Line Combos: Bertuzzi replaces Mantha on the PP

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

I disagree. He's leading the forwards in PPP and hes BY FAR the best option for that spot. Who are we going to put there that wont be a total waste of space? Abby? No more Datsyuk to shoot pucks off of him. Everyone else gets manhandled down low.

Agree to disagree I guess. Abby already has that role on the first unit. I'm interested to see what Bert can do but as I said, not at the cost of Mantha being taken off the PP. I'd much rather Nyquist sit before Mantha.

Either way the forward with the most PP points just got taken of the power play.

 

[Heaton]

Why do you think he's been wasted as the net front guy? He's been pretty good from what I see.

Because he's better with the puck than most of the guys touching the puck on the PP.

 

[TheOtherOne]

If Mantha comes back next season with the best work ethic on our team, how many will attribute that to Blash?

I don't expect that to happen. I'm just curious.

 

[jkutswings]

He’s been terrible and deserves to sit.

You'll have to be more specific. You just described half the roster.

 

[turkleton85]

If Mantha comes back next season with the best work ethic on our team, how many will attribute that to Blash?

I don't expect that to happen. I'm just curious.

blashhill doesn't exactly strike me as a pedagogue. It's not like mantha goes through blashs 5 step program to become a more diligent hockey player

 

[TheRatPoisoner]

Giving Bertuzzi a shot means benching the leading goal scoring? This is hilarious -- the stealth tank tinfoil hatters were right.

 

[Obe2kenobe]

If Mantha comes back next season with the best work ethic on our team, how many will attribute that to Blash?

I don't expect that to happen. I'm just curious.

Mantha has millions of reasons( $$$) to show what he's got THIS season. Proving Blash wrong is another reason. But it will be hard to do on the bench. He probably won't be off the PP long though.
At least I hope not. This is probably just another stupid way of trying to motivate him.

 

[Marky9er]

Addition by subtraction. Less is more! (In a fallin 4 Dahlin kind of way.)

 

[Shaman464]

Mantha gets knocked off by AA who has been worse than invisible on the PP doesn't get replaced?

 

[turkleton85]

Mantha gets knocked off by AA who has been worse than invisible on the PP doesn't get replaced?

AA is a month older. Tie goes to the veteran

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

You'll have to be more specific. You just described half the roster.

He's been terrible but has the skill to not be terrible. The other "half the roster" you're talking about is a bunch of pluggers who don't have that ability or are not direct competition for Mantha's ice time.

How do people not get this? Mantha is underperforming compared to what Anthony Mantha could and should be. Guys like Helm and Glendening and Frk just aren't that good.

Mantha has blue chip prospect potential. He's not living up to it. That's why the Wings bench him and don't bench the guys who simply aren't that good.

 

[Henkka]

What a mess this organization is right now. Team struggling to score goals and win games? Take your leader in goals and power play points off the power play. What a great plan.

That's how you maximize your chances to get Dahlin.

Many in here blaim Holland doing the exact opposite.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Because he's better with the puck than most of the guys touching the puck on the PP.

While that may be true (thats not saying much tbh) its not like Mantha has been bad as the net front guy. He's been the most productive. I just don't see it as a necessary change. Taking him off the PP completely is where my gripe comes from.

 

[lidstromiscool]

That's how you maximize your chances to get Dahlin.

Many in here blaim Holland doing the exact opposite.

Yeah but the Wings aren't doing this to get Dahlin, that's whats driving everyone crazy. If they wanna tank, fine by me, but make sure you do it right. As in play the young guys, no need to play Howard, see if Mrazek can carry the load. Trade Green, Tatar, Nyquist,etc. Don't tank by putting your best player on the 4th line/off power play.

 

[dragonballgtz]

Seems like multiple issues here with this change. Mantha not playing his best hockey, using him in the wrong spot, the PP unit in general not getting pucks on net like they did at the start of the season.

I go back to saying what I said in another thread. You have a player with known work ethic issues playing for a coach that can't get the best out of his players, bad combination.

 

[Martinez]

Stealth tank over. Entering full on obvious tank. World juniors must have our front office excited

 

[Heaton]

While that may be true (thats not saying much tbh) its not like Mantha has been bad as the net front guy. He's been the most productive. I just don't see it as a necessary change. Taking him off the PP completely is where my gripe comes from.

It's not an issue of him being 'bad' as the net front guy, he could be better being in a shooting position. I don't know how to find the numbers, but his touches on the PP are probably non-existent. As good as Frk's shot is, Mantha's is better.

 

[Hammettf2b]

It's not an issue of him being 'bad' as the net front guy, he could be better being in a shooting position. I don't know how to find the numbers, but his touches on the PP are probably non-existent. As good as Frk's shot is, Mantha's is better.

I honestly don't think it will make that much of a difference tbh. I don't mind moving Mantha away from the front of the net just as long as someone who can produce from there replaces him. So far, nobody on the team does that imo.

 

[ricky0034]

wouldn't it make way more sense to just scratch Mantha entirely for a game or two if Blashill really wants to go this route?

sure just keep him in the lineup and take him off the thing he's best at,that sends a great message

 

[chances14]

mantha has been straight up garbage for a while now. lots of lazy uninspired hockey from him. considering the talent he has, there's no excuse for him to be as invisible as has been the last few weeks

As much as people complain about this team giving veterans a free pass for being lazy, i see those very same posters giving the young guys a pass for the same lazy plays

 

[Marky9er]

Stealth tank over. Entering full on obvious tank. World juniors must have our front office excited

Nah, it's nothing like that. It's just nephewtism, plain and simple.

 

[jkutswings]

He's been terrible but has the skill to not be terrible. The other "half the roster" you're talking about is a bunch of pluggers who don't have that ability or are not direct competition for Mantha's ice time.

How do people not get this? Mantha is underperforming compared to what Anthony Mantha could and should be. Guys like Helm and Glendening and Frk just aren't that good.

Mantha has blue chip prospect potential. He's not living up to it. That's why the Wings bench him and don't bench the guys who simply aren't that good.

Since Blashill was hired, there have been several players that deserved getting benched, but didn't. Larkin has had stretches where he looked completely lost. Zetterberg has had games where he was completely ineffective. Mike Green has had performances where he looked like he neither knew nor cared how to play any semblance of two-way hockey. And yet these guys all make 'the list' to keep hopping over the boards, with no hint at sending a message.

Now I agree there's a difference between benching a guy due to performance and benching a guy due to effort. But if you're saying a player can NEVER be benched for extended poor performance, then we have a fundamentally different understanding of what professional sports are all about.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Athanasiou has been flat out awful lately. Mantha needs to compete harder but a smart coach would pull AA from the PP, insert Bert on the net front and start utilizing the fact that Mantha has a deadly arsenal of shots that we can use on the man advantage.

 

[Shaman464]

Athanasiou has been flat out awful lately. Mantha needs to compete harder but a smart coach would pull AA from the PP, insert Bert on the net front and start utilizing the fact that Mantha has a deadly arsenal of shots that we can use on the man advantage.

Completely agree. Mantha hasn't been inspired, but AA has been hot garbage.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

mantha has been straight up garbage for a while now. lots of lazy uninspired hockey from him. considering the talent he has, there's no excuse for him to be as invisible as has been the last few weeks

As much as people complain about this team giving veterans a free pass for being lazy, i see those very same posters giving the young guys a pass for the same lazy plays

It would have made a lot of sense then to say Helm would be a healthy scratch for giving up the game winning goal turnover in three straight games.

Mantha deserves to be punished, his play is abysmal since we rolled into December. But there are a couple guys that need to be taken to task right now on this team. Now not Nielsen or some of the other targets but there are more than a few veterans that can be made an example out of right now. I would start with Helm since his inexcusable turnovers have been directly costing us games, easy example to be made.