Notes from Nov 6 Practice: Ferland "Close" UPD: Ferland will join team on road trip

[DionTheDman]

Originally Posted by playmaker

Yes please !

Every time I see this photo, I imagine Johnny is about to z-snap and say something sassy like, "Oh NO girlfriend, you did NOT just say that!"

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by polak

Ferland wasn't playing at an NHL level before he got hurt.

He regularly finished his offensive zone starts in the D zone. Looked good at times, many neutral zone turnovers though too

[saillias]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Had a great series against the Canucks but outside of that he's a fringe NHL player. He seems to be the exception of earning a spot.

He hits hard and fights on a team full of gentlemen who peel off hits and turn the other cheek in scrums. And shows flashes of speed and puck skill that make you think there's more there. Even pedestrian-mode Ferland is better than Bollig anyway.

[Vinny01]

If Bennett is going to play with the likes of Grant and Jooris why have him on the wing? Keep playing him at centre or move him up to the wing on the Backlund-Frolik line.

Good to hear about Ferland the Flames can send Grant back to the farm. He has been okay but I would rather see Granlund, Arnold, Porier up here

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by saillias

He hits hard and fights on a team full of gentlemen who peel off hits and turn the other cheek in scrums. And shows flashes of speed and puck skill that make you think there's more there. Even pedestrian-mode Ferland is better than Bollig anyway.

I counted maybe 2 or 3 good hits in his games prior to injury and zero fights. If flashes of speed and skill mattered Raymond would be a mainstay on the roster. I would argue he turns over the puck more than Bollig and makes more mistakes on the ice. Not saying he's never going to be a good player but right now I don't think he helps the team all that much unless he's going all out like he did against the Canucks. A player like him can't bring it on occasion only as the rest of his game isn't good enough right now.

[Strange Brew]

Yeah have been underwhelmed with Ferland this year before the injury. Still a young guy but needs to find a way to play where he can maintain an elite level of intensity for sustained periods. The guy has obvious skills that are valuable but being a pro is all about consistency.

I hope he can find his groove.

[saillias]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I counted maybe 2 or 3 good hits in his games prior to injury and zero fights. If flashes of speed and skill mattered Raymond would be a mainstay on the roster. I would argue he turns over the puck more than Bollig and makes more mistakes on the ice. Not saying he's never going to be a good player but right now I don't think he helps the team all that much unless he's going all out like he did against the Canucks. A player like him can't bring it on occasion only as the rest of his game isn't good enough right now.

Agreed with the bolded - I think that's partly the fault of both the org and the media because since the playoffs all we've heard is "Ferland can't play like that all regular season" and I think he took that seriously and thought he could play at 75% intensity in the regular season.

[Redlan]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

If Bennett is going to play with the likes of Grant and Jooris why have him on the wing? Keep playing him at centre or move him up to the wing on the Backlund-Frolik line.

Good to hear about Ferland the Flames can send Grant back to the farm. He has been okay but I would rather see Granlund, Arnold, Porier up here

This is more to do with Grant taking faceoffs than anything else.

[Toonage]

Originally Posted by Redlan

This is more to do with Grant taking faceoffs than anything else.

And if he faulters, which is likely given he was taking draws against the Flyers, he will have 2 other natural centers to switch off with.

[Goodlad]

Originally Posted by Toonage

And if he faulters, which is likely given he was taking draws against the Flyers, he will have 2 other natural centers to switch off with.

Giroux is over 60% in the dot this season, and Grant won every faceoff against him.

[Toonage]

Originally Posted by Goodlad

Giroux is over 60% in the dot this season, and Grant won every faceoff against him.

I was unaware of Giroux's record. Thats great for Grant!

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Even Bollig on his best day is a downgrade on Ferland on his worst day.

Ferland over Bollig any day of the week.

It's rediculous statements like this that get us all in conflict on this board (and maybe that's a good thing)

In no way shape or form, can someone who has a reasonable knowledge of hockey, actually believe that Ferland's worst game is better than Bollig's best game. It is simply not even remotely close to the truth.

I'm sure almost all of us can agree that we feel Ferland playing well is for sure an upgrade on many fronts from Bollig, but the overvaluing of popular players when comparing them to "un-popular" players and the hyperbole used to explain the differences between those players is really hard to take sometimes.

[genetic_phreek]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Hartley trying to find a spot for Sam after conveniently forgetting that Johnny-Sam-Jooris was amazing:

I agree, that line was amazing. I wish they would keep it like that. Jooris has great chemistry with Gaudreau and also has that relentlessness to his game. I can only dream that line would stay together.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

It's rediculous statements like this that get us all in conflict on this board (and maybe that's a good thing)

In no way shape or form, can someone who has a reasonable knowledge of hockey, actually believe that Ferland's worst game is better than Bollig's best game. It is simply not even remotely close to the truth.

I'm sure almost all of us can agree that we feel Ferland playing well is for sure an upgrade on many fronts from Bollig, but the overvaluing of popular players when comparing them to "un-popular" players and the hyperbole used to explain the differences between those players is really hard to take sometimes.

Nothing hyperbolic about it.

Skating: Ferland is easily better than Bollig and it's not even close.
Puck handling/passing: Ferland better by quite a bit again.
Shot: Maybe just a slight edge to Ferland because I've seen Bollig get some decent shots off too.
Defensive acumen: Bollig maybe has a tiny, tiny edge on Ferland simply due to experience and playing under Quenneville.
Offensive acumen: Ferland, and again, it's not even close.
Checking ability: Ferland, even when he's not great he's a better hitter than Bollig.
Fighting (not that it matters): Bollig has a slight edge, but only due to experience. Ferland can really let 'em fly too.
NHL experience: Bollig. This is really the only thing he has going for him: he's been in the league longer.

Ferland was playing well below the level he's capable so far this year, and from what I've seen over his time here, the way Bollig is playing currently is the most he has to offer. I'd still rather have struggling Ferland over good Bollig any night.

That's my honest evaluation. If you don't like my opinion that's fine, but I don't see anything hyperbolic about what I said. Ferland has a much, much higher skill set than Bollig and he's much more versatile too. Ferland just lacks experience at the NHL level, so he makes mistakes now and then that Bollig doesn't. I can live with that.

I'm not really a Bollig hater either, it's just that he doesn't provide the team nearly as much as Ferland does currently, or possibly could in the future. Bollig is a serviceable 4th line pugilist veteran. That doesn't make him overly valuable.

[Locke]

How long was Ferland out? This seems really fast.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

It's rediculous statements like this that get us all in conflict on this board (and maybe that's a good thing)

In no way shape or form, can someone who has a reasonable knowledge of hockey, actually believe that Ferland's worst game is better than Bollig's best game. It is simply not even remotely close to the truth.

I'm sure almost all of us can agree that we feel Ferland playing well is for sure an upgrade on many fronts from Bollig, but the overvaluing of popular players when comparing them to "un-popular" players and the hyperbole used to explain the differences between those players is really hard to take sometimes.

You are correct.... in the Washington 6-2 spanking Ferland was so bad that Hartley gave Bollig 11:36 of ice time and kept Ferland down to only 10:45.


So out of Ferland's 6 games and bollig's 12 games there is 1 example where Hartley thought that Bollig's best game was better than Ferland's worst.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Ferland hasn't been great but he was no worse than half the forwards before he got hurt. Not sure why he gets singled out when many others were playing like crap too.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix

Ferland hasn't been great but he was no worse than half the forwards before he got hurt. Not sure why he gets singled out when many others were playing like crap too.

I don't think Ferland gets singled out at all. There has been a lot of suckage. He just happens to be coming back from injury so we're talking about him.

Has he been better than half the forwards? I'm not sure. He hasn't been very good.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

I don't think Ferland gets singled out at all. There has been a lot of suckage. He just happens to be coming back from injury so we're talking about him.

Has he been better than half the forwards? I'm not sure. He hasn't been very good.

At the time he was getting singled out only Gaudreau and Frolik were doing anything positive out there yet people kept ragging on Ferland. He's a bottom 6 player, he's young and very inexperienced and he's the lowest paid player on team. What do people expect?

[GioforPM]

Hopefully the time watching has given Ferland some motivation and also some insight from watching from above (presumably he's done some of that).

If he comes back in Bollig is really the only guy who fits to come out. Jooris just had a great game and is a PK guy. Colborne has been as good as any forward not named Johnny or Sam (or maybe Frolik). Jones is contributing IMO. Stajan, Backlund and Grant are Cs. Raymond is already sitting.