26Mats
Registered User
- Jun 23, 2018
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I get what you mean fundamentally, that small players can still be good. But I don't see that as being debatable, we know it's the case. We're not that far removed from Theo Fleury and Martin St Louis (even Paul Kariya, Doug Gilmour, Pavel Bure) tearing up harder leagues strickly physically speaking.
Suzuki just doesn't play like these guys. Marner doesn't have any skating issues and never had. He's so fast in his crossovers that the lack of forward stride speed isn't an issue.
The one thing you mentioned however is how Gallagher improved his speed (and strength) to the point he's now a top liner. That's a great point. Suzuki, with proper development training wise, can certainly improve significantly too.
But, even with that improved, I still want a bit more pace in his skating. As smart as he is, when the games go fast he gets overwhelmed. You need to be able to be smart, but think and act fast in the current NHL as well.
Yeah my point wasn't about small players only, it was about small and at the same time not so fast players. Most small players that are successful are either really fast or at least fast. Gallagher wasn't fast. When I watched Marner his rookie year he didn't seem fast to me at all.
But I agree, other than size and speed all three are very different players. But what Gallagher and Marner have in common is highly superior offensive abilities that allow them to over come their size and do so without break away speed. I'll have to watch Marner more to get a feel for his speed now. For all Gallagher's ability to now gather speed coming through the neutral zone, I still don't see him as a natural speedster on the level of Byron, Peca, or even Pacioretty.