but he did look like a top 5 pick in the game, noah hanifin was getting destroyed out against pits, he was looking bad, is he a long term project. Marner is still a elite prospect, a franchise player waiting to happen, i watched the game and he got better as it went on very solid with some nice chances and 2 or 3 dime passes. He could be like a rnh player rite now imo, but that would not make him devolop the way he can. A year for him dominating junior with a dominant wjc will be great, i kinda hope his team chokes in the playoffs so he can get games in the ahl. He should be able to add 15 or so pounds and get to around 180. So far a lot of rookies initially struggled, mcdavid was eh till the third, and eichel started going in the 2nd, it's one game but marner showed a nice defensive game, with some great wheels and elite passing capabilities. Of course he was not consistent due to physical issue that can and will be solved. I was impressed with him and nylander. Both have over ppg max potential imo
he was getting constantly beat, i watched part of the game and was on the pens gdt listening for kessel. Hanifin is going to be a stud no doubt i would say he was as good as marner in his first game. The key part is first game. Many games for both these guys, and hopefully both turn into top 10 players in the nhl. I am cheering for hanifin more than i am for strome and i like any player from the gta or closeby but hanifin i can watch due to him being in the eastern confenence, and i was lucky enough to get hockey stream moving forward. So i want to watch as many games i can of seeing all top 5 draft guys play.
maybe mine and your expectations were different, were people really thinking marner was going to put a hatty in his first game. No if he did that would have created more unnecessary hype, marner is a elite player yes, but he is also a player who has one visible weakness and thats weight. I mean once he adds muscle(easy thing to do for guys in the nhl now, atleast it seems that way to me) he will be stronger on the puck, i admit he was nervous and made a few turnovers, but he also swiped a decent amount of pucks and smart high iq plays. He was smart enough to get onside on the nylander goal. He showed nice hands but did fumble the puck when pressured body to body. He had some great wheels. Made smart chip in plays and showed a general smooth and calm style. I give him a B for his performance. He was solid. I expect him to improve next game and totally be ready in a year. Nylander put on lots of muscle and strength in one year i dont see why marner cant up his weight either. This preseason is good for him as he sees aspects that he can improve on in junior and become a gym rat. I have high hopes for him in the future, but game 1 as a 160 pound kid, he did wat i expected got nice steals, got nice couple of scoring chances, was a bit timid, went to the corners despite his size( really liked it) had 2 or 3 passes that were really nice, and had a few shots/chances to score.
