Nice game from him. I said a week or so ago that I’d rather him look good defensively than produce. We all know he can create every time he touches the puck.
He has his skating warts and the size (which isn’t prohibitively small but small enough that it’s a bit of an uphill battle) but people act like he’s incapable of playing D. Someone said he has bad defensive IQ. That’s certainly not the case.
If he was a smoother more effortless skater it would help a lot.
@Estimated_Prophet certainly is right in that respect (though I think it’s gotten better).
He’s pretty strong for his size as well which helps. I’ve seen him hit and absorb contact quite well on many occasions.
He needs plenty of work but betting against him so definitively is unwarranted. I can see a scenario where he could possibly not hit his expectations or even be a net liability. But I think he’s too good and driven to not push himself to meet and exceed expectations. He’s got plenty of drive.