Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaine
Really? I can't say I saw as many as 34 games, likely not even half of that however I have yet to see him play defense that would be considered acceptable at even the junior level. Heck I've seen pee wee players demonstrate better defensive IQ. Or is the AHL not the place players demonstrate an ability to play their positions these days? I'm so out of the loop.
You really are mistaken if you honestly think players have to play in the NHL to learn to play defense, he is missing the most basic fundamentals a defenseman should demonstrate at a far earlier level then the NHL. Then again the Oilers are worse than your average AHL team anyways so it's a good a place as any to learn I suppose. Touche.
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Not necessarily saying that players have to play in the AHL to learn defence but in his case it wouldn't help him to go back to the AHL. He won AHL defenceman of the year playing only 34 games.
You're kidding yourself if you're saying he didn't play well defensively with the Barons. He played big minutes and more than held his own on the defensive side. In terms of scoring chances for/against he was an average of 1.3 per game greater than the next-highest regular defenceman on the team. When he left, he was among the league's leading plus/minus for defencemen.
This is clearly a player who would do much better playing in the NHL in terms of his overall development.