Eric Gelinas Is Extremely Frustrated By His Inability To Play Hockey At The NHL Level

Fire & Ice- There have been times that Eric Gelinas has been frustrated before during his three seasons in the NHL with the Devils, but the 24-year defenseman admits right now is “the worst it's been.”

Gelinas has been a healthy scratch for the last six games and, after remaining on the ice for some extra work at the end of today's practice, didn't sound optimistic about his chances of getting back in the lineup Tuesday night against the Rangers.

“After an hour and a half practice, I'm guessing not,” Gelinas said.

“I felt like, besides the Rangers' game over there, I had some good games,” he said. “I don't know how many games I played in a row (10 total) and then just that one (bad) game and I'm back out for probably seven. It is frustrating.”

Gelinas said he has “not really” received any explanation from the coaching staff during the time he's been out.

“I guess (head coach John Hynes) likes the way guys are playing,” Gelinas said. “I don't know. I wish I knew.”

“I hear positive things that they (the coaches) see progress and stuff, but then nothing changes,” Gelinas said. “So, it is frustrating.”

“It's not really in my control, but I know it is coming,” Gelinas said of the trade deadline. “I don't know what the team's plans are or anything. I guess we'll see in six or seven days.”

Gelinas said he has not asked for a trade.

“It's in their hands, really,” he said. “If they still want me, we'll see.”
​
"The one thing I can say is I want to play. That's for sure," he said. "That's pretty much all I can hope for. We'll see, I guess.”




​Okay fine, technically he is just frustrated by the fact that he's not in the lineup, but the reason he's not in the lineup is because of his inability to play hockey at the NHL so we are pretty much saying the same thing. Must be super confusing for him though. Can't imagine I would see where the coaches were coming from if I were him. A 6'4, 215 pound defenseman that's about as physical as an actor in a softcore porn? A guy with one of the hardest shots in the league that can't manage to put it on net or generate any point production? The most turnover prone defenseman of all eight that John Hynes has at his disposal? The guys whose pinches are more untimely than getting woken up for school during a wet dream? HOW IN THE WORLD IS THAT GUY NOT GETTING MORE OF AN OPPORTUNITY!?!? 

​He'd doing everything short of playing good hockey on a consistent basis to get in the lineup. I don't understand how his physical attributes -that he doesn't come close to using effectively- aren't enough to win him a regular spot as a third pairing defenseman. Can't believe the guy that has the defensive acumen of James Harden and whose awareness with the puck is offensive in more ways than one isn't an absolute shoe-in. It doesn't make sense that the player that needs to be more closely regulated and monitored than an AIDS patient isn't lacing them up every single game. I know it seems like John Hynes is massively overachieving with this group of players, but with a guy like Eric Gelinas sitting in a luxury box you really have to question if he any idea what he is doing. He's got his very own Fulton Reed sitting upstairs in a suit as the Devils struggle to score goals. Doesn't he know that art imitates life? Doesn't he know that one super hard, super inaccurate slap shot is all it takes to succeed in the NHL? After all, it did transform one group of ragtag kids that can't skate into league champions in no longer than 90 minutes...