MM, can I ask when your last interaction with him was? I just ask because I know that for the most part, young, talented Alberta hockey players can be of the a hole variety and it sounds like he had been in the top echelon of that.
I also share mutual friends with him and my brief encounters with him (over only the past 2 years) has been very pleasant. I just wonder if maturity has set in, especially since having a second child and getting married.
Obviously his family could very well carry the entitlement of having an NHLer as a relative, and that will never change them, but I think it's possible he could have dropped a lot of the bad character issues he's had years ago. Being traded around like he has been has to be humbling.
And my thoughts on him not being good because he's been moved so much, I think it could be that he's just a middle-level player that teams want to have, but don't want to pay for. All his contracts are the 1 to 2 year 'show me' deals, and for the most part he does prove his worth, but his value then jumps to a higher price teams want for a middle 6 player. His value will always really only be worth a couple of draft picks at the deadline so teams cash in through him.
Just my thoughts. Thought I'd try to add a little optimism that he won't be a total POS and submarine this team.