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unsaddleddonald

Brunner hasn't hit the wall. He has slammed into it.

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Jesus Christ......

I'm not giving up on this kid by any means, but he is running on fumes. I think he'll be in better shape next year.

And because we can't rely on him at the moment, we are OFFICIALLY the same team we've been for the last 4 years.

Wanted for hire: individual who can put the puck in the net.

Edited by unsaddleddonald

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Jesus Christ......

I'm not giving up on this kid by any means, but he is running on fumes.

And because we can't rely on him at the moment, we are OFFICIALLY the same team we've been for the last 4 years.

Wanted for hire: individual who can put the puck in the net.

I think the longer season is really getting to him. Combine that with the fact that he needs to play with talent to really be effective but is stuck on the bottom lines isn't helping either. I think he will have a lot better season next year when he is more conditioned for the length of the season.

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It sucks he was looking like the real deal this year (like who's Hossa?). He looked dangerous out there today about the only positive thing I saw all game. Had a couple nice releases. I'd like to see him with Pavel maybe move Franzen with Z.

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Bottom six time isn't going to help any. He's pretty bad Defensively Pair him with Datsyuk to help make up for it,

However some reason i believe Brun and Helm together could be quite a force on the 3rd line.

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I think the longer season is really getting to him. Combine that with the fact that he needs to play with talent to really be effective but is stuck on the bottom lines isn't helping either. I think he will have a lot better season next year when he is more conditioned for the length of the season.

In addition to the ridiculously condensed schedule, I agree. Hopefully he can get his conditioning up for next season.

This shouldn't be all that surprising I guess. Look around the league: it looks like a bunch of rookies are falling by the wayside.

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1. i think he has been conditioned by the "no hit league" for too long.

2. the NHL has got a look at him and they play him close.

3. top it off with a dose of too many games in close quarters,and team lacking desire...

= "you get what we got here today, i dont like it any more than you like it"

off season conditioning...he will be up for it next year.

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I'm not worried. It's not a lack of effort, he just needs to learn the game. His talent is there, he is a great skater, and the shot is top notch. He's also better than I thought he would be passing the puck.

He just over thinks the game too much, and he makes some really bad decisions defensively. He is really raw when it comes to that part of the game, but he has never stopped skating or anything like that. So I definitely think his game will develop with time. Once he starts to understand the game he'll create more offensive opportunities for himself by creating turnovers.

His hot start had a lot to do with everyone around him playing well, once Zetterberg fell off he's game went right with him. And Brunner's not at the level yet where he can create his own scoring chances.

The good news is he won't get a big deal, that kinda scared me in the beginning of the year when he was close to the goal scoring lead. Now hopefully we sign him to a couple year deal, and have a steal of a player once his game develops.

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One of the things we all have to keep in mind is, brunner, Z, and Datsyuk were all in game shape when the season started. part of the reasons for their hot start. Now that the rest of the leahue is in shape, the league "caught up" to them. This is part and only part of the reason why all 3 are struggling to score lately. Now add in the offensive limits of the others on the team and yes it does make our O weak.

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Brunner needs the off season, and a real pre-season to get into shape. The guy is a bit lost, and his line-mates aren't helping him either. Just needs time to think. But on the positive side, his contract will probably be longer and cheaper the worse he plays right now. Which is good!

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Guest Playmaker

I'm not at all concerned. This is pretty common with European players. It would have been tough in a regular season, but with the condensed schedule and all the travel, I pretty much expected this. Seems like most Europeans come over and light it up the first few weeks, and then the travel and physical nature of the game sets in. If they're truly talented, which I think Brunner is, they adjust. Look at how many times in the past month the Wings have gone West. The constant time changes, games at night, early afternoon, early evening. I imagine that can totally mess up your body and your mind.

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One of the things we all have to keep in mind is, brunner, Z, and Datsyuk were all in game shape when the season started. part of the reasons for their hot start. Now that the rest of the leahue is in shape, the league "caught up" to them. This is part and only part of the reason why all 3 are struggling to score lately. Now add in the offensive limits of the others on the team and yes it does make our O weak.

This. And put the injuries and our new formed D in the mix why our offensive is lacking power right now.

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I have been saying for a long time that Brunner should be playing with Pavel... not on the bottom 6 and not with Hank... with Pavel.

Brunner has proven he can score goals and, more than that, he competes which is something Franzen does not do. IMO Brunner deserves to play with Pavel much more than Franzen, and I think we will get better results as well.

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hopefully he finds a little scoring soon and still wants to play for the wings after this year.. not saying that i think he won't want to but it's possible.

edit: also, i agree he'd probably benefit greatly from a full offseason/preseason and non-condensed schedule. i guess only time will tell..

Edited by amato

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Not buying this longer season excuse. Its a 34 less game season. This is not a real NHL season. If he's falling off now, how can one expect him not to completely fall off 50 -82 games next season? I mean, he hit the 10 goal mark like a month and a half ago. No one else (minus Datsyuk) has scored more than 10 goals 36 games into the season? This team is pathetic offensively and will continue to get worse with guys like Sammy and either more washed up veterans or small skilled euros that don't have the size,strength, or drive to get anywhere near the middle of the ice let alone the front of the net. Instead, we're wasting valuable roster spots by putting our "grinders" out on top lines to do no more than stand in front of the net (net front presence) not making any sort of cycle or sustained offensive pressure possible. Keep the centers, Datsyuk, Helm, Andersson. And keep Fil only if he centers a line with Z as his wing (still confident they would both benefit from a switch back to their natural positions) Everyone else is expendable. This should be now or never with Nyquist and Tatar, but judging by the minimal opportunities they are getting, I'm leaning more towards never. Let them play or get some draft picks out of them and restart the process with players better fit for the daily NHL grind. One can only patch so many holes before the entire foundation gives out.

We should add another top pairing defensemen because outside of Smith, (hopefully) Dekeyser, and Kronwall...its all mediocrity at best. But, after that, let the D grow on its own. The offense should be the main concern (from a fan's standpoint) now moving forward...and by main concern, i mean red alert! mayday! mayday!

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Not buying this longer season excuse. Its a 34 less game season. This is not a real NHL season. If he's falling off now, how can one expect him not to completely fall off 50 -82 games next season? I mean, he hit the 10 goal mark like a month and a half ago. No one else (minus Datsyuk) has scored more than 10 goals 36 games into the season? This team is pathetic offensively and will continue to get worse with guys like Sammy and either more washed up veterans or small skilled euros that don't have the size,strength, or drive to get anywhere near the middle of the ice let alone the front of the net. Instead, we're wasting valuable roster spots by putting our "grinders" out on top lines to do no more than stand in front of the net (net front presence) not making any sort of cycle or sustained offensive pressure possible. Keep the centers, Datsyuk, Helm, Andersson. And keep Fil only if he centers a line with Z as his wing (still confident they would both benefit from a switch back to their natural positions) Everyone else is expendable. This should be now or never with Nyquist and Tatar, but judging by the minimal opportunities they are getting, I'm leaning more towards never. Let them play or get some draft picks out of them and restart the process with players better fit for the daily NHL grind. One can only patch so many holes before the entire foundation gives out.

We should add another top pairing defensemen because outside of Smith, (hopefully) Dekeyser, and Kronwall...its all mediocrity at best. But, after that, let the D grow on its own. The offense should be the main concern (from a fan's standpoint) now moving forward...and by main concern, i mean red alert! mayday! mayday!

you know he played like 33 games overseas before the lockout ended right?

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Not buying this longer season excuse. Its a 34 less game season. This is not a real NHL season. If he's falling off now, how can one expect him not to completely fall off 50 -82 games next season? I mean, he hit the 10 goal mark like a month and a half ago. No one else (minus Datsyuk) has scored more than 10 goals 36 games into the season? This team is pathetic offensively and will continue to get worse with guys like Sammy and either more washed up veterans or small skilled euros that don't have the size,strength, or drive to get anywhere near the middle of the ice let alone the front of the net. Instead, we're wasting valuable roster spots by putting our "grinders" out on top lines to do no more than stand in front of the net (net front presence) not making any sort of cycle or sustained offensive pressure possible. Keep the centers, Datsyuk, Helm, Andersson. And keep Fil only if he centers a line with Z as his wing (still confident they would both benefit from a switch back to their natural positions) Everyone else is expendable. This should be now or never with Nyquist and Tatar, but judging by the minimal opportunities they are getting, I'm leaning more towards never. Let them play or get some draft picks out of them and restart the process with players better fit for the daily NHL grind. One can only patch so many holes before the entire foundation gives out.

We should add another top pairing defensemen because outside of Smith, (hopefully) Dekeyser, and Kronwall...its all mediocrity at best. But, after that, let the D grow on its own. The offense should be the main concern (from a fan's standpoint) now moving forward...and by main concern, i mean red alert! mayday! mayday!

I guess the 33 games in NLA count for nothing. He's played 65 games this year, almost half being an insane schedule due to an NHL lock out. Of course the man is going to be tired..

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I think the travel has more to do with it than anything. Mickey Redmond commented on this a few weeks ago. I think Brunner told him the farthest he had to travel to a road game was less than an hour. They don't have to deal with the drastic time zone changes either in the Swiss League. I know everyone thinks it's easy and oh, they get paid a lot, so they should just suck it up, but try flying all night, losing 3 hours, sleeping in a strange place, then having to play in a hockey game. I think it's far more difficult than it appears.

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Fatigue isn't the only issue here.

He was an unknown commodity with no NHL experience when the season began. He scored a few goals early off, had a highlight reel shootout experience, and a few weeks later he's among the lead leaders in goals. Suddenly, teams stopped treating him like a soft Euro and started taking away his time and space. He's more tightly covered whilst sneaking into the slot from the soft-side. Defense are on him much quicker and harder in the corners, and while Brunner can mentally adjust to North American hockey, it will be a slower process to build up the physical strength to be able to fight through the coverage that he is now experiencing.

Secondly, Brunner has really focused hard on playing a more defensively sound game. He is back-checking much more effectively than when the season began, and he's playing much deeper in our own zone instead of floating at the blueline waiting for a breakout. He has also been more conscious of opponent's breakout potentials and is adjusting his game in the offensive zone to accommodate this. His new-found defensive responsibilities are also going to lower his offensive output.

Combined with the brutal North American schedule and travel, its no surprise at all why Brunner has suddenly gone quiet. He's with good role models though, and I suspect that he will be able to overcome the schedule and the added defensive attention he has over the next few years. Given his commitment to learning the defensive side of the game, and how far he has come already, I'd say the guy is willing to do whatever it takes to be successful at this level. Lets hope my assumption is correct.

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