I don't think big mac is slow, he is already NHL speed, but that is not the issue. his frame needs to fill out a bit more, his endurance needs a bit of work, his legs need a little more POWER. The great news is that ALL these things can be worked on by a great skating coach and Big Mac can get all these things fixed up quite well. A sprinter he will never be, big men just cant do that but stand in front of the goalie HE CAN and HE WILL. Did I mention Big Mac actually has hands.
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jwrocks1
Registered User
- Mar 28, 2015
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hototogisu
Poked the bear!!!!!
I remember that, but I thought he made the right decision there based on the situation and the context of the game (also important). He could have gone down with Dal Colle but if they didn't score and Kelowna came back up the ice, he was done for. I was happy he recognized that instead of forcing an offensive chance that may not have been there.
jwrocks1
Registered User
- Mar 28, 2015
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I thought the same thing, smart team 1st play....especially in a tight game. And with more work in the offseason, he can address that deficiency.
His skating is like Pacioretty, he has a long stride so he doesn't look like he is going fast but he blows by guys in the neutral zone. Like most big guys, his first step can get quicker.
Habitant#1
Registered User
He needs to work on his explosiveness. I want him to be able to jump out of a pool like Kreider!
Macaroni's top speed is perfectly adequate, but his acceleration can improve.
Macaroni's top speed is perfectly adequate, but his acceleration can improve.
Not at all, you always see Pacioretty being faster than almost any NHLer. I haven't seen McCarron win any foot race yet. If he was as fast as Patches, he would have been a top 10 pick.
DangerDave
Mete's Shot
Those are "issues" that everybody faces when coming into the NHL though so no need to worry about that. Even McDavid, the most NHL ready player, has to improve in those same areas.
Goldthorpe
Meditating Guru
That's also what I think, but then I remember that so is the case for many many other prospects. But yeah, looking at him play, as much as he's showing great progress, I believe he's going to get burned by the NHL speed if he can't become a little bit more agile and quick to get speed.
Maybe he'll be there after his training this summer... but realistically, I don't see him starting in Montreal like so many hope. It's not the habs way and he's not 100% NHL ready. He could still play in the AHL, if only for a half a season, and learn a lot.
And that's the most important thing. Things like conditioning can be fixed with hard work and he's clearly shown that he's willing to put in the work to make himself better.
Pacioretty is 26 and McCarron is 19.
Once McCarron gets up to speed, he is one of fastest players on the ice, you see it on backchecks, he is not super agile in change of directions or from a stop yet...but he's 6'6 and only 19!
His conditioning has made huge strides since last year after losing around 10lbs.
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Redux91
I do Three bullets.
I agree with the comments about him getting worse at faceoffs as the game went on...still needs to work on his conditioning. Looking forward to when he has better power/endurance...we sometimes forget how young these kids are.
I was at the Kelowna vs Oshawa game and McCarron impressed me alot.
He was the most noticeable player on the ice and it wasn't close (Draisaitl had an off game), even for the people not focusing on him or not aware who he was. I would give an honourable mention to Cassels though.
He really looks like a future NHLer, but he's a man against boys.
I would say that if he can continue to improve his skating (which is already good), but especially on his balance and explosiveness he may develop as a pretty good top 6 two-ways forward. It would be amazing !
He was the most noticeable player on the ice and it wasn't close (Draisaitl had an off game), even for the people not focusing on him or not aware who he was. I would give an honourable mention to Cassels though.
He really looks like a future NHLer, but he's a man against boys.
I would say that if he can continue to improve his skating (which is already good), but especially on his balance and explosiveness he may develop as a pretty good top 6 two-ways forward. It would be amazing !
Patches is playing in the NHL vs the best in the World while McCarron is playing junior players. I don't see the point.
Look at Pacioretty at McCarron's age in the NHL (and not junior players). Cmon now, skating is not even close, Patches is in a class of his own.
With that said, no doubt Mac can improve in the aspect and if he even improve his skating to average, he will be a force.
I keep reading all the good news after the year he has had but what are realistic expectations now for him in his prime? A big impact player or a supporting player in the bottom 6?
Nowhere near a consensus. If you can read french or tolerate Google translate, Mathias Brunet did a post on him this Tuesday which pretty much said the same thing.
The bet that he can realize the obvious potential is still on.
montreal
Go Habs Go
I think that's really tough to answer, for one think you just don't see too many kids like him, forwards that big and still growing while being able to skate well with decent speed and decent hands. But we don't even know what position he'll be playing in the NHL in the future, at center he gives you that hulking presence that looks solid on draws, plays a sound two way game, takes the body, can set up plays and works hard in the crease. At RW he would likely have an easier transition, give you good play along the boards, crash the net hard consistently and brings the physical grit that we have been lacking.
For me I always find it hard to try to guess how a junior players game will translate in the NHL during their prime years. But to me what I like about McCarron is I see him as someone that can play either RW or C, and can likely end up playing on any type of line (depending on how his offensive game translates) while being able to play in all situations. Of course we don't know how much he will continue to progress, could be he still has a lot of room to go or it could be he doesn't improve much at all, time will tell, but either way we have a big kid that knows how to use his size, goes to the net hard, plays a hard nosed game, has some decent puck skills, will drop the gloves. Just to what level he ends up is still hard to say imo.
S Bah
Registered User
My feeling about McCarron's upside won't even be reached for another 7-8 yrs. in the meantime he will be the big PWF C/RW that the Habs have been trying to draft for over 30 yrs., last one that comes close IMHO was John Leclair, but he did his best playing for Philadelphia Flyers.
I see him being a force for the Habs 5 on 5, PP's and PKing, he's got the drive, talent, and passion for the game to be a great PWF, IMHO.
I see him being a force for the Habs 5 on 5, PP's and PKing, he's got the drive, talent, and passion for the game to be a great PWF, IMHO.
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viceroy
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