Who is YOUR mid-season goat?
by Matt Wagner on Jan 12, 2011 12:27 PM EST
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PrintToday, Puck Daddy named their Midseason Goats for all 30 NHL teams - the players who they felt were the biggest disappointment compared to expectations.
Not surprisingly, they had a wealth of candidates for the Blue Jackets, but went with Anton Stralman, with this explanation:
Stralman, whose 34-point season in 2009-10 is looking more and more like a free agent singing for his supper. He has 10 points in 33 games, playing to a minus-4. The Jackets' power play is second-to-last in the NHL. Injuries were a factor in the first half; but he was a healthy scratch last night.
I don't entirely disagree with the choice, but I have to wonder if Stralman is really THE biggest disappointment for the Jackets this season. Let's take a look at a few other options.
After an impressive rookie year and a good sophomore campaign, despite a bit of a slow start, a lot of people expected Jake to really explode this season. Though his current stats of 8 G, 17 A have him on pace for another 50 point season, a lot of people expected him to use his big frame and good hands around the net to better effect in Scott Arniel's system.
After the questions around Filatov's return to the NHL, and the way he lit up the pre-season like a Christmas tree, a lot of people expected Nikita Filatov to thrive in Columbus this season - at one point predictions of a 20 goal season were pretty regular - but instead the Russian winger has been unable to find the back of the net in the NHL, and is now trying to work his way back up to the big club from Springfield, where he's gotten 3 goals and 5 assists in his last 11 games.
Was anyone, outside of Rick Nash, supposed to benefit from a more up-tempo, aggressive style of hockey as much as Kris Russell? Hampered by a knee injury at the start of training camp, and having spent more time covering for the defensive miscues of his partners than anything else (how many 2 on 1 rushes was Kris left having to defend this year after a Stralman turnover?), he is currently on pace to score 4 goals and 14 assists - his worst totals since his rookie season. He's also currently at -8, and if he should finish below -12, it would be his worst finish in his pro career.
Despite getting a new deal and avoiding restricted free agency over the summer, Steve Mason came in with a lot to prove. Despite some good early outings (and a few early stinkers), he appeared to be settling down and getting some better performances before a disastrous swing through Western Canada, but the young, confident goaltender who was such a thrill to watch in 08-09 has disappeared, and he's yet to really show back up.
This may be a case of kicking someone when he's down, but Commodore was expected to return from a bad season to come back and serve as one of the team's strong defensive anchors. Instead, he started the year with a series of healthy scratches, more injuries, and finally a long battle with the coaching staff over playing time that eventually lead to his request for a trade. While Commodore's performance cannot be blamed for the team's overall failings (if he wasn't playing, he wasn't responsible for losses, right?), the situation has certainly been a distraction to the team, and his 3.75 million dollar contract increasingly looks like one of the worst busts in franchise history. It also doesn't help that he's apparently decided to deal with his frustrations by picking fights with fans on Twitter.
So, there you have it. Is Stralman the man who gets the cone of shame, or would you hand it to another Blue Jacket? Feel free to nominate others (and provide reasons) in the comments!
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You make great arguments for everyone, Matt. I still have to vote for Stralman. I’ve been so fed up with his lackluster, lazy, turnover crazy performance. He needs to leave, to make room for one of the young guys at Springfield.
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by Andrew Tolliver on Jan 12, 2011 12:48 PM EST reply actions
Curiously, I can’t see myself picking Stralman. No matter what his play has been like, he’s one of the d-men who is young and has upside. So much of the rest of the team (most of the 3rd/4th line guys, many of the other d-men, Garon) lack any ability to produce at a higher level.
Clearly Stralman hasn’t performed like last year, but I honestly believe he still has something in him. I would rather see Hejda, Tyutin, and Klesla shipped off than Stralman traded or sat. But that’s just me.
Howson…How much longer are y’all giving Scott “The Timid” a pass for yet another year of standing pat with a team that has no heart, is content with mediocrity, yet wants us to shell out $1,000s to watch “potential”? Other than Nash, is there anyone…anyone…that would be a top sixer on any NHL playoff club….any blueliner that would be a shutdown top pairing on a playoff team…anyone that would want Mason as a “franchise” goalie?
Hitch was the easy scapegoat last year for McConnell and Priest….now it is time to man-up!
by Nash "The Wonder Dog!" on Jan 12, 2011 1:07 PM EST reply actions
Huselius would be, and was I believe, a top six forward on playoff teams. Hejda would be a shut down guy. About 2/3 of the league would still love to have Mason.
What do you want Howson to do? we’ve seen how splashy trades and free agency signings work, which is to say they don’t. So you want MacLean back?
As far as your last sentence, please explain to me how McConnell, and especially Priest, are responsible for the on-ice product. To think they have anything to do with the team’s issues on the ice is just ignorant.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 12, 2011 1:29 PM EST up reply actions
All are certainly good candidates for scapegoat-hood, but my choice is Mason. He was expected and needed to return to the top-level form that earned the Caulder, instead, he’s been absolutely brutal and sucked all confidence from the team that big stops will be made when necessary. Another good candidate who’s missing from your list is Brassard. He’s playing on the top line and providing nothing that resembles #1 center production. I guess it would be a shorter list if you asked for the name of someone who actually is performing at the level for which they’re being payed!
"If less is more, think how much more MORE is!"
Ok, I can understand people being impatient and upset, but saying things like the team doesn’t care or they’re a bunch of overpaid crybabies or we should trade brassard and voracek for a third pairing D-man need to stop. Those statements are stupid and shortsighted. Sorry to be so blunt about it, but if the shoe fits…
I especially mean this towards the people who talk about how much Nash sucks or what little effort he’s getting. You people make me weep for humanity.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
Hey notatnoise….how come you can’t make it through two paragraphs without calling others names? Perhaps it is because your arugments are so freakin’ weak, denigrating opinions that don’t mesh with yours is your only option? Dang, you should run for Congress!
by Nash "The Wonder Dog!" on Jan 12, 2011 1:36 PM EST up reply actions
Both of you need to take a step back here. Wonder Dog, I don’t think any of that was directed at you, and the only one I see name calling at the moment is you.
Why don’t both of you take a day off, and we’ll see you Friday.
Editor for The Cannon - A Columbus Blue Jackets Blog
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Ignorant…shortsighted…stupid….Yep, it was all me Matt! Since you allow f-bombs and all manner of insults on a daily basis, was it because I called him out for insulting me or because he is related? ;)
Go Jackets!
by Nash "The Wonder Dog!" on Jan 12, 2011 2:38 PM EST up reply actions
He was talking about the way a lot of fans have been acting. Take a look at any blog comments, puck rakers, etx. for examples.
I called both of you out because the two of you seem to be making this personal. It’s one thing to complain at the world, but I don’t like seeing people here attack each other or guests coming over from other blogs.
Editor for The Cannon - A Columbus Blue Jackets Blog
Follow me on Twitter (if you're in the mood to be bored!)
You know what, Wonder and noise need to take a day off. Matt you need to go sit in the corner okay. lol
You get sent to the corner becuase we need you to keep writing. :)
As for the actualy discussion, Nash is a great player. There is one thing that would make him a great player. That is if he tries harder. He has the skill, he has the heart, just needs something to push him. You can hardly blame the guy looking at his surroundings.Always been on losing team, crowd support down, went through many coaches, pressure on him to be best. It all weighs down on him. Just need something to spark so he gives the effort that Crosby and Ovechkin bring every single game.
I’ll tone it down a little, but I stand by what I said. This site needs two things to thrive. Most importantly, the Jackets need to win, a lot. Way below that, is intelligent discussion. Blaming Mike Priest for the team being bad doesn’t qualify.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 12, 2011 4:32 PM EST up reply actions
I want to be perfectly clear Matt that you guys do a better job of running this site than probably %99 of SBN blogs. The fact that it doesn’t pull a lot of traffic is an unfortunate side effect of losing.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 12, 2011 4:41 PM EST up reply actions
As for my goat, I’m going Russell. A lot of us hoped Mason would bounce back, but we really expected Russell to step it up in Arniel’s system, and he’s just been bad all around. His defense is awful and he isn’t producing offensively.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
Heh....
I know everyone’s wanting to see Howson set up a huge trade, well here’s my huge trade idea that I’m sure will get crapped on immediately, but here’s what I’m offering: Nash, Umberger/Voracek, and a 1st Round Draft Pick to Pittsburgh for Malkin, Goligoski and a 2nd/3rd Round Draft Pick. Blow it up for me guys.
Well, I think the first round pick is the next year, not Johansen. Malkin would be first line center. But really, we need a number one center for one thing, Nash. And in this case we get rid of Nash.
Anyway, the trade wouldnt happen becuase the Pens will not want to make that big of a trade. They dont need to.
As much as it would terrify me, I might like this.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 12, 2011 4:33 PM EST up reply actions
Honestly, I’ve been down the trade Nash road myself, and Arace wrote a pretty good column in the dogpatch today about it, and I have to agree with it. Nash has to learn the ‘winning culture’, because he has never been exposed to it. As frustrated as I am about this year, they are taking little itsy bitsy tiny baby steps towards getting better. The blue line is gonna look different next year. And yes, I am putting those $thousands on the line.
As far as Nash learning a winning culture, the jackets are the only team he’s played on that didn’t win. I’m pretty sure his junior team won, he’s played on the national team lots of times. I know it’s not the same, but he’s at least been exposed to it.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 12, 2011 7:31 PM EST up reply actions
Well...
Didn’t he also win a Gold medal? The real reason I say trade Nash is because he truly isn’t a captain. Yes, he’s pulled us out of jams and won us games with incredible goals, but when have you seen him really jump in and defend his players when they’re getting chipped on bad or pull them up with him and get you past these awful streaks we seem to hit every single year. As many analysts have said, he is Robin to a Batman. He’s the guy who you know as the semi-reliable goal scorer, not THE CAPTAIN. He’s no Yzerman. We need that. I’ve followed the Penguins for almost 20 years now, and while he’s no Crosby, Malkin could be that guy for us. And he’s certainly better than Nash. And the only reason why I think this would happen for Pittsburgh is that Malkin is not Crosby. I don’t see him staying for his whole career like Crosby likely will. He’s gonna want to be THE GUY on the team, and that will never happen in Pittsburgh. It could in C-bus.
by AKA Goldfish on Jan 12, 2011 7:42 PM EST up reply actions
but when have you seen him really jump in and defend his players when they’re getting chipped on bad or pull them up with him and get you past these awful streaks
To address the first part, Nash is usually the one getting beat on in the first place. As far as the second part, it’s a team sport. one in which the best players only play a third of the game. One guy can only do so much.
I would reply with more, but I promised to tone it down.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 12, 2011 11:00 PM EST up reply actions
pitt would never do that
maybe if you dropped Goligoski but even that would be a stretch. plus im not sure what there cap situation is but im sure if they used Umberger it wouldn’t fit under the cap ( 11 million and to pit and about 9 million to cbus.
tough to really narrow it down to one guy…..maybe Arneil? I mean, this is the same group as last year, we knew what we were in for with this group right? “Up-tempo style”, "holding players accountable ", blah blah blah, same lack of effort, same coasting by certain wingers and centers. Isn’t that why Hitch was canned? If you can’t blame 80 percent of the roster……….
to be fair, guys have been held accountable. lots of big names have spent the night in the press box.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 12, 2011 4:34 PM EST up reply actions
I should say mostly held accountable.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 12, 2011 4:34 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I’ve been following the team too, putting a guy in the box for a game hasn’t exactly gotten us anywhere though has it? Like I said, if you can’t vote for 80 percent of the roster, I guess it’s got to be the coach, by default if nothing else. Same guys as last year,same results.
Did he just stop that?
Oh I wasn’t commenting on whether it was working or not. Just saying that guys are held accountable for their play.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 12, 2011 7:32 PM EST up reply actions
at this point I blame the entire team
because if the offense doesn’t score then the pressure goes to the defense to keep the others team off the board and when they suck at playing defense then if falls on the goalie to make saves on breakaways and odd man rushes. Really the entire team has been one giant breakdown happening at different time this year or all on the same night.
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Bigger disappointment....my 2 cents
How about the management ? Poor Arniel has a closet full of retreads to drive this machine with. What a welcome to the league. I still can remember the collective disappointment when we went to the draft party and Howson picks a Center who is off the charts, ratings wise. We are always a year away…ever notice that.
And we all wanted Cam Fowler…..how’s he doin by the way ???
I am tired of the excuses and typical predictable heartless effort.
It starts at the top…..somewhere in Canada Doug Mclean is laughing and feeling really good about himself….it starts upstairs Mike and Scott, please earn your checks.
Johansen was off the charts? Is that what you are referring to? If so then you may want to think again bud.
BTW Cam Fowler would not be on the Columbus Blue Jackets if we had drafted him. Not until recently anyway. And its not as if he is tearing up the league.
BTW, if you want to do your research, Johansen was named to the all team in the Junior tournament along with two russians two other Canadians, and an American. Thats pretty big when your name is in that category among all candidates. So if you are referring to Johansen as “off the charts, ratings wise” then you need to go and do your research a little more and then come back and say something. Many teams actually had Johansen ahead of Fowler. Thats probably part of the reason Fowler went so low.
I wanted Fowler at the time as well, now i am perfectly happy that we got Johansen and am thrilled by the player we got after reading the countless praise towards him.
21 points for a 19 year old isn't to shabby
he would be top 5 on the entire columbus team in scoring…
He wouldnt be in the same situation. If you havent noticed, he is surrounded by top talent. We dont have a guy like Vosnovsky to help him out. We also dont have the scoring threats that take the pressure off of him. He would have no supporting cast.
Hes doing good, but hes not lighting it up.He is also a minus seven which is tied for second worst on the team. The best plus minus is Lydman with plus 23
To be clear, I’m okay with the Johanssen draft. I watched as much of the WJC as I could, and I thought he looked pretty good among his peers. He is still pretty raw, and will need some time. My hope is that he plays in Springfield next year, and CBJ the following year, and we may really have something there. In the interim though, Cam Fowler would have become our best defenseman day 1. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good draft choice. Its immediate gratification over long term, and the GM is supposed to take care of the long term.
Just because Fowler is playing in the NHL this season doesn’t mean he’s played well or deserves to be there. Anaheim was trying to rush guys back from injury so he wouldn’t have to stay, but they couldn’t.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 12, 2011 7:34 PM EST up reply actions
as i said earlier
21 points for a 19 year old is pretty darn good (hes on pace for about 40ish) yes he deserves to be in the NHL and yes he is playing well. he is on pace to score more points than doughty. ( if he hasn’t already done so..)
How about the guys not on the Jackets right now??? Commodore has been bad but I can’t let our organization’s 12th best defender be the goat. I’ll give it to Filitov for providing less offense than Jared Boll.
Filitov has been a huge disappointment, but I don’t know if that’s the same as “goat.” That’s mostly a semantics argument though.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 12, 2011 7:35 PM EST up reply actions
I would say mason
but i had been saying since before the season started that he is not a legit number 1 goalie. so the nod goes to filatov. i expected him to be a 20 goal scorer atleast (as well as 50 pts) and now is in the AHL. huge disappointment.
last year... this year
Mason played 58 games last year. If Hitch gives Garon 40 starts we make the playoffs. If Howson upgrades our defense we go deeper than the 1st round. Under Hitch & Noel we had structure which translates into team play. This year we have no structure which translates into a chinese fire drill. That’s why we have so many players underachieving & the team is struggling. My goat is Arniel.
And thats why we are still doing better than last year. Four points better. Garon cant make 40 starts and be on a playoff team, thats why he is a backup. In order to make the playoffs we need Mason. In order to do anything in the playoffs we need upgraded defensemen and Filatov scoring 20+ goals.
Mine is the entire team. Every single one of them needs to step up.
what are you talking about? how do we not have structure? please elaborate, and give concrete examples. otherwise, you’re just guessing.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 13, 2011 4:23 PM EST up reply actions
Barry Trotz, Jacques Martin, Claude Julien, Mike Babcock, Dave Tippett, Craig Ramsey etc etc etc. Why do you think half the team is struggling & I’m talking about seasoned players not roockies. Some players must have structure to be effective.
I dont understand. Did you just answer his question by naming a list of some of the best coaches in the league? Arniel has been here a few months. Trotz has been there since the start. Martin for a year or two. Julien for a while, Babcock for a long ass time, Tippet year and half, Ramsey a year. Not sure why you picked Ramsey. Big Buff is not really a “structure player”. four of the six coaches you picked that i can remember have been up for the Jack Adams award. Nice job, you can pick the best coaches in the league and say they have “structure”. And guess what, maybe Montreal, Bostron, Detroit are just all better than us. Structure or not they have better players. Atlanta Phoenix and Preds can all be said the same to a lower degree.
Boudreau
How bout the Caps. They are a top team in the league and they do not have this “sructure”???
I guess I have to chime in here too. There is a difference between structure and execution. We call them ‘tape to boot passes’ up where I sit. Structure is the fact you need to make the pass. Execution is the difference between ‘tape to tape’ passes and ‘tape to boot’ passes. We do the latter. A lot. And it costs you the precious half second that is all it takes to make an adjustment in the NHL.
If you control your gaps the players are tighter & the passes are shorter & more accurate because you have puck support. That’s how you make better passes. How many odd man chances do we give up in a game, how many passing plays do we pass up in a game, our positionning in all zones is bad. They haven’t even figured out our PP problems yet. I can break it down into more details but I’d have to write a book.
I think ill trust the guys that have a job int he business over a guy that posts on comment sections and blogs.
That was not trying to be mean, im just saying i think they know what they are doing. Coaches can say go out and shoot the puck. But in the end, its up to the player to do it. Arniel is not out there to take the shot. He can say all he wants.
These coaches didn’t get where they are because they don’t know what they’re doing. I’m just saying that I don’t like Arniel’s coaching style & that I prefer coaches that put a lot of structure in their game. I find that the coaches that are very structured are more successful. It’s just my opinion.
YOU STILL HAVEN’T SAID WHAT STRUCTURE IS!
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 14, 2011 2:05 PM EST up reply actions
you still haven’t answered what you mean by structure. We have a coach.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 14, 2011 2:04 PM EST up reply actions
Key word, HAD. Just sayin. Im fine with you opinion, but back it up. If you havent noticed some this structure that you are talking about that you have not really defined is fading. Hitch had structure. Gone. Teams like the Caps, Ducks, PHili dont have as much structure and are doing great. The game is changing.
Hitch’s teams were well structured away from the puck – that’s it. In the salary cap era you win one year & you have to get rid of key assets the next year. We’ll see structure tonight. Watch the accuracy of the passes, the puck posession, the playmaking, the positionning, all because of gap control.
Hitchs game was based on structure. Thats why the young players couldnt play for him. Part of it anyway.
You use the idea that in the new NHL you win and you get rid of key assets. Im guessing you are judging it off of last year. In that case, yes. But look. Pitt and Detroit won without getting rid of assets and Phili lost in finals and didnt. One case yes.
Detroit does play a great game, not saying you are wrong.
I don’t think you have a great grasp of what structure means. it’s not a synonym for talent.
Also, while it’s extremely difficult, sustained success is still possible in the salary cap era. Look at detroit, pittsburgh, sa jose, and maybe one or two other teams. You are right though, it’s best not to count on it.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 14, 2011 4:57 PM EST up reply actions
We can argue this until the cows come home. I don’t like Arniel, he’s not my kind of coach. You like him that’s fine with me. And notthatnoise you’re right structure is not a synonym for talent – it replaces talent.
As far as I can tell we aren’t arguing anything. You have yet to tell me what structure means. If we can get over that hurdle maybe we can have a discussion about it’s presence in Columbus.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 15, 2011 2:06 PM EST up reply actions
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