The way this league is going if you are fast you'll always have an opportunity. I'm just not sold on his overall skill set in terms of being a top 6 forward.
Agree 1000% on McLeod. I was branded as "not a devils fan" when I stated as such when we took him instead of Brown. I think he can be an effective bottom 6 energy player with a speed and a nice set of hands. He's a great puck carrier so he should be a solid possession player, but he lacks the upside you hope to get with a top 15 pick.
I think it all has to do with his confidence being up. He is carrying the puck for longer too now instead of looking to get rid of it right away. Have to believe the coaching staff has helped him get to this point from earlier in the season where he seemed to lack confidence.
Yea like most toolbox guys, he's all about confidence. When he's got it he's a force - but he's got to find a way to be more consistent. I like that he's shooting more since being a scratch, he's still only averaging 1.8 shots per game since then. At a 12-19 goal pace for a shooting percentage between 8% and 13% (his career average is currently 8.3%). So he'll still need to significantly increase his shot output to turn into the 25-30+ goal scorer many were hoping him to become.
Unfortunately, I still see him making pretty low composure plays when he's getting into good areas. It's like the moment he gets to the top of the circles he starts to panic. He's been great in the neutral zone though.
All in all I still see him as a middle 6 C. A guy who can play 2C but who you'd prefer to play as a 3C. He's more or less trending exactly as I expected - I'm not really saying anything that I haven't been saying since he was drafted. Maybe people can finally understand why I said I preferred Barzal without calling me a troll.
