Lots of examples of unrealistic expectations put on a 20 year old kid.
Whether it’s thinking this new production on the score-sheet suddenly means he’s a winger, or that he’s not a good enough skater to play C (really weird one, cause the way he skates in traffic is one of his best assets and he explodes to the puck), or people saying he sucks and he’s a bust because he’s not a PPG player at 20 years old, etc, etc?? Completely unrealistic expectations and unfair evaluations.
He was never a microwave prospect. It was always going to take some time. Most scouts feel he’s 1-2 years ahead of schedule from his draft day expectations..
The ONLY thing you look for with kids drafted 6-20th overall, playing in the NHL at 20, especially in a Top 6 role (under 75 games) is flashes.
You wanna see more of those flashes at 50 games, than you seen at 20 games. Everything else is pure bonus. Kasper provides plenty of those flashes almost every game.
There’s just too many variables at that age. For example, how many games has he played in the Top 6? I’d say he’s over a PPG in such a role, no?
Comparing him to a Bedard or others who may produce more at 20, is just unrealistic. Kasper hasn’t even played 5-7 games in the Top 6. That means he’s NOT playing with other Top 6 players, which makes a huge difference stat wise.
As for the C/W thing? THEY think he’s a Top 6 C, but because of their situation with Danielson and Lombardi, he may “fit” better as a wing “Long-Term” in Detroit. Where in Calgary for example, he’s gonna be a pivot today, tomorrow, next year, and in 5 years. No question.
If for the rest of this season, he’s that plug on the top line they’ve been searching for, then great. He’ll come to camp and line right back up, playing C come September.
Detroit has always done this. Fedorov, Zetterberg, etc, etc, played many games on the wing in their careers. There was a time when Detroit had something like 11 of their 13 forwards on the roster, were drafted Cs.
Why do they see him as a C?
It’s a lot of the little things you have to do in the NHL to play C away from the puck. Things he’s really good at already.
The goals and points are important in a game to game, stat chaser type of way, but judging players on scoring or not, in this sport, is very short-sighted. Especially a 20 year old getting his feet wet.
Kasper already does a lot of the little things well, and it’s why coaches are so impressed, that has C written all over him. For example, and Danielson is learning this as we speak, doing much better at it…. In the NHL, to be an effective C, you have to be creating interference almost constantly. No matter what zone you’re in. Whether that’s a tug at an opposing player, skating in his lanes, etc, etc. It’s constant when your team doesn’t have the puck, but also as possession is changing. To understand what’s happening on the ice, and making sure you’re in those lanes, or on a player you know they wanna get the puck to.
He does these things like he’s been in the league 5 years already. Its why people compare him to an Eriksson Ek. It’s knowing your line mates and all of their tendencies. Something else he’s really good at. It’s “thinking the game” at a high level. Where you’re two steps ahead of the play. He does that well.
So he’s gonna get every opportunity to play C in the NHL BUT he’s 20.
Too many fans still have the NFL/NBA outlook for draft picks. Look at most players drafted 6-20th overall and compare their 20 year old years, if they were lucky enough to play in the NHL at that age.
Eriksson Ek, who Kasper is compared to the most, had 16 points in something like 70 games his 20 year old season. Kasper is trending 22-30, depending on different evaluations/roles. That’s really good actually. As long as you see those “flashes” and we get more than one every game.
In his 40 NHL games, he’s earned the right to play with other players who do “think the game” at higher rates. We’re seeing the production, not because he’s along for the ride with 71 & 23, but because he can process the game like they do.
Personally, and I’ve had long discussions with other hockey personnel on him around Xmas time…. it’s one of Lalonde’s big failures this year. No matter how well Marco was playing in a lessor role, he believed in staggered opportunities. That you give a young player a little bit at a time. So add him to the 2nd PP unit but don’t give him the 2C role yet, or even the role he’s currently playing.
It was ridiculous. You give kids what they can handle. Lalonde was doing such a disservice to both Kasper and Edvinsson this season, and let’s not even get started with Johansson.
Edvinsson should’ve been playing the role he EARNED down the stretch last season. To “run” or “carry” that 2nd pairing. Not to be Mo’s sidekick.
Now, there’s been an actual issue with a veteran, on why that was happening with Edvinsson (that’ll come out at some point) where Chiarot had the ear of Bougner and Lalonde and pushed them constantly, to give him that spot instead of Edvinsson. Haven’t heard anything like that with Kasper though. Copp and Compher are great teammates. They’re not throwing a kid under the bus for their own benefit, like Chiarot was doing. Remember one of Todd’s first comments about a “Letter” on your jersey NOT equating with how good of a player, or what role you play? That was who it was addressed to if you were wondering.
As for Kasper overall??
He’s very comparable to other Cs drafted 6th-20th overall, and how their development goes.
Eriksson Ek, who Kasper is compared to the most, had 16 points in something like 70 games his 20 year old season. Kasper is trending 22-30, depending on different evaluations/roles. Eriksson Ek was similar though, in regards to playing in both the Top/bottom 6 that year.
That’s really good for a 20-21 year old kid actually. Especially Pivots. As long as you see those “flashes”, the kid is likely progressing to be the player they envisioned when they drafted him.
So to say he “sucks” at scoring or he’s never going to be a ppg player, is very short-sighted, to say the least. We just don’t know yet, but he’s progressing as you’d expect. Next season is gonna be a really good evaluation, as he’ll be 100 games in. We’ll have a much better guess on where he’s gonna end up as a player. Or at least what he should become.
It’s been a bumpy ride for a lot of Detroit fans because they were so spoiled for so long. There’s 40 year old fans who ever knew what it was like to wait for prospects to develop. Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, Kronwall, all just showed up one day and everything was great because the team was good already.
So these last 6 years have been a learning experience for many, and some still just don’t get it. They want results yesterday. They don’t understand if you get 3 NHL players from a draft, it was a really good draft, or that only 2-3 players from most drafts, play that same year.
Those who do evaluations and scouting for a living, think Detroit has done the best they ever could have, with the cards they were dealt in the lottery. To have 2 monster dmen, already eating minutes up at their age, 6 years into a rebuild? You don’t see that very often. Add in a PPG winger and a system loaded with 200+ Game NHL prospects?
Enjoy the ride. Enjoy watching these kids develop and get better and better. Enjoy watching Simon Edvinsson play Hedman shifts at 21. Enjoy Seider looking like Pronger already, or Raymond killing it. The winning will come, and there will be some trades to balance the roster, etc, but enjoy watching Marco Kasper evolve and develop.
Unfortunately if he keeps this up, he might end up in Vancouver..
