Dallas isn`t weak. They had 91 points. We had 91 points in 09 when we almost advanced to the conference finals
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Dallas isn`t weak. They had 91 points. We had 91 points in 09 when we almost advanced to the conference finals
He proved the opposite in Sochi with proper amount of time on ice, in Anaheim he hasn't been getting it so the stats are rather irrelevant. Yesterday he got a bit more of it for once, and immediately proved the point I think.
I'm sorry but that's just not true.
Selanne received tons of ice time after the break, and he was just like he is now. He has moments where he plays really well, but for the most part, he fumbles the puck and turns it over. He's not a 2nd line player anymore. He's not a bad compliment to one, but he's not a definite 2nd line player anymore. We've seen a decline in speed over the years, but now it's his hands that are going away. He doesn't have the shot or skills he use to. His best ability now is his passing.
The last game was very odd. I don't know when the last time I saw Selanne set up a goal by forechecking and stealing from a much bigger player. Was very happy to see him have such a good game though.
jepjepjoo
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Yes, tons...
5 games immediately after the break:
13:17
12:35
12:19
14:11
13:41
After that he had a 5 game stretch where he received more than 15 mins TOI/G and scored 2g 2a +3.
mightyquack
eggplant and jade or bust
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Sochi = bigger ice, more room, less suffocating defence. Pretty easy to see why Teemu did better there compared to NHL ice.
Yeah, he had his first good game of the playoffs yesterday. It still doesn't make him a reliable 2nd line player.
Duck Off pretty much nailed it with "He has moments where he plays really well, but for the most part, he fumbles the puck and turns it over".
jepjepjoo
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My fault, I didn't check the times, but he seemed to have more opportunities to me. Wasn't that when he was put on the 1st line? I can't remember. All I know is that the guy has been given plenty of opportunity and it's been the same the entire season. He has his moments, but for the most part, his speed and hands have greatly diminished. He's still a good player, but he's no 2nd liner anymore.
mightyquack
eggplant and jade or bust
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We have very differing versions of great.
But I don't really want to turn this into a Teemu love and bash fest. Teemu's been a great player and even better person, he's still an NHL player obviously, but he's not a reliable 2nd line guy at this stage, all I wanted to say on this.
His only great game was the last one. He was solid in game 1, and pretty invisible the rest of them IMO.
The issue is that he's now a 3rd/4th line player that doesn't play on the PK or play a physical game. He's also not consistent enough offensively to remain a fixture on the team. He fills the same role as Palmieri does right now. Same with Etem, although he can occasionally help on the PK. Since BB is using Getzlaf/Perry/Winnik/Cogs on the PK, etem isn't really needed. That's why he was out last game. I hope BB plays Selanne until he looks tired again. Look how motivated he came out after being benched. That's the Selanne we need.
jepjepjoo
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TheJoeMan
In Bob We Trust
I'm as big a Teemu supporter as anyone but I'm so sick of hear the whole "look at what Selanne did with proper ice-time in the Olympics" when it should be "look at what Selanne did against lesser competition like teams Austria and Norway." The Olympics isn't the NHL. It's not like he's suddenly going to start putting up numbers if you throw him out there for another 3 or 4 minutes a game. Boudreau has done a great job using Teemu as much as he needs to and it's working out great. The problem is everybody's unrealistic expectations of what Teemu is supposed to produce. He's 43 years-old. Most of his contemporaries have been retired for a decade. Think about the last time you saw Jeremy Roenick on the ice. Teemu was taken in the same draft.
jepjepjoo
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1g against Norway and 1a against Austria.
He only played 1 period against Austria and the rest of the games were vs top6 countries. Russia, Canada, Sweden and USA.
Regardless. The Olympics aren't like the NHL, and they definitely aren't like the playoffs. There's way more space in the Olympics and they generally aren't physical games. I agree with Joe, BB has handled Selanne's workload perfectly.
And even then, Jeremy Roenick stuck around for a while when he was no longer useful. Think of when Chris Gratton, Niklas Sundstrom and David Vyborny last played in the NHL. They were all drafted FIVE years after Teemu. There are players who are 6-7 years younger than Teemu who have been retired for a while already.
Come to think of it, he's even older than Dave Karpa and Jason Marshall. Could you imagine those two on the Ducks blueline today?
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I think the veterans Selänne could be compared with are rather the ones such as JaromÃr Jágr or Daniel Alfredsson. Perhaps luckily the Ducks aren't quite the Devils, but nevertheless it's pretty impressive how big role the 42-year-old there can still play. I don't think Teemu is yet past it any more than that either, so the question is just whether there are others in Anaheim more suitable for the role or not. So or so it would probably be good to try to form a more permanent 2nd line for the upcoming games.
Selanne will be 44 5 months before Alfie turns 42. Alfie outperformed Teemu this year, but I don't think Alfie is playing 43 personally so it's not really a fair comparison, yet.
Jagr is the most impressive of the three right now, but he's also almost a year and a half younger than Selanne as well.
The injuries have made it almost impossible to keep things consistent. As far as consistency goes though, when healthy, Selanne's line has remained pretty consistent with Maroon and Perrault.
