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Claimed:Struggles [Reviewed]


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So far this season it has been another disappointing year for the Quebec City Meute’s Felipe Rodriguez. Through 18 games this year, he’s only earned five points coming in the form of one goal and four assists. For those who are interested, that’s .278 points per game as a first pair defender on a team that’s 11-6-1. He’s been working on his passing and puck handling every chance he gets but it appears it has not started paying off yet. Rod’s previous defensive partner, John Sleeman, has moved to forward in what could definitely be called a good move (Sleeman is second on the team in scoring, tied for fourth in the league with 25 points). Without a good option to replace Rodriguez on the first pairing, it looks like the Meute are stuck pending a roster shakeup of any kind.

 

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Rodriguez attends a ball game in Toronto.

 

We could bore you with all the specifics about his decline, but let’s speculate why it’s happening instead. One theory that we have been throwing around the office is that he’s distracted off the ice. He’s been spotted around town with a certain female who seems to be taking up a lot of his time.  He has also been seen attending several Toronto Blue Jays’ games throughout the season when he should be practicing or watching game film.

 

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Rodriguez and his mystery lady friend.

 

This is all speculation as his point production wasn’t all that great last season either. That being said, he’s on pace for 20 points this year, which would definitely be disappointing and 19 points less than last season but I digress. Another speculation? Montezuma’s Revenge. His recent trip back to Mexico, however short, could have exposed him to untreated water or street vendor food.  He has been north of the border for quite a while now and his body seems to be adjusted to the food quality here.  He cannot handle the Mexican bacteria in food like he once did. We reached out to several members of the organization who have access to the locker room but they declined comment (not really but for the purposes of this article we’ll say we did).

 

One final guess at a reason for his lack of point production is an underlying injury. He recently attended a concert where he may or may not have consumed one (several) adult beverages. Rumor has it he tripped down a flight of stairs and injured his ankle. As the concert was overseas in the UK, we had no photographer presence at the show. He has shown no outward indication of an injury of any sort but getting hurt while under the influence of alcohol would not be a good look for Flip to his fans, teammates, or management.

 

New single from band Rodriguez saw.

All we can do is hope that this is just a temporary issue and he’ll get his head back in the game and start producing points like he hasn’t done since his time in the VHLM. Playing alongside Jeff Hamilton should help him improve his game and become an elite defensemen but that evolution has been slow going and we're not convinced Quebec will be that patient.

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