The Snapshot wrote:BurghersAndDogsSports wrote:
I only responded to this because its what frustrates me about the pens, being the system or players or whatever but guys are viewed as crap here go onto to fill the exact roles they should have had here with other teams. And they do it well. Yet somehow it's always they didn't fit. Or an excuse that the other teams plays a trap, or this system or that. Maybe just maybe for some of these guys we are the problem.
He is viewed as crap because he played like crap here. If a player plays soft in the desert and nobody cares, does he play soft?
Different system and team = different roles, so I don't see how you can say he would have ever been good here if he were used "in his role". He failed here in his role on this team, which is exactly what he is playing in Phoenix?
How is he being used differently in Phoenix, because I see a lot of their games and he looks the same to me right up to the point where the puck ends up smothered by their goalie.
He is not being used differntly in phx, the team is different, his role here was simply over expectations of being some shutdown bad ass, thats the point. Guys like him, Fedetenko and Talbot get run out of here yet go to other teams, do what they are good at and succeed but their styles don't fit wide open play. if he was that bad than Letang, Orpik and Niskanen should be gone too, and if he failed so miserably in his role why was he the only one not getting abused against Philly.
I'm not a ZM apologist by any means but I'm not sure what people expected from him. He was a known shot blocker and penalty killer which he did well. Just because the Pens thrust him into a puck moving situation and everyone expected him to shutdown every 4 on 2 doesn't make it so.
We are giving up a ton of goals but because Martin is plying better we can all say good riddance to him and claim our defensive personnel moves were the right ones even though we are noticeably worse on d, have been a part of the past 4 highest scoring games in the league, and I get to watch teams skate around net like ice capades.
We paid for a shot blocking penalty kill specialist who is good enough in his own end. That's what we got, if he wasn't Chara that's our problem not his. And if those type of guys get run out if town for making $500,000 over market value for his role well that's again on us.