Greene steps up in Martin's absence

[stevestevens]

Greene steps up in Martin's absence

NEWARK, N.J. -- New Jersey Devils defenseman Andy Greene knows how quickly the tide can turn for a player looking to gain the trust of a head coach in the NHL these days.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=505230

[DuffMan4027]

Good article i love how Greene has been playin. Last year I hated seeing him in the line up now i think with Martin and Oduya out he could easily be the best defenseman on the team.

[xxchaznjxx]

i don't know what the pairings will look like when everyone is healthy, but right now greene has to be top 4:

martin oduya

salvador greene

white mottau

fraser murphy

i never liked the martin oduya pairing. i thought they should be split up to let oduya take advantage of the offense he can bring. and i've really liked the way fraser has played too.

i don't hate mottau and i don't think he should be benched, but i wouldn't mind seeing fraser play so we could have:

martin white

salvador greene

fraser(or mottau) oduya

[Devils731]

Fraser barely plays even when he's in the lineup so I don't think he's going to take away any of Moattau's time.

[Prucenterrules]

I think when everyone is healthy the pairings will be

Martin-Salvador: Martin can go up knowing Salvador will cover for him.

Oduya-Greene: Both play solid offensively and defensively and would work well together.

Mottau-White: They have been together for awhile and seem to work well together.

Fraser- Extra D-man

Murphy will most likely be sent back down.

[Devs4LIFE]

I have to say I have never been the biggest Green fan and have bashed him several times but I was wrong, he is playing great.

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

Can't see Greene and Salvador getting split up just yet. Why mess with something good. White and Mottau are even playing well so its only Martin and Oduya.

[SatansDevils]

Greene has been the Devils best defenseman since all the injuries have occured. Glad to see we have some believers here now and the non-believers seem to have disappeared as of late. Good for Greene and the Devils. He is only in his 3rd season and will only get even better for the Devils.

[DevilinLA]

Greene has been the Devils best defenseman since all the injuries have occured. Glad to see we have some believers here now and the non-believers seem to have disappeared as of late. Good for Greene and the Devils. He is only in his 3rd season and will only get even better for the Devils.

Oh, come on, enough SD, get over it.

He's playing well so we are all happy of course.

All credit due to him, and its surely helping this team - no doubt.

When he was playing poorly he was getting bashed.

Simple as that.

There's no "juju" or fortune telling here. People don't "hate" for the sake of "hate", the judge by whats happening on the ice, not silly "mancrushes" or whatnot.

And for all those content to come out and "take there bows" for Greene's success - please go ahead and tell us who are next break out defensman is right now.

Go Andy go - keep it up!

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

Greene has been the Devils best defenseman since all the injuries have occured. Glad to see we have some believers here now and the non-believers seem to have disappeared as of late. Good for Greene and the Devils. He is only in his 3rd season and will only get even better for the Devils.

Cant say i dissagree that he has been our best D man of late , but your last statement is hardly anything but certain.

I think the problem most had with Greene (Myself included, even though i like him as a player and always thought he deserved his chance) was that he needed to be consistant.

It looks as though he may have turned a corner, but IMO it still hasn't been long enough to judge if he has made the jump.

After 40 or 50 games we will see where he is and where he goes from here.

[devlman]

I have to say I have never been the biggest Green fan and have bashed him several times but I was wrong, he is playing great.

Great, now lets have all the others come out and admit they were wrong on the awesomeness of Greene

[DevilinLA]

Great, now lets have all the others come out and admit they were wrong on the awesomeness of Greene

While everyone is enjoying taking there bows....

Lets get one thing straight, with all due respect to Greene's play and his supporters.

Anyone who thought based on his last two seasons of play (what he displayed on the ice), that Greene was capable of what we see now is other flat out lying or related by blood.

People are standing up and giving credit where credit is due, yet some here continue to play the role of Conte and say they "knew it all along"

Prior to these injuries there was little (on the ice) too suggest that he was capable of this, so it was a natural assumption.

If he can keep this up for half a season I'll be happy.

Edited November 9, 2009 by DevilinLA

[devlman]

While everyone is enjoying taking there bows....

Lets get one thing straight, with all due respect to Greene's play and his supporters.

Anyone who thought based on his last two seasons of play (what he displayed on the ice), that Greene was capable of what we see now is other flat out lying or related by blood.

People are standing up and giving credit where credit is due, yet some here continue to play the role of Conte and say they "knew it all along"

Prior to these injuries there was little (on the ice) too suggest that he was capable of this, so it was a natural assumption.

If he can keep this up for half a season I'll be happy.

Youre dead wrong, sorry. The reason Greene has his supporters is because of the flashes of promise he has shown over the past two years. Think about it, why else would they have been preaching his promise all along? You dont have to be Conte to have seen his potential.

[Devils731]

Youre dead wrong, sorry. The reason Greene has his supporters is because of the flashes of promise he has shown over the past two years. Think about it, why else would they have been preaching his promise all along? You dont have to be Conte to have seen his potential.

So these same people should be saying we need to wait 100 games before judging Murphy? Or that Afinogenov is still a superstar in the making because of some flashes he shows? I mean come on, Greene didn't even play this well during his flashes before and at other times, the larger majority of the times, he was flat out brutal. Even Lemaire said this level of play couldn't have been expected and he was the coach coming in with a fresh set of eyes after Greene getting 100+ games of experience.

[devlman]

So these same people should be saying we need to wait 100 games before judging Murphy? Or that Afinogenov is still a superstar in the making because of some flashes he shows? I mean come on, Greene didn't even play this well during his flashes before and at other times, the larger majority of the times, he was flat out brutal. Even Lemaire said this level of play couldn't have been expected and he was the coach coming in with a fresh set of eyes after Greene getting 100+ games of experience.

Well obviously you cant get the full picture from a few flashes, but combining that with some his game and one can draw a decent opinion on him.

I'm not saying hes the next Scotty Nieds but ive said all along the kid deserves to be one of our top 6

[DevilinLA]

Well obviously you cant get the full picture from a few flashes, but combining that with some his game and one can draw a decent opinion on him.

I'm not saying hes the next Scotty Nieds but ive said all along the kid deserves to be one of our top 6

He played nearly two seasons and at times was downright dreadful, yet people only seemed to remember the 3 games or so he made some offensive plays in.....and now, convienently, its ALL Brent Sutter's fault. On the same token, people are ready to bury Murphy after not even 20 games.

I agree AG has earned his way into the top 6 right now, but that's only from this season.

Anyone saying they saw this "all the way" on the ice from him in the past 2 seasons is flat out lying.

If he can keep this up it will be great.

[devlman]

He played nearly two seasons and at times was downright dreadful, yet people only seemed to remember the 3 games or so he made some offensive plays in.....and now, convienently, its ALL Brent Sutter's fault. On the same token, people are ready to bury Murphy after not even 20 games.

I agree AG has earned his way into the top 6 right now, but that's only from this season.

Anyone saying they saw this "all the way" on the ice from him in the past 2 seasons is flat out lying.

If he can keep this up it will be great.

Not at all. Sure, Greene was still growing and coming into his own the past two years, but anyone watching him then could still see he had promise. Cory Murphy, on the other hand, has none. You need 20 games to see this?

[DevilinLA]

Not at all. Sure, Greene was still growing and coming into his own the past two years, but anyone watching him then could still see he had promise. Cory Murphy, on the other hand, has none. You need 20 games to see this?

Right, and I guess we just take you at "your word". How about some fact instead of just infatuation.

Watching AG over the last 2 seasons gave no indictions that he was capable of this from what he did on the ice.

[devlman]

Right, and I guess we just take you at "your word". How about some fact instead of just infatuation.

Watching AG over the last 2 seasons gave no indictions that he was capable of this from what he did on the ice.

I dont know what fact you need. It was clear as day to me...maybe i was just watching him closer. All you need is a little hockey sense to see someone's promise. Im sorry if you didnt see it, at least now you do.

[SatansDevils]

Andy Greene was not really given the chance to play under Brent Sutter for some odd reasons he had towards Greene. Lemaire comes in "the defensive guru" as he is known for and Andy Greene gets the chance to play and is showing why he belongs in the starting line up night in and night out. He keeps getting better and now has earned a starting job for the Devils. greene plays the most ice time now and has been the Devils best defenseman thus far this season.

When Oduya and Martin comeback from their injuries, Greene will still be in the line up and like someone said here (don't remember who) it will be Mottau that will drop to the 3rd line of defense. Greene will be on the 1st or 2nd line of defense for the Devils. He has deserved this and has been showing this out on the ice.

[DevilinLA]

I dont know what fact you need. It was clear as day to me...maybe i was just watching him closer. All you need is a little hockey sense to see someone's promise. Im sorry if you didnt see it, at least now you do.

Enough with the bullsh!t here.

Many here want to go out of there way for taking credit in "seeing AG's hidden promise" for his success now, but do little to provide any evidence other than there "superior sense of hockey evaluation". Please! I call mancrush....

He had so much "promise" that he benched or scratched himself most nights.? ...that he was consistently beaten to the puck or destroyed along the boards?...that I watched Sutter scream at this guy for two games straight behind the bench out here in So. Cal? .... oh but those mighty 3 games of offense!!!!

I can maybe buy into SD's theory that Sutter did not have the touch that JL has with young players in terms of defensive position and teaching. Maybe Brent was too inexperienced to see when he began to struggle the best way to get the most out of Andy? Maybe he just didn't like him? Who knows.

I'm happy Greene is succeeding.

Fact is, he's playing great now - and I believe JL to be a huge part of that.

FACT ALSO IS - he was atrocious for 2 seasons and never showed any of the consitency, good positioning or confidence he has now. He is playing to his strengths.

Anyone who says they "saw otherwise" needs to provide something tangible to convince the majority here who saw "bizzaro Andy" for 2 seasons other than just "hockey sense". Because the scorecard, his stats, or ice time certainly doesn't show it. Neither does that fact that Lou went to grab Havelid to fill his spot for a playoff run. I can happily admit to being wrong on him (maybe by mid-season), but not based on any prior evidence.

Also, the idea of "dropping Mottau down" is foolish. Mottau plays with White because both coaches have apparently seen chemistry. They are strict shutdown positional pair. Splitting them up for some kind of "AG promotion" is foolish considering Greene is already doing a hell of a job producing in the role he has now.

[devlman]

Enough with the bullsh!t here.

Many here want to go out of there way for taking credit in "seeing AG's hidden promise" for his success now, but do little to provide any evidence other than there "superior sense of hockey evaluation". Please! I call mancrush....

He had so much "promise" that he benched or scratched himself most nights.? ...that he was consistently beaten to the puck or destroyed along the boards?...that I watched Sutter scream at this guy for two games straight behind the bench out here in So. Cal? .... oh but those mighty 3 games of offense!!!!

I can maybe buy into SD's theory that Sutter did not have the touch that JL has with young players in terms of defensive position and teaching. Maybe Brent was too inexperienced to see when he began to struggle the best way to get the most out of Andy? Maybe he just didn't like him? Who knows.

I'm happy Greene is succeeding.

Fact is, he's playing great now - and I believe JL to be a huge part of that.

FACT ALSO IS - he was atrocious for 2 seasons and never showed any of the consitency, good positioning or confidence he has now. He is playing to his strengths.

Anyone who says they "saw otherwise" needs to provide something tangible to convince the majority here who saw "bizzaro Andy" for 2 seasons other than just "hockey sense". Because the scorecard, his stats, or ice time certainly doesn't show it. Neither does that fact that Lou went to grab Havelid to fill his spot for a playoff run. I can happily admit to being wrong on him (maybe by mid-season), but not based on any prior evidence.

Also, the idea of "dropping Mottau down" is foolish. Mottau plays with White because both coaches have apparently seen chemistry. They are strict shutdown positional pair. Splitting them up for some kind of "AG promotion" is foolish considering Greene is already doing a hell of a job producing in the role he has now.

See the post before you re: his time under Sutter. Greene was also developing then, so its normal he'd have made bonehead plays. Every now and then you'd see some promise within his development though. Its not hard to comprehend. If you didnt see it, fine. Glad youre seeing now what many have seen developing the past year or so.

Edited November 12, 2009 by devlman

[DevilinLA]

See the post before you re: his time under Sutter. Greene was also developing then, so its normal he'd have made bonehead plays. Every now and then you'd see some promise within his development though. Its not hard to comprehend. If you didnt see it, fine. Glad youre seeing now what many have seen developing the past year or so.

Your reaching quite a bit.

It wasn't "promise" marred by a few bonehead plays, it was quite the contrary:

"Beaten defensively on a regular basis, with an occasional flash of offense"

Not only did I not see it, Neither did the scoreboard, the coaches, this board, and the majority of posters on most Devils message boards.

We always new he had a touch for offense, it was his defensive game that lacked....JL has helped that aspect.

I challenge most of these folks "gifted with hockey sense beyond the masses" to tell us who is our next defensive star......crickets......thought so.

Edited November 12, 2009 by DevilinLA

[MadDog2020]

While everyone is enjoying taking there bows....

Lets get one thing straight, with all due respect to Greene's play and his supporters.

Anyone who thought based on his last two seasons of play (what he displayed on the ice), that Greene was capable of what we see now is other flat out lying or related by blood.

People are standing up and giving credit where credit is due, yet some here continue to play the role of Conte and say they "knew it all along"

Prior to these injuries there was little (on the ice) too suggest that he was capable of this, so it was a natural assumption.

If he can keep this up for half a season I'll be happy.

This.

[SatansDevils]

Your reaching quite a bit.

It wasn't "promise" marred by a few bonehead plays, it was quite the contrary:

"Beaten defensively on a regular basis, with an occasional flash of offense"

Not only did I not see it, Neither did the scoreboard, the coaches, this board, and the majority of posters on most Devils message boards.

We always new he had a touch for offense, it was his defensive game that lacked....JL has helped that aspect.

I challenge most of these folks "gifted with hockey sense beyond the masses" to tell us who is our next defensive star......crickets......thought so.

Next one will be Matthew Corrente.

DevilinLA, I always respected your posts and thoughts.

I do agree with you that Greene has shown some flashiness the first two years and also not doing too good either. That falls in the hands of Brent Sutter by not getting the best out of Andy Greene when we all knew he had talent and could be a good defenseman in the NHL and for the Devils. It has nothing to do with your fixation of these "man crushes" as you call it. It is just some of us fans watching and keeping and eye out on certain players we like to follow on this team. I never gave up on Andy Greene like some here wanted him gone and off the team. You have your favorites on this Devils team like Salvador and Mottau in which you always defend. Same goes for the Andy Greene supporters.

Since the end of last season Mottau has just been flat out terrible on defense and he is the one now that is beaten all the time "defensively on a regular basis." He has just been bad since last seasons playoffs. To each is own when it comes to certain players on this team.

Greene has come a long way and with the right coach like Lemaire he is showing that he belongs. The key is the right coach and the right coach teaching. Sutter and Greene did not see eye to eye and it affected Greene's play. Sutter was terrible when it came to teaching his players. Lemaire is getting the best out of Greene this season. lemaire is a better coach and a defensive guru of a coach.

Edited November 12, 2009 by SatansDevils