Good point. But Chibi is a different kind of player - and doing at least a little better this year.
I'm not knocking Lambert. I still have hope that he makes it in the top 6. But I think other prospects are passing him. I think there is too much certainty about him expressed here.
Impossible to be certain about the vast majority of prospects, even the top of the top-end blue chippers.
But Lambert ticks some useful boxes:
- Pro speed
- Improving shot
- High motor and commitment to forecheck and tracking back
- Strong playmaking, puck skills and vision
- Solid positioning
- Will get stronger and more savvy
- Coaches now routinely note his high effort levels and coachability
He has his warts, but he's also playing on arguably the worst Moose team in recent years, with little defensive or scoring support, and IMO for a player like Lambert these conditions are likely to bring out some of his negative traits, like trying to do too much himself and thereby getting out of some of the good habits he's worked hard to develop.
I don't see Lambert as regressing notably from the All-Star player many here were excited about, development-wise, last year. But the team has been bad enough that he can't showcase those skills, so my concern is less about his counting numbers and more about team and player malaise.
Lambert's ceiling for me isn't Ehlers 2.0, but a variant of Chibrikov: a talented super-pest with a high motor who can disrupt, be a strong possession player who attacks aggressively with consistent zone entry success, and score at a high 2nd-line level someday. That's a very useful tool in a team like the Jets.
Maybe he doesn't get there. But I think he does.
But the Moose need to sort themselves out. Can't put out a product this awful and sell it to the public or players.