blahblah
Registered User
- Nov 24, 2005
- 21,327
- 972
Some issues with Savard, some of these items improved slightly over the last 30 games of the season last year.
1. Mobility. I don't care if thebus thinks it's improved. It's still poor. It takes a while to get that big boy moving.
2. Awareness. Too many times he seems surprised with a defender getting behind him; thus why I call him Whiplash. He has tunnel vision out there, he's looking at the puck and not aware of what is going on around him. That is not top 4 awareness. I laugh when I see him follow the puck and realize he's dead meat. It's like the start of Benny Hill.
3. Puck decisions. When he has the puck in his zone, he makes too many mistakes moving it up ice. Too many defensive zone turnovers. Really hurts our puck possession. In the neutral and offensive zones he'll pass the puck to a checked player leading to a turnover. The player will receive the puck and it will lead to an immediate turnover. He will do this without being pressured. I illustrated this multiple times in games last season. People just kind of glossed over it. His neutral zone play can be quite ghastly.
4. Defensive transition. Once the puck is established in our defensive zone he's fine and he can either pressure just the puck or play in a zone he's cool. But if he has to skate with a player in transition he gets beat - a lot. If he's the only defender in a 2-1 he makes the life hard in the goalie. He tries, too often, to slide and take the man and the pass. Just play the pass and leave the man with the puck to the goalie.
What he does well.
1. Shots from the point. He has a very good shot and I think this is why they look the other way in the rest of his game a lot. That and he's young so they figure he'll continue to improve. Having said that you can't fix his on-ice intelligence. You can only simplify his game. An example, this shot of his if you look a lot of times it's a "luck and a prayer shot".
2. Play on the body. If he's playing the puck in the defensive within the system he's quite effective. He's a big boy and his task is pretty simple. Just the way he likes it.
That is Savard in a nutshell. Average skater, big body, good defensive zone defensmen, great shot, below average moving the puck, and, finally, not the sharpest tool out there. Should be a 5/6, right now, with PP and PK time (second unit for both). Tool wise, he's not close to being in the same league as Murray. Murray is an amazing passer and his vision is incredible. However, Savard was a great find at his spot on the draft.
I'm just glad we signed him before we ended up a 6+ million tag because:
1. Richards has the biggest man crush in the planet on him and/or
2. We really haven't had better options.
I think we have a few guys moving up that, if Richards is actually object - or has a clue what he is looking at, will pass Savard in the depth chart in fairly quick order. It's not that I don't like Savard, it's I don't like how we use him. Hopefully he proves me wrong and can improve in areas that I think he's just about peaked in.
1. Mobility. I don't care if thebus thinks it's improved. It's still poor. It takes a while to get that big boy moving.
2. Awareness. Too many times he seems surprised with a defender getting behind him; thus why I call him Whiplash. He has tunnel vision out there, he's looking at the puck and not aware of what is going on around him. That is not top 4 awareness. I laugh when I see him follow the puck and realize he's dead meat. It's like the start of Benny Hill.
3. Puck decisions. When he has the puck in his zone, he makes too many mistakes moving it up ice. Too many defensive zone turnovers. Really hurts our puck possession. In the neutral and offensive zones he'll pass the puck to a checked player leading to a turnover. The player will receive the puck and it will lead to an immediate turnover. He will do this without being pressured. I illustrated this multiple times in games last season. People just kind of glossed over it. His neutral zone play can be quite ghastly.
4. Defensive transition. Once the puck is established in our defensive zone he's fine and he can either pressure just the puck or play in a zone he's cool. But if he has to skate with a player in transition he gets beat - a lot. If he's the only defender in a 2-1 he makes the life hard in the goalie. He tries, too often, to slide and take the man and the pass. Just play the pass and leave the man with the puck to the goalie.
What he does well.
1. Shots from the point. He has a very good shot and I think this is why they look the other way in the rest of his game a lot. That and he's young so they figure he'll continue to improve. Having said that you can't fix his on-ice intelligence. You can only simplify his game. An example, this shot of his if you look a lot of times it's a "luck and a prayer shot".
2. Play on the body. If he's playing the puck in the defensive within the system he's quite effective. He's a big boy and his task is pretty simple. Just the way he likes it.
That is Savard in a nutshell. Average skater, big body, good defensive zone defensmen, great shot, below average moving the puck, and, finally, not the sharpest tool out there. Should be a 5/6, right now, with PP and PK time (second unit for both). Tool wise, he's not close to being in the same league as Murray. Murray is an amazing passer and his vision is incredible. However, Savard was a great find at his spot on the draft.
I'm just glad we signed him before we ended up a 6+ million tag because:
1. Richards has the biggest man crush in the planet on him and/or
2. We really haven't had better options.
I think we have a few guys moving up that, if Richards is actually object - or has a clue what he is looking at, will pass Savard in the depth chart in fairly quick order. It's not that I don't like Savard, it's I don't like how we use him. Hopefully he proves me wrong and can improve in areas that I think he's just about peaked in.