As someone who’s spent the last 8 years living in Buffalo, I’ve had the uh… luxury of watching Brian Campbell up close and personal. I know some of you out there are wondering, “Hey, that Campbell guy, he’s pretty good, right? Should we go after him?” A simple yes or no won’t really capture the adventure that is Campbell so here’s a pros and cons list. Make of it what you will.
PRO: Creates a lot of chances for his team.
CON: Creates a lot of chances for his opponent.
PRO: Very good skater.
CON: Has to be in order to make up for getting caught in the offensive zone.
PRO: Talkative, good interview.
CON: No filter, sometimes talks without thinking.
PRO: Redhead.
CON: Grease head.
PRO: Can carry the puck out of the defensive zone.
CON: Can’t stop the puck from getting into the defensive zone.
PRO: Has often impressed commentators with huge open ice hits.
CON: When talking about huge open ice hits, commentators have to run video from two years ago. That should tell you something, commentators.
PRO: Grows a lovely playoff beard.
CON: Playoffs only a couple of months long, weak-chinned the rest of the year.
PRO: Can eat huge minutes.
CON: Can’t necessarily eat huge minutes that matter.
PRO: Very friendly with people in the community.
CON: Very “friendly” with people in the community ifyouknowwhatImean.
In a nutshell, Brian Campbell has grown into a very good offensive d-man. He’s definitely not without skill and he is, by all accounts, a pretty nice guy. He’s not going to come in and change your defensive corp all by himself though and I have to question how well he’s going to play under the pressure of a huge contract. (Seriously, he must be the only professional athlete in the world who gets so stressed about whose ridiculous offer he’s going to accept.) He’ll also never be a top pairing guy in my book because I prefer my top pairing guys to have some modicum of defensive ability. If you can get him for 5-5.5 million, you might have done pretty well for yourself. Anything above 6 and well… enjoy!
(From the article: “But he did cite the way the postseason ended – ‘very frustrating’ – as a negative.”)
Was it the Sharks’ fault he was in the penalty box at the time? :D
CON: When talking about huge open ice hits, commentators have to run video from two years ago. That should tell you something, commentators.
Hahahahaha!!
PRO: Redhead.
CON: Grease head.
Didn’t Brandon Davis once say, “Brian Campbell is a firecrotch?”
/not sure if thats a pro or con.