I like this response.
Since you've seen many of the Amerks games, Rhett, what are your thoughts on both Catenacci (who I haven't seen much but reading about him intrigues me) and Carrier's chances of eventually seeing an in season try out with the Sabres?
I'll hang up and listen and thanks for responding in advance.
Catenacci's in a tough spot. His ceiling always appeared to be a third-line speedster with a bit of chip to his game (but not the size to really back it up) and great defensive chops. His last year in juniors, he put up some solid offensive numbers, but none of that carried into the AHL. Outside of his speed, not a lot of the other toolset translated either. I give him about a 10-15 percent chance at being a Darren Helm-type player in the NHL.
Carrier has a year less AHL experience under his belt, so it's harder to say for sure. The offensive skills seem to be trending downward, though. He can skate and has an NHL body, so a bottom-six role would not be completely out of the question. By this time next year, it will be far more obvious. (He had a couple solid games recently after a really bad drought for a few months.)
Also, someone mentioned Girgensons earlier and how few points he scored in the AHL. It should be pointed out that he was much younger at the time. Both Cat and Carrier played more juniors after their draft year, and Girgs immediately went pro by virtue of being outside the CHL. As pointed out by another, he also improved dramatically toward the end. You could see that it "clicked."
It's not too out of line to look at Carrier's production as a slight worry. Good prospects, especially after two more years in junior after their draft year, can put up serious points in the AHL. Heck, Luke Adam nearly put up 30 goals in 57 games and scored at a PT/GM clip. Granted, in that case, even tearing up the AHL isn't a sign of an NHL future.
Like I said in my previous post, it's
damn hard to be an NHL player. It's also damn hard to scout talent, so In Murray We Trust.
