Quote:
Originally Posted by sworkhard
Its pretty common at the junior level to find these kinds of players. It's much more rare to find players that recognize that they have the option and ability to give the puck to a player like Rattie to shoot at a wide open net. Rattie can pass too, but he's not as good at it as Baertchi. Not saying Rattie is a bad player as he isn't, and I'd love to have him in the Flames system, but he's not the dynamic play maker Baertchi is. I think if you replaced Ty Rattie with Ryan Howse as a 19 year old, Howse would have had a very similar goal production.
Sven reads the play so well and he rarely seems to make the wrong play. He shoots when it's the best option, and passes when it makes the most sense too. With the number of open nets and half open nets Rattie gets playing with Baertchi, even Stempniak and Comeau could score.
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How often have you seen wide open nets in the NHL like you see in some of those WHL highlights? Not very often because the goalies and defensemen are the best in the world. You may get the top of the net but in those situations, you'll need a skilled shooter.
I've seen Stempniak and Comeau bury enough shots into goalie's chests to recognize that there is a difference between a skilled shooter (Rattie) and average shooter.
Stempniak and Comeau are probably better all around players than Rattie, but Rattie has elite finishing skills. It would be nice to have that kind of talent to complement Sven in the future is all i'm saying.
Reinhart and Ferland don't have those types of skills, better all around guys though. Gaudreau and Granlund do have those types of skills, but the Flames need more for the present and future.