I'm just going to ignore most of that third haha. We played a solid good two periods otherwise and considering the shlacking we just got against Chicago I'll take this.
I don't like John Carlson. I just don't. I get it, some people defend him as so good but that kid just doesn't care on defense sometimes. I get it, it was late in the game it was 3-1 we were already up but he literally left a man with a wide open net late in that game. We didn't support well on the boards before the play, but Carlson was making a weird pseudo defensive block in front of the goalie, nowhere near where the puck was. It looked like it pissed Grubby off too, did you guys see at the end of the game Carlson was the first to Gruby and he went to do a high five and Gruby just cold shouldered by him. Carlson stopped and took his stoner face off for a second and looked startled.
I just don't think Carlson is the type of player we want to hang our hats on for playoffs. He's turned into Mike Green levels for me, only with a bit more offensive mental acumen, and I think he still is better defensively if only because he can stay on his skates more than Green can and can at least take a hit. I hope he is the one we trade at the deadline honestly, him, Connolly and Burt are all on my top list of players we could use as bait to solve the grit issues.
I found the trick to dealing with Carlson, is realizing that he is by mindset, skill set. ability, and system a “fourth foward”, and not a Defenseman.
Now as a fourth foward, he’s pretty damn good, one of the best.
But as a Dman? . . .
. I would bet my left mapplenut that he would be a miserable failure on a Defense First/Heavy/Trapping team, and/or even a shutdown role. He’s just not good enough do it.
Now I know all the “New NHL” cliches and excuses, so ok, call him and his ilk forwards because they sure as shit don’t play D
