Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike F
Strikes me as an overreaction to a bad night.
IMO, O'Brien hasn't been as physical as I expected, but otherwise has been very serviceable as a bottom pairing defenseman.
Going into last game he'd been a -7, which isn't bad considering how little offense he brings and the team has overall. He brought less stupidity and bad penalties than I expected, and did (again) a serviceable job of providing 5 or 6 shifts per period where he didn't hurt the team and spelled the top 4.
Not sure who Burke sees as more competent to step in right now.
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Not an overreaction. He is -7 playing the easiest minutes on the team (most offensive starts, easiest quality of competition). He makes everyone he plays with noticeably worse. He isn't a great skater, he isn't physical, and he lacks hockey sense. He is a replaceable as they come, and I don't think Burke will have much difficulty finding someone who can play 11 minutes a night better than O'Brien can.