21 replies to this topic

[pucktividi]

1. Apologize for starting the new Zherdev thread...couldn't dig the old one

2. Borrowed from HFBoards so credits to a guy there

3.Not 'Sign Zherdev' proposal,just find it as interesting read

http://www.broadstre...-down-in-flames

[VM1138]

I've always been pretty critical of him, and that article doesn't exactly make him look like a great franchise-type player.

The very end of the article makes one wonder, though. Perhaps his laziness and struggle has come from his not really wanting to play on any of the teams? I guess no one has really asked him what teams he WANTED to play for, and he finally lists Washington and Detroit. Perhaps his lack of heart partly reflects his dissatisfaction with the teams he played for?

He certainly sounds entitled, but maybe if he wants to play here, and signs dirty cheap, he'd be a low-risk option.

[P. Marlowe]

I can't find anything wrong with what he's saying there, but I'm sure that someone can.

[Motown4013]

I was actually quite impressed about how articulate and honest he was. His perspective is unique

[BlakKy]

Seems to me that if he really was dogging it or lazy some days he'd just admit it. His interviews seem to be about as honest as possible so I think he'd have no problem saying something like "I wasn't motivated in Philadelphia so I stopped trying". Since he hasn't said that I do feel like he may have been given a shorter leash and probably became a skating scapegoat for any internal problems in the locker room because it was easiest to blame him (speaks russian, keeps to himself and costs very little money).

[Detroit # 1 Fan]

Never realized how cheeky this guy was:

"Manitoba doesn’t scare me. I wasn’t born in Africa afterall."

"For example, the Flyers are more like an army where you need to fight."

Good luck Zherdev, after reading that I hope you find an NHL team to give you work.

[Crymson]

I've always been pretty critical of him, and that article doesn't exactly make him look like a great franchise-type player.

The very end of the article makes one wonder, though. Perhaps his laziness and struggle has come from his not really wanting to play on any of the teams? I guess no one has really asked him what teams he WANTED to play for, and he finally lists Washington and Detroit. Perhaps his lack of heart partly reflects his dissatisfaction with the teams he played for?

He certainly sounds entitled, but maybe if he wants to play here, and signs dirty cheap, he'd be a low-risk option.

I have always found this argument awfully flawed. Bringing a known locker-room cancer onto the team is damned well not a low-risk venture. Part of the Wings` success over the years has lay in the fact that they do not bring in players who cause problems behind the scenes. Everyone on the team gets along, and everyone either works hard and behaves well or finds himself going the way of Leino, Williams and Avery. Do not underestimate locker room dynamics in their relation to how the team performs on the ice, nor in how they relate to players wanting to come to the Wings.

Frankly I don't give a damn if he wanted to be on his old teams or not, and indeed he shouldn't have signed with them if he didn't like them. He consistently had a bad attitude and put forth substandard levels of effort while being paid a high-level professional athlete's salary. And his story about the problems he supposedly had in Philly that kept him from succeeding are meaningless in light of the fact that he's had the exact same problems with attitude and with his coaches on both of the other NHL teams he's played for.

The fact that every single team passed on him when he was put on waivers rather than risking putting up with him for the last two or three months of the season demonstrates how troublesome a player he is to any team he's on. Honestly, how many talented players get completely passed over, especially when their contract is ending and they aren't being paid that much? What does that tell you about him?

If any of you think that he's suddenly being honest, is willing to work hard, and isn't responsible for his laziness and piss-poor attitude last season, then I won't hesitate to call you gullible. The guy wants a job. He wants to get paid. He knows he has a bad reputation. Once he gets on a team, he's guaranteed a salary. I don't doubt that he'll say whatever he feels will help him get that.

Edited by Crymson, 28 July 2011 - 08:25 PM.

[hooon]

Sounds to me like hes just whining about not being in the top 6, which he didn't deserve anyway.

Complaining that players who make less money than you are getting more minutes? Give me a break.

He makes it seem like there's some evil dark conspiracy against him. Laviolette is a coach, and a smart coach at that, and is simply icing the best team he can.

Edited by hooon, 28 July 2011 - 07:14 PM.

[mmamolo]

Sounds to me like hes just whining about not being in the top 6, which he didn't deserve anyway.

Complaining that players who make less money than you are getting more minutes? Give me a break.

He makes it seem like there's some evil dark conspiracy against him. Laviolette is a coach, and a smart coach at that, and is simply icing the best team he can.

Be fair...you're taking that out of context. The question was if he felt that players with big contracts get extra pressure to produce and thus play in the top 6 and if he felt that that was part of why he wasn't in the top 6. He said no, he didn't think money had anythign to do with role and that it was evidenced by the fact that there were players in the top 6 who made less than him.

He was essentially saying that if salary indicated role (top 6 for big bucks) that he would have been on one of the top 2 lines. THe fact he doesn't believe that to be the case implies that he wasn't acting in an entitled fashion. Whether or not that's true is up to everyone to decide but don't take the guy's comment out of context.

[Crymson]

Be fair...you're taking that out of context. The question was if he felt that players with big contracts get extra pressure to produce and thus play in the top 6 and if he felt that that was part of why he wasn't in the top 6. He said no, he didn't think money had anythign to do with role and that it was evidenced by the fact that there were players in the top 6 who made less than him.

He was essentially saying that if salary indicated role (top 6 for big bucks) that he would have been on one of the top 2 lines. THe fact he doesn't believe that to be the case implies that he wasn't acting in an entitled fashion. Whether or not that's true is up to everyone to decide but don't take the guy's comment out of context.

That's a nonsense argument. He knows it's never the case.

Take the Flyers of last season, for example. Van Riemsdyk, Leino (basically) and Giroux were more valuable to the Flyers than Zherdev and were on ELCs. Zherdev was paid $2m, which is not 'prime scorer' salary and barely ranked in at sixth for forward salaries. There's no doubt in my mind that he knew at least Leino and Giroux would be played above him, in addition to Briere, Richards, Carter, Hartnell and Versteeg (who all made more money than he).

Professional athletes should not need to make explanations for why they behaved like immature slobs. They should simply not behave like immature slobs, especially considering the amount of money they're paid.

Edited by Crymson, 29 July 2011 - 12:45 PM.

[Bryguy]

Could pay off, if you popped him on Datsyuks wing.

[LidstromIsASuperhero]

I'm not sure about this one. A large part of me thinks Laviolette is a moron and he makes a lot of bad choices regarding his players. Think of it this way, he got rid of two of his best players and leaders one year removed from making the finals and all because of some stupid social drama. A good coach would simply fix the problems because you dont get franchise players avery day. Read the comments on the article's page, Laviolette gets a lot of hate there.

[Crymson]

I'm not sure about this one. A large part of me thinks Laviolette is a moron and he makes a lot of bad choices regarding his players. Think of it this way, he got rid of two of his best players and leaders one year removed from making the finals and all because of some stupid social drama. A good coach would simply fix the problems because you dont get franchise players avery day. Read the comments on the article's page, Laviolette gets a lot of hate there.

And then there's Hitchcock and Tortorella, who also both had problems with the guy.

Again, remember that ZERO GMs wanted him when he was put on waivers.

[Red Wings Addict]

I'm not sure about this one. A large part of me thinks Laviolette is a moron and he makes a lot of bad choices regarding his players. Think of it this way, he got rid of two of his best players and leaders one year removed from making the finals and all because of some stupid social drama. A good coach would simply fix the problems because you dont get franchise players avery day. Read the comments on the article's page, Laviolette gets a lot of hate there.

Yeah but many Philadelphia sports fans tend to hate everything.

[Hockeytown0001]

I could go either way on what he's saying, given his reputation of poor work ethic and laziness.

[echos myron]

people can work themselves up to type multiple paragraphs on zherdev huh

[Red Wings Addict]

people can work themselves up to type multiple paragraphs on zherdev huh

I prefer the "He's lazy and he sucks" variety myself.

[Heaten]

Glad Holland passed on this bum.

[Red Wings Addict]

Glad Holland passed on this bum.

Oh there's still time.

[hooon]

I'm not sure about this one. A large part of me thinks Laviolette is a moron and he makes a lot of bad choices regarding his players. Think of it this way, he got rid of two of his best players and leaders one year removed from making the finals and all because of some stupid social drama. A good coach would simply fix the problems because you dont get franchise players avery day. Read the comments on the article's page, Laviolette gets a lot of hate there.

Laviolette is a coach, not a GM.