Canes Country Exit Analysis: Rod Brind'Amour
by Cory Lavalette on Jun 1, 2009 10:12 PM EDT
41 comments
As part of Canes Country's offseason coverage, we're going to offer "Exit Analysis" articles on each player. Then you get the No. 2 pencil and grade each player on their year.
We kick things off with captain Rod Brind'Amour. Brind'Amour, who completed his ninth season with the Canes, had his share of struggles this year but still put up respectable numbers. But his postseason demotion to the fourth line has many wondering if No. 17 can bounce back in 2009-10.
The Good: After leaving the team for a two-game rest during an early February West Coast trip, Brind'Amour returned for the final 28 games of the regular season and looked markedly better. He went pointless in his first five games back, but then had eight goals and 14 assists in the remaining 23 games — just one point shy of a point-per-game pace. Brind'Amour also remains one of if not the best faceoff men in the game. His 51 regular-season points still ranked fourth on the team, and his only missed time was during his two-game refocusing break. He remains a valuable penalty killer, even if he's no longer a Selke Trophy threat.
Aside from the individual numbers, Brind'Amour deserves some credit as team captain for the Canes' run to the Eastern Conference Finals. While his play wasn't up to par, no one doubts the veteran's work ethic both on and off the ice.
The Bad: For a long stretch of the season, Brind'Amour was at or near the bottom of the NHL in plus/minus. While the stat can often be misleading, it's rare for a player to minus-30 by accident. Further complicating matters was Brind'Amour's struggles at the RBC Center, where was minus-17 on the year, as compared to minus-6 on the road.
While he bounced back at the end of the regular season, Brind'Amour's struggles returned for the playoffs. He managed just four points in 18 postseason games, and only one goal, despite getting an average of more than two minutes of power play time per game. He still got nearly three minutes of PK time per game, but his even-strength time dropped to 10:22, seventh among forwards.
The Stats: The biggest thing that stands out is, of course, Brind'Amour's minus-23, far away the worst plus/minus of his career. Here's a look at the rest:
- 16 Goals — lowest total since 2003-04 (12).
- 35 assists — in his eight full seasons with Carolina, he has averaged 34.88 assists per season.
- 51 points — he had 51 points last season, but did it in 59 games against 80 this year.
- 36 PIMs — his lowest total since 2003-04 (28).
- 6 PPG — outside of his 19 power play goals in 2005-06, he has been between five and nine every season but one (one PPG in 2003-04).
- 61.0 on faceoffs — his best winning percentage since 61.1 in 2003-04.
The Money: Brind'Amour earned $4 million this season and had a cap hit of $3.6 million. He has two years remaining on his contract, each at $3 million in payout and $3.6 million in cap cost.
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Poor season for Brindy
Before I continue- please understand that Brindy is one of my favorite players of all time, and I took a picture of my tv (paused the DVR) with him holding the cup a few years ago to place as my desktop until the sports networks posted better pictures- which they provided quickly!! :)
On that note, I have to admit, I gave Brindy a D in this survey. As great as he is, his play has diminished over the past year. But, it may be because of his knee injury- I hope that he comes back strong. As a Canes fan, nothing would make me happier than to hear all of you rip on me at the end of next year for giving him such a low grade- because that would mean that he had a fantastic 09-10 season. GO CANES!
by PittsburghCaniac on Jun 2, 2009 1:11 AM EDT reply actions
BTW- Fantastic post Cory! Awesome idea to allow the ’Canes fans to rate and evaluate each player individually (with surveys). Canescountry is TRULY the best darn site that I have ever found :) Thanks again for your hard work.
by PittsburghCaniac on Jun 2, 2009 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions
D
I agree with PC, Roddy is one of my Favs, but definitely a poor season. To put up the same amount of points as 07/08 (where he missed 20+ games) makes you wonder if he really should have been playing 80 games this year. Hopefully he will have an injury free off-season and make us eat our words!! Great post Cory!
You wonder if they will even try to keep Babchuck, a top scorer in the league at his position. You know dam well they will try to keep Rod going like Williams, until there is nothing left. Well I’m here to tell you that Rod can’t get back to Selke form. He’s old enough to have lost a step and has. Couple that with injury and you have the natural decline of one of the greats who will be a shoe in for the HOF. He may get back to a competent level, not the “D” grade/level of play here. Staal (he’s also gonna get a D) is the heir apparent, there is a shitpile of players coming up for trade, Bowmeister will probably be a juicy get for somebody and Detroit will have to cough up a few depending on where the cap winds up. So with our self imposed budget, lack of continuity on keeping players, we wind up with kaberle, Wallin and Roddy. NONE of which has or will earn the check they get. So by bad deals and bad luck, we are struggling to keep a team with holes together. There really isn’t much that can be done about it, but, I still think Rod should pony up and retire to pass the baton to Staal. So then we can see if Staal is the future of this franchise or not. can he play without Cole (an F for him kids)? Sutter, Boychuck, et al waiting in the wings, great players to be had this summer, way better than last year. I dunno, I think we are going to lose far better players than Rod, with alot more hockey left while we “wait and see if he can come back”.
Yup, “The Negative Paladin rides again”
available at a blog near you.
coming to dvd/blue ray this summer….
;-)
A
An F by you for Cole? What a shocker! :)
by hotchipsnsalsa on Jun 2, 2009 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
if roddy’s age is such an issue, then why aren’t you talking about whitney.
hes one year younger…
does that mean that this year ray will be a -23?
it was all about the injuries, not age, you should know that.
You can't say it was ALL about the injuries...
But I agree we haven’t seen how much age has effected him.
by MichaelProcton on Jun 2, 2009 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions
i can say it was ALL about the injuries.
unless you count the expectations.
the diference in level of play was all in the injuries.
you dont expect ray to suck because “hes over the hump”
but if he had had two knee surgeries maybe itd be different.
rays game suffered cause of his finger at the end of the year.
roddys game suffered for most of the season because h ecame back too quick.
his game picked up down the stretch before he re injured himself
i think we will all be pleasantly surprised next year.
As much as I like you….. I wonder which team you are watching sometimes…..
Good to hear from you though…..
-M.
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Jun 2, 2009 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions
I can’t take credit for the idea … it’s something a few of the other SB Nation hockey blogs are doing and seemed like a great idea. The three of us discussed it and we’re all tackling a group of players and will have them up throughout the postseason.
On to Rod … many thought he was done after 2003-04. I’m not saying he’ll bounce back with a 70-point season, but if he can manage 50 again w/o the obvious defensive issues, there is value there. Without Rod, there are serious faceoff issues for next season.
It’s still a good idea and you would not have known about if you guys didn’t do some extra homework so we appreciate the effort….. I think people have been too critical of Rod. I believe the knee injury had a lot to do with it and he recently admitted such in his media exit interview. To me his effort and his work ethic never wondered and you have to think his leadership continued. I wouldn’t believe anybody would hand out a C just because they are an excellect player — they also have to have some other intangibles that give them the ability to lead. It’s easy to judge the things we do see, but I gotta believe if we saw the whole picture things might be a little different and we might not be so critical. Was he worth the money we paid him this year? Probably not, but when you sign a contract you are paying a guy based on this past experience and hope that experience carries on. I’d give him a C.
heres a little bit of small time hockey gods magic about brindamour:
in my nhl 09 game i traded roddy and michael ryan for jonathan toews
to free up cap space to juice my team (toews was still entry level price)
and then got beat by chicago in game 7 of the finals
roddy won the conn smythe….ouch
i shouldn’t have betrayed my captain.
…ive learned my lesson.
"rare for a player to be minus-30 by accident"
There was an interview I remembered from December I think. Tripp Tracy was asking Brindy about the +/- and Brindy said something to the effect of “you come on the ice for a line change and someone gets a breakaway past the D and scores.” I thought – that’s the sorriest excuse I think I’ve ever heard… for anything! Lame.
Anyway, I still give him a C b/c he rocked the f/o circle and still had a respectable 51 points. Someone said we’re in trouble in the faceoff circle once he retires- indubidably.
I don’t think he was blaming his plus/minus on circumstance. I think it was more a “everything that could go wrong has.” There’s no way he was the worst defensive forward in the league this year, but his plus/minus said so for a lot of the season. He’s admitted he didn’t play well, that the post-West Coast break part of his season was more along the lines of how he expects to play.
by Cory Lavalette on Jun 2, 2009 10:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Saw that too.
I commented here on that answer that he gave. I thought it was so uncaptain like that I was offended. Ladies and Gentleman this is your Captain speaking " its not my fault……it just happened…..the bad things are just bad luck….." Holy crap….how do you say something like that? How about…..its me….hell blame the injury…just don’t say " bad luck"
-30 is no mistake…its not bad luck,…. It was bad decision making, turning the puck over in your own zone, being two steps slower. Do those things over the course of 80 games and anyone would be -30. If Rod’s knee was not 100 %, he should not have been on the ice….period. We lost probably 5 games from Rod not being right. He is not young any longer and it takes time to get well. He should have sat for the first 20 games Captain or not.
Grading the players……….that is origional……….do I get some sort of royalty or something??? LOL
Before the coaching change EVERYONE was turning the puck over in their own zone…..
Hell…… Before the coaching change YOU AND I could have played better team defense…..
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Jun 2, 2009 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions
There still are not many guys Rods age who are in the great physical condition that he is in….
He had major knee surgery in February of ’08 and then had another surgery on his knee in September and still played 80 out of 82 games…. That in itself is amazing….
Rod is not even my favorite player, but I know how to consider all things and know that if given the proper time to heal Rod Brind’Amour will be back next season as if nothing ever happened…..
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Jun 2, 2009 11:48 AM EDT reply actions
Yep, but that was the pisser – he didn’t have proper time to heal this season. He just kept going. Probably damaged it even more over the course of the season by not giving it time to heal. Will this summer be enough time?
by Andrea's evil twin on Jun 2, 2009 9:19 PM EDT up reply actions
One thing’s for sure … we all know he’ll put the work in.
by Cory Lavalette on Jun 2, 2009 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Eh...
Strikes me the team wouldn’t have allowed him to suit ’em up if he was at a significantly increased risk to hurt it worse, particularly at his age.
Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.
by MichaelProcton on Jun 3, 2009 8:54 AM EDT up reply actions
I bet he told ‘em to shove it, that he was fine, and that he was going to play no matter what. I would not want to be the one to try to convince Roddy that he couldn’t play. I would also guess that’s why he played fewer minutes by the end of the year. Someone finally started getting through to him… But who knows…
by Andrea's evil twin on Jun 3, 2009 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Rod B
I think the world of Rob Brindamour. We would never have won in 06 without him.
He’s a good guy, leads by example and refuses to whine.
Having said all that, there is a time in every player’s career where the mind is willing and the body is not. He has not lost just a step, but maybe two. The ‘06 Brindamour would have been matched up with Crosby every shift. This year it was Staal/ Cullen. He just is not quick enough to play at this level anymore. If it were a matter of training or recovery time, I might feel otherwise. But it’s not. He has gone from being a Selke award winner
to a liability on a 200’ sheet of ice.
It’s like Mike Schmidt said, when you cannot make plays that were routine for the past 15 seasons, it’s time to hang it up…………….
I think we are at a point with Rod that we have to send the C Staals way, and we have to force Rod to sit out a few games at certain parts of the season to rest him up. The fact that he played 80 games this season is unbelievable. As poor as he played he should have sat out more. I still like him as a 3rd line Center… but the man just needs a few days off whenever he starts playing like crap.
by packpigskinfan25 on Jun 2, 2009 12:29 PM EDT reply actions
Gotta ask … what does that have to do with the “C”
by Cory Lavalette on Jun 2, 2009 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Not that the two really are products of each other, but I feel like its time for Staal to step up and be the leader of this team. His new contract hits starting this season, and I think making him Captain will help increase his maturity and his awarness of the team as a whole.
by packpigskinfan25 on Jun 2, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
It would be awkward to be scratching our captain just for rest.
Remember, kids...don't ever let facts get in the way of your argument.
by MichaelProcton on Jun 2, 2009 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree… well said.
Am I the only one who thinks Rod needs more rest though?
by packpigskinfan25 on Jun 2, 2009 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions
He is getting more rest right now……
He’ll be back to his previous form….. just wait…. I’d be willing to bet on it…..
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Jun 2, 2009 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Rod has the off-season to prove himself
And he will. I’m fully anticipating him to return next season with a healthy and rested body and knee.
Go Canes!
9 votes for an F is not realistic either.
by hotchipsnsalsa on Jun 2, 2009 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Rod's performance
Thought for most of the season Roddy was playing like he wasn’t hurt, meaning he thought he could still make the same plays as before the knee injury. He was often a step behind. Thus, he started pressing and trying to make the big play instead of the smart play. Anyone who has watched Roddy knows he usually makes the smart play. After his “vacation” he returned and seemed to have most of that step back, he seemed to relax and just play his game. I still don’t think his knee is right. That said next year he will give us 20-30-50 and win Masterson and Selke Trophies. He will center a true shut down line of the likes of the Madden line in Jersey.
Discuss among yourselves.
Oh yeah, of course he keeps the “C”
O Captain My Captain!
Though there may have been many “bleeding drops of red” from the battles that extended far beyond what I had expected this year, unlike the famous poem, our Captain is far from dead!!!
With time spent preparing for the new season, rather than rehabbing two surgeries, I would think Rod’s overall performance will be far better & certainly more consistent than that of this past season. While his “C” rating is a “fair” rating, I’m sure he’d say that’s far below acceptable in his eyes.
Now, as to whether or not he wears the “C” next year, I thinks he deserves that opportunity for the 9 years of franchise contributions & accomplishments (as I contunually peer up from my desk & see a signed photo of Rod’s – the primal scream & hoisting The Cup; but I’m sure the character of the organization will take care of all such things.
Can’t wait for camp to start – GO CANES !!!
My .02 on the Captain
I rated last season’s performance a ‘C’. He started off poorly (D or F quite frankly) but steadily improved over the course of the season. Playoffs were rough for him but were for many others who I think were spent by the final round.
As far as next season is concerned, this is a repeat of thoughts I previously posted elsewhere if it sounds familiar. He’s one of my all-time favorites across all sports so it’s hard to be unbiased.
No one knows what he’ll be able to bring to the table when training camp starts. I think it’s a safe bet that Brindy will come to camp as physically and mentally prepared as humanly possible, just like he always does. There are a lot of reasons to believe that regardless of his age he’ll be in better shape come camp than he was last year because of last season’s injury situation. What’s unknown is how much of a factor age will play into his ability.
I hear a lot of people bemoaning the length of the contract JR gave him after we won the Cup, but what folks seem to forget is that restructuring his previous contract after the Cup year allowed JR to immediately reduce Brindy’s salary and cap hit at a time when money was needed to re-sign other players. The term was a trade-off, and yeah, his salary may hurt us next year when directly compared against the role he’s likely to play, but he helped us for the previous three.
Whether or not he continues to wear the ‘C’ will likely play out over training camp. If you look at the other two ’A’s, Whitney and Staal, their roles certainly don’t seem to me to be compromised by continuing the way things are. The organization and his teammates will continue to treat him with the respect and dignity he’s earned.
And lastly, if Brindy’s age has indeed caught up with him it’s apparent at training camp, I’d suspect that he and JR would sit down at the table and figure out something that would help Brindy and help the team, whether it’s a further restructuring of the contract and/or other positions within the organization. No basis in reality, just what my gut keeps telling me.
Nice comment LTD. You definitely have brought a different perspective to the table. Seemingly, JR did structure his contract well. And “but for” his knee injury last year- who knows how well he would have done this season- hindsight is always 20-20. Rod “the bod” will likely show up at camp in physical condition that will liken him to being in the top half of the team- despite his age. GO CANES!
by PittsburghCaniac on Jun 3, 2009 3:52 AM EDT up reply actions
LTD, you pretty much summed up my feelings. Though I don’t believe there’s any chance the “C” will change hands.
by Cory Lavalette on Jun 3, 2009 9:03 AM EDT up reply actions
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