Would you want him on your team on third and fifteen?
Monday, September 14, 2009
How to beat the North Carolina Panthers
Shut down the running game and make them give it to this guy:
Would you want him on your team on third and fifteen?
Would you want him on your team on third and fifteen?
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Zlatan v. Eto'o: Who's better?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic switched from Inter Milan to Barcelona. This is an awesome pick up for Barcelona. But the catch was…..they gave up Samuel Eto’o. Eto’o will now call the San Siro his home for the foreseeable future. There have been people claiming various things from Barcelona have gotten the better end of the deal to both teams will benefit equally. I even read one article where the author called Eto’o (28) “old” and Zlatan (27) “young”. They are one year apart!!! Watching both these players play with their respective club teams over the past two years, I have noticed some things about these two world class players.
When watching Zlatan play with Inter Milan the past two years, I noticed that he disappears in big games. He just does not have that killer drive to finish off big teams most of the time. Eto’o, on the other hand, consistently shows up in big games with big goals for Barcelona. Let’s look at the stats from the past two years.
When talking about Zlatan, we will rate his play in big Serie A games. He will be judged against the four other big teams in Italy: AC Milan, Juventus, Roma, and Fiorentina. In two Serie A seasons (16 big games total), he scored 5 goals. 4 of those goals came in two games and another one was a penalty. So he did not score in 13 of the 16 biggest league games for Inter. Even worse, he hasn’t scored league goals against AC Milan OR Juventus in this time frame (8 games).
Now let’s look at Eto’o. We will compare him to the same standards in La Liga. The teams I used were Real Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla, and Atletico Madrid. Eto’o has scored 9 goals in the 16 biggest La Liga games for Barcelona, with one being a penalty. Plus, he has scored at least one goal against all of the big teams. He did, however, fail to score in 7 of those games. But he was injured two seasons ago (07/08) and missed 3 of these big games. So he, technically, went 4 games without scoring.
Still don’t think Eto’o is a big game player? Let’s look at the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona have 3 titles in their history and Eto’o has been on two of those teams. Not only that, but he has scored in the two finals that he has played in. Zlatan has yet to play in a semi-final and is always criticized about his lack of goals and overall production in the Champions League.
Let’s now look at overall league goals. In 08/09, both players did not have injury problems and were available for all 38 league games if their coaches chose to play them. Zlatan scored 25, the most in Serie A. Eto’o scored 30 goals, but he only registered second place in La Liga goals scored! First went to Diego Forlan with 32.
In 07/08, both strikers had injury problems, with Eto’o’s keeping him out for the longer period of time. Eto’o scored 16 league goals in 18 games. Zlatan scored 17 goals in 26 games. If Eto’o played the same amount of games Zlatan did two years ago, he would be on pace to have scored 23 goals.
Individually these players are quite different. Zlatan is a target man and is used to being out of the play for as long as 10 minutes. He doesn’t do a whole lot of movement to get the ball either. He usually stands between the two center backs and throws his hands up in disgust sometimes if he doesn’t get the perfect pass. He is allowed to be very selfish with his decision making as well, being he is the focus of Inter's attack. Eto’o comes from a team where it is all about total team movement. He drifts out wide on both flanks and comes deep if it means it will help the team offensively. Need examples? His two Champions League final goals came from him making runs from the wide position. Matter of fact, he was positioned out wide right in the 08/09 final and he played that position well because he knew what was on the line. Could Zlatan do that? I can seriously see Zlatan pouting and not trying if Guardiola told him to start anywhere besides central striker. Barcelona plays with constant team movement, even if the ball is on the other side of the field. This is a concept that many people are fans of called “Total Football” (Speaking of Total Football, shout out to the ’74 Holland World Cup team, the best team to never win the World Cup). When watching Zlatan, he stands still if there is no chance of him getting the ball with little regard for cutting passing lanes between the center backs. This total football will not work for him because he does not have the industry, hustle, and drive that Eto’o does. Barcelona will have to change their style of play to better suit Zlatan.
Now many will ask “Why did this switch even happen?” I believe this is Guardiola trying to make this Barcelona team HIS team. They did win the Spanish treble last season, but it was all with Frank Rijkaard’s boys. This Zlatan acquisition is the first big step in the Guardiola-era. He wants the team to be built around Lionel Messi and sees Zlatan as the perfect strike partner for him. Good Luck having two selfish players as strike partners.
As for Inter’s new hit man, manager Jose Mourinho can get the best out of a lot of players. Example? Eidur Gudjohnsen. While at Chelsea, Mourinho got a lot out of Gudjohnsen, but not as a striker. It was as a midfielder with Drogba as a lone striker. That’s right. Eidur played in the midfield for Chelsea for two years and to great effect, despite the naysayers who said playing him in the center of midfield was a crazy idea. So I’m sure Mourinho can take Eto’o and get the most out of him, even if it sometimes means not being a central striker. But I’m almost certain that Eto’o, as long as he is helping the team, is ok with that.
So I believe that Eto’o/Inter got the much better end of the deal. They have a big game player who has won a lot and still looks hungry to win more. Now don’t get me wrong; Zlatan will get his fair share of goals with Barcelona. Double digits? More than likely. 20+? A good solid maybe. But how many will be big, important goals? Especially now that he is not the main focus of his team’s offense. You can watch all the YouTube clips of Zlatan you want, but over a 90 minute game, I’ll take Eto’o.
When watching Zlatan play with Inter Milan the past two years, I noticed that he disappears in big games. He just does not have that killer drive to finish off big teams most of the time. Eto’o, on the other hand, consistently shows up in big games with big goals for Barcelona. Let’s look at the stats from the past two years.
When talking about Zlatan, we will rate his play in big Serie A games. He will be judged against the four other big teams in Italy: AC Milan, Juventus, Roma, and Fiorentina. In two Serie A seasons (16 big games total), he scored 5 goals. 4 of those goals came in two games and another one was a penalty. So he did not score in 13 of the 16 biggest league games for Inter. Even worse, he hasn’t scored league goals against AC Milan OR Juventus in this time frame (8 games).
Now let’s look at Eto’o. We will compare him to the same standards in La Liga. The teams I used were Real Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla, and Atletico Madrid. Eto’o has scored 9 goals in the 16 biggest La Liga games for Barcelona, with one being a penalty. Plus, he has scored at least one goal against all of the big teams. He did, however, fail to score in 7 of those games. But he was injured two seasons ago (07/08) and missed 3 of these big games. So he, technically, went 4 games without scoring.
Still don’t think Eto’o is a big game player? Let’s look at the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona have 3 titles in their history and Eto’o has been on two of those teams. Not only that, but he has scored in the two finals that he has played in. Zlatan has yet to play in a semi-final and is always criticized about his lack of goals and overall production in the Champions League.
Let’s now look at overall league goals. In 08/09, both players did not have injury problems and were available for all 38 league games if their coaches chose to play them. Zlatan scored 25, the most in Serie A. Eto’o scored 30 goals, but he only registered second place in La Liga goals scored! First went to Diego Forlan with 32.
In 07/08, both strikers had injury problems, with Eto’o’s keeping him out for the longer period of time. Eto’o scored 16 league goals in 18 games. Zlatan scored 17 goals in 26 games. If Eto’o played the same amount of games Zlatan did two years ago, he would be on pace to have scored 23 goals.
Individually these players are quite different. Zlatan is a target man and is used to being out of the play for as long as 10 minutes. He doesn’t do a whole lot of movement to get the ball either. He usually stands between the two center backs and throws his hands up in disgust sometimes if he doesn’t get the perfect pass. He is allowed to be very selfish with his decision making as well, being he is the focus of Inter's attack. Eto’o comes from a team where it is all about total team movement. He drifts out wide on both flanks and comes deep if it means it will help the team offensively. Need examples? His two Champions League final goals came from him making runs from the wide position. Matter of fact, he was positioned out wide right in the 08/09 final and he played that position well because he knew what was on the line. Could Zlatan do that? I can seriously see Zlatan pouting and not trying if Guardiola told him to start anywhere besides central striker. Barcelona plays with constant team movement, even if the ball is on the other side of the field. This is a concept that many people are fans of called “Total Football” (Speaking of Total Football, shout out to the ’74 Holland World Cup team, the best team to never win the World Cup). When watching Zlatan, he stands still if there is no chance of him getting the ball with little regard for cutting passing lanes between the center backs. This total football will not work for him because he does not have the industry, hustle, and drive that Eto’o does. Barcelona will have to change their style of play to better suit Zlatan.
Now many will ask “Why did this switch even happen?” I believe this is Guardiola trying to make this Barcelona team HIS team. They did win the Spanish treble last season, but it was all with Frank Rijkaard’s boys. This Zlatan acquisition is the first big step in the Guardiola-era. He wants the team to be built around Lionel Messi and sees Zlatan as the perfect strike partner for him. Good Luck having two selfish players as strike partners.
As for Inter’s new hit man, manager Jose Mourinho can get the best out of a lot of players. Example? Eidur Gudjohnsen. While at Chelsea, Mourinho got a lot out of Gudjohnsen, but not as a striker. It was as a midfielder with Drogba as a lone striker. That’s right. Eidur played in the midfield for Chelsea for two years and to great effect, despite the naysayers who said playing him in the center of midfield was a crazy idea. So I’m sure Mourinho can take Eto’o and get the most out of him, even if it sometimes means not being a central striker. But I’m almost certain that Eto’o, as long as he is helping the team, is ok with that.
So I believe that Eto’o/Inter got the much better end of the deal. They have a big game player who has won a lot and still looks hungry to win more. Now don’t get me wrong; Zlatan will get his fair share of goals with Barcelona. Double digits? More than likely. 20+? A good solid maybe. But how many will be big, important goals? Especially now that he is not the main focus of his team’s offense. You can watch all the YouTube clips of Zlatan you want, but over a 90 minute game, I’ll take Eto’o.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Marvell Wynne: Born in the Wrong Country
I just watched Toronto FC lose to the Puerto Rico Islanders in the CONCACAF Champions League (a joke of a tournament in the first place), which means they are eliminated. One player who was noticably disappointing was Marvell Wynne. The more I watch Marvell Wynne, the more I think about how much of a better soccer player he would be if he were born in Europe. Now, one can say that about every player not born in Europe but for Wynne I feel especially sorry for him.
I believe I can imagine fairly accurately how he was coached growing up. He was always faster than the other kids, so coaches encouraged him to "hustle" and "always go fast/hard". I think these coaches let actual tactics and defensive positioning slip through the learning process because Wynne can always sprint back. Which is absolutely wrong. The more I watch him, the more I notice he is out of position. When the USA played Costa Rica, his awful positioning forced Onyewu over to the right to cover for him being inexcusably too far up the field when three Costa Rica players were on his side of the field. But Wynne caught up with them so it was all good, right? No. Costa Rica tore the USA apart with the give-and-go (no matter how fast you are, you can't outrun the ball) and scored their 2nd goal.
A good friend of mine is a big fan of Marvell Wynne. She always talks about how fast and strong he is. And it's very true. The kid has speed to burn and is very strong. But that's where the compliments end. The same goes for soccer announcers as well. After they get done talking about his physical attributes, they move on to a different subject. No one ever talks about his skill on the ball, his tackling, his crossing, positioning, or other nessessary skills that are crucial for an outside back to have. Truth is he has very little of that. It just goes to show how soccer is treated in this country. He played for UCLA for two years, a prestigious soccer college. I still ask why? Is that all one needs to be good at soccer in this country? Just to be faster than everyone else?
Wynne is the same age as Johnathan Spector. In my opinion (and hopefully most people's), I would pick Spector over Wynne any day of the week. Spector is a lot slower than Wynne, but that is the only thing Wynne has over Spector. All those attributes I talked about in the previous paragraph, Spector has them. Not only does he have them, he has shown them (most recently in the Confederations Cup). Spector is in Europe as well. I doubt Wynne will ever go to Europe.
Now look at a player like Micah Richards, an English right back who is currently starting for Manchester City. He became a full starter at 18 years old in 2006. He is very similar to Wynne as far as phyiscal traits are concerned. But it did not matter to coaches in England as a youth trainee. They still made sure he had the basics drilled in him. Richards is two years younger than Wynne but is a much more accomplished right back and is a candidate for England's 2010 World Cup roster. Unless multiple injuries occur, Wynne isn't going to South Africa next summer.
If Wynne was born in any other country, he would be a better player. But in America coaches took his speed for granted. Now he is suffering for it. At 23 he can still improve. But from what I've seen so far I truly think he is playing to his full potential.
I believe I can imagine fairly accurately how he was coached growing up. He was always faster than the other kids, so coaches encouraged him to "hustle" and "always go fast/hard". I think these coaches let actual tactics and defensive positioning slip through the learning process because Wynne can always sprint back. Which is absolutely wrong. The more I watch him, the more I notice he is out of position. When the USA played Costa Rica, his awful positioning forced Onyewu over to the right to cover for him being inexcusably too far up the field when three Costa Rica players were on his side of the field. But Wynne caught up with them so it was all good, right? No. Costa Rica tore the USA apart with the give-and-go (no matter how fast you are, you can't outrun the ball) and scored their 2nd goal.
A good friend of mine is a big fan of Marvell Wynne. She always talks about how fast and strong he is. And it's very true. The kid has speed to burn and is very strong. But that's where the compliments end. The same goes for soccer announcers as well. After they get done talking about his physical attributes, they move on to a different subject. No one ever talks about his skill on the ball, his tackling, his crossing, positioning, or other nessessary skills that are crucial for an outside back to have. Truth is he has very little of that. It just goes to show how soccer is treated in this country. He played for UCLA for two years, a prestigious soccer college. I still ask why? Is that all one needs to be good at soccer in this country? Just to be faster than everyone else?
Wynne is the same age as Johnathan Spector. In my opinion (and hopefully most people's), I would pick Spector over Wynne any day of the week. Spector is a lot slower than Wynne, but that is the only thing Wynne has over Spector. All those attributes I talked about in the previous paragraph, Spector has them. Not only does he have them, he has shown them (most recently in the Confederations Cup). Spector is in Europe as well. I doubt Wynne will ever go to Europe.
Now look at a player like Micah Richards, an English right back who is currently starting for Manchester City. He became a full starter at 18 years old in 2006. He is very similar to Wynne as far as phyiscal traits are concerned. But it did not matter to coaches in England as a youth trainee. They still made sure he had the basics drilled in him. Richards is two years younger than Wynne but is a much more accomplished right back and is a candidate for England's 2010 World Cup roster. Unless multiple injuries occur, Wynne isn't going to South Africa next summer.
If Wynne was born in any other country, he would be a better player. But in America coaches took his speed for granted. Now he is suffering for it. At 23 he can still improve. But from what I've seen so far I truly think he is playing to his full potential.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
No information, no opinion, just funny
I saw this on a hockey message board yesterday. I guess really, the right thing to do would be to message this dude, ask his permission, blah blah blah; but since I doubt anyone's going to read this anyway I'll just put it up here for enjoyment. Anyway, the debate at hand was whether or not Cam Ward is the best goalie in the NHL (just for the record, I would say no... I think he has the potential to be but statistically that just can't be justified right now) and a poster using the handle 'elriz' who appears to be a Vancouver fan posted this nugget:
Hockey Fans don't love you right
That Conn Smythe is everything you need
Your regular season states inside the cage
.903 save per-cent-age
Don't matter because you are my hero!
Cam! I wish I was your lover
I'd start you till the playoffs come
Help you stretch your legs and keep that groin warm
I am everything
Tonight I'll be your trainer
Talk about that Stanley Cup to ease your pain
Free your mind and you won't feel ashamed
Elriz was also so kind as to embed this YouTube of two girls karaoke-ing the song in what I assume is a dorm or something.
Two things strike me about this video: One, these girls seem too dressed up to be drinking and doing karaoke at home alone. Two, there's an NC State picture/poster/something or other hanging on the wall, which would suggest that these are Raleigh girls; it's weird that a Vancouverian (Vancouverite? Vancouveran?) would evoke, from all the videos on YouTube, some Raleighans (I'm pretty sure that's right) while discussing Cam Ward.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Arshavin and Arsenal FC
This is hard for me to write because I hate Arsenal FC. They are the team that introduced diving to the Premier League and I hate them more than any other team. Now that I got that out of the way....
Here's the blog:
Most who pay attention to the transfer market know that Arsenal sold Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City to become their 30th striker (actually its around 8, but who's counting?). After the unveiling and pictures of Adebayor in Manchester, some comments were about who Arsenal might but to replace him. Maybe Eduardo, or how about Tomas Rosicky scoring goals from the midfield? Maybe this will be Nicklas Bendtner's break out season!
One player that people are not talking about is Andrei Arshavin, the Russian attacking player. I call him an attacking player because he can play just about anywhere, top forward, withdrawn forward, attacking central midfield, left wing, right wing, etc. This is not speculation, either. Not only have I seen him do it with Russia and Zenit St. Petersburg, he's scored goals as well. None other than Zinedine Zidane said after Euro 2008, Arshavin was destined for greatness. Even before Euro 2008 started, Arshavin led Zenit to lifting the 2008 UEFA Cup, beating Rangers 2-0. His assist on the first goal was one of the best passes I've ever seen. He also helped set up the 2nd goal as well.
I think its time that Arsene Wenger puts Arshavin up front with, well, it doesn't really matter. He makes players along side him better. In Euro 2008 he was banned for the first two games while Russia looked out of sorts, barely winning their 2nd game 1-0. Arshavin made his return for Russia's must win game against Sweden and registered a goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory. Arshavin made Roman Pavlyuchenko look world class. Anyone who has seen Roman play in other games besides Euro 2008 knows that he is far from the world class standard. Two of his three goals came from gift-wrapped passes from Arshavin (the other goal was a very late one against Spain in a 4-1 loss). Put Bendtner or Eduardo along side him. Bottom line is that Arshavin will make a team better by his presence on the field. Any one remember his 4 goals against Liverpool in a 4-4 draw a few months back? The English media seems to not remember. When was the last time anyone scored 4 goals against Liverpool in 90 mins (at Anfield, no less)?? When I'm done writing this, I'll try to look for it on Google or something.
This could be a turning point for Arsenal as well. Wenger seems to be trapped into getting good deals on young talent, hoping that they soon develop into world class players. While he has had success in the past, he had veterans to help them along. He bought Kolo Toure for 150,000 pounds but Toure played along side Sol Campbell. He bought Thierry Henry, granted for a lot more than Toure, but Henry struggled his first season in England. But who was his striking partner? The legendary Dennis Bergkamp. The rest is goal scoring history.
Wenger doesn't have that veteran player leadership to bring young players along anymore. Evidence is how badly Fabregas' play has fallen in the past year. When he has a bad game, who will tell him to hold his head up high and forget about it? Eboue? Doubt it. How long are Arsenal FC going to be called the "Young Gunners"? Its been their nickname for close to 3 or 4 years now.
Wenger needs to invest in ready made players who will show up and be effective immediately, not wait a few years for them to develop like Denilson and Diaby. Sure it will cost more money but these players won't require extreme patience that I'm sure the Arsenal FC supporters are running out of. Word of advice to Wenger, make sure you buy around Arshavin. That would be your smartest move if you want to get your hands on a trophy next season, which will end a near 5 year drought.
As a Manchester United fan, I was very happy that Arshavin was ineligible to play with Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final. The Russian playmaker might have just torn Man Utd to pieces.
P.S. Wenger needs to give Arshavin the #10 shirt. William Gallas, a central defender, currently has the #10 shirt. That has got to be the biggest joke I've ever seen.
Here's the blog:
Most who pay attention to the transfer market know that Arsenal sold Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City to become their 30th striker (actually its around 8, but who's counting?). After the unveiling and pictures of Adebayor in Manchester, some comments were about who Arsenal might but to replace him. Maybe Eduardo, or how about Tomas Rosicky scoring goals from the midfield? Maybe this will be Nicklas Bendtner's break out season!
One player that people are not talking about is Andrei Arshavin, the Russian attacking player. I call him an attacking player because he can play just about anywhere, top forward, withdrawn forward, attacking central midfield, left wing, right wing, etc. This is not speculation, either. Not only have I seen him do it with Russia and Zenit St. Petersburg, he's scored goals as well. None other than Zinedine Zidane said after Euro 2008, Arshavin was destined for greatness. Even before Euro 2008 started, Arshavin led Zenit to lifting the 2008 UEFA Cup, beating Rangers 2-0. His assist on the first goal was one of the best passes I've ever seen. He also helped set up the 2nd goal as well.
I think its time that Arsene Wenger puts Arshavin up front with, well, it doesn't really matter. He makes players along side him better. In Euro 2008 he was banned for the first two games while Russia looked out of sorts, barely winning their 2nd game 1-0. Arshavin made his return for Russia's must win game against Sweden and registered a goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory. Arshavin made Roman Pavlyuchenko look world class. Anyone who has seen Roman play in other games besides Euro 2008 knows that he is far from the world class standard. Two of his three goals came from gift-wrapped passes from Arshavin (the other goal was a very late one against Spain in a 4-1 loss). Put Bendtner or Eduardo along side him. Bottom line is that Arshavin will make a team better by his presence on the field. Any one remember his 4 goals against Liverpool in a 4-4 draw a few months back? The English media seems to not remember. When was the last time anyone scored 4 goals against Liverpool in 90 mins (at Anfield, no less)?? When I'm done writing this, I'll try to look for it on Google or something.
This could be a turning point for Arsenal as well. Wenger seems to be trapped into getting good deals on young talent, hoping that they soon develop into world class players. While he has had success in the past, he had veterans to help them along. He bought Kolo Toure for 150,000 pounds but Toure played along side Sol Campbell. He bought Thierry Henry, granted for a lot more than Toure, but Henry struggled his first season in England. But who was his striking partner? The legendary Dennis Bergkamp. The rest is goal scoring history.
Wenger doesn't have that veteran player leadership to bring young players along anymore. Evidence is how badly Fabregas' play has fallen in the past year. When he has a bad game, who will tell him to hold his head up high and forget about it? Eboue? Doubt it. How long are Arsenal FC going to be called the "Young Gunners"? Its been their nickname for close to 3 or 4 years now.
Wenger needs to invest in ready made players who will show up and be effective immediately, not wait a few years for them to develop like Denilson and Diaby. Sure it will cost more money but these players won't require extreme patience that I'm sure the Arsenal FC supporters are running out of. Word of advice to Wenger, make sure you buy around Arshavin. That would be your smartest move if you want to get your hands on a trophy next season, which will end a near 5 year drought.
As a Manchester United fan, I was very happy that Arshavin was ineligible to play with Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final. The Russian playmaker might have just torn Man Utd to pieces.
P.S. Wenger needs to give Arshavin the #10 shirt. William Gallas, a central defender, currently has the #10 shirt. That has got to be the biggest joke I've ever seen.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Storm brewing? More Hurricanes ranting, lots of fight videos
Sorry, I couldn't resist the awful pun, or the chance to talk some more about the Hurricanes. My prediction from the other day only half came true, and I admit that I was incorrect. Though Babchuk was not part of the deal, the Hurricanes did trade Patrick Eaves (and a fourth round pick in 2010) for a veteran defenseman. Here's the official statement! I did not imagine that it would be former Hurricane Aaron Ward, although maybe I should have. GM Jim Rutherford has a history of returning players to the fold that he's familiar with; Ron Francis for example, or more recently Erik Cole.
All that was fact, but since this is a blog it's totally cool for me to spout an opinion like I'm an informed source. So here I go, take it or leave it. I'm pretty psyched about this trade. Like I wrote before, Patrick Eaves is a good player who just wasn't working out in Carolina, it was best for him and for the team to part ways. Ward is exactly the type of player that Rutherford was coveting: big, physical, defensive-minded D-man who can play top-pairing minutes. Most recently he was paired with Boston's marquee defenseman, the gargantuan Zdeno Chara. Even brand new Carolina fans should be pretty familiar with those two guys from the second-round playoff matchup a few months ago, a series that the Canes won in seven games. Ward, and Huricane Scott Walker, made headlines all over the NHL world for an altercation in the dwindling minutes of Game 5 in which Walker's ungloved fist made some pretty solid contact with Ward's face. Some serious controversy ensued, one which I will attempt to shy away from. Peep these two videos of the incident, and decide for yourself:
Ah well, since I can say whatever I want, I'll just say that while Walker probably should have been suspended for it by the letter of the law, Ward was obviously roughing up Matt Cullen and Walker was just stepping in to put a stop to that. (I will also say that the vitriol being spewed by Boston fans in the comments section of YouTube is pretty hilarious.) What I wonder now is, what's the mood in the locker room going to be like now? Walker and Ward are just the most noteworthy examples, but with a few new faces wearing the Hurricane logo next year (Tom Kostopoulos, Andrew Alberts, now Ward) will the vibe be distorted or can they let bygones be bygones? My gut says that they probably will, being professionals and all, but check out some more fight videos, the combatants therein all being under contract with Carolina for 09-10:
Jeez Louise, pepper cheese. I'm loving the grit that these players bring to the team, but hopefully they won't also bring drama and dischord to the chemistry. Speaking of chemistry, here's how the lines are projected, according to hurricanes.nhl.com:
Whitney-Staal-Cole
Samsonov-Cullen-Ruutu
LaRose-Jokinen-Walker
Conboy-Brind'Amour-Kostopoulos
Gleason-Corvo
Pitkanen-Ward
Wallin-Alberts
I'm not sure why Gleason-Corvo is given ahead of Pitkanen-Ward, but other than that I have to say this looks like a pretty sick lineup. This is all subject to change over the course of the year or even during the course of a game, but as that stands I like it. Nice mix of physicality and finesse, all the way down.
I'm getting more and more pumped for this hockey season.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Hurricanes ranting
You know what the worst feeling in the world is? When you get out of the shower, and you're all clean and ready to start your day and everything, and all of a sudden, an overwhelming need to poop overtakes you. Your shower will be essentially voided.
Anyway. I had hoped not to turn my contributions to this blog into solely Carolina Hurricanes opinions, but there's not much else going on that I feel qualified to talk about. So, here goes.
GM Jim Rutherford has told the media that strengthening the defense would be among his chief goals over the offseason; with free agents Anton Babchuk and Dennis Seidenberg both having career years, it's likely that they will seek some sort of pay raise and Carolina is probably not the organization that's going to give it to them. Both are good, young defensemen that I, as a Carolina fan, am sorry to see go. However, neither really has shown at this point that they are true standout top-pairing D-men, and that is the type of player that Rutherford has gone on record as being in the hunt for. If he were to accomplish the task of bringing in a serious stud defender to play top minutes with Joni Pitkanen, Carolina probably would not miss Babchuk's 16 goals from last season. A legitimate one-two punch on defense has been something that Carolina has never really had since relocating from Hartford, and even before that the "Forever .500" Whalers rare flashes of success were usually carried by their offense.
In order to make this happen, Rutherford has expressed interest in trading a forward along with, most fans assume, Anton Babchuk. Babchuk is a restricted free agent, so his rights still belong to Carolina, though both he and Rutherford seem to agree that Raleigh is not the best place for him next year. Babchuk's tenure with the Hurricanes has been stressed ever since he was sent down to the minors in 2007 and failed to report to the team. He was then suspended and played for a year in Russia before returning to Carolina where he won over some fans this past year by leading the team defensemen in goals with 16 (a number that was fourth highest in the NHL among defensemen) and holding a +/- of +13, second only to Pitkanen. However, he straight up disappeared in the playoffs, with only one assist and -5 in 13 games, plus being a contributing factor to the goal in game 4 of the Pittsburgh series that put the Pens in control for good. Check out 2:05 of this video:
The only thing more painful than watching that happen was hearing Pierre McGuire say 'OMG' during a broadcast. What a tool.
Anyway, since Babchuk will probably be packaged with a forward to bring another defender to Raleigh, the question is, which one? My money is on Patrick Eaves, a winger who once scored 20 goals in a season with the Ottawa Senators, but has been relegated to playing mostly fourth-line duty in Carolina. Eaves is a good hockey player, fast, smart defensively, and with a really quick wrist shot; I just don't see him really working out in Raleigh being so far down the depth chart. Would Babchuk and Eaves together be enough to seal a deal for a big-time defender? A team that's in danger of running over the salary cap might have to give one up, and neither Babchuk and Eaves are making superstar money. Babchuk and his agent would of course need to work out a deal with his new team and they've shown that big money is what they are interested in. I worry that those two players alone won't be enough, and that Rutherford will be tempted to deal another restricted free agent in Tuomo Ruutu.
Ruutu set career highs last year in goals, assists, points, and ice time per game, playing most of the season on the top line with Eric Staal, but has yet to re-sign and has filed for salary arbitration. While this doesn't necessarily mean that he is on his way out (Chad LaRose filed for arbitration last year and reached a new agreement before the arbitration hearing even happened), the uncertainty there may open the door for other teams looking to sweeten that Babchuk deal. Trading him would be a big mistake in my opinion, as he, along with Erik Cole, add a physical dimension that many of Carolina's other forwards are lacking. After his first game in a Carolina sweater, Ruutu looked like this:
That's the face of someone who lays it all on the line, and Carolina fans have recognized that and salute him for it with loud 'RUUUUU's at the RBC Center. Unless Rutherford could get someone like Scott Neidermayer in return, I doubt that getting rid of Ruutu would go over too well with the fanbase, not to mention the hole in would leave in the forward corps.
In short, well, there wasn't really a point to all of this, other than to voice my opinions. Rutherford has shown that he's pretty good at this general manager thing, keeping the Hurricanes competitive even under a budget that never spends all the way to the salary cap ceiling. The race for the Southeast Division title will probably have two horses in it, the Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals, and I predict it will be a tight one.
Anyway. I had hoped not to turn my contributions to this blog into solely Carolina Hurricanes opinions, but there's not much else going on that I feel qualified to talk about. So, here goes.
GM Jim Rutherford has told the media that strengthening the defense would be among his chief goals over the offseason; with free agents Anton Babchuk and Dennis Seidenberg both having career years, it's likely that they will seek some sort of pay raise and Carolina is probably not the organization that's going to give it to them. Both are good, young defensemen that I, as a Carolina fan, am sorry to see go. However, neither really has shown at this point that they are true standout top-pairing D-men, and that is the type of player that Rutherford has gone on record as being in the hunt for. If he were to accomplish the task of bringing in a serious stud defender to play top minutes with Joni Pitkanen, Carolina probably would not miss Babchuk's 16 goals from last season. A legitimate one-two punch on defense has been something that Carolina has never really had since relocating from Hartford, and even before that the "Forever .500" Whalers rare flashes of success were usually carried by their offense.
In order to make this happen, Rutherford has expressed interest in trading a forward along with, most fans assume, Anton Babchuk. Babchuk is a restricted free agent, so his rights still belong to Carolina, though both he and Rutherford seem to agree that Raleigh is not the best place for him next year. Babchuk's tenure with the Hurricanes has been stressed ever since he was sent down to the minors in 2007 and failed to report to the team. He was then suspended and played for a year in Russia before returning to Carolina where he won over some fans this past year by leading the team defensemen in goals with 16 (a number that was fourth highest in the NHL among defensemen) and holding a +/- of +13, second only to Pitkanen. However, he straight up disappeared in the playoffs, with only one assist and -5 in 13 games, plus being a contributing factor to the goal in game 4 of the Pittsburgh series that put the Pens in control for good. Check out 2:05 of this video:
The only thing more painful than watching that happen was hearing Pierre McGuire say 'OMG' during a broadcast. What a tool.
Anyway, since Babchuk will probably be packaged with a forward to bring another defender to Raleigh, the question is, which one? My money is on Patrick Eaves, a winger who once scored 20 goals in a season with the Ottawa Senators, but has been relegated to playing mostly fourth-line duty in Carolina. Eaves is a good hockey player, fast, smart defensively, and with a really quick wrist shot; I just don't see him really working out in Raleigh being so far down the depth chart. Would Babchuk and Eaves together be enough to seal a deal for a big-time defender? A team that's in danger of running over the salary cap might have to give one up, and neither Babchuk and Eaves are making superstar money. Babchuk and his agent would of course need to work out a deal with his new team and they've shown that big money is what they are interested in. I worry that those two players alone won't be enough, and that Rutherford will be tempted to deal another restricted free agent in Tuomo Ruutu.
Ruutu set career highs last year in goals, assists, points, and ice time per game, playing most of the season on the top line with Eric Staal, but has yet to re-sign and has filed for salary arbitration. While this doesn't necessarily mean that he is on his way out (Chad LaRose filed for arbitration last year and reached a new agreement before the arbitration hearing even happened), the uncertainty there may open the door for other teams looking to sweeten that Babchuk deal. Trading him would be a big mistake in my opinion, as he, along with Erik Cole, add a physical dimension that many of Carolina's other forwards are lacking. After his first game in a Carolina sweater, Ruutu looked like this:
That's the face of someone who lays it all on the line, and Carolina fans have recognized that and salute him for it with loud 'RUUUUU's at the RBC Center. Unless Rutherford could get someone like Scott Neidermayer in return, I doubt that getting rid of Ruutu would go over too well with the fanbase, not to mention the hole in would leave in the forward corps.
In short, well, there wasn't really a point to all of this, other than to voice my opinions. Rutherford has shown that he's pretty good at this general manager thing, keeping the Hurricanes competitive even under a budget that never spends all the way to the salary cap ceiling. The race for the Southeast Division title will probably have two horses in it, the Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals, and I predict it will be a tight one.
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