Taking a Back Seat

[Erik Summers 451]

Taking a Back Seat

 

It's been a bumpy year in Mexico City for Erik Summers. Being on a team with a +81 goal differential put sitting at a personal -6 isn't a great look when all of your line mates are well ahead of you in +/-. When he was traded from Houston, Summers was expected to be a leader on the team, but instead he has become something of a liability. Despite seeing a lot of ice time, Summers failed to maintain a point per game pace, falling seven points short. The only area Erik excelled was in shot blocking, ending the regular season tied for seventh overall with a hundred and twenty three. However, as the playoffs approach, it appears that it is time for Summers to take a back seat to his more productive teammates.

 

Odin Omdahl finished tenth in points for the whole league and Alyksander Hunter was also in the top ten among defenseman, combining for over two hundred points. Odin also played one of the most disciplined styles in the league, accounting for only thirty two penalty minutes over the course of the season. Oskar Lagesson, on the other hand, played the opposite side of the spectrum, with a hundred and fifty six penalty minutes and two hundred and sixty two hits. Lagesson combined with his frequent defensive pair, Hunter, to make one of the most physical blue lines in the league, combining for four hundred and thirty eight hits.

 

In the playoffs, I would expect the Hunter/Lagesson line to be broken up in favor of putting Oskar and Odin on a line together and hopefully to avoid too many penalties. This means that Alyksander and Erik will likely see a lot of time on the ice together. This creates an interesting dynamic, as these two players faced each other in the finals of last season's Founder's Cup. These two make up half of the players on Mexico City's roster with final experience, with Milos Slavik having been on the Bulls winning roster and Jaxon Walker playing for the Minnesota Storm team that lost in the finals in S67. That means this roster has a good mix of players who have won it before and know what it takes and those who have been close to tasting it and are that much hungrier for it now.

 

This finals experience is probably Summer's one upside coming into these playoffs. Erik has a lot of experience winning considering his short time in the league. Not only did he lift the Founder's Cup with Houston, but he also just won Gold with Europe in the WJC. Having hardware doesn't make you a better player, but the experience that comes with it isn't without value either. Odin also played in that Gold Medal game for team Asia. Despite only taking home Silver after their impressive round robin run, Odin's WJC experience adds another level of championship conditioning to this team's roster.

 

All in all, Summers will likely have to take a bit more of a back seat than he expect this season for Mexico City to win the cup, but that is a sacrifice he will gladly make to keep his championship streak alive.

[zepheter 586]

Honestly it’s probably the build you have. I am also surprised that you were a minus player, and it doesn’t really make sense considering how well you played defensively. When it’s all said and done, you’ll be a big reason why we win it all, not the reason we lose it all. 

Edited December 23, 2019 by zepheter