On Tuesday, NJ.com ran an article saying that often penalized, 7th defender Sheldon Brookbank was going to be moved to the wing position. No, this is not a November edition of April Fool’s, believe me, I wish it was, but Brookbank will more than likely take the ice tonight as a winger on the 4th line against the Panthers.
Typically, I would reserve commenting on my take on the concept until I see the product on the ice, but this one is just too ripe for picking.
My first “Huh?” movement came when I saw the headline and realized it wasn’t a joke. Brookbank is arguably a waste of space for a younger player. Yes, he is a player with NHL experience, but the experience he brings is marginal. He is also synonomous with taking bad penalties in the defensive zone. Now, he’ll just take a bad penalty when they have a rare chance to score.
The next moment came his answers in the interview conducted by Rich Chere. Brookbank said, "As a defenseman you play under a lot more control. If you miss your check, you're the last guy." Is he serious with that comment? His puck handling blunders have already cost the team a handful of goals. Errant passes and a below average shot add to the list of minuses on his resume. What part of his game does he think he does under control? Sure moving him from the blue line down to the lower part of the offensive zone could cut down on turnovers from bad shots or awful passes. And this could eliminate odd man rushes against the 3rd defensive pair. It opens up a major liability on the wing of the 4th line. These deep turnovers can kill a rush or nullify a scoring chance.
With this gem, "I don't really think its rocket science the role they want me in on the wing… I just think they want a good forecheck." I really began to wonder if he was being serious or not. I truly wonder if he actually believes the malarkey he is spewing or not. At what point, NHL or below, has someone sat him down and said, “Son, you could be a real weapon on offense if you were ever given the chance.”? He struggles to keep up with the opponents on the blue-line, how will he be able to skate with our own forwards? Granted one of his linemates will be Mike Rupp, the question will be how well they gel.
The worst part, above all of Brookbank’s arrogance and almost alien confidence, is what does this move say about: A) the farm team and B) the confidence in the offensive players on the NHL roster. To me, this is on the same level as a pee-wee coach letting his players play wherever they want because their season is over or there is nothing left to play for. I feel like this is the kind of experiment you make in the preseason or when you really just don’t give a crap about the team anymore.
Seriously, there is no better option out there?? Really Brent and Lou, really? There is not one player who’s a free agent for a temp fix or someone in the minors who could make a better contribution than Sheldon freaking Brookbank?!
I really hope this moves proves to be more beneficial than I fear it will. Tonight, the Devils open up a 4 game stretch of winnable games, including two against the Florida Panthers, tonight at home and then next Wednesday in Miami. The Wednesday game will be the 2nd of five in a row on the road for the Devils. I truly believe that four wins is doable, but at worst they should aim for three wins in the next four games.
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