Monday, April 2, 2007
Julien Fried to Send a Message to Gomez/Elias
I admit that I never saw this one coming.
Since "Bad Copy" Lou is only explaining this move via the typical inchoate platitudes -- "The decision was made because of where we were and the frame of mind and the way were doing things going into the playoffs. I did not feel it was the right direction we should be in at this time" -- the prognosticators, like ESPN's resident dunce Scott Burnside, are left with their own pathetic Kremlinology and bizarre metaphor mixing.
Here is my take as someone that has followed the team closely for ten years:
Lou says that the Devils are built like a college team with players vaguely grouped into Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen. The reigning Seniors - Brodeur, Brylin and Dowd - have played very well this year. The Freshmen: Zajac, Parise (Freshman does not equal rookie), Greene, Oduya, Janssens, and other call ups have been stellar. The Sophomores -- Martin, Luckowich, Rupp, Rasmussen -- have generally been strong.
It is the Juniors, the players who should be starting to play more of a leadership role, that have been a mixed bag. Madden, Pandolfo and Rafalski have all had one of their best seasons. The physical element of White's game has ebbed, but he no longer takes foolish penalties and seems capable of revving it up again. It is Gomez and Elias, and to a degree Gionta and Langenbruuner, who have been inconsistent. These players have dealt with injuries. Still... Gomez has lost last year's goal scorers touch. Elias and Gionta no longer create sustained pressure. They perfrom strong rushes but cannot seem to get the puck back after their initial chance is stopped. Langenbrunner has anchored the quietly strong second line, but still goes a dozen games between goals.
There was a time (2003) when the Devils could win with Gomez and Elias only being good and Gionta being a bit player (Langenbrunner collected a streaky 11 goals that year). These players have seemed sanguine about how they will finish the season and seem to believe that they will turn it on in the playoffs. Parise has been the Devils' best and most consistent offensive player this season. Operating on the assumption that a Freshman will continue his breakout season through the playoffs is a dangerous gamble. The Julien firing is a direct challenge to the EGGers to assume the leadership of the team.
Overall, it's a good move. If these players cannot respond to this challenge, as Petr Sykora did not in the '02 playoffs, then it may be time to reconsider their position in the franchise. It is foolish to have these resources at your disposal without seeing how they respond to the difficult task of raising both their games and the perfromance of the under classmen.
Since "Bad Copy" Lou is only explaining this move via the typical inchoate platitudes -- "The decision was made because of where we were and the frame of mind and the way were doing things going into the playoffs. I did not feel it was the right direction we should be in at this time" -- the prognosticators, like ESPN's resident dunce Scott Burnside, are left with their own pathetic Kremlinology and bizarre metaphor mixing.
Here is my take as someone that has followed the team closely for ten years:
Lou says that the Devils are built like a college team with players vaguely grouped into Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen. The reigning Seniors - Brodeur, Brylin and Dowd - have played very well this year. The Freshmen: Zajac, Parise (Freshman does not equal rookie), Greene, Oduya, Janssens, and other call ups have been stellar. The Sophomores -- Martin, Luckowich, Rupp, Rasmussen -- have generally been strong.
It is the Juniors, the players who should be starting to play more of a leadership role, that have been a mixed bag. Madden, Pandolfo and Rafalski have all had one of their best seasons. The physical element of White's game has ebbed, but he no longer takes foolish penalties and seems capable of revving it up again. It is Gomez and Elias, and to a degree Gionta and Langenbruuner, who have been inconsistent. These players have dealt with injuries. Still... Gomez has lost last year's goal scorers touch. Elias and Gionta no longer create sustained pressure. They perfrom strong rushes but cannot seem to get the puck back after their initial chance is stopped. Langenbrunner has anchored the quietly strong second line, but still goes a dozen games between goals.
There was a time (2003) when the Devils could win with Gomez and Elias only being good and Gionta being a bit player (Langenbrunner collected a streaky 11 goals that year). These players have seemed sanguine about how they will finish the season and seem to believe that they will turn it on in the playoffs. Parise has been the Devils' best and most consistent offensive player this season. Operating on the assumption that a Freshman will continue his breakout season through the playoffs is a dangerous gamble. The Julien firing is a direct challenge to the EGGers to assume the leadership of the team.
Overall, it's a good move. If these players cannot respond to this challenge, as Petr Sykora did not in the '02 playoffs, then it may be time to reconsider their position in the franchise. It is foolish to have these resources at your disposal without seeing how they respond to the difficult task of raising both their games and the perfromance of the under classmen.
Labels: Burnside, Devils, Elias, Gomez, Julien, Lou
// posted by Grinder McCarver @ 5:44 PM 
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