Kukla's Korner Hockey
Leino Starting Season On A High Note
by Paul on 09/30/10 at 09:39 AM ET
Comments (3)
from Anthony J. SanFilippo of the Daily Times,
For Ville Leino, earning the trust of coaches in the NHL was a lengthy process.
He never had it in Detroit. He didn’t get it right away in Philadelphia after the Flyers acquired him prior to the Olympic break last season in exchange for Ole-Kristian Tollefsen.
And if it wasn’t for twin foot injuries to Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter early in last season’s playoffs, there’s a good chance Leino still might not have been noticed.
For 19 games last spring, Leino did just that. Partnered with Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell to complete the most dynamic line in the playoffs, Leino finished with 21 points in the postseason, an NHL record for rookies. Considering he had a hard time even getting on the ice for the Flyers prior to the postseason, that’s a pretty remarkable figure.
Now, Leino is set to be a fixture on a deep Flyers team with plans of going one step further than it did last season. He will start the season with Hartnell and Briere on what amounts to the Flyers’ second line, and he is being counted on to provide a good chunk of offense for the first time since his days playing in the Finnish Elite League.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Philadelphia Flyers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: ville+leino
Comments
He’ll either have a breakout year or a breakdown year. They seem to believe in him in Philly. I wish him a lot of luck, partly because he doesn’t seem to bounce back too well once his confidence is shaken.
Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 09/30/10 at 10:11 AM ET
He seems like one of those guys to me that does fine with little expectations, but once you count on him to carry a certain load will take a tumble. I know on the Flyers his lack of physicality and lack of willingness to dig the puck out can be covered up… but it’s his at-times-lackadaisical work ethic that I think will be the problem.
No doubt he has talent. Just not sure if he has the cojones to ever fully tap it long-term.
Posted by Primis on 09/30/10 at 12:22 PM ET
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Good luck to you Ville.
I see him as a streaky scorer as best unless his work ethic has changed remarkably.
Posted by Osrt on 09/30/10 at 09:55 AM ET