It will take some time. He will eventually get there. Not as a 1st liner. Absolutely not. But could end a very good 2nd line C. But will take more time as it's a normal process in the case of a player that started too early.
disagree. I've said before, i'll say it again... his ceiling is very much as a top line player. Will he get there? completely remains to be seen. but he has a vast set of skills and attributes that absolutely puts him on that kind of trajectory, should he make the most of his tools and maximize his development curve.
Many of the perceived flaws, in particular the "falling over" one, shows a very short-sighted/narrow lens of assessment... he's on his ass a lot because he's initiating physical play (either in puck retrieval or in puck protection) that his frame simply can't support right now vis-a-vis many of the large opponents he willingly engages with...
it's a
good sign that he's playing that way, even though he doesn't yet have the strength to consistently come away from those situations on top... because if you watch closely, you can see how "right" the contact decision is, or would be, if he had the strength to absorb the contact... which he will eventually have. When that catches up... the impact will be incredible.
The vision, the skating, the puck skills... all the other pieces are there, and right now he'd probably have more immediate success if he changed his game a bit to avoid more contact and was more selective about it.
lots of very good players thrive doing just that. Look at Toffoli... very effective overall, and yet can go lot's of shifts and even entire games with minimal impact on the game because he's patiently picking his spots... he cant stick his nose in and force plays because he physically would get overmatched. Guys, like JKO, who have skills/vision and the size/physicality to impose their will, are high impact players.
Plus... He's clutch. Shows up regularly in playoffs and in late game situations.
Plus... He's resilient. Can struggle, take bad penalties, and keep competing at a high level.
Plus... He's a student of the game. Hungry to learn and get better.
I'm telling you, barring injury, he's got all the pieces in place for a "late" blooming elite player... and I say "late" here not at all ironically (since he's been in the NHL since 18 and is only 20 right now), unlike some elite talents like a Caufield, JKO most clearly doesn't have the defined and refined elite 1-2 elements that would allow him early high productivity...
you know who had that... drouin... 53 pts in his 3rd season... almost ppg in 15 playoff games in his 2nd NHL season...
athlete development curves don't all look the same. JKO's curve looks different than caufield's (or than Drouins did at the same age), but what's most important is the highest point, and how wide the window is on either side while being above the various impact thresholds (ie if the peak is Xcaliber 1st line player, how many years he can be at that first line player level).
to think he's at best going to be a "very good 2nd line C" (which is what most would describe Danault as when he was contributing 50+points) is, i think, a very low approximation. Danault, comparatively, wasn't a fraction of the player JKO is today at the same age. If Danault's productivity progression from 20yrs old to 25-26-27 was from .36ppg AHL to .65ppg NHL, why would anyone think that JKO (who was ppg in the AHL at 19) can't or won't see his productivity exceed what Danault was able to do?
especially when it's clear he has far greater offensive tools to work with?
the pidgeonholing with JKO is very odd...
high the
