On a WHL trip but wanted to take time tonight to see how Kasper responded to being sent down, and never did head over to the rink. I’m streaming 3 games so if I’ve missed something, apologies. I’ve caught most the GR game though.
Kasper is just playing at a different level. He’s the best player on the ice, hands down. This continues, they won’t have much choice but to recall him.
Wallinder likewise, has been the best dman on either team. He’s starting to really develop well. Had a great camp too. No doubt he should be ready by next fall. Maybe sooner. He’s much stronger than he was last year but remember, he had a good playoff last season, and last month of the season. So he’s been playing well for a stretch now, but he’s visibly stronger since the end of last year.
They gotta be real happy with where he’s at. Having him with Seider and Edvinsson, will make their D-core really hard to play against. They just take up so much ice and they can all move well, transporting the puck. I’ve always thought he might be the one they end up trading but the more he keeps playing like this, I’m not sure they’d be smart trading him. We’ll see though.
Austin Watson has also had a really good game.
Danielson is playing very well. He’s going to suddenly blow up in about 20 games. Watch. He’s just finding his way, playing against men, which everyone has to. Wasn’t gonna matter whether he did this in DET or GR. The production will just start coming, as he has some really good shifts, then not so much for 2-3 shifts. He’s not making the growth mistakes though. He’s still making the right play 90% of the time. That usually equals a very short stint in the AHL. They’ll probably wait until the points start coming, bring him up, and let him continue to develop in the NHL after that.
Like to see a little more from Lombardi. Cossa hasn’t really been tested at all. A couple times early but that’s it. Mazur has had a real solid effort as well, but yea, Kasper is on a different level than anyone else in this game. Several chances
He keeps this up, they’ll have no choice. It’s clearly visible, and after that game he played with Kane and Tarasenko, he’s on his way to being a Top 6 NHL C, and like soon.