Awesome deal, for those wondering why hes 22 and has been our #2 D with matheson while playing his offside, this contract is gonna age beautifully
It really should. Out of their young dmen, he’s always been the one I thought would transition rather quickly and fairly easily, as he has.
He’s such a smart player and his recovery skills are top notch. They start immediately before he’s even made a mistake. It’s something you look for with young dmen. It means the game has already slowed down for him. That he reads everything happening in real-time.
For example, if he’s trying to force an outlet pass between two opposing forwards, he immediately positions himself to recover if the pass goes wrong. He doesn’t wait until the pass is intercepted. He’s already cheated over, to put himself between the net and where the pass would’ve been intercepted. Most young dmen, would either continue up ice, or they’re admiring their pass, hoping it gets through. If it doesn’t, they’re caught and the turnover is in their net.
It’s a small thing, but it’s what all great NHL dmen do naturally, and it hasn’t mattered if it was his first season in the WHL, or his last shift in Montreal this past season. I remember watching an Oil Kings game when they went on their run, and the 4 of us watching him and some other players, just looked at each other, like yep, he’s playing in the NHL.
He already does most of the little things well, and has since the day he turned pro. Reading the ice is imperative to have success in today’s game. He reads the ice as well as any young dman. It’s a great signing. The only concern I have with him, is his ability to stay healthy.
