Reply With QuoteI dunno I hear what u r saying. Im Just frustrated i guess. i know he's not out of position all the time(frustrated exaggeration?). But he also slow moving around.
My question is thou is Dipietro a better option?
I think it's a little ridiculous to say Gustavsson is out of position all the time. Whether you see him live or watch him on TV, it's just a little too silly. I'm all for sarcasm and a good laugh, but even that is a stretch for me.
Now that Jiggy is a Leaf, it will be really interesting to see what happens over the summer.
http://mapleleafs.nhl.tv/team/consol...d=802&id=58886
Please watch Part 7 of the Burke press conference.
Burke states that he asked Francois Allaire where Gustavsson was in terms of Jonas Hiller a few seasons ago. Allaire said that he felt Gustavsson was ahead of Hiller at this point in their career.
That's all the proof you need right there. I'll leave it alone from here because only time will tell...but if Allaire says it, that's much more sound advice than people saying he looks out of position all the time.
I dunno I hear what u r saying. Im Just frustrated i guess. i know he's not out of position all the time(frustrated exaggeration?). But he also slow moving around.
My question is thou is Dipietro a better option?
Well just look at it this way. Brian Burke went through all of that trouble to bring Gustavsson to Toronto. How frustrated do you think he feels right now? Probably not that much, because he also knows it's not time to panic yet. You have to give the kid a chance to absorb what he is learning in all of these games. He needs the summer to soak it up, understand what he is doing on the ice, how he needs to do things better and then execute those adjustments in September and October.
If Gustavsson looks EXACTLY the same in November, then you can panic.
Be honest with me thou Justin. What do u think of RDipietro?
Oops thanks Justin got your message.Originally Posted by sparrowtrini
Interesting part of your article(Which was well written by the way). No offence but.....
You said" Earlier in the season, I noticed Gustavsson had an awestruck and hesitant demeanor. He literally seemed afraid to compete and be more active."
In actuallity he was very confident. Some players, including NLidstrom, were amazed at his poise. He said that Jonas covered the net very well, cutting down angles etc. He was hard to beat.
Its been the last month or so that has really concerned Leaf fans. He's almost done a complete 360.
I really believe they need to send him to the AHL to get his confidence back. They rushed him no question.
As for Vesa being the scapegoat. Interestingly in the Toronto Sun today, FAllaire was quoted as saying; he "didnt like to be coached. He didn't want to build a relationship with me."
Hey thanks for the comments/compliments.
I think you might be taking the terms awestruck and hesitant a little differently than I intended, which of course is no mistake of yours. It is something that happens with any written article, so I will explain a little more in depth.
By awestruck and hesitant, I do not mean anything regarding his confidence. I also saw his confidence early in the season, he has a great attitude of going out there and working hard and not being intimidated by NHL players, NHL speed, etc.
By awestruck, I seriously meant that there were times and plays in a game where he got caught watching the play unfold more than he was focusing on the puck. It seemed as if his brain wasn't able to process the speed at which plays happen in front of him. Just like any instinctual aspect of playing a sport, your body recognizes changes and this sends information through your body up to your brain. By awestruck I meant that he was literally caught up in the speed and impact of the game and unable to focus on the puck as much as needed to move the most effectively. Thus he would get caught out of position because he was either off angle or a half-step behind reacting to plays.
For example when a goalie first recognizes an oncoming rush, they are told to push out and challenge when the player reaches the center red line. Maybe on a lot of plays Gustavsson was not pushing out until one or two strides later. So plays developed more quickly than he's used to and everything from there happens a moment too late. It's all about timing, reading plays and knowing when to react to them. He seemed hesitant a lot and caught up in the atmosphere of an NHL game. The crowd, bigger buildings, all the bright lights, it can all warp and mess with a goalie's game...and you can easily say by watching Gustavsson, he has not yet fully adjusted to NHL hockey. Heart problems did not help this either.
So I just wanted to clarify that being awestruck and hesitant is NOT the same as lacking confidence. I have never questioned his confidence and poise - that's one of the traits I've always liked about him and why I still hold so much faith in his skills.
Up to today, I would agree his confidence is not as strong. He is being hung out to dry, he is losing a lot of close games (I've noticed a ton of 3-2 losses) and he's not as sharp as he was at the beginning of the year. That being said, it will all change slowly but surely starting now. He won't feel threatened by Giguere's presence, he probably likes it because Allaire likes it and they all work together to improve.
Also be sure to recognize when Gustavsson's attitude swing is a part of an entire team. Is he the only one who has had this change in the last month? I would say no, because obviously there were some growing issues with effort in the lockerroom causing Burke to send some guys packing. But I would know very little about that since it's team related =)
I did see the quotes from Allaire this morning and made some comments about them on Twitter. I think those quotes basically ruined Toskala, as now everyone knows he's not a team player and was really tough to work with. No GM will want him now. FA this summer and probably unclaimed come September.
Hopefully that clarifies a few things =) Don't want everyone to think I'm blindly defending this kid, but you have to look at the facts and try not to speculate!
I didn't get to explain this in the article, but there is a growing trend of more young, extremely raw talented European goalies being plucked out of Elitserien and SM-Liiga and being put either in the CHL or directly into the AHL/NHL. For some reason this is a great recipie for success over the last few years. Hiller, Rinne, Janus, Lehner, etc are just a few examples of this. I guess the raw talent combined with the elite skill of the CHL leagues is perfect for goalie coaches - they can work with them during training camps at different levels and send them packing to their junior team with plenty to work on during the season. I expect this to continue happening.
You've seen it with Gustavsson at the NHL level, Salak at the AHL level, Janus, Lehner just this year!!! Karlsson, Akerlund, Markstrom are probably next three.
Watch out for this Kid from SM-liiga too.
Jussi Rynnäs.
My swedish buddy keeps me informed.
Big kid(But very raw - still needs to work on some things) 6'5, 210-15 lbs
Amazing stats:
10Ws(21GP) 1SO
2.35GAA
.935 SV%
And thats playing for Ässät Pori, who if you follow the European/swedish leagues are one of the bottom feeders
He won AGAIN.
This time by a good margin against the Senators AGAIN. I think that's his 3rd win over them.
30 saves on 31 shots.
NOW LEAVE HIM IN THE ****ING NET.
This shit really frustrates me because to me it's BLATANTLY BLINDINGLY SHOCKINGLY OBVIOUS that what I write about coaches managing minutes is important for raw European goalies.
Even Antti Niemi is used to playing 40 games. Go back and look at his 3 seasons with the Lahti Pelicans. 40+ games each year.
KEEP PLAYING GUSTAVSSON.
HE IS AT A BREAKING POINT. He is starting to get it. Subtle hints. Slowly but surely!
If he doesn't start the next game, i don't care when it is or where it is, I will seriously lose my shit.
I sent Coach Wilson a text message yesterday morning asking him if he could run with Gus for this week because I chose to start him over Steve Mason this week in the Dobber Experts League. He replied that he "would see what he could do". So far so good.
"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary, full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen." - Sterling Archer
"Don't spray that urine on my sons window. If you want a dollar for doing nothing, walk to Canada." - Malory Archer
“Anyone who thinks the pen is mightier than the sword has not been stabbed with both.” - Lemony Snicket
http://www.ottawasun.com/sports/hock.../13270061.html
Really good article on Gustavsson.
As I said, he's starting to "get it" as far as being an NHL goalie.
All things considered, I've actually liked his progression over the last 6 weeks. He'll easily be back with the Leafs for next year. If he continues to improve and get more consistent and see pucks around bodies better, it will be a rise in fantasy value for sure.
So, I can only assume that the thought process is that because Giggy plays pretty well against the Devils, and Gustavsson hasn't, but I still don't get why you don't roll with the younger guy who's played a lot better then the older guy.
12 Team Keeper League, 4 C, 4 LW, 4 RW, 6 D, 1G, 6 BN, 3 IR
Keep 20 players
G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, SHP, GWG, SOG
W, L, GA, SV, SO
C: Toews, Skinner, Eller, Hertl, Granlund, Jenner, Lindholm
LW: Boedker, Galchenyuk, Silfverberg, M. Richards
RW: Yakupov, Nichushkin, Gaborik, Setoguchi, Niederreiter
D: Karlsson, Subban, Goligoski, D. Kulikov, Carlson, Brodin, Trouba
G: Price, Varlamov
Another win! This time in the shootout over Montreal. Five in a row.
What will happen THIS time??? Back to Giguere or will they finally just give Gustavsson two in a row.
He was better tonight. Still gave up two weak goals, including the one late in the 1st period and then the first attempt in the shootout. But I still like the progression I've seen in the last 5 games. Better angles, a little bit better at reading plays.
Posting Permissions