I think Sven had a slow start in the AHL for 2 reasons.
1) He played his off wing, &
2) Ward spent a lot of time with him teaching him the defensive part of the game. Baertschi was behind others such as Granlund and Reinhart in regards to knowing the system down there, so when he was first sent down his focus was on defence, which obviously affected his production as we see with most forwards playing that kind of role.
I get why people have concerns, but I'm not, if anything I'm more excited about him now because I know he's going to be a more complete player. His skills didn't just disappear.
Exactly. Plus a lot of guys his age struggle with those issues. Its not like Baertschi wants to be a bad teammate. He's a pass first guy who has no issue setting up the glory for someone else. I'm sure he'll be a great shut down winger in the playoffs when the team needs him. These are young guys who need to mature.
^^^ Hard to believe he was playing in the dub just two years ago. From the sounds of things around here he's our oldest prospect and his future is decided.
His injuries could be a big thing and why he is struggling with the physicality of the game. There is nothing worse than a guy playing scared. That is a mental issue and those are very hard to get a player to work through. Many times it requires a big hit to prove to the player he can take the shot and not worry about the contact any more. Unfortunately the player needs to engage and put himself in position to take a big hit, and the fear factor prevents the player from doing it. It will be interesting to see how he bounces back from another injury at the World championships.
One thing you instantly notice is how much bigger Sven is playing in those clips.
Could be confidence, could be the injuries over the last two seasons but he just looks bigger and more determined in those videos.
In his NHL (even some AHL) games over the last two seasons he just looks timid and small on the ice.
It was these clips and style of play that got him compared to Hossa coming out of the draft, hopefully he can get back to that.
Yep - Sven was praised in his draft year for his willingness to play and be effective in high-traffic areas.
What he needs to figure out is being able to do that consistently at the pro level. We know he can produce points, and I don't even think his defensive game is that bad at all - he just needs to stop playing scared. I don't know if it is his past injuries, but he needs to work on not turning his back as soon as he comes into contact with another player when battling for the puck.
It took time for Backlund to translate his game from junior to being able to play the same way at the pro level. And now with Calgary he looks like he is doing the same stuff he was doing in Kelowna. It might take Sven the same amount of time, which is why this upcoming season shouldn't be viewed as a "last chance" or a "make or break season" by any means.
Dominant....not sure why I needed to go look that up; I was praising his play in junior.
Ok may have misread it but the clips don't really mean much. I think we need to wait 2-3 years for this guy even. Not only backlund but even kadri took time, bobby ryan took even a while.
I'm only guessing but Sven is probably the start of Brad and Brians trade packages that involve propects. Other then Sven what other prospect would you be willing to part with that has a high upside. My guess is Sven is not part of the Flames by the end of this coming season.
It took time for Backlund to translate his game from junior to being able to play the same way at the pro level. And now with Calgary he looks like he is doing the same stuff he was doing in Kelowna. It might take Sven the same amount of time, which is why this upcoming season shouldn't be viewed as a "last chance" by any means.
Using Backlund as an example of what to expect with players/prospects is not a good idea. Backlund happen to be in the right place at the right time to be given a ton of chances. At the time he was our best prospect and had no competition coming in behind him. Backlund was really the only forward prospect we had with any offensive potential at the NHL level. The Flames were also a team with cap issues so his low salary was a blessing. He was given plenty of opportunities and he really didn't grasp any of them. The best thing in the world that could have happened to him was the lock out, where he went home and played to get some confidence. The player that returned was much better that the one we saw prior to the lock out, but not enough to really impress the higher ups. He was very fortunate he stepped on the gas this past season because I think Burke was not a fan and would have traded him if he was the GM at the start of the season.
Baertschi's situation is completely different. We have plenty of depth in the organization, especially at Sven's position. We also have several players pushing for that same position, which is where Baertschi's hopes get complicated. Sven is a one-way offensive player. He's trying to learn the defensive side of the game, but he's not a guy that looks to cut a position out in any role other than a scoring winger. With the arrival of Gaudreau and the development of Granlund there is now significant competition for that one or two slots up front. That is without considering current incumbents and how long they will stick around, or the potential for other NHL bodies to be brought in to provide competition. The Flames are also not a cap team and have plenty of cash to spend, so they won't be looking to younger players to keep them under the cap.
The situation is vastly different as the team's circumstances have changed. The biggest thing about the Flames now is the number of bodies they will have competing for positions. Those that perform will get the opportunity to entrench themselves on the roster. Some may think that Baertschi will be afforded time to grow until he's 25, but the reality is that the longer he takes the more likely it is that another young guy takes the position Baertschi is trying to compete for and entrenches himself on the roster. If Gaudreau steps up, takes that available LW position, and starts scoring consistently, what are the chances the team is going to be motivated to make room for Baertschi? What happens when Granlund, Ferland and Klimchuk begin their push as well? First to step up and show they are ready is going to take the positions available.
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I was a very impatient person with Sven at first, but since the beginning of this offseason I am realizing that we are in a rebuild and should just let the player progress rather than expecting immediate results. Not every prospect we get will pull a Monahan.
You guys do realize that it's our fault that Sven is struggling with confidence, right? We all expected him to be the Flames' savior once Iginla left. When Iginla left, we all (including me) turned our heads to Sven in hopes that he would be the next franchise player. We've done so well tempering our expectations with Monahan and Gaudreau because of what happened with Sven. That still shouldn't change the fact that he has plenty of upside to still crack the Flames' roster either this year or the next.
Will he make the roster this year? Probably not, but that doesn't mean we give up on him. He's only 21 as of this date and turns 22 in October. Many of the contending teams with strong prospect pools (like Chicago, Anaheim, and Los Angeles) have many NHL ready forwards playing in the minors. There's nothing wrong with it, and I applaud Treliving/Burke going with the same philosophy.
The hardest thing for fans in a rebuild is PATIENCE, and I still struggle with it. But the future is bright for the Calgary Flames.
I'm still rooting for Sven to make it on our team, he's one of those prospects you just have to be patient for.
This may sound crazy, but the Flames braintrust might consider trading Baertschi not because he's garbage, or they're trying to get rid of him, but because you need to offer a valuable piece to get a valuable piece in return. The clock is ticking on drafting a young impact defenceman. If the Flames don't draft one, they'll have to trade for one. And that won't be cheap.
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Originally Posted by fotze
If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
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I don't get where this "Sven doesn't play any defence" thing is coming from. He's drawn comparisons to Marian Hossa before. You don't draw those comparisons if you can't play defence. He just needs to learn to do it better at the pro level.
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Originally Posted by CroFlames
Before you call me a pessimist or a downer, the Flames made me this way. Blame them.
You guys do realize that it's our fault that Sven is struggling with confidence, right?
You do realize that if Sven spends his time reading this forum and takes the comments of fans to heart he lacks the maturity to be a professional hockey player, right?
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Originally Posted by fotze
If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
Last edited by CliffFletcher; 08-12-2014 at 02:54 PM.
You do realize that if Sven spends his team reading this forum and takes the comments of fans to heart he lacks the maturity to be a professional hockey player, right?
I don't get where this "Sven doesn't play any defence" thing is coming from. He's drawn comparisons to Marian Hossa before. You don't draw those comparisons if you can't play defence. He just needs to learn to do it better at the pro level.
The comparisons to Hossa were in relation to his offensive game. He wasn't afraid to battle for the puck and go to the dirty areas, like Hossa. His defense was never great, and no one cared because he was scoring 2 points a game. That was in junior, three years ago. Those comparisons aren't made any more either. As you noted, Sven still needs to work on that part of his game at the pro level, which is why he's in the AHL. The only way you learn that on the job in the NHL is if you are exceptional on the offensive side of the puck.
