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Ryan Murphy

I agree, he is looking very good in last couple of games. Potentially another reason to move Sekera if his contract demands are crazy is to keep Murphy in the NHL. I think it is time for him to begin NHL development as he appears ready to move up.
 
dwind said:
I see nothing wrong with having Sekera and Murphy on the same team.
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I agree with you, Dennis. Unless you get another GM to overpay in a trade and if you can re-sign Sekera to a fair-market-value deal without excessive restrictions, you sign him to an extension before he hits the open market. He'll be 29 this June and in the prime of his career.
 
If we are trying to sign Sekera before the trade deadline and it becomes clear he is not going to sign, NOT trading Sekera for ANYTHING would be extremely foolish.

I'm still of the opinion that if he hits the open market SOMEONE is going to be willing to go 7 years at over $5 million per year. If the Canes are not willing to go there with a contract for Sekera (right or wrong choice) I think Sekera would be doing himself a disservice by not hitting the open market and seeing just how much money he could get. As stated above, he is in the prime of his career and at a point where his next contract should be his biggest and most lucrative.
 
Not only was that a beauty one touch feed to Jordan, he also started the breakout in his own end by seperating a much larger forward from the puck with a well timed shoulder bump. I also was impressed at how fast he got down the ice afterwards.
 
Murphy is definitely getting better, the improvement is visible. Its a process with these young DMen, it could take an additional 3-4 years before Murphy has it all figured out and is a solid NHL offensive DMan who doesn't completely kill you in his own zone. That was a heck of a sweet play the other night by him, you can see the talent with a play like that for sure.

Murphy's stats also tell the story.... 5 assists in 13 NHL games this year and EVEN on +/- . That's about a 30 assist pace for a full season which is pretty good for a 21 year old DMan. At some point he is going to pot some goals as well, but I'll take a blueliner capable of 30 assists and an even rating on this team.
 
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dwind said:
I see nothing wrong with having Sekera and Murphy on the same team.
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I don't either but I think it's borderline lunacy to have Murphy and Liles on the same team. You MAYBE can get away with one offensive minded d-man who can't find an assignment in his own end but trying to play with two of them is just flat stupid.
 
Those that were watching the Avalanche game on TV saw this, but I went to the DVR afterward for the goals and intermission interviews.

Ryan Murphy was one of those interviews and he said something to the effect that it was no secret that he didn't know much about the defensive coverages run here (implying the NHL) when he got here. Then went on to thank the coaches in Charlotte for getting him more familiar in reading coverages and knowing what to do.

He really was an excellent interview. No cliches and thoughtful answers.
 
Elsker said:
Those that were watching the Avalanche game on TV saw this, but I went to the DVR afterward for the goals and intermission interviews.

Ryan Murphy was one of those interviews and he said something to the effect that it was no secret that he didn't know much about the defensive coverages run here (implying the NHL) when he got here. Then went on to thank the coaches in Charlotte for getting him more familiar in reading coverages and knowing what to do.

He really was an excellent interview. No cliches and thoughtful answers.
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So Dave Lewis really was the problem? He had been out of coaching for 4 years before Muller brought him aboard. Is it possible that he was overrated as a defensive coach? Looking back at his 13 years as an assistant in Detroit, how many good dmen did he develop? Lidstrom and...? Konstantinov was only 24 when he came to Detroit but he had 7 years at CSKA Moscow before that. Steve Chiasson? Jesse Wallin? Aaron Ward?
 
Yeah, the Kevin Lowe hire is looking more and more like genius, especially when you consider how no one thought we'd be able to extract any consistent play from this rag-tag bunch.
 
I'm sure you mean Steve Smith not Kevin Lowe. And yes he's done an outstanding job.
 
andyt said:
So Dave Lewis really was the problem? He had been out of coaching for 4 years before Muller brought him aboard. Is it possible that he was overrated as a defensive coach? Looking back at his 13 years as an assistant in Detroit, how many good dmen did he develop? Lidstrom and...? Konstantinov was only 24 when he came to Detroit but he had 7 years at CSKA Moscow before that. Steve Chiasson? Jesse Wallin? Aaron Ward?
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The problem with Lewis, at least as I see it, was twofold:

1. He was extremely successful in developing d-men IN THE DETROIT SYSTEM. Scotty set up their coverages, and they've been carried forward by everybody who has followed. But don't kid yourself ... it was Scotty Bowman's system and HE did the developing. And was one of the best coaches in the history of hockey.

2. We got him old and didn't run anything like the system he had spent most of his career working in. Something about old dogs and new tricks could apply here, but you could see the results even with novice eyes. Guys would come in here and get progressively worse as they stuck around. That's a pretty clear indication of a problem.
 
andyt said:
So Dave Lewis really was the problem? He had been out of coaching for 4 years before Muller brought him aboard. Is it possible that he was overrated as a defensive coach? Looking back at his 13 years as an assistant in Detroit, how many good dmen did he develop? Lidstrom and...? Konstantinov was only 24 when he came to Detroit but he had 7 years at CSKA Moscow before that. Steve Chiasson? Jesse Wallin? Aaron Ward?
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Actually, JR brought Dave Lewis aboard after Lavi left and he was here with Maurice, Brind'Amour and Barrasso. Muller inherited Lewis. As I recall, Lewis called JR to discuss a friend looking for a position and JR ended up hiring Dave Lewis. I think Lewis may have been KMac's replacement. I am at an age where I don't remember as much as I used to, but I think that's the chain of events on that one.
 
SlapShots said:
Actually, JR brought Dave Lewis aboard after Lavi left and he was here with Maurice, Brind'Amour and Barrasso. Muller inherited Lewis. As I recall, Lewis called JR to discuss a friend looking for a position and JR ended up hiring Dave Lewis. I think Lewis may have been KMac's replacement. I am at an age where I don't remember as much as I used to, but I think that's the chain of events on that one.
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You're closer than I was. In 10-11, Francis and Rowe were behind the bench with Mo. For 11-12, Francis moved back upstairs and Rowe moved to the pro scouting staff. Lewis was Tom Rowe's replacement, Brindy replaced Francis although Barrasso was behind the bench. Then when Muller came, he brought MacLean in to replace Barrasso behind the bench.
 
I think Murphy needed some time and stability to continue his growth both physically and mentally....especially with confidence. The AHL worked for him this year thus far. I am torn on if Murphy should stay up the rest of the year or go back to Charlotte. He seems ready to stay up and I hope that is the right move for his long term development.

One of the misconceptions about Peters/Francis is they are getting more out of the "youth" than other coaches/GMs have in Carolina. I am not so sure that is true.....yet. Looking at the "youth" in Carolina as we pass the half way point and it doesn't seem too different than in years past. Boychuk has washed out again as usual.....Terry seems headed that way....and Nash is marginally better this year in an expanded role. The only real breakthrough is Rask and that seems to be more related to timing and physical development as much as anything. Maybe he was just ready to contribute and got his chance?

I would like to believe that Peters and Francis are doing a better job with youth and development than past regimes but I don't think there is real data to support that yet. I really boils down to if the guys are ready and talented enough to play as Faulk, Skinner, Lindholm, etc. had no problem getting on the ice in years past. Maybe the best moves that have happened this year is to just leave the guys alone (Fleury) and don't rush them (Murphy) versus years past.
 
Let's please keep in mind that Murphy still has a long, long way to go to gain competence in his own end. He's better, yes ... but still not good. He has regained some confidence in the attacking end, which makes up for the other stuff some. But he's still barely hanging on when the puck gets deep in our D zone.
 
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