Jim Devellano on Mantha's play: "Very disappointing"

[rick zombo 3,739]

I know he's "Senior Vice-President" and all that, but what exactly is Jimmy D doing for this organization these days? Besides creating headaches.

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

I know he's "Senior Vice-President" and all that, but what exactly is Jimmy D doing for this organization these days? Besides creating headaches.

What's the difference between being vice president and senior vice president? Vice president by itself signifies second in command, except now there's a senior on top of that. Very confusing for us non-corporate folk.

I guess in the Mafia, he would be underboss. But I thought that was Holland?

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Wow, not sure what you guys are complaining about. The rest of the league passed on him because he is a known slacker. We thought we found a gem, but what a surprise, he's a slacker. So yes, after high hopes it's very very disappointing.

He's obviously the type of guy you need to bust all the way down to nothing, before you can build him up to his potential. Chances are he'll never play hard enough in NA, so he'll make a decent living playing in Europe.

I sure hope I am wrong, but Im not.

It's just that it's extremely odd that Devellano would comment about this and not Blashill or Holland.

An article on The Score about the comments refer to Devellano's comments as "startling criticism" which reflects how unusual they are.

http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/759148

I know he's "Senior Vice-President" and all that, but what exactly is Jimmy D doing for this organization these days? Besides creating headaches.

He's also apparently VP for the Tigers?? I don't really follow baseball so I wasn't aware he had anything to do with that organization.

Maybe it's all thanks for helping build the Cup teams in the 90s and establish scouting in Europe that landed them a lot of great players?

[hillbillywingsfan 794]

Wow, not sure what you guys are complaining about. The rest of the league passed on him because he is a known slacker. We thought we found a gem, but what a surprise, he's a slacker. So yes, after high hopes it's very very disappointing.

He's obviously the type of guy you need to bust all the way down to nothing, before you can build him up to his potential. Chances are he'll never play hard enough in NA, so he'll make a decent living playing in Europe.

I sure hope I am wrong, but Im not.

Not sure I agree with that because it seems like every trade that we finally get some details on from other teams has mantha in the package and we say no....

[Wheelchairsuperhero 1,453]

Wow, not sure what you guys are complaining about. The rest of the league passed on him because he is a known slacker. We thought we found a gem, but what a surprise, he's a slacker. So yes, after high hopes it's very very disappointing.

He's obviously the type of guy you need to bust all the way down to nothing, before you can build him up to his potential. Chances are he'll never play hard enough in NA, so he'll make a decent living playing in Europe.

I sure hope I am wrong, but Im not.

I'm not sure I've seen anything up to this point that indicates he's a slacker. He came off a severe injury and had a year he himself was disappointed in. His comments sure don't seem to indicate he isn't willing to work hard to get better.

[rick zombo 3,739]

Maybe Mantha knows that regardless of how hard he works and much he produces, he'll be stuck in GRs for three years, as is policy. Maybe he's just pacing himself.

[sleepwalker 512]

Maybe they are just trying to dissuade Toronto from wanting Mantha.

Remember, the reason the Phaneuf trade fell apart the first time is because Toronto demanded Mantha as part of the trade.

[DRW Dominance 255]

i don't know about the Europe part, but yes. mantha in juniors was well known for having "drive" issues and for being lazy.

[hankzet40 233]

Which shocks me considering the kid literally averaged a goal a game his last junior year. If that is lazy I can't even fathom what he could do when trying.

[PumpkinEscobar 136]

After his last year of Junior..had he been in last year's draft Florida would've taken him 1st overall

[wings7 62]

Comments were probably not needed.

But does anyone really believe he isn't disappointing so far?

Wasn't he like the next Yzerman?

He barely scores in the AHL...

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

Mantha should come out and say:

"Well, I'm not as disappointing as Nyquist and Smith were in the playoffs".

[frankgrimes 1,836]

Comments were probably not needed.

But does anyone really believe he isn't disappointing so far?

Wasn't he like the next Yzerman?

He barely scores in the AHL...

Nobody - at least to my knowledge - expected him to be that. Once again guy has played his first pro season after coming back from a broken leg, that's not an easy task. Also Mr. Devellano should focus on his advisor (or whatever his role is) job, instead of slamming players through the media.

Also Leafs Lunch today had a nice discussion about that and I think they did have a point: Wings front-office might get a bit desperate here and sadly realize that the current group is able to get into the playoffs but not further than the 1 or 2 round without much needed youngish topplayers and how do you get them ? Through the d raft by picking in the top 5

Ok so Mantha needs to hit the gym like crazy and other players don't Mr. Devellano ? There are almost 4 months off everybody needs to work on something be it bulking up, get quicker, lose weight or whatever so to single him out is a really dumb thing and absolutely unncessary.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

Comments were probably not needed.

But does anyone really believe he isn't disappointing so far?

Wasn't he like the next Yzerman?

He barely scores in the AHL...

What other prospect has a major figure in the Wings organization basically denounced after one season? Statistically, Mantha is basically at the same production as Tatar and Jurco in their first seasons with Grand Rapids.

If Jimmy D wants to make this comment after Mantha serves his mandatory four years in the minors, then I get it a little more. I just don't understand the timing, nor need to call out a player publicly. If anyone should do that, it should be coming from Blashill.

[TomTestedTough 8]

I understand I think what Jimmy is doing. Mantha needs a REALLY strong dose of humble pie and then get put straight after that.

Tear down and rebuild.

He has all the tools, but the biggest thing is his lack of toughness and determination to go after the puck. I saw why he had no minutes in game 5. He lost every puck battle that I saw. I think he really thought at the beginning of the year that he was going to walk up into Detroit with all the hype.

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

I understand I think what Jimmy is doing. Mantha needs a REALLY strong dose of humble pie and then get put straight after that.

Tear down and rebuild.

He has all the tools, but the biggest thing is his lack of toughness and determination to go after the puck. I saw why he had no minutes in game 5. He lost every puck battle that I saw. I think he really thought at the beginning of the year that he was going to walk up into Detroit with all the hype.

And Nyquist and Pulkinnen win most of their puck battles? How about Kindl?

Say what you want about the Red Wings, but winning puck battles isn't really our strength.

[kipwinger 8,754]

All the detractors keep talking about how the Wings need accountability within the organization. Then Devallano comes out and tries to hold an underwhelming, yet highly anticipated, prospect accountable and people complain.

Whatever, there's no reason to "poo poo" the kid. Athanasiou and Nosek were rookies, who dealt with injuries, this year too. I don't see anybody talking about how disappointed they are with AA or Nosek. Why? Because those guys figured it out and played like professionals.

I'm not saying Mantha is a bust or anything. But I don't see a single problem with the organization voicing their dissatisfaction with his play. He's not been very good. Should they keep telling him how wonderful he's been?

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Lots of people went overboard on the Mantha hype train. 40 goal power forward, don't trade him for anything, etc.

I think a liet of the laziness comes from how he was used in juniors. His coach had him out for 2 minute shifts, you can't skate hard that long, so he picked his spots. He has to adjust now.

[Euro_Twins 4,485]

Lots of people went overboard on the Mantha hype train. 40 goal power forward, don't trade him for anything, etc.I think a liet of the laziness comes from how he was used in juniors. His coach had him out for 2 minute shifts, you can't skate hard that long, so he picked his spots. He has to adjust now.

I don't think anyone said don't trade him for anything. But no one was willing to trade nyquist mantha pulkinen and a first round pick for yandle. Also I still believe he can be a 40 goal power forward. He needs to bulk up but he has the frame and skills for it

[GoWings1905 2,694]

All the detractors keep talking about how the Wings need accountability within the organization. Then Devallano comes out and tries to hold an underwhelming, yet highly anticipated, prospect accountable and people complain.

Whatever, there's no reason to "poo poo" the kid. Athanasiou and Nosek were rookies, who dealt with injuries, this year too. I don't see anybody talking about how disappointed they are with AA or Nosek. Why? Because those guys figured it out and played like professionals.

I'm not saying Mantha is a bust or anything. But I don't see a single problem with the organization voicing their dissatisfaction with his play. He's not been very good. Should they keep telling him how wonderful he's been?

It isn't the organization -- it is one man with a history of making unfiltered comments. When has this ever been done previously? I can't recall anyone being put on blast publicly like Mantha.

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

I think Dan Cleary needs to publicly call out Devellano for these comments.

[kipwinger 8,754]

It isn't the organization -- it is one man with a history of making unfiltered comments. When has this ever been done previously? I can't recall anyone being put on blast publicly like Mantha.

Babcock calls guys out all the time. He's done so with Kindl and Weiss recently. And justifiably do. He's done so with White, Commodore, Smith, and even Hudler in the past. Why is it no problem when Babs calls out a pro, but Jimmy D does so with a prospect?

Again, I see no reason to poo poo the kid. The league, and/or the world, don't give a s*** how sensitive this kid is treated. You either get over the hump or you don't. That's on him. But I don't think the organization deserves praise and/or criticism for how delicately they treat an adult man.

I turned 21 in Baghdad, Iraq. Nobody worried about my feelings, or all the intangibles, when I got performance feedback. If you sucked, they said you sucked, and you fixed it. I don't know why this kid deserves more. Because pro hockey is so hard? Maybe, but I'm not buying it.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Babcock calls guys out all the time. He's done so with Kindl and Weiss recently. And justifiably do. He's done so with White, Commodore, Smith, and even Hudler in the past. Why is it no problem when Babs calls out a pro, but Jimmy D does so with a prospect?

Again, I see no reason to poo poo the kid. The league, and/or the world, don't give a s*** how sensitive this kid is treated. You either get over the hump or you don't. That's on him. But I don't think the organization deserves praise and/or criticism for how delicately they treat an adult man.

I turned 21 in Baghdad, Iraq. Nobody worried about my feelings, or all the intangibles, when I got performance feedback. If you sucked, they said you sucked, and you fixed it. I don't know why this kid deserves more. Because pro hockey is so hard? Maybe, but I'm not buying it.

For me it's not that it might have hurt Mantha's feelings. When the coach does it, it's one thing. It's usually a calculated move. This just seems so random. Especially because he makes it sound like the Wings have already given up on the kid.

I don't really follow the prospects that closely but has Mantha been benched, or even criticized publicly by anyone before this? For the Senior VP of the NHL club to call out a minor league player is pretty much going nuclear. And isn't something I can ever remember the Wings doing ever before. It's just odd, which makes me think it was Devellano running his mouth more than a plan to light a fire under the kid.

[kipwinger 8,754]

For me it's not that it might have hurt Mantha's feelings. When the coach does it, it's one thing. It's usually a calculated move. This just seems so random. Especially because he makes it sound like the Wings have already given up on the kid.

I don't really follow the prospects that closely but has Mantha been benched, or even criticized publicly by anyone before this? For the Senior VP of the NHL club to call out a minor league player is pretty much going nuclear. And isn't something I can ever remember the Wings doing ever before. It's just odd, which makes me think it was Devellano running his mouth more than a plan to light a fire under the kid.

And it might very well have been. All I'm saying is that I don't find anything too wrong with being hard on the kid. Especially if you're a person in a position of authority, who is (at least) partially responsible for the direction of the team. I'd rather the organization, or management be overly critical of the kid, than make excuses for him (I realize you're not advocating this). It's really hard to be an elite NHL player, and even harder to track that way when you're 20 years old. But it seems to me that the organization, or it's leadership, wouldn't be saying things like this if they didn't think the kid would respond.

I mean, look at Frk. He was a stud in Juniors, and completely fell off the earth, and nobody said anything about his play. So maybe they're being hard on Mantha because they think it'll motivate him. Didn't we hear stories about how Babs was harder on Tatar than anybody on the team because A) he needed it, and B) he could take it?

[PavelValerievichDatsyuk 1,935]

Babcock calls guys out all the time. He's done so with Kindl and Weiss recently. And justifiably do. He's done so with White, Commodore, Smith, and even Hudler in the past. Why is it no problem when Babs calls out a pro, but Jimmy D does so with a prospect?

Because Mantha's in his first year pro. All those guys are older, have been the league for a while. Those players aren't dealing with hype of a first round pick, moving away from home for the first time, their first major injury, turning pro, etc.

Also, Babs does treat younger players differently. There's been a couple of articles on that in the past few years since we've added youth. It's a smart strategy. Younger players generally haven't developed the mental fortitude. Harsh criticism misplace could mess up their development and can ultimately hurt the organization. Obviously, confidence is a huge part of the game.

Again, I see no reason to poo poo the kid. The league, and/or the world, don't give a s*** how sensitive this kid is treated. You either get over the hump or you don't. That's on him. But I don't think the organization deserves praise and/or criticism for how delicately they treat an adult man.

So an organization can treat a prospect anyway they want and no one can criticize them either way? How Tyrantical.

I think the central part that people have a problem with is that he did it public and now Mantha has to deal with it in the media. Just google his name to see how many news organizations picked up this story. Dealing with media is definitely new to him as a young player.

Finally, I don't think Devellano's comments are that big a deal and Mantha respond to them in a good manner. I think it would have been better to keep it behind closed doors, but he was just saying what we and Mantha already knew. I just really thought your response was over the top, Kip. Maybe it was to counteracted everyone who's very against the comments?

Edited May 6, 2015 by PavelValerievichDatsyuk