Ian White
This is a perfect example of how Paul Maurice is not living up to his preseason expectations of vowing that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be a playoff team that will compete for the Stanley Cup. If you want to win now, there is no place on a team for an inexperienced defenseman, unless of coarse he is a prodigy. Ian White is no prodigy, to an extent maybe offensively, but with a team loaded with offensive, puck moving defensemen already taking up 15milion of the cap, White should not have a spot of this team, let alone be filling in a defensive defensemen role.
While this team struggles keeping the puck out of their net, Maurice has failed to see the insufficiencies that encompasses Ian White’s game. For whatever reason, the Leafs coach is willing to stick it out with this player, even at the expense of his team and maybe the player. Confidence is like is like a friend who borrows your stuff, once its gone, it takes awhile to get it back, and right now getting burned night in night out, costing his team points of the defensive end , is killing that confidence. Forcing a player to play a role he is not yet comfortable with or skilled enough to play, does not tell his fans or his team that he is willing or knows what it takes to win now.
Ian White is a young talent, no doubt about it. He has a great offensive mind and aptitude to be a force on that side of the puck. His deficiencies lie within his defensive game. Experience plays a major factor in this reality as bigger defensemen even struggle with their defensive game, adjusting to the speed and size of NHL players, not to mention advanced scouting that reveals flaws to the rest of the league. For a young, smaller Dman, experience and being able to learn the nuances of a professional game takes that much longer because of a lack size, strength and knowledge of how to effectively use their size and speed in both an offensive and defensive manner, and time to acquire strength that will service them down low and also make them even faster.
Two players can best reveal my theory.
Ian White 5’10”, 185lbs.
Dan Boyle, 5’11”, 184lbs.
Boyle hadn’t seen a regular shift or full NHL season till his 6th season, it wasn’t until his this 6th year of pro hockey that he was finally able to play his game effectively and competitively at both ends of the ice. Those six years were spent in and out of the minors, and while he was in up, it was on a Florida team that was far less talented the current Leafs squad. Throughout this journey, perfecting his game at both ends was paramount, he learned what he needed to do in order to be a quality NHLer.
Bryan Rafalski, 5’10”, 191lbs.
Rafalski spent 4 years in college and another 4 in Europe to perfect his game. It wasn’t until he was 27 that he was able to crack an NHL roster. He jumped on the Devils and was an immediate impact at both ends of the ice. His struggles were no different then that of White or Boyle, but like Boyle was given the time to learn them in the minors, and do what was needed to adapt his size to the NHL defensive position.
Andy Wozniesky’s and his +3 actually gives this Leaf team more if what they need then Ian White and his -5. In a nutshell White’s consistant knock has come with an inability to step up and protect the defensive blueline, defensive zone coverage when hemmened in, pinning an oppenent in the corner, protecting the front of the net, and the inability to move the puck safely in the face of a strong pressured forcheck. His overall defensive positioning and inabilty to seperate the man from the puck is costing this team points.
That said, Kronwall should have stayed, White should be on the farm, and BELAK should be given a shot at Woz’s role, due to the penilty issues Woz has had to this point.
What this team needs, is to look down its bench and see another solid defensive defensemen that can seperate the man from the puck with decent hands to move to puck out to help protect leads, casue the way these forwards are playing now healthy, along with Sundin they are as good as any team, and are currently are leading the league in 5on5 scoring. Whether that be Kronwall remains to be seen, but he along with Belak deserves a shot.
While this team struggles keeping the puck out of their net, Maurice has failed to see the insufficiencies that encompasses Ian White’s game. For whatever reason, the Leafs coach is willing to stick it out with this player, even at the expense of his team and maybe the player. Confidence is like is like a friend who borrows your stuff, once its gone, it takes awhile to get it back, and right now getting burned night in night out, costing his team points of the defensive end , is killing that confidence. Forcing a player to play a role he is not yet comfortable with or skilled enough to play, does not tell his fans or his team that he is willing or knows what it takes to win now.
Ian White is a young talent, no doubt about it. He has a great offensive mind and aptitude to be a force on that side of the puck. His deficiencies lie within his defensive game. Experience plays a major factor in this reality as bigger defensemen even struggle with their defensive game, adjusting to the speed and size of NHL players, not to mention advanced scouting that reveals flaws to the rest of the league. For a young, smaller Dman, experience and being able to learn the nuances of a professional game takes that much longer because of a lack size, strength and knowledge of how to effectively use their size and speed in both an offensive and defensive manner, and time to acquire strength that will service them down low and also make them even faster.
Two players can best reveal my theory.
Ian White 5’10”, 185lbs.
Dan Boyle, 5’11”, 184lbs.
Boyle hadn’t seen a regular shift or full NHL season till his 6th season, it wasn’t until his this 6th year of pro hockey that he was finally able to play his game effectively and competitively at both ends of the ice. Those six years were spent in and out of the minors, and while he was in up, it was on a Florida team that was far less talented the current Leafs squad. Throughout this journey, perfecting his game at both ends was paramount, he learned what he needed to do in order to be a quality NHLer.
Bryan Rafalski, 5’10”, 191lbs.
Rafalski spent 4 years in college and another 4 in Europe to perfect his game. It wasn’t until he was 27 that he was able to crack an NHL roster. He jumped on the Devils and was an immediate impact at both ends of the ice. His struggles were no different then that of White or Boyle, but like Boyle was given the time to learn them in the minors, and do what was needed to adapt his size to the NHL defensive position.
Andy Wozniesky’s and his +3 actually gives this Leaf team more if what they need then Ian White and his -5. In a nutshell White’s consistant knock has come with an inability to step up and protect the defensive blueline, defensive zone coverage when hemmened in, pinning an oppenent in the corner, protecting the front of the net, and the inability to move the puck safely in the face of a strong pressured forcheck. His overall defensive positioning and inabilty to seperate the man from the puck is costing this team points.
That said, Kronwall should have stayed, White should be on the farm, and BELAK should be given a shot at Woz’s role, due to the penilty issues Woz has had to this point.
What this team needs, is to look down its bench and see another solid defensive defensemen that can seperate the man from the puck with decent hands to move to puck out to help protect leads, casue the way these forwards are playing now healthy, along with Sundin they are as good as any team, and are currently are leading the league in 5on5 scoring. Whether that be Kronwall remains to be seen, but he along with Belak deserves a shot.
posted by LEAFER at
9:21 AM
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