The New Jersey Devils Power Play Needs Improvement
by John Fischer on Apr 28, 2010 7:31 PM EDT
in Devils Issues, Views & Analysis
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I already gave my thoughts on how the Ilya Kovalchuk trade was justified, showed why I don't think Martin Brodeur was at fault for the postseason, and how the Devils' defense doesn't immediately look as bad as some may think. Therefore, today's a good time to look at an actual problem from the New Jersey Devils' 2009-10 season that needs to be addressed: the power play.
Yes, the Devils' power play success rate finished the season at 18.7%, which isn't all that bad, really. It was good enough to finish eleventh overall in the NHL. However, a little digging into the team's power play numbers and you'll find that it's not as rosy at it appears. The Devils finished 26th in power play opportunities with 273 and tied for 21st with Atlanta with only 51 power play goals scored. No Devil finished with more than 10 power play goals: Zach Parise led the team with 9. The percentage looks good, but the underlying numbers are found lacking. For context, the Capitals led the league in this past season in success rate (25.2%) and power play goals (72). Again, the issue isn't the rate, it's the gross.
In the playoffs, it was dire - the Devils finished 4-for-32 on all man advantages and were woefully inconsistent from chance to chance. As of this writing (6:40 PM EDT on April 28), only three teams have had a worse power play: Nashville (1-for-27), Washington (1-for-30), and Buffalo (0-for-19). It's no coincedence that a faulty power play helped the early demise of the Devils, Sabres, and Predators as well as why the Capitals are facing a crucial Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens.
While the Caps are a good example of a great power play going bad at the wrong time, a solid power play would still be of a great benefit for the Devils. No, it won't guarantee playoff success. Just ask the LA Kings about that. Yet, I feel it's definitely worth improving. A more proficient power play would keep opponents more honest, it would help the Devils win some games they'd otherwise lose, win some games by a larger margin, and help them turn momentum within a game more often. All of that would definitely help. Something the Devils could have definitely used against Philadelphia. I broke down the numbers by month, calender year, and by Ilya Kovalchuk's arrival to learn a little more after the jump.
I think it stands out on it's own. Here's some quick observations and some additional things I found by compiling every game's power play goals/opportunities.
- The power play appears to follow how the team performed. The team hit it's stride and the power play became more potent with 23 goals in 98 opportunites (23.46%). The team slumped in January and February, and so the power play dipped down. The Devils got back more into form in March and followed that up with a strong April (regular season), seeing a rise in the power play.
- A big contributor to December's power play was Niclas Bergfors, whose 8 power play goals were surpassed by only Parise. He put up 5 of them in December alone.
- A big reason why Bergfors was traded, and why the Kovalchuk trade happened at all: the January power play. Bergfors did nothing on the January power play and picked up only 1 assist across the whole month. Ah, the inconsistency of youth. Not that the rest of New Jersey did much better. Overall, not only did January see a huge drop in success on the man advantage, but the Devils went a season-high 8 straight games without a power play goal, a total of 0-for-23 among those games. The Devils won 3 of those games, one requiring overtime and another requiring a shootout.
- In this sense, it's easy to see why Lou took a chance on Ilya Kovalchuk, a big scorer in his own right. Unfortunately, it's clear that the power play wasn't necessarily sparked by his constant presence. He added 2 goals and 6 assists on that front - 40% of all of the PPGs scored after he arrived. Besides, the Devils did put up a better power play success rate without Kovalchuk; and their second-longest power play goalless game streak came in March with 6 - 0-for-17 in those games, winning 3 of those games.
- Still, the power play was slumping well before Kovalchuk entered the picture and the power play looks better largely because of how successful it was in November and December. 2009 really drove the percentage, not 2010. So I wouldn't start jumping up and down about how Kovalchuk made things worse.
- Again, 4-for-32 on the power play in the playoffs looks bad no matter how you cut it.
So those were the stats. What can be changed for 2010-11 in the hopes of having a more consistent and fruitful power play? Here's a few suggestions.
Coaching. In retrospect, having Ilya Kovalchuk play entire power plays didn't make them more successful. But it's not up to Kovalchuk to decide his own ice time - that's on the coach. It's also on the coach to design the plays on the power play, to select the personnel for each unit, and to have them practice their approaches. While the Devils did a lot of practicing, the results in games were mixed. Aggressive penalty kills were effective against NJ and coaching adjustments weren't made - especially in the playoffs - to account for that. I don't know whether Jacques Lemaire was running the power play; but whoever it was, they didn't do as well as possible.
Of course, Lemaire retired so a new head coach is coming and presumably he'll have an assistant or two in mind who could take care of the power play if he's not going to do it himself. I would hope Lou will make the power play an important focus during the interview process.
An Offensive/Two-Way Defenseman. Lemaire liked to put 4 forwards out for the power play. Given that he was without Paul Martin for most of the season, Andy Greene remained as the only defenseman with any offensive acumen (or, Johnny Oduya played himself off the PP). Even so, since the Devils' defense has been lacking in offensive production last season, the signing of another offensive or two-way defenseman could provide a boost from the point. This can allow another forward to go on a second unit, which could improve that group and balance out the attack.
Another Power Forward? You know Dainius Zubrus is pretty much a power forward - he's big, he knows how to use his size effectively, he can handle himself well in a cycle, and he's got good hands to set other Devils up or take a shot himself in space. David Clarkson knows how to make things a little chaotic, but he's not really there yet. Maybe next season, assuming someone tells him to watch Tomas Holmstrom and do what he does? Maybe a second power forward, preferably a center, can augment the power play further instead of Clarkson if he's not ready.
A Different Identity for Each Unit. This is something controlled by coaching and personnel. Ilya Kovalchuk, Brian Rolston, and Jamie Langenbrunner all have pretty good-to-great slap shots. They can fire it hard from the point. Having those three across two units lends the PP to stay in an umbrella format. While the umbrella isn't bad on it's own, an opposition PK who is prepared for it knows how to defend it or at least make it difficult for the pointman to hit the net with their shot. Especially if each unit still tries to screen the goalie with two wings down low to collect longer rebounds/missed shots.
We know that Zach Parise is excellent down low around the crease. We know that Patrik Elias can be an excellent distributor. We know Brian Rolston, if nothing else, still has a strong shot (and had 7 PPGs last season, third on the team). We know Dainius Zubrus can screen goalies and win pucks along the boards. And so on. Ultimately, the PP is almost like a puzzle - if the coach can figure out who meshes well with who, a strategy can come together. Sticking ZZ Pops with one or two other forwards didn't work. The next
If the first unit is in an umbrella but the second unit tends to play an overload or positional style on the PP, that will keep the PK units guessing a little bit and take them out of their comfort zone. Of course, this may require keeping the two units consistent; but depending on who's kept and who's brought in, it could be made successful.
Those are some of the ideas I can immediately come up with for the PP improvement. Ultimately, I think whoever the new coach will be will have the largest impact in terms of improvement or possible regression. Let me know what you think in the comments about the Devils' power play and offer your suggestions to improve it.
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no need for disscussion on this one
they were horrible.
by Imperator_Celtic on Apr 28, 2010 8:40 PM EDT reply actions
I’m glad that you pointed out Bergfors, John. He was a huge factor in the beginning of the season on the power play. Eight power play goals only halfway through the season for Bergfors is pretty big numbers. I know he hit a terrific slump right smack in the middle of January, but I’m curious as to how much he would have contributed to the PP towards the end of the season had he remained a Devil.
There is one thing that I will sincerely hope the next coach in line doesn’t do, and thats stick Kovalchuk at the blue line (if Kovy stays obviously). I think Kovy is like Parise; a finesse player who deserves to be near the net. Keep Langenbrunner and Rolston at the points if you’re going to use two forwards on the blue line. Also, Kovalchuk shouldn’t be out on the powerplay for all two minutes unless his entire group is as well. Once the first group switches off, so should Kovy.
"We aim above the mark to hit the mark." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Well, in Atlanta, Bergfors scored exactly 1 power play goal. So it’s not as if he was a PP ace who was slumping. He was a rookie who got hot in December.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Apr 28, 2010 9:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t think his early production on the PP was due to anything special he was doing (not to take away from his efforts), but more a product of other teams keying on the known factors like Elias and Parise and his having more leeway as a result.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -Mark Twain (?)
Bergfor’s PP dried up right after Lemaire told him to stop taking long shifts and stop being creative on his own. That’s basically where the problems started.
Had he left Bergfors alone, he would have continued to score on the powerplay and our problems may not have compounded.
Bergfors basically traded offensive creativity for defensive responsibility. Unfortunately, that made our team predictable like always.
i think the bigger problem was that the penalty kill was absolutely HORRIBLE.
72% kill rate in the playoffs is completely unacceptable and was a much bigger concern to me than the power play.
It’s weird because, if I recall correctly, they finished off the season extremely well on the penalty kill. They only had problems in the playoffs. Granted that’s the only time that it matters of course, but they still performed very well on the penalty kill especially during the second half of the season.
"We aim above the mark to hit the mark." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
82.6% for the season…middle of the pack
the last few games were decent, but they made me very uneasy whenever someone went in he box all season long…especially in the playoffs.
it’s been a long time since a devils team made me feel that way
Perhaps this can be attributed to the decline and/or loss of two players who manned the penalty kill position for the better part of this decade: Jay Pandolfo and John Madden. Perhaps these players were more crucial to this team than most ever gave credit for.
"We aim above the mark to hit the mark." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hmmmm….I looked at how the PP did month by month, game by game. Maybe I’ll look at the PK next.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Apr 28, 2010 9:47 PM EDT up reply actions
UPDATE
You know that Washington team I mentioned that was worse than the Devils in the playoffs?
Yeah, they still sucked. Series ended at 1-for-33 for them.
And they lost Game 7.
Womp womp.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
hall gill was pretty awesom the penguins are gonna miss him.
the habs defense is so so good,i hope they can do the same thing to the pens.
by Imperator_Celtic on Apr 28, 2010 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions
So good? They were thoroughly dominated and pretty much prayed that Halak would put up a ridiculous 98 Sv%. Anything less and they lose.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Apr 28, 2010 9:57 PM EDT up reply actions
hall gill
i rember him from free agency last off season and last years playoffs,he was pretty great.the capitals have so much firepower there realy would be no other way to beat them except what the habs just did.they looked well coached and had spectacular definsive plays and goaltending in the last half of the series. did u see chimeras shot get deflected in the last minute of game 7 he had a clear shot at a empty net there i rember seeing quite a few blocks like that.
by Imperator_Celtic on Apr 28, 2010 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed
Halak almost pitched a shutout. All of the top three seeds out of the playofs in the first round. kind of takes the some of the sting out of the Devils elimination. As for the Devils PP, I conclude that they had a big problem just setting up in the attack zone. I think 90% of the credit can be attributed to the Flyers Defense as far as the POs go. The other 10% goes to incompetency in regards to puck control with the Devils. I won’t single out anyone because as far as I am concerned everyone play a role in this flaw. As far as kovy playing the point? No, not a good idea.
Creed: (Play well+Win=Praise) (Play Well+Lose=Praise) (Play Lousy+Win=Criticism) (Play lousy+Lose & Bandwagon Jumpers=Off with thier heads!)
by LoNJDTechnology on Apr 28, 2010 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions
And all 3 teams struggled on the PP, and to score in general.
Washington being knocked out just goes to show that defense and a strong/hot goaltender trumps offense, no matter how skilled or aggressive, but the Devils and Buffalo prove that defense alone isn’t enough.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -Mark Twain (?)
i didnt get to see much of the bruins v sabers but id think with the injurys the bruins have they must have been the defensive team.
by Imperator_Celtic on Apr 29, 2010 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions
They both got there through solid defense and strong goaltending. Boston was the lowest scoring team in the league, and they played without their leading scorer Savard for most of the series, but they got just enough scoring to make Rask’s strong efforts stand up.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -Mark Twain (?)
The Devils will never score an immense number of PP goals because their reputation means they play a ton of even strength — not too many penalties for or against. Sure, the Flyers series was different, but I view that more as an aberration…. or the referees deciding that everyone was paying good money to watch them blow a whistle.
Excellent points about the personnel, however. The Devils don’t have ideal personnel for a really effective power play when it comes down to it. The lack of a defenseman with a monster shot means you have to leave forwards back there when they might be more effective down low. The lack of good screens in front of the net makes it hard to get a lot of “garbage” goals on the PP as well.
I think the other thing comes down to how the PP works. Sometimes, I think they do a lot of what doomed their offense in the Philadelphia series, which is to say passing the puck around the perimeter and shooting from the point. When your offense is that predictable, it becomes much easier to defend. Some variety might be a good thing, but that is for the next coach to decide.
Sure, the Flyers series was different, but I view that more as an aberration…. or the referees deciding that everyone was paying good money to watch them blow a whistle.
I still believe that the large increase in penalties called favored the Flyers (and not just because the Devils PP was putrid and the PK largely below average). I wonder if the refs decided from the outset that, based on Philly’s (deserved) reputation for being dirty and their history of taking a lot of penalties, they were going to call things very tightly to nip it in the bud, as it were.
I’m curious to see if the pattern continues into the next series as well.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -Mark Twain (?)
Excellent observation elesias
I will be paying close attention to that dynamic as well (in addition to the non-calls). If the refs decided before the Devils/Flyers series that they would call a tight series because of the Flyers style of play and its propensity to draw a lot of penalties then it would suggest that they not only got the Devils to submit and fall victim to thier style of play but the refs as well. If such was the case, then perhaps the Devils may consider incorporating this style of play into thier strategic arsonal as well.
Creed: (Play well+Win=Praise) (Play Well+Lose=Praise) (Play Lousy+Win=Criticism) (Play lousy+Lose & Bandwagon Jumpers=Off with thier heads!)
by LoNJDTechnology on Apr 29, 2010 9:54 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
In the interest of fairness, however, let it be known that the BOS/BUF series was similarly called in terms of total penalties (each series had 72 total penalties, Buf/Bos 36 apiece, the Devs/Flyers 35/37) and in PIMS (17.2/19.0, compared to 18.4/17.2 in the Devils/Flyers series).
There were a combined 5 majors assessed in that series, compared to 0 in ours, so that definitely skews the end results. I didn’t watch that series, though, and so couldn’t say if the rest were as ticky-tacky as the ones in our series.
As was the DET/PHO series (39 penalties apiece), though that series went 2 games longer, and the PIMS per game reflect that (12.7 and 11.6, respectively).
In the end, the Devils averaged 7.9 PIMS more per game in the playoffs than the regular season (or, about +75%), and the Flyers averaged 0.6 less PIMS per game than in the regular series.
There is no excuse for that, and I don’t deign to pretend the refs had it in for the Devils or anything like that, but there is undeniable evidence that the calls had a direct impact on the series, and I believe, that the team that was used to spending large parts of the game on the PP or PK benefited the most.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -Mark Twain (?)
Can't argue with that
espescially when yiu present your argument in the way that you have above. All of the information that I wondered about in one place. Good lookin out. I have pretty much vented my fustrations in previous posts. Our season is over and I can only hope that the Devils are better prepared in the future and that the Canadians beat the Flyers. The Bruins beat Pittsburgh and Monteal. Hate to see Gomez and Gionta get one more before the Devils.
Creed: (Play well+Win=Praise) (Play Well+Lose=Praise) (Play Lousy+Win=Criticism) (Play lousy+Lose & Bandwagon Jumpers=Off with thier heads!)
by LoNJDTechnology on Apr 29, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I’ve talked to Hildymac from Thrashing the Blues, she’s said early in the Season (for the Thrashers), Kovalchuk was really effective on the PP, just because the Thrashers could get the puck to him and he’d score (10 PPG in 49 GP with Atlanta). The thing is, teams started to get their gameplan, and started going after Kovy on the PP. Kovalchuk was always at the point and he’d be the guy to shoot, and most teams knew how to deal with him on Atlanta, and they used the same strategy to stop him from scoring (2 PPG in 27 GP with NJ). What we need is maybe a new approach.
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by Kevin Sellathamby on Apr 28, 2010 9:51 PM EDT reply actions
Lemaire and the power play
Lemaire was a great coach. There now having said that let me qualify it by saying WAS, as in YEARS ago. Lemaire in my opinion is the reason we lost this series. Brodeur played well, i am not going to say well enough since obviously it wasnt but… well
The bottom line is: We had the best offense we have ever had and at the same time the worst defense we have ever had. So what did Lemaire do… tried to play defensive hockey. Sure on the surface thats fine, try to cover your weakness but he did it by stifling our offense! Let the boys play! And the power play lol What a joke pass back to the point where Rolston or Kovalchuk trys a slap shot every time! Ahhh and putting White in front of the net. WTF, what happened to Clarkson and Zubrus? Garbage absolute garbage!
Forget the front line center and what ever else the experts are saying we are lacking… what we need is a true puck moving D-man (who isnt a liability) and a friggin coach who will play to his teams strengths!
Mabey the team and coaching staff split into 2 directions around the deadline.
Sounds to me like u are saying he was the wrong coach for this team,and I agree.That is if instead of kovy the Devils got a player like say i dont know Pronger(not that he was avalible im speaking hypotheticaly) then Lemaries plans would have panned out better i would imagine.
As far as the powerplay goes,where Tommy Albelin was as an assistant coach should be a power play expert like say slava fetisov(i know hes not avalible again hypothetical).
by Imperator_Celtic on Apr 28, 2010 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions
We had the best offense we have ever had and at the same time the worst defense we have ever had
By what actual measurable evidence is either true?
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Apr 28, 2010 11:14 PM EDT up reply actions
atleast compared to other devils teams.
by Imperator_Celtic on Apr 28, 2010 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions
So there is no measurable evidence?
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Apr 28, 2010 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions
he is saying the low goal totals are from lemarie and that it should have been more
i wasnt defending the statement either ,they did not score much that would be the final measure.
by Imperator_Celtic on Apr 28, 2010 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions
its seems to me like this year the defencemen and goalies are beating the high powered offense in the easter conference.every series in my opinion.
by Imperator_Celtic on Apr 28, 2010 11:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Our top forwards in terms of potential firepower stack up very well. Kovalchuk and Parise are top line forwards on any time in the nhl. Add in Elias, Langenbrunner, and Zajac and you should score goals (not to forget Zubrus who was at his best in the playoffs). Its not so much the biggest stars but the biggest talent level and potential of recent memory.
The measurable evidence is in the fact that even with these players we didnt score more. That is the whole point. I understand that at the end of the year if you look at the numbers scored for and against compared to years past they are close. I understand that 5 games in the postseason is too small a sample size to make hasty descisions. I understand that we will never really know and that we are arguing theoretically.
Why didnt we win… we got out scored. Why? Compare the rosters of this years teams and any of the cup winners and tell me which group of forwards and defensemen you would prefer. Not the numbers they produced but the players themselves. Our best defensemen was Andy Green. Its not just the number of goals we allowed but the lack of offensive support from our d-men. I dont think anyone would argue that our Scotty Stevens led core was leaps and bounds better. And i would take this group of forwards over any of years past.
But still we got out scored… Why? Because we were out coached! Imperator_Celtic hit the nail on the head by saying my entire point is not the number of goals we scored but the number we didnt! There is way too many factors to blame it all on Lemarie but this team was much better than they played… WHY?
Compare the rosters of this years teams and any of the cup winners and tell me which group of forwards and defensemen you would prefer. Not the numbers they produced but the players themselves.
To be fair, I’d take this team over 1994-95’s roster but that’s quibbling.
But how else am I supposed to decide if I don’t have any actual justification?
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Apr 29, 2010 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Since one only has to go back as far as 07-08 to find a Devils team that scored less goals AND gave up more in the same season as this, there is no evidence.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -Mark Twain (?)
The evidence is not in the numbers but in the players themselves. Compare the rosters and tell me which group of forwards and which group of defensmen are better. Now look at the numbers they actually produced and ask yourself why wearnt we better this poistseason. And then look at the man standing behin the players prowling the bench.
When it comes to saying
We had the best offense we have ever had and at the same time the worst defense we have ever had
the numbers are evidence.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -Mark Twain (?)
yes the numbers are evidence… but evidence of what? Not skill level i am thinking but rather of coaching.
Forget it, it’s hopeless.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Apr 29, 2010 8:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Let me start out by saying i appreciate your article and your emphasis on statistics (since i assume that is what you mean by measurable evidence) but i would like to point out that statistics are all realitave. What i mean is, if i said “we didnt score many goals this postseason” then it would be in comparison to years past or in this case the Flyers lol.
What i am talking about is not what we did accomplish but what we had the potential to accomplish. Not what our statistics were but what they should have been.
What i am talking about is not what we did accomplish but what we had the potential to accomplish. Not what our statistics were but what they should have been.
OK, but contracts aren’t going to be renewed or signed based on what someone expects. They’re going to based on what they have actually done.
Though, the more I think about it, I wonder how expected stats are calculated….
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Apr 29, 2010 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions
lol true true! More an educated guess led by past years stats and age and…
More than anything i guess my point is that we had the talent level to go much further than we did and it seems to me that coaching has got to be at the forefront when we start to question what happened. You aluded to that fact yourself. Obviously things will change now but it is still relevent when we try to figure where to go from here.
Are you complaining about Zubris play? Because he was one of the few Devils actually trying each game. Or him not being in fron of the net? Because well he was there also… both of Rolston’s Goals are the result of Zubrus’ screens.
Zubris did very very well this year all the way threw.
by Imperator_Celtic on Apr 28, 2010 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for adding the "this year" part Imperator_Celtic
The Devils are definitely getting thier money’s worth with Zubrus. No question. I would expect the Devils in thier current composition to clash with Lemaire’s coaching style because of his focus on defense. The Devils were built for offense this season. At least thats how it seemed and if this is the case then the blame should go higher up the ladder. I am sure that this dynamic would have been evident to Lou and other executives within the organization. If the realized this an brought Lemaire in any way the they may not have had a choice or Lou allowed personal preferences to dictate his decision rather than professional ones.
Creed: (Play well+Win=Praise) (Play Well+Lose=Praise) (Play Lousy+Win=Criticism) (Play lousy+Lose & Bandwagon Jumpers=Off with thier heads!)
by LoNJDTechnology on Apr 28, 2010 11:47 PM EDT up reply actions
No. I wouldn’t mind another player like Zubrus, actually.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on Apr 29, 2010 12:19 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Brendan Morrison
Lou likes to bring guys back – Morrison is over 50% on faceoffs and is a UFA I believe. If they let R. Niedermayer go, it seems Morrison would be an upgrade . . . and I don’t think he’ll be resigning with Washington.
I have respect for most sports fans with 2 exceptions: NY Ranger fans who grew up in New Jersey, and Dallas Cowboy fans who can't name the capital of Texas.
Really, what?
I know he was part of the Mogilny deal, but what was the news? I did manage to get this from the NY Times dated Nov. 4, 1999:
The Devils may make another trade in the near future. BRENDAN MORRISON, who made his debut against Montreal after a long contract dispute, said Wednesday that he had asked the Devils for a trade.
I have respect for most sports fans with 2 exceptions: NY Ranger fans who grew up in New Jersey, and Dallas Cowboy fans who can't name the capital of Texas.
Looks like you're right Zele
It seems there was friction that I can’t seem to remember.
I have respect for most sports fans with 2 exceptions: NY Ranger fans who grew up in New Jersey, and Dallas Cowboy fans who can't name the capital of Texas.
Plus, he’s not exactly a young man. And, if memory serves, Morrison is (was) more of an offensive forward, whereas a replacement on the third line for Nieds would have to be more defensively responsible. I remember him from his days in Vancouver centering Naslund and Bertuzzi… anyone more familiar with his role now?
He might make a good second line Center if the Elias at C experiment is over with the new regime, or a third line C if the new coach doesn’t want to carry a pure checking line.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -Mark Twain (?)
My take
Why not throw your best 5 on the PP instead of splitting them up? This strategy worked, not in the playoffs, for the Capitals, the Penguins attempted it and other teams like San Jose do it.
Put Andy Greene on the first unit, he keeps the puck in the zone, and unlike our “number 1” defenceman Paul Martin, Greene does not coast his way up the ice in slow motion to gain the zone. This often leads to an offsides, players want to get in the zone but they are holding the blue line waiting for Martin to get the puck in. I think part of the reason the PP was not working in the playoffs is Martin was playing a minute and half, if Rolston was not out there, and Greene who is going to be better if not already better, played the last twenty to thirty seconds. The PP was at its best when Greene was on the ice earlier in the year.
by Padraic Jenkins on Apr 29, 2010 11:16 AM EDT reply actions
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