Gio has to get back to his form of any of the last 3 seasons. Either that or Hartley should bump him down to the 2nd pairing and Brody plays with Hamilton for a few games in the 1st pairing. Hartley has to try. If what you are doing is failing and you don't change your stategy you will not succeed.
He is playing about as well as lockout season Gio (3 seasons ago). It was completely unrealistic to expect him to be a top 10 dman in the league (despite the contract that Treliving signed him to). He has traditionally been one of those guys who can play on most top pairings in the league, probably 25th to 40th best dman in the league. That is the level that ideally he would get back to and then he would just be overpaid instead of grossly overpaid.
He had two great seasons and was paid serious cash to be that dman for the next 7 years (including this season). That always seemed highly unlikely to occur and seems even more unlikely now. The best asset management move right now would be to move him, but that is not going to happen. People are really going to be upset in 4 years when his contract is a real anchor.
The last time I can remember a guy getting paid like this after two good seasons in his 30's was Horcoff. I doubt it will be that bad but it will never ever be a good contract.
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Can I get a 30 day suspension so that I don't say something as stupid as most in this thread?
Honestly though, Gio is making a couple bad plays a game but there are alot of problems with the Flames system right now.
Opponents are targeting him at the point knowing he the puck is gonna be cycled up high, they swarm him and he makes a bad play.
Defensively, last night he made a few damn good plays. Against Chicago, I believe it was Kane skating to a puck at the end boards, you could see Gio fake to behind the net, Kane looks to behind the net with the puck coming and in that instant Gio steps towards the corner stealing the puck. Just a beauty play.
Last night he had a few plays like that.
There is still too much standing around watching the puck in our own end by the entire team. Not just Gio.
Hamilton needed to step into Rakell on his goal. Plain and simple.
But what really coat us the game were Hartley and Wideman.
Wideman with his rocket passes to no one out of our zone rather than the easy play off the boards.
His constant no look passes onto the opponents stick and zero patience and hockey sense.
The other is Hartley and his systems. Time to get guys playing near the net when teams start taking away the point shot. You need to bench Wideman when he costs you a go ahead goal and is a turnover machine and you need to get on Hamilton about being mean, taking the body and separating guys from the puck.
I love Hartley, but he and Wideman are the main issues imo.
Gio is being rail-roaded by many of you. Perhaps it's the contract, perhaps his underwhelming offensive play. The last thing his problem is is his compete level and own zone coverage.
No one can claim to know what's going through his mind. But I think he's earned the benefit of the doubt.
Last edited by IgiTang; 11-25-2015 at 12:33 PM.
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Threads like this make we wish that members that are under a year, or have not posted a minimum amount of x times can not start threads. Want to start a thread under the probation period? PM a mod or member to do it.
While Gio is certinly not playing anywhere near where he should, threads like this bring down the entire community. Is he above being criticized? Of course not. But constructive comments besides "he sucks" are appreciated.
Between threads like this and some of the GT comments you read, it would appear some members really need to take a step back from the keyboard.
Last edited by Jbo; 11-25-2015 at 01:49 PM.
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One full season worth of top level hockey has somehow cemented Gio into some God who is beyond questioning? He should totally be held accountable for his captaincy and play right now. Blah blah blah "he's so great off the ice guys" so what? On the Ice, you know, playing the game he's payed to play, he is one of our worst players and seems to be getting worse and it's not like whatever he's doing "off the ice" is making any difference. This team is in shambles mentally and can't seem to play even half the game. What exactly is he doing "off the ice" that deserves such praise in terms of affecting positive results?
Your captain shouldn't be costing you games.
To me it's not that he shouldn't be questioned, or that we shouldn't discuss his poor start to the year. It's the title of the thread that mocks his captaincy and the OP that berates him thoughtlessly.
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I don't have a problem with people criticizing his play, or worrying about his contract. The stuff that I think is just nonsense is when people take a single quote from him - and start to say he's a bad leader.
That's just idiotic stuff.
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I don't have a problem with people criticizing his play, or worrying about his contract. The stuff that I think is just nonsense is when people take a single quote from him - and start to say he's a bad leader.
That's just idiotic stuff.
Yeah I don't think you can debate his leadership as it's likely the primary reason he got that 6 year contract.
I don't have a problem with people criticizing his play, or worrying about his contract. The stuff that I think is just nonsense is when people take a single quote from him - and start to say he's a bad leader.
That's just idiotic stuff.
God help us if he is ever caught on camera smiling while we are trailing in a game.
Threads like this make we wish that members that are under a year, or have not posted a minimum amount of x times can not start threads. Want to start a thread under the probation period? PM a mod or member to do it.
While Gio is certinly not playing anywhere near where he should, threads like this bring down the entire community. Is he above being criticized? Of course not. But constructive comments besides "he sucks" are appreciated.
Between threads like this and some of the GT comments you read, it would appear some members really need to take a step back from the keyboard.
If you don't like what's being said or shown on the thread you're on, you can close the browser or turn off your computer. You don't have to be upset by everything.
So what do all the Gio critics here want to do? Send him back to the KHL for two years?
Yeesh.
His drop in play is a mystery though; I'll grant everyone that. I can't think of another defenseman that went from Norris candidate to the doghouse so quickly. Personally, given the reputation that Gio has as a great captain it wouldn't surprise me at all if he's internalized much more than his fair share of the blame for the Flames' struggles this season and the pressure to carry the whole team on his back up the standings is screwing with his entire game.
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It's not discussion worthy how our captain and supposed best player has seemingly transformed into a depth defenseman? And he was just rewarded with a retirement contract that hasn't even kicked in yet and he's already playing to a level of a $3m dollar player.
Emotion is clouding both sides of this debate but it is impossible to not talk about it given that it is one of the biggest stories for this team right now.
No emotion here. The man had major surgery on his bicep. A pretty unique and rare injury. To assume that he'd be back to 100% less than one year later probably isn't realistic.
The real question is, when he finally is 100%, will it be too late in his career to get back to the level he was playing at prior to the injury? Or perhaps more appropriate, is Hartley utilizing him correctly given his current recovery status?
If that's what you want to discuss, then I'm open to it. Otherwise, this thread and the constant stream of "What's wrong with Gio?" posts in game threads are merely serving to make us look silly and uninformed.
Major surgery on a vital muscle needed to play hockey and requires a ton of rehab. That's what's "wrong".
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No emotion here. The man had major surgery on his bicep. A pretty unique and rare injury. To assume that he'd be back to 100% less than one year later probably isn't realistic.
The real question is, when he finally is 100%, will it be too late in his career to get back to the level he was playing at prior to the injury? Or perhaps more appropriate, is Hartley utilizing him correctly given his current recovery status?
If that's what you want to discuss, then I'm open to it. Otherwise, this thread and the constant stream of "What's wrong with Gio?" posts in game threads are merely serving to make us look silly and uninformed.
Major surgery on a vital muscle needed to play hockey and requires a ton of rehab. That's what's "wrong".
I don't know man. Giordano is on record saying he has been shooting and working out at 100%. He also said its been well over 7 months and its healed.
This was in September.
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Giordano's issues this season are between the ears. If you think it's his prior injury or age, then you are wrong.
Watch 5 minutes of a game if you don't believe me. He's playing just like Hudler in the sense that he does whatever it takes to not take contact. He's scared and making mental mistakes constantly as a result.
That or our system dictates that defensemen should just fire the puck up the ice and give it to the other team while being under no pressure from forecheckers.
I don't know man. Giordano is on record saying he has been shooting and working out at 100%. He also said its been well over 7 months and its healed.
This was in September.
He wants to play and doesn't want to be targeted by the opposition, he's not going to come out and say he's less than 100%. I know guys, big, strong people, that have had similar surgeries, and it takes a long time to fully recover. That scar never goes away, there's always pain in the area, no matter how slight, it's a constant reminder of the injury and how it felt. In that sense, I agree that a major part of the recovery is mental.
I have noticed lately that Gio seems to making some very good plays, usually defensively, and also making plays like last season that aren't working as well, but are oh-so-close.
It is a fine line, and as such getting "it" back is altogether possible for a player of his calibre.
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