Zaitsev doesn't look bad
- Thread starter Kshahdoo
- Start date
Kamiccolo
Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
8. Games. Remember when Andersen was an AHLer? Last two games he's been great. Back on track. Rielly also had a good first few games.
The Leafs D pairings have been changed every other game. They are trying to find what works. They don't have a partner for Rielly, but Zaitsev plays with Rielly, Gardiner, and Hunwik. He looked terrible with Hunwik. Last year Rielly had him on the top pair all year.
Zaitsev didn't look terrible, playing with Hunwik, though. He tried to cover Hunwiks mistakes and sometimes succeded, sometimes not, but it was obvious, who should be blamed for most mishaps.
Kamiccolo
Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
No, he's made a lot of mistakes. To me he has been very average, which is good for a D. He makes a mistake, but then generates a chance for. He needs to put it together, but all this talk of him of him being better than Rielly is nonsense.
Rielly has had a revolving door this year for his partner, and has switched back and forth from playing the Left side and the right while being asked to play our toughest shutdown minutes.
In all of this, he has still not been a liability at all, and has 4 points in 8 games with a few of them being really nice primary assists.
Some people expect a 22 year old D to take over games, and if he doesn't they say he has been bad. Yes our young forwards are outshining everyone and making them look bad compared to them, but Rielly has been our best D while having the least stability.
Let him get a partner and pick a side and have some stability for a 5 games before we start saying he has been bad. He has been a great top pairing D, and until he gets a partner who belongs on a teams top pair, it's unreasonable to expect him to play like Weber.
Sundinisagod
****
That was the best response of the season...now I have to clean this coffee off my computer screen.
He has been doing what I expected, showing flashes and adjusting to the small ice. I think he'll get better as he get more comfortable.
BTW, I wanted to mention that, despite being undrafted, he hasn't really come out of nowhere. I seem to remember him being thought of fairly highly during his draft year (even showing up at 2nd round on some mock drafts), but he failed to make a strong impression during both of his WJC appearances (0 points in 12 games).
BTW, I wanted to mention that, despite being undrafted, he hasn't really come out of nowhere. I seem to remember him being thought of fairly highly during his draft year (even showing up at 2nd round on some mock drafts), but he failed to make a strong impression during both of his WJC appearances (0 points in 12 games).
Leon Lucius Black
Registered User
- Nov 5, 2007
- 15,804
- 5,473
Looks better than Rielly. Doesn't have a muffin for a shot and can actually play D in his own zone unlike Morgan.
Underlying numbers aren't going to tell you much after 8 games. And who you play with has a huge effect anyway. Too many people rely on them without fully understanding them.
Mrb1p
PRICERSTOPDAPUCK
He's pretty freaking great... But I have a feeling he's gonna be even better once he gets used to the speed. He doesn't make plays and I know he can make these plays most of the times. He seems shy.
