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Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
What does that mean exactly? Borderline NHLer?
Horak looks to be a lock to be a 3rd line C/W and perhaps can develop into a 2nd liner.
Not sure how that makes him a borderline NHLer.
Weak comment by you I'd say.
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I'm not overlooking the fact that Horak is still only 22, but I don't think he has that skillset that an ideal third line center has. He's not hard to play against, he's weak on his skates, he's not physical. A weak team like the Flames giving him time on the third line and occasional in the top 6 made sense, trying out the young guys. A team heading into the playoffs with him in their bottom 6 seems far from ideal.
He's got enough skill and hockey sense that he could definitely develop into a true top 6 forward, and a compete level that doesn't completely disqualify him from a bottom 6 role. It's just a lot tougher to secure his spot in the NHL as opposed to someone like Knight who has a lot of desirable assets that could make him an ideal bottom 6 center if he doesn't make it in a scoring role. Knight can win faceoffs, he's got decent speed, he can play two-ways, he's somewhat aggressive and has more size to back it up.
I don't think calling Horak a borderline NHLer is unfair. It's not about playing time or games played, it's about where he fits. He's not quite reached the skill level of a true top 6 player and he isn't an ideal bottom 6 player. To me that makes him a borderline NHL player. He's also only 22 years old and has a lot of time to change that.