Man, honestly it was kind of a blessing in disguise that Kempe got injured. The guy was just collecting points by the grace of Byfield. Turcotte looks infinitely more engaged as to be expected. Hopefully Kempe can recalibrate because he was honestly coasting so often. I think it’d help out Byfield a lot to have a player like Turcotte on his line even more since Turcotte plays a much more dynamic game than Kempe who tends to be rather stationary in the cycle and limp along the boards. I’m not hating on Kempe by saying this either. We all saw how good Kempe was in the preseason until he got injured and never really looked great since.
I’m hoping to see more of that like to see what they offer.
I know I stated before this season that this is going to be Byfields defining year and thankfully he has panned out. He’s looking better and better, becoming more and more dominant. I was pleasantly wrong about him. That being said, I think Turcotte has the ability to become an impact player. There’s something unique I see where he has a great ability to find the soft spot on the ice, forecheck, and retrieve pucks. He seems to have a flare offensively as well. I have a feeling Turcotte will pan out if he stays relatively healthy for a prolonged period of time.
The kids thankfully are doing better when given more rope. Who would have f***ing guessed? Not Todd and the staff apparently. Injuries have given them a chance to shine, and they have.