Crawford interview, Part 2

Here’s the second (and last) part of Don’s interview with Marc Crawford:

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Question: You didn’t get the production you’d expected from Cammalleri this season. How much did that negatively impact the team?

Crawford: I don’t think it was a huge factor. I thought earlier in the year when Frolov missed about 10 or 12 games, I thought his impact missing from the club was significant. Any time you have injuries it’s significant, but everyone has to deal with them. It is hardest to deal with when you don’t have a lot of depth at certain positions, and our depth was not strong at the goaltending position.

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Question: Getting back to Cammalleri specifically…..

Crawford: I’m trying to make the point that the depth of our club, we can withstand an injury and a less-than-expected production from guys at the forward position more than we could do it on defense and definitely more than we could on goalie. I believe with Mike that this was an aberration this year. His scoring chances were among the highest on the team. He missed 20 games and he was still our second leading chance producer. For me, when you are producing that many chances and getting that many shots, it is going to happen, and it is going to happen for Mike.

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Question: Is it safe to say that he is figuring into your plans for next season?

Crawford: For me he is. I think we all have to be open to everything that we can do to improve our club, and that is everyone included. I think Mike is a quality NHLer, I thought he played well for us, but he just didn’t produce well enough for us this year, but I am totally convinced that his production will return.

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Question: Michal Handzus stayed healthy, but I’m certain you were not satisfied with his output.

Crawford: I think the big thing with Michal is that we talked a lot with him about quickness, and how the game now is quickness to react, quickness to move and that sort of thing. We have to be honest, Michal played all year and his quickness is not where it needed to be, and that is due to the fact that his injury did not allow him to train and prepare his motor systems the way they needed to be. I expect him to be significantly better next year. And I know one thing, and that is nobody cares as much as Michal. He is a pro’s pro, and he’s extremely dedicated, almost to a fault. He knows the areas that he’s got to improve to get his performance to a level that our fans expect, that our team expects, but most of all, what Michal expects. Michael is a proud guy. I know he is very determined to be better.

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Question: Talk about the break-out season for Dustin Brown.

Crawford: I think he is going to continue to get better. I think he is going to take another step now in the leadership role. He is very respected in the dressing room for how he plays, how he practices and how he competes, and I think his voice is now going to be one of the bigger voices in the room, and that is happening naturally. He has gone from a guy who was paying his dues to being a core player. I am very pleased with Dustin, and I think it coincides with his personal life, having the baby this year and really becoming comfortable with being a King. He is a cornerstone player for us.

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Question: Going back a bit, do you think Dustin was held back a bit in terms of his progression because of the presence of Sean Avery?

Crawford: Because I wasn’t here for a lot of the turmoil with Sean beforehand, but I do think that Dustin continued to mature last year as well as this year and I think too much is made of that. I think Dustin would be where he is right now if Sean were still here right now. But still, Sean is a strong presence, and any time you have a strong presence, younger players are going to be less likely to be voices in the room.

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Question: You have to be excited about the thought of training camp with some good, likely candidates for the starting goalie job, what with Bernier, LaBarbera, Ersberg and Quick?

Crawford: Yes, I am. I think it is still the number one factor for this team; consistent, strong goaltending is such a big factor on any NHL team. It is a huge, huge factor and we have more capable people than any of the other years than we’ve had here. It is important that we have healthy competition and I am confident that we are going to get better.

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Question: If goaltending is concern number one, then I’m supposing defense is 1A?

Crawford: Jack Johnson was definitely a huge bright spot, and will likely be a huge bright spot for this team for years to come. He has shown he is a top guy and he is only going to get better. His understanding of structure and playing in an NHL structure, he’s really thriving on it. This is really the first time he has been given this type of structure on a consistent basis, and it takes a while for a guy who is as creative as Jack to get used to the boundaries that he’s got, and understanding the boundaries of playing in a competitive NHL.

I think Lubo is a guy we’ll expect a much better year from next season. I think he is going to be more used to being a leader on the team, he’s going to get more used to the fact that the team is committed to him. He puts more pressure on himself than probably anybody else on the team. That shows he cares. I thought he had a good year, but he can be great.

I’m hopeful that Rob (Blake) is back with us. I think we really need his play and his guidance. There’s not doubt that his play will continue to be leaned upon, but hopefully to a lesser extent. Hopefully we can give him more manageable minutes as he continues to play, and I think that he’ll be such a great component on this team as we get more of the younger guys into more prominent roles.

I think Tommy Preissing is going to be okay. Peter Harold has shown that he has the ability to step in and give us some quality play. And hopefully we’ll be active in both the draft, with the possibility of a guy being ready to play right away, and some of our previous picks being closer to play. I think that is maybe a good area for free agency where someone is going to be able to come in and be exactly what we need.

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Question: Was there any point during the season, especially when things seemed to go south, when you felt like you might get fired?

Crawford: I never concerned myself with that, and I’m being very honest. As a coach your job is to get your team ready on a daily basis and the preparation is taxing, but it is also intoxicating. You get immersed in it, and I’m immersed in it every day, so it’s so fruitless to worry about what’s out of your control – we tell our players that all the time. We want our players to be the absolute best they can be, and we know they make mistakes. I know I make mistakes, but I keep trying to keep playing as perfect a game as I can as a coach and I’m going to keep striving to do that.

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