stl76
No. 5 in your programs, No. 1 in your hearts
- Jul 2, 2015
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I believe the only reason Blais isn’t on the team is Yeo places a priority on defense over offense. Blais does a lot more offensively, but Tage is better defensively (even if the gap favors Blais).
EDIT: Thompson does a few things well offensively. But he also has some holes in his game that have been there for a while. He doesn’t drive the play. This is in part because he doesn’t use his speed well aside from breakouts/stretch plays. His agility isn’t great, so he isn’t on the plus side of quick stops and starts. That may also be a big reason he doesn’t win many board battles, in addition to his lack of drive. Then there is his vision. It’s not doing him any favors. He is basically just a shooter at this point.
His ability to do that will make or break him reaching his potential. His shot is the one asset he absolutely has to leverage. I am not saying that he can’t be an NHLer if he only taps it lightly. Rather, he can do everything else right, but without getting open for or creating his own shots, he will never live up to expectations. His shot is his golden ticket. Nothing else he brings is a top 6 level asset.
I think you're being way too hard on Thompson here Celtic Note. His vision has been fine-to-good IMO and I do not see any lack of drive...can you elaborate on what you mean by that exactly? Because I think his compete level has been very good. If you mean drive to the net, then I agree he has been a bit too much on the perimeter, but I think that's a confidence issue/adjusting the NHL speed and intensity more than anything else. It will hopefully come with more experience and confidence. Agreed that his agility is not great, and there's parts of his skating that need to improve but it's not a glaring problem (yet) IMO.
Yes, his shot may end up being his most important attribute, but it's not like he's useless otherwise. I really disagree with your critique of his vision, I think he's made some great passes and plays with the puck in the offensive and neutral zone. As others mentioned, his stick handling and puck possession have both been a positive asset (tho I will say that he's been knocked off the puck too easily in the corners a couple times).
Bottom line: it's been 4 games, and Thompson is still very much a work-in-progress learning the NHL game, but he has been pretty good so far all things considered. He still has a lot he can improve on, but that doesn't mean that he has already shown all he is capable of.