Mike Green is a marked man according to Washington Capitals' coach Adam Oates, who offered the above quote with a confounded shake of his head - more than a little frustrated that Green has suffered yet another injury by putting himself in bad position to take a hit from Columbus Blue Jackets' Boone Jenner.
Green took a gamble at the blue line and tried to play a puck that Jenner easily pushed in and headed low into the attacking zone where he got clobbered on the end boards - a mere glancing blow, nothing malicious in intent, just Green's face meeting the glass equalling the third concussion of his career.
It's been a roller coaster ride with Green ever since - concussions being unpredictable in their manifestation - with reports coming out of Caps' camp alternating between game-time decision and not quite ready, evolving into hopefully back in action after the break.
That's where things stand at present, the Olympic break affording many players a chance to get their bodies right - and since no organized practices are allowed until the February 20th, Green has nothing but time to rest and hopefully meet the protocol guidelines when practices resume.
And while Oates is correct in his assessment that Green took himself out of position on the play, leaving himself vulnerable at the end boards in trying to outrace Jenner to the puck, it has to be remembered that this is his playing style - making a career of creating instant offense - and while he hasn't put up elite offensive numbers in a few years, he is still considered such as an offensive-minded defenseman...
...enough to put a big target on his back as he can change the complexion of a match by doing just as he did against Jenner - only successfully, of course.
Oates may be frustrated, but it's not as if he hasn't had some successes this season, as he has already surpassed both his games played and point totals for the past four seasons, but his minus-nine rating is his worst since his rookie year and his penalty minutes are his most in five seasons and could easily evolve into a career high.
Those two stats are compelling in Oates argument that there's some bad decisions being made on the ice this season,.
"It's frustrating because a guy of his skill set, he's a smart hockey player," Oates lamented over the weekend. "You don't expect mental mistakes. And then how are you going to recover? Just like all of us, when we get mentally tired, you make mistakes that you wouldn't make if you're fresh. So is that was it was? Maybe you're a little tired? Maybe your shift was too long? That's the stuff that as coaches you've got to try and coach him through."
They had better get it figured out, because when play resumes, the Capitals are locked in a death-struggle where three points separate seven teams for two playoff spots - and they have perhaps the league's toughest schedule to close out the season, so if they have any hopes of the postseason, it has to be all hands on deck.
http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/02/caps-green-out-with-concussion-oates.html#.Uvm8_7Qcq58
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