Friday, April 24, 2009

Olli Jokinen: terrible?

When the Calgary Flames traded for Olli Jokinen, most people assumed that the Flames made the biggest splash of all the deadline teams. But if you asked quite a few Flames fans/bloggers, it was a splash alright - of hydrochloric acid to the face of their DREAMS.

His first career playoff run has been quite two-faced, indeed.

On one hand, his stats look pretty damn nice. Jokinen has 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points in four games, with a +3 and a whopping 17 shots on goal. When judging the odd-looking Finn based on those stats, he's had an amazing playoff run.

Yet, Jokinen's also had some forehead-slapping moments that call back all the talk about him being a cancer for the Phoenix Coyotes. There Olli was with that blank look in his eyes, unaware that he greatly increased his team's chances for a Too Many Men on the Ice penalty. It just seems like he has a knack for taking a backbreaking penalty or making a stomach-churning turnover when he's in his own zone.

It seems that Jokinen is a two-headed monster. One head wears goat horns; the other head is uhhh He-man's head or something.

What's your take? Is Jokinen a one-dimensional player, ultimately more of a liability than anything else? Is Olli a power forward and the center Jarome Iginla's needed all this time?

The answer may lie somewhere in between, but that's just no fun.

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