I KNEW the magician was Adam Larsson!
Consensus on Larsson from NJ Devils fans:
- He is elite defensively. +15 on one of the worst teams last year.
- Still has untapped offensive potential. Didn't play on the PP last year. A quick look at his highlights confirms that when he does score, it looks really good. He just needs more chances.
- He plays a steady mistake free 23 minutes a night.
- Well liked as a person.
- He's signed LONG TERM to a Good Contract. This has value!
He had a huge draft pedigree:
"“He’s much better now than Lidstrom was at the same age,” Tommy Boustedt, the Swedish hockey federation’s national director of development, said in a phone interview from Sweden. “If he hadn’t played for our under-18 team in April he would have played on our men’s national team in May, he’s that good.
“I think he will be, in the end, one of the best defenders our country has ever produced.”
“Great tournament,” one scout said of Larsson’s WJC, which was all the more impressive because he was battling through a groin injury. “He stepped up and made himself a factor. He was moving his feet more, just a lot more involved than we had seen him. From the blueline in, he’s a lot more dangerous offensively than (Victor) Hedman at the same age.”
One European NHL scout from a Western Conference team told NHL.com that Larsson might be ahead of where Victor Hedman was at the midway point of his draft year two years ago. Hedman was chosen by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the No. 2 pick in 2009.
“Hedman was allowed to do more with his home team in Sweden, so they let him be more active with the puck and try different things,” the scout said. “I think Adam Larsson plays a safer game. I certainly think he has the same potential as Hedman. He’s every bit as good with the puck and he might be a touch tougher. Hedman is a little bigger, but they’re both unbelievably good skaters. I think I would take Larsson over Hedman if I could, based on what I’ve seen the last three years.”
"Strengths:
Size – great frame
Superior hockey sense
Smooth skater
Accurate point shot
Defensive acumen
Outstanding outlet passer
Positioning and recoverability
Puck-handling"