Lack of Offense from Back-end

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

After Karlsson, our lack of offense from the back-end is truly atrocious.

He is relied on so much it's a miracle he has as many points as he does 'cause opposing teams really could just key on him and call it a day without having to worry about any other threat from back-end.

We have Chabot coming on the way, but playoffs or not, Ottawa must acquire a legit 2 way defender to help out Erik on the 2nd pairing or with him on the 1st. We can not rely on a prospect a couple years away from making any real noise.

We talk about how we let in most shots against well it's very obvious why, we have no mobility from the back-end. Wideman is looking like a God-send and he's really a bottom pair guy but it shows the lack of anything we have from generating crisp first passes and mobility from our blueline.

Even though Gonchar was very bi-polar in his stay here, his ability to generate points as well as that terrific last season he had with us was more vital to Sens, and Karlsson's, success than we could ever know imo.

How do we solve this? Do we go pony up and pay for Edler? Do we really just need a mobile defensive top 4 guy who doesn't need to be that good at offense?

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[JessicaN]

Give wideman more minutes.
Call up Claesson

 

[DuckedUpOnQuack]

Find a stable partner for Ceci and it will work itself out.

 

[Blarginator]

If the leafs would retain some of his salary I'd love to have Phaneuf on this team playing beside Ceci. He's a good all around D and I think he would thrive in an environment where he doesn't need to be the captain and the #1 guy.

 

[topshelf15]

Left side has Boro Cowen Wiercioch and Methot ,pretty easy to see why we have no offense from the defense .Every team in the league just dumps it in to the left and watchs the gongshow unfold

 

[operasen]

How much should be put at the feet of Jason Smith. I've never been a fan of his work and after four years looking out for the defence, we are not even as good as we were when he arrived. System? Mental lapses? Individual development? Teamwork and cohesion? Playing out of position because ... ?

So many areas that have just not been addressed over the term of his tenure. Karlsson is the exception, but even he has his lapses this year.

Have these guys just tuned Smith out.

Rather see Richardson (fresh voice at least) move here for the rest of the year. And if he will not relocate (his daughter finishing Cornell I think), then bring in a fresh body.

 

[topshelf15]

How much should be put at the feet of Jason Smith. I've never been a fan of his work and after four years looking out for the defence, we are not even as good as we were when he arrived. System? Mental lapses? Individual development? Teamwork and cohesion? Playing out of position because ... ?

So many areas that have just not been addressed over the term of his tenure. Karlsson is the exception, but even he has his lapses this year.

Have these guys just tuned Smith out.

Rather see Richardson (fresh voice at least) move here for the rest of the year. And if he will not relocate (his daughter finishing Cornell I think), then bring in a fresh body.

Yep could see it tbh ,his old ways of defense maybe just doesnt mesh

 

[Very Stable Genius]

Richardson is far from a fresh voice.

 

[SpezDispenser]

The left side kills us offensively. Just...dead plays left, right and centre.

Someone tell me that one day (soon) we'll have this beautiful offense and goalie and be able to combine it with a slick defence...anyone...?

 

[Baby Ryan]

Would love to have Dion here.

He can bring very good two-way play.

Also has a bomb from the point too.

Just being victimized in Toronto.

 

[topshelf15]

The left side kills us offensively. Just...dead plays left, right and centre.

Someone tell me that one day (soon) we'll have this beautiful offense and goalie and be able to combine it with a slick defence...anyone...?

Chabot over to EK onetimer.......one day my friend

 

[topshelf15]

Richardson is far from a fresh voice.

Thinking him and Smith will be gone by next season

 

[starling]

Bingo is the worst team in AHL. Clearly Richardson needs a fresh start in the big league.

 

[BankStreetParade]

How much should be put at the feet of Jason Smith. I've never been a fan of his work and after four years looking out for the defence, we are not even as good as we were when he arrived. System? Mental lapses? Individual development? Teamwork and cohesion? Playing out of position because ... ?

So many areas that have just not been addressed over the term of his tenure. Karlsson is the exception, but even he has his lapses this year.

Have these guys just tuned Smith out.

Rather see Richardson (fresh voice at least) move here for the rest of the year. And if he will not relocate (his daughter finishing Cornell I think), then bring in a fresh body.

Yes, how much should be put at the feet of Smith when he has Weircioch, Cowen and Borowiecki as must play options? We may as well wheel out a bottom 4 of sledge hockey players. Basically the calibre of play we're currently getting out of that trio.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

Thinking him and Smith will be gone by next season

That would be nice....Richardson is part of Murray's friend & family clique and Smith is useless. His style of defending went away ages ago.
We really do need someone to teach puck movement and so on, I know Redden will raise some chuckles but as an assistant maybe?

 

[operasen]

Richardson is far from a fresh voice.

I can agree with that, but he is on the salary tree, so doesn't cost Melnyk more $$. He worked with Cowen, Boro, Wiercioch, etc to get them ready for the jump to the NHL. The regression has been since they got the gig.

But getting a Dion, or similar would be a step in a better direction for sure.

 

[SpezDispenser]

Chabot over to EK onetimer.......one day my friend

Yeah...a couple of years away though....I wish it was sooner.

 

[CCM19]

Kris..Russell

 

[robsenz]

Ceci needs to work out his game on the point, in his first training camp he was way more mobile on the blueline...haven't seen that much in the big show at all.

 

[SpezDispenser]

Ceci needs to work out his game on the point, in his first training camp he was way more mobile on the blueline...haven't seen that much in the big show at all.

Because he's had a revolving door of terrible dmen. He needs an nhler on his left side.

 

[IamJust0ne]

I'm (much) more worried about the lack of defense from our defense after 65, 3 & 5

 

[BK201]

I'm really not surprised our defense is far from even when we had Gonchar and Kuba.

 

[jbeck5]

I wonder where we rank the last 3 years in points or goals from defenders #2 and on. We have to be near or at the bottom.

When was the last time we had a 30 point season from someone other than karlsson. And 40 points?

 

[WhiteLight*]

Cameron has been trying to fix this problem by putting his defensemen that don't produce points up front instead.



oh wait, how does that fix the problem?

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

How about the lack of offense from this team's bottom 6?

Our top 6 scorers all have 20 or more points. After that it falls to Pageau who has netted a very respectable 8 goals (on 48 shots, 32 GP) and 11 total points. Zack Smith has 9 points, 7 of which or goals on a dismal 26 shots on net with on average 12:32 of ice time in 31 games.

After that it's just atrocious if you look at the guys who've been playing for the club.

Lazar: 29GP 2G 6P 33S 13:49 toi/GP -19 corsi
Chiasson: 32GP 2G 5P 43S 14:07 toi/GP -10 corsi
Neil: 32GP 1G 3P 30S 8:30 toi/GP -3 corsi (seriously, how has he played every game? 2 of those points came in one game)
Dzuirzynski: 7GP 2A 9S 11:05 toi/GP -27 corsi
Borowiecki 32GP 1A 10S 14:42 toi/GP -21 corsi

It's no secret that Macarthur, Michalek and Prince all have far better numbers. 2 of them aren't available... the other is inexplicably absent.

The bottom 6 for this club after Cameron took over was a strength. It is now sinking the team. The defense hasn't changed personnel (aside from Gryba who was very underrated here). The difference now is that there are many more oportunities for the defensive weakness of this club to be exploited when we can't carry and drive possession. We'd all like an upgrade at D but this is something they can realistically address without sacrificing major assets.

We are at a disadvantage every single bottom 6 shift. This isn't just on Cameron, this is on Murray. They need to make changes here NOW.