How much has Alex Edler declined?

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Hey guys, Wings fan here. Tonight after the Wings-Tampa game I got the chance to watch my first full 60 min Canucks game. It's been a while.... (Sedins still looked pretty special) My question is how much has Alex Edler declined? He looked awful. Was it just a bad game??

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[Hit the post]

When you're surrounded by **** though not hard to come out smelling a bit like **** yourself.

(and I say this not even that huge a fan of Edler...)

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

He lost a ton of physicality after his back injury and basically never reached his full potential.

He's a good #4 on a real team at this point.

 

[MS]

He's not having a good year this year but his past two seasons were easily the best of his career.

 

[mathonwy]

Hard to gauge considering how much ass our roster is right now.

Edler looked extremely disengaged tonight which is pretty much the state of the team.

I believe he's still capable of playing some very good top 4 hockey if he were on a real team.

 

[DFAC]

Never really reached his full potential due to injuries

 

[shortshorts]

Still a very good #3 on any decent team.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

He's not having a good year this year but his past two seasons were easily the best of his career.

Most complete for sure. But I thought 2010-11 before the back injury he played his best hockey imo..now he'd be a black hole in the o zone if not for his chemistry with the twins and his shot that when it does make the net is quite good.

 

[kanucks25]

Hey guys, Wings fan here. Tonight after the Wings-Tampa game I got the chance to watch my first full 60 min Canucks game. It's been a while.... (Sedins still looked pretty special) My question is how much has Alex Edler declined? He looked awful. Was it just a bad game??

Not sure what game you were watching. Played big, tough minutes with a rookie partner and didn't make many mistakes at all (show me the highlights where he did).

He's a good #4 on a real team at this point.

This is so wrong.

 

[thepuckmonster]

Calling Edler only a decent #4 is hyperbolic. He's still a top pairing guy just for his shut down ability alone, even if it is the lower end. He broke his leg and probably missed a lot of off season training time. I'm also one of his biggest critics so it's not like I have any vested interest in pumping him up.

WD and DL ain't doing him any favours.

 

[FOurteenS inCisOr]

He's a far more complete D than he ever was when he collected more points, so I don't think he's declined at all.

Thought he was excellent tonight—one of the best for the Canucks—but I turned off the game with 5 minutes left.

I've been generally impressed the entire season considering the situation he's been placed in having to carry the defensive load on his (less than 100%) back.

 

[FOurteenS inCisOr]

Not sure what game you were watching. Played big, tough minutes with a rookie partner and didn't make many mistakes at all (show me the highlights where he did).



This is so wrong.

Agreed on both.

 

[timw33]

He's the least of our worries right now.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

He went from a #2 who puts up decent numbers to a #3 that can't hit the net and continue to break his stick during the crucial moment.

 

[MS]

He went from a #2 who puts up decent numbers to a #3 that can't hit the net and continue to break his stick during the crucial moment.

He's gone from a 2nd pairing guy who struggled defensively but who put up a ton of 2nd assists on the Sedins-Ehrhoff PP to a legit top-pairing shutdown defender.

 

[shortshorts]

He's gone from a 2nd pairing guy who struggled defensively but who put up a ton of 2nd assists on the Sedins-Ehrhoff PP to a legit top-pairing shutdown defender.

Agreed. He's better now than he's ever been.

Edit: I call him a #3 because of a lack of offense and put him in the same ilk as a Hjalmmerson. In reality they are top pairing shutdown defensemen.

 

[mathonwy]

Post game show is on facebook live right?

 

[Rick Rocket]

He can really use some practice on getting that point shot off quick and thru traffic.

 

[MikeK]

His back injury crushed his potential. I think a lot of his issues can be attributed to the mental battle that some players face when they go through a serious injury. He just never recovered mentally and at times I feel he doesn't have the trust in his abilities as he once did. At the age he is at he isn't going to get better.

 

[biturbo19]

He's gone from a 2nd pairing guy who struggled defensively but who put up a ton of 2nd assists on the Sedins-Ehrhoff PP to a legit top-pairing shutdown defender.

Yeah. I wouldn't say he's really "declined" at this point, so much as he's just...morphed into something a bit different than expected.

The offensive side of his game never really went anywhere and sort of dried up when the mirage of that high flying team no longer padded his stats to the same degree. The physicality has waned as well. But he's become a much steadier presence overall.


At this point, he's still a quality Top-3 Defenceman. A guy who is either a solid complement to a 1st pairing, or a guy who could anchor a very good 2nd pairing on a deeper team. Even the offensive results would likely come back somewhat if he were to find himself on a more talented and deeper team again. But right now, he's being asked to masquerade as true #1D, which he's not...and never has been.

 

[MS]

Yeah. I wouldn't say he's really "declined" at this point, so much as he's just...morphed into something a bit different than expected.

The offensive side of his game never really went anywhere and sort of dried up when the mirage of that high flying team no longer padded his stats to the same degree. The physicality has waned as well. But he's become a much steadier presence overall.


At this point, he's still a quality Top-3 Defenceman. A guy who is either a solid complement to a 1st pairing, or a guy who could anchor a very good 2nd pairing on a deeper team. Even the offensive results would likely come back somewhat if he were to find himself on a more talented and deeper team again. But right now, he's being asked to masquerade as true #1D, which he's not...and never has been.

Yeah, agreed with all of that.

 

[bossram]

Hey guys, Wings fan here. Tonight after the Wings-Tampa game I got the chance to watch my first full 60 min Canucks game. It's been a while.... (Sedins still looked pretty special) My question is how much has Alex Edler declined? He looked awful. Was it just a bad game??

He's still a good player. Top-pair calibre and at the very least an unquestioned #3.

He's in a doo-doo situation though. The team sucks, he's being tasked with the heaviest shutdown role every night and he has to do it while carrying a rookie.

 

[JuniorNelson]

It's impossible to say what Edler's game is like now. Canucks are in a constant state of chasing the lead. Desperate team means they are all playing outside of their normal game. They are all trying too hard. Desjardins adds to the low level panic by changing lines and pairings every few games. Edler might have a steady partner one night and a crazy fool the next. This doesn't lend itself to a useful assessment.

 

[Havre]

Would love to see Edler on a good team. Pretty sure with less to worry about in the d-zone and with some proper forwards he would produce 30 points while being excellent defensively.

 

[HankieDankie]

At this point, he's still a quality Top-3 Defenceman. A guy who is either a solid complement to a 1st pairing, or a guy who could anchor a very good 2nd pairing on a deeper team. Even the offensive results would likely come back somewhat if he were to find himself on a more talented and deeper team again. But right now, he's being asked to masquerade as true #1D, which he's not...and never has been.

This is accurate. He's a great player stuck on a terrible team.