The Contrarian – It isn’t easy being Green
MD
2014-11-02
The Contrarian argues that Mike Green is being showcased by the Capitals.
Last week I touched upon the topic of a player being showcased. That was in reference to Nail Yakupov and my conclusion was that he wasn't. This week, however, I am going to be looking at Mike Green and I believe that he is being showcased even if it hasn't been intentional.
An article by Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post titled, "Mike Green showing Washington Capitals Coach Barry Trotz the real story" details his positive start to the season.
Coach Trotz must have a green thumb. He has eight points in eight games. Tied with Andre Burakovsky for the team lead. Prewitt adds "His seven even-strength points lead all NHL defensemen" and that his Corsi-for percentage ranks sixth.
He's been given the green light, "Last season, conservative principles caged Green inside the defensive zone. Now, if Green sees a scoring opportunity, the Capitals hope he grabs it" writes Prewitt.
His defensive partner Nate Schmidt says "Maybe last year wasn't the right fit for him within our system. Whatever the case may be, I think he's back to where he wants to be, playing the way he wants to play, the way he knows he's capable of going. It just makes a big difference."
"Even though his average ice time has dropped by more than two minutes from last season, but his competition also weakened and offensive zone starts increased. The Capitals handed shutdown assignments elsewhere, because they wanted more from Green" continues Prewitt.
Other teams would be (or should be) green with envy from his resurgence. He hasn't seen this kind of production since the 2009-10 season when he scored 76 points in 75 games.
As you know the grass is always greener on the other side of the ice. The problem is Green's history of injury and the cost of his services.
George Foussekis, of The Hockey Writers, wrote an article on May 8th, 2014 called "Mike Green: Enigma or Misused?" which highlights some of his recent injuries.
As for the contract, Darren Dreger indicates that "there's been little to no contract discussions" in his recent article on TSN.ca called "Dreger Report: Likelihood of more video review; what's in store for Mike Green?" The final season of his current contract pays him a little over six million, if he does well he'll be up for a raise. Can the Capitals afford to pay him more when they will need to look at the expiring contracts of Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Braden Holtby.
In his article, Foussekis sees that Green can be revived and even speculated how it would come about. "In order for him to be saved, he needs a competent coach and a quality defensive partner who can help him gain confidence" and "He needs the right coach who can bring him out of his shell and he needs the right defensive partner who can let him play like a loose cannon on the ice."
Related Posts
UPCOMING GAMES
BUF
N.JStarting Goalies
Top Skater Views
| Players | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| TRAVIS KONECNY |
 PHI | |
| MARCO ROSSI |
 MIN | |
| AARON EKBLAD |
 FLA | |
| COLE PERFETTI |
 WPG | |
| NILS HOGLANDER |
 VAN
| |
Top Goalie Profile Views
TOR
CGY
LINE COMBOS
| Frequency |
WPG Players
| |
|---|---|---|
| 21.9 | NINO NIEDERREITER ADAM LOWRY MASON APPLETON | |
| 15.5 | COLE PERFETTI SEAN MONAHAN KYLE CONNOR | |
| 14.1 | GABRIEL VILARDI MARK SCHEIFELE NIKOLAJ EHLERS | |
DobberHockey Podcasts
Fantasy Hockey Life: Florida Panthers with Colby Guy
Colby Guy joins the show to talk about the Cup champs. We discuss Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Evan Rodrigues, Anton Lundell, Mackie Samoskevich, Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Nate Schmidt, Adam Boqvist, Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight. In-Goal Magazine’s Cat Silverman joins in our Cat’s Instincts segment to discuss Spencer Knight and […]
Fantasy Hockey Life: Boston Bruins with Fluto Shinzawa
Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic joins Victor and Jesse to talk Boston Bruins. They discuss David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, Matthew Poitras, Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Jeremy Swayman, and Joonas Korpisalo. In-Goal Magazine’s Cat Silverman joins in our Cat’s Instincts segment to discuss Brandon Bussi and Michael DiPietro. […]
Fantasy Hockey Life: Brian Hedger on the Columbus Blue Jackets
Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch joins the show to look forward to next year’s Blue Jackets.
Fantasy Hockey Life: Nashville Predators with Bryan Bastin
Bryan Bastin of On the Forecheck joins Victor and Jesse to talk Nashville Predators. They discuss pros Filip Forsberg, Gustav Nyquist, Ryan O’Reilly, Tommy Novak, Luke Evangelista, Philip Tomasino, Cody Glass, Roman Josi, Alexandre Carrier, Juuse Saros, Kevin Lankinen, Yaroslav Askarov, Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. In-Goal Magazine’s Cat Silverman joins in our […]
Fantasy Hockey Life: Toronto Maple Leafs with Cindy Caron
The Toronto Maple Leafs made it to a Game 7 overtime but were frustrated again in the playoffs. Recorded pre-free agency, Cindy Caron of I-Express.ca joins Victor and Jesse to go over the pro roster: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, Matthew Knies, Bobby McMann, Morgan Rielly, Timothy Liljegren, […]