If anyone watched last night's game and paid any attention to Kris Russell, they saw a defenseman scared and half hearted in his play. Russell went through this last year and was sent to Syracuse to find himself which he did and played much better when he came back. Most thought he had made the step forward toward turning into a player closer to Mike Green from Washington versus closer to Mr. Green Jeans.
At some point Russell needs to understand that he might be one of the top 10 fastest skating defenseman in the league. He seems to keep that skill bottled up and doesn't use it to it's full effect. Without it, he is an AHL player at best. Due to his size, he gets man handled in the corners and routinely gets knocked off the puck. Head Coach Ken Hitchcock would put up with some of that if he showed the moxie to skate the puck up the ice and out of trouble. Plus, Russell showed a glimpse of what he can do in the playoffs in game 4 against the Red Wings when he skated the puck the full length of the ice and fired it past Osgood at full flight.
Now, one game does not make a season but Hitchcock and the coaching staff are using everything, including the media, to prop this guy's confidence up.
Hitchcock went out of his way in the press conference after the Minnesota Wild game to prop up what was a terrible game for Russell. When Hitchcock was asked, "What did you think about your rebuilt defense with Commodore out?"
Hitchcock responded with, "They got better. Russell was very good." He singled no one else out. Not Klesla who had the game winner and almost 21 minutes of ice time. Not Tyutin who was paired with Klesla, led the team with almost 22 minutes of ice time, had an assist on the game winner and finished +1. Not Marc Methot who had over 21 minutes of ice time, an assist and finished +1. Not Jan Hejda who was sniffing 22 minutes of ice time, finished +1 and led the entire team with 5 shots on goal. Not even Mathieu Roy, who landed in Columbus from Syracuse on an emergency call up and ended up 2nd on the team with 3 hits and actually played more even strength time than Russell.
Then assistant coach Gord Murphy was on the 97.1 The Fan this morning gushing about Russell's great play during the Wild game. Again, other than a slight mention about Klesla's game winner and new contract, no other defenseman single out other than Russell.
I always say, action speaks louder than words. They speak volumes as each period, Russell had decreasing ice time. With 4:52 left in the game, Russell never saw the ice again. Also, where Russell is suppose to shine on the power play, it was a disaster. Now the power play issues has plenty to blame but you get my drift.
Russell is struggling and his head is in the way. Now the question is, will Russell believe the crap the coaching staff is shoveling and regain his confidence and his game at the same time? If not, when Commodore comes back and Anton Stralman hits full stride, Russell will be suiting up in an Armani suit instead of a Blue Jacket sweater.
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Eric Smith
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