Elias on Kovalchuk

[Devs3cups]

Please show Patty and his $6M the door.

He's right but he needs to point the finger to himself.

+1

Stop pointing others about their play, and look at yours instead.

[grcenter47]

THIS IS TEAM?

I agree with what Elias had to say but I am not a big fan of airing out in the open like that. I think Kovy can be molded to a better player

[AEWHistory]

Please give Patty the C

Hell, give anyone else the C. I've always like Jamie, but something's changed and Lou isn't seeing it (I'll beat this horse till its dead if I have to) because Langenbrunner is one of 'his' guys. Not good enough. He has to be a good captain and, right now, he isn't. Elias and Parise would make great options.

[MantaRay]

Elias is exactly right and has echoed what myself and others have said here previously.

From the time Kovalchuk was able to play the sport, he was probably the best scorer on his teams or had so much talent he was just told "go play". What little he knows about the game in terms of system or responsibility on the ice, was probably self-tought or picked up as he went along. I do not think this player has actually been "coached" more then a few days of his hockey life and certainly not on a team like Atlanta.

He's only 27, he's not arrogant and he loves the game. He's not impossible to "reprogram". He has to unlearn bad habits and lazy play. If this season is lost, take the rest of the way to do it so he can return next year a better player.

+1 Exactly right.

It didn't help that JL reinforced this type of double standard last year, letting Kovy "play his game" while the rest of the team had to play his system.

It will take a few season for him to change his game and although I believe he wants to adjust his instincts are so embedded that it will be very, very difficult to actually change his style of play.

Praise Odin for Elias.

[Pepperkorn]

I don't think lemaire was letting him play his game.

Part of what I erased was the wicked witch of the west quote "These things have to be done delicately or you'll hurt the spell"

I agree with what you and unknown poster took away from Elias's comments. I don't agree that these are the guys to make him change his ways. That's not their job -- it's the coaches job. These guys are brothers, the coach is the father. You can have a bunch of big brothers and that's fine. but you need to let Dad handle the kid how he sees fit. Elias's words were very heavy handed and can easily be alienating. We ARE STUCK in this situation -- alienating ANYONE is simply NOT the road to take.

I think lemaire is a master of communication. he first needs to SEE what he's got and how he can work with him. I think Lemaire was seeing what he had to work with. This season he would have set to work. Lemaire knows more about hockey than you do manta. he just does - he;s played and coached all with great success. This also would have been a really fun project for him. But it needed to be handled very carefully.

Another thing that I deleted was that I fully believe that Lemaire would have had Kovalchuk at full speed by January. I get a feeling his intention was to slowly put in what was required -- as seamlessly as possible so it would be Kovalchuk's decision to be a more complete player. Lemaire is manipulative -- and successfully so , because he;s right! He;s a Virgo -- he can't help it.

But that always being right thing can be very confusing and hurtful to sensitive souls. and we had a very sensitive group of guys and Lemaire was too excited seeing all that potential in THE WHOLE TEAM... its just a cry shame -- it really is... and I have to blame Lou for losing sight and letting this all come down. It's not his job to give up and say fine boys you go fvck yourselves and then maybe next year we can get the job done right. I have no idea what he was thinking. But it has been Lou showing ... maybe too much trust in these dorks. just because their hearts are in the right place doesn't mean they can successfully rule by consensus.. Also -- if you didn't have the plan to get Kovalchuk playing the Devils game a PLAN LOU - then you shoudln't have lit the fuse on the HUGE EFFING CANNON of a price tag.

Basically without a coach with the skill of Lemaire - you've got your work BEYOND cut out for you with this one. Larry isn't going to be able to do it. It's not his kind of guy - it won't mesh right. MacLean is a player still he;s just learning the chess game of it all. He is NOT a manipulator of the status Lemaire is. Part of being a manipulator of that quality is letting part of your hand be shown - you HAD the time to waste giving Jacques a little more rope. Now you're doing the hanging of poor Mac!

I dont know -- you tell me -- did you even TRY to talk him out of it? He was in tears because he DID see the path. It was your job to say -- Come on -- you see it - stay and help me out here. But you didn't have the time or trust or WHAT??? was he really that lost? I wish someone would TALK to me here

Edited November 8, 2010 by Pepperkorn

[newarkdev01]

Sooner or later Kovy either learns to forcheck, play defense and offense the Devils way or he will get moved and or alienated. The Flyers played the way the devils used to when they handed us our a$$es. I watch Kovy and I just see a lost guy trying to go end to end and looking very lost in offensive zone. Instead of roaming to take the high slot where he can snipe or crash the net he was at the blue line running into the point . Elias's line looked good against the rangers and during the second period probably had their best run, they just didn't get it in the net. Langs and Clarkson looked terrible, I feel like Langs never came back the same player after the olypics, he just looks weak and out of place. Clarkson is another one that never came back the same, he doesn't look like the same player he was before his injury, I would happily trade both for one right winger I could put with Kovy.

[Mitico12]

Elias has class and skill. He said nothing wrong about Kovy here and I truly believe it was his place to say that.

Basically, we have a good team, but a team that is running like individual parts. Not good if you want to do well, but great if you want to sell jerseys and t-shirts.

Kovy will learn. The question is, will his teammates learn how to play with him?

[Dead]

Elias has class and skill. He said nothing wrong about Kovy here and I truly believe it was his place to say that.

Basically, we have a good team, but a team that is running like individual parts. Not good if you want to do well, but great if you want to sell jerseys and t-shirts.

Kovy will learn. The question is, will his teammates learn how to play with him?

Kovy is learning. He makes plays happen. I would go as far as to say he has been playing like crap (for him), and still near the lead for points.

I have not seen him shoot much though. Oh and at times he does look lost, especially on d-fence. He is a forward however.

[CarpathianForest]

Every other day, a different line combination. This does not work well for anyone least of all Kovy. Keep the JIZ line together they seemed to work well in Chicago. Your Albany line looks decent. Get the 2 and 3 lines some consistency and you're golden.

[DevilinLA]

Elias has class and skill. He said nothing wrong about Kovy here and I truly believe it was his place to say that.

Basically, we have a good team, but a team that is running like individual parts. Not good if you want to do well, but great if you want to sell jerseys and t-shirts.

Kovy will learn. The question is, will his teammates learn how to play with him?

Elias has $6M dollars of this team's salary cap.

SEASON GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW S S%

REGULAR SEASON 15 2 5 7 -8 2 0 0 1 27 7.4

LEAGUE RANK 12TH 178TH 113T 149TH 662ND 482ND 166TH 37TH 35TH 158TH 292ND

Fine for him to say it but he needs to check his own stats.

You can buy "class" at a lot cheaper than $6M per season regardless of the nostalgia.

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Elias has $6M dollars of this team's salary cap.

SEASON GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW S S%

REGULAR SEASON 15 2 5 7 -8 2 0 0 1 27 7.4

LEAGUE RANK 12TH 178TH 113T 149TH 662ND 482ND 166TH 37TH 35TH 158TH 292ND

Fine for him to say it but he needs to check his own stats.

You can buy "class" at a lot cheaper than $6M per season regardless of the nostalgia.

looks like you have a hard on for patty. he has sacrificed his whole career to play within the devils system and now that he gets off to a slow start you turn on him. why don't you hype up the leadership quality of jamie some more.

[CarpathianForest]

JIZ Line!!!!!!!!!

[DevilinLA]

looks like you have a hard on for patty. he has sacrificed his whole career to play within the devils system and now that he gets off to a slow start you turn on him. why don't you hype up the leadership quality of jamie some more.

I have a "hard on" for anybody making $6M or taking up that much cap and not producing.

"Slow start" - this guy hasn't earned his keep in years and is invisible come playoff time. Can't happen when you make that much $$$ and he's aging.

Langs makes $2.8 - IF he was making $6M I'd be calling for his head too.

Amazing to me that people choose to target the "lunchpail kids" (Langs, Mottau's, Clarkson's, etc.), calling them the lynchpin of the Devils problems, and yet refuse to acknowledge a $6m vet who has obviously aged to the point of becoming a $3M player at best on an elite salary.

If LANGS had made this same quote he'd be labeled a "whiner and traitor" and called out for not producing himself - yet St. Patty gets off scott free.

IF the high dollar players for this team were contributing we wouldn't be having this conversation.

I get his contribution - but I don't think that obligates sainthood for the guy - pointing fingers while his stats are no better.

I'm tired of the nostalgia moments, the "slap the C on ol' Patty's chest" - is that all this team has left is yesterday?

[eaglejelly]

looks like you have a hard on for patty. he has sacrificed his whole career to play within the devils system and now that he gets off to a slow start you turn on him. why don't you hype up the leadership quality of jamie some more.

He is getting top dollars to play here. I wouldn't call it a sacrifice

[CarpathianForest]

I'm tired of the nostalgia moments, the "slap the C on ol' Patty's chest" - is that all this team has left is yesterday?

short answer. YES!

Patty's own goal song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-n1Ro456nA

[NJDevs4978]

He is getting top dollars to play here. I wouldn't call it a sacrifice

Everyone (including me) has the right to get on Elias for not producing but let's be fair about one thing here - when we're talking about leadership Elias had the C taken from him in a shameful way and he responded with all class and had his best season since '06. When Lemaire wanted to take the C from Jamie for ONE GAME last year, he pitched a ****fit.

As far as airing dirty laundry in public, it's so unlike Elias to even be critical of anyone else much less publicly I'm tempted to think that he and probably other players have tried repeatedly to get through to Kovy in private and it clearly hasn't worked, since if anything he's regressed from last year to this year. The coach scratched him and he's still playing his own game, so if you have the coach disciplining him and players talking to him and he still doesn't respond, what's the next step? It's not going to be a trade obviously so the only thing left to try to get the message through is public immasculation.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I have a "hard on" for anybody making $6M or taking up that much cap and not producing.

"Slow start" - this guy hasn't earned his keep in years and is invisible come playoff time. Can't happen when you make that much $$$ and he's aging.

It's impossible to argue that Elias hasn't been largely disappointing since signing his big deal...yes, he's the all-time leader in points, he's a longtime Devil...that's all wonderful, but outside of one very good first half two seasons ago, the results have been mixed at best. If someone put up his numbers when he signed the deal and said, "This is what you're going to get," would any of us have been happy with it?

But he makes some valid points about Kovy, ones that I and some others have made and were concerned about when he re-signed. What's insane is that the Devils have the equivalent of a $100 million project. Projects aren't supposed to get $100 million. For that money you get an exclamation point, not a question mark.

[CarpathianForest]

Can someone say clusterfvck?

I seem to remember that under Elias we got to the second round. I know it really isn't a factor, we still had Rafalski and Gomez, but it's a small part.

I say give the C to the player who shows the most determination out there:

ZUBRASAURUS REX!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Everyone (including me) has the right to get on Elias for not producing but let's be fair about one thing here - when we're talking about leadership Elias had the C taken from him in a shameful way and he responded with all class and had his best season since '06. When Lemaire wanted to take the C from Jamie for ONE GAME last year, he pitched a ****fit.

As far as airing dirty laundry in public, it's so unlike Elias to even be critical of anyone else much less publicly I'm tempted to think that he and probably other players have tried repeatedly to get through to Kovy in private and it clearly hasn't worked, since if anything he's regressed from last year to this year. The coach scratched him and he's still playing his own game, so if you have the coach disciplining him and players talking to him and he still doesn't respond, what's the next step? It's not going to be a trade obviously so the only thing left to try to get the message through is public immasculation.

[sGT HARTMAN]So from now when Private Kovalchump fvcks up, I will not punish him...I will punish all of YOU![/sGT HARTMAN]

How long before Kovy's teammates beat him with soap wrapped in towels?

[CarpathianForest]

Did they find a jelly donut in Kovy's footlocker yet?

Where's Matthew Modine when you need him?

Edited November 8, 2010 by CarpathianForest

[CRASHER]

I'm sorry... Clarkson at 3 mil is just as much an albatross as Elias at 6 million.... least Elias lead the team in scoring a few times and was a key guy in the playoffs....

Clarkson is making TWICE what he should on some "potential".... like JR once said... "potential don't buy the groceries".... but I guess they do when you can pull off the toe-drag wraparound!!!!

[ATLL765]

So I guess we're all just waiting for Kovy to gloomfully exclaim that he IS in a world of sh!t and then mame JMac with his stick?

[DevilinLA]

I'm sorry... Clarkson at 3 mil is just as much an albatross as Elias at 6 million.... least Elias lead the team in scoring a few times and was a key guy in the playoffs....

Clarkson is making TWICE what he should on some "potential".... like JR once said... "potential don't buy the groceries".... but I guess they do when you can pull off the toe-drag wraparound!!!!

I agree with you that Clarkson wrongly banked that $ on "potential", "Development", and becoming a fan-favorite spark plug. He is extremely predictable and it seems as if he's perhaps been given the order NOT to drop the gloves this year. But at least he's young.

But when you look to see the last time Elias was the key guy in the playoffs.....

You'll find a competent center and at least 2 D men that could move the puck staring back at you....

Now he's got his favorite center, if he needs more of the "perfect storm" situation to re-ignite his career than he's not worth his cap hit right now 'cause it ain't coming.

[H.E. Pennypacker]

invisible playoff time?

9 6 10 16 4

10 1 9 10 4

5 4 2 6 4

7 1 2 3 2

5 0 4 4 2

[DevilinLA]

invisible playoff time?

9 6 10 16 4

10 1 9 10 4

5 4 2 6 4

7 1 2 3 2

5 0 4 4 2

Have you been smoking so much herb that its still 2006?

When was the last gamechanging Elias goal in the playoffs?

Elias has had zero effect on NJ playoff momentum since Gomez left his side.

Tell me where is this guy today, not 2000, 2003, 2006 stop blaming Sutter and the "C".

He's still getting $6M checks today, November, 2010.....