Lebowski
El Duderino
- Dec 5, 2010
- 17,585
- 5,218
Paraphrasing what I read in the newspaper this morning.
If that's the kind of mentality Therrien is trying to implement in this team, one shouldn't be surprised by how anemic our offense has been, or how held back a guy like Subban seems to be.
While this comes from the absolute most defensive defenseman on the team and may not be a shared opinion around the locker-room, that really leads me to question the direction this team wants to take.
Basically, Gorges is saying Price has to stand on his head Every. Single. Night. or else the team has no chances to win.
The irony is that you hear Therrien, Pacioretty, Desharnais and cie come out and say "offense is the best defense" during interviews, but just how much of that philosophy do players abide to?
Every single top teams in this league are from good to powerhouses offensively, the only exception being the LA Kings. What are the odds for us to reproduce what the LA Kings do? We have the goalie it takes, but not nearly the two-way offensive depth nor the defensive game to match that kind of efficiency. And even then, they score slightly more goals than us.
The point of this thread isn't really to bash Therrien, but more to ask what kind of direction do we want to take with the team in the future. I think we have to look at our assets and make the best out of it by adjusting our play style to their strength. We have two of the best PMDs in the league, a winger with 40 goals potential and a young forward that could become one of the best center in the league. Therrien was sacked in Pittsburgh partly because he was forcing defensive assignments too hard on his star forwards and was neutralizing their offensive potential. You don't force Crosby or Malkin to play "smart" (even though they do most of the time) when they can give you 120 points a year.
Why go against the grain and force a defensive culture that generally requires a big, strong, hardy team when we should strive for a high paced, puck possession play-style?
If that's the kind of mentality Therrien is trying to implement in this team, one shouldn't be surprised by how anemic our offense has been, or how held back a guy like Subban seems to be.
While this comes from the absolute most defensive defenseman on the team and may not be a shared opinion around the locker-room, that really leads me to question the direction this team wants to take.
Basically, Gorges is saying Price has to stand on his head Every. Single. Night. or else the team has no chances to win.
The irony is that you hear Therrien, Pacioretty, Desharnais and cie come out and say "offense is the best defense" during interviews, but just how much of that philosophy do players abide to?
Every single top teams in this league are from good to powerhouses offensively, the only exception being the LA Kings. What are the odds for us to reproduce what the LA Kings do? We have the goalie it takes, but not nearly the two-way offensive depth nor the defensive game to match that kind of efficiency. And even then, they score slightly more goals than us.
The point of this thread isn't really to bash Therrien, but more to ask what kind of direction do we want to take with the team in the future. I think we have to look at our assets and make the best out of it by adjusting our play style to their strength. We have two of the best PMDs in the league, a winger with 40 goals potential and a young forward that could become one of the best center in the league. Therrien was sacked in Pittsburgh partly because he was forcing defensive assignments too hard on his star forwards and was neutralizing their offensive potential. You don't force Crosby or Malkin to play "smart" (even though they do most of the time) when they can give you 120 points a year.
Why go against the grain and force a defensive culture that generally requires a big, strong, hardy team when we should strive for a high paced, puck possession play-style?
