Unfortunately when a young player makes comments like he has, go back and look at those players, and their success rate. Every person I’ve ever known in the game, would say the same exact thing (to him) after his comments…. “Now you know exactly why you’re being sent back to the AHL.”
Raw talent doesn’t mean very much. He’s talented. We can all see it. He’s also lost (on the ice) half the time, plays confident when he shouldn’t, and apprehensive when he should be playing confident. They also protect him quite a bit. Not shelter, but protect him.
His situation has nothing to do with where he was drafted, and even less to do with Korchinski or other players from his draft year.
If fans have learned anything this year about young dmen, they now know why LA and Detroit marinate kids. The kids in NJ, Anaheim, Chicago, Jiricek, etc, show us every night why they aren’t very good yet. Now, most of them also show us why they are going to be very good, as well. They make a lot of mistakes though.
Kid has a lot to learn, and obviously has maturity issues, when it comes to being a professional. He needs to shut his mouth, go to Cleveland, get his game in order, and come back with loads of confidence.
You can ruin really good, young dmen, playing them too soon in the NHL… For a variety of reasons. One of which, he suffers from… You don’t take care of some of the basics, because you’re constantly concentrating on what you do well, more than what you have to work at.
Out of all these young dmen this year, the only one who’s not being protected every game, has been Hughes. So when a kid like this goes running his mouth to the first reporter he can find, he doesn’t even understand he’s being protected out there, and still needs basic work.
Look how many years Tampa protected Sergachev. Didn’t have to, but chose to. It wasn’t because he couldn’t carry a pair already. It’s because when they handed him that responsibility, they wanted him to perform at the highest level.
Provorov is a great example, of a player who could’ve been so much better than he is, if he was properly developed. If he was marinated more, he could’ve been a special player. He only ever got better, on the things he already did well, because he never had the time to really work on those other areas of his game.
Someone this kid respects, needs to have a long talk with him. Obviously he doesn’t have a lot of respect for the people in Columbus.
He needs to play in the AHL for an extended period here. To concentrate on getting better, at every element of his game.
Unfortunately these situation rarely work out for the player. Everyone in the NHL is super talented. Most busts are almost all attitude related. The player thinks he’s all that, and is blind to his faults.
Columbus has to be super professional with this kid now, before they lose him mentally. Put him on a very detailed program, and make him follow it. It’ll be interesting how he plays in his first game back in Cleveland.
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