Lol why would this make him spoiled? This guy has stuck it out and played by Quinn's rules for 2+ years now. He's literally done everything this team has asked of him. He's definitely a better player than he was drafted. It's obvious he's just not a Quinn guy and if I had to guess after spending my life around hockey and teams, he probably was 'not Quinn's guy' and became the team whipping post.
I don't understand how anyone can look at this situation and not blame the team. People are saying he didn't show enough when he was given 4th line minutes. Do people actually understand how rarely a 4th line guy grinds his way all the way to a top 6 role? What the hell was he suppose to show playing 9 minutes a night and adhering to playing Quinn's type of game in a 4th line role?
This kid isn't spoiled. He's a gamer and it's quite obvious it's in his DNA to be a leader and put everything on the line for his team. He plays with his heart on his sleeve for sure, something this team lacked for a long time and still does at times. I just honestly don't blame the kid after 2+ years of the same thing. "Follow our rules for you while we coddle Howden and let him get away with murder." I mean honestly, lost in all of this is the huge negative of what Quinn has done with Howden. Honestly, he's kinda ruined him. Howden to me had a really really great trajectory after his draft year. I truly believe, if not fed to the wolves, if Howden was taken and put in Hartford for a year or two, he would have came in and been a fan favorite. I think they could have really developed him into a often-scoring bottom six guy who is tough as nails to play against. He honestly just look ineffective and brash most of the time. I've rarely seen a guy as big as Howden get pushed around too. He's certainly not physically imposing, and his size is the only real reason I can think Quinn prefers him out of the box compared to Andersson.
Blemish on Quinn but it reminds me of Adrian Aucoin on Chiclets this week. Forget the coach in Toronto but he just wasn't his guy. Kept trying and trying and after a while Burkey just simply helped him get the hell out.
They've botched not one but two prospects in all of this. It's honestly disappointing.
And to everyone comparing him to Chytil and their stints being sent down, they don't exactly play the same kind of game. I wasn't expecting Lias to score as much rather than start honing in his game in all areas of the ice and learn to apply his IQ and grit to be effective for 15 minutes a night. I always saw more of a Couterier or Schenn so I didn't expect a finished product for a while. This is all disappointing.
