[quote name='Matt Young']Well, I did like the number 7 before seeing the stats. Of course, that 7/1 in G/T includes my drop-in games if it's like last year. It's still terrible, regardless.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, it includes drop ins. The number isn't great, but not as bad as last year considering the shift in the scale. I thought you played pretty decent when you played with us especially since you hadn't played in months. There's just certain things you need to add to your game. There's a few people who are at this point where they've played for a few years and should be familiar enough with the game that it's time to step up to the next level and become a better player.
For you, your positioning is always good. We've discussed it as a team and everybody agrees that you generally always know where you should be on the ice. The thing holding you back is the lack of making plays. I don't know if it's a confidence thing or just trying to play it safe, but there are times both offensively and defensively where you'll hesitate. Either with rifling a big slap shot (ha...I almost typed "fap shot"...oh, Freud, you cheeky bastard), to going for a loose puck, to even going for a hit on defense (1 hit per game is pretty low for a dman).
Obviously, nobody wants to make a mistake, but all three of these things can be vital for a defenseman. Your teammates (well...the human ones anyway) are good enough to back you up, so don't be afraid to take chances here and there. If you're constantly missing or leaving your line partner out to dry, we'll let you know. But there's definitely nothing wrong with playing a little more aggressively.
up and hurt the team (and sometimes, afraid to get criticized). Guess I've always needed to work on that.
