When he’s getting scratched vs the Hawks, and they still dress 7? That’s an issue.
There’s lots of buzz on Clarke right now, and even though some is just random speculation, there’s also some legit people starting to talk about how the Kings may have come to the conclusion after almost 2 years in house now, that they’ll never be able to fix his feet defensively. Which is going to keep him from ever being an elite type Dman.
It was a big concern for many teams during the 2021 draft, but offensive abilities cloud judgment. Especially with Dmen. By 17-18 years old, your footwork is muscle memory by then. That’s not an easy fix, because it’s a repetitive, thought provoking thing. You’re not just reacting. You’re thinking about how to react and the higher the level of play, the less you have time to think. That’s why AHL time is such an important thing. For Dmen especially…. Brandt Clarke knows what to do. His body just doesn’t react naturally to it yet.
Is it fixable? 100%. Because skating is muscle memory, reps over and over and over and over again, is what fixes it. That doesn’t happen stapled to the bench in the NHL, or even playing in the NHL.
Like it or not, he was hurt by being in the OHL after being drafted. CHL teams don’t have time to fix something that’s not broken for their purpose. His footwork wasn’t a detriment at that level.
That’s why there’s NHL teams who prefer drafting European or Non-CHL dmen these days, who have any skating issues. They know they’ll have more immediate control over the player’s development.
They’ve now had him for almost 2 seasons to work on his feet, and they’re the same as they were the day he was drafted. So now 4 years since his draft, they have an extremely gifted 22 year old offensive player, who’s a defensive liability, as a Top 4 dman. If footwork isn’t fixed by 22, there’s a good bet it never will be.
Doesn’t mean he can’t still have a good NHL career. It means he’ll likely never be what people thought he could be.
So if they have determined that’s the case, ala when Colorado knew early-on Barron wouldn’t develop, they might be in the process of cutting bait before everyone else knows they’ve given up on him being elite.
The fact he’s not being sent down, leads people to believe the Kings do think he’s a finished product from a skating perspective. If they’re really trying to move him, sending him down at 22 would send a message to other teams that something ain’t right.
Look, he’s proven he can play in the NHL, and at 22 his natural development with maturity and experience will still see him progress as a player. It becomes a ceiling issue.
We’ll see what happens by Friday but if they are trying to move him, it does make sense not to play him leading up to the deadline. Why create more tape for other managers to question the return?
If he’s moved, and if this is who he’s ever going to be from a defensive perspective, the Kings will have clearly botched his development.
It’ll also be real interesting how he’s used with his new team. Whether they send him down and/or put him on a program this summer, we’ll have to wait and see. It’ll also be interesting who will trade for him. That will be telling. If it’s a team who develops really well, it’ll be saying they think he can be fixed. If it’s a team who tends to throw young Dmen into the fire, hoping they grow by experience more, then he probably does end up just another Tyson Barrie.
Feel horrible for the kid because the Kings really have made mistakes with him, and he’s paying for it. They should’ve kept him in the NHL that one year. Putting him on a strategic skating program, and barely playing him. Maybe 15-20 games and conditioning stints in the AHL. He got nothing but a wasted year, by returning to juniors. That’s all in hindsight now though.
Bottom line, if he wants to be an elite player, he’s going to have to become very proactive each summer, working on his footwork, regardless of who he’s playing for. It’s time for a full-time skating coach. If he does that each summer for the next 4-5 years, he may still end up elite. Just might not be until he’s 26-27….. and that obviously won’t be in LA.