Bieksa -- Opinion for an Anaheim Fan

[M2Beezy]

Im pretty happy we got a 2nd for him cant believe it esp after last year mess. One of my first memorys of Bieksa was the OT goal against the sharks off the glass to win the series so i have a high impression of him but he really didnt play like it last year and looks like this year too. Too bad kev maybe was time to hang em up

 

[KeninsFan]

He was a bottom pairing dman on his last legs but still a fan favourite because of his career in Van

This was it. Bieksa was maybe a #5/6 with "intangibles" and I'm a pretty big Bieksa hater.

A lot of fans say that he brought Sbisa down but it was the other way around. His play apart from Sbisa was NHL calibre but Sbisa had absolutely no ability to move the puck when there was forecheck pressure.

In the same way that 99% of Ducks fans knew the Sbisa extension was poor the Nucks fans could tell the same about Bieksa. It's like NHL teams don't even bother to pro scout anymore.

 

[No Face No Case]

The Canucks have a diabolical plan, Bieksa and Kesler secret agents sent to sink Ducks, Torts to flush RyJo home to Van.
I approve.

 

[No Face No Case]

This was it. Bieksa was maybe a #5/6 with "intangibles" and I'm a pretty big Bieksa hater.

A lot of fans say that he brought Sbisa down but it was the other way around. His play apart from Sbisa was NHL calibre but Sbisa had absolutely no ability to move the puck when there was forecheck pressure.

In the same way that 99% of Ducks fans knew the Sbisa extension was poor the Nucks fans could tell the same about Bieksa. It's like NHL teams don't even bother to pro scout anymore.

they'd be better off monitoring the forums and listening to the teams fanbase for intel

 

[MarkMM]

KB is a player of extremes, even in his youth there were times he looked unsalvagable, people wanting him gone, getting pissed when he was kept and extended, then suddenly shows he can be a #2 on a contender.

But it really looked like he had gone over the cliff and very quickly too, even those who at a loss of what Jim Benning does give props to the surprise of getting a 2nd for Bieksa. Was somewhat perplexed he got extended for what he did, big mistake.

 

[Hollywood Burrows]

Anaheim trading for and signing this guy basically killed any thoughts I had that the Ducks are run competently.

 

[Canadian Canuck]

No one can make Sbisa look like a top 4 d-man...

I'm going to get killed for this, but Sbisa has been playing decent this yr until he went down. Still not worth his contract tho.

And OP. Because was pretty bad last yr because he's very slow now and way past his prime. That's why we were so happy we received a 2nd for him. Garrison....not so much

 

[MS]

In the same way that 99% of Ducks fans knew the Sbisa extension was poor the Nucks fans could tell the same about Bieksa. It's like NHL teams don't even bother to pro scout anymore.

I am just continually amazed at how bad pro scouting is in this league. It's just legitimately hopeless.

 

[me2]

What was your take on him last season, in Vancouver?

Us fans in Anaheim are really, REALLY disappointed with his performances. He's getting top-3 minutes, usually top-2, while the fans would rather see him off the team entirely.

How was he for you?

The same.

 

[me2]

Anaheim trading for and signing this guy basically killed any thoughts I had that the Ducks are run competently.

Trading I can understand, it was only a 2nd (understandable) but signing the guy to those extra years without seeing him, not good. Murray has done his best to **** the Ducks for next few years, let good guys walk, extended expensive old imports.

 

[Vancouver_2010]

No one can make Sbisa look like a top 4 d-man...

No one, eh? I raise you Cam Barker

 

[Spazkat]

Reading this I feel almost bad for the guy. Seems to be pretty universally well liked in VAN, but all he's likely to get in ANA at this point is torches and pitchforks. We don't have any of the "good memories" to look back on... just the recent montage of bad decisions and "oops I lost my man again and he just scored".

 

[thekernel]

Reading this I feel almost bad for the guy. Seems to be pretty universally well liked in VAN, but all he's likely to get in ANA at this point is torches and pitchforks. We don't have any of the "good memories" to look back on... just the recent montage of bad decisions and "oops I lost my man again and he just scored".

His bad decision making was hardly forgivable when he was here. He did have some special moments though. And the man is a gold mine for good sound bites, for whatever the hell that's worth...

 

[VanJack]

His bad decision making was hardly forgivable when he was here. He did have some special moments though. And the man is a gold mine for good sound bites, for whatever the hell that's worth...

As bad as Kev was in VanCity last season, I can't believe he'd have been any worse than Bart or Weber in his own zone if he had returned this season....and if he was worth a second, then Hamhuis should at least fetch at late first at the deadline.,

 

[me2]

No one, eh? I raise you Cam Barker

yeah but Cam Barker was an AHL depth call up. So maybe it would be fairer to say Barker made Sbisa look like a #8.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

He was casual kev more often than not for us in the last 4 years primarily due to how directionless our team was.

He's not a very structured player and absolutely thrives when there IS structure OR when there is a strong mission to accomplish

- Structure - For example the 2013-14 season. The Torts imposed structure was right up Juice's alley and this is supported by his CF%. (Interestingly enough, Kass had a decent season in 13-14 because of the exact same reason...)
- Mission - 2011 playoffs

Contrast Juice to Hammer who has no problems maintaining a high level of play regardless of circumstances (2015-16 season aside)

I still think Juice has some good hockey left in him if put in the right environment.

This is anecdotal at best. To give it less credence, I'd call it circular logic. You introduce the words "structure" and "mission" and apply them to two small sample sizes. Even funnier to me personally is using the word "structure" in the same sentence as the 2013-14 season.

But you aren't far off. Juice is a player who needs to be told how to strategize for him to succeed. He has shown that he makes poor judgement more often than not with his pinches. He often gets caught running around rather than playing zone coverage (may be more of a coaching issue, but I doubt it given his tendencies over his career). He's a very slow skater backwards, but that's not a technical issue more so than a physical one.

He is a very emotional player as well, I think. This is a good and bad thing, really hit or miss and I don't see where the line between success and failure is. Sometimes when he plays ramped up, he's scary good. Other times he loses focus and gets caught fighting mini-battles to long in his brain and makes mistakes that are easy not to make. He needs to be the marksman and not the target. If the fight is coming to him, it's often not a great result.

 

[Wisp]

No different then how he was used in Vancouver...

he wasn't 34 years old in Vancouver. Was about Bieksa's eighth season with us when his wheels finally fell off. could still be good playing as a number 3.

 

[Wisp]

I am just continually amazed at how bad pro scouting is in this league. It's just legitimately hopeless.

old boys club that doesn't accept criticism.

Anaheim trading for and signing this guy basically killed any thoughts I had that the Ducks are run competently.

they're one of the few teams that don't do analytics at all. rep holds a lot of water with them evidently.

 

[groovygoodwine]

old boys club that doesn't accept criticism.
.

Logged in just to say I agree with both of you, it's bloody effing insane how poor pro scouting is across the board in this league, and to me it seems like the more "finite science" than amateur drafting etc.

Forsling for Clendenning anyone? Benning says after "[we added clendenning to the bonino deal, he didn't have NHL skating]"

Then why trade for him in the first place?

/rant

 

[timw33]

Logged in just to say I agree with both of you, it's bloody effing insane how poor pro scouting is across the board in this league, and to me it seems like the more "finite science" than amateur drafting etc.

Forsling for Clendenning anyone? Benning says after "[we added clendenning to the bonino deal, he didn't have NHL skating]"

Then why trade for him in the first place?

/rant

Surprised more teams don't hire more guys with extensive statistics/economics backgrounds that get applied in a hockey setting. It's all former players whose education comes from the school of hard knocks (I.E playing the game with a high school education under their belt being told they can do no wrong because they're a champion).

It's also probably a numbers game, you have to have a lot of pro scouts to see every team (AHL/NHL) and lots of a certain players game, and if you focus on say 100 players on a shortlist out of 1400 pro players, then you're probably choosing from the best of those 100, not the best of a larger group w/o having a bloated pro scouting staff. Having competent staff to fill those spots is a whole 'nother problem. And the cost doesn't add directly to the bottom line—it's pure overhead and much harder to quantify success with. If you have a scout who has been building up lots of viewings over time (cause this stuff takes time) and then it's garbage, then you might need to scrap all of their reports and go with someone else's reports.