How does that explain why he had to take the fitness test twice before camp openend? Drew was getting beat in pre-season and was taking a ton of penalties because he was just slighty behind the play. This was all before the concussion.
No one is disputing that the concussion had an effect on his play. People just want him to come to camp in the best possible shape.
2009-10 Drew was in better shape than 2010-11 Drew. Dean and I want a Drew that is in even better shape than 2009-10 Drew. That is the Drew that will win multiple Norris trophies and make his salary a bargain.
I don't want 2010-11 Drew for the next 9+ years.
Don't you want the best possible Drew?
Top talent + top shape = best player possible. I don't care if a slightly out of shape Drew is better than any other Kings' defenseman. I want the best possible Drew, period.
I'm not arguing that being in top shape isn't important. I just don't agree with you guys that DD's was in poor condition like some of you guys make it out to be.
Besides, last year was more about him not being 100% like he had been the previous two years. I don't have any concerns about DD's conditioning or future play.
How does that explain why he had to take the fitness test twice before camp openend? Drew was getting beat in pre-season and was taking a ton of penalties because he was just slighty behind the play. This was all before the concussion.
No one is disputing that the concussion had an effect on his play. People just want him to come to camp in the best possible shape.
I don't put too much emphasis on fitness tests. Besides, I don't recall ton of penalties like you're saying early in the season. If anything, I recall him taking more prima donna calls towards the end of the season.
One thing that Drew Doughty did all season long (and this was from the start of the pre-season) was the number of minor penalties he drew. Doughty finished 36th in the NHL, committing 29 minor infractions. He actually finished 5th on the Kings with 68 penalty minutes and led the team in minor penalties.
He did become more aggressive physically this past season, but I think he also became a bit more reckless. Maybe success came too easily the year prior and he felt he could easily replicate that? Who knows. I think he can repeat what he did in 2009-10, but he still needs to wise up in certain areas of the game.
It's nice to have a little bit of swagger to your came, but he may have been a bit too cocky for a player of his age. Look at how much other NHLers were ripping Subban into shreds for having a lack of respect. Don't want to see Doughty painted in the same picture.
Some fun Drew Doughty facts from this past season:
First 38 Games
3 goals
21 assists
24 points
+13
30 PIM
80 hits
59 blocks
Last 38 games
8 goals
8 assists
16 points
+/- of 0
38 PIM
57 hits
42 blocks
Interesting that he dropped off in a lot of categories considering that the consensus was he played better in the second half.
What should we draw from this? I have no idea. Just thought it would be fun to break his season down in halves. I'll break it down into even smaller segments later.
I don't put too much emphasis on fitness tests. Besides, I don't recall ton of penalties like you're saying early in the season. If anything, I recall him taking more prima donna calls towards the end of the season.
He got penalties due to playing lazy. Heck, the first game I went to last year was Frozen Fury. He got a lazy hooking penalty and the minute he got out of the box he got another one. It was just selfish plays like that which kind of rubbed me the wrong way this past season. I guess a gold medal and Norris nomination can go to a 20 year old's head pretty easily.
I would love to see him signed but if he puts himself before the team, I would be fine with letting him walk away giving us cap space for another big move. We are in the stages where we need some hardcore devoted players to push us to the next level. Not selfish primadonnas that yell at refs and put their team down a man.
Some fun Drew Doughty facts from this past season:
First 38 Games
3 goals
21 assists
24 points
+13
30 PIM
80 hits
59 blocks
Last 38 games
8 goals
8 assists
16 points
+/- of 0
38 PIM
57 hits
42 blocks
Interesting that he dropped off in a lot of categories considering that the consensus was he played better in the second half.
What should we draw from this? I have no idea. Just thought it would be fun to break his season down in halves. I'll break it down into even smaller segments later.
All that does is further demonstrate that people believe what they want to believe whether it is based in fact, conjecture or somewhere in between.
I'm sorry but these people saying the guy had a concussion are making an excuse. It might be a legitimate one but it is an excuse. The guy didn't perform to his 09/10 level and to me, there is at least a fraction of concern when you factor in his numbers and his fitness level (or lack thereof).
All that does is further demonstrate that people believe what they want to believe whether it is based in fact, conjecture or somewhere in between.
I'm sorry but these people saying the guy had a concussion are making an excuse. It might be a legitimate one but it is an excuse. The guy didn't perform to his 09/10 level and to me, there is at least a fraction of concern when you factor in his numbers and his fitness level (or lack thereof).
I broke it down even further. I did the five games leading up to the concussion, then I did 7 game segments the rest of the season.
5 games leading up to the concussion
0 goals
1 assist
1 point
+2
6 PIM
17 hits
7 blocks
7 games after the concussion
1 goal
5 assists
6 points
+4
8 PIM
14 hits
15 blocks
He got penalties due to playing lazy. Heck, the first game I went to last year was Frozen Fury. He got a lazy hooking penalty and the minute he got out of the box he got another one. It was just selfish plays like that which kind of rubbed me the wrong way this past season. I guess a gold medal and Norris nomination can go to a 20 year old's head pretty easily.
Most players won't give their all during preseason so, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on preseason.
Quote:
I would love to see him signed but if he puts himself before the team, I would be fine with letting him walk away giving us cap space for another big move. We are in the stages where we need some hardcore devoted players to push us to the next level. Not selfish primadonnas that yell at refs and put their team down a man.
News bulletin: Most players not named Dustin Brown will put themselves first.
Wow man, sounds like you don't put emphasis on anything. He did that during the season too.
If you follow pro team sports at all, you'd know that a lot of athletes will more or less just go through the motion during preseason games. It really isn't a big deal but feel free to concern yourself over it if you'd like.
“I think it’s fair to say that in the last conversation, we set the parameters, as to where we feel his contract should be. We talked about a number of scenarios, and I guess now it’s their move. They never really responded.” - Dean Lombardi
So Meehan has a long-term contract offer sitting at his table with no response given to Lombardi indicating a response as to whether or not Drew Doughty is receptive of the offer. Essentially, they're negotiating till the 11th hour. This is a classic negotiation strategy employed by Bob Goodenow, who thought that real negotiations didn't take place until a set deadline was imposed.
“I think it’s fair to say that in the last conversation, we set the parameters, as to where we feel his contract should be. We talked about a number of scenarios, and I guess now it’s their move. They never really responded.” - Dean Lombardi
“I think it’s fair to say that in the last conversation, we set the parameters, as to where we feel his contract should be. We talked about a number of scenarios, and I guess now it’s their move. They never really responded.” - Dean Lombardi
Anyone still think that it isn't the agent dragging this out? What kind of agent just sits on a contract offer from a GM for 2 weeks with no response?
I would suggest to Meehan that since Lombardi believes that the parameters are in place that if he is moderately happy with the deal that he not change any of the basic parameters. If Meehan changes a major parameter, I doubt he would hear back from Lombardi right away unless it is to say, "No."
“I think it’s fair to say that in the last conversation, we set the parameters, as to where we feel his contract should be. We talked about a number of scenarios, and I guess now it’s their move. They never really responded.” - Dean Lombardi
If you follow pro team sports at all, you'd know that a lot of athletes will more or less just go through the motion during preseason games. It really isn't a big deal but feel free to concern yourself over it if you'd like.
When a 20 year old is going through the motions, that IS a problem. I was at a few preseason games last year and I made the comment more than once that Jack Johnson looked like the better player. It is all purely subjective but that isn't the effort that was put in the two previous years. It was noticeable enough for myself and others to question what was going on.
