Quote:
Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce
Given the source, surprisingly fair assessment, imo.
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Completely disagree. It is a ham-handed article. Downside is emphasized in all instances rather than upside.
Ferland played only 47% of his shifts last season with Gaudreau and Monahan, and still put up 15 goals. His 5on5 SH% was 8.07% compared to his total of 14.2%, which is strange, considering he only scored 2 PP goals. which indicates the stats may be somewhat skewed in some regard. It may also reflect the fact that the guy only took 106 shots last season, and is not a guy who shoots a lot, or shoots only when he sees a good opportunity. Playing with Gaudreau I think that it is a high probablility that he's going to get good scoring opportunities. For comparison sake, Monahan's SH% 5on5 was 8.18% and his total was 13.6%, so sort of similar. Again, the Gaudreau effect? Suggesting that Ferland is headed to 12 goals this season is ignoring the growth of the player, the success he had with this line last season, and the coach's commitment to keeping the line together. 15 goals would be a disappointment from Ferland based on last season and his growth.
His comments about Lazar and Brouwer are equally puzzling, bordering on the ridiculous. He dumps all over Lazar, and rightly so, but then suggests that Brouwer is a destined for the 4th line. If Lazar is that bad, then what the hell is Brouwer doing on the 4th line? Doesn't make any sense, especially when he suggests that Brouwer could score 16 or more if played up the lineup. I mean, that doesn't even make any sense? Brouwer should be slotted in on the 3rd line unless someone steps up and steals the job away from him, which Yost seems to think is unlikely.
Yost is out to lunch. He's basically suggesting no one on the Flames is going to be better than last season, no one is going to improve, and everyone is taking a step backward. This seems to be a consistent theme within the media, and one too many Flames fans are buying into.