Wow, you got a lot of logical falseness in your rebuttal.
1. Better skater lie.
You stated that Drysdale is a "far superior skater". I responded with "that gap isn't far superior". Then your rebuttal is, "And even if everyone was impressed, that doesn't mean he's a better skater than Drysdale."
People can follow this thread, you know.
2. "No one has ever said anything close to that about LaCombe." illogicalness.
That article you've cited is AFTER his first season in the NHL, playing 24 games. LaCombe hasn't had a season in the NHL or 24 NHL games . Can't really compare apples to apples here. I was impressed with Drysdale's first half of NHL games that year, but then he faded for the rest of the season.
Drysdale | 2020-21 | | | | | |
|---|
Game Set | Games | G | A | Pts | | Plus/Minus |
First 11 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | | -2 |
Last 13 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | | -10 |
Maybe we're watching different dimensions of Drysdale's games in the NHL.
But I'll entertain this farce. Here is GM Verbeek on LaCombe on a
Dec 1, 2022 NHL.com article:
With [Lacombe], the college game is really easy for him. I mean, he's an excellent skater. He's moving up the ice, but no one can catch him. That's how strong a skater he is.
Here's a
quote from coach Eakins, the same Eakins that you referenced about Drysdale's skating, talking about LaCombe before his debut as a Duck:
"He's [LaCombe] an excellent skater. He's got great posture on the ice. His head is always up. He passes the puck extremely hard, doesn't really complicate much. The skating part of it, especially on defense the way you have to play the game, that is certainly going to help him."
3. How is Drysdale a better player?
- Year 1 in NHL: In only 24 NHL games, Drysdale faded in the last 13 games. CF% = 45.7%
- Year 2 in NHL: Owned the worst plus/minus on the team with -26. His d-pair, Lindholm, was a +0 rating. CF% = 50.8%, which is good!
- Year 3 in NHL: Played only 8 games. CF% = 41.0%. That's worse than his first season! Maybe his D-partner, Lindholm, may have helped some last year.
Here's an OCR article on Drysdale's benching
after game 60 of the 2021-22 season:
Jamie Drysdale played all 60 games to start the season, but Ducks coach Dallas Eakins knew it was time for the 19-year-old rookie defenseman to take a break from the action. So, Eakins scratched him from the lineup for last Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.
It wasn’t so much that Drysdale looked tired, but his game looked out of sorts, off kilter. He was on the ice for five of the Chicago Blackhawks’ even-strength goals during an 8-3 loss March 8 and for two of the Nashville Predators’ even-strength goals during a 4-1 defeat on March 10.
Drysdale said he understood Eakins’ message.
“Less busy,” Drysdale said, ticking off the adjustments to his play. “Not force things. Be more efficient. Those were the kinds of things I needed to work on and figure out. I think I’ve done a better job these past two games to do that. I feel good out there. There’s a lot of learning, a lot of development.”
What development happened in Year 3? No development happened. Although it's a small sample, that CF% is a drastic regression. I'd rather chalk it up as a lost developmental year. Here's a snippet from the Sporting Tribune of
Fowler on Drysdale's injury that cost him a season:
Fowler bemoaned the fact that this season would have been a good opportunity for Drysdale to get more experience under his belt and play a lot of big minutes, but he also acknowledged that injuries—as unfortunate as they can be—are a part of the game.
How many full seasons has Drysdale completed at the NHL level? One season only. Boasting about Drysdale's 113 NHL games doesn't sound all that great when he's only had only one full season in the NHL.
LaCombe's had four complete NCAA seasons. That means LaCombe's had four developmental seasons under his belt since his draft year. In his senior year, his role was to be leader and mentor for the younger players as an alternate captain for the team. You can read about all of his accomplishments at Minnesota here:
link.
LaCombe's physical and game maturity can afford the Ducks to take it slower with Drysdale. The ultimate goal is to develop Drysdale's game. Missing a year of hockey set back Drysdale's improvement. I'd start Drysdale on the third pair and work his way up.
You might think I'm trashing on Drysdale, but I'm not. I want the best possible scenario for Drysdale to improve and improve efficiently. With LaCombe getting the tougher assignments and minutes, then Drysdale is eased back into the game and not press. Ultimately, we want Drysdale in our top-4 as soon as possible. Having two more speedsters on defense with Drysdale and LaCombe could mean better play on the ice and, hopefully, more wins for the Ducks.
