Almost 20 games into the season, here is my personal outlook on the roster at hand and how they're performing.
F
Anderson: Pretty disappointed in Andy so far this year. I think he's still playing hurt, because the aggressive powerforward of last year doesn't look like the same guy I see this year. His lack of offensive production isn't due to lack of effort, the guy is shooting from everywhere, but I'm not sure if his offensive numbers the past few years were boosted by the team around him. He might be on a Boone Jenner path of excellent 3rd liner with some offensive punch. Which isn't a bad thing. I do think he is playing injured though.
Atkinson: Probably the biggest disappointment on the team. It isn't just due to the lack of production, but the pesty Cam Atkinson of 3 years ago seems to be a distant memory. He isn't as involved defensively, and appears to be cheating offensively. Our PP struggles hit him hard because he's our best scorer, yet only has two PPG. He is in a big time funk, not only on the scoresheet, but in general with his play. Although I will say he has begun to look better in recent games, but his luck still hasn't. We all know Cam though, he'll get one goal and he'll get hot again. Very streaky player. I'm not worried about him, but he is frustrating to watch sometimes.
Bemstrom: Completely overwhelmed to start the season, benched in games where he was a non factor, but there has been a spark into his game recently after he scored his first career goal. Riding a 3 game point streak, Bemstrom might finally be settling in to a full time NHL role. And boy, do they need it. However, the coach still doesn't trust him, and the failures of the PP (a huge reason he made the team out of camp) lies a bit on his shoulders. Still, there's certainly time for him to turn the season around, but he's got to earn the trust from the coach, even if it is in limited minutes.
Bjorkstrand: He's a hard one to pin down. He shoots a lot, and seems to get chances, but there is a huge majority of time where he just fades and is just there. I like him a lot, and I want him to reach his potential, but I think the lack of creativity as a whole on the team holds him back, and despite having one of the best shots on the team, he doesn't get deployed in a very good spot to use it very often. Especially on the PP, where he lines up on the right point rather than closer to the net. I would say he's been disappointing too, given how much they were/are expecting out of him. I thought this would be the year he topped 30 goals. Maybe he's just not that kind of player.
Dubois: I think he's growing into a man child. Very rarely this season has he not had an impact in some way on the ice. He's hit a bit of a cold spell offensively in recent games (1 point in the last 5 games) but he's still had opportunities and is driving the net very well. He is one of the few people I have been consistently impressed with, and appears well on the path to become the #1 C he was drafted to be.
Jenner: Boone is the type of player you rarely get frustrated at. You see him out there and he's the same guy every game. Solid player, and important role player. Limited offensively, but we knew that. I have had no issues with his play for his given role.
Foligno: I think he's been fine. He's playing way above in the lineup where he should be (at this point of his career, he should be in the bottom 6, not getting PP time, but some PK work) but that's not his fault. Unfortunately with his ice time he should be producing more, but he's just not that type of player. Given his ice time he's been disappointing, but by and large I have had no issue with his play, more I have an issue with his ice time.
Milano: Other than Dubois, and Bemstrom's recent rise, Sonny has probably been the biggest bright spot among forwards. He's the most creative offensive player we have, and he's the most dangerous player with the puck we have (both positively and negatively). He should play higher in the lineup, and take our lumps with his deficiencies because he brings an element to our game that we need. He's been pretty silent recently, though.
Nash: Had a good start to the season, and has since gone back to being the Riley Nash of last year. Nothing special. Makes too much for his role, but that's not his fault either. On a path to become the most meh CBJ "big" offseason signing since Sammy Pahlsson.
Nyquist: He's not sexy, he doesn't flash on the screen like a Dubois or Milano, but he's good. I think he's been what we expected from him.
Texier: He's there. He looked overwhelmed to start the season, but has settled in. Too much was expected of him from the team and fans (me included) because of his end of the season last year, but he's an important player going forward for us and should continue to get fed minutes to get better. His injury didn't help things either.
Wennberg: Again we meet frustration. Much like Bjorkstrand, he had a good start to the season, and has since faded back into being the Wennberg of two years ago. I don't think he's been as bad as he was last year, but he's certainly not been as good as he was three years ago. He's an NHL player, but he's way more ideally a 3rd line center rather than relying upon him to be our 2nd line center. I'm glad he's made progress, but he's making too much money to keep waiting on.
D
Gavrikov: I think he's been very steady. Nothing sexy, and you don't really notice him ever, but that's his game. He's a solid player and someone we should have around for a long time.
Harrington: He's been fine. You notice him for the wrong reasons sometimes, but he's a serviceable 3rd pairing defenseman who can kill penalties. We're fortunate enough to have better options.
Jones: Probably the biggest disappointment this season for me personally. He's been fine. He's certainly a star type talent and you can see it whenever he plays a game. However, he's taken major steps back this season offensively and defensively than what we've seen the last two seasons. At the end of the day though, even when he's not playing his best, he's by and large our best defenseman. I don't know whats happened, whether he is/was hurt, read too much about his Norris season, or whatever, but we need him to get back to being Seth Jones. Not sure if playing with Werenski is dragging him down, but something is up.
Kukan: He's fine. He's better than Harrington, and as of this season better than Nutivaara. I think he's been a fine 3rd pairing defenseman.
Murray: He's good when he plays, but the dude is just injury prone. He is what he is, a solid top 4 defenseman capable of playing all roles, and that's been no different this year. Probably best playing with Jones, but can't hold up to the rigors of playing that many minutes. Disappointing, but not unexpected.
Nutivaara: Hard to call a 7th round pick and everyday NHLer disappointing, but given how much praise the team gave him in years past, I think the word disappointing fits. He's a good puck mover, and is capable defensively, but he apparently has been outplayed by all of Harrington, Kukan, and Gavrikov according to the coaching staff. Which is something I didn't expect coming into the year. He has potential to be more, to be better than he is, but he's not gotten any better. The concussion from last years playoffs on top of this recent injury haven't helped.
Savard: Steady again. Probably our best defenseman this season as far as consistency. He isn't a glamorous player but he gets the job done. Fine for his role.
Werenski: Still lost at times defensively, but his offensive game makes up for it. I'm not sure if playing with Jones is the right thing for either of them, although they have chemistry together. His offensive game is good, and his production is pretty good, but that's never really been the worry with him. He has his up and down moments but I think he's been OK.
G
Korpisalo: Up and down like a toilet seat. He has some good games, and some bad games, but one thing that has stayed consistent is his ability to give up soft goals. His Korpisofty nickname is well earned. However, when he is playing well you can see him being a good starting goalie. His on ice meltdowns need to be reigned in. I think the team has failed him a bit as well with their defensive breakdowns (so many odd man rushes and breakaways).
Merzlikins: More down than up, but he's starting to show why he was so highly thought of. More of an incomplete grade than Korpi's, but we'll see where his recent run of decent play takes him.
In general, the team has fallen flat on its face and has proven the doubters right. I thought the team would get around 88 points, and I'm nearly certain they're going to fall short of that. Not considerably short, mind you, but short. The offensive shortcomings on the team were expected (maybe not this drastic) but the defensive shortcomings are extremely disappointing due to the coaching staff preaching a more patient and stingy defensive strategy. I don't think our defenseman are capable of doing that. The guys we were counting on making huge strides aren't doing so, and the rookies we were told were ready weren't. Hopefully over the next 20 games this turns around, but given the absolute lack of anything resembling decent special teams, I don't see our offensive numbers changing drastically.
I like Torts, and I think the calls that this whole struggle on offense is his fault is pretty laughable, but I don't think this team is good enough to play the type of game he wants to play. I think he's a good motivator, and a great teacher for our young guys and I am glad he got to coach them. The way he's handled being the coach here has been nothing but spectacular, especially during last years roller coaster ride. I think he deserves the chance to right the ship, but I don't anticipate that happening. If the season continues down the path it appears to be, Torts should be fired at the end of the year in favor of a more modern coach.
TL;DR version: I think this team doesn't need a tank thread. They may have it handled without doing it on purpose.
