Quoting: dougdurant
Yes he has. His corsi numbers at even strength were the worst of any of the isles defensemen. You really think Leddy is the same player as he was the first 2 seasons he played with us? He's definitely still a useful player as a zone entry machine and can put up offensive numbers, maybe playing him on the third pair helps him out a bit. We can either trade him this year or wait until next offseason when we need to shed the cap.
You're also incorrect about Lou speaking on Dobson. "I think what he has to do is simply what he has been doing, just keep growing as a player, keep growing as a person, which I'm extremely impressed with. He's a quality individual. He'll have as good a chance as anybody and will be given every opportunity."
That's not him saying he has a REAL shot. He might get the 9 game look, but why keep him up all year if he won't get a decent amount of games.
Okay, first on the Dobson thing... you're splitting hairs with semantics man... Lou saying he "has as good a chance as anybody and will be given every opportunity" is the same thing as saying he has a real shot at making the team, it's just different word usage. The Isles aren't going to send him back to Juniors for a 3rd season unless Dobson shows he can't handle the NHL, it's the ONLY way he goes back down. If he could be sent to the AHL that would be a different story, but sending him back to Juniors could hinder his development.
Second, Leddy was never a defensive defenseman, he's always been first and foremost a Offensive D-man. So, the fact that you said he can still be useful for zone entry and putting offensive numbers, yes he's still the same player he has been on the Isles, because he was never meant to be a defensive guy here... that's why he's typically paired with Boychuk. Last season was the first season Leddy was forced to focus on his defense, so his offense took a hit. Having played hockey (goalie) for over 20 years, I would also venture to guess that having to completely change your entire style of play would have a negative impact on some of your numbers/metrics. So, maybe people need to stop using one, what they consider, down season to signal that Leddy is regressing and maybe see if he bounces back this year before writing the guy off.