The bolded from your text is what has started already to worry me a bit. Although it has been a bit like that with Laine as well. Although now it seems that Laine has been doing better with them as a center. But of course pre-season games might not tell too much anyway. Just a bit worrying that KJ, didn’t seem to click too well with any of the skill guys already last season, and now the same has been pretty much continuing in this pre-season.
It has made me even a bit question if he really has as high hockey IQ as I and many others here have thought before. High hockey IQ guys usually find a way to click together, even if at first they don’t do so well with some other skill guys. But the true hockey smarts usually start to help at least gradually for high hockey IQ players to play well with each others. I think there was already some good signs of that this per-season between Gaudreau and Laine. I in fact believe that they will at least gradually become a very good fit together.
But it would be very important to see KJ working well with some skills guys, as that could really make it possible for Columbus to have two lines that could be dominating and offensively very efficient. Right now its’s looking just a bit worrying with KJ, but of course he is still very young and the talent is definitely undeniable.