A lot of bad habits?
What are they.
The posts in this thread are referring to his recent play, which appears to be less then stellar according to a lot of posters. I was referring to the last 15 games or so where he has 5 even strength points which places him 10th on the team for that period.
The guy is a good hockey player. Does great things and can pull you out of your seat. I hope he does get to be that 100 point, elite status of a player and believe he has the skill to do so. However to get there, he has to clean up some parts of his game.
One thing that is frustrating to watch is his habit of stickhandling into a crowd of opponents before getting stripped of the puck. He tries the highlight play too often.. a lot of time in dangerous spots that leads to good opportunities for the other team.
He is counted on to carry the puck into the zone on the pp. Far often he tries to deke or makes a bad pass and Sanderson is on his way back to get the puck. Coaching may be forcing him to do these things too often as he isn't the only one guilty of such things but he is supposed to be our top skill guy.
While his defensive play has improved , there is still lots of room to get better in his d zone coverage (like everyone else lately).
He not very strong on the puck. Loses more than his share of one on one board battles.
I thought he played better in the Florida and Tampa games as there were encouraging signs. He seemed to hit harder and made simpler plays. Didn't take any shit either. Only one assist to show for it all but he was much more solid.
Bottom line is that he is a very good player. It is just that lately, his play is leaving a lot of people wanting more cause they have seen it from him in the past. Hope the recent good signs point to a strong finish and even stronger post season.
