Seriously? He definitely had an edge to his game and wasnt afraid to mix it up in the crease when he was last called up.
Well...he is a defenseman after all and is supposed to be able to apply some physical pressure. That he has shown some physical ability is not surprising. It is not his game, however. He has size, but is most definitely an offense-first kind of d-man. I have no clue how he was with his team in the SM-Liiga, but, according to his stats, he does not appear to have been offense-minded. With the Chicago Wolves, however, he has turned on his offense and always seems to be looking up and ahead and almost always has his eyes looking forward.
His problem, imo, is puck control, responsibility with the puck, being a little more focused on the puck and not trying to see past the defender so much. I love his vision, but he needs to be more calm with puck in tight quarters.
Honestly, I like Jake Chelios and I hope the Blues sign him before the Blackhawks or Red Wings do.
Hey CB,
How has McRae looked? After a slow start it seems like he is finding a way to put up points on a nightly basis.
He looked like a lost pylon in the first few games. Out there all alone on the highway. Run over and left by the night crew. He quickly removed himself from roadkill status to 3rd-line NHL-hopeful. As mentioned in an earlier post, he makes a couple mistakes here and there, but plays a mostly-intelligent game. Maybe a bit robotic in the way that he seems to almost always be in the right place at the right time, but doesn't always know what to do once he is there or when he receives the puck. He has gotten so much better than when he first turned pro because it seems as if the training has really caught on with him. Really good fundamentals. On the downside, I don't think he is very smart. We also should keep in mind, that McRae played 15 games for the Blues a few years ago, so the boy knows what's up.
