Crede777
Deputized
- Dec 16, 2009
- 14,675
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No, but I'm claiming that it is not beyond the realm of possibility that he could develop one over time. It's a fact that you, I, and everyone else has to consider.blahblah said:
Here is a direct quote from him at the beginning of last season:
“They would keep telling me that I had an extra gear, that I just needed to use it more,” Johansen said. “You know what? I got sick and tired of people telling me that. Obviously, they were trying to help me, but I don’t want to hear that again.
http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com...er--plays-in-opener.html#sthash.kf2thjen.dpuf
What they need to balance is him being optimistic but not growing complacent with where he is right now. It's good that he's a 3rd line center at the NHL level. Fair or not, however, he was a 4th overall pick so it's not good enough.
Let's compare him to Cam Atkinson. Johansen's stock rose very quickly, he went from not even considering the CHL to being a primary producer on a very talented Portland team. He then shot up the draft rankings and was taken 4th overall. Atkinson, on the other hand, was taken in 2008 in the 6th round. He played in the NCAA. At 5'8" and as a 6th round pick, nobody expected very much of him. Yet he took it upon himself to be a Hobey Baker finalist. He then produced at a PPG pace in the AHL. Now, at the NHL, he's making things happen every night on a top line with Marian Gaborik.
One player has size, came from a very good CHL team, and was drafted extremely high. The other is small, went the college route, and learned about his being drafted while sitting at home. Why is one succeeding in becoming a top line scorer while the other isn't? It's quite literally a case of one player complaining that coaches tell him he needs to be doing better while another talks about how coaches said he should be doing worse.
To put it all together, Johansen seems to be a classic case of "all the tools but no tool-box." What some posters seem to be saying is that they want to attempt to kick-start his toolbox by putting him on a line with Gabby and Atkinson to rack up some points. They are also worried that he may not get that "jump" by playing on a line with guys like Umberger and Foligno who, no offense to them, aren't really the guys who are going to spark a young player to a 50+ point season. The usual reason for not throwing a young player on a top line is because you're worried they can't handle the minutes or opposition. We know Johansen can handle the minutes and we know he can match up against other teams' top lines. So what if it doesn't mean increased production for the team, sparking Johansen can then lead him onto production by himself in the near future which WOULD.
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