BEAR for the volcano?

[Surreylily]

We haven't had a volcano candidtate for a while, but I think Bear might be one.
Your thoughts?

[alta]

he kinda looks like Bura,

[Surreylily]

I like the kid.  I do.  He's funny and I loved that team photo with Big Willy with the hair and all that.
He has the speed and he has the skill......   who does that remind you of?  Sadly too much.
 
Sasha was an incredible player.  One of the most talented we've ever seen, but there was somthing just not quite right with him.  In his head.  There were a couple of neurons not quite connecting there.  I know he went to a couple of other teams after us and I think he went back to  "the motherland" in the end.  Can someone please clarify?
I keep getting the same feeling about Bear.      Again, quick on his feet, not in his head.  Is he just a talented sociopath?
He doesn't seem to understand the concept of "teamwork" - something our Caps team has struggled mightily  with over the years and a place and mentality I absolutely do not want to go back to.  Does Bear also have a mental issue, like I believe Semin did?  Not the same issue, you understand, Sasha could hardly be called a sociopath.
But something that is stopping this young talented guy from being the best that he can be.
He's not a little guy.  He could hit, throw his body about a bit more. 

He could shoot a bit more.
He could make more plays.  He has an eye of a passer - when he wants to. 

When he's not being selfish and thinks the whole team revolves around him and that he's the best thing since icecapades.
Stupid little fart needs to have Ovi's highlight reels and Backy's fed to him 24 7, so he can learn what great players actually do.  How they are.  How to step up.  How to act.  Mostly, how to be  teammate.


In conclusion.
Bear for the volcano.He's had enough chances.

[Surreylily]

he kinda looks like Bura,
ope yur

That was sooooo spot on.  I hadn't even typed my explanation yet....!
(Hope your foot's better?)   ...   (Didn't know about your encounter unlill last game.  I don't go on to the ....other..... part of the site, lest I get my knickers in a twist again.  Which means I would have to - never mind.........

[Maacoshark]

    I think everyone here will agree.

[Surreylily]

    I think everyone here will agree.
[/quookay with you and yours?te]
All
[/quoteals

Edit - Stupid technicals:


All okay with you and yours?

[Surreylily]

    I think everyone here will agree.
[/quookay with you and yours?te]
All
[/quoteals

Edit - Stupid technicals:


All okay with you and yours?

 

 

[Surreylily]

My technical skills just aren't impoving.   

[Maacoshark]

    My wife got home yesterday. She feels great. Best she has felt in months. Didnt realize how bad things were until yesterday. The Dr told us if we had waited any longer it could have been fatal.

[PUCKNRUSH]

We haven't had a volcano candidtate for a while, but I think Bear might be one.
Your thoughts?

Good thread, Lil!
Probably a bit overdue, as well!
I should have read further tonight. I just posted about Bura on Rich’s boredom thread before seeing yours. Anyway I’ll try to copy here. Wish me the techy luck.




If Burakovsky were a stalk of corn, we would have all STARVED, waiting for him to “blossom”!![/size]The most stale, predictable, and repetitive story of any recent caps player, Period!The media commentary about him, over the last 3 seasons, you could memorize, verbatim, like a prayer at the dinner table!Its BURA himself, who states every time, after his resets/injuries/negative production spells, etc., that “he feels great”, or “ his legs feel good”, or “he’s learned, now, not to put too much pressure on himself”, blah, blah, blah! MAKES ME FRICKIN’ PUKE, to hear any professional sportswriter attempt to insinuate that he’s worth waiting for, because of his “physical gifts” and talents. HELL, on the contrary, it’s BECAUSE of his natural physical gifts and skills, which should have him in a high level playing position, that he receives condemnation.  HELLO?? A crazy skill set, with a repeatedly proven mental inability to bring it to fruition, on the ice! And has been afforded multiple opportunities to showcase himself, beyond any reasonable period of time.“When the grief exceeds the profit...get rid of the grief”!!!Rush

[Mickstix]

Don't know if you actually throw him in yet.. But certainly tie a rope to him and lower him down for a serious look!! 

[richkrt99]

If we throw him in....Do we have to retain his salary against the cap?   

[richkrt99]

Puck referred to the "media" pumping up Bearkowski and I heard some female reporter who covers the Caps call into the sports junkies (who I hardly ever listen to, but just happen to catch the tale end of the segment) a couple days ago.


Anyway, this woman, who shall remain nameless (because I don't know her name, not because I am disrespectful to women) was praising Bura's play in the game the night before and saying he had a great showing and was on the verge of "breaking out".  Now I will admit, I watched the game very late (started about 90 minute delayed to a very late game) so I was a bit groggy, but I could not remember one positive moment in the game for Bura.  Maybe I am now just bitter about him and don't acknowledge his hustle and effort and only see the lack of results, but I think not.  For a guy his size, he is not strong on the puck.  He doesn't win board battles (or even partake in them)
He has great speed and some wicked skills, but like PUCK said.....those skills are WHY we expect more, not reason to allow less.


Toss him in.


And maybe this volcano thread will finally turn him around like it did the last volcano bait.....MOJO
Of course we waited and waited and waited on MOJO and then when he finally turned it around, we had to cut him due to salary.


Maybe this thread is the reverse psychology we have needed.  By creating the volcano and giving up on Bear and throwing him in....maybe that will work
(and maybe I'll hit a unicorn with my truck on my way home from cashing in my winning lottery ticket too)


Go CAPS

[ArJunaZ]

I think we (we here on the board) need Bura. If he was gone we would have no one left on the team to bitch and moan about.
 

[richkrt99]

I think we (we here on the board) need Bura. If he was gone we would have no one left on the team to bitch and moan about.
 

There's always Dylan    and Maaco says.....

[Mickstix]

I think we (we here on the board) need Bura. If he was gone we would have no one left on the team to bitch and moan about.
 

LoL.. If Oshie doesn't start doing something other than shootout and en goals, he's gonna end up on my short list!! 

[PUCKNRUSH]

I mean, it is certainly possible to simultaneously want Bura tossed, yet in the interim, while he’s still skating in games, have HOPE for him to turn it around!
I say HOPE, because I’m a Caps FAN. The phrase I didn’t use was EXPECT him to turn it around.
 Anyone who has known someone close, who has suffered from drug addiction, knows all too well of the numerous reassurances given by the addict, that “THIS TIME” they feel better, promising results and blah, blah, blah.
Of course we feel sad for the person, but after a few times of wanting to believe the best, it doesn’t happen,  there is a relapse, then another, and another!
 We hope they stop their downward spiral, but do we actually EXPECT them to, when they pull the old “THIS TIME” again!  Of course not! There’s got to be some proof in the pudding!!
 This is where Bura is with me.  Don’t want to hear words from him, at this point, anymore!! SHOW ME!!


Rush

[4 Caps]

I thought Bura had a good game last night against the Oilers.  He was hustling and making things happen.  Unfortunately he was about the only one who was putting forth the effort. 

[BlackIce]

I thought Bura had a good game last night against the Oilers.  He was hustling and making things happen.  Unfortunately he was about the only one who was putting forth the effort.

In the games I have gone to this season so far I have not been disappointed in Bura.  He has been hustling.  His back checking looks better.  He has been TRYING to create things.  But as has pretty consistently been the case throughout his career so far, what he does, doesn't seem to produce anything, and I really can't figure out why that is.


In playing style, Burakovsky is part Backstrom, part Kuznetsov.  He reminds me of Backstrom in the way he competes for the puck along the boards.  He doesn't try to dig it out or muscle it away from anyone -- he depends more on guile and anticipation to intercept the puck when an opponent tries to move it out, just as Backstrom does.  And he is a high mid-ice cycler when he has the puck, just as Kuznetsov is (as opposed to an along-the-boards cycler). 


If I had to guess reasons why Bura isn't producing, (1)  He is on a line with Eller, who is not a great passing center, and now Connolly, who is a sniper in his own right and depends on others to get him the puck in advantageous positions and circumstances.  I suspect Bura does a lot of solo stuff because he realizes he isn't going to get a lot of help from either of those guys getting him the puck where he can do damage; and (2)  For all the Backstrom-like and Kuzy-like skills he has, he hasn't been a center (though he was briefly tried as one early in his career), and in some ways he isn't a winger either, because he tends to use more ice and draw more attention  than a wing does.  He's a kind of 'tweeter, and add that to the fact that he ISN'T as good as Backstrom or Kuzy in the skill set he shares with them and you get ...... relatively little.


He strikes me as the kind of guy who will never really blossom here, but could eventually find his way to a place where he does fit and is put in a position that makes best use of his skills and blossoms at least somewhat as a result.  Or maybe there's another even simpler explanation:  He's still only 23, isn't he?  Some guys just don't figure it out until their mid-20's.  Maybe he's one of those.

[4 Caps]

According to reports from the Caps practice today Burakovsky was on a line with Backstrom and Oshie and Vrana was on the first line with Kuzy and Ovi.  Interesting, I am looking forward to seeing how those lines look tomorrow against Calgary.  Stephenson is on a line with Eller and Connelly and Smith-Pelly is back on the 4th line with Dowd and Jaskin.  Also Bowey is in for Djoos. 


Playing with Backstrom and Oshie, Burakovsky should get plenty of opportunities to score.  I am hoping he makes the most of it.  Also Vrana’s speed should open things up for Kuzy and Ovi and that could be a dynamite line.  Hopefully it won’t be too much of a defensive liability.