Quote:
Originally Posted by Macindoc
You clearly don't understand the nature of his gaffes. Every D makes gaffes. Players are supposed to support the puck so that if one player loses possession, another can cover for them. With Brodie, the rest of the team, including Gio, are already up the ice. Gio is often high in the offensive zone, and frequently even behind the opposition's goal line. If Brodie makes a mistake, there's never anyone behind him to cover for the mistake, so it often ends up as a bad-looking goal. Brodie is the reason that Gio had a Norris-quality season. His numbers aren't even close with anyone else. Ras has good puck sense and is a good passer, but is slow-footed. Gio with Andersson over a full season will be more like he was with Hamilton. He wasn't able to be nearly as aggressive pushing the play up the ice, because he couldn't count on Hamilton to get back to cover for him.
This is not a criticism of Gio, and he well deserves his Norris nomination. But without Brodie as a partner, he would not be in the position he is, he would merely be in the top 10 nominees, as he was with Hamilton.
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I don't agree with assessment at all. Giordano's game is not a result of his partner. It is a result of his own personal abilities, instincts, and high hockey IQ. He is a great defender regardless of his partner, and it has shown in spades as the team has rotated partners through with Giordano.
Brodie OTOH is just the opposite. Brodie's success is very dependent on his playing partner. Brodie's best game is when he paired with Giordano, and only Giordano. Brodie has exceptional skating ability and some really good instincts in head manning the puck, but his hockey IQ is way below average. This is why his gaffes routinely end up in the net. He is the one guy on the blueline that can't be trusted to be out there late in a game while defending a lead. He is just too much of a high risk player that relies on his instincts instead of his head. He needs to be played with a very good defender who will cover for him and make the smart play more than the high reward play. This is why Brodie is incapable of being the guy on a pair by himself. You can't pair a rookie with him, because Brodie is still subject to making those mistakes you expect rookies to make.
Brodie is the guy that should be moved out. The Flames have a Brodie clone in the wings waiting for his moment in Kylington. Kylington may be the better player of the two, with better offensive skills and instincts up ice, but we won't know this until he gets more playing time and opportunity. I think the Flames made a massive mistake in bringing in Fatenberg to move Kylington to the pressbox down the stretch. Fatenberg never really provided the Flames with any edge in any pat of the game, and he was exposed as the pace of game picked up. Kylington would have been an interesting guy to play against the Avs as he had the skating ability to counter the top line. Alas, experience won out over ability and the Flames were bounced without knowing what they had or giving a player a chance to gain some needed experience. Now they have to go another year of letting players cut their teeth and learning in those instances.