Monday debate: a plus or a minus?

Consider this before you all want to side line a 2x Selke winner, an All-Star, an All-Rookie, and Stanley Cup Captain:

Ladd 14pts in last 10 games played vs. Ruutu 0pts in last 3gp.

Stillman 4pts in last 4gp vs. Eaves 1pt in last 3gp.
Cole 3pts in last 2gp vs. Pitkanen 2pts in last 3gp.

Bench JR because he is the reason the Canes are in this predicament, not just a single player who brings so much more to the team than any fan can understand [I tried to explain this in a post below].

The next chant along with "Mo must go", should be "Tar JR!"

Although I haven't ever really taken too much into consideration with the +/- stat, it is just that....a STAT. No one else on the team, or the league for that matter has a worse +/- stat. Look at Ray Whitney, with a -9, yet he still leads the team with 32 points so far and a 10 game streak. Look at last year, when Roddy got injured. Who took over??? Staal! Where did we go after that? A lot further than where our captain took us. I know that Roddy is approaching 700 career assists, good for any 38 year old hockey player. Not to mention that he has broken the top 50 marker in most points. I think that if retirement was coming, this would be the year to do it. If not, well......I don't think that you will see him wearing a canes jersey next season, if anyone will put a jersey on him at all. In fact this is the worst +/- that he has EVER had to date. Second came in 1999-2000 when we drafted him. I am not going to say that he isn't a beloved Cane, who we couldn't do without in the 06 run. Yet if he continues to show this performance, which is what this particular stat is for, we won't make it anywhere. I think that it also works to a opposing coaches advantage when making a line-up for a game. Put your toughest line against Roddy's line and you will score, do you really want that target on your back? I think of 2 possible scenario's. A). Put him on a line that he is more comfortable with...the fourth preferably. or B). Put him with Williams and Cullen, they seemed to have great chemistry in the 06 run, so why not now. I think that Mo needs to look more into him options within the team, instead of sticking him on the same line night in and night out. Roddy we love ya, but you may not last with these numbers.

+/- is skewed - negatively by playing against top lines or playing on a mediocre line, positively by short handed goals.   RB's +/- is definitely a sign of poor overall performance. 

 Being a great face-off center doesn't overshadow a lack of: *speed *backchecking* *physicality or *neutral zone control. In all of these areas, regrettably, RB is playing 4th line level if not AHL. Even his passing is suffering because of poor timing - a result of greatly reduced speed and agility.

The bad sign is that he isn't getting a lot better. In a recent pre-game interview he conceded the knee wouldn't be the same.

Cullen hasn't been stong enough yet to take over the #2 center and Sutter is best left @ #4 for now.

NEED: strong #2 center with size who can skate, screen goalies, backcheck, take faceoffs, has good hands, and is physical. Hard to obtain and cost big$.

#17 had a penchant for giving up the puck long before this season. BTW, Whitney has had his share of the same during the same time period, including this season. Williams the same. The latter two, though, seem to have a way of making up for the gaffs, but this season, Brindy has not. The team should trust the other players enough to give them more time and rest the players that are playing through injury or recovering or both. It couldn't hurt to put Sutter in a bit more-see if he can go longer minutes against other team's top lines. Or just play all lines = amount of time and stop leaning on 2 1/2 lines. Do you think the coaching staff reads this blog?

You voted for a lawyer/politician so you will get the same bull^*(%. They are all the same!! That is the reality of it.
Back to hockey, I could not agree more that Brind'Amour needs to be given less minutes. Everyone can say what they want about the plus/minus and if Brind'Amour were a -10, closer to Whitney then maybe you could say that plus/minus is misleading. He is a -26 and he needs less minutes! If he is still injured then, come back when you are ready.

is the best player the canes have ever had. he deserves your respect for the effort he's put into this franchise. is he nearing the end of his career? yes. has he lost something since the knee injury? yes. but he's still 3rd on the team in points, he still makes a contribution. the +/- is skewed by how crappy the power play/pk has been. i think there's a consensus that cutting his ice time will help him in the long run, but how do u tell the lead dog on the sled team that he needs to slack off? coach mo has a difficult task in front of him, but if he uses #17 wisely, rod can continue to be a big contributor to the canes success.

As a fan of Hockey...from the " Sports Entertainment " side of life, I feel very blessed no one here owns or has "controling interest" in the Carolina Huricanes Hockey Club,LLC ABC-XYZ, cause yall would fire someone's dead grandmother for not getting your cold beer to you fast enough cause of her Storm squad costume was too tight & not sexy enough too for ya as well! If this all you have to complain about...then folks...get a life... if yall would pay as much attention to your kids and grandkids as yall do wanting to chop off Brind'Amours head, North carolina could have had 2 Nobel Peace Prize winners in the US Senate instead of the 2 chuckle heads we got now...Give the man a break folks...can any of you with his injuries do any better ?? if not then you know what to do... Down in front...your ego is blocking the view of the little peoples...

Maybe when it's plus or minus 1 or 2 or 3. When it's -26 it's pretty telling. And it's apparent Cap't Rod is both struggling and keeping us from winning games or at least scoring goals that should lead to wins. Yeah, this about entertainment but it's also about competitiveness, pride (team and civic), spirit, sport, it's about having two seasons of not even making the playoffs after winning the Cup. That just ain't right. It's also about MONEY, that stuff that allows the Canes and the NHL to exist.

I kinda digress. Yes the Captain brings leadership to the ice and he is the 2nd in faceoffs but neither of those directly translate to goals nor wins. The question I'd ask of the coach, assts., GM, owner, and each player is: "Is what the Cap'n is bringing to each game sufficient, is it worth having an important player causing turn-overs and poor play leading to goals against and losses? What would be the best for all involved?" "Can you point out what leadership examples he provides ON the ice?" Not just generalities but specifics.

How about this for a monday debate... why is it that this blog is constantly scooped by Leafs Lunch, TSN, and any other credible outlets when it comes to roster moves and things of that nature?

Why should the readers here be the last to know that Frantisek Kaberle, who scored the GWG in Game 7 of the NHL Finals for us, has been waived?

Get it together, please. I assume that is a reasonable request.

I don't see how there can be any question about the fact that Rod is playing hurt. Remember the uproar here after the Friesen 5K? Do we think he just instantly healed? A back to back Selke winner doesn't just lose it overnight because he's aged a year or two. He's playing with a god-awful brace on his knee (you can clearly see it live) and will be for the rest of the year, if not his career. You can see the impact that has on his ability to protect the puck, hit and take hits.

 Plus/Minus can be mis-leading in some cases, but when you have a player that's that far out of whack with the rest of his team (much less his line mates), it comes down to how that player is being mis/over-used.
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence out there that suggests that Rod didn't let himself heal as he should have (his dad claiming he was lifting a day or two after the initial surgery, Rod's admission that he pushed that last couple hundred yards of the 5K, on top of his general workout ethic).

In light of this, I think his minutes have to go down. I have no idea what his off-ice routine is, but that should be looked at as well. Limit his use on the power-play, make judicious use of him on the PK, and yes, play with a 3rd/4th line assignment to see how it goes.  No way do you take away the 'C' though, that won't improve his play (or anyone else's) and would only be a distraction and a slap in the face to one of the classiest guys in the entire NHL.

While the +/- might be misleading, it can't be that misleading if the former Selke winner is the worst in the league. The captain's gaffs have been very costly-- bad decisons with the puck which are resulting in advantages for the other team-- not to mention he's a step or two behind. It appears that time is catching up. Don't understand why Cullen's line hasn't moved up-- it appears to be time.

Wears his battle scars well wether on the ice or off. Grant you he may NOT be a Wayne or Bobby Orr type of sanctified HOFer...but he will get to the HOF one day...as it was because of his ability to overcome and endure what many of us or other players from different sports could never ever do. Peronally and while no one here really gives a flying fig what I think or have to say...The Good Captain would love to have better stats,a few more goals and points on the books. But as a TEAM Player...the captain does his best with what he has, and isn't complaing ...is he ? But to we, the micro-wave pop corn, instant gratification,i want another Cup or else whiney & fickled sports fans...The captains efforts are no longer good enough...remember that when your boss or plant & company manager comes up to you and says....Sorry your + & - just aint cutting it no more...shape up or you're history...that just after you had major re-constructive knee surgery...but i forgot...in the reality of what have you done for me lately...i was toast and history 35 years ago...esteban goes for a webster's dictionary and looks up the words...Sports Entertainment...hmmm...

Rod leads the league in Face off %, Mike Richards is second in the league. His leadership and determination earn him a spot on the ice, not his +/-.

Watch 2006 Stanley Cup DVD to remind yourselves what Brind'Amour means to this team's fans and organization. As long as Brindy plays for Canes he is a captain and a top 2 line center.  Agree or disagree, it's a fact.  I am OK with it, he deserves to retire when he is ready.  He earned that right by leading this franchise to a Stanley Cup.