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Ansar Khan of Mlive.com tweeted out the lines from practice today:
It appears again that Glendening is playing on the second line with Zadina slotted in on the third line. Coach Blashill continues to perplex with his choices. Glendening is a player deserving of a great deal of respect, and in his proper role is very effective. The assumption was that if Zadina were called up it would be for top 6 opportunities, or else he’d be best served in Grand Rapids. There seems to be a Babcockian hesitation to give Filip Zadina a proper look.
Luke Glendening has fought for everything he has achieved. I recently published an article in which I outlined his admirable journey to the NHL. You can read it
here
All that being said, not allowing Zadina to play with Filppula and Athanasiou, or leaving Fabbri with that line and allowing him to play with Larkin and Bertuzzi doesn’t make any sense. Fabbri clearly has chemistry with Athanasiou and Fil, and that line has shown some really good flashes. Fabbri and Bertuzzi have connected well on the power play, but that line isn’t as “tight” as he is with A.A. and Fil. The time spent this week on drilling may have altered that, but Zadina is wasted on the third line.
Of the criticism concerning Mike Babcock’s tenure, it was that he would play “his” players in roles they may not have been suited for. Blashill has a strong affinity for Glendening. I will grant that Luke is responsible, good on draws, and gives it his all. Those are fantastic traits for a grinder and defensive shutdown line. Though he has scored a few goals this year, it really isn’t his strength. The square peg continues to be pounded until the round hole is just obliterated.
Khan also tweeted the power play lines:
In this I am hopeful as Zadina is mixed in with the top three working the half wall. He has made some nice plays from there. If there is chemistry between he and Larkin one can only hope that the two will get some even strength opportunities. The coach just seems to prefer Hirose, Glendening and nearly any other team member to Zadina. Perhaps the two don’t see eye to eye, or Blashill may simply want Zadina to “earn it”. Either way, there seems to be a struggle for Zadina that goes beyond performance. He can put it all to rest by scoring. Pucks in the net are how you put a coach in a more awkward position. It is up to Filip to put pressure on Blashill and take a spot.
Interestingly, Abdelkader was practicing, rotating in and out with Perlini. Brendan Perlini has struggled to find his spot. Granted that the team is in transition, and not the easiest to find success with right now. Perlini and Fabbri have been polar opposites upon arrival in Detroit. Fabbri looked like he’d been with the team a while, jumping in and on the scoreboard. Perlini is still looking for his fit at this point.
The lineup doen’t inspire a feeling that the coaching staff are in any sort of hurry to think outside of the box. At the very least, different slotting indicates a willingness to accept that the old ways of distribution and usage haven’t been met with a great deal of success. This lineup feels like “steady as she goes” on a ship that is wildly off course.
Jeff Blashill certainly has a sympathetic ear when discussing the tools at his disposal. The pressure is far different than teams like Montreal and New Jersey where high ticket players are expected to deliver their teams into the post season. The issues directed toward coaching should be reserved for misuse and mismanagement of assets, even when expectations are low. I feel that the lineup today represents a flawed view and assessment of which players are best suited for which assignments. It is simply an opinion, and not a fact to any degree.
There is still time to be surprised when tomorrow’s game vs Pittsburgh starts. However, with an emphasis and getting all players on the right page, it is doubtful that there will be any significant movement. Tomorrow’s morning skate will likely cement what the on ice presentation will look like. We’ll take a look together with some pregame stats and thoughts.
Thank you to everyone who stops by to read and comment. Keep it coming!
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