In the game against Winnipeg McMichael turned over the puck right before the Orlov penalty, he was benched the rest of the game.
McMichael often sees his role and ice time diminish because he often makes bad plays. He’s highly skilled, but he’s not very smart, quick or strong.
Although I do wish he’d get some PP time.
That seems to be the only example that people can come up with. I'm sure someone will dig up one other example from earlier in the season, but it doesn't really meet the assertion
@tycoonheart was making (that if he's a defensive liability and makes bad plays, there would be frequent examples to back that up). Can you cite more examples of the "often makes bad plays?" For those of us who make Carl Hagelin a whipping boy, we can hang our hat on 10+ examples of him whiffing on offensive opportunities. Same with those of us who like to guffaw at Carlson's blunders, and even those who are highly critical of Kuznetsov or one (or both) of the goalies. I don't think anyone can even come close to doing that with McMichael.
And like was said earlier in the thread, that turnover against Winnipeg explains his ice time being low against Winnipeg. Why was his ice time even lower against Los Angeles? Why was his line benched halfway through the third despite creating basically the Caps best chance of the third period prior to the final 30 seconds? What bad play was there to justify that?
I also strongly disagree with your assertion that McMichael is not a smart or quick player. Those are his strengths as a hockey player. He's not a guy who's going to dominate possession along the boards or stick handle thru and entire defense, he's a guy that can dart to the open ice and keep a play alive. That's how he thrived at lower levels, and how his opportunities have come so far in the NHL.
