Will Sven Bounce Back?

[polak]

Pretty simple question. Will Sven bounce back or do we have another bust on our hands? Outside of a couple short streaks he has been far from spectacular. It's still early, but do you think he will get his game back on track?

[Da_Chief]

His confidence is in the gutter right now. Give him proper icetime and tell him to shoot if not send him to the Heat and let him regain confidence and strength.

We saw how good he can be when given icetime and had confidence in his abilities.

[btimbit]

I think he'll come around. He had ridiculously high expectations set from the start and like almost every rookie seems to lose his confidence in year two. By next season I think we'll have a solid 2nd-3rd line winger in Sven

[stignasty]

It's way too early to consider him a bust.

He's been the team's whipping boy. It seems to me that he's handled it pretty well.

[Flamefan1]

Sven will be fine if handled correctly and encouraged to shoot the puck more often instead of almost always trying to make the pass.

[Poe969]

He may bounce back but I'm worried it might be for a different team. WIth all this talk of the Smid trade being only the begining, I'm affraid that they might do something dumb and trade him. I think he has a bright future and I'd hate to see him do well on another team

[Textcritic]

Yes.

[Bingo]

I really liked his game against Dallas, well if you could like anything in the game against Dallas. He had jam and was really creative, hopefully Hartley saw the same things.

The guy I'm the most worried about is Backlund. This was his year. last year injuries derailed him, but this year he should be forcing his way into a permanent top six role and he just isn't doing it.

I think he plays hard every night, but he's looking more and more like a guy that may not develop to me, which is a shame.

[devo22]

I think the most important thing for Sven is confidence, and being a healthy scratch twice really didn't help him in that department. Now I feel he's scared of making a mistake and ending up in the press box again, and he constantly opts for the pass when he really needs to shoot ... he needs confidence and the freedom to make creative plays out there without the fear of being punished for them if they don't result in goals. I saw improvements in the Dallas game and I hope that when he finally gets a goal, he'll go on a nice hot streak just like last season.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by devo22

I think the most important thing for Sven is confidence, and being a healthy scratch twice really didn't help him in that department. Now I feel he's scared of making a mistake and ending up in the press box again, and he constantly opts for the pass when he really needs to shoot ... he needs confidence and the freedom to make creative plays out there without the fear of being punished for them if they don't result in goals. I saw improvements in the Dallas game and I hope that when he finally gets a goal, he'll go on a nice hot streak just like last season.

I don't like that theory, as I doubt Hartley is saying much about offense ... it's about making reads, finding his man, back pressure, being hard on the wall, finding the smart play in his own zone, not losing his defenseman, taking the right guy on face offs, getting the puck deep, ....

all the nuts and bolts of hockey.

Doubt the Flames have too much issue with his creative side.

I coach kids and it's frustrating when kids don't pick up break out positioning, don't know where they are supposed to be etc ... can't imagine coaching a 21 year old that doesn't pick it up.

[Ashasx]

He was one of the few players willing to go in the corners last game (even though he still needs to improve in this area) and one of the few finding opportunities. Gelinas said he was the best player last game.

You just can't sit players because they fumble a pass.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I don't like that theory, as I doubt Hartley is saying much about offense ... it's about making reads, finding his man, back pressure, being hard on the wall, finding the smart play in his own zone, not losing his defenseman, taking the right guy on face offs, getting the puck deep, ....

all the nuts and bolts of hockey.

Doubt the Flames have too much issue with his creative side.

I coach kids and it's frustrating when kids don't pick up break out positioning, don't know where they are supposed to be etc ... can't imagine coaching a 21 year old that doesn't pick it up.

yeah I primarily talked about offense in my post, since he's been quite cold point-wise and I think confidence will help him be more productive in the scoring department. Defensively, I agree that it's a different story.

[GreenLantern2814]

As others have said, his confidence is at a low point right now. But I think he's a goal away from going on a nice little run, and maybe doing more to establish himself as a pro.

He needs to be hard on his checks and the puck, and avoid taking the easy way. He doesn't need to run people through the boards. He needs to let the other guy know he's there, however.

Defensively, I think the concerns are overblown. His defensive awareness is actually very good for a young player; you can see he knows where he's supposed to be, and he rarely looks lost his own zone. The big thing is obviously still the effort/motor.

He'll be fine.

[Yoho]

If he is a bust pretty much 90% of the team is as well.

[Huntingwhale]

Jesus didn't become the savior until years later in his life. Sven is the same. Growing pains for long term gains.

[JobHopper]

Will Sven Baertschi bounce back? I think he still needs a bit of work over all.

He's a good skater with pretty good hands and overall skill. Where people say he lacks confidence I think he lacks hockey sense especially in the offensive zone.

Won't hurt him to bulk up and get a bit bigger either. There's also a difference in bulking up and playing big and physical. Maybe it doesn't benefit all players to be huge if they don't play like it and that's not their playing style.

I also don't like how he comes through the neutral zone and wants to crossover and go around defenders in close, he's going to get hurt doing that.

He was drafted in 2011 and is probably one of the better picks in the draft.
Markus Granlund, Tyler Wotherspoon and Johnny Gaudreau picked by the Flames in that draft as well. I don't know how any of the other picks are doing from that draft year other than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who was the 1st overall pick.

I would say put him on a line with a bigger player that can make some room for him and stick up for him a bit but that's tough as well if he's simply being pushed around and off the puck.

At this point though it probably won't hurt to send him down to Abbotsford on one hand but the flipside is will that actually benefit him.

So the Flames have to decide if they want to give him a full season here or trade him.

So those are the 2 real options here that I can see at this point.

[FlamesAddiction]

I still think he will being a player in this league, but the expectations are a little bit lower now. I think the comparisons to Hossa in his draft year were too lofty to live up to.

I am expecting more like a Hudler, which would still make him an excellent pick.

[Lanny_McDonald]

It is all up to him. If he follows direction given by his coaches and executes his assignments, then yes. If he thinks he's arrived and doesn't need to play a two way game, then bustorama!

[djsFlames]

Will a 21 year old with the tools to put up 2+ PPG in the WHL, 1 PPG in the AHL, and a 7 game, 10 point streak in his first half season of NHL hockey be able to turn it around in the next decade (until the typical "apex" point)? My guess is yes.

I also think it's stupid to be lowering his expectations now because he's hit the common sophomore slump. It happened to how many great players in this league? Honestly need to stop basing every evaluation on what's happened lately.

[FBI]

The good thing was he was very noticeable last game. Even though he didn't make the smartest plays all the time, I would much rather be noticing him than saying, where's Sven?