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Originally Posted by devo22
any thoughts on Ryan Howse?
Thanks for the big write-up, really appreciated. Interesting stuff.
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Howse was an interesting case. He didn't stand out in either game and I had to look for him to form an opinion. Reports of poor fitness I had the image of a chubby little winger huffing and puffing behind the play. That certainly wasn't the case as he stayed with the play, but I could see if he were to be in better shape, he would be more dynamic and be able to create more space to get open. He was able to get off a laser once and zipped it just wide of the top corner, but to have one good opportunity in two games speaks to his current status.
His linemates (Laing and Nemisz) are a couple of hard-working skaters, but they spent more time in the defensive zone than creating any offense. Howse did hold his own defensively which was nice to see, but that's about all I can say. In his 2nd year pro I would hope that he would be further along. At this point, the NHL is not looking likely. He isn't fast enough or shifty enough to create space to get his shot off and if he isn't in the top six he's not going to be in the lineup as there are better options if Bancks is healthy.