deadhead
Registered User
- Feb 26, 2014
- 49,215
- 21,617
NAK has a good shot in training camp, Laughton at 3LW, Pitlick at 4C and NAK at 4RW is one option to start the season.
But NAK has to step up and take the job, and given that his role will be that of a forechecker on the 4th line, if he isn't flying in the pre-season he'll have made it self-evident that he lacks the drive to succeed in that role.
It's not just NAK, guys like Twarynski, Sushko, Vorobyev, Bunnaman and even Laberge and Rubtsov have to show they can fill that 4th line "energy" role, come out every night and give 8-10 minutes at full speed, because they're not going to beat out Farabee, Frost or Ratcliffe, or even guys like Kase or Strome (who aren't good 4th line fits) for top 9 roles.
There's only one top 9 slot available this fall, and in the future guys like Allison/Laczynski, JOB, Brink maybe even Cates will be in the running when more slots might open up.
But NAK has to step up and take the job, and given that his role will be that of a forechecker on the 4th line, if he isn't flying in the pre-season he'll have made it self-evident that he lacks the drive to succeed in that role.
It's not just NAK, guys like Twarynski, Sushko, Vorobyev, Bunnaman and even Laberge and Rubtsov have to show they can fill that 4th line "energy" role, come out every night and give 8-10 minutes at full speed, because they're not going to beat out Farabee, Frost or Ratcliffe, or even guys like Kase or Strome (who aren't good 4th line fits) for top 9 roles.
There's only one top 9 slot available this fall, and in the future guys like Allison/Laczynski, JOB, Brink maybe even Cates will be in the running when more slots might open up.