Kuba To be Back against the panthers...?

N4L wrote:Well the two guys he wants to produce are playing together so WTF does he expect? One guy has to be more conservative and responsible thus it will effect their game, also, he expects a rookie to be playing with Campoli to really go out there and produce and be effective on both sides of the rink...?

Is Clouston this stupid? Really? Shannon was still on the point on the PP at practice too...

He must see something or have some type of huge amount of faith that they will start to produce. I don't know.

Ya, well the PP sucks and I have yet to see a 30th place PP make the playoffs. That's on Clouston.

Im trying to resfuse to believe that Clouston is actually this dumb, but it's getting tougher and tougher.

N4L wrote:Im starting to think Clouston is more of a motivator then an actual coach. Pat Quinn like...

maybe, but Quinn did a hell of a lot with very little. He's already got Edmonton playing like a respectable team...

Clouston has also already shown that he is more than just a motivator. He can play the tacticians game too. Right now, though, he's busy trying to improve his players and improve his team. Like it or not, going with the best strategy isn't always the best strategy...thinking long-term often requires sacrificing the short-term.

I agree with that but there is a point where it becomes stuborness and I think it's there right now.

N4L wrote:Karlsson has been stuck in a position where he has almost no chance to succeed and he has handled it very well and improved every game. Lets see how he looks with Kuba.

They said before the season that Karlsson was too confident and they wanted to break him down...Every young kid with that much confidence inevitably gets by on a ton of arrogance. In my dictionary, arrogance is a banal mask for insecurity. Stripping him of that arrogance allows him to build up true confidence. To do this, you put him in a position where he has little chance to succeed.

He's grown as a player. You've seen it. I've seen it. Don't think that Clouston and his coaching style haven't had a significant impact on the young man: He/it has.

Ill give you my opinion on that on Wed when we see if Karlsson stays or goes. Cant really say if you are right or wrong at this point because I really dont know.

If that was there plan to break him down then send him down, that's a pretty crappy plan because they wont build him up in The AHL.

shabbs wrote:
I think he's saying the guys on the backend are not doing what they should be doing, and thus are not a threat.

Fair enough actually. Those three guys have massive bombs though, Kuba coming back will get them into better shooting angles because he can pass so well, I think the players on the back end are indeed feeling the pressure of being the QBs and are trying to do way too much - when in essence, they aren't the QBs at all, it's Alfie and Kovalev on the half walls that provide the movement. The importance of Kuba to this team has never been more evident if it can start slowing things down and getting people open to rip shots where there's be rebounds for the guys up front.

Otherwise, we're relying on the guys down low to create, and in this NHL, that works only so much before you need to lay it back to the point for the rocket.

N4L wrote:Well the two guys he wants to produce are playing together so WTF does he expect? One guy has to be more conservative and responsible thus it will effect their game, also, he expects a rookie to be playing with Campoli to really go out there and produce and be effective on both sides of the rink...?

Is Clouston this stupid? Really? Shannon was still on the point on the PP at practice too...

Forcing them outside of their comfort zone demands that they work on their weaknesses. Otherwise, they will fail. I'd bet he expects them to fail...through failure, people learn and grow. I doubt he expects production from Karlsson. He expects him to struggle. What else could you expect. Listen to Clouston talk and tell me he isn't a realist. You can't...

Shannon is only on the PP point because they lack another body (although I would give Carkner a couple chances here and there, given his surprising shot) and more importantly, to give Karlsson an opportunity to watch, learn, and be critical. Every powerplay Karlsson is watching Shannon and learning what to do better than he already does and learning to trust what he can do better than Shannon already does.

I don't like it much more than you do, but he is there for a reason.

N4L wrote:Ya, well the PP sucks and I have yet to see a 30th place PP make the playoffs. That's on Clouston.

Im trying to resfuse to believe that Clouston is actually this dumb, but it's getting tougher and tougher.

Look, you know I respect your opinion, but you are being too short-sighted here. Lenghten the lense a little... Its been 9 games. 9...

9 games with 4 new players in the top-9, 2 new players in the top-6, and one new #1.
9 games with different line combos and roster alignments.

9 games.

give it until January before we start criticizing Clouston's ability to coach this team. I mean, the team is 5-2-2. Easy schedule or not, this team has done alright.

I dunno if he is or not, that's the thing. We'll see but I really have my reservations about Clouston now because he has made some real bone head moves thus far IMO. It's early, he may be trying to figure out things just as much as the players but still... there comes a point where you know what works, and what doesnt.

N4L wrote:I agree with that but there is a point where it becomes stuborness and I think it's there right now.

9 games... stubborness comes closer to the 40 game mark. The guy is working towards something. Let him work

shabbs wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:"Right now, we don't have a shot threat," said Clouston. "Guys are
squeezing their stick on the back end and it just becomes (a) bigger
and bigger (problem). When they do have an opportunity, they've duffed shots and missed nets.

Uh...yeah we have 3 threats from the point:

1.Erik Karlsson
2.Chris Campoli
3.Alex Picard

Don't know what Clouston means there.

I think he's saying the guys on the backend are not doing what they should be doing, and thus are not a threat.

I think what Clouston is saying is that it is hard to consider Picard and Campoli threats when they have combined for as many shots as Carkner. Picard has 7 and Campoli has 8 shots. Karlsson has 16, so I'm not sure what he means there.

Gohan wrote:

N4L wrote:Ya, well the PP sucks and I have yet to see a 30th place PP make the playoffs. That's on Clouston.

Im trying to resfuse to believe that Clouston is actually this dumb, but it's getting tougher and tougher.

Look, you know I respect your opinion, but you are being too short-sighted here. Lenghten the lense a little... Its been 9 games. 9...

9 games with 4 new players in the top-9, 2 new players in the top-6, and one new #1.
9 games with different line combos and roster alignments.

9 games.

give it until January before we start criticizing Clouston's ability to coach this team. I mean, the team is 5-2-2. Easy schedule or not, this team has done alright.

We'll see what they decide to do with Karlsson this week. For sure if they send him down I am absolutely going off on a rant or two... if he stays up I'll have a lot more faith in what they are doing because they "trying to figure things out" will have some merit.

Gohan wrote:

N4L wrote:I agree with that but there is a point where it becomes stuborness and I think it's there right now.

9 games... stubborness comes closer to the 40 game mark. The guy is working towards something. Let him work

The decision they make with Karlsson will be a good idication of the where this team and Clouston wants to go with it. It is/should be a building year on every level. Having guys in the lineup like Shannon over Donovan IMO, is a step backwads.

N4L wrote:Ill give you my opinion on that on Wed when we see if Karlsson stays or goes. Cant really say if you are right or wrong at this point because I really dont know.

If that was there plan to break him down then send him down, that's a pretty crappy plan because they wont build him up in The AHL.

If Karlsson goes, I'll trust it because thats a Murray move, but I will be skeptical to the max. I don't stand behind the theory. That being said, I haven't been around long enough to know just how kids in general react to that type of thing or how kids like Karlsson respond to it. It might be just what he needs. It might also be a misstep in his development. Either way, I'll trust the org and keep my eye out for how they bring him along.

If it takes all year for him to come back, I'll be a little less certain of their process. Gaining a year on the ELC is one thing, but nothing stops the clock on when he turns UFA. Thats set in stone as soon as he missed last season... ELC is important, but RFA is just as important.

If he gets sent down he wont be back, garenteed. It's to save a year on his ELC right now, that's it. If thats the resoning behind it, I'm against it unless they truly believe he isnt progressing or getting better.

I'll be really skeptical of what's going on if he does. If Clouston wont play him then Murray has to send him down doesnt he? It's Clouston's call not Murray's when you think about it.

N4L wrote:

Gohan wrote:

N4L wrote:I agree with that but there is a point where it becomes stuborness and I think it's there right now.

9 games... stubborness comes closer to the 40 game mark. The guy is working towards something. Let him work

The decision they make with Karlsson will be a good idication of the where this team and Clouston wants to go with it. It is/should be a building year on every level. Having guys in the lineup like Shannon over Donovan IMO, is a step backwads.

Thats a tactical decision gone wrong. Donovan's presence (moreover, the 4th lines presence---the true 4th line) has never been more evident than it was over the weekend (Thurs-Sat).

We agree on Karlsson, but I'll be a little more reserved in my judgment. The effects, at this point, would be unknown. As I said, it might be just what he needs...assuming its a short-term assignment.

For things to really look as good as they possibly can in Ottawa I think you have to pair Karlsson wiht Kuba and get Donovan back on that 4th line. That solves a lot of problems and basically takes Shannon off the point on a crappy PP.