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Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
Yeah he's replacement level. He's also playing on the replacement level line, the 4th line.
He has been sat. Asking for him to sit for 5 straight makes it seem like you have a grudge against him. If he's our best 4th line centre shouldn't the coach dress him because he's our best option there?
I don't see the problem. Not sure why the sight of him being dressed offends some of you. Well I guess I do know, it's a combination of lack of intensity, lack of physicality and lack of points. Despite all that, he's still a capable 4th line centre who is solid defensively. He rarely hurts the team.
Replacement level players don't need to be replaced unless they're playing at sub-replacement level and he's not.
One thing I don't understand is the need to find a whipping boy and then just attack and attack them. Bennett last year was just hated on. This year Janko is getting a lot of disproportionate hate. Expectations should be coupled with role. Jankowski is not one of the biggest disappointments this year and yet if you only read this board and didn't watch the Flames you'd think he was.
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You raise a few good points here. I agree that he does get a disproportionate amount of 'hate' in relation to his responsibilities. Like I said, he isn't losing the Flames any games, but just because he isn't hurting the team does not mean that he is helping them.
Scoring has been a huge issue for the Flames. 2.8 goals per game average places them in the bottom 8 in the NHL. Where as shots against, and goals against per game the Flames are above average. In that sense, the Flames need more players who score then they need 'shut down guys'. On that note, it's not like Jankowski is out there facing the top 1 or 2 lines or even number 1 power play, if the Flames can help it. He is playing defence against 3rd and 4th liners. But to your point I think that Jankowski has been the Flames biggest disappointment this season, other players ( who are albeit more important) are only a little below average in their production. Jankowski is way - off the charts- below average in his offensive production in a year that the Flames need it the most. That only makes this more frustrating is not his draft position but his age. The man is 25, in the middle of his 4th pro year. That is prime time, he should be pushing to be at least a 3rd centre after a 17 goal season.
I think the only reason he hasn't been a healthy scratch more often is because the Flames hardly have a player they can call up to fill his position. Which might be another reason he is at the tail end of so much frustration. This is, from a prospects standpoint, a win now team. I agree, Jankowski shouldn't be a whipping boy, but he is, if only because there is no one to slot in as a replacement.