Leino the calder candidate

[Phazon 24]

Ouch. What happend to this guy?

[Carman 387]

Found out hockey is physical.

[vOrophin 5]

Hasn't been exceptional, and other guys like Helm, Eaves, Miller etc. seem to be giving it their all.

[Z and D for the C 712]

I was wondering where he was.

You have to cut him some slack, he's getting top 6 responsibility this being his rookie season. He should be playing on the fourth line right now, not the first.

Edited December 7, 2009 by Z and D for the C

[mjlegend 155]

They tried him in the bottom six the first part of the season and that didn't work either.

[Carman 387]

I was wondering where he was.

You have to cut him some slack, he's getting top 6 responsibility this being his rookie season. He should be playing on the fourth line right now, not the first.

He has to be in the top 6, he cannot play on the PK or be very good defensively to play on the bottom 6. That's why he is being sat.

No use making excuses, just have to hope he can play much much better then he has shown so far this year.

[Guest Lidstromboli]

Ouch. What happend to this guy?

he never existed

[skyphoenix 153]

He was playing great on Zetterberg's wing, creating a lot of chances for the entire line. He isn't good on defense, so he's not helping us backcheck much and he gets knocked around a lot so often times, he can lose the puck although lately he has had some great puck control even when getting knocked down. He still has a lot of promise.

[Yellowknife Redwing 57]

Eaves and Miller have played better than Leino in every single contest that I've seen them in together this year, bar none. I have not seen Leino play one exceptional game and every time he's in a position to make a play, he makes a poor choice and turns the puck over or gets stripped. Leino will make an excellent addition to the Wings when guys like Franzen and Flip are healthy and present to fill in the major roles, but he absolutely cannot be relied upon as a consistent contributor at this stage in his career. Hopefully he will take this year as a good learning experience and spend some time in the offseason adding bulk and working on his ability to compete for pucks and drive the net.

[Jake Ryan 1]

Leino just isn't fast enough. He's too old to get any faster, either. Sorry, but he's destined for another team.

[Rivalred 630]

Dare I say Hudler was more effective on this team than Leino?

[Drake_Marcus 890]

He was playing great on Zetterberg's wing, creating a lot of chances for the entire line. He isn't good on defense, so he's not helping us backcheck much and he gets knocked around a lot so often times, he can lose the puck although lately he has had some great puck control even when getting knocked down. He still has a lot of promise.

This.

His time on the top six has also corresponded with the Wings' greatest offensive struggles-- both Zetterberg and Datsyuk have been under-productive during that period. Lately, no one on the Wings has been particularly impressive offensively.

He's having a rough rookie season so far. Hopefully he can pick himself back up and get his ass in gear. He's still got tons of talent and potential, so it's not like they're going to give up on him after 39 games.

He still has 53 games left to string together a good rookie season. He's got the talent to do it, he just needs to get the confidence up again. Ericsson's having the same confidence issues... same for Abdelkader (offensively). Rookie struggles are just more noticeable for offensive players than they are for purely physical/defensive players.

With a huge chunk of the season left I'm not ready to throw this kid under the bus. Filppula's rookie season was good for 15pts and he's ended up as a fairly useful player around here. It's really early to start calling him a bust.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Dare I say Hudler was more effective on this team than Leino?

With Hudler netting 26g and 57pts last season that statement falls out of range of even your dry 'humour'.

[under_par_00 45]

Leino is weak, and does not like to play physical. He gets pushed around a lot out there. Filppula was the same way a few years ago.

Hopefully Flipper can teach him how to be effective, and it starts in the gym.

[Jake Ryan 1]

Leino is weak, and does not like to play physical. He gets pushed around a lot out there. Filppula was the same way a few years ago.

Hopefully Flipper can teach him how to be effective, and it starts in the gym.

Yup. Leino could learn a thing or two about the weight room from Dats and Filps. Filppula is a fellow finn, so maybe he could help him out.

[10 Minute Misconduct 104]

i remember when everyone had a hard on for leino before the year started on here LOL

[Aeothe Kaear 0]

Toooooo slow

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

He'll be fine soon as filppula is back.

[Theophany 110]

He was playing great on Zetterberg's wing, creating a lot of chances for the entire line. He isn't good on defense, so he's not helping us backcheck much and he gets knocked around a lot so often times, he can lose the puck although lately he has had some great puck control even when getting knocked down. He still has a lot of promise.

Yeah, he definitely needs to spend more time with Filppula. His backchecking is awful.

[rick zombo 3,739]

Red Wings players are required to be mentally tough. So far, Leino has been brain-soft.

[Nev 1,085]

I'm reminded of a comment Ken Holland made in Toronto during an interview, basically along the lines of

"the second season is always the toughest. Guys come in and play for a season and think they've made it. Then they struggle the second season, and thats when they realise they really need to take it seriously. Watch what they eat, live the right lifestyle, seriously hit the weights in the off-season"

As soon as he said it I thought of Leino, Ericsson, Abdelkader and Helm, all of whom have played bits of the last season or two and are finding life in the NHL a lot tougher full time.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

I'm reminded of a comment Ken Holland made in Toronto during an interview, basically along the lines of

"the second season is always the toughest. Guys come in and play for a season and think they've made it. Then they struggle the second season, and thats when they realise they really need to take it seriously. Watch what they eat, live the right lifestyle, seriously hit the weights in the off-season"

As soon as he said it I thought of Leino, Ericsson, Abdelkader and Helm, all of whom have played bits of the last season or two and are finding life in the NHL a lot tougher full time.

Good quote. Definitely sums up what the sophomore slump is all about. Based on how much post-season play those guys have had I think you're assessment is on the button.

[Reds4Life 51]

Because he sucks. Big time.

[dat's sick 1,002]

Why most everything be so black and white around here? Either the guy is the next big thing or he sucks. Either this team is gonna win the cup, or they're going to get a top 3 draft pick.

Leino has a lot of promise. I refuse to believe that he doesn't still have the same skills that he showed in his stint with the team last season.

This is still the same guy that did this in first NHL game:

And did this less than a month ago:

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Yes, he needs to bulk up, get stronger and make better decisions with the puck. He still seems to have some of that european mindset that you can make drop-passes on the blueline and that it's not okay to just dump it in. He doesn't seem to have any confidence right now, and ever since Filppula got injured he has had a hard time finding a home on a line, even though I did like him with Hank and Cleary.

Maybe when Fil gets back he'll turn his play around. Or maybe he won't. Either way, we need to give him some more time before we completely give up on him.

Edited December 7, 2009 by dat's sick

[Guest EZBAKETHAGANGSTA]

Dare I say Hudler was more effective on this team than Leino?

Yes because being the second player on the team in Points Per Minute showed how truly ineffective he could be...