I like the concept of this signing.
There is a shift in how depth lines and grinders are built around the league. I like Karson Kuhlman in Boston a lot. And kids like him are popping up all over. Strong on the puck. Great at taking away ice without it. Smaller stockier forwards. High intensity players, but definitely not without skill. It’s just as important to be able to be strong on the puck, to be able to turn away from defenders and protect it as well as move it in high pressure situations as it is to win pucks when you don’t have it.
When these guys do come out of college as undrafted and make it in the NHL it’s often because there is a change in what people are looking for. Like the last years Ds are let loose a lot more and guys like Pionk and Stetcher in Vancouver pops up and does fairly well in the NHL. Ppl hate on Pionk, but he is on pace this season to score more pts than Kreider ever have in the NHL. He isn’t totally useless.
I think he is a great add. I also think that we need a little generation shift in HFD. This kid can definitely come in and replace guys like Vinnie L and co long-term. That is valuable too. I like it.
Agreed. Finding young forwards that can take away time and space and punish opposition is invaluable in today's NHL.
I was at the Kings/Wild game this weekend. Sat about 15 rows from the ice. Normally I sit much further away. The thing that stands out from a closer vantage point is just how much of the game is a bit too fast or too clogged to make legit hockey plays.
So much of the game is about chipping the puck to areas where there
should be a teammate waiting. It's not actually about having the time and space to make a skilled read. The game is just too fast and the bodies are too big.
This is, in part, why rookies have such a hard time adjusting to the NHL game. They literally have to learn how to take creativity out of their games. And that's because teams have a mixture of elite talent combined with other players who rely on speed, size and reach. And there's just very little room.
From close up it feels like most of the guys in the NHL look like they're playing a video game that's a level too hard for them. And what makes STL and Boston so strong is that are all 4 lines can limit time and space. Everyone talks about the NHL game being exhausting from a physical standpoint and it is, but it's also the speed of the game and how that takes a mental toll as well.
So, in any case, this is why adding players like Gauthier, Barron and Khodorenko are so valuable. The more kids like this you have in your system and on your team, the more each piece becomes more valuable because as a collective they begin to have an accumulative effect on opposition.
