Quote:
Originally Posted by neo45
I don't think it's really necessary to get super sarcastic like this but I guess that's par for the course on hockey forums nowadays.
I think Wideman is responsible for Wideman. He is a possession black hole with slow foot speed. The stats support that his partners have played worse with him. He is an offensive defenseman who is currently on pace for only 24 points over the full season. He has been getting fairly consistent top 4 ice time, and has generally been paired with someone good so I don't see how his play can be see as anything other that underwhelming.
But my post wasn't even supposed to be about Wideman. It was meant to be about how Brodie hasn't been used to his strengths.
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I actually don't mean for it to come off as sarcastic.
I just find it funny how Wideman is being blamed for what seems like everything. Brodie isn't playing well? Heck, it is because he is playing with that bum Wideman. We will just ignore the fact that this stretch of hockey that Brodie has been playing with Wideman is actually his most consistently good stretch of the season, including when he played with Engelland, Hamilton and Giordano.
I didn't call this out when it happened, and it is not my intention to call anyone out really, but this was such a good example of what is going on:
Wideman goes off-side, blowing the play dead. "grumble grumble Wideman".
Next shift, Hamilton goes full throttle into the offensive zone, gets interfered with and goes down heavily into the boards (no penalty called).
"Wideman takes a selfish offside penalty, and now Hamilton goes crashing into the boards and may be injured for a long time. Wideman is losing us games!"
One just has to shake their head. Wait... I thought only Chiasson went offside. So confusing.
Is Wideman's cap ideal? Heck no. It isn't.
Is he the best option at this point? Yes. There is absolutely nobody in Stockton or called up that can do what he does for the team that consistently. Kulak can't. We all saw him fading. Jokipakka still hasn't found that consistency that made him really liked last season. Wotherspoon - well, he hasn't played yet this season, but I have my doubts (and I like Wotherspoon and think he can eventually be a good #4 guy if things go right).
Wideman is playing better than Brodie. This doesn't mean I think Wideman is better than Brodie. He is just playing better hockey right now. Ferland was playing better than Gaudreau early on this season, and that doesn't mean Ferland is a better player. Right?
It just seems every time there is even the remotest opportunity to blame Wideman (as my example illustrated) he gets blamed. Why? He has probably been the most consistent defencemen this season. Started off poorly, got benched and went in and out of the lineup, but since then he has been the most stable defencemen (next to Engelland) on this team. Giordano and Hamilton look like they are back (and have looked like it since before being put together on the same paring, IMO). Jokipakka is improving which is great to see. Engelland hasn't taken a step backward. Brodie is the guy at the moment that is not playing that well, though he has been improving (and I fully expect to see these boards gushing over him and how great he is soon as I fully expect him to be THAT guy we know from last season and the previous season).
The fact of the matter is that Wideman has been doing BETTER than Brodie, has made a tonne of really good defensive plays, has made good offensive plays, and is doing a heck of a job of resurrecting his career. Brodie makes a bad move, experiences bad luck, or makes a bad decision, and suddenly it is all because it was Wideman's fault.
That is why I think it is funny. It is an all-encompassing black hole of suck.
Fan on the concourse spilled his beer? Must have been Wideman.
Instead of "Neumann!" (for all the Seinfeld fans), we should all just exclaim "Wideman!" when something bad happens. Stub your toe in the morning? "Wideman!"
