Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
I'm not a Butler supporter. I simply don't think he's all that bad considering his pay and spot on the depth chart. It's not like he's a -8 player that is costing the Flames when he's on the ice and he's also playing a role on the PK which hasn't been that bad as of late. The problem is that fans are all over him when he makes a mistake like last night but when Brodie makes the same mistake it's not a big deal. The difference right now between SOB and Butler is that Hartley plays Butler on the PK so if you sit Butler do you have SOB or Smith on the PK in his place? I don't think that's a good idea.
If Derek Smith was a better option than SOB or Butler do you really think Hartley wouldn't have him in the lineup? Smith was awful last year and obviously hasn't done enough this season in Hartley's eyes so far.
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See the thing is, he is costing the Flames when he is on the ice. We can't get it out of our zone. Which means we aren't getting it into their zone. Which means we cannot score.
Even if he didn't turn it over at the blue line and get scored on last night, he had a horrible game. Watch next time he is in the lineup and see where almost EVERY one of his passes or clearing the puck out of the zone ends up. On the opponents stick. Just because someone bails him out and they don't score against us doesn't mean he isn't hurting the team. The guy continually shows in every game that he lacks hockey IQ. His decision making on the fly is nonexistent.
You state, "The problem is that fans are all over him when he makes a mistake like last night but when Brodie makes the same mistake it's not a big deal." The difference between Brodie and Butler is that Brodie makes things happen. He has shifts that tilt the ice in the Flames favor. He takes risks for the reward. Butler NEVER does that.
Also you do know that Butler is 27 at the end of this month and has played 273 games. Brodie is 23, turning 24 next summer. How you can try to justify a comparison between the two making mistakes is ridiculous.
Chris Butler is the weakest link on the team right now. If you don't believe that to be true you aren't watching the games. Hartley has stated more than once that Smith is practicing hard, working his tail off and isn't happy about being out of the lineup, so I would be more than shocked if he doesn't bump Butler out for the next game. Hopefully he plays well and keeps Butler out of the lineup for a long time.