"I think it’s safe to say that half the general managers in the National Hockey League would trade their roster for our roster right now" -Kevin Lowe, Edmonton Oilers President of Hockey Ops
He's not been good enough to be in the lineup full time. He was ruined by Sutter. But so was Bouwmeester. Difference is, Bouwmeester turned his game around.
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"I think it’s safe to say that half the general managers in the National Hockey League would trade their roster for our roster right now" -Kevin Lowe, Edmonton Oilers President of Hockey Ops
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Originally Posted by Sakari
He's not been good enough to be in the lineup full time. He was ruined by Sutter. But so was Bouwmeester. Difference is, Bouwmeester turned his game around.
Too many offensive type d men on this team. That and Wideman took over the PP QB spot in the lineup.
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"I think it’s safe to say that half the general managers in the National Hockey League would trade their roster for our roster right now" -Kevin Lowe, Edmonton Oilers President of Hockey Ops
Id have liked to have seen him in a few more games this year.
Dont blame him for being upset.
Seriously? Two different coaches both deemed him too terrible to be in the lineup despite him costing the owners a fair bit of coin to sit. The guy is not an NHL defenseman end of story. It would have liked to see him on the team full time the moment they traded Iginla so the Flames may have had a few less points in the standings and a better shot at drafting 1st overall.
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Seriously? Two different coaches both deemed him too terrible to be in the lineup despite him costing the owners a fair bit of coin to sit. The guy is not an NHL defenseman end of story. It would have liked to see him on the team full time the moment they traded Iginla so the Flames may have had a few less points in the standings and a better shot at drafting 1st overall.
The guy IS an NHL defenseman and has been for some years. Just because he is not good enough to be a top 4 defenseman and too inconsistent to stay in the lineup on a regular basis doesn't mean he's not an NHL defenseman. As disappointing as he has been, he pretty much came as advertised. He's a PP specialist simply because he has a good shot. He's a big defenseman with good offensive skills and a booming shot. That's pretty much it. He can be an offensive producer but he's a defensive liability, streaky, and inconsistent in his efforts so he is going to sit from time to time. He needs to play sheltered minutes and be on the PP, but the Flames don't have the luxury. I still think he can be a 5th defenseman in the NHL and definitely a 6th/7th defenseman who can come into the lineup and play on the 2nd PP and offer an offensive element, but Babchuk won't be happy with that because he thinks he's better than that. Babchuk should be used like Marc-Andre Bergeron. It's a mistake for Feaster to think that Babchuk would suddenly mature into a top 4 defenseman.
If he can't break into one of the worst defenses in the league, I'd say that makes him very much a borderline NHL player. KHL is propably a good choice anyway for him, gives him a much better chance to turn his game around.
If he can't break into one of the worst defenses in the league, I'd say that makes him very much a borderline NHL player.
That's not indicative at all. Don't confuse bad team defense with a bad defensive group. Bouwmeester, Giordano, Wideman, and Brodie were a respectable top 4 group. After that, it's pretty much a coach's decision. A different coach might bench Butler and Smith for Sarich and Babchuk. Furthermore, Babchuk has received slightly over 3 minutes of total PP time this year. Only reason Babchuk is in the NHL is because of his ability to produce on the PP and if you don't put him on the PP it's only natural that his weaknesses outweigh his strengths.
Babchuk to play in KHL in '13 season
