Diversification
Registered User
- Jun 21, 2019
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First of all, is it proven that he is healthy scratched or was he injured?
Second of all, he is in a situation where everyone is planning to annoint him the captain of the national team this December. Are you aware that his situation is very political? Bragin has every reason not to play him so he can stay in Russia longer, even if he doesnt want to do it, there are outside agents that want him to develop in Russia. listen to what Datsyuk said when he left Russia the first time.
Third of all, he was playing with a skeleton crew of teammates, SKA broke a record of icing the youngest lineup in the history of KHL and the youngest player ever. He was playing with a V or MHL quality lineup when he was given ample ice, at other times he was not breaking 13 minutes.. Not to mention some of his teammates could be playing while infected. or him? who knows? There is plenty of arguments to be made.
Sure, I pumped my brakes a bit, if you look at stats, yes he is not producing, he is not patient with the puck, and he doesnt have a prime spot that he fights for in front of the net, he's like a wild bull. But those are just immaturity the offensive side of things, he is very very mature on the defensive end, and effort level, you cannot teach his tenacity. When I say he can play in the NHL, I dont mean he has to play with EP or Miller. He can play anywhere, and his effort alone will pay dividends to the outcome of the game, I am that confident of his transition. I used to think he can score 70 pts in his prime matched with EP, believe that he still has 50+ upside while he will actually win games for you. Like Morrow, he doesn't need to break 50 to make an impact, effort level like that also rubs off on players like JV, if your linemate is busting his ass, I cannot see him coasting in a market like Vancouver.
Pretty much the way I see it as well. His draft pedigree, our mess of a cap and the fact he has options all conspire to land him a slot on the team. But what will keep him there is his tenacity and defensive game. The offense will likely come slowly for this player, but I suspect his underlying stats will look good pretty much from the start.