The biggest problem with Carle is that he has no sexy in his game. This isnt a knock either. Look at at all of the things that really draw the attention.
Blazing speed: nope.. but he is a solid skater.
Rocket/Great point shot: Nope.. but he can manage a few every now and then.
Big hitter: get real
Beautiful passer: Yes and no. Yes in the sense that he has a very solid first pass.. no in the sense that he isnt making passes like other guys in the league with big names (Letang, Karlson, Doughty)
Shutdown D-man: No.. he is a very solid d-man, and can match up against tough competition, but he isnt a true shutdown d-man.
Offensive D-man.. Well he put up something like 70 points over the past 2 seasons so he has some offense, but 65 of those 70 points are off assists.. and god only knows how many of them are secondary assists. Look at a guy like Letang. He has 17 goals and 69 assists in his last 129 games. That is an offensive d-man.
Carle is very sufficient in nearly all facets of the game, but he doesnt standout among the best any single part. - jak521
Part of what bothers me is when the facts aren't applied and Carle's production is minimized. Such as God only knows how many of his assists are secondary assists. Wouldn't it be behooven to know how many of his assists are secondary and Primary assists?
Not enough to warrant 5.5M-6M per year (for a player that isnt a top tier defenseman). Once again I'm not "knocking" Carle bc I dont want people taking it the wrong way. He is good but not on the level of some of the other players we have talked about today. - stveshdy
Those two things don't go together. Top tier defenseman don't make 5.5-6M in Free Agency. They make far more then that.
wilsonecho91 Season Ticket Holder Philadelphia Flyers
Location: A dream to some...a nightmare to others, AK Joined: 11.13.2007
Mar 28 @ 6:48 PM ET
picking between Fox and Alba is like picking between Stamkos and Giroux...
I think it was Jak who illustrated before, there isn't any aspect of Carle's game that stands out. He's a good puck mover, that cannot be understated, but his lack of physicality, popgun shot, and glaring mistakes stand out as weaknesses in my eyes.
I don't like having Carle play on the PP, but without Pronger, and Meszaros, Laviolette's options are somewhat limited. I'm not a fan of having any of the Flyers forwards play the point. Carle doesn't have a shot that can get through traffic, it gets blocked time and again. I wouldn't mind seeing more of Kubina on the power play. - PLindbergh31
That's one thing that I think is more myth then fact at this point. And that's Carle's glaring mistakes. He has gotten better and better with the puck since he's been here. Sure one happened last game, but before that, other then the same giveaways that every other defenseman makes, they are rare. Like I said Carle has 3 giveaways that have led directly to goals this year, compared with 7 for Timonen accoriding to the stats that were posted the other day.
As far as Carle on the PP. Other then lacking a big shot, not sure why you don't like him on the PP. Carle is tied for 26th among NHL defenseman in PP points. Compare those above him who play far more minutes on the PP then Carle does. And Carle plays on the 2nd PP unit without the League's top PP scorer in Giroux, and the top PP goal leader in Hartnell. So Carle's PP production is solid for the situation.
What you see as weaknesses, two of the 3 are far overblown and inaccurate. Having a big, hard shot is not the only element of playing the point on the PP. Carle while not a big hitter, is not a player that has an issue playing down low in his coverages. The glaring mistakes that you reference, don't happen that often.
How so? Grossmann, Coburn and Meszaros don't move the puck anywhere near as well as Carle does. Laviolette's system heavily relies on puck movement from the defense to the forwards.
Defensive defensemen are usually cheaper and easier to acquire than puck movers who do a good job picking up PP points like Carle does. Look at what was traded for Carle: A former first round draft choice and a guy who had been an OK top six defenseman. Grossmann was acquired for 2nd and 3rd rounders.
Look at the the cap hits: Carle's hit is more than double Grossmann's.
Location: it's been 84 years, AZ Joined: 01.02.2007
Mar 28 @ 8:03 PM ET
How so? Grossmann, Coburn and Meszaros don't move the puck anywhere near as well as Carle does. Laviolette's system heavily relies on puck movement from the defense to the forwards.
Defensive defensemen are usually cheaper and easier to acquire than puck movers who do a good job picking up PP points like Carle does. Look at what was traded for Carle: A former first round draft choice and a guy who had been an OK top six defenseman. Grossmann was acquired for 2nd and 3rd rounders.
Look at the the cap hits: Carle's hit is more than double Grossmann's. - Jsaquella
1-800-GROSSMANN. leave the last N off for savings.
Exactly my point. People harp on him when he does something bad, but totally ignore the good.
If they let Carle walk, he would be harder to replace than anyone not named Kimmo Timonen - Jsaquella
There is room for criticism of any player, including Carle. But when an opinion of Carle is given that is heavily weighted towards the negative, it's just simply not fact based. It's based on an unwarranted bias, or something else.
Damn, Tampa Bay signed JT Brown, a NCAA FA the Flyers were highly interested in. Helluva a player, would have been a nice addition. He'll probably be playing for the Bolts by the weekend
Location: it's been 84 years, AZ Joined: 01.02.2007
Mar 28 @ 8:05 PM ET
Damn, Tampa Bay signed JT Brown, a NCAA FA the Flyers were highly interested in. Helluva a player, would have been a nice addition. He'll probably be playing for the Bolts by the weekend - Jsaquella
the post TDL undrafted signees are not playoff eligible, correct?
There is room for criticism of any player, including Carle. But when an opinion of Carle is given that is heavily weighted towards the negative, it's just simply not factual based. It's based on an unwarranted bias, or something else. - MJL
There's little objectivity when it comes to him, and it's not just here on HB.
the post TDL undrafted signees are not playoff eligible, correct? - hammarby31
He wouldn't be eligible for the playoffs, however, he almost certainly signed with Tampa to get to the NHL ASAP. In fact, I believe he burns a year off his deal by playing this year.
