I doubt Jasek wants to return to the Czech leagues that stifled his development and opportunity to simply supplement a roster requirement.
Kid was denied the ability to enter the import draft when he was coming up to his draft year...and then they made him ride the bench for the majority of his games, or gave him the podkolzin treatment in between sending him to the 2nd tier leagues.
The move to center may be a total failure, but its more opportunity he's ever been afforded by a pro-hockey team.
"The move to center may be a total failure, but its more opportunity he's ever been afforded by a pro-hockey team."
This may absolutely be the truth, but if they don't accept the fact that their move has failed and get this kid back to the wing where he belongs, he'll be back where it all started looking for work in the Czech Republic. He is not getting better. He's not on a plateau. He is getting worse.
You pointed out his incredibly bad possession numbers. His passes are all the same speed, snail-like. His PK work is pitiful. He just putt-putts around to try and line up with the puck possessor at the top of the box on his side but never comes withing more than 20 feet of him. He loses every opportunity to actually get the puck because he is moving at a crawl. When one of his mates gets the puck to him or he picks up a rebound or muffed pass his clearing attempt more often than not is so weak that the point man gets to it and keeps it in anyways, he doesn't have enough on it to allow it to cross the blueline, or he passes it directly to the only guy in the rink between him and the other end with yards of ice to either side of that guy. Offensively he takes so long to decide who he will pass to or where or if he shoot that nothing good usually comes from it. It's obvious the kid is so screwed up he doesn't know up from down at this moment. He keeps getting different line mates which is another negative. A center needs to know his linemates' behaviors in order to develop some chemistry with them. You hear guys say it all the time. "We just know where each other is going to be."
Vancouver screwed this up and Johnson continues the disaster. It's time for Cull to grow a pair and put an end to this. Put Perron in the middle when Goldy arrives (tonight?) and put this kid back where he belongs and get him off the PK.
Take the leash off of his offensive game. Let him forecheck without having to be overly concerned with being the first guy back. Let him get to the scoring areas,SHOOT the puck, and follow his shot. Get him on the half boards and put him with 2 D-men who play D. That means keep him away from Rafferty. I can't believe any center wants to play with this quick to get up ice first D-man.
In another instance, Leblanc was on the end boards and Brisebois was on the same side post facing the nearest Tiger. Jasek was in the slot. The guy behind the net won the battle with Leblanc, Breezy left the post and went to the guy he had been facing as he was the most dangerous pass. Jasek should have traded spots and guarded the post position that Breezy vacated, but instead went to the high slot and the guy with the puck walked off the boards, right out around the post, and slammed the puck past the abandoned McIntyre. It was the 5th goal. If you like the idea of a kid learning the pro game by the seat of his pants, <I don't !>, this was a hard costly lesson. This kind of thing has happened every game and the kid doesn't know if he's coming or going. We don't see any energy. His play gets more and more lethargic. He comes to the bench after every shift with a disappointed or frustrated look on his face.
The guy who should be in his corner and explaining and encouraging is his coach. That dolt just stands there in the same spot at the left side of the bench as you look at it every game. He dosen't move up and down the bench. He doesn't come to give a pat on the back, hands on the shoulders and lean down to make a comment, he doesn't come to point things out and give some encouragement or chew out a repeated error, he just stands there. I can understand letting his coaches work the bench, but there are many time every game that a head coach has to exercise his authority as well as his expertise in getting points across to a player or a line, or the team in general. That's a bit off topic, but Jasek could use some hints and encouragement from the guy who is moist important to him inn his struggles. Not being talked to at all just makes things worse. I see Perron or sometimes Bancks trying to help him out with a gesture, a point, or just a glad hand on the bench, but the higher ups need to be guiding this kid along from time to time during a game and it's not happening. It's not like the kid is a lifelong center who knows what he's doing and can quickly right a wrong. Guidance, encouragement, and reassurance are a must if they are going to continue this masquerade. I don't see any of that during the game. I have always been a hands on coach and I discovered you get a whole lot more out of people when they know you care and a re always trying to help them get better, reward good things, fix bad things, but get stern with repeated mistakes. Always praising or always being a hard ass only works with some people. There's a happy medium. However, doing nothing at all never works out for the good in the end.
