Like the heading says. Shane Wright will have a target on his back and our team’s history of sticking up for one another is marginal at best.
I don’t like the concept of “enforcers,” but I also live in reality and I’ve watched Matty, Canner, and Dunn get taken out with cheap shots meant to hurt them that succeeded to varying degrees (we still don’t know the extent of the damage to Dunn…) and certainly shook their confidence, too (Matty’s game was shook up for awhile after the Fuck Tyler Myers hit, and Canner spoke publicly on this episode of “Mitts Off with Luke Gazdic” about how upsetting the Fuck Cale Makar hit was, emotionally.
Let’s face it: our team has a reputation as being soft. Other teams around the league don’t respect us as being tough (unless you disagree, which is fine).
But with Shane on the squad, and possibly another rookie like Winterton or Morrison at least seeing ice time this season, I’m wondering who we have that’s going to stand up when other players take shots at them or any of our other players.
Dunn: shouldn’t have to carry the load and I don’t want him getting hurt we need him.
Borgen: will kick ass when he snaps, but that’s not super frequently
Gourde: might get traded and is small
Tanev: might get traded and isn’t a great fighter
Rig: is huge but isn’t a fighter
Montour: from what I understand he’ll drop the gloves but he’s not a big fighter?
Matty: He’ll step in to defend a teammate on a dirty play but also not a fighter and we don’t want him getting hurt and he’s one of our targets anyway.
Lars: Reluctant to drop the gloves; will do so when necessary
Etc.
I’ve been vocal that I hope they trade Tanev and put Hayden in his spot because 1) he can score 2) he’s an enforcer (again, I don’t like it, but I also don’t like the idea of Shaner getting taken out) 3) he plays on both special teams 4) he’s cheap 4) he has impeccable veteran leadership and his attitude would bring the kind of chemistry to this team that would forge a winning identity (what was missing last year that CVF has in spades) that Tanev just doesn’t add – at all 5) Bylsma and Coach Jess know him, are familiar with his game, and like him – and he’s got chemistry with the other young CVF players we have now.
If not Hayds, then what’s our plan for not being a soft-ass team this year and exposing our star, stud rookie with a target on his back to a bunch of cheap shots all season?
EDIT: HOW could I forget Karts. He’s totally down. What a miss for my argument.
by B1g3xh1l3
7 Comments
So if the trade was Tanev and late pick for Jarnkrok and Reaves would you do it?
As much as I love watching Dunn uppercut dudes into the stratosphere, I need him ripping pucks into the net from the blue line more. It can’t always be him stepping up for the homies.
Karts seems pretty down.
I have big hopes for Villeneuve. I’ve been very impressed with his showings in the rookie camp/tournament, and he seems to have no issue being a menace and getting into it. But the biggest issue would probably be waiting to see if and when he makes it on to the Krakens line up? Idk.
Short answer: Our team is soft.
If only God would’ve seen fit to bless Yanni with the Big Rig’s body.
My highly controversial opinion is that having an enforcer has never stopped other teams from taking cheap shots at skill guys, and that fighting is an ineffective deterrent.
Shane played for the firebirds last season, a team that would beat the jesus out of players on other teams all the time (cus they are an ahl team) and that didn’t stop guys from taking cheap shots at shane. What did was when they were suspended.
Just my take on the matter
>Let’s face it: our team has a reputation as being soft. Other teams around the league don’t respect us as being tough (unless you disagree, which is fine).
You can’t put “Let’s face it” in front of some bullshit and throw it out there like it’s true. People respect teams for being good and getting wins, nobody gives a shit how many fights your team takes. Being physical is part of the game, but nobody’s afraid to lay a hit because you have some goon on your team. If the enforcer concept did anything useful it wouldn’t have gone the way of the dodo.
I went looking for some basis for the “soft” claim, and I found this thread about the softest teams in the NHL:
[Which team in the NHL do you consider to be the ‘softest’? : r/hockey (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/1bdcjn1/which_team_in_the_nhl_do_you_consider_to_be_the/)
Not one mention for the Kraken. I still think the premise is silly, but we’d have at least one guy arguing for us if we weren’t garnering any respect. Though honestly I think that thread is mostly people bitching about their own team not being tough enough, so realistically speaking the more fans a team has, the more people think it’s soft.
Last season we threw basically an average number of hits and were right in the middle of the pack. It’s harder to figure out fights per team, but if you click around on [HockeyFights.com](http://HockeyFights.com) we look to be basically middle of the pack there too.