I've never criticized Drury's aloofness. I'm just remarking about it as fact. It's his prerogative to conduct business the way he wants. He is much more secretive than some of his other peers. He works in NY with an established fanbase, The GM of a small market team might need to be more open and connected to grow their fanbase.
It's a shame he didn't take more control over his own career then.
How exactly did they "develop him to be a 40 pt player?" Did they make him shoot right handed? Give him ill-fitting skates? Demand he doesn't work on his game?
By making him prepare and ready himself to do the grindy, mucky things third liners do, rather than to continue developing his obvious first line skill set even through the natural growing pains he'd face.
How fragile is this guy that he can’t learn how to play a complete game? I must have missed his first season when he came out of the gates flying up and down the ice, dangling defenseman and scoring at will only to be neutered by the organization.
There was one dope imparticular who went out of his way to call Edge out on here whenever possible. Somebody pm me this guy's name please.
Exactly he can't give himself more ice time. He can't choose his own linemates. He can't choose to be on PP1. Coach decides that. Management decides that. They all chose wrong. His development suffered. And now the fans point the finger at the 21 year old kid instead of the rich f*** old boys club that runs this organization who prioritize big names and glitz and glam over hockey.
You don't draft a guy 1OA with those skills and then tell him to train and ready himself to become a third liner. (Well, I guess you do if you're the Rangers, but smart teams don't.)
When did they make him switch positions? When did he ever show something that warranted replacing someone on one of the best PPs in the league? Forget Strome or Panarin, when did he ever show he belonged on the top line outside of that stretch in the playoffs, when he played on the 3rd line? He was the first overall pick, he's not supposed to need massive amounts of developing, he should be developed. He should have come in here day one and proved his worth. Showed a few flashes, made you say wow he's good. Instead it's been three years of mediocrity at best. Newsflash, he's not a franchise altering talent. If he were, it wouldn't matter who he played with. Do you think guys like MacKinnon, Crosby, Stamkos, need perfect linemates to show what they can do?
If he had the skill, it would be evident. Regardless of who he plays with. And when did they ever tell him to train like a 3rd liner?? I thought we weren't supposed to number lines around here anymore.
Oh I totally agree, and you were right to point out that the same playbook was used for Kakko the year before. It was baffling to watch the Rangers just run the same process right back. It's even more baffling the amount of people who don't seem to see the obvious symmetry between Lafreniere and Kakko's careers so far. Continuing to harp that if they were Crosby or even MacKinnon tier talents then no team could ruin them doesn't change the fact that whatever potential they had was and largely continues to be blatantly depreciated by the organization.
Three different coaches, two different GMs, same exact player. And I don't think it's fair to lump Kakko in with Lafreniere.
