Tony Abbott Administrator Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 View full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will D. Ness Verified Member Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 I think Faber has been incredible so far and deserves to be mentioned in Calder discussions, especially since his recent PP success but to be honest he isn't the Brock star he was out of the gate defensively. Some call it the rookie wall but along with Rossi I think the law of averages might be in play as these guys fall out of the sky of rookie heaven and face reality. Faber has been a little loose in the D zone as he finds his limits and Rossi can't seem to finish anymore. I'm not too worried about Faber because he has that mentality needed but Rossi might be a little more like Boldy and struggle with confidence. Spurgeon going down could be a blessing in disguise for Fabes. I think he thrives in the leadership role and to do so at 21 is incredible. If he continues to rack up points on the PP and get some blue line love with at least 10 more goals then he gets the Calder IMO. I would like to see him clean up on the defensive end just ever so slightly but still play right up to the edge. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citizen Strife Verified Member Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 If you'd told me Faber would join the team and instantly be in the conversation for not only best defenseman for the Wild, but one of the top 20 defensemen in the NHL, I'd have called you crazy. But Faber is taking every opportunity and running with it. Win or lose, he's always making something from nothing, and rarely makes stupid decisions. Can we just clone EEK and Faber and have 3-4 more of each please? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNCountryLife Verified Member Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 What has surprised me most about Faber? His level of play has been fantastic in every situation. He is an extremely well rounded player that can do it all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up North Guy Verified Member Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 1 hour ago, Will D. Ness said: I think Faber has been incredible so far and deserves to be mentioned in Calder discussions, especially since his recent PP success but to be honest he isn't the Brock star he was out of the gate defensively. Some call it the rookie wall but along with Rossi I think the law of averages might be in play as these guys fall out of the sky of rookie heaven and face reality. Faber has been a little loose in the D zone as he finds his limits and Rossi can't seem to finish anymore. I'm not too worried about Faber because he has that mentality needed but Rossi might be a little more like Boldy and struggle with confidence. Spurgeon going down could be a blessing in disguise for Fabes. I think he thrives in the leadership role and to do so at 21 is incredible. If he continues to rack up points on the PP and get some blue line love with at least 10 more goals then he gets the Calder IMO. I would like to see him clean up on the defensive end just ever so slightly but still play right up to the edge. I really think the all star break will be huge Faber. Relooks to me like someone who needs a mental and physical break. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imyourhuckleberry Verified Member Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 (edited) Quote Perhaps they should note how well this experiment has gone and find ways to repeat this strategy for their incoming youth movement. Well, when that youth plays a few years of college hockey, winning conference player of the year at their position along the way, and have the size of someone like Faber, then I'd say it's more likely. Boldy played 2 years in college, transitioning into the AHL. Faber played 3 years in college. Both are 6'+ and 200 pounds. Each was over 20 years of age and had put in the work to be prepared for the NHL, so they were given a look. The Wild have given some other guys looks, like Beckman and Sammy Walker, but they haven't flourished. It seems like Guerin is trying to only debut guys in the NHL who appear ready. It was said Hunt may have gotten a shot late last year if the Wild had injuries to their defense, but they didn't want him to be sitting in the press box. Most guys will need to excel at the AHL level before they have them step up to the top level, and that probably makes sense. Addison got a look long before he was defensively sound or strong enough and it certainly didn't help him develop into a high quality player. As far as giving them a huge workload early, I'd say what worked for one guy isn't necessarily going to be best for everyone else. Faber is unique or they wouldn't be putting so much on his plate. Edited January 23 by Imyourhuckleberry 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up North Guy Verified Member Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 1 hour ago, Imyourhuckleberry said: Faber is unique or they wouldn't be putting so much on his plate. Or possibly they had put themselves into a position where they had no choice but to ride hard and put up wet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnfaninnc Verified Member Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Quote Perhaps they should note how well this experiment has gone and find ways to repeat this strategy for their incoming youth movement. I would suggest they have tried some of this with Hunt without the success they've gotten with Faber. Hunt has led PP2 and just, to me, looks less than Goligoski does. Maybe Hunt is too timid right now? Or, maybe he is not an offensive defensemen who can handle that role? Faber's goal last night was outstanding. I think his timing on positioning is out of this world. I do agree with Will on his defense slipping, and I do believe he has hit the rookie wall. Yes, these 11 days are going to be really good for him to reset. Boldy needed that in his rookie season just about this time. In other news, has WI been off lately or is Stramel hurt again? It seems like he's been stuck on 18 games for awhile. Also, the comparison needs to be made, Faber is far superior to Addison. But, what really puts it in perspective is since the trading out Addison and trading for Bogosian, Bogosian is outscoring Addison during those 30 games. Yes, the same Bogosian most said was an offensive black hole. There was an uproar over Shooter making these adjustments, I think it is time for the naysayers to admit their mistake. As for Faber and his defense wearing down a bit, to me, and it sounds like a broken record....cd.....internet streaming is down...but I think it comes down to size. Faber is not one to really blow up players, and that's probably a good trait (though he and Cooley had a couple of friendly competition moments), but 10 more lbs. of strength would help him in his own zone and help him absorb some of these hits. Pewter would say 10 lbs. in the butt, but I'd say evenly distributed over the whole body. This would be on top of his expected filling out at his age. I'd also like to mention something odd I read today that has nothing to do with Faber. Carter Hart has taken a leave of absence from the Flyers for personal reasons. What is happening in Philly that is so bad? First Gauthier and now Hart? And in the middle of a playoff chase? With a new FO regime? Anyone out there have Philly as their 2nd favorite team that can elaborate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy the poor boy Verified Member Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 (edited) 1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said: I'd also like to mention something odd I read today that has nothing to do with Faber. Carter Hart has taken a leave of absence from the Flyers for personal reasons. What is happening in Philly that is so bad? First Gauthier and now Hart? And in the middle of a playoff chase? With a new FO regime? Anyone out there have Philly as their 2nd favorite team that can elaborate? This is only speculation at this point, but there were 5 members of the 2018 WJC tournament that are expected to be charged with sexual assault. The speculation is that he is one that will be charged. Just passing unconfirmed info along that I've seen from reporters. His leaving the team could just be an unrelated coincidence. Edited January 24 by Willy the poor boy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnfaninnc Verified Member Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 22 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said: This is only speculation at this point, but there were 5 members of the 2018 WJC tournament that are expected to be charged with sexual assault. The speculation is that he is one that will be charged. Just passing unconfirmed info along that I've seen from reporters. His leaving the team could just be an unrelated coincidence. Apparently those 5 were given leaves of absence from their professional teams. I believe Cal Foote is another one of them. I'd seen that 5 were supposed to surrender to the police, but wasn't sure on the 5. This sounds like it may be pretty bad for these 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up North Guy Verified Member Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said: This sounds like it may be pretty bad for these 5. And if the allegations are true it should be really bad for these guys. It should also be really bad for Hockey Canada. So far all HC has suffered is a little embarrassment and a little financial uncertainty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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