Jonathan Ericsson Watch Thread

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Agreed. Someone email Ericsson Perry's home address.

Long time no see, Drake.

[Guest stinky fish taco]

How does it feel to be the exact kind of poster that you're constantly lecturing here?

wish i could +1 this more than once

[mmamolo 287]

I thought Ericsson had a couple dumb moments in last night's game against the Blues but I don't see how everyone is still so down on this guy. I'm not saying he is worth his paycheck but I do think he has played a lot better this season than last.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I thought Ericsson had a couple dumb moments in last night's game against the Blues but I don't see how everyone is still so down on this guy. I'm not saying he is worth his paycheck but I do think he has played a lot better this season than last.

In the highlights I saw from last night, it looked like he had a couple awful plays around the net for sure. When he's outnumbered around the crease he sometimes tries to play zone too long and ends up not pressuring anyone. So either the guy with the puck has all day to skate in on goal, or he can take his time finding the spot to slip a pass past Ericsson. At a certain point you have to go after the puck carrier and not let them have all day to make a play. I'd be less irritated if he at least went after the puck carrier and the guy made a good play around him.

As for why everyone is so down on him, Ericsson's fate was sealed when he signed that contract. He likely would've remained the whipping boy anyway, but he's not gonna earn that salary so the expectation of his play was raised even though he is much better this season. It looks like he'll probably end up an overpaid #5 guy instead of the #4 the Wings were probably hoping he would be (I'm guessing, based on what they paid him).

[Krayzie_Bone 58]

Iv been hard on him and still think the Red Wings over paid for him but he has looked pretty good lately to me at least.

[LeftWinger 5,131]

He is very expendable right now...damn that NTC he has...

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

He is very expendable right now...damn that NTC he has...

Yeah, he's not going anywhere until his contract is up. I could see the Wings packaging Kindl in a deal and moving Smith up.

[sleepwalker 512]

E is so frustrating to watch. Hes been in the league for a few years, and still looks like a lost puppy out on the ice. He almost always looks confused like he has no idea what he should be doing, or whats going on around him. And he is a big boy, but completely refuses to use his size to his advantage.

I hope he gets better, since we are giving him s*** tons of money, but to be honest, I think where he is at is what he is capable of, and hes just not very good.

Still hoping that Kenny knows something we don't though... Time will tell.

[Guest Crymson]

Waive him. He has an NTC, not an NMC.

Sports psychology also seems like a good option; he has shown he has the tools and talent, but he's just completely discombobulated all the time.

Edited December 7, 2011 by Crymson

[GoWings1905 2,694]

I highly doubt Holland would waive Ericsson. Good luck getting free agents to come here with a GM dismissing players a couple months into a new contract.

[uk_redwing 495]

I thought Ericsson had a couple dumb moments in last night's game against the Blues but I don't see how everyone is still so down on this guy. I'm not saying he is worth his paycheck but I do think he has played a lot better this season than last.

I agree, actually. It's not like he's eating up loads of salary and we're close to the cap. He's made the odd mistake, but so has everyone else this year. Especially on D.

I wouldn't be getting mad at him for costing the odd goal every now and then, I'd get mad at the Bertuzzi's, Hudler's, Abdelkader's and Zetterberg's for having an impressive 11 goals combined between them in 97 combined games played.

I'm also not that high on Emmerton and his offensive contributions, but as 4th liner rookie I'll let it slide for now.

[dobbles 252]

I'd replace him with Smith. Permanently.

if he continues to play bad, i think that would be in the teams best interest later in the season. getting smith significant games this year especially with lidstrom still on the roster would be huge for his development as he could really hit the ground running next season as an experienced guy. and with how bad E looks at times, the short term trade off would be negligible which is why the long term benefits would be huge.

now i doubt it does happen. but to me it might be what should happen if things continue.

as wings fans its in our best interest for E to play better. so i have no reason to root against the guy. but we have to be realistic and see that he continues to not improve after several years in the league. his contract makes it so he cant just be the guy you dont notice. he now has to contribute in a positive way to earn his pay. i just dont see that happening on a regular basis.

[Red Wings Addict 787]

So you apparently were lurking until you were able to bash Ericsson and then me.

How does it feel to be the exact kind of poster that you're constantly lecturing here?

Nice burn. Props.

At the same time, man, at this point, I feel like Ericsson is in Hudler notoriety territory and no Red Wing can come back from that. He did have an average game. And this comment isn't just about the last game. He's always going to get s*** on when you visit Wings forums across the interwebz. Being his devil's advocate can wear on you for sure.

[Guest Heaten]

if he continues to play bad, i think that would be in the teams best interest later in the season. getting smith significant games this year especially with lidstrom still on the roster would be huge for his development as he could really hit the ground running next season as an experienced guy. and with how bad E looks at times, the short term trade off would be negligible which is why the long term benefits would be huge.

now i doubt it does happen. but to me it might be what should happen if things continue.

as wings fans its in our best interest for E to play better. so i have no reason to root against the guy. but we have to be realistic and see that he continues to not improve after several years in the league. his contract makes it so he cant just be the guy you dont notice. he now has to contribute in a positive way to earn his pay. i just dont see that happening on a regular basis.

Except Ericsson isn't continuing to play bad. In fact, he's been quite solid back there. He has his brain cramps like most dman have... but overall, he's been fine, and definitely not been the 'problem'.

Smith has shown glimpses of greatness, but as we watched in his last game(?) on the Red Wings is his ability to feed the other team free goals. Of course, I see him learning to make better decisions in the future, but right now, to Red Wings standards, he's not ready to crack the roster... yet. Let him play in GR and hone his game.

In every loss I can point to one player that made a stupid play that cost us a goal. From Zetterberg's giveaway in the Boston game (which we won in SO), to Howards softy in last night's game to the Blues, but to me, Ericsson is the least of the problems. This team, overall, isn't playing with the spark we saw in 2007, 08, and 09. Unless one can argue Lebda and Lilja were game changers, stop blaming Ericsson.

Edited December 8, 2011 by Heaten

[Holmstrom96 347]

Ericsson sucks tonight. Two penalties, one of which Edmonton scored on.

[newfy 695]

Ericsson sucks tonight. Two penalties, one of which Edmonton scored on.

Yeah and one was him putting someone on his ass infront of Howard, that makes one defenseman willing to do that.

Ericcson hasnt been worth his money this season, but he has been solid and definitely not terrible like some people want to make him out to be.

Hudler is playing well right now too, this team is firing on all cylinders really

[hooon 1,089]

Yeah and one was him putting someone on his ass infront of Howard, that makes one defenseman willing to do that.

Ericcson hasnt been worth his money this season, but he has been solid and definitely not terrible like some people want to make him out to be.

Hudler is playing well right now too, this team is firing on all cylinders really

Agree on Hudler for the most part, but not on Ericsson. He had been bad in almost every game this season and refuses to use his size to his advantage.

Maybe not brutal like some claim, but he is still has a long ways to go before I'd say he's earning his keep.

Edited December 20, 2011 by hooon

[Steve Sample 31]

Ericsson could use a few nights in the press box. He needs to get a wake up call. This Edmonton game, with how fast it was really exposed just how slow his brain is working his body. Some very bad decision making that put the team trouble. Both him and Kindl need to fight for their jobs not just be handed one. Commie or Smith in for a couple of games might be what they need. They clearly cannot be paired together in a fast game, so thats hard to blame the players because thats the defense coaches job.

[Red Wings Addict 787]

They're going to keep playing him. I don't really see a healthy scratch coming. The only thing that can put him in situation where he can only watch is a... well, I'm afraid to say the word but it rhymes with misery.

And you can't hope for such a thing because with the Wings those really happen in clusters.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

He is very expendable right now...damn that NTC he has...

It's a limited NTC no one knows the true details of.

Agree on Hudler for the most part, but not on Ericsson. He had been bad in almost every game this season and refuses to use his size to his advantage.

Maybe not brutal like some claim, but he is still has a long ways to go before I'd say he's earning his keep.

Ericsson uses his size well to clear the front of the net but other than that... not so much. I wish he was a better shot blocker-- with a big body like his he could really cover some ice.

[jfranzen 51]

Seems to me like he also has trouble with deciding when, and when not, to pinch in the offensive zone. He pinched in and left Kindl all alone against that first goal against Edmonton last night.

[Guest Crymson]

Seems to me like he also has trouble with deciding when, and when not, to pinch in the offensive zone. He pinched in and left Kindl all alone against that first goal against Edmonton last night.

He constantly does this. Worse, it generally results in him being caught standing still.

[LeftWinger 5,131]

He constantly does this. Worse, it generally results in him being caught standing still.

He is by far, the worst defender on this team. I sure wish Babs would at least give Commie a 5-7 games in a row to show us if he is any better...

[Holmstrom96 347]

I must say, I've seen a dramatic improvement in Ericsson the last few months. He's getting more physical without being stupid and is making less mistakes. If he keeps this up I might start finding him acceptable.

Keep it up Big E.

[AusWing40 61]

I dont think he's as bad as 90% of wings fans make him out to be. He might have the occasional lapse and make a mistake or two, but he's been serviceable, especially recently I thought he's played a lot better.

The sticking point a lot seem to make (given this opinion is one I hear outside here mostly) is he's not worth the contract he's on. Obviously the organization thought he was worth it, and I'm willing to back their judgement over our own.