!

 

[Sam Spade]

Trading or simply not keeping Burka is not a rash decision. He’s gone no matter what. Trading Orlov would be a rash decision.

Anyway, and I am repeating myself, I don’t care if they move Andre but I would love to replace him with Barber or Gersich.

 

[peterthegreat12]

Trading or simply not keeping Burka is not a rash decision. He’s gone no matter what. Trading Orlov would be a rash decision.

Anyway, and I am repeating myself, I don’t care if they move Andre but I would love to replace him with Barber or Gersich.

Barber has been a beast in Hershey this year. He deserves a legitimate chance at this point.

 

[um]

I sure am glad BMac made a rash decision about player personnel during the rough stretch last season!

It’s mostly about using that 3M cap space for someone better... if Burakovsky made 1 million it wouldn’t matter as much.

Either way, 1 million or 3 million he’s probably gone after this year.

 

[RandyHolt]

Burasallbutgonesky

We will never forget those tampa breakaway goals

 

[maacoshark]

Burasallbutgonesky

We will never forget those tampa breakaway goals

I forgot about them.

 

[maacoshark]

I'm not a Burakovsky fan but it sure looks like he is the scapegoat here. As if he is the sole reason for our failures.
Burakovsky isn't even our worst forward right now. He is playing better than Eller and DSP and maybe Dowd.
Ive noticed his play in the defensive zone gas improved a bit. He showed that last game when he turned the puck over at our line but he hustled back to make a good defensive play. He actually saved a sure goal.
Maybe we should start a Lars Eller thread. I'm as fed up with him as I am Burakovsky.

 

[RandyHolt]

I forgot about them.

Does that mean you dont like Burkie?

 

[Melkor]

I'm not a Burakovsky fan but it sure looks like he is the scapegoat here. As if he is the sole reason for our failures.
Burakovsky isn't even our worst forward right now. He is playing better than Eller and DSP and maybe Dowd.
Ive noticed his play in the defensive zone gas improved a bit. He showed that last game when he turned the puck over at our line but he hustled back to make a good defensive play. He actually saved a sure goal.
Maybe we should start a Lars Eller thread. I'm as fed up with him as I am Burakovsky.

Burakovsky is here to produce, not showing elite defensive awareness. Although the latter one is very important but if they wanted a player with such features, I'm sure as hell they would not have picked 65 back at the time. He doesn't produce so it doesn't matter what he is defensively. Defense must go along as a nice bonus.

Not sure what else is needed from Eller aside from being much better on the dot. He's a career 25 pts player with a couple of 30+ pts seasons. You can't expect him to be some driving force on a line.

 

[g00n]

I'm not a Burakovsky fan but it sure looks like he is the scapegoat here. As if he is the sole reason for our failures.
Burakovsky isn't even our worst forward right now. He is playing better than Eller and DSP and maybe Dowd.
Ive noticed his play in the defensive zone gas improved a bit. He showed that last game when he turned the puck over at our line but he hustled back to make a good defensive play. He actually saved a sure goal.
Maybe we should start a Lars Eller thread. I'm as fed up with him as I am Burakovsky.

Literally nobody is seriously & solely blaming Bura for the team's fortunes. And you carp about Eller in so many other threads you may as well start one and just use it to vent. Go for it.

This is an asset-management game and a value proposition. It's more about finding ways to keep paying the contracts of the core group that are signed long-term more than it is about any "scapegoating" for one bad stretch.

If anything the steady improvements of players like Wilson and Vrana have made Bura's relative stagnation look bad by comparison, which likely feeds into the notion that maybe he's not got much more of a ceiling so why waste more money and a roster spot on him? It may not be true, but that could be the perception in the front office.

We've all seen Bura get hot for a few games and then cool way off. A backcheck or a goal here and there is worth how many years/millions?

 

[HTFN]

I'm not a Burakovsky fan but it sure looks like he is the scapegoat here. As if he is the sole reason for our failures.
Burakovsky isn't even our worst forward right now. He is playing better than Eller and DSP and maybe Dowd.
Ive noticed his play in the defensive zone gas improved a bit. He showed that last game when he turned the puck over at our line but he hustled back to make a good defensive play. He actually saved a sure goal.
Maybe we should start a Lars Eller thread. I'm as fed up with him as I am Burakovsky.

Boo hoo hoo, you all picked a whipping boy to ridicule, how pathetic.

This should have been my outrage, with my whipping boy from earlier when I picked one.

Do you even hear yourself sometimes?

 

[maacoshark]

Boo hoo hoo, you all picked a whipping boy to ridicule, how pathetic.

This should have been my outrage, with my whipping boy from earlier when I picked one.

Do you even hear yourself sometimes?

Sorry you dont like my post but it isnt a lie.

 

[maacoshark]

Literally nobody is seriously & solely blaming Bura for the team's fortunes. And you carp about Eller in so many other threads you may as well start one and just use it to vent. Go for it.

This is an asset-management game and a value proposition. It's more about finding ways to keep paying the contracts of the core group that are signed long-term more than it is about any "scapegoating" for one bad stretch.

If anything the steady improvements of players like Wilson and Vrana have made Bura's relative stagnation look bad by comparison, which likely feeds into the notion that maybe he's not got much more of a ceiling so why waste more money and a roster spot on him? It may not be true, but that could be the perception in the front office.

We've all seen Bura get hot for a few games and then cool way off. A backcheck or a goal here and there is worth how many years/millions?

I'm not disagreeing about Burakovsky. I thought we should have moved him long ago while he was still worth something. Ive always felt he played as an individual out there in a game that is supposed to be a team sport.
I'm just trying to point out that the problem goes alot deeper than Burakovsky.

 

[maacoshark]

Burakovsky is here to produce, not showing elite defensive awareness. Although the latter one is very important but if they wanted a player with such features, I'm sure as hell they would not have picked 65 back at the time. He doesn't produce so it doesn't matter what he is defensively. Defense must go along as a nice bonus.

Not sure what else is needed from Eller aside from being much better on the dot. He's a career 25 pts player with a couple of 30+ pts seasons. You can't expect him to be some driving force on a line.

You are missing my point with Burakovsky. I'm not defending him. I'm pointing iut the problems go much deeper.
As for Eller, I dont understand the love for him. You say Burakovsky us here to produce. Why is Eller here? He isn't producing. Burakovsky is actually producing more per 60 mins. Eller gets alot of mins and takes a lot of shots. And he has a grand total of 6 goals. For all of you stats freaks here, Eller has the second lowest goals per 60 mins of our forwards. Ahead of only Jaskin. He has had time in the top 6 and on the top pp unit so his lack of production is unacceptable. So I ask again, why is Eller here? What is his role. If he was a great defensive player I'd give him a pass but he isnt. He also isnt a good faceoff guy. What does he do well? He doesnt have a good shot and he isn't much of a playmaker.
Have you not watched him play this year. He has been one of the culprits that has been turning the puck over entering the zone because he trues to get cute at the blue line instead of getting it deep. He does it every game. I can think of a couple of shorthanded goals against that happened when Eller was stripped of the puck trying to be too cute. He did it against New Jersey and we gave up a shorthanded goal. Maybe you remember the meltdown against the Ducks. It was Eller that got stripped by Getzlaf trying to make a stupid move at the blue line. That stupid mistake cost a shorthanded goal against and cost us the game.
If Ellers productivity is down that's fine but he better be helping in other areas of the game. He isn't doing that at all. He is hurting this team more than helping. And I can't figure out how you can't see that.

 

[twabby]

I think it's fair to be disappointed with Eller this season, but you harbor some sort of personal grudge against him. And if you don't, it sure comes off like you do.