Appreciated.., thanks Randy....
Yeah.., I think a lot of people expect too much too fast, from a lot of the younger ones.., or just go on stats alone..
I'll give him a few years, as I said earlier..
I won't rush to judgement on him. I think one nice thing is that we're all willing to give this leafs management group the benefit of the doubt because of their immediate returns on other picks that we maybe didn't love on draft day like Nielsen, Korshkov, Grundstrom, Brooks, etc
They won't all hit, and if Hunter thinks he sees something in a kid I would rather he take a shot and miss than not trust his gut
This video from the rookie tourney is probably the best footage. He was way more mobile than people were making him out to be. He covers a lot of ground because of his size and reach.
That's a good reel on him, and you're right he's much more fleet of foot than I would have thought for a guy of his size
Not much offense to speak of but a guy that size who can move and plays in position could be smothering, definitely something that we could use if he turns out
That reel makes me think that a good projection for him (if he turns out) is a rich man's Martin Marincin, or what we hoped we were getting in Marincin: big, mobile body who plays in position, clogs up lanes, keeps the puck outside in the defensive zone and retrieves it from the corners with success. Little to no offensive impact - which is totally fine given the acumen of our D corps and Babs' propensity to play 4 forwards on the powerplay.
Thanks for sharing