Ivan Retoslav - A Fall From Grace?

[eagle_3450 278]

Ivan Retoslav, often considered one of the most consistent and solid players of his draft class, came into this season after two seasons away from London, one with Malmo, and one with Chicago. In these season he racked up 146 points in 144 games, and now 11 games into S91, Retoslav has fallen to just 0.45 points per game, and is sitting at 2G 3A, for 5 points. This low total is something not seen in Retoslav's numbers since his rookie season all the way back in S84, and now people are wondering whether or not Ivan even has a chance to reach the magic 500 career point goal he set for himself this season. In fact, since S84 Ivan has never dropped below 60 points in a season, a stat that makes this 35 point pace even more shocking, especially when considering the fact that Ivan grew as a player overall during the S90 offseason. While Ivan's point totals may be way lower than expected, it also overshadows some of his other stats this season. Ivan is currently on pace for his highest hit total in the past 5 seasons, as well as a career high in blocked shots. This defensive play also coincides with Ivan's 9 PIMs in his first 11 games, as well as his first fight since S88, and his first fight win since he won the unofficial award for best fighting record in S87. This large amount of penalties also sets Retoslav on pace for his highest penalty minute total since that S87 run, when he had 75 PIMs in the season. Another weird stat is that for the first time since S87, Ivan has a positive +/- rating, hopefully he can keep up that stat and possibly overcome his career rating of -9, while also racking up some more points in the process. Only simon can tell us what comes next for Ivan and how this season will unfold.