Keith Ballard Discussion

[1ntrovert*]

What the hell happened? It's been two years and we have yet to see any positive return. He maintained steady offensive stats in Florida. This is the one major blemish on MG record. Horrible return for Grabner who would be nice right about now.

What the hell happened?

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[thepuckmonster]

What the hell happened? It's been two years and we have yet to see any positive return. He maintained steady offensive stats in Florida. This is the one major blemish on MG record. Horrible return for Grabner who would be nice right about now.

What the hell happened?

He was injured for the majority of his first year here, went down with a concussion last January I believe and was out until the playoffs or shortly before.

Honestly his style just doesn't really gel with the defensive structure that the Canucks employ. Not the worst trade as it was a safety net for if we couldn't sign Hamhuis, but hasn't been able to play his favor into AVs books.

 

[13 others]

I like the title lol

Sometimes players regress and its hard to pinpoint exactly why. Conditioning, confidence, injuries etc..could be anything.

 

[VeteranNetPresence]

What the hell happened?

playing in a weak division, and our genius GM thought it would translate into the western conference happened. look at some of bouwmeester's goals in florida, and he is not able to do the same in calgary (sutter gave him the green light to do this so don't give me this coaching stuff)

 

[YogiCanucks]

What the hell happened? It's been two years and we have yet to see any positive return. He maintained steady offensive stats in Florida. This is the one major blemish on MG record. Horrible return for Grabner who would be nice right about now.

What the hell happened?

Grabner wasn't working out (and remember that whole waived thing?!). The big piece was the 1st rounder (which was low but still valuable).

I think it's pretty clear ballard is a puck rusher who would pick up points that way. He's getting 3rd pairing minutes (and WONT get anymore on this team) and isn't going to get the ice time to strut his stuff.

 

[Jyrki]

Ballard plays a riskier game; his main offensive tool is rushing the puck through the neutral zone and he enjoys going for the hit in the defensive zone. Except that the Canucks rarely rush the puck in ES (D-man carrying the puck in) and Ballard isn't good enough with his other tools (miserable shot particularly) to get PP time over our Top 4. Since he's in the bottom pairing he's expected to be "safe" in the zone with easy clears and no flashiness, which goes against his mindset and toolkit.

KB4 is a limited player who from the get go was placed in a role beyond him.

 

[opendoor]

Aside from him being ill suited for the Canucks' system (another great move by the team's pro scouting) I think his confidence is just completely shattered to the point that he's barely NHL caliber the way he's playing on the Canucks.

I mean not that there's anything too spectacular in these highlights, but he doesn't even look like the same player:




Hopefully he can get out of Vancouver and rekindle his career somewhere else. He's only 29, but watching him the last few years it seems unfathomable that he averaged over 30 points per 82 games in his first 5 years in the league.

 

[Proto]

Aside from him being ill suited for the Canucks' system (another great move by the team's pro scouting) I think his confidence is just completely shattered to the point that he's barely NHL caliber the way he's playing on the Canucks.

I mean not that there's anything too spectacular in these highlights, but he doesn't even look like the same player:




Hopefully he can get out of Vancouver and rekindle his career somewhere else. He's only 29, but watching him the last few years it seems unfathomable that he averaged over 30 points per 82 games in his first 5 years in the league.

First two games I don't think he even looks like an NHL player anymore. Maybe a 1 million dollar player. It's amazing.

 

[Outside99*]

Just want to boast and say I called it a bad trade from day one and got flamed like crazy for it. But even I didn't think he would struggle that much. Like another poster said, its all in his head. He got off the wrong foot from day one and we know that AV has little patience for players who don't perform right away, day in day out so it was all downhill from there.

 

[Royal Canuck]

The Canucks defensive system isn't a fit for Ballard, simple as that.

 

[Eddy Punch Clock]

I like the title lol

At first glance I thought it said Benched Whale.

Then I momentarily relived the 2011 finals.

 

[Drop the Sopel]

The Canucks defensive system isn't a fit for Ballard, simple as that.

There's more to it than that. Ballard really struggled his last year in Florida - took a big step backwards from his first year there.

Komisarek has had the same thing happen to him, as did Redden. It's not a system issue IMO. It's just one of those things you cannot explain. Some guys fall off a cliff for no real reason.

We know for a fact he won't be here next season. Wouldn't be surprised if he's gone much sooner.

 

[vector209]

It seems inevitable that Ballard's time is up soon. I'll be surprised if he makes it to the off season.

His tenure in Vancouver has been rather underwhelming. It's a shame really, because he was a decent player. It's simply--as others have suggested--a case of his strengths not being tailored to the Canucks' system and if traded, perhaps he can regain his confidence elsewhere.

 

[Southern_Canuck]

The Canucks defensive system isn't a fit for Ballard, simple as that.

How about a good team's system isn't a fit for Ballard?

I wonder when someone going to trot the old favourite that it's AV's fault? Hmmm?

Come on, it's not a system thing - it's a trust thing. If a good NHL coach cannot trust a defenceman to do the right things in his own zone, the coach will limit his minutes... and that is what has happened to Ballard.

He has always been a risk-taking player, and it doesn't fit in the NHL on a good team. He needs to go to a crappy team again like Phoenix or Florida so he can put up points and be a minus player on a losing team.

S_C

 

[Eddy Punch Clock]

It seems inevitable that Ballard's time is up soon. I'll be surprised if he makes it to the off season.

His tenure in Vancouver has been rather underwhelming. It's a shame really, because he was a decent player. It's simply--as others have suggested--a case of his strengths not being tailored to the Canucks' system and if traded, perhaps he can regain his confidence elsewhere.

How about the Elsewhere Oilers?

I wonder what it would take on top of Ballard to get Gagner.

 

[TheDiver*]

The Canucks defensive system isn't a fit for Ballard, simple as that.

He's also been asked to play a different role here.

I still think he's overpaid but he's useful because if you lose a top 4 guy you can promote him.

 

[Wilch]

Reminds me that Charles Barkley used to have a proper golf swing, then one day he started swinging like he's got major arthritis pain and brain damage.

Probably irreversible for Ballard. Poor guy.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

I honestly think he never recovered from the Vokoun incident.

 

[MS]

He's a crap player and plays like a crap player. And has for 3+ years, and it isn't going to change.

He's an $800k spare part #6-7 defender getting paid $4.25 million. He should have been bought out.

 

[Balls Mahoney]

Aside from one glaring gaff in game two Ballard has been fine.

 

[MajorCanuck]

Aside from one glaring gaff in game two Ballard has been fine.

He needed a strong defenseman to pair with him to be effective, someone who was able to bail out his gaffs. Instead, AV kept putting him with rome/alberts/tanev, who were decent d-men in their own right, but not strong enough to be able to make up for ballard's risky style.

 

[MS]

Aside from one glaring gaff in game two Ballard has been fine.

When the Anaheim blew out from 2-2 to 5-2, the 3-2 and 5-2 goal were both directly on poor Ballard reads/gaffes.

And, as usual, he generates zero offense to compensate for his highly mediocre defensive game.

Fringe NHL player. He might have been better 4-5 years ago, but isn't now.

 

[Reign Nateo]

He's been a huge disappointment and hasn't looked as if he's going to turn it around any time soon. My guess is they'd figure they would see if he could turn it around while they have the cap space, but the writing is on the wall in the off season. He's gotta be bought out barring a miraculous turn around in his game. I'll admit I had high hopes for that trade, and Ballard, but it's looking like a real negative for Gillis.

 

[Balls Mahoney]

When the Anaheim blew out from 2-2 to 5-2, the 3-2 and 5-2 goal were both directly on poor Ballard reads/gaffes.

And, as usual, he generates zero offense to compensate for his highly mediocre defensive game.

Fringe NHL player. He might have been better 4-5 years ago, but isn't now.

I wish you'd do a write up on the Canucks some time on the near future. I'd be really interested to read where you think this team is now and what it needs.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

This is the one major blemish on MG record. Horrible return for Grabner who would be nice right about now.

It hurts worse when you realize getting Ballard meant we couldn't re-sign Mitchell who went to LA and...the rest is history.

That being said the trade isn't the blemish, the fact that this situation has gone on for 3 seasons is. It's absurd that Ballard still has the role he has on this team. At least other Gillis mis-steps (like Marco Sturm) are very quickly corrected.