Hunt and Morton up; Kerins Down

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

Lmao and it begins. Defending Huska/Flames decisions no matter what.

Kerins was great, please stop.

Your bias is unreal...he certainly wasnt great. He was fine.

[Reggie Dunlop]

What a great opportunity for Dryden Hunt.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by The EBUG's EBUG

We're dead last, makes sense there'd be some critiques. There's also plenty of fans and media in this city ready to give Huska and Co the benefit of the doubt any time a kid gets sat or bounced around the lineup.

Kerins didn't play against Chicago by the way.

So there is a variety of opinions amongst the fan base including some that are very critical? Agreed and that's very different than what you originally wrote.

Chicago: typo on my part. Meant Winnipeg. Let's blame Jonathan Toews for that.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

So the line as a whole looked great, the stats show that Kerins individually had really good stats on that line (including defensively with 3 shot blocks) and yet we still are sending him down.

There was no good justification for sending him down, there just isn't.

1 shot, -1 (both last on the team).

His advanced stats were good but Ryan Lomberg’s (of all people lol) were better, so sample size and all that in both production/advanced metrics comes in to play.

No reason not to be patient. He’ll be back.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I appreciate the response with real information.
I didn't watch the SJ game at all. I thought in the Chicago game he had some good moments but overall was just OK.
I would not have been opposed to him getting a longer look, but I also didn't think he really forced that. And if the plan is to elevate Zary to try and get him going - I think that's also prudent. Zary is way more important to the future than Kerins.

So I see both sides.

Take out Lomberg - he's not important now and not important to the future.

I get wanting to elevate Zary and Sharangovich - but no reason that Kerins couldn't sit in the press box for game and needed to be sent down.

And honestly Zary hasn't really earned it. Kerins has more expected goals for in these 2 games than Zary has in his last 11.

Huberdeau - Frost - Coronato
Farabee - Kadri - Kerins
Sharangovich - Backlund - Coleman
Zary - Morton - Klapka

I'd much rather see something like this - and no reason that Lomberg can't sit for a couple games.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

1 shot, -1 (both last on the team).

His advanced stats were good but Ryan Lomberg’s (of all people lol) were better, so sample size and all that in both production/advanced metrics comes in to play.

No reason not to be patient. He’ll be back.

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Over the last 2 games among our forwards:

78.3% xGF ranked 3rd on the team
The 10 HD chances for with him on the ice ranked 2nd
24 Scoring chances for ranked 2nd
0.83 individual xGF ranked 1st (higher than Zary has put up in his last 11 games)
4 individual HDCF ranked 1st
3 rebounds created ranked 1st
3 shots blocked ranked 1st

So somebody tell me why we are sending that guy down again?

I feel like the stats I posted outweigh shots and +/-

But I'm sure Huska saw he was on the ice for a goal against and used that as justification to send him down.

Edit: I was trying to remember what goal Kerins was on the ice for and had to go double check and honestly this is perfect evidence of why +/- is a terrible stat.

Look at the goal visualizer tool - horrendous line change by Honzek, bad read by Bahl and Kadri who both chase, and ends up with a dash for Kerins. https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/cgy-v.../15/2025020294

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Haven't read the thread, but can probably predict the responses.

People are going to experience some serious cognitive dissonance seeing both Hunt and Morton called up at the same time (a player they don't want and a player they want).

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I feel like the stats I posted outweigh shots and +/-

But I'm sure Huska saw he was on the ice for a goal against and used that as justification to send him down.

Would you elevate Lomberg to the first line?

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Would you elevate Lomberg to the first line?

Ryan Lomberg has as much individual xGF in the last 13 games than Kerins has in the last 2...so no.

There is no justification for sending Kerins down. His play on the ice, and the stats support that.

In no way can anyone justify this IMO, just not giving the player an opportunity to succeed at all.

Last year he got great counting stats in his 5 games, and the justification to sending him down was "Those stats are all lucky, the underlying numbers support sending him down"

This year in his 2 games he has stellar underlying numbers, really the best on the team for those 2 games, and the justification is "He was carried by his linemates, those stats aren't useful and he didn't produce in his opportunity"

Honestly people find ways to defend everything that Huska and the organization do.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I am looking forward to the point in the season where they really start to shift to rebuild mode and get rid of some vets and call up the younger guys we want to get a look at. I want to get Brzustewicz, Gridin, Stromgren, Suniev and those types up for a look. That is going to be when this season gets exciting for me as a fan. When we start collecting assets and seeing what we have in the pipeline.

These call ups are nothing to get upset about but certainly nothing to get excited about either.

I just think you have to look at the team as a whole.

Gridin and Parekh make the team as 19 year olds
Honzek is the first call up and sticks in a high utilization role
They start scratching veterans to bring Kuznetsov up and then move him into the top four.

Maybe he just doesn't love Kerins play? To assume anti youth or anti prospect just doesn't fit with the body of work.

Having said that I hope the NHL market heats up enough that they can start making more moves like the Kirkland/Kerins/Morton move. Free up some spots.

Guessing we see Kerins again before Xmas.

[Badgers Nose]

Ryan Huska, ‘I’m an actor, I just play an NHL head coach on TV’

Ryan Huska, ‘My best friend ChatGPT says I will be an NHL head coach GOAT, but only if I do everything it says.’

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I just think you have to look at the team as a whole.

Gridin and Parekh make the team as 19 year olds
Honzek is the first call up and sticks in a high utilization role
They start scratching veterans to bring Kuznetsov up and then move him into the top four.

Maybe he just doesn't love Kerins play? To assume anti youth or anti prospect just doesn't fit with the body of work.

Having said that I hope the NHL market heats up enough that they can start making more moves like the Kirkland/Kerins/Morton move. Free up some spots.

Guessing we see Kerins again before Xmas.

Honestly it's less about youth and more about the type of player.

Huska likes boring / safe players, it's just who he is.

[Bingo]

Nothing more uncomfortable in finding yourself defending something (coach / coach decisions) not because you think the guy is 100% right, but because the negative push back is so far over the top that you almost feel compelled to wade in.

[dino7c]

I thought you guys all wanted to see Morton?

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Honestly it's less about youth and more about the type of player.

Huska likes boring / safe players, it's just who he is.

I think you're close ...

But I'd probably replace boring and safe with 200 foot and responsible. With that I think you have the case.

Then it's down to the goal.

He's trying to win games. Not sure coach's ever tank or try to lose. And with the lack of star power this team has offensively, his only chance is to prevent goals against.

Has his team in the #1 spot five on five defensively so far though, so he's doing what he's aiming to do.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I appreciate the response with real information.
I didn't watch the SJ game at all. I thought in the Chicago game he had some good moments but overall was just OK.
I would not have been opposed to him getting a longer look, but I also didn't think he really forced that. And if the plan is to elevate Zary to try and get him going - I think that's also prudent. Zary is way more important to the future than Kerins.

So I see both sides.

You probably mean the Winnipeg game.

I don't know that there needs to be a binary choice between playing Kerins and elevating Zary. Should be able to figure out both with the number of underperforming forwards.

I agree that Kerins isn't all that important to the long term future of this club. But if they are at all serious about trading either Kadri or Frost you probably need some idea of how different guys can play at Centre in the NHL. At this point, I guess they just don't see Kerins as any type of option at C.

[Ashes]

If we were fighting for a playoff spot it would make more sense to bring up the ever-reliable AHL All-Star Dryden Hunt.. but we're 32nd, the team is playing a bleak style of hockey and we've recently lost Parekh/Honzek to IR.

IMO it's common sense to play the kids like Kerins/Stromgren right now. This is the best season to find out what we have in these guys before yet another wave of new prospects join the org this summer and they get pushed down or off the depth chart.

I know it's a relatively minor roster move but for real, what are we doing here? 2 games and done for Kerins? Talk about a short leashe. Can't wait to watch Dryden frickin Hunt tonight. What are we expecting to learn from watching Hunt? Dude is a great AHL player but doesn't move the needle offensively at the NHL level. I just don't get the logic when you can use these roster moves to see what you have in drafted guys like Kerins/Stromgren.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Ashes

If we were fighting for a playoff spot it would make more sense to bring up the ever-reliable AHL All-Star Dryden Hunt.. but we're 32nd, the team is playing a bleak style of hockey and we've recently lost Parekh/Honzek to IR.

IMO it's common sense to play the kids like Kerins/Stromgren right now. This is the best season to find out what we have in these guys before yet another wave of new prospects join the org this summer and they get pushed down or off the depth chart.

I know it's a relatively minor roster move but for real, what are we doing here? 2 games and done for Kerins? Talk about a short leashe. Can't wait to watch Dryden frickin Hunt tonight. What are we expecting to learn from watching Hunt? Dude is a great AHL player but doesn't move the needle offensively at the NHL level. I just don't get the logic when you can use these roster moves to see what you have in drafted guys like Kerins/Stromgren.

I don't think this is about Hunt.

I think it's more about Kerins out and Morton in ... and Sharangovich back in with the Honzek injury.

Kerins scratched doesn't make much sense with accrued window etc.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I think you're close ...

But I'd probably replace boring and safe with 200 foot and responsible. With that I think you have the case.

Then it's down to the goal.

He's trying to win games. Not sure coach's ever tank or try to lose. And with the lack of star power this team has offensively, his only chance is to prevent goals against.

Has his team in the #1 spot five on five defensively so far though, so he's doing what he's aiming to do.

And yet while trying to win games they still find themselves in 32nd place because he's too rigid in that approach and not willing to tweak his approach to try to generate more offense.

The offensive approach has been the same for a couple seasons now, and it's not just player personal for why they rank in the bottom of goals for in the NHL over that time period.

A good coach would try to make more offensive players play within his more defensive system. Not take low event low upside players and just force them do achieve nothing and give up nothing while on the ice.

[dino7c]

Yeah people did this last time and Hunt was sitting in the pressbox. He works his ass off in the AHL and deserves the nice pay bump from time to time and they don't mind him sitting. Kerins you want either playing here or on the first line in the AHL.