I couldn't disagree more; I thought he was bad far more often than not. Granted, our defense as a unit was bad but Lovejoy did nothing to help. As for Niskanen, he came over in a trade and had to learn a new system; Lovejoy has been in the same system for years. Big difference because of the situation.
Could you quantify or elaborate as to what makes him so bad? Statistically, teams scored the least number of 5 on 5 goals when he was on the ice and by a significant margin (Despres was actually the lowest, but only played 18 games). So if teams score the least number of ES goals with him on the ice, despite being in & out of the lineup and with a revolving cast of D partners, how is he the worst? Not enough offense?
Lovejoy had that turnover against the Flyers, that's all people remember, just like with Gonchar.
I remember last year, Strait was called up for a regular season game against the Flyers. He got absolutely walked by Voracek, beat on the outside, it was a goal. But all we hear is how perfect and reliable he is on the D side. Sure, Lovejoy makes mistakes too, but he at least provides some offense.
People have discarded Rev all off season long, not even considering him in any lineup at all. But the point is, right now, he is a better hockey player than Brian Strait. And please, we're arguing about who's our number 8.
Lovejoy or any 7th D have a tough job. You rarely play and it's hard to stay sharp physically mentally and find chemistry with a D partner when you're constantly in and out of the lineup like that.
Could you quantify or elaborate as to what makes him so bad? Statistically, teams scored the least number of 5 on 5 goals when he was on the ice and by a significant margin (Despres was actually the lowest, but only played 18 games). So if teams score the least number of ES goals with him on the ice, despite being in & out of the lineup and with a revolving cast of D partners, how is he the worst? Not enough offense?
First, I didn't say he was the worst, just that he had more bad games than not. Second, there is a reason that stats aren't everything: Martin had fairly good stats last year yet everyone knows he had a bad year. My assessment comes from watching every game and seeing that Lovejoy was good for one or two big mistakes each one and didn't do anything particularly well. I don't expect offensive numbers from him, but I expect him to win battles along the boards and not cough up the puck on his breakout pass.
I'm not under any delusion Lovejoy is anythign more than a 6th/7th defenseman, but those guys are always replaceable and frankly, replacing him really would nto hurt.
If teams were interested in Strait he could have at least dealt him for a pick or something. Anyways I guess well see what happens at 12
Just passing along what Shero had to say about it. He would certainly know if teams like the kid. Strait likely just wasn't proven enough for a team to want to part with an asset to acquire him. A guy that's unproven and doesn't have a high ceiling is probably a hard sell in trade. Doesn't mean a few teams that like him won't be happy to take him now that he's free on waivers though. We'll see at 12 like you said.
I kind of hope he gets claimed. He's an NHL caliber player but he isn't going to be in our plans anyway. Hope he finally gets a shot elsewhere.
Just passing along what Shero had to say about it. He would certainly know if teams like the kid. Strait likely just wasn't proven enough for a team to want to part with an asset to acquire him. A guy that's unproven and doesn't have a high ceiling is probably a hard sell in trade. Doesn't mean a few teams that like him won't be happy to take him now that he's free on waivers though. We'll see at 12 like you said.
I kind of hope he gets claimed. He's an NHL caliber player but he isn't going to be in our plans anyway. Hope he finally gets a shot elsewhere.
Strait deserves a shot like you said. If he gets claimed, it means he will get a true shot in the NHL. I want him to help the Pens, but when you watch a guy pay his dues for this long, you just want to see him do well.
He is a talented guy and I truly believe he has a long NHL career ahead of him. I was prepared for this to happen since last season, so I have made my peace with it. I think everyone knew this team wasn't keeping up three rookie blueliners.
I just prefer to look at the positives... I felt Bort had the higher upside, so he looks like he will make the big roster along with Despres. I also seem to be one of the few Lovejoy supporters. I think he can round out his game like Nisky if he gets steady NHL minutes.
If Lovejoy doesn't work out and Strait is claimed, it just leaves a spot open for Dumoulin to grab.
Could you quantify or elaborate as to what makes him so bad? Statistically, teams scored the least number of 5 on 5 goals when he was on the ice and by a significant margin (Despres was actually the lowest, but only played 18 games). So if teams score the least number of ES goals with him on the ice, despite being in & out of the lineup and with a revolving cast of D partners, how is he the worst? Not enough offense?
While I certainly agree with your point and opinion on Lovejoy, his team leading O zone starts (30 game min) have a lot to do with his results. I like the reverend much more than Bortz, Strait, or Depres.
The lowest competition of all of our D men (30game min). It's great that he did well in this sheltered situation, but you have to take these results with a grain of salt. They will come down when he is fed to the lions.
I'm sure Despres is going to have a short leash. If he doesn't perform he can be sent back at anytime. And since we have 8 D we don't even need to bring up another D-man. I'm sure the message was passed on the the guys being sent back, keep working hard because you could be back up next week.
While I certainly agree with your point and opinion on Lovejoy, his team leading O zone starts (30 game min) have a lot to do with his results. I like the reverend much more than Bortz, Strait, or Depres.
The lowest competition of all of our D men (30game min). It's great that he did well in this sheltered situation, but you have to take these results with a grain of salt. They will come down when he is fed to the lions.
The difference in OZS is not THAT significant compared to the rest of the team. QoC is certainly much lower, but again, his ESGAA/60 is also significantly lower. Enough to make the three stats a wash? Perhaps. I don't think he is a hidden gem, but the Pens have not been hurt by his presence on the ice at all. If he ever gets #5 or #4 minutes, I'm mostly comfortable with how I feel he will perform.
Trade them for: Kunitz, Tangradi and NEAL like players.
like someone said earlier, we need to get them to the nhl level with a few productive seasons under their belt before we can get value back. with the jam up at D its gonna be tough to get these guys experience. also if you do find a team willing to deal a productive kunitz neal type player then you will be taking on millions in cap hits while letting a 500k prospect go in return. under the new CBA it doesnt make sense to do that.
This now gives the Isles *nine* defensemen (Visnovsky would make 10) up with the big club, as Strait is the third blueliner they've claimed off the wire this week. So there's a reasonable chance he ends up coming back to the Pens at some point.
So glad we wasted a semi-high draft pick, developed him, and gave him to Islanders for nothing......
Dude was drafted in 2006. If you can't crack an NHL roster 7 years after being drafted be thankful there's another team out there that has a spot for you.
Good for him...surprised he was claimed to be honest.
Yeah it stinks we used a pick and developed him only to lose him for nothing, but at the same time, was Strait really in the future plans and much of a loss? It's not like he's irreplaceable and the only time the guy has whiffed NHL ice is when there are a multitude of injuries.
