All though Keefe didn't play him much in the 2nd and 3rd period last game. He had a lot of praise for him today.
"It remains to be seen at this level, but if you follow his progression at the AHL level, I see something similar happening here. It takes time for him to become comfortable and confident. At times he is unsure of himself, but then when it clicks as it did in the 2nd half of last season, he is a very reliable defensive player that is hard to play against because his gap control, and the way he shuts things down in the neutral zone and just his skill set. Once he gets the confidence to move with the puck and can make a play. I think he has adjusted to that quicker in this level I thought he might. He like Sandin and any young defenceman are still having times where it's a little inconsistent then you'd like because of the pressure the opposition puts on you, and it comes a little quicker. You can question yourself a little bit. It's why it's important to keep things in context with both of those 2 guys, and take things slowly, and pull back as we will do with Liljegren here tonight. I think he's just going to be an all round very good and very productive defenceman that can contribute in both special teams, and play against good players. Thats the track he was on in the American league. I have said it a lot but we forget he is only 20 years old. For a lot of cases, it would be a guy just coming into pro hockey, and just playing his 1st year in the American league. Instead, he's a guy who played in a game 7 in the Calder Cup and won it. Played in the top pairing last year and really thrived in that position all the way to the Conference finals. To me, he is ahead of the curve in a lot of ways, but he still is just 20, and Rasmus is 19.
