King Knut Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I don't want to get all negative, but I've been a little disappointed with Hagg lately. No one's more surprised than me about this. His positioning's been off and he's been making some poor decisions. Some feel like rookie mistakes (like attacking the shooter and leaving the trailing player wide open on the 2 on 1 against Ottawa) that are more fundamental (i.e. you shouldn't make it in the AHL either). The excuse could be made that they were all really tired and needed a shift, but the Lindholm goal last night was almost 100% on Hagg. He allowed Lindholm to completely out-position him in front of the net and then did nothing to bump him off the puck after the pass came through. It's situations like this that make me crave Sam Morin so much. But is Hagg just worn out? Mental and physical fatigue? He's played full seasons enough in Lehigh, but is it just against such better and bigger competition that's getting to him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murraycraven Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 44 minutes ago, King Knut said: The excuse could be made that they were all really tired and needed a shift, but the Lindholm goal last night was almost 100% on Hagg. He allowed Lindholm to completely out-position him in front of the net and then did nothing to bump him off the puck after the pass came through. It's situations like this that make me crave Sam Morin so much. spot on with this... .that was terrible positioning but he was on the ice for 2+ minutes and that whole PK was gassed. I still like Hagg and think he is going through some growing pains like any other rookie dman in the NHL. They can't all be Provorov's... McD and Manning I thought were terrible as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo1917 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 @King Knut If he's still doing stupid **** next year I'll worry. Guy is in his first NHL year, and he's not a robot, plus his playing partner has changed from Provorov, to MacDonald. I'm not worried, he'll be fine. If you go looking for stupid plays in a hockey game you'll find them no matter whom you watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Knut Posted February 7, 2018 Author Share Posted February 7, 2018 3 minutes ago, mojo1917 said: @King Knut If he's still doing stupid **** next year I'll worry. Guy is in his first NHL year, and he's not a robot, plus his playing partner has changed from Provorov, to MacDonald. I'm not worried, he'll be fine. If you go looking for stupid plays in a hockey game you'll find them no matter whom you watch. 9 minutes ago, murraycraven said: spot on with this... .that was terrible positioning but he was on the ice for 2+ minutes and that whole PK was gassed. I still like Hagg and think he is going through some growing pains like any other rookie dman in the NHL. They can't all be Provorov's... McD and Manning I thought were terrible as well. These are both fair observations and I tend to hope you're right. But Mac and Manning have moments of looking good and a lot of looking bad and I just want to make sure Hagg stays on the path to the other direction. And yeah, he clearly was gassed and too tired to put up a fight on the Lindholm goal. Just don't like it as a trend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murraycraven Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 7 minutes ago, King Knut said: And yeah, he clearly was gassed and too tired to put up a fight on the Lindholm goal. Just don't like it as a trend. Agree... That play just looked horrendous. When he allowed that positioning you just knew it would be a goal. He would have been better to just drop to the ice! LOL.. I think he will be fine. Young kid still figuring it out... he makes some really good plays and takes the man which I like. In all honesty, I think he has performed above my expectations overall this season. But to your point he needs to continue to develop and learn from the mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Knut Posted February 7, 2018 Author Share Posted February 7, 2018 56 minutes ago, murraycraven said: Agree... That play just looked horrendous. When he allowed that positioning you just knew it would be a goal. He would have been better to just drop to the ice! LOL.. I think he will be fine. Young kid still figuring it out... he makes some really good plays and takes the man which I like. In all honesty, I think he has performed above my expectations overall this season. But to your point he needs to continue to develop and learn from the mistakes. Like I said, I just don't want him turning into a MacDonald type who is capable of playing well, but also plays pretty poorly on a regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 42 minutes ago, King Knut said: Like I said, I just don't want him turning into a MacDonald type who is capable of playing well, but also plays pretty poorly on a regular basis. Yeah, I think it's a justified concern. I think he's just hitting a rookie lull, plus they have him paired with the very player you don't want him to emulate. It wouldn't hurt him to sit and watch a game or two from the press box. Not punishment, but re-juice and learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ8812 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 If he sticks on the bottom pair and is used as such, he'll be fine. The problem is we don't have a proper 2nd pair so Hagg is being asked to do too much for what he can offer. Overall he's had a good rookie year but I'm hoping he can be used in his right role next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 2 hours ago, mojo1917 said: ...he's not a robot... Fair point, although I have to say he's the closest thing to a robot playing hockey that I've ever seen probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ8812 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 1 hour ago, King Knut said: Like I said, I just don't want him turning into a MacDonald type who is capable of playing well, but also plays pretty poorly on a regular basis. MacDonald plays poorly because he's being used above his capabilities. A MacDonald-Hagg pairing would be fine if they were our 3rd pairing. Unfortunately right now we don't have a proper 2nd pairing so we have a bunch of defenseman being asked to do too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 5 hours ago, King Knut said: He allowed Lindholm to completely out-position him in front of the net and then did nothing to bump him off the puck after the pass came through. Sure he has been switched up and has been playing the left side again after playing most of the season on the right. But come on that particular play he took his eyes off of him because you have Staal coming creeping down the center almost uncontested too and Jesus christ is it too much to ask Mcdud who is sitting right Teuvo face to block the goddamn shot that goes clean through him? Mcdud our vet Dman can't let that pass go to the top of the crease like that. But fine blame it on Hagg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 3 hours ago, King Knut said: I just don't want him turning into a MacDonald type who is capable of playing well, He didn't play well on that particular play. Let hope Hagg closed his eyes and didn't learn how to stand there and do literally nothing like Mcdud did. Can not wait till noone is anchored by that guy anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucked in the head Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Also consider who is mentoring hagg and who they're asking him to learn from if your mentor sucks that's what you're gonna get from his "student, protege". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucked in the head Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 You only get out of him what you put into him and unless he is a NATURAL GOD GIVEN TALENTED D man then to expect anything more is not sensible in my opinion but you can't buy much with 2 cents hahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Robert Hagg will be just fine. If by "Hagg problems" one means "possibly hit a wall, is worn out, yet is still doing a heck of a job given his age and what is around him on the team", then I'd say yea, I guess he has a "problem". And in this day and age of fancy numbers, big scoresheet tallies, and overall offensive defensemen, I can also see how some people could look at a guy like Hagg and go, "I wonder if we could get an upgrade for him?" Fact is, Hagg is something of a bit of a throwback type defenseman...and one that the Flyers simply have not had in quite some time. That is to say a true stay at home type defenseman.....one who is simply 'in the way' all the time whenever forwards think they will have free roam into the offensive zone, one who hits said forwards like a freight train, and more often than not, is in the right position at the right time.. I'd honestly be more worried about the Flyer front office possibly losing patience with him or taking his skill set for granted more than worried about Hagg's progress as an NHL player. If the Flyer FO is smart, they will perhaps peel back his minutes for a bit (maybe even healthy scratch him for educational purposes, NOT punishment as someone already pointed out), let him recharge a bit, then let him have at it again. Bolts are doing that with Mikhail Sergachev, don't see why Hagg wouldn't benefit from that as well. His overall numbers may NEVER be anything fancy and he may very well be an unheralded type player throughout his career, but make no mistake..... the young man is doing everything the Flyers could realistically hope for, given the fact he is still a relative kid at 22 and is playing on mostly a barren void of defense on a team who still has quite a few contracts they need to get rid of before they are truly able to permanently move up, and STAY up, in the standings. Also, as already pointed out, if by this time next year, some of the same ol mistakes are being made, then perhaps some worry is justified. Till then though, the guys is rock solid, if unspectacular and Flyers fans should be glad they have a young man on defense who "gets it" for the most part and only looks to get better the more experience the gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoutsSnipes14 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Robert Hagg is having a great year. He's still a kid, the mistakes are going to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyClarkeFan16 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Robert Hagg was simply playing over his head for the better half of a year and now he's starting to come back to earth. On top of it, he's got crap for a mentor and he's got crap for a defensive coach and head coach. He'll be fine when he gets back to simplifying things and starts playing the body over the puck again. Right now, I honestly believe that he's just getting bad instruction all around and he's hit a wall. You can't play physical like he does every night and not end up out of gas. He'll also learn to start picking his spots better when it comes to physicality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJeremy Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Maybe the long season in the NHL has caught up with him a bit. He is probably more mentally tired than physically. Overall we have to be happy with him and I think in time he can be a second pairing guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyer4ever Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 The PK is brutal and always will be as long as 47 is a part of it. Hagg will be fine if he is coached properly. A big IF indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Knut Posted February 8, 2018 Author Share Posted February 8, 2018 21 hours ago, OccamsRazor said: He didn't play well on that particular play. Let hope Hagg closed his eyes and didn't learn how to stand there and do literally nothing like Mcdud did. Can not wait till noone is anchored by that guy anymore. I was talking about a trend i was noticing. Not just one play. He lost positioning on this play. He was out for 2 mins. He was tired. He's a rookie. No one's pinning the season on him. It's going to be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Knut Posted February 8, 2018 Author Share Posted February 8, 2018 23 hours ago, RJ8812 said: MacDonald plays poorly because he's being used above his capabilities. A MacDonald-Hagg pairing would be fine if they were our 3rd pairing. Unfortunately right now we don't have a proper 2nd pairing so we have a bunch of defenseman being asked to do too much. Sanheim and Morin are your second pairing, but you know... circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ8812 Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 39 minutes ago, King Knut said: Sanheim and Morin are your second pairing, but you know... circumstances. Right now they are not. Maybe in a few years we can hope they are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Knut Posted February 8, 2018 Author Share Posted February 8, 2018 10 minutes ago, RJ8812 said: Right now they are not. Maybe in a few years we can hope they are The whole "A few years" narrative is over now. They should be right now, but Morin's hurt and Hak wouldn't play Sanheim. They'd better be in October. The window is opening and it's time for the team to start putting some trust into it's own process. Morin's a different story because of his stupid injury problems, but it's now time. The pieces are there. It's time for the organization to recognize it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 1 hour ago, King Knut said: I was talking about a trend i was noticing. Well i haven't seen any of the games that Lyon played in but i hadn't really noticed it as a trend before those games i hadn't seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 23 minutes ago, King Knut said: The whole "A few years" narrative is over now. It is Morin will be a Flyer if not by the end of the season/playoffs he will by the start of next year. I think Sanheim too. And Travis if need be for a numbers reason will be waiver exempt. Myers should be close and i would expect maybe by mid year of 2018-19 Myers will be close and pushing someone out the nest (maybe Gudas). #fingerscrossed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.