Brule had a generally disappointing playoffs. I know he was hurt, but I don't think his injury was the reason he wasn't performing. I think it was Kelowna's suffocation of his time and space that neutralized him, and a shoulder injury really shouldn't affect his ability to create time and space for himself. It would affect his physical play, his shot and hopefully his faceoffs (he was TERRIBLE on the draw all series), but his skating, stickhandling and passing should have been fine. I think this series exposed Brule a little, showing that he might not be the elite offensive talent a lot of people think he is. His lack of vision and often selfish play was evident in this series. I remember thinking that he cost the Giants a goal on more than one occasion.
Despite all of this, a lot of people are coming down too hard on him. In the end, he is still only a 17 year old kid playing hurt in a 19 year old's league, and if not for his perhaps too lofty expectations, no one would be complaining. I was disappointed because the Giants must have him producing to win, and he didn't, but it's not his fault the Giants are too shallow to win without him playing at his best. Expectations of him were too high to begin with.