- May 1, 2011
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It’s a habit and routine after the last 5 years.What is anybody even thinking about the offseason? Old habits die hard
It’s a habit and routine after the last 5 years.What is anybody even thinking about the offseason? Old habits die hard
Can we trust a stat that suggests Lovejoy is the second best defender on the team?
It doesn't suggest Lovejoy is the second best defenseman on the team, what it suggests is Lovejoy coughs the puck up less than most of our defense. I suspect that's true.
Problem was when he first got here he was pretty much used as a top pairing guy, he averaged over 20 minutes last season and some games he played big minutes with Grene...but I tend to agree the Lovejoy stuff is often over the top. His skating is ugly, he's a bit slow but he's not terrible. As a bottom pairing Dman I think he's quite good...It doesn't suggest Lovejoy is the second best defenseman on the team, what it suggests is Lovejoy coughs the puck up less than most of our defense. I suspect that's true.
I dont really understand how the, "Lovejoy is terrible" meme went viral on this board, but I've never understood it or believed it versus the eye test of a #6 NHL defender.
I guess if you expect a #6/#7 guy to perform like a #2 or #3, you'd be disappointed, but why anyone would expect that in the first place is beyond me.
Problem was when he first got here he was pretty much used as a top pairing guy, he averaged over 20 minutes last season and some games he played big minutes with Grene...but I tend to agree the Lovejoy stuff is often over the top. His skating is ugly, he's a bit slow but he's not terrible. As a bottom pairing Dman I think he's quite good...
But him blocking Santini probably annoys some people too.
I feel real bad for Greene... he's spent the last 6 or 7 years carrying the Defense on mostly bad teams, now the team is finally starting to get good and he's showing signs of wear.I suspect that all of the above is true.
The same could be said of Greene in that he'd be a "better" defenseman on many other teams, because many other teams wouldn't be using him as a #1/#2. Greene has spent much of his career with too much being asked of him.
It's going to be interesting to see what happens with the defense this summer. Even if we let Moore walk, if we're planning on upgrading the left side, somebody is gonna have to be moved or be the odd man out to do it. Assuming we go Vatanen, Severson, Santini down the right side, we've already got Greene, Mueller, and Butcher signed on the left side. But that's probably a discussion for another day. Hopefully we'll have a nice playoff run to argue about for the next couple months instead.
I think if Greene were used as a 16-17 minute defenseman, he might still be decent. I think even in a 20 minute role where Hynes and the staff weren't so insistent in necessarily matching him up against the other team's top players, he might also look a little better.I feel real bad for Greene... he's spent the last 6 or 7 years carrying the Defense on mostly bad teams, now the team is finally starting to get good and he's showing signs of wear.
I really hate seeing the criticism of him after all he has done, even when it's true.
It's going to be interesting to see what happens with the defense this summer. Even if we let Moore walk, if we're planning on upgrading the left side, somebody is gonna have to be moved or be the odd man out to do it. Assuming we go Vatanen, Severson, Santini down the right side, we've already got Greene, Mueller, and Butcher signed on the left side. But that's probably a discussion for another day. Hopefully we'll have a nice playoff run to argue about for the next couple months instead.
I think if Greene were used as a 16-17 minute defenseman, he might still be decent. I think even in a 20 minute role where Hynes and the staff weren't so insistent in necessarily matching him up against the other team's top players, he might also look a little better.
The daily HF Boards Devils argument, despite success.
Girardi is still a terrible defenseman in Tampa.Greene is getting Girardi-ed. Girardi has actually settled into a nice role with the Lightning where he's not playing top players every single night.
They're constantly pushed into that same role they played five years ago because the alternative is even worse. It's really, really hard to transition guys out of that role on a team unless you have a bonafide top defender pushing them out of their spot.
It's not an easy role to play and it take some adjustment. A lot of times, teams (and coaches) can't afford to let guys adjust and they throw the tried and true method back out there.
Severson is going to be the most interesting piece there. He's the guy that has both the most value and also is a bit expendable.
Problem was when he first got here he was pretty much used as a top pairing guy, he averaged over 20 minutes last season and some games he played big minutes with Grene...but I tend to agree the Lovejoy stuff is often over the top. His skating is ugly, he's a bit slow but he's not terrible. As a bottom pairing Dman I think he's quite good...
But him blocking Santini probably annoys some people too.