Quote:
Originally Posted by theg69
The bottom line is that Baertschi has not played well enough to be promoted onto the top 2 lines. I find he is just not strong enough on the puck and needs some more mass before he can be an effective player. He is still not strong enough defensively (which is understandable given its his first full NHL season) and I don't think the coaching staff is comfortable in putting him out there against the top lines of the opposition.
|
Why is this always the excuse for our franchise mishandling prospects? The team has a track record of doing exactly this to young, skilled players. They all just never played well enough to warrant time in a scoring role? Even though scoring is what they were drafted for? On any given night in the NHL there are first year players playing prominent roles on their respective teams even though they have obvious short comings.
What in all honesty does this team have to lose by throwing baertschi to the wolves for a dozen games as a top 6 player getting pp time? He certainly not going to develop any better then backlund did getting 8-10 minutes a night moving ahead. Especially if he's lining up with begin and jackman for half that time.