Agreed. Finding young forwards that can take away time and space and punish opposition is invaluable in today's NHL.
I was at the Kings/Wild game this weekend. Sat about 15 rows from the ice. Normally I sit much further away. The thing that stands out from a closer vantage point is just how much of the game is a bit too fast or too clogged to make legit hockey plays.
So much of the game is about chipping the puck to areas where there should be a teammate waiting. It's not actually about having the time and space to make a skilled read. The game is just too fast and the bodies are too big.
This is, in part, why rookies have such a hard time adjusting to the NHL game. They literally have to learn how to take creativity out of their games. And that's because teams have a mixture of elite talent combined with other players who rely on speed, size and reach. And there's just very little room.
From close up it feels like most of the guys in the NHL look like they're playing a video game that's a level too hard for them. And what makes STL and Boston so strong is that are all 4 lines can limit time and space. Everyone talks about the NHL game being exhausting from a physical standpoint and it is, but it's also the speed of the game and how that takes a mental toll as well.
So, in any case, this is why adding players like Gauthier, Barron and Khodorenko are so valuable. The more kids like this you have in your system and on your team, the more each piece becomes more valuable because as a collective they begin to have an accumulative effect on opposition.
... you were sooo close!!! You missed one, I repeat, one god damned letter!!
