Quote:
Originally Posted by CsInMyBlood
Anyone that thinks Sven had a fair shake here either didn't watch the games he played or is fooling themselves. 4th line. Bollig, Jooris, Setoguchi, Byron top linemates. Avg ice of 9 minutes. Stapled to the bench in the third period, regardless of how he had played in the game. Never put into a situation to succeed.
This is the thing that bothers me. The Flames never let him sink or swim, they just refused to find out what he actually was or wasn't.
When the Canucks actually give him a chance to play I guess we will all see what kind of hockey player Sven Baertschi is.
I have the feeling this one is going to look bad for the Flames for a long time.
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That's because Baertschi doesn't do anything to warrant more ice-time. Playing with guys like Byron, Jooris and Bollig was the best chance for him to hopefully learn how to play on both ends of the rink. It was about developing him and unfortunately, instead of buying into it, he sulked. To play more than 12 minutes per game, you need to be able to do more.
If a player is going to get top 6 ice-time, they need to be able to play on both ends of the ice. Even Gaudreau, while lacking the physical tool set to be a defensive player, makes up for it with his hockey IQ. Baertschi lacks the heart, physical presence and hockey sense (in 2 of 3 zones) to play a well rounded game. Players like that just don't deserve a tonne of ice-time. He has all the flaws of Taylor Hall with about half the skill.
It's not too late to turn it around, but the clock is ticking for him.