Couple of things I'd like to highlight here about Zboril and Senyshyn.
Senyshyn clearly has the ability to separate himself from the pack using his speed and skating. Not only does he get opportunities like this a lot, but most of them are due to his own effort or skill. Many people like to criticize him for his lack of "production," but he's producing plenty of opportunities each night. Unfortunately for him, his line mates can't always deliver and scoring-chances aren't converted much because of it. That's exactly what you saw here from Colby Cave. Now, I'm not knocking Cave as he's playing well and looks like a future bottom-six player in the NHL, but he's not of the same skillset or mold as Senyshyn.
I think if Senyshyn were given the opportunity to play alongside a true, high-end playmaker like David Krejci, then we would be really pleased with the results. I believe on twitter or this board a few months ago, that
@Dom - OHL suggested that Studnicka & Senyshyn would make a combination that is "money," and I agree with him on this. This is a player that needs to be paired with a playmaker that can take advantage of his goal-scoring and separation abilities. He really does have some impressive skill, and he's already faster and stronger than he was last year. He's also ramped up the physicality while delivering several hits this year.
When it comes to Zboril, I still find him to be a bit inconsistent at times, but he usually makes up for it with great plays like this. The camera angle didn't do him justice, but make no mistake, he sent that puck through traffic, players and sticks to deliver it to Cehlarik in stride. Leach has stated before that he's trying to teach the defenders how to play defense at this level before offense, but Zboril has been given much more slack as of late. While his production isn't anything special right now because the team is struggling, he's creating chances and doing the right things to push the pace.
When Zboril is on his game, there are few defenseman out there who have that "full package" of skill like he does. He's off to a strong start so far and I really do think that he'll get a shot in Boston soon. I sometimes watch Zboril make nice plays to transition the puck or create a chance, but it's often "early" because his teammates can't keep up with his pace. Similar to Senyshyn, I think Zboril would look much better with players in the NHL around him as they can keep up with his high-end talent.
