Quote:
Originally Posted by Saqe
I don't think you can underestimate this in his case. He is playing with Sean "frickin" Bergenheim (7pts) and Brad "fricking" Boyes (14pts) when Hertl plays with Thornton, Nichuskin with Benn&Seguin and even Monahan has a guy like Hudler who is still almost a PPG player.
But yeah, he still gets gassed out pretty fast and his shifts are generally quite short. Defensively he is already probably Florida's best forward, which is pretty insane. Against Toronto he spent the last 1.5 minutes of the game on the ice defending the lead and won two defensive zone face-offs to seal the game. Speak volumes about the confidence their coaching staff already has on him.
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He's also a puck possession type of forward and Florida hasn't had any chemistry in that regard as far as I've been able to tell. He gets his points close to the net but his real strengths in the offensive zone come out in prolonged puck possession shifts. He can play a lot of time and space for others but the line needs to be able to not turn over the puck or end the attack prematurely. The Panthers don't have much talent in that regard. The passing overall is awkward.
I'm sure the coach loves him. Guys like him and Monahan, never have to worry about them.