Quote:
Originally Posted by gvitaly
Alright, I'll bite.
[*]Ruzicka isn't a PPG, Sutter only moved him down the lineup after he cooled off on the Lindholm - Toffoli line. He was given opportunities especially with Backlund - Coleman, but I believe he was playing with Huberdeau as well.
[*]It's Ruzicka's play in the defensive zone, and lack of energy that made him sit. .
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This is simply false. Adam Ruzicka played in the top nine from November 8th until December 14th. Check his game log. That was a total of 19 games. He scored 17 points during that stretch which LED THE ENTIRE TEAM. Ruzicka produced 8 points in 8 games prior to being being demoted in the lineup so this notion that he was cooling down is also completely wrong. To cap things off, Darryl Sutter shockingly replaced his minutes and spot in the top nine with Milan Lucic who at that time was playing so poorly that he was benched for three games. The coach replaced the teams most productive forward in the lineup for the worst. Adam Ruzicka has not sniffed a top nine role since.
Additionally he has played just five minutes with Huberdeau at even strength, and his defensive metrics place him near the top end of the roster.
The handling of this player has been nothing short of embarrassing.