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He doesn't regularly score over 30 points. Only when he's playing with McDavid.
Again, there's a reason he signed for 900k. At his size, if anybody had hope he was a legit top 6, or even top 9 forward, they would have offered him significantly more. If he makes the team, and I still maintain that's an "if," he'll mainly be Paquette's bodyguard. He doesn't have the skating or hands to play on a skill line. It took literally the best player in the world to make him look useful as a scorer.
Just saying. Don't count out guys like Volkov and Stephens, who'll be vying for his spot. I think this is more like insurance that we'll have a capable player replacing Callahan/Erne, even if the prospects need more seasoning.
The guy has hands and skills. HE goes to the dirty areas and scores big goals. How many big goals did we score last year in the playoffs? He is a f****** animal in the playoffs. He is the exact thing we need a guy that shows up and earns his pay plus exponentially more. We have a bunch of talented players that won't go battle for pucks and earn those contracts. If you think he isn't a NHL player then you clearly have not seen his play over the years. He is a power forward that can score, check, fight, grind, fight for lose pucks, will stick up for his teammates, and score big goals. The Lightning scored zero big series clinching goals in the last 7 playoff games. Give the the guy who works his ass off for the paycheck and wins then the guys see content doing the same thing losing any day of the week in the playoffs.
How many players do we have that have won the cup and scored series clinching goals to win the cup? I will wait.... maybe this year after Pat Attack shows them what it means to show up for the playoffs. We need guys that give every thing they have and battle for everything in the playoffs. How many forwards on our team fight, check, defend their teammates in fights, crash the net, crash the boards, get rebounds, and have raised the cup? The answer is one Pat Maroon. The fact he took a pay cut to go for a cup run means the man is ready to get another ring. Tell Stamkos, Kucherov, and Point to follow his lead and learn to win in the playoffs.