But preseason game reps isn't the same as regular season game reps.
Would you honestly care if a rookie out hustles Karlsson on a play in the preseason?
I've watched enough hockey over twenty years to not give even an iooooooooota of crap about anything that happens in the preseason.
We all know why we have the Bochenski award.
If I had my way the NHL preseason would be two games long and the NFL preseason would be one game.
Just want to correct you a tad. Preseason means nothing except for a couple of players.
You are right that 95% of players no matter what happens, will be placed on their obvious respective teams. But like bochenski, like butler, having a strong camp can make you get an oppurtunity with a big team that you otherwise wouldn't get.
You point to bochenski, but that demonstrates my point. If he didn't go gretzky in that one preseason, he doesn't get 156 NHL games, or mads money in the KHL.
On the flip side, people claimed we never game locke a real shot. I bet you if he went bochenski in preseason, he gets more than a handful of regular season games.
For those 2-3 bubble guys, it can make a difference. If greening is invisible all preseason, there is a strong chance he could be sent down right after camp. If greening looks like a force, there's a good chance he's kept up for a month or two.
Camp means a lot to a guy like puempel. Right now it's looking like he'll start in the AHL. If he was scoring a goal a game in the preseason, i bet he would start in the NHL.