An interesting quip in Don Brennan's recent post about Patrick Wiercioch and why the Ottawa defenseman (inexplicably, most times) was a healthy scratch (
OS):
There is a very definite danger that comes with trading Wiercioch, of course.
"He's arguably the best passer on (the Ottawa) defence and he can run a power play," said one NHL executive. "He's ready for a breakout year."
The Senators know this. They also know that to get a good player, they have to give up a valuable asset. At the same time, they are reluctant to tinker with a backend that has starpower, and a little bit of everything else. After Erik Karlsson's overall talent, there's Jared Cowen's size and strength, Chris Phillips' experience and leadership, Marc Methot's steadiness and locker room presence, Erik Gryba's stature and own-zone diligence, Mark Borowiecki's toughness and heart, Ceci's dependability and mobility.
When MacLean did give a reason for keeping Wiercioch out of the lineup, it usually had to do with the player's intensity level. That should be fixable with growth and confidence.
Emphasis mine.
You know, the whole scratching Wiercioch thing was honestly fatiguing last season, and writing about it ad infinitum isn't going to erase what's already happened. I've talked about this in the past, but I think the organization kind of woke up as the season progressed, playing Wiercioch more (and other guys less, which I note is equally important).
We've never really heard why Wiercioch was getting the short end of the stick, and truthfully, I don't even know if Brennan's accurate here. To the extent that he is, you have to wonder about usage and deployment. I mean, maybe Chris Phillips and Jared Cowen were a lot more intense during practice. Even if you concede that point, and even if that's (initially) a good reason to play one guy over another, was that intensity translating to anything other than getting dumped on when they were on the ice?
I'm optimistic this stuff is going to sort itself out one way or another, but that one line was kind of irksome.
As an aside, I'd love to meet the executive who thinks Wiercioch is a better passer than Karlsson.
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Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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