Quote:
Originally Posted by Saqe
Barkov also picking it up now when the Panthers have started competing. Five points in his last five games. If he had an elite winger like the others I think he'd be right up there with the rookie scoring leaders.
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Barkov is strong at both ends of the ice but I don't think his positioning in the offensive zone has been quite as natural as some other rookies. Might be the linemates too. Haven't watched lately though. Still, only 5 points behind MacKinnon.
I like that the youngest player in the league is already good enough to carry his line and win 50% of his faceoffs. When the points start coming more regularly, maybe people will begin to notice.
Florida's top centers are 21 and 18 years old. And then they have the calder winner too. They could be building a team over there. Or not.
Hertl can still win Calder if he misses a dozen games. But in general rookies go through ups and downs so the point race is still wide open. Maybe MacKinnon is the favorite because he's in a position where he seems to be in on a lot of offense in Colorado, but we'll see.