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Call of the Wilde: Home Sweet Home
October 8, 2017
By Brian Wilde
Wilde Horses
– The Plekanec line continues to play well. Not any goals to show for it but a lot of zone time. The coaching staff will be quite pleased with Hudon’s defensive game. He worked on it for three years. He knew it was stopping him from having an NHL job. It seems he figured it out. Hudon’s offence shouldn’t be far behind.
– Brandon Davidson had a poor camp and didn’t make the starting roster but in his first start he was strong. He was a massive upgrade on Mark Streit and certainly deserves a second straight start. The arrival of a steady Davidson would go a long way in stabilizing the blue line.
– Victor Mete once again no issues. I saw very little difficulties in his game. Kind of remarkable considering the mess that most others are making.
Wilde Goats
– I don’t have a long scouting report on Jordie Benn but does he always start slowly in a season? This Benn doesn’t look at all like the Benn who came on the scene for Greg Pateryn and looked good right away. He’s painfully slow at the moment.
– Where is the good Jeff Petry? The good Petry is a heck of a good player in my mind but I can’t find him at all this season. Not even a little bit. He was bad in the pre-season and that was entirely who cares but now it’s a major concern. He’s counted on for stability; not countless errors. On the second goal, just an extremely soft hockey player. Didn’t tie up his man. Didn’t respect the danger of the pass. Just soft hockey and that’s the ball game.
– The best line can’t be Plekanec every game because it means too many top quality players aren’t doing enough. It means Drouin isn’t being himself and Pacioretty himself on the top line. It means Galchenyuk’s skill set isn’t having an impact on the game. It means the Habs are most likely losing hockey games.
– No one wants to hear this but Jonathan Drouin is not doing much so far. He’s been good on the power play even though it hasn’t connected. However 5-on-5, there is very little going on for him. He isn’t setting the course of the game. He isn’t able to get off the perimeter to impact the game. This is only three games but nothing at all what I expected so far. I really did expect big things and so far the best member of the line is Gallagher. Drouin has been neutralized and if that continues it will be a long year. Defensively he lost his man on the second goal. He was standing alone in front of the net. The goal was more on soft Petry but Drouin not finding his man was also a problem.
– Alex Galchenyuk fans will blame it all on anyone but Galchenyuk but if the fellah is so damn good then he should be able to create something, right? I don’t buy it when his linemates are better than him. He’s picked it up where he left off last season. I guess we will still keep calling it the knee because I don’t recognize this player from the one who got 30 goals or was pretty damn good before the knee injuries. This Galchenyuk has shown nothing in three games.
Wilde Cards
– Ales Hemsky was pulled from the line up for a better defensive player Torrey Mitchell. Hemsky had done little offensively, and also hurt the Habs taking four minor penalties in the first two games. That’s a liability and he’s not long for this team that can’t score much if he’s hurting that much to keep the puck out of the net.
– Mark Streit was also justifiably out of the lineup with poor play. Streit is 39 years of age and he can’t skate and he can’t check. He’s too slow and he’s not strong enough. He was a terrific NHLer but his time is up now. The club will have someone like Morrow or Jerabek or Davidson eventually step up.
– Andrew Shaw had a goal called back because it was kicked in. It was hard to see on the replays with the exception of one that showed it from the other side that I wonder if the refs even saw. This replay showed without a doubt that Lundqvist redirected it. It can’t change direction like that without his contact. Who knows, man? I sure don’t.
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I don’t know Brian, I do not feel this is a playoff team. I like Drouin but in Tampa he was not expected to carry the load. He had loads of offensive talent around him, and unlike Radulov ,he never was a bonafide playmaker. He can score and he can dish but he needs help and there is none on this team. So any thoughts that he would lead this team out of the offensive desert were misguided. This team still can’t score and now it’s once free flowing D is slow, chaotic and inept.
At year’s end , our GM will have to make a tough decision about this team and it’s core. It is not good enough and to get talent, we need to move talent that is better served elsewhere. To me that means Max, Petry, Weber, Alzner and yes Price. Star goalies are the last addition to a team that is ready to contend for the cup. We do not have that team, and with the current crop and the bodies on the farm, we will not have one for a while. So make trades ala Toronto, go find that elusive 1 and 2 C, those puck moving D and a few capable bodies for the farm.
To me MB has taken this team backwards.