So, is Cervenka liking the NHL? - Page 8 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

calumniate · 03-07-2013, 09:27 AM

He needs to blood dope and get used to this Calgary air (hehe, or train in Lake Louise or something)

theg69 · 03-07-2013, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeteLFan

Or maybe he isn't playing 2 minutes a night, and playing with scrubs. If given proper ice time then he will contribute, you can't expect much, or get him to earn more ice time from 2 minutes.

Its a shame Blake Comeau and his useless wheeling around the net continues to ge tpriase, and more ice time, and promoted up lines, but skill players get to rid the bench.

I am far from a fan of Comeau but his bump in icetime last night was more than deserved. It was probably his best game in a long long time.
Lets not forget he scored the GWG.

Cervenka looks a bit quicker now. Maybe because he initially underestimated the pace of the NHL and is only starting to get better conditioned for it at this point of the year.

PeteLFan · 03-07-2013, 09:37 AM

Im not talking about just last night, in general it seems Bobby likes to do what Brent did, and add a useless plugger to the top line and ride him, even though they don't deserve it.

Hey I don't mind Blake Comeau either, but hes not a top 9 player, hes a 6-8 minute energy guy for the 4th line.

SuperMatt18 · 03-07-2013, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeteLFan

Im not talking about just last night, in general it seems Bobby likes to do what Brent did, and add a useless plugger to the top line and ride him, even though they don't deserve it.

Hey I don't mind Blake Comeau either, but hes not a top 9 player, hes a 6-8 minute energy guy for the 4th line.

I don't mind them bumping Comeau from the 4th line for spot duty on different lines late in the game.

He is the teams top PKer, one of our better defensive players, and his speed allows for opportunities to clear the zone.

He is being used quite effectively to his skill set actually and has looked way better the last 5 or 6 games.

theg69 · 03-07-2013, 09:46 AM

I completely agree with you though about Comeau's ceiling, he is more of a 4th line guy that can fill in spot duty on the top 9 occasionally (not regularly).

That being said, it is my opinion that the reason why guys like Cervenka and Baertschi get bumped down so fast is because when they are put on with 2 skilled guys and the line struggles, that line becomes a bit of a gong show in their defensive end.

The example last night is the Cammy-Tanguay-Baertschi line. They had good offensive flair but defensively, they were a bit of a nightmare. Baertschi becomes the logical player to demote and bench and more because of lack of depth (of a good 2-way forward), Comeau ends up being promoted to that line (because he is defensively more "responsible").

Stay Golden · 03-07-2013, 12:58 PM

Good bounce back game for Cervenka. That new Iggy Hudler Cervenka combo is pretty sweet to watch.

2 Czech's & an Iggy!

zuluking · 03-07-2013, 04:11 PM

Baertschi was overmatched by those towering beasts that San Jose has littered through their lineup. He blew a few quality chance by not being able to fight through a stick check. I had no problem with Comeau being moved up considering he was skating like a fiend and wasn't afraid to hit a guy. (That 3rd period obstruction penalty he took for finishing a check was a complete joke. Shame, ref!) Against a smaller team, Baertschi stays on that line through the game.

As per Cervenka, I had just finished calling him out for having the play die on his stick a couple times and boom - goal. After his goal, he looked completely different, playing with at a higher tempo and looking more confident. Kudos to him. He, Hudler and Iginla looked pretty good together. (That Hudler is really something!)

AC · 03-07-2013, 04:46 PM

I really hope we keep Iggy with the Czechs. Like it or not, part of the team's responsibility with Cervenka is to ensure he wants to re-sign IMO. He's an asset that we can't lose due to misuse.

Vulcan · 03-07-2013, 04:57 PM

I like both Cervenka and Hudler, both skilled players but they need someone with some muscle on their line. Iggy fits the bill. I find it interesting that Hartley doesn't seem to be building his lines around Iggy but is having Iggy fit in and he doesn't seem to be suffering from it either.

Zarley · 03-07-2013, 05:22 PM

Wow, I missed the article that calgaryboy posted earlier. Very telling comments, and not surprising considering what Hartley had said earlier. Can't really blame the guy - moving to a strange country where you don't speak the language without your family has gotta be tough.

Luckily Cervenka has really stepped up his game since being scratched. He seems much stronger on the puck along the boards and is skating better. His backchecking has even been solid during the past couple games and I think the Czechs complement Iggy's game nicely.

Roman looks like he's happier these past few games judging from his body language, I'm sure playing on the same line as a future hall of famer doesn't hurt.

Sakari · 03-07-2013, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calgaryboy

As I said, everybody has his own opinion, I don ´t agree with you, you don ´t agree with me, I think this is what is Fan forum all about. Thanks for your take!

We need more of this around here.

Hack&Lube · 03-07-2013, 07:57 PM

So I found this interesting interview on flamesnation.ca from 2012...

Interviewer: Roman, would you describe yourself as a two-way forward?

Cervenka: Actually, I have always played center.

Jagr: But he was never lucky there. (a joke probably)

Cervenka: Here in Russia centers are supposed to skate back and help their defensemen. We don’t do this in Czech Republic. I didn’t play defense over there. I like it better here because I play on the left wing and there’s no problem.

So he played Center in the Czech Republic but never played any defensive hockey. Moving to the KHL was already a change for him in that he had to start back-checking and playing defensively. I suspect coming to the NHL is an even greater leap from what he was used to in the Czech Republic. It's interesting how he himself admits he likes it better playing on the wing than center despite the fact that he was billed as a potential #2 center coming to Calgary.

I think he just needs to find the right balance. He definitely needs more conditioning as he's usually the one out of breath on his line from what I can see. He has a lot of skill and scoring potential but he's also making major adjustments to his game to fit Hartley. Going by Calgaryboy's post, Cervenka was frustrated with the merit based system and was afraid of making mistakes. That's probably hindering his offensive game but it's also resulting in the player I saw yesterday who was the forward on his line who was always doubling back to backcheck and play defensively while Iginla and Hudler made riskier plays up front. There are a lot of positives in that.

http://flamesnation.ca/2012/5/8/when...elieved-in-him

indes · 03-08-2013, 01:59 AM

I hope he stays here I'm starting to like his play

Vulcan · 03-08-2013, 06:19 PM

He should move his wife and child over here. I think it would help a lot of his problems.

kyuss275 · 03-16-2013, 11:20 AM

This was taken from the Calgary Herald:

"On hand, they have forward Roman Cervenka, a healthy scratch the past two games and a current occupant of coach Bob Hartley’s doghouse. ("It was our decision, plain and simple," Hartley recently said of Cervenka’s press-box deployment after Monday’s loss in Los Angeles. "We were not happy about his performance in the last game, and in the last while." Will he soon return to the lineup? "We’ll see.")"

Cervenka will probably get the chance to get back in next game with Backlunds injury. He is going to have to make the most of it.

Joborule · 03-16-2013, 11:32 AM

Has he been playing that bad defensively?

kyuss275 · 03-16-2013, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joborule

Has he been playing that bad defensively?

Yes and all year i might add. He is new to the NHL, but has played in enough games and has not gotten any better in his own end.

Goodlad · 03-16-2013, 11:36 AM

I'm starting to doubt we have much of a shot at signing Cervenka this off-season. Unfortunate because there is a ton of skill there, and I suspect now that he has a better idea what it will take to succeed in the NHL he's going to come into next season in much better shape and light it up for some other team.

Enoch Root · 03-16-2013, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goodlad

I'm starting to doubt we have much of a shot at signing Cervenka this off-season. Unfortunate because there is a ton of skill there, and I suspect now that he has a better idea what it will take to succeed in the NHL he's going to come into next season in much better shape and light it up for some other team.

Agreed. He and Hartley are not getting along (not saying it;s Hartley's fault)

The only hope I have of Cervenka staying next year is because Hudler is here.

kyuss275 · 03-16-2013, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goodlad

I'm starting to doubt we have much of a shot at signing Cervenka this off-season. Unfortunate because there is a ton of skill there, and I suspect now that he has a better idea what it will take to succeed in the NHL he's going to come into next season in much better shape and light it up for some other team.

I really think he is going to go back to Europe. From what i read he is treated like some sort of god over in Europe. I believe he makes good money also. I doubt any other team in the NHL will offer him much more than $1 million for next year.