In case anyone wanted some balance to this thread, Michkov did have a blind pass giveaway in OT that led to a penalty on the ensuing breakaway for the other team. I don't think he played another shift in OT after. Still a problem with his game is just being a bit too...creative and risky with his play selection, especially up high.
That's what you get with skilled players. The creativity can cause turnovers that cause a coach to pull his hair out. Part of what makes those players successful is that they will attempt things that other players will not, which makes them difficult to defend.
The issues at hand then become;
- are they worth it , despite their turnovers? Guy Lafleur sure was ... Thomas Vanek was, till he was not. It's a case by case basis. Not everyone can be a Patrice Bergeron. Tage Thompson looked like a big, dorky giveaway machine until the past two years.
- Is he capable of learning off his mistakes, and what will, and will not work in the NHL?
- Does he understand the difference between trying a risky play in a January out of conference game, and trying the same thing when you are up by one goal in a playoff game?
In general, I want my potentially special offensive players to be pushing the envelope a bit, especially when they are young. For my team, i will put up with Matt Boldy/Marco Rossi trying(and failing) to make a spinorama blind pass....Jake Middleton, not so much.