What's disappointing to me is that he just seems to have completely lost that electricity that he played with early on last season. He was so damn noticeable - his play making, his speed, creativity, almost every shift we would see a flash of brilliance. I haven't seen it since.
Are we talking about Marner?
My amateur arm chair qb guess is that Marner, is a perimeter player, who likes to carry the puck around and around and not going to the net, himself or the puck because he's too small to be effective in front of the net.
So he skates circles around looking for an open man. Since his linemates are getting up there in age, they are covered easily. Therefore, no where to go with the puck. Then the whole line gets trapped in their own zone. That tends to be a 5 on 5 shift for that line.
Looking dangerous, but not much develops, then the other team cycles the puck.
Randy Carlyle's advice to Nazeem Kadri, play a north south game, and not an east west game. By the time Kadri finally learned that, Randy Carlyle was gone again. Marner has to do the same. North south not east west.
Don't look for the perfect play unless your name is Matthews.