CANES DROP CLOSE GAME TO LEAFS, TIME FOR A GUT CHECK
Carolina
After finding themselves down a goal at the end of regulation, head coach Joel Quenneville had an internal meeting with his players.
“We needed to figure out what the problem was in here,” said the coach. “The guys were not really responding with what I was saying and it seemed everyone was just off. I wanted to get to the bottom of things.”
The team apparently has found a lot of stress in the way management has handled their slump of a season. Several players have been dealt, some of which never had a chance to prove their worth, others were dealt who had.
“It has been a tough year,” said assistant captain Mike Fisher. “Sure, a lot of guys are stressed. There are only about 4 guys here who were told outright that we were not going to be dealt. Everyone else is always walking on eggshells. Right now though, it seems that the powers that be want us to see what this roster can give. It was an assurance we hadn’t received all season long so hopefully they stand by it and let us develop as a team.”
There will be changes, however, albeit internal. The first and foremost was the moving of Mike Fisher from left wing to center, in hopes to better utilize his board work and his ability to get back on defense.
The second is that Jaroslav Svoboda and Brendan Shanahan will swap sides. Brendan Shanahan, the veteran leader and perennial sniper will move up to the top line with newcomer Henrik Zetterberg and Tim Connolly. This opens the door for Dany Heatley and Rick Nash to play together on the second unit. The liklihood is that Mike Fisher will center that line. Kris Draper will once again resume his normal shut dwon role with Jeff Friesen and Dainius Zubrus on the third line while Svoboda and Shawn Horcoff will play sparingly until they prove they deserve more time. Ryan Getzlaf is the 12th forward at the moment, but may find himself on a taxi squad with Nigel Dawes and Jeff Carter.
The defense will also undergo a bit of a change as the club plans on maximizing on the talents they have available to them. Look for Chris Pronger to resume time with Brad Stuart as the club’s top pairing. Phillipe Boucher will likely head to the second pairing with the speedy Jordan Leopold while rookie Dion Phaneuf and veteran Jaroslav Spacek will continue their work on the third unit..
Patrick Lalime is slated to start the next game as well.
“We wanted to tell the guys we are going to see how they do as a group,” said Quenneville. “There are no more excuses and we are tired of bringing in new faces in hopes things will change. This team should be winning and that is the bottom line. I don’t want to hear about why and I don’t want to here about hem being stressed. This is a professional league and its time they start playing to the level they are paid to play.”
After finding themselves down a goal at the end of regulation, head coach Joel Quenneville had an internal meeting with his players.
“We needed to figure out what the problem was in here,” said the coach. “The guys were not really responding with what I was saying and it seemed everyone was just off. I wanted to get to the bottom of things.”
The team apparently has found a lot of stress in the way management has handled their slump of a season. Several players have been dealt, some of which never had a chance to prove their worth, others were dealt who had.
“It has been a tough year,” said assistant captain Mike Fisher. “Sure, a lot of guys are stressed. There are only about 4 guys here who were told outright that we were not going to be dealt. Everyone else is always walking on eggshells. Right now though, it seems that the powers that be want us to see what this roster can give. It was an assurance we hadn’t received all season long so hopefully they stand by it and let us develop as a team.”
There will be changes, however, albeit internal. The first and foremost was the moving of Mike Fisher from left wing to center, in hopes to better utilize his board work and his ability to get back on defense.
The second is that Jaroslav Svoboda and Brendan Shanahan will swap sides. Brendan Shanahan, the veteran leader and perennial sniper will move up to the top line with newcomer Henrik Zetterberg and Tim Connolly. This opens the door for Dany Heatley and Rick Nash to play together on the second unit. The liklihood is that Mike Fisher will center that line. Kris Draper will once again resume his normal shut dwon role with Jeff Friesen and Dainius Zubrus on the third line while Svoboda and Shawn Horcoff will play sparingly until they prove they deserve more time. Ryan Getzlaf is the 12th forward at the moment, but may find himself on a taxi squad with Nigel Dawes and Jeff Carter.
The defense will also undergo a bit of a change as the club plans on maximizing on the talents they have available to them. Look for Chris Pronger to resume time with Brad Stuart as the club’s top pairing. Phillipe Boucher will likely head to the second pairing with the speedy Jordan Leopold while rookie Dion Phaneuf and veteran Jaroslav Spacek will continue their work on the third unit..
Patrick Lalime is slated to start the next game as well.
“We wanted to tell the guys we are going to see how they do as a group,” said Quenneville. “There are no more excuses and we are tired of bringing in new faces in hopes things will change. This team should be winning and that is the bottom line. I don’t want to hear about why and I don’t want to here about hem being stressed. This is a professional league and its time they start playing to the level they are paid to play.”
posted by Lohaus at 11:30 AM
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