[Psytic]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

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.

a very solid overall package and the skill set to compensate for his below-average skating, making him one of the top prospects for the 2013 NHL Draft. (Matias Strozyk, 2012)

He is a below-average skater, but that hasn't stopped him from skyrocketing up the 2013 draft board. While QMJHL forward star Nathan MacKinnon and USA defense product Seth Jones are considered the favorites for the top of the 2013 class, don't count Barkov out, as he certainly has the skill set to challenge them.

I think he is actually slightly slower than Kopitar when I watched some of his games. I would still pick him but his speed is a bit below average.