Red Wings management sends strong message to Avalanche Cup champion ahead of pivotal season
Photo credit: Dave Reginek / NHLI
As the NHL season approaches, Detroit Red Wings management has sent a pointed message to former Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup champion J.T. Compher, signalling their expectations for his performance in what promises to be a pivotal year for the team.
Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan publicly criticized the veteran forward for not showing enough aggression on the ice.
J.T. Compher under fire with Red Wings management.
Joshua Deeds from Red Wings Insider writes that Compher has been making headlines recently amid trade rumours, but his declining production is another challenge the Red Wings are facing, one that McLellan hopes to address early in the season.
McLellan didn't hold back when discussing Compher's underwhelming performance last year.
"J.T. is leading on the ice, leading the charges rather than blending into them, or coming from behind. He'll know exactly what that means. If he's sometimes first on the forecheck or he's aggressive and leading the zone and joining the rush, he can't let everything go by him and then join. I call that just playing in the middle of the rink all the time, and you're generally safe there, but we need him to be assertive." -McLellan
Compher possesses the defensive and forechecking skills McLellan needs to guide the team in the right direction, but the head coach hasn't seen that level of responsible play from him yet.
"I thought later in the year, he started to do those things. Can't ride the brake all the time, and J.T., when he got on the gas, he was a pretty good player." -McLellan
Compher earns a significant salary for the type of player he is, a depth third-line center focused mainly on defensive responsibilities.
As a former Stanley Cup winner, his role involves keeping opponents pinned in their zone and controlling the puck. For McLellan, however, the main point of criticism is Compher's lack of aggressiveness with the puck during games.
"But there isn't any type of stat pack that comes out for defensive kills or plays around the net that he just happens to break up. And he's very good at that as well. So we recognize it all the time." -McLellan
This season offers both the team and Compher an opportunity to make up for last year's shortcomings.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 30 | 28 ANSWERS Red Wings management sends strong message to Avalanche Cup champion ahead of pivotal season Will former Avalanche Stanley Cup champion J.T. Compher have a comeback season with the Red Wings? | ||
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| no | 14 | 50 % |
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