Irwin has been great in the role he has been given. He is playing out of his mind for a true rookie getting near 20 minutes a night alongside Dan Boyle.
Demers and Braun both made much worse mistakes when they first came up.
Irwin's mistakes haven't been horrible defensive position. They have been due to needing to make a little quicker decision than he is used to. He has played 5 NHL games and looks like he belongs more than plenty of other Sharks Dmen I have seen over the years. That alone is enough to give the kid some serious consideration.
Either way, what a great problem to have. Demers and Burns both coming back, and the Sharks defense has only given up 3 even strength goals. Great start, but a long way to go!
I can only think of the give away against the canucks that actually lead to a scoring chance. but if you have other examples...
No specific examples, my memory isn't that good. I just know he's had a few mental gaffes per game, and he definitely wasn't the one to bail himself out.
Zues has played well so far. Gomez has looked good but I think he needs to keep his head on a swivel because he has been hit real hard a few times now. It seems both CO and VAN targeted him a bit. Clowey was so pissed leaving the ice after ejection - it was hilarious!
nope, not looking good. he has a bleeding problem that just won't stop. doctors don't know how long he can survive.
Is there a joke I'm missing here? Boyle sat out most of the 3rd period last night did he not? I assumed it was precautionary or just to get him some rest.
Is there a joke I'm missing here? Boyle sat out most of the 3rd period last night did he not? I assumed it was precautionary or just to get him some rest.
According to McLellan, he had a bloody nose that wouldn't stop bleeding.
Irwin has been great in the role he has been given. He is playing out of his mind for a true rookie getting near 20 minutes a night alongside Dan Boyle.
Demers and Braun both made much worse mistakes when they first came up.
Irwin's mistakes haven't been horrible defensive position. They have been due to needing to make a little quicker decision than he is used to. He has played 5 NHL games and looks like he belongs more than plenty of other Sharks Dmen I have seen over the years. That alone is enough to give the kid some serious consideration.
Either way, what a great problem to have. Demers and Burns both coming back, and the Sharks defense has only given up 3 even strength goals. Great start, but a long way to go!
Agreed. Irwin has definately exceeded expectation and I am sure he will be a Shark's regular in years to come. I worry about a rookie slump for him given the increased frequency of games (especially with the compressed season). It will be interesting to see how things are handled when Demers comes back. Demers and Braun both made their mistakes as rookies, but both are (or should be) past that point of their development and IMO would prove more reliable. On the flip side the coaching staff may not want to change the chemistry, and Irwin may make one of Demers or Braun available for trade. Regardless, an embarrassment of riches.
Edit: I am particularly intersted to see Demers play given the monster year he was reported to have had in Europe.
Agreed. Irwin has definately exceeded expectation and I am sure he will be a Shark's regular in years to come. I worry about a rookie slump for him given the increased frequency of games (especially with the compressed season). It will be interesting to see how things are handled when Demers comes back. Demers and Braun both made their mistakes as rookies, but both are (or should be) past that point of their development and IMO would prove more reliable. On the flip side the coaching staff may not want to change the chemistry, and Irwin may make one of Demers or Braun available for trade. Regardless, an embarrassment of riches.
Edit: I am particularly intersted to see Demers play given the monster year he was reported to have had in Europe.
Honestly I cannot remember the last time I looked at the Sharks defense and thought one of our better players was expendable.
I too want to see if Demers' offensive outbreak translates back to the NHL. Most of the time it's a matter of confidence, so hopefully that bolstered his.
It's funny because last year the big debate was who can/should we trade Braun or Demers? Now we can trade both!
I think Irwin had a rough game by his standards last night. He got bailed out twice by the post IIRC. But still, he's a kid playing big minutes. You can't help but be impressed.
Boyle - Irwin
Vlassic - Burns
Stewart - Demers/Braun
Murray's contract is up at the end of the year, maybe trade him at the deadline for a bottom 6 forward or a pick?
Holy crap man, it's Vlasic and Stuart.
Regardless, I think Irwin sits when Burns comes back. But between Demers, Irwin, and Braun, I don't think I care which is playing or not, as long as Murray is one of the scratches.
Also, I think the Petrecki situation is interesting. He has to pass through waivers, but when everyone's healthy, he's #9 on the depth chart. I'd prefer not to see him pass through waivers, since we've seen that a team like Long Island (Hickey) will take a chance on a former first rounder. I'm optimistically reading into that that Murray will be traded.
Regardless, I think Irwin sits when Burns comes back. But between Demers, Irwin, and Braun, I don't think I care which is playing or not, as long as Murray is of the scratches.
Also, I think the Petrecki situation is interesting. He has to pass through waivers, but when everyone's healthy, he's #9 on the depth chart. I'd prefer not to see him pass through waivers, since we've seen that a team like Long Island (Hickey) will take a chance on a former first rounder. I'm optimistically reading into that that Murray will be traded.
Hahaha, spelling is not my strong point. I typed and didn't see a red line so I thought it was fine.
Yah but they need to give Petrecki a shot before they go trading Murray. If Petrecki can play at an NHL level than losing Murray isn't too big a deal. Petrecki is a big hitter and tough too, not as tough as Murray of course (who is?) but good enough. It's not like we have a passive Blue line anyway, Boyle is insane for a little man, Burns is huge, and Stuart is pretty tough too.
I think Irwin had a rough game by his standards last night. He got bailed out twice by the post IIRC. But still, he's a kid playing big minutes. You can't help but be impressed.
He definitely had a sub par game, but he is playing almost 20 min a night alongside Dan Boyle. Pretty incredible for his 5th NHL start.
At least it wasn't as bad as Braun's first game vs Detroit. Never gonna forget Datsyuk completely undressing him for that goal.
