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Originally Posted by FAN
That's not indicative at all. Don't confuse bad team defense with a bad defensive group. Bouwmeester, Giordano, Wideman, and Brodie were a respectable top 4 group. After that, it's pretty much a coach's decision. A different coach might bench Butler and Smith for Sarich and Babchuk.
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I'm not. Our defensive group is not very good, and our top 4 posted numbers that were far from respectable. And no, I don't think you can put it all on the goalies and forwards.
While a different coach might have had different preferences, that's always the situation with borderline players. Babchuk did nothing to earn playtime over the stellar trio of Smith, Sarich and Butler.
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Furthermore, Babchuk has received slightly over 3 minutes of total PP time this year. Only reason Babchuk is in the NHL is because of his ability to produce on the PP and if you don't put him on the PP it's only natural that his weaknesses outweigh his strengths.
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That is true, but I can't see our PP being much better than it was last season, so there was little need for him on the PP. In Hartleys opinion the marginal improvement we might have gotten from putting Babchuk on the PP was not worth the risk he brought to our own end, and I see no fault in that logic.
It sucks for Babchuk, and yes, in some other team he might have seen more icetime. However, that is just further indication that he is a borderline player; not bad enough to be right out, not good enough to be right in.