Todd Cordell: On Kris Versteeg, T.J. Brodie, and power play shooting

Remember last year when Gully got mad at Brodie and told him to take more shots and the next game he had 4 assists?

Versteeg being a shot generator was definitely not their first plan. Dave Cameron went through about three unsuccessful powerplay strategies before we started to see results. Most of us wanted to see Cameron fired I remember.

As for Brodie: him and Versteeg moved the puck back and forth at will. He had a huge part in getting Verdteeg the room he needed to generate shots.

Good day.

Hoping that Brodie and Harmonic click. I think Brodie will have a great year and I can't wait to see him jumping into the rush more.

I hope we see more Brodie jumping up too. I miss Gio doing that more. I like Dougie Hamilton when he jumps up but Gio just has a drive to push every ounce of effort into a play that is so fun to watch. In the current system I think Dougie is more the Offensive d-man and Gio is more the stay at home guy.

Anyway I am excited to see how the Defense meld together this year.

Good day.

Hoping that Brodie and Harmonic click. I think Brodie will have a great year and I can't wait to see him jumping into the rush more.
- DuranDuran

Agreed.

Good day.

Hoping that Brodie and Harmonic Richard. I think Brodie will have a great year and I can't wait to see him jumping into the rush more.
- DuranDuran

really big if true

really big if true
- DDM-Coga

Damn you Fatmarsh.

Brodie does need to shoot more but I think some of his numbers are skewed by quite a bit. I remember months ago Todd had a similar blog about how Brodie had one of the lowest successful shot % (indicating that maybe a lot of his shots were getting blocked or something).

One of Brodie's favourite plays (especially on the PP) is the slap pass. Usually he'll fake the shot and slap it towards a forward hanging out beside the net. I think a lot of these slap passes must get marked down as shot attempts instead of passes. It would explain why some of his advanced stats are so poor.

The conclusion of the blog is correct though. Brodie needs to shoot that fuking thing a little more--and maybe he should work on getting a little more snap on that shot. He definitely has one of the weaker shots among our dmen.

I hope we see more Brodie jumping up too. I miss Gio doing that more. I like Dougie Hamilton when he jumps up but Gio just has a drive to push every ounce of effort into a play that is so fun to watch. In the current system I think Dougie is more the Offensive d-man and Gio is more the stay at home guy.

Anyway I am excited to see how the Defense meld together this year.
- buddy_doug

Gio is definitely the more responsible of him and Hamilton, but he is still very much involved in the play. The guy is all over the ice on any given shift, he just busts his ass to get back and is really smart at choosing when to jump in.

They usually do a segment that tracks Gio's shifts every time we play against Ryan Suter about why Suter can play 30 minutes a game and Gio can't

Gio is definitely the more responsible of him and Hamilton, but he is still very much involved in the play. The guy is all over the ice on any given shift, he just busts his ass to get back and is really smart at choosing when to jump in.

They usually do a segment that tracks Gio's shifts every time we play against Ryan Suter about why Suter can play 30 minutes a game and Gio can't
- Saskabush

Any chance that we see Brodie and Hamilton together this year?

Any chance that we see Brodie and Hamilton together this year?
- DuranDuran

Maybe if him and Hamonic aren't clicking. I don't think Gully will be in the mood to tinker with that pair after what they accomplished last year. Easier to just have one of our top d-pairings trying to build chemistry than both of them.

Any chance that we see Brodie and Hamilton together this year?
- DuranDuran

Probably Brodie and Stone before that happens.

Talkative bunch around here these days.

Talkative bunch around here these days.
- DuranDuran

What's taking them so long getting something done with Jagr ?

What's taking them so long getting something done with Jagr ?
- tincup

Need to sign Bennett first, then Jagr

Talkative bunch around here these days.
- DuranDuran

Is it October yet?

Need to sign Bennett first, then Jagr
- dr_soiledpants

I wonder what is taking so long with Bennett? Get a 4 year deal done @3.5-4 million and call it a day.

Why not sign Bennett and then Hudler, somebody we know can help out a younger guy.

Why not sign Bennett and then Hudler, somebody we know can help out a younger guy.
- Chucky

I want someone who can take the body. With JG, SM, MF, MB, and KV in the top 9 we need mooooooore truculence.

Chanelling my inner BB.

I wonder what is taking so long with Bennett? Get a 4 year deal done @3.5-4 million and call it a day.
- DuranDuran

Ya, it's been awful quiet. No leaks at all. Maybe they shut down negotiations for part of the summer.

Ya, it's been awful quiet. No leaks at all. Maybe they shut down negotiations for part of the summer.
- dr_soiledpants

maybe they have a few different offers on the table. 1-2 years show me, 4 year bridge, long term reasonable cap hit. He hasn't earned the big bucks but he's shown enough for a long term contract.

maybe they have a few different offers on the table. 1-2 years show me, 4 year bridge, long term reasonable cap hit. He hasn't earned the big bucks but he's shown enough for a long term contract.
- tincup

If we could sign him up for a 5 year 4 mill I would be all over that. Kid needs to get this signed and focus on training camp.

What will Tkachuk get if he has another similar year? Flames need to re-up Backland next year and Tkachuk the year after.

I think Bennett is worth the long term risk.

If we could sign him up for a 5 year 4 mill I would be all over that. Kid needs to get this signed and focus on training camp.

What will Tkachuk get if he has another similar year? Flames need to re-up Backland next year and Tkachuk the year after.

I think Bennett is worth the long term risk.
- DuranDuran

trade backs/goalie prospect to Min next year for charlie coyle.

They get someone to replace koivo on the 2nd line. We get a RW with size/hands/RHS. And lets Money/janitor/bennet take the top 3 centre lines (coyle can slide into centre if needed).

trade backs/goalie prospect to Min next year for charlie coyle.

They get someone to replace koivo on the 2nd line. We get a RW with size/hands/RHS. And lets Money/janitor/bennet take the top 3 centre lines (coyle can slide into centre if needed).
- numbear

Trade Backland just when he's entering his prime?!