Going to need both of these guys in a couple years for sure. I have to agree with you Colton looks to have a better upside but its a very limited number of games so far, heck both could still bust, who knows.Both ABB and Colton look to be responsible players! ABB has scored at every level he has played and given opportunity, he will do the same at the NHL level. Colton looks like the type of player who gets better at each level he plays because of his high hockey IQ and the quality of the teammates are better at each level. I think both players will be 10 plus year NHL vets. Its hard to say what their ceiling will be as both players have had to work to acquire their skill as opposed to it just coming naturally. Consider Point and Marchand vs Mathews and McDavid. In very limited sample size, I think the floor for ABB is Yanni Gourde and for Colton its Palat. Not saying their styles are similar but more in terms of potential impact.
Palat was a 7th round pick and Gourde was undrafted. I think based on the progress ABB and Colton have made through juniors/minors, they should be able to achieve what Gourde can do and I think Colton as a C has enough ability to do what Palat has done! I really like Palat but for most of his career, Palat has been 2/3 liner on the Bolts and outside of rookie year and last year, Palat has dealt with a fair amount of injuries. So yes, I think Gourde and Palat can certainly be viewed as a floor. But that means they have to work as hard as those guys did. They are no where near their now but they have a few years to get there!I'm assuming he meant ceiling because that's a hell of a floor for an undrafted player and a fourth round pick.
Palat and Gourde are the exceptions, not the rule.Palat was a 7th round pick and Gourde was undrafted. I think based on the progress ABB and Colton have made through juniors/minors, they should be able to achieve what Gourde can do and I think Colton as a C has enough ability to do what Palat has done! I really like Palat but for most of his career, Palat has been 2/3 liner on the Bolts and outside of rookie year and last year, Palat has dealt with a fair amount of injuries. So yes, I think Gourde and Palat can certainly be viewed as a floor. But that means they have to work as hard as those guys did. They are no where near their now but they have a few years to get there!
Postgame:"He adds a little skill and he can make some plays. We want him competing out there. Just for roster reasons and cap reasons we were unable to keep him around, but we wanted to get some of these young guys a taste in case we need to bring them back. When you have a few of these guys hanging around the taxi squad, it's good to get them in. I think he can give us a little boost."
"BB had some really good looks. Puck kind of rolled on him a few times. There's some plays out there I'm pretty sure he'd want back, but he put himself in unreal positions and I really liked what he did."
I have been as critical as anyone about ABB and last night did nothing to improve his value. Believe me I watched him every shift, his skating while not great could be serviceable as a non puck carrying player. He missed a couple plays pretty bad leading to odd man rushes he was credited with one giveaway and looked terrible along the boards. He had over 16 minutes of icetime including a shift on the PP no shots on goal and I did not see one play where he was dangerous to score. One thing I do know Coop will not just keep giving him chances before he moves on. Right now ABB needs to step up this is his chance hes 23 was undrafted and in his three games has done nothing to increase his value to the coaching staff.I watched from star to finish. He created a good chances for others, he didn't look bad, he didn't look great, but he was just kind of there. He lacks the legs , energy, and motor the smaller guys in the past that been successful for us have. St. louis, Conacher, Marchessault, Johnson, Gourde, and if I forgot someone I am sorry. All of those guys had speed and tenacity at their best times for us. He seems to have a good hockey IQ but limited wheels. Maybe they can get him working with the skating coach that evaluated point from a so so prospect to a star.
He had two shots from Kuchs office on the first PP tonight one high the other wide right with the net open. Score just one of those and this would have been a different game. He now has 5 games and has yet to make the scoresheet.I'm starting to believe, honestly. I like the way the puck comes off his stick, and he's smart enough to get himself wide open. He might always need to play with a talented center, but that's true for a lot of good players.
He had two shots from Kuchs office on the first PP tonight one high the other wide right with the net open. Score just one of those and this would have been a different game. He now has 5 games and has yet to make the scoresheet.
Colton is spoiling us. People forget that Stamkos scored like 4 goals in the first 40 games of his rookie season or that Kucherov had 1 goal in the last 25 games of his rookie year. And right now we're judging ABB on 4 games?I don't think it's overly rare for a rookie to go five games without a goal.
Agreed and offense is the last thing any one should be worrying about with ABB. That's always been his bread and butter. If Point scores on Bob late in the 3rd period, ABB gets the big assist there and that whole thing becomes the play of the night. The question marks the past few years have been the size and the rest of his game.It's more important that he's getting a lot of looks and getting himself in position to score.
I don't think there's any reason to worry about him shooting wide and whatnot. It's not like NHL nets are smaller than AHL nets. He knows how to get pucks on target.
I was not an ABB believer coming into the season, but to me he's showing the same kinds of flashes as MArchessault. He just hasn't quite put it all together yet.
I have been as critical as anyone about ABB and last night did nothing to improve his value. Believe me I watched him every shift, his skating while not great could be serviceable as a non puck carrying player. He missed a couple plays pretty bad leading to odd man rushes he was credited with one giveaway and looked terrible along the boards. He had over 16 minutes of icetime including a shift on the PP no shots on goal and I did not see one play where he was dangerous to score. One thing I do know Coop will not just keep giving him chances before he moves on. Right now ABB needs to step up this is his chance hes 23 was undrafted and in his three games has done nothing to increase his value to the coaching staff.
While Coop had some good things to say about the guy when does Coop call out any player in his comments. Not real often but Coop has shown he will juggle lines and players looking for performance. Maybe ABB can adjust, but the time is now the impression he is leaving now he would top out as a 4th liner. With both Kuch and Stammer now out the Point line is struggling and this has rolled downhill the last 10 games. Coop needs to find a way to win this division, the first round against Dallas, Nashville, Chicago is critical to getting Kuch back and up to speed and hopefully Stammer as well. We do not want Carolina or Florida in the 1st round if that happens we run the chance of looking like what St Louis did last year.
He looked good in those Florida games. You'd think his scoring will come after he gets more comfortable in this league.
What you say is very true about Coop not allowing young guys into the top 6 except Point, Cirelli and the triplets. It is also true that Colton and ABB are a step behind the abilities of Palat, Point, Killorn, Cirelli and for that matter Johnson and Gourde. Colton has demonstrated the speed and the ability to finish and ABB has not at this level. Yes the number of games is small and it could change once he gets his first point. But so many comment about his IQ and positioning which is all well and good. If he continues to get 16 minutes per game while Stammer is out and does not get to a 40 point pace he will not sniff at the top 6 again in Tampa. This is his chance and it will impact what JBB does in the offseason. At this point JBB, Coop and most fans have thought ABB was going to be a big part of the Cap solution. The reality is because a young guy can be a beast in the WHL, OHL and in the rest of the lessor programs only 20% make it historically to 200 games. One thing that sets them apart is work ethic and some have compared ABB's ability to other players on the team but his work ethic on ice if far below that of Yanni, heck even Joseph and Maroon. ABB plays like he is a player of Kuch or Stammers talent and hes not even in the same universe. Know what Druion was the same look how that worked out.Colton is spoiling us. People forget that Stamkos scored like 4 goals in the first 40 games of his rookie season or that Kucherov had 1 goal in the last 25 games of his rookie year. And right now we're judging ABB on 4 games?
Agreed and offense is the last thing any one should be worrying about with ABB. That's always been his bread and butter. If Point scores on Bob late in the 3rd period, ABB gets the big assist there and that whole thing becomes the play of the night. The question marks the past few years have been the size and the rest of his game.
It's very uncharacteristic of Coop to put a rookie in the top 6 / 1st pp unit, especially this fast. Some of it is desperation to find a skilled player in the absence of Stammer and Kuch, but maybe another part of it is growth from the Drouin situation. Both ABB and Drouin were wired the same way in juniors. Just score. All offense, only offense. I do think ABB playing for Groulx in Syracuse did help morph him, while Drouin was resistant to breaking old habits with Coop. Maybe this is Coop being a little more diplomatic with that kind of young player. Show me you can do this and be trusted enough, and you can play with Point and Palat.
Stuff like that is fixable.His lack of foot speed will be his demise
Stuff like that is fixable.