Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashasx
Kadri is still a brutal defensive player. Nothing changed about that.
He was given a chance in a top 6 role and his offence finally exploded. Management and coaches can't ignore a young guy who played at a point per game pace after 40 games.
He is still brutal defensively, but his offence makes up for it. Like many star offensive players in this league (Stamkos, Kane, etc.)
Gaudreau is going to get absolutely torn apart by the fans of this team. When you start attacking the few bright spot this organization has, before you know it, there will be no bright spots.
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Exactly, Kadri didn't sort out his defensive game in its entirety and become a defensive specialist. Burke and the leafs didn't make that an exit criteria to make it to the big show, but did preach it as an important facet of his game that needed to improve. It also gave him the time to mature even his offense (he was miles ahead last season, than he was the year before).
I didn't get to watch all the last 15 or so games, but in whatever games i did watch of baertchi, he didn'tt seem like he was necessarily mature offensively for the NHL, and from the little bit seen of this preseason it's that he's still learning.
The youth, the baertchi's/gaudreaus/monohans are going to be torn apart as prospects if management rush them into the NHL just for the sake of pushing youth. A rebuild is firstly about icing whatever you can while you get the assets to build with , but just as important is being patient with them and letting them grow/develop at their own pace.
I actually think we're taking the comments today a bit too harshly. The management see and expect more from him, and that is a sign of encouragement and opportunity for the kid. If he's going to be as defensive as people on this board are about this, and look at it as an insult rather than constructive criticism, he's going to fail as a pro.