I'll reserve final judgement until he's played 20-30 NHL games, but I'm saying the kid deserves to stay. It's not just the points, it's the hockey smarts he shows. The reason he's getting points is because he's just a smart hockey player. He's in the right place at the right time. Not just offensively, but defensively as well. After 7 games, it's apparent to me that it's not a fluke, he just may be this good.
That's not to say he's going to win the Calder or anything, but I think it would be foolish to return him to junior when it appears that he has what it takes to be an NHL player in spades.
Who cares about burning an ELC year? The kid's not going to learn anything at the junior level anymore. He's an NHL player right now.
The chemistry he has with Sven has me pretty excited too. Those two just seem to mesh seamlessly.
I haven't been this excited about a rookie since Nieuwendyk burst on the scene.
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