What Happened to Vlasic

[Millhouse]

Dobber was high on this guy and he has yet to get a point. Dobber you still have faith or is he a total bust. I can see a slow start, but this is just down right nasty. Can he rebound?

[JHM]

I was high on Vlasic too. I drafted him in one pool. Actually, in another pool I picked him up on a waiver last week. It was so obvious. Blake was gone, someone was going to find some PP minutes. SJ would have to promote someone, right?

Well, to date, Demers has been getting roughly the anticipated PP TOI that one would have expected. In the back of my mind, I wondered that he might usurp Vlasic. However, there would be room for the duo to push for 60 or 65 points. Right?

Well, wrong. Vlasic is getting almost no PP TOI. 27 minutes in 19 games. That's only 1-1/2 minutes per night (the trend is on an upswing). I would have wondered him to be threatening 50 minutes by now. So, he's had no luck. Just by playing 21 minutes a night, he should have 4 points by osmosis now. He's not been used in a way inwhich players get points. As long as things remain status quo in SJ, he'll not be of any value.

However, an injury or poor play by someone else (forward or D-man) and he could find his opportunity expand and return to his 'over night sensation' status of two years ago. In the mean time, best that he's just stashed away.

[STONE.]

JHM's bang-on here. Here's a nice article I read recently saying the same thing: PP time is the key for him. Downside is that he's too strong in other situations.

http://www.fearthefin.com/2010/10/11...-opportunities

[DuklaNation]

Prime example of why a d-man needs PP time to get pts.

[dongjohnson]

Prime example of why a d-man needs PP time to get pts.

I totally agree. I've been low on Vlasic since the second week of this year though. He simply hasn't looked as good as in prior years and that's why he's not on the PP. I've got a feeling they'll be willing to upgrade their blue line if necessary but it might not get to that, we'll see.

[Millhouse]

Well I finally said HOLD the PICKLE. Traded him for Purcell