yeah even without talking about ceilings and basements. I think if he becomes what Nichushkin is to the Avs, canucks will be quite happy. In the latter part of this year, I believe Pod has shown more than just being a high end possession player though, players that play the power forward game from non english countries tend to peak a lot later, as you can see finally with Nichushkin's offense this year.
The assertiveness with the puck on his stick that we are seeing now with Miller and Garland/Chiasson is something that simply wasnt there before, even when Marchenko was playing higher in the line up. Even when it was just him and Morozov, he was more deferential to him to drive play, him being more of a disruptor, no surprise though being deployed 10 mins a night that there is no time to expand his repertoire. I forgot which game, but that behind the back assist to Horvat was just a glimpse of his developing vision along with all the other intangibles.
BB needs to simply feed him minutes, with his dependable game, its a low risk high reward tactic, then its up to him to develop confidence and consistency to justify the coach's decision.
He's got much more in him than Nikushkin.
I think (thankfully) Canuck's fans didn't over hype him because he wasn't tearing up the KHL. But people forget he was getting 3-5 mins a night being sent up and down. And eventually, when put in a top 6 role, began to thrive against men, and in the playoffs was exceptional (When it really matters).
Larionov, his agent, compared him to Messier (as much as Canucks fans hate him) that's not a comparison I am sure one of the greatest ever would make, after playing against Mess many times. I think we can all see what he meant now.
He has a complete tool box. He can skate, he's relentless on the puck, he's hard on the wall, he has great awareness and makes great passes, and as we've seen with his shot, he can snipe (and its the hardest on the team according to Bo/Miller).
What we have seen is him brought along slowly, much like Bo was in his first year. Ensure he took care of his own end, then progress up the lineup when he showed he could. Once he was solidly in a top 6 role, we have seen his offensive prowess and confidence take over.
We can see he is and will be a play driver and that's key. Alot of people in vancouver (including the guys on 650) keep saying he's a 40 to 50 pt player top end. You don't put a cap on players with his skill and drive. Hell Jake was on pace for 40 pts, sorry but Podz is light years ahead of Jake in terms of everything.
This kid will hit 90 pts like Miller has, and is going to be a big part of any cup chances we ever have.
