I could be wrong, but I understood Duhatschek's comments to be far more general with what we can expect, or how we can gauge Horak's development. He was making the point that Horak's skill set is currently not extraordinary, and that he appears very much like a future average AHL player. But this was then qualified with the observation that what separates NHL regulars from this type of player is how well they adjust to the speed and grind at the NHL level, and that there is nothing in Horak's game at present to suggest that he will be able to make this huge transition. That is not to say that it cannot happen, only that it is not likely to happen. We can and should all hope that Horak surprises all of us, and if he does manage to make that adjustment, then he will be a very nice NHL player. The vast majority of players with Horak's skill-set do not make the transition, but those who do can potentially become effective top-nine or even top-six players. The cards are stacked against him, but Horak ultimately controls his own destiny here.
...At least, that is how I interpreted Duhatschek's comments.
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