Quote:
Originally Posted by Psytic
Nichushkin is playing in the KHL and Barkov in the SM-ligaa. Personally I see them as being more ready since they are playing against men/ ex- NHLers already. I don't know much about Nichushkin though admittedly or if he is a flight risk. Barkov is a bit slow from what I have seen so I think that is his red flag unless he can pull a Thornton or Kopitar and work through it (those two aren't fast either) and with Drouin you always have to worry if that flash can translate to the Bigger NHL or if he will get smothered. Still some question marks with all these guys really.
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Personally I suspect it's likely offensive upside more than skating that puts Barkov behind the other two forwards. There's nothing awkward about his skating. Big ice, big body, style of play compared to junior game are also things to consider when comparing players. He won't ever explode up the ice like a 6'0 winger, it's not his game at all, but it's not the case that it's a glaring weakness.
Adjusting to the higher tempo in NA is an another issue. That's just the transition and has a lot to do with lack of space and the speed of the puck. Skating-wise, I don't see why he wouldn't "pull a Thornton or Kopitar."
Button has his skating at 4/5 in the clip I linked to earlier. Another clip taken from the Barkov thread at Hfboards (at 17 seconds) should show that while he's not a speedster, he's also not a prospect with skating issues.