Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolven
While I agree with the idea that Elite players should always be able to find a way to not suck, I still think the Bouwmeester problem / solution became painfully obvious with the coaching change. The difference between Bouwmeester under Hartley after watching him playing under Sutter was night and day.
I think a lot of people would argue that Hitchcock is a better coach than either Sutter or Hartley. Since Bouwmeester seems to react so strongly to the coach he is playing under, Hitchcock could potentially propel Bouwmeester back to "Elite" gameplay (if what we saw in Calgary is any kind of evidence).
Bouwmeester may never be the kind of elite player that can break games and carry the team on his back but that doesn't mean that he sucks. It more means that he is the kind of elite player that needs to be in a more secondary role on his team. His new situation with the Blues could be perfect for him.
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He is in a very similar situation in St.L as he was when he joined the Flames --- The Flames were a given to making the playoffs... making it 5 straight seasons.
Phanuef was used in the promo for the Olympic squad and would have been rated as highly in September 2009 as Pietroangelo is today. Regehr was expected to get an invite and a good look to make that Olympic team .....and would have been rated higher than Jackman ever was.
Kipper was in net and the top forwards Iginla, Jokinen, Langkow, Bourque and Glencross were easily comparable to Backes, Oshie, Steen, Stewart and Berglund.
The biggest change to the solid successful Flames teams from 2004 - 2009 was the addition of Bouwmeester and Jokinen and the loss of Cammalleri, Bertuzzi and Aucion. It forced a series of events that the Flames are digging out from.
Will the addition of Bouwmeester to the Blues turn out differently?? Time will tell.