Armstrong's struggles
Derek Armstrong doesn't have a goal this season. Some of you might have noticed.
``He needs to generate more than he is right now, there's no doubt about that,'' Crawford said. ``You talk to any player on this team and they'll tell you this guy is a hard worker, conscientious. Right now, he's squeezing the stick too tight and we're trying to relax him as much as we can. No one feels worse about his lack of scoring than he does.''
Crawford started Armstrong off on the second scoring line at the beginning of the season but dropped him to the energy line because of his struggles. But when Kyle Calder got injured Crawford oddly moved the struggling Armstrong onto the second power play unit. It sounds like that could change soon.
``We probably have to look at other people right now to take that spot vacated by Calder,'' Crawford said. ``We have a lot of good candidates for that.''
An 11-year veteran in this league, Armstrong has never been a big goal scorer. He has 59 goals in his career. But he doesn't remember ever going this long without a goal.
``I'm more frustrated with myself than anything,'' Armstrong said. ``I've got to get it out of my mind and stop thinking about it. I just have to do the little things, to get pucks to the net and create traffic around the net.''
PLEASE CROW, PLEASE take him off the powerplay.
And Blake too.
Better yet, keep Blake & Lubo apart.
Hmm I distinctly remember the last time this happened he put that particular player on the 3rd line and let him continue to struggle. Who was the person you say? Craig Conroy.
The game is starting to pass Army by. Sure the guy has character & works the corners, but he doesn't have the scoring ability & speed for the "new" NHL.
It's taken Crawford this long to figure out that he should take the 0 goal scorer and perennial 5 goal scorer off the PP?
He has guys like nagy, O'sullivan, and Handzus sitting on the bench during PP. I'd think a guy like Handzus would fit in front of the net much better as a replacement for Calder than Armstrong who thinks he's the "hands" guy on the half wall instead of going to the net.
That's probably by Crawford's design in practice though so I can't blame Armstrong for that.
This guy is a waste of a roster slot. To think that we've had this guy anchor the 2nd line from time to time frightens me. He has heart, you say? Give him a job behind the bench, not on it. Where's Gary Shuchuk these days? I'd rather have him.
In regards to the comment on Conroy's relegation to the 3rd line, wasn't that AM's doing?